Under the provisions of the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004, a licence is required in order to install or use a television receiver to receive television programmes.
In university halls of residence, a single licence taken out by the managers covers the use of all television sets installed in communal areas, but sets installed in students' own rooms require a separate licence, since each room is regarded as a separate unit of accommodation.
In a shared flat or house, if the residents can demonstrate that they constitute a single household, for example if they share facilities and household bills and have a joint tenancy or joint lease agreement, a single licence will cover all television sets on the premises. If not, a single licence covers the use of all television sets installed in the communal areas but if residents have sets in their own rooms these need to be licensed separately.
The Government appreciates the difficulty which people on low incomes may have in paying the licence fee. But there are many groups with a reasonable claim for special treatment and it is not possible to provide concessions for all these groups while the BBC remains reliant on television licence fee revenue to provide its full range of services.
