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What happens to your TV Licence when you move house?

Short answer

If anyone will watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer at the new home, update your licence address on the TV Licensing website. If you are moving into a home already covered by one household licence, or nobody there will need one, cancel yours and apply for a refund on the same site.

Updated

  • £180

    A colour TV Licence for a year

  • 1

    Licence can cover a household on a joint tenancy agreement

  • £1,000

    Maximum fine for watching live TV without a licence

Update your address with TV LicensingDo you need a TV Licence?

When you move, one of three things happens to your TV Licence: it moves with you, the new home is already covered, or nobody there needs one. The table below sorts your situation into one of them, including house shares and halls, where the tenancy decides the answer.

Transfer, refund or cancel: which applies to you?

Your situationWhat to do
Moving, and someone will still watch live TV or use BBC iPlayerUpdate your address on the TV Licensing website.
Moving in with someone whose licence covers the householdOne licence can cover a household on a joint tenancy agreement, or one that watches TV in a single shared area. If that is you, cancel yours and apply for a refund.
Moving into a house share on separate tenancy agreementsYou need your own licence if you watch TV in your own room.
Moving into university accommodationYou need a licence to watch TV in your own room. Shared areas may already be covered.
Student whose other home has a licenceIt covers you at university on a device that is battery powered, not plugged in and not connected to an aerial.
Nobody at the new home will watch live TV or use BBC iPlayerYou do not need a licence there. Cancel it and apply for a refund on the TV Licensing website.

Do I need a TV Licence at my new home?

The rule is the same at every address. What a move changes is who you live with and how your tenancy is written.

  • GOV.UK: you need a TV Licence if you watch or record live TV on any channel or service, or use BBC iPlayer.
  • You do not need one for streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus, on-demand TV through services like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video, videos on YouTube, or DVDs.
  • A licence costs £180 a year, or £60.50 for a black and white set.
  • You may be able to get a free or discounted licence if you are 75 or over and get Pension Credit, or if you are blind or in residential care.
  • You can be fined up to £1,000 for watching or recording live TV without a licence.
Sources (1)
Do you need a TV Licence? The full rules

How do I transfer my TV Licence to a new address?

Each step that changes the licence is done on the TV Licensing website, which is where GOV.UK sends you to update, cancel or claim a refund.

  1. 1

    Check who will watch what at the new home

    A licence is needed for live TV on any channel or service, and for BBC iPlayer. If nobody at the new home will do either, you will not need one there.

  2. 2

    Check whether the new home is already covered

    One licence can cover a household on a joint tenancy agreement, or one that watches TV in a single shared area. On separate tenancy agreements, anyone who watches TV in their own room needs their own.

  3. 3

    Update your address, or cancel

    If you still need a licence, update your address on the TV Licensing website. If you do not, cancel it there. TV Licensing's phone number is 0300 790 6071.

  4. 4

    Apply for a refund if you cancel

    Apply on the TV Licensing website, which sets out when a refund is due.

  5. 5

    Keep the renewal date

    Keep the licence number, the new address and the renewal date with your other bills, so the next payment is not a surprise.

Sources (1)

Do I need my own TV Licence in a shared house or halls?

In a shared home the tenancy agreement decides it, not the television. Students have one more rule for term time.

  • Halls and other university accommodation: you need a licence to watch TV in your own room. Shared areas may already be covered by a licence.
  • A joint tenancy agreement: one licence can cover the whole household. The same goes for a household that only watches TV in a single shared area.
  • Separate tenancy agreements: you need your own licence if you watch TV in your own room.
  • Term time: if you live at another address outside term time, you can use its licence at university on any device that is battery powered, not plugged in and not connected to an aerial.
  • A licence you bought for term time and will not need over the summer can be cancelled on the TV Licensing website, where you can also apply for a refund. The site sets out when one is due.
Sources (1)
Setting up bills when renting: the full guide

TV Licence questions when you move house

Do I need to tell TV Licensing when I move house?

If anyone will still watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer at the new home, update your address on the TV Licensing website, which is the route GOV.UK gives for moving home. If nobody will, cancel the licence there instead.

What happens to my TV Licence when I move house?

It moves with you. GOV.UK says that if you move home you update your address on the TV Licensing website, and the licence then covers the new home. You need one there only if someone will watch or record live TV or use BBC iPlayer. If a household licence already covers the new home, cancel yours and apply for a refund instead.

Do I need a new TV Licence when I move?

No, if you already hold one: change the address on it rather than buying another. You need to buy a licence only if you had none and someone at the new home will watch or record live TV or use BBC iPlayer. In a house share on separate tenancy agreements, anyone watching TV in their own room needs their own licence.

How much is a TV Licence?

GOV.UK puts it at £180 a year, or £60.50 for a black and white set. You may be able to get a free or discounted licence if you are 75 or over and get Pension Credit, or if you are blind or in residential care. Watching live TV without one can mean a fine of up to £1,000.

Can I get a TV Licence refund when I move?

You can apply for one on the TV Licensing website, for example if you are moving into a home that is already licensed or nobody there will need a licence. The site sets out when a refund is due.

I am moving in with my partner, who has a TV Licence. Do I need mine?

Not if their licence covers the household. GOV.UK says one licence can cover a household on a joint tenancy agreement, or one that watches TV in a single shared area. In that case, cancel yours and apply for a refund.

Do I need my own TV Licence in a shared house?

It depends on the tenancy. On separate tenancy agreements, you need your own licence to watch TV in your own room. On a joint tenancy agreement, or if TV is only watched in a single shared area, GOV.UK says one licence can cover the whole household.

Do students need a TV Licence at university?

In university accommodation you need one to watch TV in your own room. If you live at another address outside term time, its licence covers you at university on a device that is battery powered, not plugged in and not connected to an aerial.

Keep the TV Licence in the wider move-in plan

The renter guide covers every bill in a first rented home. The official links are where the licence itself is changed.

Start here

Setting up bills when renting

Recommended

The first-time renter guide: what each bill is, who charges it, and where you have a choice.

Official references

Keep the renewal date with your other bills

Taupia keeps the TV Licence next to energy, broadband, water and council tax, with its renewal date and each housemate's share. There is no commission on a TV Licence, and nothing changes without your approval.

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Cite this page

Taupia. "What happens to your TV Licence when you move house?". Last updated 24 October 2026. https://taupia.com/move-home/tv-licence-setup