People with BBC TV licence can knock £169 off bill but have just nine days

UK households can cut their TV licence from £169 to £0 in the next nine days. Ahead of April's price hike, a legal expert from The University of Law has shared their advice on whether you really do need to pay the license fee (and what happens if you don't).

A legal expert from The University of Law explained: "Homeowners or tenants of a property who watch or record live programmes on any device (including computers and tablets), must have a TV license. The same goes for any programmes downloaded or viewed via BBC iPlayer.

"The only time you don’t need a license is when watching non-BBC programmes with catch up services, videos, DVDs or even Blu-Rays, or online videos on sites such as YouTube. You only need one license per residence, which will cover everyone in that household."

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They added: "There are options to pay this in an annual lump sum, or in monthly or quarterly instalments. There is some good news for owners of black and white TVs, as the license fee here has remained the same at £53.50. There are some exemptions and discounts available in special circumstances, however it’s worth bearing in mind that if you were eligible, you would most likely have been informed about it.

"If you are aged 75 years old or over and you, or your partner living at the same address receives pension credit, then you can apply for a free TV license. It’s also worth looking into this if you live in a residential care home, supported housing or sheltered accommodation, as you may also qualify for a free license."

They went on and also said: "Those who are blind or severely sight impaired may also be eligible for a 50 per cent discount, providing you can provide “appropriate evidence”."