With thousands of people planning to take holidays in the UK this summer, TV Licensing is urging managers of hotels, inns and guest houses to ensure their premises are correctly licensed to avoid the risk of a trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000.

As with any other business, all hotels, inns or guest houses which use television equipment to receive or record television programme services need to be properly licensed by law, although there are special ‘hotel’ licensing arrangements.

The hotel licence covers all equipment provided by the hotel/accommodation owner. It does not, however, cover the use of any television receiving equipment which is not provided by the proprietor of the accommodation, which would need to be covered by a separate TV licence.

Jessica Ray, TV Licensing spokesperson said, “With the unexpected sunshine tempting holiday makers to spend more time in the UK this summer, it’s important that hotel managers are aware of the licensing requirements which affect them.

“This should prevent any damage to the reputation of the hotel which might be caused by an embarrassing trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000, plus costs, if they are caught without a valid licence.”

Bob Cotton, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association said: “The summer season is traditionally the busiest time for hotels and guest houses across the UK. We would urge all our members and other businesses to make sure their premises are correctly licensed for TV use to avoid letting down their guests.

“If hotel managers are not sure what the requirements are or whether they are already licensed, a quick phone call to TV Licensing will help ensure they are not breaking the law.”

There are special ‘hotel’ licensing arrangements, where the licence fee is based on the number of units of overnight accommodation you have to let and is cheaper than buying a standard licence per room. It is calculated as follows (assuming colour televisions are being used):

• £131.50 for the first 15 rooms where a TV is installed • A further £131.50 for each subsequent set of 5

Please note: your hotel or guest house doesn't need a licence if the TV set is never used to receive or record television programme services, but is only used for closed circuit monitoring, or for watching pre-recorded videos or DVDs.

Hotel licences can only be purchased directly from TV Licensing. You can purchase a multiple licence for more than one hotel in the same chain, which means that just one reminder is sent to Head Office when the licence is due for renewal.

To apply for your hotel licence, please contact us to request a hotel licence application form by email ([email protected]), phone (+44 (0)870 850 1695) or by post (TV Licensing, Bristol, BS1 3ZZ).

You will then be sent an application form which you should complete and return to TV Licensing, Bristol, BS1 3ZZ together with your payment. You can pay by simply sending a cheque made payable to TV Licensing to this address alongside your completed application form. On the reverse of the cheque, please remember to write your hotel’s name, address and postcode and also send us the full address of each site to be licensed.

Hotels can also pay by BACS electronic transfer. Please phone +44 (0)8705 22 66 66 for more information.

If you have any questions regarding your ‘hotel’ TV licence or you’d like more information on concessionary rates for hotels, please call our helpline on +44 (0)870 240 1305 which is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.