Feb

The signs are there, or they were – should for-sale & to-let boards be banned?

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To-Let:

The banning of two
many unsightly boards on houses has long been a bone of contention
between local authorities and agents and landlords. All other signs
on building are subject to planning permission in one form or
another, so that the local authority has some control over the
appearance of the neighbourhood.

However, letting and sale boards are of a temporary nature, or should be, and have been tolerated by most councils. But with the proliferation of lettings over recent years means that boards contribute to a more permanent and unsightly scene in may neighbourhoods, triggering complaints from residents.

Camden Council’s
latest announcement that it is planning to ban all “To-Let”
boards from rented houses in the borough has brought the issue to the
fore once again.

Several other
authorities have been making noises along the same lines including
north east towns like Durham, Newcastle. Lincoln has now joined
Brighton and Hove which has an actual ban in place, and has had for
many years now.

Another problem is
that some boards are being left up virtually permanently, even after
the property is let, and some councils are resorting to set fines if
they are not removed after the property is no longer on the market.

Boards are perhaps
the least expensive way to market a property, whether for sale or to
let, attracting interest from people in the immediate locality; there
are other local methods including the local newspapers, but these
days it is more common to rely on the Internet.

Most people today start property searches online, so the need for a board is diminishing, councils are arguing. Lincoln’s planning boss is reported as saying that “a ban on ‘to-let’ signs in five areas of Lincoln should not have a negative effect on landlords.”

The council’s
planning manager, Kieron Manning has said:

“In recent years,
the council has witnessed a significant increase in the number of
complaints about the proliferation of ‘to-let’ boards in certain
parts of the city.

“Any letting sign
should be a temporary feature but, when signs are left up too long in
areas containing high numbers of rental properties, they can begin to
dominate the street scene.

“We became aware
that some signs were staying almost all-year-round and this was
beginning to have a negative effect on the look and feel of our
streets, so we decided to take pro-active action to solve the
problem.

“We are very
pleased that government has listened and agreed to allow us to
implement the ban.

“We don’t
expect this to have a negative impact on the city’s rental market
as searches are now mostly done online, and people who are interested
in moving to these particular areas will be able to find homes to
rent very easily on the internet.

The Residential
Landlords Association (RLA) has reported that the bans or proposed
bans are having a mixed reception among landlords.

Some have said that
“to let” boards are outdated anyway and they don’t use them;
they are “harking back to the days when putting a sign in a window
was the only method of attracting tenants” and with the Internet
they are rendered them obsolete.

Other landlords,
according to the RLA, have said this is “just another example of
‘landlord-bashing’ and that to-let signs are still an important
tool when it comes to marketing a property.”

Labour-controlled
Camden council claims it has received over 1,000 complaints about
for-sale and to-let boards over the past five years.

It has now applied
to the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government for
permission to ban the boards unless planning permission is sought and
granted.

The council’s
planning committee chair, Danny Beales, has said:

“It’s clear that
from our consultation that an overwhelming majority of residents
support the change. The boards are cluttering our streets, often left
for months on end, effectively free advertising.”

A statement issued by Camden says:

“Estate agent
boards continue to be one of the most common complaints made to
Camden’s Planning Enforcement Team. Across the borough there are
examples of estate agents disregarding the regulations, displaying
numerous boards per building and keeping them up for long periods
despite properties being sold or let.

“Estate Agent
boards are seen by many as outdated eyesores, which merely add
unnecessary clutter to our streets and take up valuable council
resources as we seek to secure their removal.”

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