It's war - council on the attack over To Let boards...

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12 June 2018

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It's war - council on the attack over To Let boards

Letting agents and landlords will have to win planning consent to erect To Let signs in student areas of Leicester from next month.

The city council has been granted powers by government to enforce stricter measures on agents wanting boards near to De Montfort University and the University of Leicester.

Last year the council prosecuted student lettings firm Unipad Ltd and another company, Dexterford Ltd, for the display of advertisements without advertisement consent.

Now under new rules coming into force on July 2 this year, penalties for non-compliance can be up to £2,500 for the offence in principle and then daily fines of £250 for a continuing offence.

“We know that people who live close to the universities are concerned about the almost permanent proliferation of ‘To Let’ boards on their streets. We have had a voluntary code of practice in place for a number of years but only a handful of landlords complied with this. Despite our best efforts, these advertising hoardings continue to create an eyesore in areas with a high concentration of rental properties" says a spokesperson for the council.

Letting Agent Today reported back in 2016 that the council submitted a request for Regulation 7 direction powers; the council was given the green light by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in February this year.

Agents will be given formal notice to remove any boards ahead of the new system coming into effect.

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- Andrew Hill
- 12 June 2018 09:29 AM
Some people working in our company are students of De Montfort University, we're Leicester based and on the other side of the city to the uni so it's unlikely this will affect us.

However, how are our staff who are students let alone other students supposed to know what is and isn't student accommodation to let without To Let boards?

Or, is this Leicester City Council trying to monopolise the student high rises which are clearly signposted as student accommodation therefore pushing smaller private landlords who let to students out of the equation?

It wouldn't be the first time out council has gone against general Joe Bloggs in favour of larger companies, in this case favouring those like Sulets. They sold prime city centre land (1.5acres) for £24'000 to developers when the land was worth several times more than that!

- Gordon Brown
- 12 June 2018 09:35 AM
Is this a joke? Is it April 1st?

So not content with licencing, banning fees and more regulation the council wants to stop us legitimately advertising because people are offended by a board on stick

You couldn't make this up!

- Country Lass
- 13 June 2018 12:13 PM
It's 'boards' not 'baords'

- Leigh Nethercot
- 13 June 2018 17:11 PM
I had heard this policy when it was mooted back in 2016, but nothing since until i caught the end of BBC Local news last-night...As its only 3 weeks away I wonder when the Leicester City Council are going formally to tell the Leicester Agents as I've had no correspondence from them yet?

- David Bennett
- 13 June 2018 20:20 PM
1st April was no joke. MEES was introduced. It was Easter Sunday! One or two boards in a street is one thing, but numerous boards, is unsightly and unnecessary. Many are not legitimately advertising anything, except the agent, for some free advertising. Who needs boards in the age of Rightmove and a mobile phone!