Communities and Local Government written question – answered at on 3 December 2012.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the powers available to local authorities to regulate the length of time letting agents are allowed to retain letting signs outside properties once the property is off the market.
Estate agents have deemed consent under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007 to display sale or letting boards on relevant premises. It is a condition of the consent that the advertisement must be removed within 14 days after the completion of a sale or the grant of a tenancy. If the advertisement is not removed within 14 days, it is being displayed without consent, which is an offence punishable by a fine of up to £2,500 in the magistrates court.
If there is a proliferation of estate agents' boards in a particular area the local planning authority may apply to the Secretary of State for a direction to restrict the deemed consent and require that all boards must have express consent. As well as dealing with proliferation that may have an adverse effect on the amenity of an area, the requirement for express consent allows the local planning authority to monitor boards more closely and enforce the conditions, including the requirement to remove the board once the need for it has passed.
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