‘To let’ boards in some areas of Nottingham could now be destroyed by the council if they don’t meet new rules.
The boards – long a prominent feature in certain areas of the city – will now be subject to a permanent crackdown in a bid to improve the appearance of some streets.
Nottingham City Council has outlined nine areas where it will enforce the strict guidelines for letting agents, with the restrictions set to come into effect on April 13.
- Huge building by Meadows could finally be built as £7.2m grant approved
- Nottingham stalker Alex Belfield back in prison after breaking ‘the rules’
All nine areas have had high numbers of unmanaged or persistent “To Let” boards.
The areas are:
- Middleton Boulevard
- Faraday Road
- Lenton triangle
- Forest Road West
- Mansfield Road
- The Drives
- Dunkirk and Lenton
- Derby Road
- University Boulevard
The approval by Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, follows an extensive public consultation last year.
Previously, the restrictions were put in place in 2011 and remained in effect for 12 years, until 2023.
Since then, Nottingham City Council has monitored the situation and found that after the restrictions were lifted, the number of the boards significantly increased.
The survey that was carried out in April and May 2025, found that 90 per cent of respondents were in favour of reintroducing the restrictions to the 240 streets.
Councillor Jay Hayes, Executive Member for Housing and Planning at Nottingham City Council, said: “This is fantastic news for local communities. These restrictions will make a visible and lasting difference in parts of the city that have been affected for years by the clutter of unmanaged letting boards.
“Ensuring our neighbourhoods are clean, attractive and great places to live is a priority for the council, and this decision helps us protect the character of these areas for the long term.
“We wish to thank all the stakeholders who supported us in securing these permanent restrictions.”
What would the restrictions look like?
Nottingham City Council has outlined criteria the boards would have to adhere to after April 13. These include:
- Prohibition period from October to December, with letting boards permitted from January 1 to September 30.
- Only one board per building.
- The boards must be mounted flush to the wall above the front door, or, if that is not possible, mounted to the wall on the street, with limitations also in place on the board’s height.
- Each board should have a white background and follow a consistent layout.
- One company logo per board, with the logo not exceeding one-third of its overall size.
- Boards must not include the wording: “Let by”, “Let”, “More wanted” or any other similar wording.
- One board per landlord/agent per street
- Letting boards should be removed after 14 days of granting a tenancy, and should not be advertised unless available.
If a letting board is found not to have met the strict criteria, the council’s enforcement team can bring prosecution, which may lead to a fine of up to £2,500, with an additional daily fine of 10 per cent of the amount fined if they are found to be continually breaching the criteria.
The council may also destroy the letting boards if they are continually in breach of the restrictions.