The Board’s Government Relations (GR) committee has been meeting with senior bylaw officials from local municipalities to discuss issues raised by members in the recent GR survey, including each municipality’s real estate signage requirements.
Here are some key points from our meeting with the City of Surrey:
- Open House signs (e. g. directional signs, A-frame) are only allowed two hours prior or during the hours of an Open House.
- Open House signs that are still up after the conclusion of an Open House may be picked up by city staff the next morning. That means, if a member has back to back Open House sessions on a weekend, they must remove their signs at the end of the first day and set them up again the following day.
- No signs are allowed on city right-of-ways, poles and in locations that pose a public safety risk.
- If city staff pick up an inappropriate real estate sign, they may call managing brokers and fine the owner of the sign.
- Signs that have been picked up will be stored for five days. After that, city staff will dispose of them. The cost to retrieve a sign from the city ranges from $100-$250.
- Real estate signs which advertise a real estate agent only and not a property that is for sale, lease or rent, are not allowed.
- “Sold” signs on private properties may be displayed for up to 30 days.
- The city will be stepping up enforcement of the Sign bylaw starting in July.
What you can do to help the City of Surrey:
- Call 604-591-4370, email bylawcomplaint@surrey.ca or use the Surrey Request App on your mobile phone to report inappropriate signage. The city will not disclose the identity of the individuals who file a report on signage.
- Learn about the requirements so you can comply. The City of Surrey has prepared a helpful brochure summarizing their real estate signage requirements and asked us to share it with you. Click here to access it. The latest Sign Bylaw is also posted on Surrey’s website . The REALTOR® Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Practice states that, “The Business of a REALTOR® shall be conducted in strict accordance with all statutory and regulatory requirements.” (Article 18: Compliance with Statutory Requirements).
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