According to Outsmart, the trade body representing the UK Out of Home industry, advertising revenues reached £341.2 million during the first quarter of 2026. This represented growth of 15% compared with the same period in 2025.

Both major areas of the industry contributed to the result:

• Digital Out of Home revenue increased by 17.6%
• Classic Out of Home revenue increased by 10.1%
• Digital represented 67% of total quarterly revenue

The figures were collated by PwC and provide further evidence that advertisers continue to value visible, physical advertising locations.

A Record-Breaking Market

The strong start to 2026 follows a record year for the industry.

UK Out of Home advertising revenue reached £1.44 billion in 2025, the highest annual total recorded by the sector. This represented year-on-year growth of 2.6% despite a challenging wider economic environment.

The market had already demonstrated continued resilience during 2025. In the third quarter, total revenue reached £376.6 million, with classic Out of Home growing by 6.5% and digital growing by 3.3%.

These results are important for property owners because growing advertising expenditure supports continued demand for high-quality advertising locations.

Why Advertisers Continue to Invest

Outdoor advertising offers something increasingly difficult to achieve through other media channels: large-scale public visibility.

Unlike online advertising, a billboard cannot be skipped, blocked or hidden behind a subscription. It exists within the physical environment and reaches audiences while they travel, shop, work and socialise.

Outsmart reports that Out of Home advertising reaches approximately 98% of the UK population each week, based on Route audience measurement data.

Research highlighted by Outsmart also indicates that brands making greater use of Out of Home can strengthen wider marketing performance. Its published industry evidence states that heavy users of Out of Home advertising can increase the effect of search activity by 129% and amplify brand fame by 89%.

This helps explain why businesses continue to include outdoor advertising within national, regional and local campaigns.

Classic Billboards Remain Important

Digital advertising receives considerable attention, but the latest revenue figures demonstrate that classic advertising remains commercially relevant.

Traditional poster panels provide advertisers with:

• Strong visibility
• Continuous exposure
• Geographic targeting
• Cost-effective campaign coverage
• A physical presence within local communities

Classic formats can also be suitable for locations where the cost, planning requirements or electrical infrastructure associated with digital displays would make development less practical.

For landlords, this means an existing traditional billboard should not automatically be regarded as outdated. A well-positioned classic panel can remain a valuable and sought-after advertising asset.

What Industry Growth Means for Landlords

As advertisers increase their investment in Out of Home, operators require access to more high-quality locations.

This creates opportunities for owners of:

• Roadside land
• Commercial buildings
• Retail properties
• Industrial premises
• Car parks
• Development sites
• Existing or former billboard locations

A property does not necessarily need to be located in a major city. Strong regional and local sites can also be commercially valuable where they deliver good visibility and reach a meaningful audience.

Unlocking the Value of a Location

Poster Site Locations helps property owners understand whether their land or building could support an outdoor advertising display.

We assess the physical location, traffic environment, visibility, planning position and likely operator demand before advising on the next steps.

With UK Out of Home advertising recording its highest annual revenue and entering 2026 with 15% quarterly growth, this is an appropriate time for property owners to reconsider the advertising potential of their assets.

Contact Poster Site Locations to arrange an initial assessment of your property or billboard location.

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One opportunity that is frequently overlooked is the advertising potential of a building, boundary or section of land.

A roadside wall that currently generates no income could potentially accommodate an advertising panel. An unused strip of land beside a busy junction could become a long-term rental asset. An existing billboard agreement may also be capable of producing a stronger return.

What Types of Property Could Be Suitable?

A wide range of property types may have outdoor advertising potential, including:

• Commercial and industrial buildings
• Retail units and shopping areas
• Pubs, hotels and leisure properties
• Car parks and petrol stations
• Development and regeneration sites
• Roadside land
• Gable-end walls
• Existing or previously used billboard locations

The key issue is not necessarily the type of property. It is the strength of the advertising position.

What Makes a Strong Billboard Location?

Advertising operators will usually consider several factors when assessing a potential site.

Visibility

The display needs to be clearly visible to approaching traffic or pedestrians. Trees, street furniture, neighbouring buildings and the direction of travel can all affect its value.

Audience

Locations beside busy roads, junctions, commuter routes, retail centres and densely populated areas are often attractive because they provide repeated exposure to a significant audience.

Viewing Time

A site positioned near traffic lights, roundabouts or areas of slower-moving traffic may offer longer viewing time than a location where vehicles pass at high speed.

Size and Orientation

The available space must be capable of supporting an appropriately sized display without negatively affecting access, neighbouring properties or highway safety.

Planning Position

Most advertising displays require advertisement consent. The planning authority will consider issues such as amenity and public safety before granting permission.

An existing consent, historic planning record or established advertising use can therefore be extremely valuable when assessing a location.

What Happens When a Site Is Suitable?

The process will depend on whether the property already contains a billboard.

For a new location, the typical stages may include:

1. An initial site assessment
2. Review of ownership and boundaries
3. Planning and feasibility checks
4. Agreement of commercial terms
5. Submission of any required applications
6. Design and construction
7. Ongoing operation and maintenance

Where a billboard is already present, the process may instead focus on reviewing the existing agreement, condition of the structure and current rental terms.

Many operators will fund the planning, construction and maintenance of a viable advertising display in exchange for a lease or licence over the relevant part of the property. Similar billboard development models are already promoted within the UK market as a way for owners to generate rental income from unused land or building façades.

Reviewing an Existing Billboard Agreement

Owners with an existing billboard should not assume that the current agreement represents the best available terms.

Older leases can contain:

• Below-market rents
• Long renewal periods
• Weak rent review provisions
• Broad access rights
• Limited maintenance obligations
• Unclear responsibilities for rates or repairs

Before renewing or extending an agreement, the owner should understand the strength of the advertising location and the potential level of interest from alternative operators.

The highest headline offer is not always automatically the best arrangement. Owners should also consider payment security, maintenance standards, lease duration, access requirements and the operator’s ability to sell and maintain the site.

Previous Billboard Sites Should Not Be Ignored

A location may still have value even if its billboard has been removed.

Historic advertising sites can sometimes retain:

• Existing structures or foundations
• Previous planning records
• Established visibility
• A recognised commercial advertising position
• Potential for redevelopment in a different format

The site will still need to be assessed, but a previous advertising use can provide an important starting point.

How PSL Supports Property Owners

Poster Site Locations works with owners who have an existing billboard, a former advertising location or a property that may be suitable for a new display.

Our assessment considers:

• The full property address
• Photographs and visibility
• Traffic and surrounding land use
• Existing panel condition
• Planning history
• Current leases or operator agreements
• Access and construction considerations
• Likely commercial demand

Once the information has been reviewed, we can determine whether the property is likely to be suitable and advise on the next stage.

Your property may contain an income-producing opportunity that has never been properly assessed.

Contact Poster Site Locations to submit your property for an initial billboard site review.

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The first phase of the reforms came into force in England on 1 May 2026, introducing some of the most significant changes to the private rented sector in decades. These include the abolition of Section 21 evictions, the transition towards assured periodic tenancies and new restrictions governing how and when residential rents can be increased.

Against this changing regulatory backdrop, landlords are increasingly looking beyond residential rent to identify additional income that can be generated from their existing properties.

For a small proportion of suitably located buildings and land, outdoor advertising may provide such an opportunity.

A New Income Stream From Existing Property

A prominent exterior wall, roadside boundary or unused section of land could potentially accommodate an advertising billboard.

Where a location is commercially and operationally viable, an advertising operator may lease the relevant part of the property from its owner. The owner can then receive an agreed rental payment while continuing to use or let the remainder of the property in the usual way.

This can create a separate income stream that is not directly connected to:

• Residential rent increases
• Tenant turnover
• Occupancy levels
• Residential tenancy renewals
• Day-to-day management of the accommodation

In practical terms, the advertising operator becomes an additional commercial occupier of a small, defined part of the property.

Why Additional Income Is Becoming More Important

Residential landlords have faced a combination of higher borrowing costs, increased maintenance expenses, changing taxation and greater regulatory responsibility.

The Renters’ Rights Act has added further considerations.

Since 1 May 2026, landlords can generally increase rent only once per year, must provide at least two months’ notice using the prescribed process and may face a challenge where a proposed increase exceeds the open-market rent.

Section 21 “no-fault” evictions have also been abolished, with landlords now needing to rely on an appropriate legal ground when seeking possession of a property. Existing assured shorthold tenancies largely converted into assured periodic tenancies when the new regime commenced.

The reforms are intended to improve security and standards for tenants. However, they also mean property owners must plan their finances within a more structured rental framework.

A separately contracted billboard rental payment may help some landlords diversify their property income without purchasing another property or increasing the rent paid by their residential tenants.

How a Billboard Agreement Can Work

Subject to the individual property and the terms agreed, an outdoor advertising arrangement may involve an operator taking responsibility for:

• Assessing the commercial potential of the location
• Reviewing the planning position
• Applying for advertisement consent
• Designing the proposed display
• Constructing and installing the billboard
• Maintaining the advertising structure
• Managing relationships with advertisers
• Paying an agreed rent to the property owner

The owner would not normally be responsible for selling advertising campaigns or managing the billboard itself.

The structure, rental payment and length of agreement will depend on the property, format, planning position and anticipated advertising demand. Owners should therefore be cautious of generic valuations made without a proper assessment of the location.

Classic or Digital Advertising?

Not every potential advertising location needs to accommodate a digital screen.

A traditional poster billboard may be more appropriate where:

• The location has strong visibility but more limited electrical infrastructure
• A digital display would be unsuitable for the surrounding area
• Planning considerations favour a non-illuminated format
• The potential advertising revenue would not justify digital development costs
• The property is positioned within a strong local advertising market

Digital displays may offer greater flexibility and advertising capacity, but they can also require more substantial investment, electrical connections and additional planning consideration.

PSL assesses the location before determining which format, if any, is most commercially appropriate.

What Makes a Property Suitable?

Only a limited proportion of submitted properties will support a commercially viable advertising display.

The strongest opportunities commonly have:

• Clear visibility from a busy road
• A suitable gable-end or exterior wall
• Regular vehicle or pedestrian traffic
• Sufficient viewing distance
• Limited obstruction from trees or other buildings
• Safe access for construction and maintenance
• A realistic prospect of securing advertisement consent
• Demand from outdoor advertising operators and advertisers

Properties close to junctions, traffic lights, town centres, commuter routes, retail areas and major roads can be particularly attractive.

However, traffic volume alone does not determine viability. The direction of travel, viewing angle, surrounding environment, planning history and physical construction requirements must all be considered.

Could Billboard Income Support the Wider Property?

Where an advertising location is suitable, the additional rental income could be used to:

• Contribute towards mortgage payments
• Fund repairs and maintenance
• Improve the residential accommodation
• Offset periods of increased operating costs
• Support investment in additional properties
• Strengthen the overall income generated by the asset

The main benefit is that the income is created from part of the property that may otherwise produce no commercial return.

The residential tenant can continue occupying the accommodation, while the advertising agreement relates separately to an exterior wall or clearly defined section of land.

Important Considerations for Landlords

A billboard agreement is a long-term property commitment and should be reviewed carefully.

Owners should understand:

• The proposed annual rent
• The agreement length
• Any rent-review provisions
• Who is responsible for planning and construction costs
• Access rights granted to the operator
• Maintenance and structural responsibilities
• Electricity arrangements for digital displays
• What happens when the agreement expires
• Whether lender or superior-landlord consent is required
• How the proposal may affect tenants or neighbouring properties

Landlords should obtain appropriate legal and tax advice before entering into a binding agreement.

An advertising site must also receive the necessary planning consent and comply with applicable safety, amenity and operational requirements. Submission of a property does not guarantee that permission can be secured or that the location will be commercially viable.

Request a Free Initial Site Assessment

Poster Site Locations works with landlords and property owners throughout the UK to identify potentially valuable outdoor advertising locations.

We can assess:

• Residential gable-end walls
• Commercial and mixed-use buildings
• Roadside land
• Car parks and forecourts
• Existing billboard structures
• Former advertising sites
• Properties with historic advertising consent

To review a potential site, PSL will normally require the full property address together with clear photographs showing the wall or land, the surrounding road and the view available to approaching traffic.

Following an initial assessment, we can advise whether the location appears to have realistic advertising potential and explain the possible next steps.

As the economics of residential property ownership continue to change, a suitable billboard location could provide an additional source of dependable, long-term income from an asset the landlord already owns.

Contact Poster Site Locations today to request a free initial assessment of your property.

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