I have a similar question so I'll add it here. It's probably not something anyone thinks of, but I think of weird stuff. I was looking at one of the homes on TV Homefinders listings; this one:
Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale
If you click on the different photos, you'll see one that shows the shared back yard where 4 or 5 houses meet. The landscaping of hedges and small trees is absolutely lovely, and provides some privacy for each home.
Questions about this: WHO would be responsible for the upkeep on that patch of landscaping? What if the person responsible, would rather just tear it all down and not have to deal with the upkeep? Is that person then responsible to restore the privacy that his neighbors paid for when they moved in?
Some people are back yard people. I'm one of them. I LIKE having a back yard to hang out in. But I might not want to have to watch Mrs. Smith in her bathrobe on her lanai, bending over to clean the litter box for her cat, while I"m trying to enjoy my morning coffee. I might not want to BE Mrs. Smith, having to put on a bra with a proper shirt just because I know Mr. Jones across the yard likes watching me bend over to clean the cat box on MY lanai.
Back yards are great to share, when you're in the mood to share them. When you're not, landscaping goes a long way to offer at least the facade of privacy.
So who's responsible, if you moved into a place BECAUSE of the beautiful back yard landscaping, and that landscaping is on someone else's property and they choose to rip it all down?
Can they rip it all down? Do they have to replace it with something? What if the builders put the landscaping there? Does the back yard neighbor have any right to maintain some privacy?