Deed compliance
 

I have never understood why so many people are against someone filing a lawful compliant for a deed compliance issue. If you read the papers you legally were required to sign it is what you must do to be a good villager. Years ago it was the job of neighborhood watch not sure why they stopped. Guess to much for them to do. I myself don't want this to become a community of anything someone puts in front of their house to be okay. I'm sure many of the loudest of you would soon change your mind when your next door neighbor started to fix up junk cars.

If talking about lawn ornaments, each district has different rules, and if out of compliance they can easily be removed. IMO the underline problem is construction or landscaping improvements that been done that wasn’t approved or followed. Then, few years later the new owners come along buying property that’s out of compliance not knowing it. 6 months, 6 years, or 30 years later complaint reported and now the owners that didn’t do it or knew the property was out of compliance stuck with $$$$$ repair. Now ask yourself is that type of community you want to live in? Not so clear cut is it?

Yes, unfortunately the BUYERS did not do their due diligence it is the BUYERS responsibility to check this. I do feel sorry for them, and I really would expect the title company to actually complete this as part of their services.

Sadly nobody looking for them on resales. My house had hot tube, luckily I got rid of it. But to find out the property was out of compliance due to no permit Nowhere in closing paper work or it even mentioned hot tube. But, it was selling point.

Luckily my resale had no construction or landscaping changes which IMO most new owner’s of resales wouldn’t know what to check anyway cause the trust (not good word) things are in order due to tittle search and closing requirements.

Like I said my opinion seems like few times year these problems come up in news. Latest one the sidewalk on historic side that been down down for 20 plus years and now all sudden out of compliance?

What are you asking the buyers to do? Someone from out of the area is presented with an acceptable inspection report and a completed title search as part of a large stack of papers to sign. They don't know the area, they don't know what a CDD is or how they are put together, they don't know about ARC, they don't know about Community Standards, and they don't know about the complaint process. To me, it is asking too much of them to know to read the deed restrictions in detail and research what has or has not been approved for their house.

What I would like to see:
- Prior to closing, realtors advise buyers of the deed restrictions and the need to ensure there are no violations on the property they are purchasing
- Home inspections include a section covering deed compliance for the particular District
- Community Standards review the exterior of homes being sold and alert the seller, buyer, and realtor of any compliance issues
- Anything that exists when the home is sold is grandfathered as if approved and not subject to a complaint in the future.

Yes, there are problems with this, but it seems more reasonable than asking an unsuspecting buyer to do in-depth research or ask an owner to spend thousands to fix a violation that was present when they purchased the home 20 years ago.

My pet peeve is that every courtyard villa section has 5 parking spaces designated in the deed compliance document for visitor parking only. These spaces are quickly occupied by people who want to store their vehicles for months at a time, some of whom don't even live in the area. Neither The Villages nor the police will do anything to remove the vehicles, so they just sit there forever.

The Historic side is eclectic. There are many aging trailers, multiple new home designs, pre-fab homes and older stick homes. The villages builder no longer builds; it’s not profitable. Cars, SUV’S, trucks with trailers, and large rv’s and golf carts are parked on front lawns. Paint colors are grand fathered in before 2014. Now you must use only 2 colors from the same color pallet from the color chart at Sumter.
So why isn’t there grandfathering in for driveways! And etc.
I would be fine to follow all the rules if the builder stayed and continued to be an example of uniformity resulting in deed compliance uniformity.
I have to remove several tasteful colors of trim off of my exterior home. There are so many homes out of compliance with their home colors. So, I have to report all the vehicles on lawns, all homes out of compliance, creating a no pay part time job for me to get everyone angry so change occurs. The builder can leave creating more diversity with new builders building new different homes and I can’t use several paint colors like Sumter and down south. No one polices the yard art of cars and etc on them. I will report back to community standards regarding every home on the historic out of compliance anonymously.
It should be the village builders setting a deed compliance example by not abandoning ship because of t not enough profit margin ... to further continuity they had replaced the old trailers with a village home to create the ultimate sameness in the neighborhood, now that will never happen!!!
Community standards should be checking every home for deed compliance fairly, then I wouldn’t be offended and I would agree amicably to change my paint colors. We the little guys have to obey changing rules set by the Morris whom
can change zoning with their high powered attorney’s anytime. ie .
6 apartments in Spanish springs to start and they said at a town meeting
No reserved parking requested for the apartment dwellers
Now they are getting about 17 parking spots
Can you see how money talks!!!!
We are known for STD’s and we are not the Friendliest HomeTown!
We are an illusion just like we are not a gated community..anyone can get in by pressing the red button!
In summary, only Morris ‘s are grandfathered in to break or bend rules. There style is threatening to sue like they did to the Lady Lake Board.
They are grandfathered in indirectly and they don’t Care about us! They probably are trying to sell since the next generation wasn’t schooled in real estate.

Doesn't your 4th item negate the need for the other 3? And, I think Item 1 already exists, and also, Item 2 to some extent. A good home inspector should cover these items. I think a Community Standards inspection is a good idea, but it is contrary to the current, complaint driven system, and would also be expensive.

Home inspectors may be missing an opportunity, offer to also inspect the property for compliance issues for an extra charge to cover their time to review the restrictions on the property.

It's perfectly clear cut to me. If it's not in compliance, regardless of when it happened, it has to be brought into compliance. If a Buyer is dumb enough not to check, shame on them.

Item 4: I meant my fourth item to be the final word in case 1-3 did not happen. Perhaps it should state something to the effect that any compliance issues not documented in the sale are grandfathered. Community Standards gets their shot at the time of sale to list compliance issues, they don't get to come back 20 years later.

Item 1: I am sure I was told what the Declaration of Restrictions was and I am sure it was explained in about one minute. What was not made clear was that the deed compliance process was complaint driven and there could currently be violations on my property that had not *yet* been complained about. I do not believe I was provided with the restrictions before the date of closing and I am sure I was not advised to perform my own inspection to determine if there were any non-approved changes. But even if I had been, I would not know where to start to determine what had or had not been previously approved for my property.

Item 2: "A good home inspector should cover these items."(emphasis added) Perhaps I did not have a good home inspection because under General Inspection Limitations I see:

CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS - Building codes and construction standards vary regionally. A standard home inspection does not include evaluation of a property for compliance with building or health codes, zoning regulations or other local codes or ordinances. No assessments are made regarding acceptability or approval of any element or component by any agency, or compliance with any specific code or standard. Codes are revised on a periodic basis; consequently, existing structures generally do not meet current code standards, nor is such compliance usually required. Any questions regarding code compliance should be addressed to the appropriate local officials.

This is why Item 3 is important.

Item 3: The Community Standards inspection or review would only come into play as a house was changing hands; It would not replace the complaint-driven process. Everyone would benefit from this: the buyer would be protected, the neighborhood would be rid of any existing violations on that property, and it would reduce the need to exercise "the process" in the future. It shouldn't be too expensive on an individual basis and might be offered as optional with the added benefit of the grandfathering if the inspection was accepted. Plus, it could open employment opportunities for clipboard ladies :)

Just my thoughts. There certainly could be problems with implementation. But there are problems today with owners being surprised with notices of violations after owning the home for years.

A long winded rant with a lot of misinformation.

Guess what----you don't even have to press the red button to leave

When you buy anything one of the first things you need to do is check the history, If you don't anything that turns up is yours and only your fault. That is so very CLEAR.

Original Question
 

First question in this series. Don't understand why some are against people who file a valid complaint against those who are violating deed restrictions! I totally agree with this point. There are no excuses as everyone is or should be aware of the deed restrictions in their area can and should be called out if they ignore them. The rules are the rules. If you don't like them then move. These are the same ones who when stopped by the police blame the policeman and are asserting they are the victim. The victim is really the cop who must listen to your mental unbalance reason as your violation was because of some issue when you were a child. There are no rewards for trying to beat the rules, only disgrace. :ho:

Very true

Research. All the information any potential buy is available on-line. People will spend more time researching new car reviews than they will looking into what a deed restricted community will mean to them.

Please point me to where I can find what ARC requests have been approved for my home.

Please point to where the 83 year old woman could have researched to find that her sidewalk was not part of the original home and where she too could have found (or not found) the ARC approval.

Same answer to both issues. The information is available to you and to her. I have done it. I found out that my first villa, which had an all rock yard, did not have an approval for the replacement of sod with rock. You just have to want to find it.

I thought I indicated my desire to find the information by requesting the site from someone who claims to know where it exists.

So again, please point me to where I can find (or not find) ARC approvals associated with my home.

I think you miss the point of some of the backlash about the clipoard ladies. (I assume this is what you are refering to.). Mentioning to a neighbor that their old junker on blocks in their front yard is a code violation, then reporting them if they don't remedy the situation isn't really the issue, imo. Deciding to become Captain Clipboard the pen of Justice, going throughout TV writing up any and every believed violation is not what most people would consider normal behaviour. Indeed, they may think some twisted vengence nut is wandering through TV and wanting to make everyone else as miserable as they must be. The Captain becomes a nuisance, like a self-proclaimed police officer calling for police backup as they prowl the city looking for any and every thing that might or might not actually be an infraction. The Captain Clipboard is no longer a helpful citizen, he/she has become a vigilante muckraker or witch hunter, creating an air of consternation over who might be spying on us and what might they report about us. Captain Clipboard needs another hobby. May I suggest golf. The good Captain could report those who didn't replace their divots, didn't rake the sand properly or walked in someone's line when putting. I'm sure all the golfers would love the help in improving their life on the course.
Just a thought.

So, my understanding of your comment is if a tree was planted on the property years ago without approval, your statement suggests that the buyer could avoid responsibly for the non-compliance by checking history prior to buying. Can you explain how one would go about checking every tree for compliance before buying...

How about every bush? etc etc

Your Community Standards Review before a sale idea is worth considering. However, there is a much-overused legal term (now a cliché appearing on hundreds of TV programs) called “due diligence” that comes into play. Due diligence is paying attention and doing your homework to the extent you can fairly be expected to. In this case, due diligence means a prospective buyer here finding out easily-discovered things in advance.

Thus, if you think you’d like to buy a home in The Villages, due diligence includes the following:
Reading two or three of the little books about The Villages available from Amazon. A large percentage of questions asked here are answered there. This really helps cut down on surprises.
Watching a bunch of YouTube videos about The Villages.
Reading the community rules and deed restrictions for the district where you will live. (They are nearly the same from district to district, but there are differences.) This information is readily available on the website for The Villages.
Reading Talk of the Villages for a few months to get more of a feel for what we are like here.

If you haven’t done these things before buying here, perhaps you shouldn’t be buying here. As for signing a paper agreeing to deed restrictions one hasn’t even read, that is breathtakingly (fill in the blank). Really? What if you just promised your firstborn child as a sacrifice? What if you just agreed to forfeit your home if you break a rule? What if you just agreed to pay 50% of your profits when you sell to a communal kitty? If you don’t agree to the restrictions, there are homes within a few miles of here that don’t have them. Go buy one of those!

Thank you !!! I couldn't agree more

Agree 100%!

Someone asked me a legitimate question recently. They asked me, if one person received permission for a stone border around their tree in their front yard, and their neighbor did not, but both used the same folks at the same time to install their border; why would the one without permission be ordered to remover theirs, when it is identical to their neighbor's? The answer, which some could suggest is ludicrous, is that the one neighbor did not get permission. On the other hand, their yard was in compliance. So, why would they have to remove the landscaping, if the yard would be OK if they had obtained permission? And I am not saying anything about any form of deviation to the landscaping, exact replica of their neighbors.
This is where it is totally ridiculous when folks get crazy with their "well rules are rules." If I purchased that home that had not received permission, but the yard was in compliance I would be pretty ticked off if I was told to remove the landscaping modification.
Now, a resident takes a ride into the older area of TV and sees folks in a neighborhood that have lawn ornaments. They do not know that the district they are looking at, has no specification or deed restriction regarding lawn ornaments. They go home and find a notice on their door (or in the mail, or someone comes to the door with it) that says their little frog ornament has to go. But, but, but rules are rules. Just about ALL rules are flexible. Even laws broken are flexible. Ask any judge if they have to give exact sentences to violators or do they have the discretion to be lenient. To say that there are no exceptions is hogwash and any sensible person realizes that. Before someone says that being flexible would mean abandoned vehicles on blocks in yards would be a result of someone being lenient, I say that is utter hogwash, too.

Deed Compliance
 

I'd like to know how the homes on Marsh Bend Trail in DeLuna feel about that monstrosity of an RV garage being built right in their back yard? How on earth did that get approved?

Follow the thread titled "Buyers Beware".

The thing that amazes me is the time people take to write these long winded diatribes. More amazing that people have the time to read them!

Deed Restrictions
 

Nitpicking is one thing, cars parked on a lawn, jacked up vehicles being repaired in driveways, lime green/pink/purple front doors or garage doors/gutters, dogs running off leash chasing people trying to walk their dogs on a leash…these are problems that would make me move from a neighborhood. I am hoping my future move to TV will eliminate all of these issues.

The anonymous complaints are harassment. If these violations are that important, then they should apply to everyone. A little cross about five inches tall is not the same as having junk cars in your yard. My problem is who decided the crosses were ornaments? Who decided what is included in these restrictions. If I were looking for a house, the property values would not go down if it were next door to a house with a cross. Aren’t property values the reason for restrictions? For every cross that is reported there are 10 more not reported! Also, if you are going to complain about someone, then put down your name! This process has turned neighbors against each other as then they try to find out who reported!

"All" the information is absolutely not available online. Anyone who's ever hired a "handyman" to do work on their property, will not have official records of the work anywhere except maybe their china cabinet drawer. Anyone who's hired someone to do work without getting the proper permits, will not have official records of the work. Anyone who hired a contractor that claimed THEY would get the permits, but never actually got them, will not have official records of the work.

A new buyer will not see records of the work, because they won't exist. If there's an 8-year-old pool on your back lanai, and a neighbor complains the day after you move in, and that pool was put in by someone who never got permits or checked with ARC, then you're out of luck. An inspector won't tell you that there aren't any permits. He's not looking for permits. He sees a pool, he sees that it's in good condition, and that's it.

Imagine how much worse it'd be if they find out who reported, because you were required to give your name.

Meanwhile, deed restrictions and community standards should be either enforced, or not enforced. I live on the historic side. Our restrictions are fairly loose, but they do exist. Yes, we can put a tacky pink flamingo on our lawns if we want. And some of the neighbors do, and I'm okay with that because they keep those silly plastic decorations in good condition, not broken or covered with bird poop or surrounded by weeds. The white crosses are only marginally offensive - as long as they're not 8 feet high and on fire, they get a pass.

But the folks who don't take care of their lawns, which are looking more like patches of weed growing out of sand, those I object to. If you're going to have a lawn, you need to at least TRY to make it presentable. It doesn't need to be perfect. Especially if you're going to -also- park your car on your golf-cart driveway, instead of your actual driveway, thus putting ruts in the dirt because your car is too wide to fit all 4 wheels on that skinny concrete path.

As I stated earlier, it is one thing to submit a legitimate complaint about someone in your own neighborhood, it is quite another thing to appoint yourself deed restriction police, cruising neighborhoods you are not a resident of looking for violations. Personally, I think you have to be a little disturbed.

These people are performing a valuable service. Who cares if they are disturbed really? Maybe those who violate the covenants they agreed upon are the disturbed ones! Why keep focusing on violation observers? No violation, nothing for the old ladies to report, right?

When I ask a few months ago, For Districts Lady Lake, 1-10, they are available online,

A copy of the directions to view them can be obtained by emailing:

archreview@districtgov.org

For Districts 11-13, they were still under the developer's purview and they were not available online.

A valuable service I think not. Who appointed them to this position?

They should have to give their name when they do this.

Deed Restrictions
 

No one asked them to perform this valuable service and no one else cares. If they want to perform a valuable service they should do community charity work, instead of aggravating everyone else because of their need to satisfy their own personal inadequacies.

Apparently The Villages does not require reporters to be appointed and supports an anonymous system. When one moves here, it is his/her responsibility to be aware of this. The aggravation begins when people choose to ignore their responsibilities, i.e. observing covenants. You can project blame all you want, but the genesis of the issue is noncompliance.

First you find the meeting your application was reviewed at. Then you find the link to the softcopy of your application. Then you open the link to find the decision.

Since my house was built in 2014 and I purchased it in 2018, at which of the up to 60 meetings was there a review of any application that the previous owner might have submitted? That's the first piece of information needed to use those records.