Under 55 living in TV and not in a family neighborhood
 

We just moved here about 3 weeks ago. So far everyone has been so nice. We have met people from all over and heard many great stories.

We have on two occasions overheard people mention their age, in their 30s and 40s that live in the villages. They are full "members" and golf all the courses and do all the classes. How does this happen?

They bought a home and pay amenity fees - just like it happens for everyone else.

Look at your deed restrictions and find the paragraph that mentions age.

Only 80% of the homes need to be occupied by at least one person 55 years of age or older.

We live in a %80-%20 over 55 community. They have every right to live here being under 55 as over 55 does. Google 55 and over communities in Florida.

Because it is a federal law that even a planned retirement community must allow up to 10% (at least it used to be 10, perhaps it's been raised now ?) residents who do not meet the target for the development... in this case, age. However, no one had ever figured out WHO, HOW OFTEN, and HOW RIGIDLY, any of this is checked and recorded !

Correct, though I believe it when it first started it was 10%, but I may be wrong. The HUGE problem in my opinion is the "anything goes" age for those renting 1, 2, or even 3 nights. The one night in and out, all night now teen "visitors", pull up 2:30 a.m., HONK the horn, then go to door and go in, constant.... but other than the usual horn honk (which "seems" to be the signal to come to open the door ?), no loud noise, music, etc. ! ?

:sigh:

Pretty sure that horn honk is a signal the car is being locked from the key fob. That drives me crazy, btw. I remember staying in a hotel one time near the interstate. About every five minutes a horn would honk. I finally got up and went to look outside. There was a drunk guy sitting in his car. He would fall asleep, fall forward, honk the horn with his head and wake himself up! HaHaHa!

Did you not notice your outside surroundings when you were in the process of purchasing a home here ?

The Villages is now this huge sprawling metropolis with a Leesburg zip code and 4 other ones ! There are so many people of all ages everywhere you go in The Villages...not really a big surprise in my opinion.

Many pools are full of children of all ages at various times of day, golf carts are being driven by very young children, and the recreation centers are geared now for the young people as well with thier gaming rooms that were incorporated into them.

The majority of people occupying our cul-du-sac here are very young and still work because they are under the age of 50.
Another part of our neighborhood consists of young AirB tenants that change weekly.

I no longer consider The Villages this charming Idyllic retirement community that it WAS 16 years ago because the whole concept here and now has changed....it is for anyone that can afford to buy in here to enjoy everything that The Villages offers.
It's defiantly more about the
" Active Lifestyle " being offered and the word retirement is not even mentioned or come into play when young people purchase homes in here now.

However, It is kinda sad for us old folks that truly remember this place and it's original concept of 55+ retirement when we bought in here so many moons ago , a different world indeed....

This is not enforced and never will be. TV is entirely too large for them to spend resources trying to monitor it.

The only exception might be very young children.

Do you have anything to back up that claim?

Not sure where you bought 16 years ago, but in 2007 we in our early 50s buying a home, and some people we met were in their 40s, buying homes in LSL area. So young under 55 have always owned here. As the northern residents move because of health, or death, 40&50 yo residents buying homes look pretty young to 80 and 90 yo.

We purchased here when we were 54. The way it was explained to us was that as long as you met the requirements of a person 55 or over (no underage children), you could purchase here.

I have seen some in our neighborhood where their adult child lives with them, and sometimes they have a child (single mother situation) for a brief period of time until they can find a place, get job/childcare, etc. I for one like seeing younger people/kids and as long as they aren't causing problems, I really don't care.

I'm more annoyed by the old people, like the ones I saw at the Brownwood square last Friday night, smoking pot in their golf cart parked at the square, stinking up the place. It's people like this, who can't just do it in the confines of their house, that will make me vote against legalizing it in November.

Not true. A 55+ designated community MAY restrict residency to 100% 55 or older. The law says that a 55+ designated must have at least 80% properties occupied by at least 1 person 55 or older. That means the other 20% MAY also be 55+, if the community chooses. That's what "at least" means, legally. Minimum 80%, maximum 100%.

OUR community is an 80/20. So UP TO 20% of homes MAY have people under 55 living in them, with no one 55 or older living in them. HOWEVER - no one under 19 may live in The Villages.

So if those 30-somethings decide to have kids, they'll need to move.

Not true.........................you forgot the concept of "little old ladies with clipboards".

This has worked and will work.
:loco:

The Villages Holding Company has chosen a hands-off policy on internal deed restrictions, which are solely their authority.

It's unfortunate, but the deeds do use the word "may" rather than "shall," and so they're not obligated to do anything.

I was told long ago that the age requirement is monitored via the ID cards that we all have. When it was issued to you, your birthdate was recorded. Very easy for the computer to monitor how many fit the age requirements.

Doesn't that (unenforced) 80% or whatever % rule **NOT** apply to RESALES?

No, it applies to all homes within the Villages. It's not like you can say 80% of these homes need to be 55+ but not those homes over there because they are resales. That would mean that eventually when all homes are resales the Villages would no longer be a 55+ community.

And "unenforced?" Let's see some data to prove that.

That's simply untrue. TV has to deal with the same regulations and compliance as any other Age Restricted housing development.

Here are the rules: https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/DOC_7769.PDF

There is no way The Villages is anywhere close to 20% under 55 (remember, only one in the house needs to be above 55). How do I know? Just look around.

Who would monitor when the first resale hits the 20.01% mark? No One.

We were told by our sales agent when we bought that it does not apply to resales which is where I got that info (right or wrong).

I'd like to see up to date statistics showing it is enforced as well (not that I really care either way). It's not easy to prove a negative (that they don't enforce it) as it would be to provide statistics that they do. Actually, it would probably be very difficult to prove either one without access to lots of current raw data and lots of time to process it.

You seem to INFER it IS enforced. Can you share your data on how you know that ? Maybe it was the same agent! :girlneener:

It is enforced by HUD. All you need to do, is request the documentation from HUD and they'll send it to you, under the Freedom of Information Act.

Don't have actual data. I INFER it IS enforced by the lack of any data showing it is NOT and lack of successful lawsuits challenging the 55+ status. For me:
- The Villages claims they are in compliance with 55+ status and no one has shown otherwise
- The Villages is supposed to verify 55+ compliance with the FHA and we haven't heard that wasn't done
- The 55+ status allows the Villages to refuse to sell to families and we don't see any families living in the Villages (deed restriction situations occur and are resolved)
- I don't believe I've personally observed even 14,000 people so I've certainly not seen over 14,000 individuals under 55+ and known that they were the only resident in their home

Not easy to prove that they don't enforce 80% 55+? Simply show more than 20% under 55. Simply show one family who successfully sued after being denied the opportunity to purchase. Simply show a ruling by HUD that the Villages has not complied with any required reporting. Any of those would be clear proof that the Villages is NOT enforcing 55+.

“this charming Idyllic retirement community.”
Maybe no longer for you, wherever you are, but we are still enjoying the lifestyle near Lake Sumter landing.
Don’t see the things that concern you……:ho:

The Senior housing law ALLOWS for children to live in these properties, as long as at least 80% of them have at least one person 55 or older living in them as well.

And so - according to the LAW - 50% of the homes can have seniors AND their adult children AND their minor grandchildren all living in them, and 30% could have one person 55 years old, his 40-year-old wife, and their 10-year-old child living there, and it would be in compliance with the LAW.

The DEED RESTRICTIONS of our community are stricter than the law, and don't allow any children under the age of 19 to live here. THIS - is not enforced.

Proof? Any proof? And not that family down the road who is embroiled in a deed restriction fight. Proof that the Developer is aware of a child under 19 living in a Village in violation of the deed restrictions and has not taken action to rectify the situation.

Oh please.
I've lived here for over 24 years.
We moved here at 45 and 48 years old, had our home built, and we weren't the only young ones in our neighborhood. The rule has always been 20% of homes can be owned/ occupied by those under 55.
There are not children in any pools but family pools as always and the rec centers do not cater to young people or children except for Camp Villages which always has been for grandkids. The only difference is that now there are a lot of airbnbs in the newer neighborhoods and a lot more speculative buying. The Villages is still the amazing place it was in 2000, just a lot bigger, a lot more restaurants and shopping, all good thing. I'm sorry you are now disappointed in living here. We are still loving it, probably even more now.

LOL, whom also have to get a resident card anyhow as well as paying the fees for it? We bought resale and went through the tiny bubbles hall before we got our resident cards.

You are right about the first part. A few years ago the temp ID people told me it was about 8% less than 55 years old, but that may have changed.

The second part, which has been incorrectly stated several times in this forum, is just not true - they do track EXACTLY how many are less than 55... Through the Resident ID program. PEOPLE, they know how old EVERYONE is, they have birthdates, and by the way they have your phone number too.

I bought when I was 51 (now 61) and I asked about it, they explained it completely. They are REQUIRED by US law to allow up to 20% less than 55, and they have to track it PER THE GOVERNMENT to maintain the 55+ status.

Seriously people, we are dealing with government laws here, and the villages which has an army of lawyers. Think about it.

It is perfectly alright for anyone who can, and wants to, to live in The Villages if they are over nineteen. And as long as there is a balance of over fifty-five people living here. Only children under nineteen are not allowed to be here more than one month in a years time.

I know by now, that dozens of people have already told you this. Most people who want to live here are retired from work and there are many well over fifty five. My eighty fifth birthday is fast approaching. We still absolutely love it here.

It is indeed applied to resales. It must and is monitored as it is a requirement from the Federal Government.

Per HUD, that is not true:

There continues to be confusion
concerning what is often referred to as
the 80/20 split. HOPA states that the
minimum standard to obtain housing for
persons who are 55 years of age or older
status is that ‘‘at least 80%’’ of the
occupied units be occupied by persons
55 years or older. There is no
requirement that the remaining 20% of
the occupied units be occupied by
persons under the age of 55, nor is there
a requirement that those units be used
only for persons where at least one
member of the household is 55 years of
age or older. Communities may decline
to permit any persons under the age of
55, may require that 100% of the units
have at least one occupant who is 55
years of age or older, may permit up to
20% of the occupied units to be
occupied by persons who are younger
than 55 years of age, or set whatever
requirements they wish, as long as ‘‘at
least 80%’’ of the occupied units are
occupied by one person 55 years of age
or older, and so long as such
requirements are not inconsistent with
the overall intent to be housing for older
persons.

I was 53 when I bought. Like others said, TV is an 80/20 community...80% 55+

To those that continue to believe that no one is keeping track of HOPA compliance: I suggest that you attend the next meeting of your CDD Board of Supervisors and ask them if and how it is done. It is definitely tracked as required by federal and state law.

Real simple, TV goes by a 80/20 rule which means 20% don’t need to be 55 years of age.
I am not 55 yet (next year) but my husband is 56 and we live here. I always find it amazing that those under 55 would want to move here.

Hahahaha!!!!!!

Always good to amaze yourself.

:1rotfl:

There was a brouhaha a couple years back about a resident who gained custody of their young grandchild (or grandchildren). Exceptions were made, the Developer signed off on it. There have been other exceptions made. And, as long as exceptions have been made, there will continue to be exceptions, until - eventually - the exception will become the rule.

Not everyone here has a Villages ID. There are tenants whose landlords don't provide them with guest passes, and don't relinquish their own IDs to allow their tenants to get their own. They don't have any access to amenities, but some tenants aren't interested in those amenities. OR - they know ways around the rules, or will just break them and take their chances. It's pretty easy to just show up at the bocci courts and start using the equipment. As long as there's no league or club game that day, no one will even think to ask you for an ID.

Same with the pools. In fact, you can get a guest ID, show up a bunch of times so people are familiar with your presence, and when the guest ID expires just keep going. You can be a tenant for a year, two years - with no ID at all, still using the amenities, with only a very low risk of anyone asking for your ID.