The deed restrictions apply to any part of a house's property, not just the front.

Of course we all want our communities to look lovely, that goes without saying. For the most part, the complain-driven process works well. If the residents of a street and a neighborhood are happy with the ambiance in their community, then let it be.

It would be very expensive to have draconian Violation Police constantly patrolling neighborhoods looking for violations and keeping track of exactly how long each house is displaying holiday decorations.

I doubt people want amenity fees increased to pay for this.

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:
Well said!

The question is ..... if we don't rely on the complaint-driven process by residents in the neighborhood (which is basically free), then how do you suggest we "catch" the infractions? :confused:

It would require a lot of full-time staff to police each community on a daily basis, to write up infractions, issue citations, collect fines, follow-up on non-payers, keep track of when homeowners put up seasonal decorations and take them down, etc.

Are you willing to pay higher amenities to have ongoing patrols of each and every Village? :$:

I think IF the Deed restrictions were enforced there would be very few residences that wouldn't receive a notice or fine. Lawn ornaments, hedges over 4' in height, fences are appearing in certain area,. contractors who have planted in the drainage swail areas in the rear and side yards, blocking the boxes in their yards not leaving the 4' from the hinged sides, more then the posted amount of pets etc. Read the restrictions for your area then ride around, you'd be amazed. Hell I have a neighbor that just took his Christmas decorations down last week. No I did not and will not turn him in, although I've been the recipient of a complaint which I won by the way.

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:1rotfl:

I am not advocating any changes....
 

It is my opinion that having a complaint driven system is flawed and it is inconsistent. Where you live, who you have for neighbors dictates the restrictions and whether or not they are enforced. I also believe it can potentially put neighbors in an awkward position which many of us do not want to be in, so we live with whatever restriction is being broken. To be clear, I have never been in that position in my hood, but I imagine some people have.

So, about how to solve?

• I do not wish to pay more fees.
• I do not think there is a major problem to solve.
• I am just chatting away over coffee :blahblahblah:

If it is deemed a major problem, then as I said before, maybe the folks that drive around in community watch could ‘anonymously’ leave a complaint the same way a neighbor would. Not for every garden ornament, maybe just start out with washing machine planters, cars on blocks, etc. :1rotfl:

How about volunteers? I bet there are a whole lot of folks that would like to be given a ‘deed restriction deputy badge’ (I am not one of them).

If we believe that having community watch add complaints will overwhelm the existing system, then what does that say about the current enforcement?

Anyway… just chatting over coffee, the world looks good from where I am at..

In football season I see a lot of team banners. If my team is represented it is a thing of beauty. If it is the rival team (Pittsburg Steelers) I say take it down! Sometimes exceptions are in the eyes of the beholder!

In my journeys through the villages mainly by golf cart I've never noticed a problem of what I would consider restriction violations. I just don't see any change necessary and I too don't want any more expense. Like AJ said," I'm just chatting over coffee" also.

I agree with Skip that if the Deed Restrictions were enforced, there would be very few residences that wouldn't receive a notice or fine. That's exactly what I see when I ride my bike around The Villages. But for the most part, they are common, minor things.

Of course a rusty car on building blocks in a driveway for a month is going to be reported. Or a stuffed moose on a front lawn. Or a purple polk-a-dot garage door.

I personally think that the complaint-driven system is working OK. People aren't offended by minor infractions and don't report them. I don't think we need to get bubbles in our pee because someone in another Village has a trellis in their back yard. If their neighbors are fine with it, then so am I!

Volunteers with "Deed Restriction Deputy Badges"? :boom:

Just chatting over coffee. :mornincoffee:

I've said it before, it amazes me that so many are not familiar with the restrictions that they signed for and agreed to abide by at closing. Read the last section of any district's covenants, and you will see that we all have an obligation to see that they are enforced up to and including litigation. We are ALL obliged to protect our property value.

Community Watch once had the responsibility of pointing out deed restrictions.

Could it be that the districts are preparing for the day when there are no more community watch employees?

Nah.

Bubbles in our pee. :1rotfl::1rotfl: I love it!