Included in the Federal Law is age restriction that children under age 19 cannot live in a 55+ community. Therefore the Developer is illegally allowing (by default) children to stay over the stated 30 days. I and others don't know how they get away with it. Since enforcement of this age restriction is "at the discretion of the Developer" his obligation is lacking. I wish I could determine following rules and laws at my discretion--what a great way to live! I suppose I just don't have enough money to do what I want without repercussion.

That is incorrect. The minimum age is at the community's discretion. As long as 80% of the properties are occupied by at least one person 55 or older, it is in compliance with the Housing for Older Person's Act. Some communities allow kids, some restrict it to over 30. The Villages allows people 19 or older, plus they have isolated villages set aside for families with younger kids, that are near the Villages, and a couple nested within the Villages, but are not actually part of the Villages.

Not all Senior Communities are age restricted, they just have to follow the 80/20 rule. But, the The Villages is marketed as an age restricted community and the developer would be in breach of contract if he tried to allow under 18 children.

I have been here since 2007 and have not seen this rule breached. It is not at the discretion of the developer, it is part of Federal guidelines for age restricted communities.

If you know someone who is not following this rule, turn them in. Money or lack of it on your part has NOTHING to do with it.

No, it is not part of "Federal guidelines." There is an actual law (not a guideline), called the Housing for Older Persons Act, aka HOPA.

Here is the official documentation of the Act, with questions and answers, directly from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development:

The Fair Housing Act: Housing for Older Persons | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/DOC_7769.PDF

And an archived page originating at 55places.com that explains it to the layman, dated 2005 (before you moved to the Villages) is here:

Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 - Age-Restricted Housing Laws

The 19-year-old restriction is arbitrary, not federally mandated, and at the discretion of each community. It could be 20, or 18, or 32-and-three-months. As long as one person in each of a minimum of 80% of all homes in the community is 55 years old or older, it satisfies the "55+" designation.

We have been here since 2006 and have not seen the developer sell to families with young
children either because
TV is marketed as an age restricted community and he would be in breach of contract. There are, however, senior 55+ communities that allow children per their original documents.

Well it seems then hat you guys are not aware of the family with a young man who is confined to his wheelchair and is a resident there! I'd bet there are other underage kids there who also share physical/mental challenges and resident status, too! And didja know that besides the exceptions for kids - there are exceptions re the number of pets one can initially have in TV?

Seems everyone interprets the law to suit their ideas. Since I don't believe anyone here is a lawyer that has a specialty or has the in depth knowledge of compliance (wait, I forgot the internet lawyers) it's mostly Villagers being Villagers :).

yes there is an exception for disabled children who must live with their parents but that is few in number compared to the developer selling to families with small children which would not be allowed as this is an age restricted community per the documents.

All people over the age of 19 are allowed to live here as long as 80% of the homes are occupied by at least one person over the age of 55. That means that 20% of the homes can be occupied solely by people between the ages of 19 and 55 and that people people between the ages of 19 and 55 can legally live here as long as there is one person in the home over the age of 55.

That is the federal law. There is nothing that The Villages can do about it. It has been this way since The Villages was founded in 1985. It is nothing new.

I don't see the "no one under the age of 19" provision anywhere in these links. Is that a Villages rule? If so, would they be able to legally change that and increase the age? Could they say that no one under the age of 50 can live here?

Ohiobuckeye
 

LOL, you said 50’s & 60’s, huh yea, 50’s is the age you have to be to live in TV, 55. As far as kids to live here, you can’t just adopt some young person & just think you can just walk into TV. They would have to be handicapped in some way for the parent having to have to help them. Most of us knows what TV would look like if we just let kids run like some people do. Say what you want but the Morse’s aren’t going to let young unattended young people run wild & trash what took them yrs. to build. Your children can live here if a parent or both work in TV. That’s what the school is for!

Of Course average age is going down...............when my bride hits 60, she says her next birthday will be her 59th. :)