[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

I can see the problems with the CYV's due to the angled driveways, but PV's have pretty straight property lines. What is yours should be yours just like anywhere else.

It is yours and if you think about it, it is better than having a neighbors' 2 feet of lawn/bed area that is in front of your patio that he is not maintaining properly and it's full of weeds and bugs. This way you get to maintain the 2 feet that you are looking at every time you sit on your patio and your other neighbor maintains your 2 feet that is in front of his patio. This was pretty well thought out by the developer and I believe it solves more problems than it creates.

[NavyVet]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

That's the way it is with the courtyard villas. There are hundreds of them in The Villages and a lot of people like them because they have a private, fenced in back yard.

Huh. Interesting. It seems this is even weirder than 'zero-lot-line' homes.
I'm curious. Does that mean that the neighbor whose side wall faces your yard can come in your gate anytime willy nilly to access their house wall? Are you allowed to lock the gate to your yard? To me, this would be the opposite of private, fenced yard. As much as I would like a fenced yard, this alone would deter me from buying a CYV. I would be freaked out if I was out in my yard with my dog and someone comes through my gate and is suddenly IN my yard. What if someone opens a gate and lets a dog get out of their supposedly "safe" secured yard? I'm sure that has happened somewhere. Horrifying thought. Maybe privacy is not important to some people. Sounds like fenced courtyards are just an ILLUSION of privacy, kind of like how TV gates are just an illusion of gated community. I am now mentally eliminating villas as a future downsizing option.

[tvbound]

Originally Posted by NavyVet

Huh. Interesting. It seems this is even weirder than 'zero-lot-line' homes.
I'm curious. Does that mean that the neighbor whose side wall faces your yard can come in your gate anytime willy nilly to access their house wall? Are you allowed to lock the gate to your yard? To me, this would be the opposite of private, fenced yard. As much as I would like a fenced yard, this alone would deter me from buying a CYV. I would be freaked out if I was out in my yard with my dog and someone comes through my gate and is suddenly IN my yard. What if someone opens a gate and lets a dog get out of their supposedly "safe" secured yard? I'm sure that has happened somewhere. Horrifying thought. Maybe privacy is not important to some people. Sounds like fenced courtyards are just an ILLUSION of privacy, kind of like how TV gates are just an illusion of gated community. I am now mentally eliminating villas as a future downsizing option.

Along with the small garage and awkward driveway, those are the main reasons we've ruled out buying a CYV also. Based on their apparent popularity though, not everyone feels the same way. It just proves the old adage - "to each their own."

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Velvet

I think I misunderstood the problem, I was under the impression that the access area was divided. If I am reading these posts correctly it sounds like one house owner owns the strip, and the OTHER house owner maintains it. To me that is ridiculous. No one comes on my property without my permission, landscapers etc, I call it trespassing.

That is what I'm understanding too. We owned a patio villa when we were seasonal residents. Our villa was at the end of the street which ended with a CYV wall. The villa next door to us had the side patio on the opposite side of the blank side of our villa. We owned the property on both sides of our home and we also maintained the landscape on both sides of our home. Our side patio was on the side of the CYV wall and our blank side faced the garage side of the villa next door to us. I understand this set up is very rare in the patio villa neighborhoods but I did not have to worry about anyone else walking on our property or maintaining landscape that was on our property. The location of that patio villa was the reason we purchased it.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by NavyVet

Huh. Interesting. It seems this is even weirder than 'zero-lot-line' homes.
I'm curious. Does that mean that the neighbor whose side wall faces your yard can come in your gate anytime willy nilly to access their house wall? Are you allowed to lock the gate to your yard? To me, this would be the opposite of private, fenced yard. As much as I would like a fenced yard, this alone would deter me from buying a CYV. I would be freaked out if I was out in my yard with my dog and someone comes through my gate and is suddenly IN my yard. What if someone opens a gate and lets a dog get out of their supposedly "safe" secured yard? I'm sure that has happened somewhere. Horrifying thought. Maybe privacy is not important to some people. Sounds like fenced courtyards are just an ILLUSION of privacy, kind of like how TV gates are just an illusion of gated community. I am now mentally eliminating villas as a future downsizing option.

You can request to enter their gate to inspect or do maintenance on side of you’re house. They can’t say no. But, you just can’t wander in anytime you want. You ask. If they say no you report and wait for the order.

[Bilyclub]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

It is yours and if you think about it, it is better than having a neighbors' 2 feet of lawn/bed area that is in front of your patio that he is not maintaining properly and it's full of weeds and bugs. This way you get to maintain the 2 feet that you are looking at every time you sit on your patio and your other neighbor maintains your 2 feet that is in front of his patio. This was pretty well thought out by the developer and I believe it solves more problems than it creates.

So the maintenance of one side of your property is dependent on the actions of your neighbor. It's my understanding that a lot of these PV's have absentee owners who rent them out. I for one would not want a lot of vegetation growing up by my walls and the the one in the OP's pic has a bush in front of the electric meter which is a SECO easement violation. Apparently they didn't tell the OP about this before they bought it. Glad I bought a regular house.

[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by dhdallas

Shared access is NOT shared ownership. I would be mad as h*ll and make them remove the landscaping.

The neighbor did nothing wrong. Those that don't live in villas should consider the fact that they don't understand enough to make accurate comments.

[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by Velvet

I think I misunderstood the problem, I was under the impression that the access area was divided. If I am reading these posts correctly it sounds like one house owner owns the strip, and the OTHER house owner maintains it. To me that is ridiculous. No one comes on my property without my permission, landscapers etc, I call it trespassing.

Again, villa living is not the same as living in regular single family homes. Those that don't live in villas don't understand, and that's ok. Those of us who do live in villas understand how property resposibility and "right of use" works. It makes villa living work for us. Everyone take a breath and relax.

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

So the maintenance of one side of your property is dependent on the actions of your neighbor. It's my understanding that a lot of these PV's have absentee owners who rent them out. I for one would not want a lot of vegetation growing up by my walls and the the one in the OP's pic has a bush in front of the electric meter which is a SECO easement violation. Apparently they didn't tell the OP about this before they bought it. Glad I bought a regular house.

It would be much worse for you as an owner if the easement in front of your patio was to be maintained by an out of state owner, you would have to look at it every day. This way you maintain what you see and your other neighbor maintains what you don't see. Patio Villas are not for everyone but neither are designers or cottage homes that have larger yards to maintain. To each his own.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

It would be much worse for you as an owner if the easement in front of your patio was to be maintained by an out of state owner, you would have to look at it every day. This way you maintain what you see and your other neighbor maintains what you don't see. Patio Villas are not for everyone but neither are designers or cottage homes that have larger yards to maintain. To each his own.

Good point. In a courtyard villa, when you walk out of your front door, you can see your neighbor's house. And, with the easement, you have control of the landscaping that extends from your house to the neighbor's house outside of the neighbor's gate. So, the neighbor cannot put something ugly or objectionable in that area which is within 10 feet of your front door.

[Dgizzi]

Originally Posted by HRDave

Hey folks. We need some advice on a neighbor issue in Chitty Chatty. We purchased a corner lot Patio Villa in September and came down early in October to get it set up. Barb & I came home for the holidays & we let our daughter & grandkids come down to our Patio Villa for Christmas as we can’t celebrate together & Meagan is going to take the kids to Sarasota next week to their Dad.
Well our new next door neighbor who’s really sweet, came over to our Villa today & told the kids that she hoped we wouldn’t be mad but she had landscaping done in the “SHARED” flower bed between our houses. She had the landscaper install rock & edging in our original landscaping along the house, garage and driveway by the garage door.
We are currently talking to an established landscaper about doing a large job for us & we have plans for that side of the house and will submit plans to the ARC for approval prior to work commencing. I looked at the Deed restrictions & the only mention of mutual use of the area between our homes is to ensure access for maintenance reasons. I’m not real sure how to proceed without opening a can of worms for others who may have had landscaping done without ARC approval.
Any ideas besides reporting it?
We’ll be back the 27th & planning to talk to our neighbor to see if she understands & that we plan to do something nice on her view of that side of our house. I hope she amenable to it. I just don’t want her to think that this area is shared.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!!

At least it looks nice. It could have been bad. Just do what you want and compromise.

Originally Posted by Marathon Man

Again, villa living is not the same as living in regular single family homes. Those that don't live in villas don't understand, and that's ok. Those of us who do live in villas understand how property resposibility and "right of use" works. It makes villa living work for us. Everyone take a breath and relax.

I agree. We understand our obligations which are on the documents that come with the house. One problem could be a resale where the previous owner doesn't give the new owner all the documents on a FSBO sake.

Actually homes have the same issue as shared ownership on the sides and rear.

[pauld315]

Originally Posted by HRDave

Thanks for the responses folks. I appreciate the help. I have read the deed very carefully and the only mention of the area between the houses is for maintaining the adjacent structure & yard maintenance, which I would interpret as mowing, edging, etc. No mention of enhancements or landscaping. I’m going to give our Villages Realtor a call & get their opinion before I talk with ARC. We’re not mad at our neighbor, we just don’t want to end up in a dispute when we do our landscaping project.
Thanks again!

You won't open a can of worms for others with ARC They don't care about other offenders unless somebody complains

[Bilyclub]

Originally Posted by John41

I agree. We understand our obligations which are on the documents that come with the house. One problem could be a resale where the previous owner doesn't give the new owner all the documents on a FSBO sake.

Actually homes have the same issue as shared ownership on the sides and rear.

Okay, I'll bite. How do homes have the same issue as shared ownership on the sides and rear?

[cb1972]

Word of caution for owners of PVs , check the vegetation on your neighbors side periodically . Shouldn't contact your house. Once when cleaning out my dryer vent found a two foot long shoot from a hedge growing into the vent. It was dry as a bone but still growing . Definite fire hazard . Normally clean the vent twice a year.