[JGibson]

Deed restrictions are necessary so TV doesn't turn into a flop house but in your opinion do they take it a little TOO far and TOO restrictive.

Sometimes I feel like I'm renting opposed to being a homeowner in TV with not being able to put any small personal touches to my home.

I realize if I don't like it I can move or I should've not moved here if I didn't like the restrictions so I will save those opinions from a couple of key strokes.

I do talk to a lot of folks in nearby retirement communities and when I ask them why they didn't buy in TV they all have the same answer, "too many deed restrictions"

Thoughts?

[vintageogauge]

There are very few restrictions and they do help to keep the appearance of our homes in order. I've been in HOA's and Condo associations that are much, much more restrictive than what we have here. The biggest complaints here are the crosses which I feel at this point is just a set up, other than that you hear very few complaints regarding the restrictions. The restrictions are not a problem, those that don't follow them are the problem.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by JGibson

Deed restrictions are necessary so TV doesn't turn into a flop house but in your opinion do they take it a little TOO far and TOO restrictive.

Sometimes I feel like I'm renting opposed to being a homeowner in TV with not being able to put any small personal touches to my home.

I realize if I don't like it I can move or I should've not moved here if I didn't like the restrictions so I will save those opinions from a couple of key strokes.

I do talk to a lot of folks in nearby retirement communities and when I ask them why they didn't buy in TV they all have the same answer, "too many deed restrictions"

Thoughts?

Unless short term rentals, such as AirBnB’s renting by the night, are prohibited (and enforced) I strongly believe the deed restrictions are way too Lenient.

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Unless short term rentals, such as AirBnB’s renting by the night, are prohibited (and enforced) I strongly believe the deed restrictions are way too Lenient.

I agree it’s very easy to follow the rules here , but to many people think that there little extra touch to there home is great and should be allowed .I loved it when the villages watch guys would come by and leave a ticket on your door telling you if something was wrong .I’m on my 6th home here and I’ve found that following the rules has not been any kind of hardship remember your little statue can soon become someone else’s theme park .I don’t play golf or go to pools or rec centers , I came and stayed for the beauty and order of the villages not to watch one persons statue turn into someone else’s theme park

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

First - deed restrictions vary from village to village. A lot of things people assume are "forbidden" aren't. They just have to submit the plan to ARC and wait for them to sign off on it before they start the work. Things like expanding a driveway, or selecting a new color for the house. In most cases you can do those things. But you have to select colors within a palate that already exists for the purpose, and the driveway has to fit within certain parameters after the work's completed.

Other things are restricted or forbidden - you can't remove your perimeter wall in a courtyard villa. You can't put up a fence around your designer home in the Village of Bonita. You can't put lawn decorations in /most/ of The Villages but there are some areas where that restriction doesn't exist - mostly in the "Historic Section."

If you WANT to live in a neighborhood where all your neighbors must conform to the same standard of care, design, color, scheme, then there are neighborhoods for you here. If you WANT to live in a neighborhood where you have lots of wiggle-room to exercise your creativity, imagination, and interests, there are neighborhoods for you here as well.

Personally I love the old section. I like seeing the different personalities of homeowners displayed on their yards, in the color schemes of their houses, in the painted designs on their driveways. It's not for everyone, but you couldn't pay me to live in a courtyard villa where you're basically a sardine living in a nicely-painted can, sitting on a bed of rocks. Some people like that cookie-cutter concept though.

[JoMar]

Not enough restrictions, not strong enough enforcement.

[Arctic Fox]

Originally Posted by JGibson

Sometimes I feel like I'm renting opposed to being a homeowner in TV with not being able to put any small personal touches to my home.

Deed restrictions tend to be worded very generally, to stop people finding loopholes.

If I do want to make changes that appear to be caught by the restrictions, I have always found that asking ARC will clarify the issue, often in my favor if they deem them to be unobtrusive.

[Jim 9922]

Generally, the deed restrictions are a hodge podge of restrictions that have evolved over the years and thus vary somewhat in different areas. To me they seem to be a bureaucrat's delight with prompt and strict enforcement of the petty items and delayed, partial, or ignoring of the more serious and significant problems. Usually there is quick action or dire results for a little white cross, or for using last year's color chart to paint your home, a bird bath without flowing water, or for some violation created 15 years and 2 previous owners ago, etc. On the other hand, anything that may need possible legal action, or a real effort to enforce is partially addressed, delayed or seemingly ignored until it hopefully goes away on its own. And, it seems fines, assessments and reimbursement of costs on many major problems are eventually greatly reduced or forgiven. Abandoned properties, junker cars, extended stay of minor children, very short-term rentals, disruptive businesses operated out of a residential home all come to mind as violations that should be as sternly and quickly enforced as the "little white cross problem" seemingly is.

On the other hand, there are many examples of gaps in tasteful restrictions. It seems that in many areas you can cover your driveway with any material and whatever color you want and with whatever picture or design you desire, including a BIG white cross (if you so wanted), or fly obnoxious flags, or post obscene signs in your windows, or have whatever characters or words displayed and hanging from your lamp posts.

I am happy to reside in an area with few minor restrictions. The few garden ornaments displayed by the neighbors seem to be a tasteful reflection of the personalities and interests. And best of all we aren't tattling at each other for petty "violations".

A bit of irony concerning some of the restrictions applicable to residential areas apparently do not apply to the town squares, where it becomes part of the "ambiance" and "cultural esthetics" of the area. Broken down inoperable trucks, rusty gas pumps and other equipment, "faded" and "bleached" signs and murals, statues and sculptures, all come to mind. But heck, I like it the way they did it.

[4$ALE]

Originally Posted by JGibson

Deed restrictions are necessary so TV doesn't turn into a flop house but in your opinion do they take it a little TOO far and TOO restrictive.

Sometimes I feel like I'm renting opposed to being a homeowner in TV with not being able to put any small personal touches to my home.

I realize if I don't like it I can move or I should've not moved here if I didn't like the restrictions so I will save those opinions from a couple of key strokes.

I do talk to a lot of folks in nearby retirement communities and when I ask them why they didn't buy in TV they all have the same answer, "too many deed restrictions"

Thoughts?

Does TV have Too many deed restrictions.
Because you asked for "thoughts" here goes...... I think that is a question one needs to ask before buying here, not after.

[Michael 61]

The deed restrictions were one of the reasons I chose to buy in TV. All my enhancements have been approved by the ARC, and I have found that entity to be very friendly and helpful to deal with. I don’t understand people who buy here, and then complain about the deed restrictions that they agreed to abide by at the time of their closing. Some people just enjoy complaining - sad way to spend one’s retirement years.

[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by JGibson

I do talk to a lot of folks in nearby retirement communities and when I ask them why they didn't buy in TV they all have the same answer, "too many deed restrictions"

Wonder what they wanted to do that was restricted?

[ThirdOfFive]

Too many restrictions? Sort of a moot point. We all knew the score (or should have) when we moved here. If the number was acceptable then, there is no reason it should not be acceptable now.

That is not to say that the system is perfect. It is not. One glaring flaw is the selective enforcement. Two houses next to each other could conceivably have the same violation, but only the one reported will be made to correct it. I suppose there might be--somewhere--a logical explanation as to why this, but I fail to see it.

The second glaring flaw might be summed up in five words: "Its not MY job, man!". I applaud Community Watch and what it does for The Villages, but there's a place in our village about six blocks away from here that has been having an ongoing "garage sale" every day for over three weeks. I know Community Watch has seen it: how I know is that this house is one that my wife and I walk and I've seen a Community Watch vehicle going by the place when we were on our walk. I know it is their goal to patrol all homes daily (each driver has a quota of something like 4,300 homes. "That equates to 18 patrol driver per shift across 90 square miles" (********-****, 3/19/24). It is a safe bet the Community Watch has seen the place anywhere from 15 to 20 times. But repeated mention in The Paper That Shall Remain Nameless indicates that Community Watch does NOT report violations, even though this one could conceivably be seen as a traffic and pedestrian hazard. I also know of (secondhand info, this) a person in another Village who reported a chronically barking dog in his neighborhood to the appropriate in-Village office, only to be told that it would be a law enforcement matter--but when he called law enforcement, he was told that it was a VILLAGES issue! Lots of bucks get passed in The Villages.

Not much bothers me about yard decor, and the taste (or lack thereof) that goes into it. I don't mind the crosses, just like I don't mind the BVM statues, various angels, numerous Buddha statues, the Stars of David, the pentagram (only one spotted), etc. One guy had an interesting Christmas decoration: a depiction of a dead deer with a red nose lying under one of his trees, and another place had a "Christmas" tree in his yard decorated with about 50 empty blue wine bottles. I thought both were pretty funny, actually. But other people might not agree with me, and if they make a report on an issue that is a clear violation, then they should be able to expect action, not just another buck being passed.

[Velvet]

The problem is not too many deed restrictions… you don’t like, you don’t buy… that simple. Problem is that deeds are enforced based on complaints. We have no bi-law officers or something like that. Rely on the residents to upkeep the community. Then when the deed is finally enforced, some proletariat squeal about it.

You want to personalize? Just sell and buy in a non-deeded community.

[GpaVader]

For me the issue is more the non-application or uneven applications of the rules. On my drive into my village we have a number of properties that make no effort to take care of the lawn, or they spent all their money putting a pool and birdcage in and have no money to repair the work. If it backed up to a reserve or something like that, I would not care, but since everyone drives by it....

[village dreamer]

Originally Posted by JGibson

Deed restrictions are necessary so TV doesn't turn into a flop house but in your opinion do they take it a little TOO far and TOO restrictive.

Sometimes I feel like I'm renting opposed to being a homeowner in TV with not being able to put any small personal touches to my home.

I realize if I don't like it I can move or I should've not moved here if I didn't like the restrictions so I will save those opinions from a couple of key strokes.

I do talk to a lot of folks in nearby retirement communities and when I ask them why they didn't buy in TV they all have the same answer, "too many deed restrictions"

Thoughts?

i dont want my neighborhood looking like a dump. what you think looks good , may not look good to others. keep the rules.