What is a covenant?

Florida is home to many exclusive neighborhoods that offer their residents beautiful grounds, impressive amenities, and other perks. The homes in these neighborhoods are often quite valuable, and residents may have options for customizing those structures into the houses they wish to live in. Despite the money they pay to purchase their homes and the modifications they make to ensure they have what they want, residents may still be restricted in what they may do with their properties in such places.

That is because many neighborhoods employ covenants to limit what individuals may do with their properties. A covenant may, for example, prohibit individuals from building sheds or other outlying buildings on their land. A covenant may also restrict the color that individuals may choose to paint their houses.

Covenants are often put into place to ensure that the aesthetic value of a neighborhood is not compromised by the decisions of a single resident or group of residents. They help to ensure that individuals who live near each other maintain their properties so that everyone benefits from the beauty of the community, as well as the improved property values that may come with visual appeal.

While many covenants serve the greater good of neighborhoods, some may be so restrictive that they threaten the use and enjoyment of individual property owners. When covenants violate individuals’ property rights, they may have legal options for relief. Their attorneys can help them find workable solutions if they become involved in a real estate dispute.