Florida Guide > Miscellaneous
Deed Restrictions
Part of Florida life and rental ownership that is not immediately obvious to holidaymakers as they make their way to their chosen villas in Orlando or along the Gulf Coast communities is that virtually all villas, and their owners, are committed to certain Deed Restrictions relating to their particular area.
I can only relate to the Deed Restrictions as they apply to my villa in the community of Rotonda, Englewood on the Gulf Coast. Rotonda is a community of just over 8, 000 plots which in 2008 is roughly 60% constructed, all plots being owned by individuals in one way or another; the housing being approximately 60% residential with the remainder being rental properties.
At the point of purchasing my villa I was required to become a member of the Home Owners Association which entails a yearly fee. The Association is run voluntarily by Rotonda owners with a Board of Directors and various sub-committees which look after such matters as mowing the medians and vacant lots, care of the 30 miles of canals that meander through Rotonda, Finance, Community Relations and the most important of all the Deed Restrictions and Compliance committee. A small employed staff handles the day-to-day office work and liaise with the local Charlotte County administration.
One of the main restrictions imposed either locally or by the County is the watering of our lawns. Water is a very scarce commodity in Florida and the summer rains are always more than welcomed in this respect. As I compose this in summer 2008 the restrictions are watering once a week for less than two hours before 8am or after 6 pm to reduce any loss due to evaporation. Most properties are built with irrigation systems that use sprinklers on a rotation basis round the property, so the whole two hours is not spent with a hosepipe in hand!
Other restrictions include, but are not limited to; -
• The erection and size of any real estate signs or political signs
• The frequency of holding garage sales for which a permit is required
• Parking – RVs and boats have to be stored in a central compound
• Length of grass – no more than 8” high
• Modification of ones one property – a fee has to be paid and approval sought even to repaint the exterior the same colour
• Sheds and fences and height thereof
I repeat that these are just some of the restrictions owners have to abide by therefore in the folder in your rental villa you will almost certainly find instructions on when and where to put trash/rubbish out for collection – the owner of the property will have agreed to abide by some local regulation on this matter, they did not just make it up themselves. An infringement of Deeds is frowned upon and the usual method at the first offence is a letter to the owner, if there are further infringements then daily or weekly fines are imposed.
A bi-monthly newsletter is compiled with news of forthcoming events and news of residents within our community this is then mailed to all owners and in the case of Rotonda community this is to owners in 53 different countries.
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