To think home covenants are beyond ridiculous!

[Inconvenientcovenant29]

I know I am being unreasonable and I only think they are ridiculous because the covenant is stopping me putting any kind of boundary line up at the front of my house!

I would really like an ankle height fence around both sides of my drive way and grass area but the covenant says no! I would prefer it to be higher if I could to stop postman just walking straight across the drive even if they don’t have anything for my house and to stop my neighbour cycling down the middle of my drive because he doesn’t want to scratch his precious car by just walking the bike to the end of the drive and then riding off (it makes me so angry)

We did put plants down as a tester to stop them reversing off from our drive.. but the plants have died as I’m rubbish at keeping plants alive and I am reluctant to move them as it will start up again.

Is there any kind of breaking a covenant or just creating something which works as a loop hole. I like the sound of those chain link fencing with the poles but I guess they would complain about them.

Maybe very little and it could open a sinkhole?

Is it a new build? I think they only care when the development is still underway, once they are gone and all the houses are sold I don't think they give a shit.

There was one on the new build we live in - no sign written trades vans. We managed to get it removed

The riding over it with their bike and their car are obviously the most annoying things and I guess it bugs me that it doesn’t feel like my own front of house when delivery men and post men walk from one house to the other by using my grass and drive way.

I don’t speak to the neighbours on the attached drive way side and I feel like they are very rude doing all this without asking and without trying to build a relationship with me and my partner. We’ve been here 2 years and me and my other half work full time- one from home and one of us works from home all the time.

We don’t have any children but I just want to get something put in place before we plan to raise a family somewhere it bugs me.

everyone else on the street has stuck to the covenant which makes me feel more uneasy about doing anything ☹️

just put a load of plants on pots down the area

But sand doesn't burn, does it? I thought it was already been oxidized to the highest state, and can't burn any further.

The caravan restriction will be because the original house builder doesn’t want the first occupiers moving in and spoiling the look of the place before they’re all sold. Can’t imagine they’d be particularly interested 10 years later!

We have some property that used to belong to a brewery - no alcohol to be sold or brewed on the premises.

People crossing your drive IS annoying.

I don't mind so much if they are coming to my front door, but when it's people cutting across it's bloody rude.

We've got a ring floodlight with the boundary covering just our drive. I don't want to be bothered by alerts from people using it as a short cut.

We aren't allowed caravans, motor homes, commercial vehicles, farm animals including chickens or to run a business.

People break everything bar the chickens from what I see

Where I live:
No satellite dishes attached front or back of house
No aerials on your roof
No non indigenous trees
No sheds bigger than 6”x5”
No replacing wooden framed dble glazing without permission & measurements for approval
No replacing fencing with anything different than now
All front gardens to be kept open plan
Keep replacement front doors same as original colour
No caravans or campers on drives

It keeps the “Street-scape” lovely and a pleasure to live here.
I like living with covenants.
Covenants are with the National Trust and they do visit to inspect.

What’s the worst that could happen if you put a little ankle fence in? You have to take it out. It’s not like you’re spending thousands on a 10ft high dry stone wall topped with statues in lions cast in solid bronze.

Put it in and see what happens.

Either that or buy some plastic plants. Or a sign saying keep off the lawn.

Did they knock a bit off the price for that?

You'd be surprised.

I am involved in a case where an end terrace needs to be taken down.

I think they're a good idea.

Our old house:

Could only paint it white.
No problem as it would have looked ridiculous otherwise.

Garden to be kept as a garden and not for commercial use.
Sensible.

No caravans on the drive.
Count me in.

Yes, it doesn't burn - you can put off a fire with sand! The complete paragraph is about making bricks, tiles, glass .... and burning sand? Also no pigs and no beer brewing - those seem to be quite common even in this topic.

It sounds like a bonkers rule. Plant something like pyracanthas - not so nice on ankles when you're cycling!

Not that unusual for land to be sold without the mineral rights, especially if there are other quarries nearby.
Previous owners would be negotiating part of the proceeds if it was ever quarried with the covenant removed.

I bought an ex council house once and one of the covenants was toy couldn't cross the path with a vehicle.which would basically mean you couldn't use your own drive ways.
The council themselves lowered the Curbs so people could put drives in.
They aren't always followed and depending on age of property a lot aren't enforced nowadays

I also can’t keep pigs or do any mining.

Both are unlikely in modern day London.

As far as I can work out, I can't teach/house consumptives and imbeciles pottery and fire it in a kilm at home. Thankfully it wasn't something I was planning on doing.

And once it's been there for seven years they can't make you take it down again 😜

Sod that. Plant pyracantha. That'll puncture his lycra and he'll not take his bike past again.

I'd go for the post and chain type 'fence'. Then if you get any comeback, it's easy to remove. And yep, grow some lavender under it so it can establish itself while you wait to be reported (unlikely unless the builders are still on site)

No tents in the garden
No removal of soil from the property
No removal of hedges on boundary

All from God knows when. Guess how many we've stuck to 😂 in fact I'd forgotten about them till now!

Could you line it with big stones, planters, or barrels interspersed with solar lights?
Make it a feature rather than a fence but off putting for walking/biking through.
A rockery and/or water feature where postie/delivery drivers walk across? I believe rockery plants are quite low maintenance & can look really pretty.

I think my old flat had a covenant prohibiting me from keeping a donkey, or similar. It was a 2 bed first floor flat and I'm not sure a donkey would have made it up the stairs.