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Original poster

Have you ever heard of this?!?

73 replies

5614blocked · 12/09/2019 14:39

Went in to discuss contracts with sol today. He's reading out all the normal stuff etc. then gets to the part where he mentions who built the house in 1972, states that in their original conveyancing(??) that the house is to be used as residential blah blah, and then... you cannot keep any poultry or rabbits, and no washing is to be hung out on a sunday, except for infants clothing but in a confined space.

Has anyone heard of this? Who is going to be checking that no washing is out on a Sunday? I'm a bit stumped, both me and partner was not expecting to hear it, all seemed very random.

OP posts:
AlexaAmbidextra · 12/09/2019 18:33

One of the covenants on mine says I can’t sell liquor. Devastated. 😂

BendyBusBuggy · 12/09/2019 18:57

We can't burn clay tiles

WhereDoesThisToiletGo · 12/09/2019 19:16

According to local covenant, our house is not allowed to exist...

AwkwardSquad · 12/09/2019 19:21

We can’t sell liquor or fried fish, according to the covenant on our house.

Riverviews · 12/09/2019 19:23

I had one where I was not allowed to sell beer

Infradoug · 12/09/2019 19:32

Not that unusual to get restrictive covenants like this but a ban on rabbits is a new one for me! If you're worried your solicitor should be able to arrange insurance for you to cover this.

bettybyebye · 12/09/2019 19:36

We also cannot keep poultry, or hang out washing on a Sunday. We’ve lived here for six years and frequently hang washing out on a Sunday...I like living life on the edge 😂

madcatladyforever · 12/09/2019 19:36

Weird OP I had exactly the same from my solicitor yesterday but on a 1945 covenant. No chickens, no businesses on the property, no hanging washing out and nobody knows how this could be enforced. Possibly by neighbours taking each other to court.
I had to buy a £100 indemnity insurance for the buyers.

Original poster
5614blocked · 12/09/2019 19:55

Thanks for all your replies, it’s interesting the sorts of things that covenants can include. Tbh it took me by surprise because now I’ve seen a lot that wouldn’t apply to us, but the bunnies.. Hmm threw me off. I will be in touch with the solicitor first thing and see if there’s something we can do.

OP posts:
MrsMoastyToasty · 12/09/2019 19:57

I'm not allowed to trade as an innkeeper. it doesn't mention free booze

Dizzywizz · 12/09/2019 19:59

Seriously, no one is going to enforce a covenant on you for keeping pet bunnies 🤣

NotYourHolidayDick · 12/09/2019 20:00

Just exchange OP. Mine says I can't have chickens or caravans. Guess what I've got 😁

nrpmum · 12/09/2019 20:01

Mine states no manufacturing of liquor or running a house of disrepute 😂 - - that's my new job out the window--

Abstractedobstructed · 12/09/2019 20:02

I'm not allowed to sell liquor or run a house of ill repute at ours. Shame.

Abstractedobstructed · 12/09/2019 20:02

nrpmum cross posted. Maybe you are one of my neighbours 😜

nrpmum · 12/09/2019 20:04

😂😂 Sounds like it. I've got your back if you've got mine 😂😂

PickAChew · 12/09/2019 20:08

I lived in one house which was built by the Methodist church, in which we were not allowed to manufacture alcohol. My last house had a covenant that no livestock was to be kept - didn't stop people keeping ponies in their garden!

Current house is more mundane - we're not allowed to build anything at the front of the house. Our "front" door is at the side, anyhow, so we'd have no reason to put a porch at the front. And the area specified is actually in front of the house, so didn't prevent previous owners from making the dormer in our bedroom bigger as that was behind the line!

Papergirl1968 · 12/09/2019 20:08

Ours says something about we can’t operate as a lunatic asylum Confused

Original poster
5614blocked · 12/09/2019 20:16

Some of these are ridiculous 😂 I’m a bit of a worrier so it threw a spanner in the works at a stressful time! At least the rabbits can’t bark Hmm

OP posts:
Bluetriangle9 · 12/09/2019 20:21

My friends covenant says no alcohol can be consumed on the premises! - never mind sold. Her solicitor was very serious about it too. Although who the hell's going to police that?

CaptainMyCaptain · 12/09/2019 20:22

I can't imagine that your rabbits would bother anyone.

RavenLG · 12/09/2019 20:27

No poultry, cattle, swine or other offensive animals allowed here either. I told DP to pack his bags Grin

We're also not allowed to dig up the clay in the back garden and sell it.

I'd exchange.

FFSDH · 12/09/2019 20:28

I’ve just looked mine up as I remember there were some odd ones in it. I’m not allowed to distribute undeclared fish to farm hands or hired help. Undeclared fish may only be cooked for family meals. There goes my social life.

HypatiaCade · 12/09/2019 20:29

Our property has a covenant that we couldn't clear the plants from the front garden - we bulldozed them and paved the whole thing. (We had to build a retaining wall as the property was suffering from major damp). So have almost all of our neighbours though.

There was also a clause that only residents of the area who had lived there for 3 years could buy it - we had that one removed.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 12/09/2019 20:48

Ours is:
No pigs (I made the guinea-pigs keep a low profile Grin )
No running a Brewery
No open cast mining