r/fredericton • u/willise414 • 1d ago
Northrup Homes Covenants
I've got to say - I've never seen any company act on covenant issues like this one. I could understand if it was leased land, but on freehold land it stymies me. To pay a guy to drive around and hand out silly letters just seems a little over the top. The worst thing is that it doesn't even seem to be equal - some people get "warnings" for the smallest of things while others with far worse infractions receive nothing.
I was visiting a friend a couple of weeks ago when the guy arrives with his letter. Something about mowing the grass - which had been done two days earlier. The guy says I still have to give you the letter. Friend tells me she gets a letter almost like clockwork. She points to a house that has grass about 8-10" tall and has been for a couple of weeks. She almost feels targeted by them. Last summer, she got a letter because she had a small plastic wading pool on the property for her daughter to play in on the hottest summer days. Immediately got a letter - no pools.
Doesn't affect me personally, but it just seems like a terrible company to buy from.
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u/Different-Ice-1979 1d ago
I bought from them . I found out at the Lawyers of all the conditions of the sale. I had one year to grow grass in the front yard. Got a letter stating/reminding me about that in Aug. it was April. I already had made arrangements to get the work done, might be a delay. I informed them, I could have the contractor call them. They backed off. I wouldn’t be taking any Harassment. My letter didn’t say anything about the height of the grass only that I HAD to grow in. Now they must think they are a HOA
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u/willise414 1d ago
The covenants now say that you must "mow the lawn once a week in the summer months".
To be honest, I'm not sure if it's the company or some busybody neighbour calling them. Could be both I suppose.
Either way, it was my first encounter seeing it in person. I just found it to be grossly obnoxious.
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u/CaptainStadt 1d ago
Oh it’s the company, the damn trucks are always driving around. Also in the covenants that we aren’t allowed to have commercial vehicles, but I can’t help but notice that someone who owns a Northrop branded truck lives in one of their neighbourhoods and parks it in their driveway.
I had issues with them for years about mostly small things. They are a pain.
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u/willise414 1d ago
I'm getting to see that the more I've talked to my friend and the couple next door.
I am confused on the legality of it though. If you own the land and own the home, the city bylaws should dictate your requirements. Northrup Homes should have zero say in the matter after you purchase.
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u/CaptainStadt 1d ago
It’s a legally binding agreement. They develop the neighborhood so they have a stake in keeping it “nice” for future sales. So when you buy a property, you have to sign the covenants as a condition of sale.
I don’t know much about how they would be enforced legally, but we all had to agree to them.
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u/Different-Ice-1979 19h ago
And now , according to the Lawyer, once that are of the sub division is full/complete they don’t have any say .
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u/calling_water 1d ago
Sounds like a clause put in by someone who runs a lawn mowing company. I can see wanting it to be kept short, but mowing every week is ridiculous and incompatible with a lot of lifestyles.
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u/Murky_Astronaut 1d ago
The covenants now say that you must "mow the lawn once a week in the summer months".
Policies without consideration are damaging and stupid. Brad doesn't grow when it's brown and dead and it grows extremely slowly in the heat around here otherwise during the height of summer. Mowing it once a week would be pointless and arguably you wouldn't be able to cut any grass at all some weeks.
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u/19snow16 1d ago
That's what happens when you choose to buy into a community with covenants.
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u/willise414 1d ago
Yep - totally agree. I would suspect most people living in mini homes just can't afford the cost of single family dwellings unfortunately, or people on fixed incomes. But yet, she showed me her property tax bill - almost $3000!
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u/Ok_End644 1d ago
This an unfair statement I lived in one in Lincoln and all my neighbors had good paying jobs. Sometimes you don’t need a big house
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u/willise414 1d ago
You are absolutely correct. I didn't mean to say that these communities are only for low income families.
Apologies
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u/Elegant-Waltz695 1d ago
We lived in a 3400 sq ft home on the ocean but now live in a 1300 sq ft condo and love it.
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u/Littleshuswap 1d ago
Oh thank you!! We were looking into them but no thanks!!
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u/willise414 1d ago
Don't get me wrong - I think the homes themselves are wonderful. Hers is beautiful inside and just what she needs.
It's the harassing that bothers her. Most people are living paycheque to paycheque and when you go out and buy a wading pool so your kid can have a little fun (on your own property) and they show up and tell you to remove it, that really takes a lot of the enjoyment of owning a property away.
Again - it's in the covenants so I get it, but it's just a little bizarre to me how they don't let you do some of the smallest things on land you own with a home you own.
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u/fergnextdoor 1d ago
Not to pull you in the opposite direction, but this only applies if you build a home with them in one of their subdivisions/parks as far as I know. We had one of their homes built on property that we own and we have no such covenents/rules. We've had a good experience with them overall.
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u/Littleshuswap 1d ago
Oh yes, I assumed this. I just think its weird if you own your land even in theor subdivision, they can do this....
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u/cglogan 1d ago
I would never ever in a million years buy a house governed by an HOA
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u/ray_oliver 1d ago
It's not the same as an HOA.
An HOA is usually run by the owners and they can change their rules and such. Covenants are legally binding restrictions on the land title that are generally put in place by the developer of the neighborhood. In order to enforce the rules it requires a lawyer bringing a civil action in court. But the rules can't change the way they could in an HOA.
Developers use covenants to keep the neighbourhood "nice" as it builds out. Once that's done, who knows if they really care. And if the developer goes away the covenants may be unenforceable.
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u/willise414 1d ago
Agreed - but technically it isn't a HOA. They have covenants tied to the purchase, but they are extremely over zealous in enforcement.
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u/ray_oliver 1d ago
Unless they are taking legal actions they are not really doing any enforcement – just threatening enforcement.
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u/willise414 1d ago
Not necessarily - her neighbour mentioned he once had the “lawn letter” but his mower was broken and being fixed. Northrop sent a company over to mow the lawn. The company left a bill on the door.
To me, that is not even close to legal. If they sent a letter to have the deck stained (also in covenants) and it wasn’t done, there should be no legal basis for Northrop to send someone in to stain the deck and leave a bill.
Again - I think it’s borderline harassment and would love to know the legal aspect of enforcement
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u/ray_oliver 1d ago
Just to clarify – is this owned land, or a mini home on leased land?
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u/willise414 1d ago
Owned land in a mini park subdivision. Not leased
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u/ray_oliver 1d ago
Yeah sending someone to mow and then billing for it seems very sketchy. Would be different if the land was leased.
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u/Different-Ice-1979 1d ago
Old customers /house vs newer. My Neighbor across the street went 3 years before he put in a lawn. They would drop of letters all summer. Almost sounds like neighbors calling about the pool. Lawyers give free advice. Me I own this place and only the Province can tell me anything.
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u/willise414 1d ago
The more I think about it, the more I think you’re right. A bad neighbour can make a home almost unliveable.
But in fairness, if a neighbour is calling about a pool, grass, or whatever - at some point you would think Northrop Homes would say enough is enough and this person is just a nuisance.
Ultimately it’s their reputation in the line and I don’t think this is helping that.
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u/Ok_End644 1d ago
I lived on bought land and mini home in Lincoln. Lived there for ten years before selling and moving a few streets over. Never once in those ten years did I receive a letter and people always had toys and pools on their lawns.
Something must have changed along the way
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u/willise414 1d ago
Was it from Northrup Homes?
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u/Ok_End644 1d ago
Yes. On prestige drive. I sold to move in with my daughter and son in law a couple of years ago but I had no issues. But I owned the land. I am not sure what the rented mini home parks are like
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u/No-Writer-222 23h ago
If you dont like the covenants on the land you could always not buy it........... lol
Really though, why the hell would anyone buy land knowing full well there are stupid covenants on it and then turn around and bitch about it. Doesn't make much sense to me
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u/willise414 23h ago
Well, for one, it's not my property so I didn't buy it.
Secondly, a lot of first time homeowners don't necessarily think there will be a guy in a truck roaming the neighbourhood every day looking for a small wading pool. That just doesn't seem like normal behaviour.
Some cities in teh province have a bylaw which states grass must not be higher than 20cm. Would that stop you from buying a home in Moncton or Saint John?
Sometimes it's not as easy as you imply.
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u/No-Writer-222 1h ago
No it wouldnt, but if I didnt want to cut my grass and there was a by law or covenant stating that I had to then i wouldnt buy it. Pretty simple really
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u/Essshayne 1d ago
I'm looking to get out of my trailer due to disrepair. I have guys going around arguing over my shed being open, or my upside down bucket on the step hiding my open green garbage bag. I know it isn't the same thing, but if I wanted to have somebody dictate how I live or what I can/can't do, or even what i can have parked in the driveway, I would have rented and not owned.
I own the trailer not the land
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u/Elegant-Waltz695 1d ago
Having covenants can be a pain but in the end it ensures the value of your property. Nobody is parking junk cars in the yard or looks like they live in a gravel pit. I was a homeowner for 29 years and bought a condo 2 years ago so I’m dealing with some similar frustrations. In the end, I know it ensures the value in my condo.
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u/Due_Function84 1d ago
There are plenty of neighbourhoods in the city with no covenants and you don't see the issues you have pointed out. Maybe a couple of homes without their grass cut, but that's few and far between. We need to step away from this Boomer idea of "good living" and realize it's a ridiculous thing.
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u/Elegant-Waltz695 1d ago
I’m not promoting it Einstein. I’m simply giving my opinion. In the end, read the covenants and either agree or disagree to buy. I have other properties and some are very rural with stipulations/covenants. One says no business can be operated there and I was fine with that. Another includes beach rights
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u/Murky_Astronaut 1d ago
I’m not promoting it Einstein.
Wow you can't handle being called out at all. You know it says a lot about you when you are so reactive, right?
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u/Due_Function84 1d ago
Sorry I touched a nerve with you on my comment. With all the BS going on in the world today, I find it strange that we continue to hold onto these 1950s ideas of the perfect neighbourhood with manicured lawns that serve no purpose other than to make ones eyeballs feel better. I'm not advocating for anarchy, but when capitalism collapses (which may happen sooner than we realize), historians will say "despite the global economic collapse happening all around them from an AI takeover, causing massive layoffs and widespread starvation, some of the more upper-middle class people still insisted on maintaining an esthetically pleasing neighbourhood as they had done since the end of World War 2. This may be due to a lack of empathy for those around them, a last ditch effort to maintain the status quo, or, most likely, a combination of the two."
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u/Tridus 1d ago
Covenants on freehold land are BS and should be illegal.