What the recorded documents actually say about Southampton Villas in South Bend — fences, sheds, pools, pets, parking and the rest — with the part of the document each answer comes from.
5 homes have sold here in the last four years, which is why this neighborhood was compiled early.
Before you rely on this page
CHECK THAT YOUR ADDRESS IS IN THE VILLAS. This declaration governs SOUTHAMPTON VILLAS, which is Southampton Subdivision Section Two, in Centre Township, South Bend. Two separate MLS neighborhoods named SOUTHAMPTON SEC 1 and SOUTHAMPTON SEC 2 exist in MISHAWAKA - different township, different subdivision, not covered here. And if a South Bend address sits in Southampton but not in the Villas, ask the title company which recorded set governs it, because this one names the Villas throughout. Three rules here are unusually strict and decide whether the neighborhood fits: NO playground equipment, swing sets, basketball hoops or nets at all; no trailer, motor home, truck or boat parked on a lot at any time, even temporarily; and a tenant has to be approved by the board before you may lease.
Two rules, and the second one is the one people trip over. No screen planting or fence over THIRTY-SIX INCHES is permitted within twenty-five feet of the street right-of-way. And putting up any further fence requires the board of directors' approval - fences already in place when the covenant was recorded were treated differently. On a corner lot, nothing between two and six feet above the street may block the sight triangle, and a tree there has to be trimmed up high enough to keep the sight line clear.
The covenant contemplates a private garage for up to four cars and sets placement rules for accessory buildings on corner lots, but it caps total building coverage at sixty percent of the lot and bars any structure on the platted easements. No structure of a temporary character - trailer, basement, tent, shack, garage, barn or other outbuilding - may be used as a residence at any time. Anything you build goes through the written approval in Paragraph G first.
Absolute, with no time limit and no screened-storage option. No house trailer, motor home, truck or boat - or, in the covenant's phrase, other offensive object - may be parked or located on any lot at any time, temporarily OR permanently. Most Michiana covenants allow loading time or a garage; this one does not.
We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →Nothing may be built, placed or altered until the construction plans, the specifications AND a plan showing where the structure will sit have been approved in writing - judged on conformity and harmony of exterior design with the houses already on the plat. A lot carries one detached single-family house of up to two and a half storeys, plus a private garage for no more than four cars, which is roomier than most. Minimum floor area is 900 square feet, excluding one-storey open porches and garages; a bi-level or tri-level needs 900 square feet of finished habitable area as the FHA Minimum Property Standards define that phrase. And no building may cover, or be enlarged to cover, more than SIXTY PERCENT of the lot.
We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →Lawns are kept clear - the covenant means free of obstacles, so that mowing and other lawn maintenance can be done. Nothing may be built on the platted utility and drainage easements, and no planting or other material may be placed there that would damage or interfere with the utilities or change the drainage. No screen planting over thirty-six inches within twenty-five feet of the street right-of-way.
We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →Dogs, cats and other household pets are allowed, none raised, bred or kept for any commercial purpose. Livestock and poultry may not be kept. The board of directors may adopt further pet rules whenever it considers them necessary - and a pet the board judges to be causing a nuisance or unreasonable disturbance or noise must be PERMANENTLY REMOVED from the property within ten days of written notice to the owner.
Renting is allowed, but the board screens your tenant. An owner who decides to lease their home must put the proposed lessee to the board of directors, which has the right to approve or disapprove them. After speaking with both the proposed tenant and the owner, the board may also review whatever credit or background applications it considers appropriate. Build that step into your timeline - and ask the board how long it usually takes.
One of the strictest lines in this directory for a family with young children, and it is worth knowing before you fall in love with the house. No swing sets or any other playground equipment are permitted, and no basketball hoops or nets may be erected anywhere on Southampton Villas property. There is no approval path written in.
One sign of no more than five square feet advertising the property for sale or for rent, plus a builder's signs during the construction and sales period.
We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →No lot may be used other than for residential purposes, and no noxious or offensive activity may be carried on, nor anything done that becomes an annoyance or nuisance to the neighbourhood. The covenant carries no home-occupation allowance of the kind most Michiana subdivisions write in, so ask the board before running anything from the house.
We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →No lot may be used or maintained as a dumping ground for rubbish. Trash, garbage and other waste may not be deposited on a lot except in SANITARY METAL CONTAINERS - the covenant specifies the material, which most do not. Any incinerator or other storage or disposal equipment is kept clean and sanitary.
We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →We don’t have this one confirmed yet — we can ask the association and get you an answer before you commit to anything.
We can find out →Tell us the question and we will get you the answer from the recorded documents.