My RV just got evicted off my property

[Marc L]

Because no one really "owns" the property they live on, they just think they do. Do you think you really own your property? Try sinking an oil well then. There are only about a thousand things you can't do to "your" property.

And anybody can get a claim to do exploration on anybody's property, since we don't own or have any legal claims under the surface until we apply for one.

 

[Orick]

We live in a gated community and have a 48 hour parking limit for loading and unloading.  I support the regulation.  It keeps the neighborhood from looking like a trailer park.  I pay $235/month for covered storage with power.  We have decided to move to a non restricted neighborhood and park the coach at home for our 3 to 4 month stays at home.  The rest of the time we will be on the road.  The present home requires too much upkeep to leave it for 8 or 9 months a year.

I agree completely.  It doesn't make us bad people to want to live in a neighborhood which "doesn't look like a trailer park" so long as we don't move into an unrestricted area and begin preaching that others should change.  Know the CC&Rs and other regulations pertaining to where you choose to live and then expect them to be obeyed.  Shouldn't be a problem.  It doesn't seem reasonable to me that someone would choose to live in a restricted neighborhood and then paint as evil those neighbors who request that the rules be followed.

Rick

 

[BernieD]

Why would you buy a house where you can't have what you own on your property?

Because we like the house and we like the neighborhood.

We are in a gated community and RV parking is limited to 48 hours in any 7 day period, street only no side yards. This is more than adequate to load or unload the coach before and after trips. If we are gone for 6 days or more, we have 2 days at each end. The community has an RV lot in one corner of the development so we have easy access to the coach when in storage. And for only $52/month and being gone all summer, we can handle no power or coverage.

 

[deal]

I agree completely.  It doesn't make us bad people to want to live in a neighborhood which "doesn't look like a trailer park" so long as we don't move into an unrestricted area and begin preaching that others should change.  Know the CC&Rs and other regulations pertaining to where you choose to live and then expect them to be obeyed.  Shouldn't be a problem.  It doesn't seem reasonable to me that someone would choose to live in a restricted neighborhood and then paint as evil those neighbors who request that the rules be followed.

Rick

I guess the subtle point is that I live in a huge city, not a gated community.  I had no idea that I couldn't park an RV in my driveway for any amount of time. Not one minute.  That's not to say I haven't seen many parked in driveways around the city. There are. They just don't have that good ole pesky neighbor with nothing but time on their hands and an axe to grind with the world.  This particular complainant can't even see my property if standing on theirs. The way our bylaws work is that all enforcement is contingent on a complaint.

I'm kinda sick about it all. I can park on the street (for 3 hours and until a complaint is lodged) and be in peoples way no problem but I can't park safely in my driveway.

 

[Wendy]

Deal - Is it a city ordinance or is it a homeowners bylaw in your development? It's not just gated communities that have rules against parking RVs, boats, utility trailers, etc. on the street or on the property.

Wendy

 

[Jack D]

We've owned RV's of various types since ~1970. During that time, we've owned 5 homes......all of which had RV parking. This was one of the criteria when buying our home. In our area, RV parking is a plus and makes a home more desireable/valuable. There are gated communities where RV's may not  be allowed, but I would not want to live in one of those. I love my freedoms. I fly a flag daily and some gated communities would not allow even that. But that's just me. Rules are rules. I choose the place I buy that has rules that suit me. Right now I live in the country on a very small acreage where rules are few and the nearest neighbor is out of sight. I love it!

Still, no matter where I've lived, there has always been one neighbor that found something to complain about. Such is life. I try not to be one of those neighbors.

 

[deal]

Deal - Is it a city ordinance or is it a homeowners bylaw in your development? It's not just gated communities that have rules against parking RVs, boats, utility trailers, etc. on the street or on the property.

Wendy

It is the City, I found this in the Residential Zoning bylaws:

One (1) trailer, with or without one (1) boat, or up to two (2) personal watercraft or
snowmobiles, or one (1) recreational vehicle, is permitted on a driveway subject to the
following:
(1) the maximum combined length of a trailer, exclusive of tongue, with or without a
boat, inclusive of attached motor, personal watercraft or snowmobile, or a
recreational vehicle shall be 5.2 m;
(2) the maximum combined height of a trailer, with or without a boat, inclusive of
attached motor, personal watercraft or snowmobile, or a recreational vehicle shall
be 2.0 m;
(3) the parking space used for a trailer, with or without a boat, personal watercraft
or snowmobile, or a recreational vehicle shall be in addition to the required
number of parking spaces for the applicable Residential Zone;
(4) the minimum setback of a trailer, with or without a boat, personal watercraft or
snowmobile, or a recreational vehicle to a lot line shall be 0.6 m.

 

[catblaster]

How's this for a zoning story? Thirty years ago one of the officials left a notice on an abandoned vehicle in front of my house at the request of a nosey neighbor. I tried to explain but no one would shut up long enough to listen so they were told where to stuff it. Fines were levied, finally the vehicle was towed off. End of story...the property wasn't mine..they got the wrong person and had to eat the whole darn thing. since then most of nosey neighbors either dies or moved, works out either way.

 

[texasdrifter]

I guess I just don't get it. How picky can people get?

 

[Wendy]

5.2 m long and 2.0 m high doesn't allow much of a "recreational vehicle" does it?

Wendy

 

[Marc L]

5.2 m long and 2.0 m high doesn't allow much of a "recreational vehicle" does it?

Wendy

That's 17 feet long by 6.5 feet.  Basically no more than a pop-up.

 

[Wendy]

That's 17 feet long by 6.5 feet.  Basically no more than a pop-up.

Or a small Class B.

 

[deal]

5.2 m long and 2.0 m high doesn't allow much of a "recreational vehicle" does it?

Wendy

Wendy, I can't think of any RV's that are under 2m (79 inches) in height.  I would love to challenge the bylaw team to consider more reasonable restrictions. Something that takes into consideration the area of the driveway and makes allowances based on that. The bylaw should be flexible enough to also allow for 'occasional' use for the purpose of loading/unloading and perhaps selling of the vehicle. As long as it fits on the driveway, set back far enough from the road for safety considerations, and with enough space remaining to hold the minimum number of vehicles based on existing zoning criteria I don't see why our bureaucrats should even get involved.

My problem is that I never have had much patience for bureaucrats in general. I might just save my remaining hair and forget about it.

 

[RVBootsy]

8) I am glad I don't have to worry about this issue. My lovely bride wanted to live in a subdivision when we were looking for a lot to built our house. I said no. We found a lot outside of a subdivision and built a house. We can store any eye sore on our yard and nobody can tell me to clean my act until I am ready. Subdivision neighbors are all nosy.

 

[Tom]

We don't live in a gated community or, for that matter, a fancy community, but we have/had a similar rule to Bernie's, 72 hours on the street for loading and unloading. Other than that, there's a 3-hour limit for on-street parking of boats, RVs and trailers.

Out of the blue, the county decided to reword/clarify the building code, and determined that no boat, trailer, RV, etc could be more than 20% visible from the street. We live in a waterfront neighborhood, and everyone has one or more boats behind their house, either in the water or on a hydrohoist. Most of the smaller boats have trailers, so the trailers get parked in the side yard. Some folks park the trailers in their driveway, some in the street (which I don't condone, but don't complain about), and some in off-site storage.

We got a ticket for a small boat trailer in our side yard 2 weeks after leaving town on a 14-week trip in the RV. Had to get an extension until our return, then built a fence around the side yard to "hide" the trailer.

Last year, we'd taken the motorhome out of off-site storage ready to take to the DMV for a 'vehicle certification' early the next morning, and parked it in the street. 90 minutes later, a Sheriff's deputy drove by and put a violation tag on it. I called the Sheriff's office, and the desk sergeant said "people are dumping RVs everywhere on the streets (which they're not), so I told my deputies to ticket every RV in sight".

OK officer, time for a re-education; This is a motor vehicle with valid tags, and it will be back in storage after tomorrow's trip to the DMV. Here's what the ordinance says, here's what the sign says as you enter the community, here's the county's clarification of the building code, and I'm not in violation of any of them.

"OK sir, please move the RV before the 72 hours is up, but be sure to move it at least a foot."

 

[ArdraF]

I guess I just don't get it. How picky can people get?

You would be amazed!  At our previous home in California there was a couple (immigrants from Greece - the cradle of Democracy) who once a week would walk around our community taking notes about everything they didn't like.  They especially hated our street with its RVs, boats, TV antennas, etc. etc.!  One time they had the audacity to knock on our friend's door when they were both at work.  Their teenage son was at home and he answered the door.  They asked him if they could come inside to inspect the interior!  Luckily, he was a smart kid and told them no and they'd have to talk to his parents for that permission.  Of course, they never did talk with his parents.  This was not a gated or restricted community.  We had CC&Rs but 40 years ago they were quite lenient.  We all thought this couple was pretty nervy.  Needless to say they weren't very well liked.

ArdraF

 

[Tom]

[quote author=ArdraF]Needless to say they weren't very well liked.[/quote]

Can't imagine why Ardra  ???

 

[Wendy]

I love small town, rural living.

 

[Marc L]

What's a CC&R?  I only know CCR and now that I typed it, I have "Rolling down a river" in my head.

 

[Jeff]

Covenants, Conditions, (&) Restrictions