Restrictive Covenants Prohibiting Short-Term Rentals Upheld by Virginia Court of 应用程序eals

比如Air B等网站上列出的短租房&B和VRBO在英联邦变得越来越普遍. 然而，短期租赁存在争议.  On one hand, they offer vacationers or business travelers an alternative to traditional hotels. They also provide an income source to homeowners who can rent out their homes (or portions of their homes) for short periods of time.  

另一方面, 许多短租房屋都位于建成区, 家庭式的社区. 不足为奇的是, many neighborhood residents are less than pleased to find that their neighbor’s home has been converted into a rental property for transient occupants.  短期租赁通常与滋扰有关, 比如喧闹的派对和客人在晚上的任何时候进进出出.

地方法规

由于短期租赁的争议性, it should come as no surprise that may localities have enacted – or are in the process of enacting – local ordinances to regulate this type of business.  例如, the City of 弗吉尼亚海滩 has strict requirements for operating short term rentals which can be found 在这里.  同样，诺福克市也有短期租赁规定 在这里. Property owners wishing to operate their homes as a short-term rental would be well-advised to check the local regulations prior to listing any property for rent.  然而, while many larger metropolitan cities in the Commonwealth have adopted clear rules and regulations concerning short-term rentals, 许多小城镇和县还没有通过这样的法律.

由业主协会执行的契约

Property owners need to be aware that local ordinances are not the only potential impediment to the operation of short-term rentals. 这类业务也可能被契约所禁止, 由业主立案法团执行, which restrict what property owners can do with their land even if such uses are otherwise legal. 这种性质的契约被认为是POA和房主之间的合同, POA有权根据合同法执行契约.

例如, many POAs enforce covenants which limit the size or type of fencing and other architectural designs allowed in the neighborhood. Some neighborhoods have covenants which prohibit homes from being used as short-term rentals. 如果是这样的话, 房主可能会被禁止将其房屋用作短期出租, 即使这种使用是由当地法律授权的.

产权链中的限制性契约

In neighborhoods without a POA w在这里 short term rentals are not prohibited by local regulations, are objecting neighbors simply out of luck with no way to challenge the operation of short-term rental businesses in their neighborhoods?  

也许不是. 这是因为, 即使是在没有行动计划的社区, it is a possible that another type of restrictive covenant could affect how the property is used.  在某些情况下, 限制性契约存在于位于业主产权链中的契约中. 这些契约可以限制土地的某些用途, 即使没有社区POA来强制执行这些限制. The potential presence of restrictive covenants within the chain of title is just one of many reasons that every potential home buyer should engage the services of a professional real estate attorney to review a thorough title search prior to closing on a real estate deal. 如果限制性契约被记录在产权链的任何地方, 房主被认为对这些限制有法律通知, 即使房主的契约中没有明确规定这些限制.

如果产权链中存在限制性契约, Virginia law allows neighbors to file suit in the Circuit Court to enforce the covenants. 要打赢这样的官司可能很难, because in Virginia the free use of land is favored by the Courts and any ambiguity in the restrictive covenants will likely be interpreted against the party bringing suit.  然而，如果限制性的契约是明确和明确的，它们是可以强制执行的.

弗吉尼亚州上诉法院最近就这样一个案件作出了裁决.  In Kooiman v. Ornoff, 2024 Va. 应用程序. LEXIS 42 (Cir. (Ct 2024)，原告在怀特岛县购买了一处海滨住宅.  几年后, 原告的邻居, 职业建筑承包商, 购买了原告隔壁的一块空地，并在这块空地上建了一座大房子. Both properties were burdened by restrictive covenants recorded in the respective chains of title which prevented certain uses of the property. The restrictive covenants included two separate restrictions which did not explicitly address short-term rentals, 但有争议的是，禁止这些房屋被用于这一目的. 这些限制如下:

限制# 1:  该不动产只能用于居住, and no structure shall be erected, altered, placed, or permitted to remain on said real estate, 除独栋住宅外，层高不得超过两层, 不超过两辆车的私人车库, 以及住宅附属附属建筑.  (重点)

限制# 4:没有拖车。 地下室, tent, shack, garage, barn boat house or other outbuilding erected or placed on said real property 应随时作为住所，暂时或永久使用. (重点)

原告的邻居在邻近的地块上建造了一座大房子. 尽管他的产权链上有限制性的契约, 原告的邻居 constructed an apartment in the 地下室 and began advertising the apartment as a short-term rental on various platforms such as Air B&B和VRBO. 地下室的公寓每星期被租出去几次, 对住在附近的原告造成了干扰. The Plaintiff filed suit in the Circuit Court seeking an Injunction preventing the neighbors from using the 地下室 as a separate residence and/or short-term rental. 

在试验, the Defendants argued that their 地下室 was not a separate residence in violation of the restrictive covenants, 而是他们家不可或缺的一部分. They also argued that the covenants were too vague to prohibit short term rentals in light of Virginia’s presumption in favor of free use of land. The Plaintiff maintained that the restrictions were unambiguous and clearly prohibited the use of the 地下室 as a separate residence, 包括用作短期租赁.

The Circuit Court agreed with the Plaintiff and issued an Order prohibiting the Defendants from using the 地下室 as a separate residence (包括用作短期租赁). 被告提出上诉.

上诉法院维持巡回法院的判决, finding that the restrictive covenants were not ambiguous and t在这里fore must be enforced. 委员会认为, the Court of 应用程序eals distinguished this Isle of Wight case from other Virginia cases in which restrictive covenants had been found to be too vague to prohibit short-term rentals. 不像那些案例, 上诉法院在怀特岛案中发现了这一点, the two separate restrictive covenants – when construed together – unambiguously prohibited the establishment of separate residences in the 地下室, 即使是很短的时间. 因此, the use of the 地下室 as a short-term rental was a violation of the restrictive covenants which could be enforced by the Plaintiff.

布莱恩·皮尔普斯 是一个澳门十大正规网赌网址 & 专攻海事和河岸法的十大正规网赌网址律师, 工伤赔偿和民事诉讼.