A real covenant is only enforceable if it was created intentionally, it relates to the property in question, and two kinds of privity are established. Additionally, a real covenant must be in writing. The party capable of enforcing the covenant depends on whether the burden or the benefit runs with the land.
Enforcing these covenants is the responsibility of the HOA's board of directors. They have the authority to take various actions, including issuing warnings, fines, or even pursuing legal action against homeowners who violate the covenant.
If a deed restriction is not enforceable, you can choose to ignore it and take on the risk of a neighbor filing suit, or you can seek out a judge's ruling to have the covenant removed from the deed. Obtaining that ruling is easier when no one is actively enforcing the covenant.
A restrictive covenant runs with the land, affecting successive owners. It will not cease to be enforceable just because it was created a long time ago. However, the covenant may be unenforceable for another reason. For example, where the seller failed to observe the relevant registration formalities.
In most states, restrictive covenants are enforceable only if they serve a legitimate business purpose and are reasonable in duration, geographic scope and with respect to the substantive nature of the activity being restricted.
This can usually be found on the Title Register, which is held at the Land Registry. The covenants are sometimes passed down with the land, which can mean that even when the land is sold, any restrictions will still apply to the new owner.
In American law, a covenant is a formal, written contract. For example, a property owner and a homeowner's association might establish a covenant for what the property owner is permitted to place on their property and what the association offers the property owner as one of its members.
The Hebrew term בְּרִית bĕriyth for "covenant" is from a root with the sense of "cutting", because pacts or covenants were made by passing between cut pieces of flesh of an animal sacrifice. There are two major types of covenants in the Hebrew Bible, including the obligatory type and the promissory type.
The Abrahamic covenant is one of the most important covenants in Scripture for understanding how we receive salvation. We find the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis –3; 15; 17, –19, Romans 4, and Galatians –29.