In a deed, a grantee may agree to do something or refrain from doing certain acts. This agreement will become a binding contract between the grantor and the grantee. An example would be an agreement to maintain fences on the property or that the property will only be used for residential purposes. This kind of covenant is binding, not only between the grantor and the grantee, but also runs with the land. This means that anyone acquiring the land from the grantee is also bound by the covenant of the grantee. A covenant that provides that the grantee will refrain from certain conduct is called a restrictive or protective covenant. For example, there may be a covenant that no mobile home shall be placed on the property.
A restrictive or protective covenant may limit the kind of structure that can be placed on the property and may also restrict the use that can be made of the land. For example, when a tract of land is developed for individual lots and homes to be built, it is common to use the same restrictive covenants in all of the deeds in order to cause uniform restrictions and patterns on the property. For example, the developer may provide that no home may be built under a certain number of square feet. Any person acquiring a lot within the tract will be bound by the restrictions if they are placed in the deed or a prior recorded deed. Also, these restrictive covenants may be placed in a document at the outset of the development entitled "Restrictive Covenants," and list all the restrictive covenants that will apply to the tracts of land being developed. Any subsequent deed can then refer back to the book and page number where these restrictive covenants are recorded. Any person owning one of the lots in the tract may bring suit against another lot owner to enforce the restrictive covenants. However, restrictive covenants may be abandoned or not enforceable by estoppel if the restrictive covenants are violated openly for a sufficient period of time in order for a Court to declare that the restriction has been abandoned.
Covenants Form With 2 Points In Georgia
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The owner of a conservation use or residential transitional property must enter into a 10 year covenant. This covenant is a sworn agreement that the property owner will maintain the current use of the property for 10 years from January 1 of the year the property is entered into the covenant.
In Georgia, the enforceability of restrictive covenants is governed by the GRCA, OCGA § 13-8-50 et seq. The GRCA provides that employment contracts that restrict competition must be “reasonable in time, geographic area, and scope of prohibited activities.” OCGA § 13-8-53(a).
A covenant never to sue is equivalent to a release as is a bond to indemnify a debtor against his own debt. (Orig. Code 1863, § 2802; Code 1868, § 2810; Code 1873, § 2861; Code 1882, § 2861; Civil Code 1895, § 3714; Civil Code 1910, § 4308; Code 1933, § 20-909.)
A covenant is an obligation to do or not to do something with your real property required simply because you own the property.
Perpetual Duration: Prior to 1993, Georgia law generally provided that covenants expire after 20 years. In 1994, the law was amended to permit covenants to automatically renew. Yet, Georgia courts have subsequently held that covenants in communities recorded prior to 1994 do not receive the benefit of the 1994 law.
It is possible to apply to the Lands Chamber of the Upper Tribunal to have a restrictive covenant “discharged or modified”, as the statute puts it, in order to get the covenant removed or changed so that development can take place or the use of the land can be changed.
Georgia common law was generally hostile to restrictive covenants but was more permissive of anti-raiding restrictions such as employee non-solicitation provisions. Georgia's passage of the Restrictive Covenants Act (RCA) in 2011 made enforcement of valid restrictive covenants easier than it had been before.
In the US, blue penciling commonly refers to the practice of modifying, narrowing, or deleting an unenforceable contract or contractual provision so that the remainder of the agreement is enforceable. It is often used by courts adjudicating challenges to restrictive covenants.
Georgia is a blue pencil state, which means that if any part of the agreement is found to be unenforceable, then the entire agreement voided not just the part in question. An extended period of time will not be enforceable as it would unduly limit the employee's ability to work.
Perpetual Duration: Prior to 1993, Georgia law generally provided that covenants expire after 20 years. In 1994, the law was amended to permit covenants to automatically renew. Yet, Georgia courts have subsequently held that covenants in communities recorded prior to 1994 do not receive the benefit of the 1994 law.