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Understanding Your Covenants | |
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The Ridgely Covenants for the Hampton Community
John
Ridgely, Jr., the last owner of the Hampton Mansion, began developing the Hampton
community in the1930's. Mr. Ridgely had a vision and purpose for the
development of his land:
maintain the gracious, quiet qualities of country living with gracefully
designed homes thoughtfully placed on spacious lots. This style reflected the
Ridgely tradition of preserving the open, park-like setting as an extension
of Hampton House. Mr. Ridgely's original design gives the Hampton community
its unique appeal, and superb property value. In order
to preserve this quality-of-life for his new neighbors, Mr. Ridgely established
protective covenants that have guided Hampton’s development ever since.
These covenants are thought to be modeled on rules created by the Guilford
neighborhood in Baltimore City. Because
Hampton covenants protect our quality-of-life and property values, it is critical
that all Hampton homeowners are aware of the rights and responsibilities imparted
to us by our covenants.
Over the years, multiple subdivisions of Hampton were
established. The original plat maps and their source deeds for the conveyance
of these subdivisions were recorded in the Baltimore County land records office. Mr.
Ridgely's practice was to attach protective covenants to every lot contained
in each plat at the time the subdivision was created. He
engaged more than one developer. In the days before word-processing the
attorneys as well as the county record keepers took shortcuts in recording land
records. They often resorted to the expedience of making
brief references to "source deeds" rather than retyping covenant
language each time a property was transferred. And with each major subdivision,
Mr. Ridgely introduced slight variations in covenant language and restrictions. Despite
the complications introduced by antiquated record-keeping methods, almost
every lot has protective covenants attached to its original deed.
Hampton covenants “run with the
land” meaning they are attached to, and benefit the land in perpetuity. Even
though you may not be the original purchaser, the covenants continue to bind
your property, and will be binding on all subsequent owners. Sometimes
Hampton deeds do not specifically reference their protective covenants. Nevertheless
the covenants are recorded in the county land records, and therefore property
owners are not relieved of the rights and responsibilities imparted by the covenants.
Although different covenants may bind each
plat, the various covenants generally share certain restrictions. For example, Hampton
covenants establish specific
setbacks; exclude commercial land use; limit fencing, garages,
outbuildings or other structures and prohibit multi-family dwellings
and the subdivision of lots. For specific information, consult the covenants
that apply to your property. For nearly
50 years, private property owners and the Hampton Improvement Association have
collaborated, first with John Ridgely, and subsequently with the developers
and homeowners, to protect the neighborhood from covenant violations and the
erosion of our property values.
Today, preservation of Hampton covenants is facilitated by property owners working together through their community association. The HIA Architectural Review Committee guides homeowners through the building review process to preserve the high standards which protect property values. The process provides a forum for an open dialog among all homeowners affected by potential change and transition.
Hampton’s property values are
rising as land availability diminishes. There is an increasing temptation
to ignore our original neighborhood development principles. Fortunately our
covenants, along with existing zoning laws, can protect our quality-of-life
provided our community as a whole chooses to respect and enforce these rules.
Every homeowner should be aware that, even if the covenants are not specifically
listed in the homeowners deed, there will most certainly be some reference
in the deed that will lead to the "source deed covenants" recorded in the Baltimore
County Land Records.
Resources for Discovering Hampton Community Covenants
A group of neighbors have volunteered a great
deal of time and effort to research and clarify the often-confusing issue of
covenants for Hampton homeowners, developers, real estate agents and prospective
buyers.
The results of this extensive undertaking can be found on the following “Understanding
Your Covenants” web pages of the Hampton Community web site.
The information
presented on these web pages is not legal advice. In the course of our research
we found some inconsistencies. While due care was employed
in compiling and presenting this information, it remains an all-volunteer effort
of homeowners and not legal professionals. The only way to ensure complete
accuracy of this information is to seek legal counsel and/or search your individual
property title. Before you proceed to use the information provided in
these pages, please read and acknowledge the disclaimer below.
| The following land record resources are available on the Hampton community web site: | |
| Look up a summary of your plat and covenant information – an interactive map (you must agree to disclaimer at the bottom of this page) | |
| Frequently Asked Questions about covenants and land records (FAQ) (you must agree to disclaimer at the bottom of this page) | |
| Index Map for Hampton Plats (by viewing this map you agree to the disclaimer at the bottom of this page) | |
| Additional maps are available to help research Hampton properties and understand neighborhood history: | |
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Other online resources for property records and information:
To find out more about about neighborhood covenants please agree to the following disclaimer and proceed.