Simon Legree

As has been pointed out previously these restrictions are put in place by the developers of the property. They are not bylaws. They are called "Restrictive Covernents" They also apply to such things as TV antennas, driveway vehicle repairs, parking lorries in the driveway and so on. They are supposed to ensure that the the "tone of the neighborhood" is maintained. If you are buying a property ask the agent about these and they should be able to find out for you.

dbd33

1. If the issue is "the tone of the neighbourhood" then surely a ban on laundry is not helpful, what's needed is a ban only on certain garments, plaid shirts, woolly hats, facsimiles of the sporting attire of well known thugs, that sort of thing. Surely no one could object to a line of cricket whites or jockey silks.

2. In order to know to ask the agent if there's a restriction on doing laundry you need to have a very peculiar mindset. Among non-Canadians only Hyacinth Bucket could imagine such a thing. Is there a ban on electrically powered stimulatory devices, a restrictive covenant on mugs in the shape of animals, one on sunbathing? It's not reasonable to except a house purchaser to think of everything that might be banned.

stepnek

Spot on! And now I have a greater appreciation for living in Ontario. We hang our washing out on the line as indeed do the people next door as do the people next door to them. I know that the people opposite don't because I see even at the height of summer plumes of vapour pouring from their dryer vent and it saddens me that they don't know about the benefits of a washing line.

Partially discharged

The people across the street probably have the A/C on from mid May until mid September at an ambient temp of 21 c (70 f) and never open their windows.

Partially discharged

Aren't these restrictive covenants quite popular through 'homeowners assocations' in the US.....often times, after a few years things like clothes on a line are overlooked by all but the most persistant curtain twitchers.

dbd33

It may be that there are some such clauses in place in US housing projects but when I mentioned to my American spouse that in parts of Canada one could not hang out washing her reaction was about the same as when I told my francophone spouse that in parts of Canada one could not have wine with a picnic in a park. Bewilderment.

Simon Legree

Yes. At my place in Arizona, which has a Homeowners' Association, there are numerous restrictions. I am a member of the Board so I get to be a bit creative. I have a radio station there and there are antenna restrictions. I had to figure out how to make some wire antennas and arrange them so that they couldn't be seen. It isn't the best but it works quite well. In general, not too many folks care about most restrictions as long as it does not directly affect them.

Helen Parnell

I must admit that like the tone of the neighbourhood idea. I walk and run along the red path in Cochrane, I NEVER see anyones laundry hanging out and I like it that way, it is nice seeing peoples gardens.

When i play golf in Cochrane again it is nice not to have to someones knickers hanging up when i take a shot!

The local bylaws also state i have to cut my grass, and not too park an RV or boat for too long outside my house (not that i have one) and it generally makes the whole area of Cochrane a nice place to live.

There are a lot of UK expats in Cochrane and i do not see any washing out,

i do have a drying horse thing which I use in my basement for some of my clothes which I do not want to tumble dry, and of course occasionally I have put out a sleeping bag or some thing big on the deck for an hour or two.

But it is just one of those Canadian things that Canadians do not hang their clothes up in the summer. You can fight it and make a big fuss or just accept it. There is a third option to all those who really object about all the energy being used and that is to just stay in the UK

dbd33

Don't you feel that by playing golf you are a greater blight on the environment than all the dry knickers in Christendom?

fuschiagirl

Miss Clinique

There is a third option to all those who really object about all the energy being used and that is to just stay in the UK



Aww thats not nice is it

MikeUK

It was on the radio here a while ago

A local lawyer said with the current pro-environmental councils it was almost impossible to enforce a laundry ban
Apart from being very unlikely to win in court if it ever got there, the negative publicity from trying would make it a very expensive risk

The reality is that it works because Canadians tend to follow the rules no matter how stupid they are

fuschiagirl

Vancouver Island is obviously lawless as well

We have one of the winch clothes lines - it is about 60 feet long and stretches from the upstairs deck across the garden. I usually tumble dry the clothes for a couple of minutes and peg them out while still warm - they don't need ironing if you follow this routine and I don't use fabric conditioner either. The washing dries very quickly and smells lovely

dbd33

Well really! You can't defend golf on environmental grounds, a golf course is worse for the environment than a gravel pit. Collectively, the world's golf courses are as bad as the world's Hummers.

The idea that people dressed for golf are more aesthetically pleasing than a line of knickers depends on them being threadbare dollar store undies. Even then they`re not likely to be clashing plaid knickers.

fuschiagirl

I certainly wasn't defending golf - I was just laughing at your comment I actually thought the OP was being rather a snob