What's the strangest clause you've seen in a tenancy/property agreement?

nyermen

ripplyuk said:

nicmyles said:

I've posted this before, but my house has a very old covenant stating the property can't be used for "any art or mystery".

(basically means it can't be used for trades work, but I love the wording.)

@nicmyles

That’s interesting. Is this some sort of old English? Is a mystery a trade? 

If you search for "art or mistery" (the original spelling I think), you'll probably find better info.  You may have to verbose google search or it'll try and change it to mystery.

FarmGirl78

A previous house of mine had a requirement that the back fence must "always be maintained so as to be horseproof". It was only built in 1992 so I still wonder where what on earth was there previously to warrant such a clause. Obviously at some point in the past Dudley had a problem with renegade horses running amok.

Ps. Despite my username I have never lived in or near a farm!

bouicca21

Compared to some of these mine is quite tame - I have to whitewash the internal walls of my flat every 5 years.  And this for a flat built on the 1960s when most people had wallpaper.

As for the gin and beer sales - way back in the early 19th century you needed a licence to sell spirits but not to run a beer house.

deannagone

A mystery is a religious play.., they used to be s feature in some religious festivals in medieval times onwards https://www.britannica.com/art/mystery-play

NQManchester

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/housing-estate-homeowners-being-threatened-22123896?fbclid=IwAR2dFAnM7UTZsNjEZHYuOYEgVCdpO3oDoxsbm-0XqSc1j56fMZWCLnnFwrY

£42 a day admin charge for painting your front door…

robatwork

My deeds say that I cannot erect an Inn Tavern or Beerhouse within 50 feet of the south west boundary of the land. Then goes on to mention a poultry farm as being an exception.   The last bit clinched it for me. 

LAD917

No waterbeds used to be a very common clause in virtually every US lease - and it was enforceable there.

I had wacky landlords as neighbours, whose tenants had to sign clauses that they would only use single-ply toilet paper and comply with a whole list of cleaning requirements, like polishing the brass on the front door once a month.  There was a ~100 page house manual with extremely specific instructions on how to do everything.  I don't know how they ever found tenants.

martindow

LAD917 said:

No waterbeds used to be a very common clause in virtually every US lease - and it was enforceable there.

I can imagine that the weight of a water bed is enormous and maybe some floors are not sufficiently strong to bear them.

Joyful

I used to host Foreign language students. When it was time for one to bring his family over he asked that I go to the property he had found and read the agreement. One that I remember was him being responsible for the chimney! I took my pen through a lot of the conditions before it was agreed. Another  was at the same stage and had seen a furnished property for his family. When they all flew in late at night there were no furnishings. The landlord said he would furnish it and charge more. I got him to furnish without putting up the rent for 6 months, knowing they would be moving out then.

Linton

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary:

1. Mistery

   mis′tėr-i, n. (Shak.) an art or trade—often spelt mystery. [Mister, trade.]