What is the 'devon rule'? I am looking into buying a house in Devon, and a few have this rule on, what is it?

Question

Thanks for that Tilly, there was no call for rudeness.

Answer 1

I hadn't previously heard of this, but I have never looked to buy or rent property here in Devon.

We do have problems here with city slickers liking the look of an old cottage with roses round the door. Unfortunately no sooner do they move in, than they can't take the isolation, the lack of public transport, and like in my case, the nearest shop/post office six miles away. The countryside has a completely different culture, outsiders call it nosiness. We call it looking out for one another.

Another problem is finding work. Main availability is work in the tourist trade, retail outlets, or care homes. None are well paid. Youngsters have to move away if they want to better themselves.

If you want to move here, look into it very carefully before committing, maybe rent for a while. There are a lot of properties available that don't have the three year Devon rule. I can see why people put this restriction on, and guess its use will grow.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I don't think there is such a rule

but to answer Evie people buy them because Devon people sell them greed is my first thought or is it neighbourly

love you decide

Answer 4

Have never heard of this rule, sounds good though. I expect there are parts of Devon that are nearly all holiday homes. The prices go up as people from out of the area bring money in, and the local wage is not enough for locals to buy.

When I lived at home, we lived on the edge of a beautiful village, in a stone cottage. The cottage next to us was sold to Londoners as a weekend place. They ripped it to bits for 12 months, all weekend long. The first summer they stayed most of the time, and moaned that the smell from the farm 300yrs way was not nice, and they tried to get the track in front of our cottage gated off, so the farmer would have to take his animals a different way round.

They were most put out when my father asked them to keep the noise down when they had parties, still in the garden at 2am. They told him tough our place we do what we like.

The field behind there house was used for grazing, and the farmer decided that it needed feeding up, so every day right through out the summer, he spread the muck, right up to the edge. When they complained he said, tough its my place I will do what I like.

The following spring, they put the house on the market, they had to drastically drop their price, and eventually sold it to a villager.

Answer 5

It means you can only buy it if your name is Devon. One guy thought he was clever and changed his name to Devon just to buy a house, then he changed his name back. The bank filed charges and the guy is serving life without the possibility of parole. Crazy stuff.

Answer 6

I have seen that term myself and it is a restriction on who can buy the house.  An example of a listing with a 3 year Devon rule is used means that prospective purchasers must have lived or worked in Devon for the last 3 years consecutively.  Hope that helps.

Answer 7

I live in Birmingham, wish we had a rule like that, only make it 50 years.

Answer 8

The devon rule is a covenant on the house that states you have to have lived or worked in devon for the previous 3 years consecutively in order to buy the house.

EDIT: Evie, it is the same practically everywhere that new buyers can't get houses for one reason or another, including where I live in Oxfordshire so please don't rant at this poor person when you know nothing about them. For all you know they were born and bred in Devon.

Answer 9

i live in plymouth devon and no rule hear as i been hear 37 years

Answer 10

I live in Devon & it rocks. I hate the way people who don't actually live here just buy houses so all the people who live here can't get a house cos they're all gone.

STOP IT!

Answer 11

i believe its the amount of time you have to stay eg 3years before you can sell.