Pratik Pandharipande, M.D. v. FSD Corporation (Enforceability of Restrictive Covenants by HOA)

Style: Pratik Pandharipande, M.D. v. FSD Corporation

TSC Docket Number: M2020-01174-SC-R11-CV

Court of Appeals Opinion: https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/pratik.pandharipande.opn_.pdf

Summary by the Court of Appeals:

This is a dispute between a property owner and his homeowners’ association concerning the scope and applicability of restrictive covenants. Two restrictive covenants are at issue. One is a covenant contained in the neighborhood’s 1984 Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions that limited usage of the homes to residential use as “a residence by a single family.” The other is a covenant contained in a 2018 Amendment that relaxed the 1984 residential use restriction by authorizing short-term rentals of no less than 30 consecutive days, subject to specific criteria. The plaintiff, who purchased a home in the development in 2015 and has been leasing it on a short-term vacation rental basis to third parties as a business venture, seeks a declaratory judgment that he may lease his home for rentals as short as two days. For its part, the homeowners’ association seeks to enforce the restrictive covenants in the 1984 Declaration as well as the 2018 Amendment. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the homeowners’ association on both issues. In doing so, the court held that restrictions in the 1984 Declaration prohibited nonresidential renting. The court also held that Plaintiff’s current use of his property is subject to the 2018 Amendment, which authorized short-term leasing subject to stipulations including that “[t]the length of the lease must be for a minimum of 30 consecutive days.” The plaintiff appeals. We affirm.

Permission to Appeal Granted: October 21, 2022

Appellants’ Briefs Filed: December 21, 2022

Appellees’ Briefs Filed: January 20, 2023

Appellants’ Reply Brief Filed: February 14, 2023

Appellees’ Reply Brief Filed:

Amicus Briefs Permitted:  

Oral Argument Date: February 22, 2023

Link to Oral Argument Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzuZc25wRU4

Date of TSC Opinion:  

Opinion of the TSC: 

TSC Summary of the Opinion: