Covenants

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Covenants are often used when you decide you wish to sell land on your Estate or Private Region. You don't need to set a Covenant to enable land sales, but we highly recommend it if you want to set up zoning or other rules on your Estate.

Covenants are viewable by the parcel Owner at all times, in the Covenant tab of the About Land window, or the Region/Estate window.

Setting the Covenant

To set or change the Covenant for an Estate, simply drop a new notecard into the Covenant box in the Covenant tab of the Region/Estate window. A prompt asks you if you are certain. If you are certain, confirm it, and the new Covenant will be set.

Remember:

• The Covenant applies across every Region in an Estate.
• Estate Managers can set parcels for sale and they can reset the Covenant.
• Land parcels can be reclaimed at any time by the Estate Owner.
• Deselecting the land sales box does reset parcels already set for sale.

Covenants and reselling land

If you want people to be able to sell the land once they've purchased it, or to be able to deed it to groups after they've purchased it, you should select Enable Land Resell in the Region tab. Whenever there's a Covenant present on an Estate, you must agree to it to purchase a parcel, whether the functionality to resell land is enabled or not.

Covenants and communication

Covenants are intended to easily communicate the terms and conditions of owning property on your Estate, whether it's a single Region or several. As a responsible landlord, don't change the terms of a Covenant without informing your Residents, just like you wouldn't want any service provider you pay to suddenly include rules you didn't consent to. Your Covenant should be clearly-written and include, at a minimum:

• Features and benefits - Covenants are used for advertising. What appeals most about your land? Do you boast an exceptionally beautiful beach, or do you pride yourself on top-notch service?
• Payment information - Many Estate Owners use rental boxes or other automated means to keep track of payments. Your payment system should be straightforward so your renters aren't frustrated trying to give you money.
• Code of conduct - The rules of what a renter CAN and CAN'T do, such as making sure security devices aren't overly aggressive, and being good to neighbors.
• Zoning or theming - For example, you can state that no stores are allowed in a residential area. Or if your Region has an ancient Egypt aesthetic, you can disallow futuristic-looking builds.
• Best ways to communicate with you as the Estate Owner - If your Instant Messages easily get capped, make sure to include an email or webform where you can be reached. Some Estate Owners also delegate support to their Estate Managers or other staff. Be sure your renters can easily get in touch so you'll have a happy relationship built on a solid foundation.

Estate Owners and Managers are still the final arbiters of the Estate. Individual landowners (renters) on your Estate may not request rollbacks or other technical support (like restarts), but should contact you or your Estate Managers for those needs. This allows you to retain control of Estate management.

Learn from existing Covenants

It's easy to visit Private Regions where Estate Owners already have Covenants — this can provide a wealth of experience and inform how you write your Covenant. There's a huge amount of variation, so use what's applicable to you.

Tip: Many Estates put their Covenants on their websites, which are also used to promote their property. Try searching for phrases like "second life land rent covenant".

1. In the Viewer, click Search button.
2. Click Land Sales tab.
3. Change the All Types dropdown to For Sale - Estate.
4. Customize the Price and Area fields as-desired (remember that Price is often not the real price you pay), then click Search.
5. Many results come up. Click through to browse descriptions (which are typically a very-condensed version of Covenants), then when one that interests you appears, click Teleport.
6. Once you arrive at the Region, click the land info in the middle of the menu bar and click Covenant tab.
7. Read the Covenant to see if there's anything useful. If yes, take notes. If not, go to the next place.
8. Repeat this as you continue to craft your Covenant.

Warning: Obviously, don't plagiarize other Estate Owners' Covenants. Be inspired, not lazy.