Final answer:
Restrictive covenants can include a variety of legally enforceable stipulations about property use, such as limits on subdivision or the number of lots, but an illegal covenant against religion or nationality is unconstitutional and cannot restrict future actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Restrictive covenants are conditions written into property deeds that govern how a property can be used and what can be built on it. These restrictions serve a variety of purposes, such as maintaining the character of a neighborhood or protecting property values. One type of restriction that is never permissible is an illegal covenant against religion or nationality. Such provisions were historically used to exclude individuals from property ownership based on their ethnic background or religious beliefs. However, these practices have been deemed unconstitutional and discriminatory, thus any such deed restrictions have no legal standing and can't limit future actions. This holds true even if they are still written into a deed.
On the other hand, deed restrictions can validly limit actions such as the free transfer of the property, further subdivision of the land, or setting a total number of lots in a subdivision, provided these stipulations are legal and serve legitimate purposes such as maintaining the design and integrity of a community.