LL came into my garden and removed my bird feeders

Never mind the birds what about the rats they attract? You want to argue and call the police on your landlord?! Crazy better get prepared to be homeless

My landlady lives locally and often drives past my house. Early this morning, I was in my front garden, filling my bird feeders, and she pulled over and said that the advice from the RSPB is not to feed birds from feeders any more.

I told her that actually, the advice is not to feed them seeds and peanuts between May-October this year and I'm planning on following the advice so I was just using up the last of my seed now as it's not May yet.

She got really defensive and said "well, I just think it's important to follow the advice so I'd rather you didn't do it, please take the feeders down!!" which really annoyed me so I said, well it's not May yet so no, and anyway the advice is that you can feed them (small amounts of) mealworm and suet balls after May so I will be doing that, and she didn't say anything else, just drove off.

This really wound me up and I was annoyed for the rest of the day, took the kids out to a farm park and I arrived home an hour ago, and my feeders have gone out of my garden!!!

I checked my ring doorbell and she's bloody come into the garden, armed with a plastic carrier bag, removed my feeders and taken them away!!

I rang her three times back to back and she wouldn't pick up, so I whatsapped her and it immediately went to two blue ticks. I said - "Please return my bird feeders immediately, they are my property and you had no right to take them. I am following the advice but even if I was not, you still have no right to take my things."

After half an hour she replied "I am not currently allowing tenants to use bird feeders at my properties and have asked that they all be removed. I was passing so I removed yours for you, they are in safe keeping and will be returned in October"

My AIBU is not about who was in the right because I bloody well know I am, but whether or not I should call the police. I spoke to my neighbour about it and she said I shouldn't and that I should just replace them and remove the cost from the rent. She says she's obviously nuts and I shouldn't risk falling out with her

YABU - Don't call police, replace and charge her or do something else
YANBU - Call the police, report her for theft, and give them the doorbell footage.

R v Lloyd was taking something for hours, not many months.

By taking the property and refusing to return it for such a long period, the LL is likely disposing of the OP's rights to it (the loss in value is that OP might reasonably feel she needs to buy a new one).

It isn't comparable.

What "various reasons" should she not be using them?

The RSPB don't advocate against them, so why are you saying OP is wrong?

Oh good, an ad hominem attack!

Given the fact you're spouting the same nonsense as the PP, I'll be sure to place the correct amount of weight on your judgement 🙂

Do you have any actual legal authority for your position?

@TableTopTree you are ruder than the PP.

Well if it’s assessed on the Ivey test then it would be what is reasonable. Would a reasonable person consider this a ‘dishonest’ action. She’s gone into her tenant’s property and removed something belonging to her tenant without permission or notice.

Do you even know what dishonest means? It means

• lacking integrity
• Deceptive
• underhand

It’s not just about saying things that aren’t true.

Landlord hasn’t gone round and knocked on the tenant’s door to ask for it, she knew she would be given short shrift so she’s decided to skip that part. There is the dishonesty.

Where's the dishonesty?

Mumsnet would really benefit from a feature that requires user to read, at bare minimum, the OP's posts before they post a reply.

Permanently deprive doesn’t mean what you think it means.

Permanently deprive in theft law (Theft Act 1968) means the intention to take someone’s property and keep it, or treat it as one’s own to dispose of, regardless of the owner’s rights. It requires that the owner is permanently deprived of the specific property, even if the thief intends to replace it or its value later.

From The PCS. Day 1 in police training stuff.

Taking the bird tables is theft as she is putting conditions on returning it. She is treating OPs property as if it were her own - that’s what permanently deprive means.

Same as if your neighbours came into your garden and removed your items until winter. ‘Borrowing’ can also be theft.

Goodness removed is also theft - eg returning it when it can’t be used any more.

A car is different as there is separate legislation for taking a car without consent.

The Theft Act states there has to be an intention to permanently deprive. This is day one in police training stuff. They wouldn’t describe it as theft.

RSPB say take them down because of passing on bird flu etc diseases . 1st May -Oct.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lwvz1pl1no

She's a difficult landlady already. People should not need to tread on eggshells or live in fear of eviction when they aren't in the wrong.

Of course she has no right to come into your garden and take your things but choose your battles wisely. If this turns ugly you stand a very real risk of losing your home. A landlady is not obliged to continue your tenancy and can decide not to renew it. A difficult landlady is the last thing any tenant needs. Getting embroiled in fights with her regardless who was at fault could end very badly. You have children to think about who need a secure roof over their heads who aren’t going to benefit from you getting yourself evicted over some petty dispute with a bonkers landlady who wants to play power games. Nobody disputes she was wrong but with the current housing situation it would incredibly foolish to risk provoking a landlord not to renew your tenancy over a bird feeder. Even reporting her to the council could be enough for her to decide you’re too much trouble to keep on. Think very carefully about where the balance of power lies here. She could quite literally remove the roof from over your head if she wanted to be difficult.

Hi all,

Thanks for some good advice given by people. My mum came over for dinner which is why I didn't come back for a bit. We've chatted about it and she agrees with a lot of what you guys have said about writing her an email and then going to the council.

I want to address a point of view that a lot of you have - that this is "silly" or "petty" or "just a few birdfeeders". I am genuinely glad you have lots of nice things in your life that you can enjoy so that losing one of the things you like wouldn't upset you too much.

I have little in my life. I moved far away from my life and my friends and family, I had to leave the town I grew up in, and my job, just to get away from this man who is still out there. I live in fear my my ex finding us here. I live in the middle of nowhere now, and I have no-one out here except my NDN who is twenty years older than me, and a couple I sometimes chat to at the pub, who I expect are just being kind by chatting to me. My mum visits for two hours every couple of weeks. That's it. I can't go back to my home town for fear of being seen by my ex. Other than that, I'm alone with three kids under 10, a job I hate and am way overskilled for, and very little money.

It may sound pathetic, but that tiny little garden, that I work hard on, plus the nice home I created for me and my kids, is the only joy I have and after nine years of being controlled, I was glad I could finally make some small decisions about my own life, although due to my circumstances, my choices are still severely limited.

So a landlady coming along and telling me that I can't have birdfeeders and then taking them away from me, is hugely upsetting for me for two reasons: They were important to me, and brought me joy, and I felt controlled again, by someone who has no right to try and control me.

And I am not going to let that happen!!!!

Hi all,

Thanks for some good advice given by people. My mum came over for dinner which is why I didn't come back for a bit. We've chatted about it and she agrees with a lot of what you guys have said about writing her an email and then going to the council.

I want to address a point of view that a lot of you have - that this is "silly" or "petty" or "just a few birdfeeders". I am genuinely glad you have lots of nice things in your life that you can enjoy so that losing one of the things you like wouldn't upset you too much.

I have little in my life. I moved far away from my life and my friends and family, I had to leave the town I grew up in, and my job, just to get away from this man who is still out there. I live in fear my my ex finding us here. I live in the middle of nowhere now, and I have no-one out here except my NDN who is twenty years older than me, and a couple I sometimes chat to at the pub, who I expect are just being kind by chatting to me. My mum visits for two hours every couple of weeks. That's it. I can't go back to my home town for fear of being seen by my ex. Other than that, I'm alone with three kids under 10, a job I hate and am way overskilled for, and very little money.

It may sound pathetic, but that tiny little garden, that I work hard on, plus the nice home I created for me and my kids, is the only joy I have and after nine years of being controlled, I was glad I could finally make some small decisions about my own life, although due to my circumstances, my choices are still severely limited.

So a landlady coming along and telling me that I can't have birdfeeders and then taking them away from me, is hugely upsetting for me for two reasons: They were important to me, and brought me joy, and I felt controlled again, by someone who has no right to try and control me.

And I am not going to let that happen!!!!