LL came into my garden and removed my bird feeders

[goodoldsussexbythesea]

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.

I would do nothing even though you're rightfully angry .
She could make your life very difficult as your landlady.

You aren't being unreasonable, but your neighbour is right that she is clearly nuts. You also can't remove the cost from the rent, unfortunately.

I'd withhold the rent till I got the bird feeders back

I would pay the rent minus the cost of the bird feeders.

Your landlord is being unreasonable but I don’t phoning the police is the correct course of action either

I get your pissed off but the police definitely have better things to do

I am absolutely fuming!!

It's ONE nice little thing I bought for myself to enjoy as a single mum with three kids on a crappy wage. A few sodding birdfeeders. And some jumped up controlling cow comes into my garden and takes them away.

AND my neighbour's got chaffinches nesting in her nesting box too, they were feeding the mealworms I put out to their babies.

She’s admitted theft. I would call the police. I’m not saying 999 but 101 isn’t unreasonable given you have proof.

I would give her one last chance to return them before you do call the police. Your landlord has no legal right to arbitrarily decide you cant have a bird feeder - and even if she did the fact she has entered the property without any grounds to do so if a breach of your right to quiet enjoyment, and stealing your property is theft however she tried to dress it up.

Yes she can make life difficult if she’s an idiot, because you can also sue for breach of quiet enjoyment.

Or she can behave in future.

You could report to the police, it's theft. From next Friday she won't be allowed to serve you notice for no good reason so if you think it's worth destroying your professional relationship then do that. Don't withhold rent.

They'll eat from the ground. Throw the food out and they'll find it.

She shouldn’t have removed them without your permission as they are yours.

However, speaking as a LL, I wouldn’t make this a big deal in your position unless you want to move, as she may end your tenancy. I had a tenant who insisted on feeding the birds, including putting food on the floor, which attracted rats. She refused to stop so she is no longer my tenant. It was a pain to get them out and will be harder in future, but there is always a way to get tenants out.

I’d leave it. There’s no point causing a row with your LL. Yes it’s a bit petty but no need to escalate things further.
I personally wouldn’t be following my feeders up at the moment as food isn’t in short supply and the RSPB have said not to fill them over summer due to a virus that is being spread when birds are gathering together.

I wondered if she was using the RSPB advice as a "cover" for her real reason ie. I don't want any rat infestations in my rental properties.

But that's precisely why I spent a decent amount of money to put them in feeders, off the ground!

The can still attract rats.

It's more than "a bit petty" she came into the garden and took OP's belongings. It's theft!

And that's not the RSPB advice. The OP has correctly laid out the advice in her post

Legally it’s not theft as she has said she is going to bring them back in October. For theft you have to intend to permanently deprive the owner of their property.

I’d be really peed off though as she’s really overstepped.

Your LL is in the wrong...I would text her to say as she's taken your bird feeders you're just going to spread the bird seed on the ground... if rats appear it's her fault!!!
I'd be fuming too and I'm a LL, a nice one lol

She has overstepped the mark. Landlady she may be but she is not the manager of your world. Nor the owner of your property.
Ask for your property back now, and no, not in October.
I think I would be minded to try to find somewhere else.

Even feeders off the ground attract rats because the birds drop bits out , at the end of the day the house belongs to her and she could make life difficult for you so either do nothing or find a new house .

Yes, but not as much as feeders off the ground and it has not been an issue, we've never had a single rat here.

But regardless, they are my feeders not hers. I don't care if it's her house, that doesn't give her the right to remove my things. Can she, by your logic, remove my sofa? my kids toys? the knives out of my cutlery drawer?

Why should I find somewhere else? I have a contract with her. I pay her for a service and I have a right to quiet enjoyment of my home. She's not giving me the house out of charity and she has no right to tell me I can't feed the bloody wildlife.

I’d tell her that if she doesn’t return them, you’ll have to report the theft.

If you can afford to I would go and buy several more and tie them on with a thousand zip ties.
But I'm petty like that.

Unfortunately, and I speak from experience here -which is why I removed my own bird feeders - the food that gets spilled on the ground isn’t wasted, but is soon seen as a food source by rats and mice.

The RSPB advice is also to grow plants that birds will use for food, so maybe a packet or two of sunflowers would be a good idea. and growing plants to encourage insect diversity will also help the bird population.

I'd just send a brief message that she's got X hours to return them otherwise reporting to the police (can do so via 101/maybe even online), or probably even more satisfying- post the video onto any local Facebook videos ' "watch out if you've got a nice bird feeder unfortunately my were stolen today see this video". When it gets back to her there's a video of her online stealing/people discussing her as a common thief...