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.

Unfortunately rats will still come and eat the food, I’ve seen it happen.

But She had no right to take what belongs to you, and she handled it badly, totally understand why you’re angry.

I’d ask for them back, state you aren’t going to use them in your garden. And then ask your neighbour if you could put a feeder in their garden (assuming you can see it from your house). I wouldn’t use them all, so your LL doesn’t automatically assume they’re yours, because this could just be more trouble than it’s worth, so be subtle with the one.
It could be a way of still feeding the birds without hassle.

I'm just going to address one more thing -NOT THAT'S IT'S RELEVANT!

I absolutely do not have a problem with rats.

The first thing I did when I moved here was install a ring doorbell, for security because of my ex. And I also have a wildlife camera my mum got me for my birthday that covers my whole garden. I can see everything that goes on there, day and night. I regularly review the footage. I'm very rural and I have a visiting hedgehog with her babies that I like to see and also check to see if I can see my ex's car driving past.

There are no rats. Not a single one.

If my landlord is worried about rodents - which I doubt she is, or she would have just said that instead of churning out incorrect RSPB advice, then I'd be more than happy to show her months of footage that confirms that not a single rat has entered my garden.

And now I am going to bed. Thank you so much for the kind and supportive comments, and I will be back with any updates.

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

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

What are you talking about? I've always had bird feeders. I've been here two years. There are no rats!!

What’s wrong is the power dynamic: weatherly controlling landlord steels small items that bring joy to their less wealthy tennant.

Can you phone citizens advice and ask what to do?

You’re the one place in the UK that isn’t 6 foot from a rat at any time are you?
Unlikely

That's nonsense and was debunked years ago. A worst, you are 50metres away from a rat in an urban area.

Curious questions: Are you really never more than six feet away from a rat? | Country Life

Bird feeders encourage rats.

OMG!! CANCEL THE CHEQUE, CANCEL AAAAAAAALLL THE DAMN CHEQUES!!!

Focus first off on the fact she has your property. Email her that you do not accept her proposal to return your stolen property in October, you want it returning to you immediately.

Goodnight x

Just have a think about that. 6 feet.

Come on now.

Exactly what I thought!!

Cancel all the money too, and all the bitcoin!

🤣🤣🤣🤣

🤣🤣🤣

What an insightful and original input 🤣

You've got to admit though, OP, the timing was comedy gold.

Sleep well xxxx

LL have to give you 48 hours notice before coming into / into your home so she’s broken that agreement in the first place.

She sounds batshit but assuming that you've got to keep living there for a while, I don't think I would call the police.

You are absolutely in the right, of course, and she should not have done what she did. Whether it is worth falling out with her about it is something that only you can judge.

That would be one way to go. But really only if OP wanted to find herself homeless and with a judgment debt messing up her credit rating.

But you weren't going to use them from next week anyway, and she's said you'll get them back in December. So does it really make that much difference to you? Given that it was obviously bothering your landlady, I think it was a bit petty of you to insist on continuing to use them when it's only three days will you'd have to stop anyway.

That's beside the point, though. It wasn't the landlady's place to take them. They don't belong to her and she should not have accessed the property without notice.

No, she hasn't admitted theft. The offence of theft requires evidence that the person taking the goods intends to remove them permanently. This person has said she intends to give them back.

The OP was going to continue using them. She was going to continue feeding the birds mealworms and suet, as per the advice, not just seeds and peanuts, and she was using up the last of her seed between now and Thursday.

And regardless, it doesn't matter, they are not the landlady's to take. She had no right.

And how is she the petty one? Is the landlady not being extremely petty by letting it bother her, and then taking the feeders away??!?

OP has also explained comprehensively why the feeders are important to her.

Even if it was written into the tenancy that LL could enter the property any time she likes, it wouldn’t make it legal. The tenants legal right to quiet enjoyment would trump any clause like that.

Just because something is written into a tenancy agreement doesn’t suddenly make it iron-clad legally enforceable.

Well, yes, again that would be one way to go if OP wants to be done for libel. Accusing someone of theft is a slam dunk easy win in a libel case and I wouldn't like to bet on a no-win no-fee lawyer being unwilling to take it on.