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.

How to evicted.

Do You really think that taking £20 off the rent will allow the landlord to legally evict the tenant?

I need to know when you get your bird feeders back! The audacity of her 😩

So the tenant can go to the landlady's house and remove her garden furniture, which she can have back in 6 months?

This although she had no right to remove your bird feeders she could make things unpleasant or give you notice so unless you want to move don't retaliate.
Can you put them in the back garden, if you have one ?

I really feel for you OP. She came to your home whilst out and took something that is yours and is refusing to give it back. This is stealing. I’d send her another message explaining she has stolen something that is yours and you need it back.

I’m sure if you did get this police involved, they’d see it as theft too. Perhaps remind her of this, and the fact it’s not in your contract that you can’t have them?

Sussex.
26 years experienced Landlady here.
DO NOTHING AT THE MOMENT!!!!
Too busy now but will offer advice tomorrow. Do not respond to landlady till this Friday when new Renters Rights Act becomes law.
MEG.

Firstly do NOT withhold any rent money. If you do she will have every reason to give you notice. Secondly, do you rent through an agent? If so then contact them and explain what has happened. She had no right, landlady or not, to do this. Do you have a contract?

No, it says stop feeding seeds and peanuts May-October, and don't use flat feeders. OP is going to continue feeding small amounts of mealworm and suet, as per the RSPB advice. She says all this in her OP.

Where’s the law saying you can’t use bird feeders?

Of course it is! Are you stupid?

It really makes me vicerally mad when people can't follow simple rules. You're in the right, obviously. I've always fed our birds fat balls, so i'm continuing to feed them - i checked the advice on RSPB, it's very clear.

Could you plant something in your garden that the birds can eat, instead of using feeders? Plant teasels, sunflowers, thistles, elder, ivy, etc?

Excuse me?

They don't need a reason. If she's so petty, that she demands no bird feeders in her rental properties, she may well do.

Sorry! that was meant for jane143. I don’t normally post on here and think I quoted the wrong thing. 🙄

They will do come Friday!

Isn’t it trespass if she enters the property without permission?

If you like living there let it go

YANBU but do t call the police.

Check your rental.agreemwnt/ lease for any clause reatricting use of bird feeders, and any clause saying she can change the terms of the lease verbally and without any warning.

Point out to her that she is in breach of the agreement/ terms of the lease if there's nothing to back her up.

Make sure you tell her all this in a formal email.

I agree her behaviour is bizarre...

She is entirely in the wrong OP,

but if she has a vindictive streak, (which I suspect she may do) starting an ongoing heated exchange may feel satisfying initially but could end up with bigger consequences for you.

Galling tho it maybe,I wouldn't threaten to report her either.

And I would leave it there. In your shoes I would let this one go, simply because a petty LL has so many opportunities to wind you up and disturb your peace which you have been finding with your lovely neighbour. Your garden and your nice neighbour and all the wildlife are still there. Don't let this silly person rob you of your peace of mind. Let it go. Let it die down and give her a chance to focus on something else in her life.

If however, you should see her prowling around your garden again, or she escalates then I think I would contact Shelter and ask for a template letter link. etc
This is enough to make it clear that you are recording her actions (don't say ring door bell and give her an excuse to complain about that) should you need to take it further. And that will give her pause for thought.

Playing the long game will result in :

1. either you both move on and you don't have any further encounters - which I think would be well worth it... and will be a win in itself as you won't have to pay anymore attention to the silly person.
2. Or... she continues being a nuisance you build up a documented record of her misbehaviour which can then be used to report her. (I don't know what the penalty for that would be tho, not a legal expert, at that stage I would go to CAB)

I’d email saying you want them back. I’d also let her know that you’ll just have to feed the birds on the floor- but it will have to be seeds as the balls will rot. That will piss her off 😂

Get proper legal advice, based upon the law from a proper Solicitor. Not from people's views.

"A person appropriating property belonging to another without meaning the other permanently to lose the thing itself is nevertheless to be regarded as having the intention of permanently depriving the other of it if his intention is to treat the thing as his own to dispose of regardless of the other’s rights"

Time can be a relevant factor in terms of evidence of the intention to "treat the thing as his own" - in Lloyd, the briefness and timing of the "taking" showed that he wasn't trying to deprive the owner of use (on the contrary, he was trying to conceal that the property had even been taken at all).

Although actually, I do now agree it likely isn't very relevant in the OP's case - since the Landlord has actually admitted her intention is to assert dominion over the OP's property for the specific purpose of depriving the OP of her ability to use it.

A simple case of theft, very easily proven.

But they do. So is it really worth getting your kids evicted over a bird feeder when the balance of power was never in your favour?

As many have posted, no fault evictions will be unlawful by the end of the week, offering tenants a lot more protection against vindictive landlords.