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.

Presumably October is the end of your current agreement? It would appear you will be getting notice to leave anyway. Your LL has no right to withhold your personal property.

What makes you say that OP’s lease is up in October?

To the OP.......

DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING NOTHING UNTIL NEXT WEEK!!!!

Ignore it forget it don't go to her house don't send an email do nothing!

Wow she is unhinged....and a control freak!
Problem is she could make your life difficult as your landlady. I would be incensed by her removing the feeders and more so by her saying she will keep hold of them until October! (it's like a teacher confiscating something from a pupil!), but unless I was planning on moving, I would really consider if this is a hill worth dying on!
I would probably still request my property back, but would agree to keep them down. Like others have said more protections for tenants come in soon, but box clever any which way, as she unfortunately could be even worse if she feels like you're crossing her.
I do empathise, she sounds awful.

@SheilaFentimanbecause that’s when the LL is giving back the feeders.

You CANNOT end a tenancy because of that! You have broken the law!

Why are people so batshit crazy? Heard it all now.

OP don’t bother faffing with an email, she won’t even read it. Call the police non-emergency, otherwise she will continue doing this other tenants as she will believe she’s got away with it!

Nonsense, there are ways and means of using the law, if it has happened, it will have been done within the law if the LL had a solicitor who knew what they were doing and a lot of money to throw at the problem whilst waiting to get the tenants out.
You may well be right morally, of course.

It’s not ‘nonsense’ it’s the law! Solicitor or not solicitor!

Revenge evictions have been illegal for years!

Tenants will have more rights from the first of May

Read the thread, or at least the OP. It's got absolutely nothing to do with her agreement being up.

Ask yourself then, why is the LL giving the feeders back on a specific date?

@goodoldsussexbythesea

You entered my garden today without permission and removed my bird feeders. This is my private rented space and your actions were not authorised.

The feeders are my personal property. Removing them without consent is not acceptable, regardless of your views on their use.

I have video footage of you entering the garden and removing the items.

Please return the feeders to my property within 24 hours. If they are not returned, I will treat this as unlawful interference with my property and report the matter accordingly.

I would also ask that you respect my right to quiet enjoyment of the property and do not enter the garden again without proper notice, except in a genuine emergency.

The reason is literally in the OP!!! 😂

I am fully aware of that, I’m just saying that according to @DogWithADaisyChain, some determined landlords will manage to find a way round the law by taking time and money to get the result they want. So that is not exactly breaking the law.

Landlords will still be allowed to evict a tenant to sell the property, to move into it or to have a family member move into it.

Selling the property and putting 200k in the bank at 4% gives over 8k a year in interest. No maintenance, no gas checks, no arguments over feeding birds.

If the landlord has a mortgage then mortgage interest is not fully deductible as an expense (if the landlords income including the rent makes her a higher rate tax payer). So the tax due on the property is disproportionate to the income.

By 2030 rental properties should be
EPC C or above and many are not - more hassle and expense coming.

Don't assume the landlord is desperate to keep hold of their rental. For many landlords it is a case of when to sell their property rather than if. Many will have plans to sell the next time a tenant leaves.

Same. It's not worth falling out with the landlord about. I'd make sure I had clean water out for birds and wildlife every day and restart with bird feeding in October.
She overstepped and it's annoying. But not a police matter imo.

You’re missing my point.

I would go via the estate agent and tell them if they’re not returned by tomorrow you’ll be reporting her for theft. She willl probably be an even worse landlady after that though

This is the WRONG way to feed birds safely. While bird feeders should be cleaned regularly and are a source of infection, the bigger risk comes from an infected bird standing in the food or excreting on the food and then a healthy bird eating it. So don't put out food on horizontal surfaces where this can happen more readily.

I assumed it’s because most birds migrate south for winter between July and October, so landlady will return once there are significantly fewer birds around to feed.

@OldGothsFadeToGrey let’s hope somebody told the rats :)