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.

But presumably she could say she wants the house back because she has decided it sell it ? Or increase the rent

I cannot believe all the posts on here about encouraging rats and about how to feed the birds.
Just take a moment and change the image. I have a garden gnome in my garden or a wheelbarrow and the landlord came and took it.

It is breach of contract and I would as other have said be contacting her. Simply stating that it is not in your contract, that she does not have the right to take something that belongs to you, or to enter the premises (which includes garden) without permission or written notice. So please could she return them by xx date, otherwise you will need to go to council/small claims court/police to get your property back.

But I would also be careful as I would not want to lose my tenancy.

You will probably find that your contract renewal has this clause added.

Because that is when the RSPB says they can be safely put back up?

just to clear one thing up, the RSPB suggestions about peanuts etc not being fed between May and October is because they are bad foods for baby birds.
Peanuts in particular lead to choking.

But that is all irrelevant. The landlady has taken something that doesn't belong to her form her tenants house!

Personally id wait until 1st may before going in all guns blazing but then I would definitely be reporting the theft to 101. (And for anyone saying its not theft because she intends to return them ill pop round and borrow your car but dont bother reporting it because I plan to bring it back next year)

LL is giving back the feeders in October because she believes she has the right to take them until the RSPB advice suggests they can go back up then.

That’s in the OP’s posts.

Bird feeders, no bird feeders - if there are people then there will be rats. Rat populations tend to increase in the winter months too, probably because it’s a lot warmer in urban areas now, better heating, more food waste.

I used to work in an environment that carried a risk of coming into contact with rats and so leptospirosis, so we used to have regular training on pests etc. interesting but 🤮

Personally, I wouldn't care if you had bird feeders up, but as a landlord, I could see why she didn't want loads of birdshit around her property or spilled seeds/worms whatever attracting vermin.

The police won't give a toss over a couple of birdfeeders.

Cancel the cheque AGAIN!!

Doesn't give the landlord the right to take them. Nothing to do with spilled seed. To do with bird feeding advice re gold finches in the summer from May one. Read the full thread

What in the world? Why do people act so crazy?

Hope you are able to find a new place to live! What if she decides she doesn't like something else about your property and decides to confiscate it?

Outrageous!

At this point, shut the whole bank down and start again 🙄

Good Morning all

Thanks for helpful and supportive posts over the last couple of days.

I haven't said anything back to the landlady yet. I am itching to though because I hate the thought of her sitting there thinking she's right and is getting away with it.

I am taking advice to wait until 1st May, just to give myself that little extra protection. I just have today and tomorrow....

I will then proceed with a letter informing her that I require my property back immediately and reminding her of our contact and that she does not have the right to enter without my permission, and advising her that I intend to take further action if she does not immediately comply.

If she ignores, I then intend to start court proceedings. I don't care how small the claim is. It's the principle

Thanks all and I will update.

I think you are right in waiting, it is only 2 more days.
Completely agree on the principal thing.
She is completely out of order and in the wrong. Bide your time 😌

Good plan. When writing, make sure the correspondence has a date on it for legal proof that it was sent on or after May the 1st. Therefore, best to send via e-mail. Good luck 🙏

It is completely mad to risk you and your children's home over some bird feeders after all you and they have been through.

I can't imagine how you could take your landlord to court and not then be evicted. Her behaviour has shown she is clearly equally as stubborn as you.

She can't be evicted for rightfully asking for her property back. There would be repercussions on the LL if she tried that. Especially after may the 1st.

She can be evicted because the landlord wants to sell their property, to move into it or have a family member move into it.

There is very little reason to hang onto a rental property anymore. Decent interest rates in banks for the capital, punitive tax that taxes mortgage interest payments, stagnant house prices, EPC C requirement coming in 2030. The Labour government constantly trying to find new ways to tax anyone including landlords. Labour talking about rent controls (which have reduced the availability of rentals in Scotland and caused rents there to rise faster than England). Not to mention human nature being what it is and wanting to "win" at all costs.

It is a very bad time to piss off your landlord if you don't want to move.

Well if she was planning on selling up she would do so regardless of the bird feeder situation!
Everyone who rents knows that this is possible.
Should this happen then the tenant has the last laugh anyway as this puts her into council home priority.

I would not escalate to a formal letter at this stage.

I would instead rock up on ther door step accompanied by a friend (large and male if you have one) and say you have coome to claim your property. Keep it friendly but firm and assertive. Remind her that you have a business relationship which does not include one partner illegally confiscating property which belongs to the other. Therefore you are not prepared to leave without your property. You will catch her completely on one foot and she will not have time to think things over, as a letter would allow.

I did something similar when my neighbour had taken in my parcel and denied having it. My male relative got out his phone and said that he was going to call the police. He advised her to ask the members of her family if anyone had seen it. She went inside and t(after a lot of yelling in a foreign language) he parcel was discovered, albeit opened.

That's not true at all. A lot of landlords will be planning to sell when their tenant decides to move on. There is no longer any incentive to be a landlord but evicting someone is not something most people want to do and if they are a good tenant the landlord will wait. But if the relationship breaks down (e.g. tenant takes landlord to court) the landlord will no longer feel duty towards them and in this case it is likely the landlord will want to "win" the battle with OP.

Ultimately the OP will do as she likes. I just hope it doesn't result in her losing her home. If it does then it shouldn't be a surprise.

She is a good tenant. Being a good tenant means you abide by your contract not roll over and let some jumped up person on a power trip bully you.

Then she is at risk of winning the battle but losing the war.

Just to say I totally understand your feelings on this OP. I think those arguing over it don't realise the bigger picture, it's the landlords property but it is your home; they don't have a right to dictate how to live as you aren't doing anything illegal/breaching a rental contract.
I once lived in a home where I discovered the landlord let them themselves in to 'tidy up and keep an eye on the place' she felt she had a right to as her son had previously rented it, she had no awareness how much of a breach of privacy and over stepping it was, she just thought she was being 'helpful'. It's not her home. It's yours, for the duration of your tenancy.

She shouldn't be taking your stuff but fwiw there's evidence that bird feeders are harmful because they spread disease and help ordinary common garden species outcompete rarer ones.

https://bbc.com/news/science-environment-58346043