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.

Or evict her tenant in order to sell the property, to move into it or to have a family member move into it.

There are plenty of replies ignoring the fact the landlady is a thief and crowing about how awful bird feeders are. Absolutely not the point of the thread at all. Insane that people are by default defending this. I’m not saying you are but plenty of others.

I would call the police

she admitted to theft, they may arrest her

The advice is not to feed them so it stops the spread of contagious disease and reduces number of birds dying. If you cared for the birds you’d respect this surely?
I do think it’s inappropriate your LL took the feeders but it’s somewhat responsible if you care about the birds

Are tgey in your front garden OP? Can you put some in the back instead?

Wrt the the landlord putting rules in the tenancy about not having bird feeders. You can write what you like in a TA but it doesnt make it legally binding.

This isn’t the advice. Google it, OP is complying perfectly.

She has stolen your property. I would insist she returns your property as you have evidence - doorbell and her own admission that she has stolen your property and does not intend to return for at least 5 months.

The OP is respecting the advice. She's using up her seed now, before May starts, and then she is going to continue feeding suet and mealworms in small amounts, as the advice states. She says this in her OP.

Well the RRA comes in on the 1st May - so Ops LL could indeed be arranging to chuck her out as we type. She'd have to act quickly tho..

Yes because the landlord clearly feels strongly about not feeling the birds on her property. The tenant wouldn’t stop. If I felt as strongly as the landlord did, then knowing that the tenant wouldn’t stop, I would serve a section 21, rather than stealing the OPs property. Stealing the feeders was wrong, but as soon as the OP wouldn’t agree and the landlord couldn’t accept that, the relationship has broken down so a section 21 would be the best thing as they won’t be able to agree both feeling so strongly.

Regardless of anything else, it's theft, plain and simple.

Absolutely report to 101.

PS. I am on Ops side - but in this case, least said soonest mended. Don't anger the beast!

I would be too , but if responding could jeopardize your home situation i would not respond.
Could you buy the stick on window feeders instead and are there any areas of the house where she won't see them or other feeders ?
She does sound pretty awful but sometimes you have to 'hold a candle to the devil' .

Well she could say she wants to sell it or move in herself. I know the rules have changes but the LL can still get her property back. I don’t agree with her btw.

And do you think these council employees that assist tenants will be interested in OPs squabble with her landlady about whether birds should stop being fed on 26 April or wait until May and her feeders being taken or do you think they might actually have important work to do helping people living in dangerous conditions or coming home to find they have been illegally evicted and have no-where to go. What an utter waste of their time.

So what if the landlord feels strongly about something the OP wants to do in her home? The OP is doing nothing illegal, nor is she breaching the contract. Sometimes people do things differently to you. Deal with that, or don't rent out your property.

Yes it’s well known parasites respect human calendars and come 1st May will only then start infecting birds

It may be her bricks & mortar but it’s your home. She should respect that.

Let the dust settle and put feeders up again.

Go around to her place & ask for yours back, Padlock them if you can to whatever supports them! Alternatively, can you put feeders out the back!

Shes being an absolute cow. You sound like a lovely responsible tenant.

Thanks very much @viques for this advice. We stopped seed feeding this week given the heat and increase in bird visits but are putting mealworms out for our usual blackbird pair for their first of two broods. We don’t suet feed cos of rats. Any other flowers? I can put in sunflowers. We get little charms of goldfinches eating our dandelion clocks so don’t need teasels but I’d love to know of any other suggestions! Thank you !

edit for pp name

Also not sure what you think the council's housing team are going to do??

A landlord breaking the law by entering the property without permission and going against the tenants right to quiet enjoyment of their home is exactly their jurisdiction and they have a duty to act whether you think it's important or not.

Some wild advice here. She may own the freehold but she has no legal right to enter the premises (trespass) and remove the bird feeders (theft/trespass to chattels)

Not with issues like this :/

You’re right to highlight that tenants have little recourse against shitty landlord behaviour. Which is a shame, because it allows it to continue - a situation that you obviously find acceptable.

@goodoldsussexbythesea I’d be far more stringent in ensuring the property is in a good state of repair, making sure any issues are documented and resolved by the landlord. I’d also consider if I wanted to pay the mortgage/pension of a nasty small minded woman. It’s a toss up, if you’re happy in your home and settled, but there’s no certainty this woman won’t behave in ever more unhinged ways and, as some have pointed out, there is little you can do.

Why did I automatically assume you were talking about Lucy Letby???