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.

She's nuts. No point negotiating. I would just say.

If you don't want me to put the birdfeeders up, of course, I'll respect that. But they are mine and not yours to take as you like, so I'd be grateful if you could return them immediately.

Then at least you can sell them on. I might be keeping an eye out for somewhere else to live as it seems like it's going to be difficult to please a landlady as unhinged as her.

You can contact your local council for advice. It’s either the private rental team or environmental health that support tenants that have issues with their landlords. If she doesn’t want bird feeders, she should have put that in the lease. She also shouldn’t have been accessing the garden without notice, unless it was an emergency.

You seem to have muddled your views about feeding birds and this rogue landlord’s. She expressed concern about following RSPB guidelines, that isn’t a reason for the OP to ‘stop’ doing something that is not prohibited by the tenancy agreement. If the landlord feels so strongly, she should have put that in the tenancy agreement, or at the very least she should express it!

The fact that you would evict a tenant with three children, over bird feeding, rather than follow a process of negotiation and ultimately formally amending the tenancy agreement is precisely what makes me refer to you as a rogue landlord. Horrible behaviour, I hope you have the tenants you deserve.

If the LL puts the rent up an unreasonable amount OP can go to the first tier tribunal for only £47. The tribunal cannot put it up higher than the LLs suggestion - it depends on the state of the property. And the rent cannot be raised til the tribunal make their decision. It can take a year to get to a tribunal. I know this because a relative of mine intends to challenge their next rent rise because the property has not been updated. She is going to offer a token rise instead,

Sorry to hear this. My neighbours hate me feeding birds and have reported me for it. Just clarifying that the neighbour who gave me the most grief doesn't live on my street - across the road on another street and there are other people who feed birds in the area who he doesn't shout at.

(I don't have feeders. I feed them on a table). My mum was telling me this last week re the gold finches. Her feeders are still up. She said that the food they could eat in the summer growing naturally isn't there yet in her garden. She's going to remove the feeders next week

I don't live in a private let btw. Re the issue of rats. There was a rat infestation in my town a couple of years ago. Not in my area - but rats can also be attracted by waste and like a lot of councils my council changed the waste bin collection from every two weeks to every three weeks and that didn't help. Some people were leaving the overspill on the ground

In the five years I've been here I've seen one tiny mouse (not where I put the seeds out). A couple of squirrels - but never a rat.

I'd wait until 1 May when tenants get more rights. If not settled by then I'd suggest:

Dear LL
You have admitted to the theft of my property.
Return it or I will have no choice but to report to the police.
Yours ...

These are exactly the type of issues that they deal with (the landlord entering a property without consent). And when they go to court they tend to cost a lot for a landlord as it’s usually a minimal amount plus costs (which add up).

That’s literally the maddest thing I’ve ever read.

The reserves of bewildered hatred I feel for landlords honestly never dries up. How dare she??

I can see the plusses and minuses of calling the police. But just to say, OP, that you have my massive sympathies having to rent from money grabbing private landlords in the first place, and particularly for having to rent off this one who clearly thinks it's acceptable to treat you in this way.

They are responsible for ‘policing’ private landlords. If they get enough/serious complaints they can prosecute the ll and stop them from acting as a ll.

To those who said its not covered by the theft act. This falls under:

• Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977
• Common‑law tort of conversion (treating someone else’s property as your own)

The landlord saying “you can’t have them back until October” is legally meaningless. It is not her property and she cannot impose conditions.

Don’t blame you for being enraged but this is not a police matter.

with regards to the RSPB guidelines, I wouldn't worry too much about not feeding the birds past May if you still have some seeds to feed them. I doubt you'll not spread disease among birds readily. The RSPB aren't exactly going to be checking gardens.

OP I can only hope that the people encouraging you to escalate the situation with police, 6 foot bodyguards and padlocks on your bird feeders will be full of equally bright ideas when you are having to move your children into temporary accommodation and change their schools. Good luck.

Do not withhold rent. You will be in breach of your rental agreement terms. Wait until 1st May and ask her to return the feeders to your keeping on the understanding you won't use them until October, but they are your property she has taken without permission. If you're planning to follow RSPB advice, this shouldn't be an issue. Let things calm down and take the emotion out of it.

It’s your home, your LL is a total cunt , completely out of order and I’m not surprised you are furious.

You are calling the police because you are unable to feed the birds for a week? She said you'd get them back.
What a total waste of police time.

Back in October

What right has she to say anything?

She's not her fucking teacher. She has no right to confiscate her stuff and tell her she'll give it back when she sees fit

As a LL my advice would be don't piss off the LL before May 1st because she can still issue a section 21 right up until midnight on April 30th.

No, but this is petty school playground stuff and the police shouldn't be involved.
Rise above.

She had no right to take the OPs property in the first place, and no right to continue withholding it.

It's the same on here with every landlord thread - it's clear that a lot of people hugely look down on tenants and believe that the landlord is some sort of authority figure over them, and has the right to treat them in ways that actually violate the legal expectations.

In fact, the landlord doesn't have a right to enter the property whenever they wish, and they certainly don't have a right to remove property. It's also not up to them to enforce how one of their tenants wishes to interpret RSPB feeding advice.

It's stealing and would definitely report to the police.
Also, I'd buy an even bigger bird feeder to piss her off and so it's too heavy for her to carry but that's just me 😂

You really feel entitled to call the police because your landlady has stolen some of your bird feeders. This is called committing larceny.

I've heard it all now. Please tell me that this is a wind up, and in the process of doing so perhaps take into account child abuse, the terrifying war in the ME, world poverty, people being murdered on our streets. All manner of things that our police forces do to keep our worlds safe, and that they do to protect us.

You have told us here that your landlady has taken away your birdfeeders and you asked our opinion. You have, however, gone one further and am asking if you should report it to the police. This is a joke?