Recently, I learned that the term “boycott” actually originated with Irish tenants who protested their landlord, Captain Charles Boycott, by shunning him economically until he lowered the rent. Spoiler alert: he didn’t.
It did, however, show us two things: boycotting can work, and landlords are, more often than not, a scourge on society. Some stories really do show evidence on why so many people dislike their landlords. This time, it was an intrusive and entitled landlady who came up with one of the most bogus excuses yet to complain: bird feeders.
Read more: Mumsnet
Sometimes, we're lucky to have an understanding and unproblematic landlord, but that isn't always the case
Image credits: olganosova / Freepik (not the actual photo)
A woman's landlady lived near her house, and one morning while passing by it, she saw the woman feeding birds
Image credits: korrawinj / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Believing that she was doing something wrong, the two entered a short-lived argument that left the tenant upset
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
While out with her kids, the landlady actually entered the tenant's garden and removed all of the birdfeeders
Image credits: goodoldsussexbythesea
Once the tenant came home, she realized all her feeders were gone, and called the landlady to demand them back
Unless we’re among the lucky few who manage to buy a house right away, most of us have to put up with landlords. Sometimes we get lucky, and other times, not so much, as today’s Original Poster (OP) has discovered. As she explains, her landlady lived nearby, within the vicinity of the house she was renting. One ordinary morning, the OP was outside putting the last of her seed into a bird feeder.
Enter the landlady, who happened to be driving past, noticed the OP, and asked her not to feed the birds. According to her, the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) had advised homeowners to stop feeding birds altogether. However, the OP points out that the RSPB advises against feeding certain foods, during specific months — namely May through October. Since this took place in April, she was simply using up the last of her seed.
After their argument, the OP left the house with her children. When she returned, she realized that all her bird feeders were gone. She checked her Ring camera and, sure enough, the landlady had been recorded entering the garden and removing them. Naturally, the OP tried to contact her, and after her calls were ignored, she received a message from the landlady warning that bird feeders were no longer allowed on her properties until October.
Understandably, this made the OP extremely upset. Not only had her privacy been violated, but the landlady had also taken items that belonged to her. As a result, she asked a neighbor whether she should call the police. To her surprise, the neighbor advised against it, saying the landlady was “obviously nuts” and that it would be better to avoid any confrontation altogether.
Image credits: wirestock / Freepik (not the actual photo)
So, let’s start by explaining the RSPB guidance, because unless you’re an avid bird feeder, this particular might seem confusing. In reality, the RSPB advises caution when feeding birds during warmer months to help protect wildlife from disease outbreaks. Moreover, contrary to what the landlady may believe, experts say that bird feeding in the U.K. and across Europe is both common and beneficial for wildlife.
This means the OP was not only following proper guidelines but also doing what many households across Europe do to support local wildlife. The one clearly crossing the line, however, was the landlady. According to property experts, landlords in the U.K. are generally forbidden from accessing a tenant’s home without at least 24 hours’ notice and explicit consent, neither of which she got before entering the garden.
So, what could the OP do in this situation? Experts suggest that when a landlord crosses legal boundaries, there are several possible courses of action. The tenant could try to solve the issue diplomatically by emailing the landlady to request her items and to set clear expectations for future visits, or she could seek advice from Citizens Advice on how to handle a non-compliant landlord if need be.
To absolutely no one’s surprise, netizens were baffled that the landlady would go as far as to enter the garden unprovoked and remove the birdfeeders herself. She crossed a line and everyone agreed. However, many pointed out that this issue shouldn’t fill police call lines, as they had plenty more to be concerned about than a riff between a tenant and a landlady. So, what do you think the OP should do?
The woman refused to give the birdfeeders back, and netizens actually advised the tenant not to call authorities for this situation
