Parent outraged after landlord massacres daughter’s garden without any notice: ‘She had permission to plant’

One Redditor claims that their daughter’s landlord has become part of a depressing trend by tearing out their daughter’s tomato plants.

Gardens on rented property can be a touchy issue, with some landlords outlawing them entirely and others welcoming them. But perhaps the worst are the landlords who allow their tenants to plant a garden, then change their minds later.

That choice can destroy months or years of hard work and financial investment; waste all the time, resources, and water that went into the project; and deny local pollinators the food provided by flowers and veggie plants.

Other renters have lost tomato plants in this kind of purge, and one landlord even went wild with a pickax.

This instance was less dramatic but no less devastating.

“My daughter’s landlord, without any notice, has ripped all of her plants (tomatoes) from the garden in front of a fence and also discarded some in a yard waste bag,” claimed the Redditor. “No notice, just the bag out front and the plants broken. She also threw out all of the clips/netting etc that went with it.”

According to the Redditor, there was no obvious reason for the destruction.

“The yard is a common area but none of the other tenants in the house minded them being there,” they said. “They were neat and tidy and attractive.” In a comment, they also added, “She had permission to plant and use the backyard.”

The landlord had only the flimsiest of excuses for ruining the tomatoes. “She is claiming she doesn’t want to have to mend the fence,” said the Redditor. “Is she allowed to do that?”

According to commenters, the landlord went about this in exactly the wrong way, per Ontario law.

“If the [landlord] wanted to rescind previously given permission to use the common area in this fashion, there should have been some notice,” said one user.

“Throwing out the [netting] and clips is also theft. I would tell your daughter to look into filing with the [Landlord and Tenant Board] for interfering with reasonable enjoyment, providing she has the permission to use the area in writing. At the very least she may be able to ask for a rent abatement or a reimbursement of the destroyed/stolen property. It might also be small claims as well.”

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