Oh dear—wildlife has allegedly landed one woman in hot water with her landlord.
TikTok user @gangstahobo posted footage on August 11 showing two deer happily helping themselves to the fruit tree outside her rented home. The on-screen text read: “when the landlord keeps accusing you of picking fruit off the trees so you have to record this to prove your innocence.” The video quickly went viral, amassing more than 254,000 views and over 51,000 likes.
The 21-year-old who lives in British Columbia, Canada, told Newsweek: “The landlord has not directly accused me, but has sent out general reminders that they are coming soon to pick the fruit and to please not pick any.”
But while the deer were cute, it was the backstory that sparked internet viewers’ outrage. “Even if you did … not a crime as it’s on the property,” said one commenter, earning over 18,000 likes.
Another wrote: “Wait …[you] pay rent. Why can’t you? On the property you rent?????”
Some viewers wrote that landlords can be strict about tenants using anything on the property.
“Have the people in these comments ever rented a house/apartment? They won’t even let you touch certain things 90% of the time. Never mind fruit,” wrote one TikTok user.
Others shared more generous experiences. “So weird that a landlord wouldn’t let you have some. I used to live at a place that had cherry, plum, pear, and apple trees. he even had grape vines. he let us have whatever we wanted because there was plenty, and I’d make him a pie as a thank-you. I loved living there,” one user posted.
Some took a lighter view of the situation. “Now that you have proof you can pick all the fruit you want and blame the wild life,” commented another.
One person asked the practical question: “Does the landlord come and clean up the rotten ones or is that you problem?”
A free legal education and advocacy site called Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre says British Columbia based-landlords are indeed responsible for yard maintenance, such as cutting grass, tree cutting and pruning.
In fact, fallen fruit can create its own problems. Grow Great Fruit, a website for home fruit growers, says fruit that has been pecked at by birds or is overripe often develops brown rot after hitting the ground. While brown rot and other fungal diseases play a role in breaking down organic matter and returning nutrients to the soil, they can also damage trees and crops in the process.
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