A mother says she felt “ambushed” by her housing association after it took her to court to force the removal of her family’s pet rabbit from their garden.
Storm Tapp-Grant faced legal action from Aster housing association after she and her two young daughters made changes to part of the shared garden outside her Southampton flat, to care for their rabbit and grow vegetables.
The rabbit, Nibbles, was an Easter gift to Ms Tapp-Grant’s older daughter Everest, six, from her grandfather who passed away two years ago.
Ms Tapp-Grant, 33, has been a resident of the Southampton flat since 2021.
She said she established the vegetable patch two years ago to teach Everest and her younger sister Arizona, two, about healthy food.
They have grown lettuce, runner beans, cabbages,, carrots, parsnips, and sunflowers, while also caring for Nibbles there.
Aster has now secured an injunction, compelling Ms Tapp-Grant to remove both the rabbit and the decking from the communal garden.
Ms Tapp-Grant said: “The kids all love the garden and the vegetable patch which we built and paid for with our own money.”
Everest described Nibbles as the “best pet ever”.
She said: “If they took her away, I would be so so sad, I wouldn’t even bother coming into the garden.
“Don’t take Nibbles away, she’s my pet not yours.”
Ms Tapp-Grant said she was “ambushed” by Aster after the housing association took her to Southampton County Court on 18 June in a dispute over the rabbit, the hutch and vegetable patch.
She said: “I felt so powerless and scared.
“I was overpowered completely, it was an open and shut case and they didn’t even listen to what I had to say.
“It’s so unfair, as a group they are disgusting with how they’ve dealt with this.”
A spokesperson for Aster said they had asked Ms Tapp-Grant to remove the rabbit, hutch and vegetable patch in line with her tenancy agreement.
They said they had worked to resolve the matter informally over a long period of time.
They obtained an injunction requiring her to remove the rabbit, raised beds, and decking from the communal gardens at the property within 14 days of the order being granted.
The spokesperson said: “We understand how important it is for our customers to enjoy their homes and shared spaces, and we always aim to balance individual needs with those of the wider community.
“We were made aware of concerns about a rabbit, hutch, decking and raised beds installed on communal land without the required permission. Other customers have raised concerns including about the animal’s welfare.
“Despite our efforts, the customer has refused to remove the items, so we had to take the difficult decision to pursue legal action.
“The court has since ordered that the items are removed.
“We are looking to work with the family to explore keeping the rabbit inside their home, where appropriate and in line with their tenancy agreement.
“We want to ensure communal areas remain safe, accessible and are shared fairly with all customers.”
