Blinds for Landlords: A Guide to Compliant, Durable Window Coverings for Rental Properties
Choosing blinds for a rental property involves more than picking a colour that photographs well. You need window coverings that can handle frequent tenant use, comply with UK safety law, and hold their appearance across multiple tenancies without becoming a maintenance headache.
At Unidrape Blinds & Interiors, we have been supplying and fitting blinds for landlords across Welwyn Garden City and Hertfordshire for nearly two decades. We work directly with letting agents and private landlords to get properties dressed quickly and compliantly, to a standard that genuinely attracts better tenants.
The single biggest mistake we see: landlords choosing cheap, off-the-shelf blinds to save money upfront, only to replace them twice within the first three years. Quality matters more in a rental than it does in your own home.
This guide covers everything you need to know before ordering: the legal requirements, which blind types perform best in rental settings, and how to match your choice to your property’s target market.
What the Law Requires: Blind Safety in Rental Properties
This is the section most landlords do not know about until something goes wrong, so it comes first.
Since February 2014, all blinds supplied and installed in UK properties must comply with BS EN 13120:2009+A1:2014. This standard, developed with input from Trading Standards and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), requires that all internal window blinds are either inherently safe by design, or fitted with approved safety devices to eliminate the risk of child strangulation from looped cords and chains.
Key fact: According to RoSPA, unrestrained window blind cords and chains have been linked to at least 33 child fatalities in the UK since 1999. The 2014 regulations were introduced in direct response to this.
What does “safe by design” mean in practice?
A blind is considered safe by design if it does not use any accessible looped cord or chain to operate. Examples include:
- Spring-operated roller blinds (cordless)
- Wand-operated vertical blinds
- Tensioned pleated blinds
- Motorised blinds with no exposed cords
If you have older corded blinds in a property, they must be retrofitted with approved safety devices: cord tensioners, breakaway connectors, or cleats fixed at a minimum height of 1.5 metres from the floor. Cutting cords is not a compliant solution and is not recommended by RoSPA.
Does this apply even if no children live in the property?
Yes. Compliance is required regardless of the current occupants. If a tenant’s visitor, grandchild, or future occupant is put at risk by a non-compliant blind, the legal responsibility rests with the landlord who provided it. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 further strengthens this duty, requiring all rental properties to be free from hazards as defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
The practical upshot: if you are fitting new blinds in a rental property, choose cordless or motorised options from the outset. It removes the compliance risk entirely and avoids the cost of retrofitting safety devices later.
Which Blinds Work Best in Rental Properties?
Not all blind types are equally suited to a rental environment. The key criteria are durability, ease of cleaning, and low maintenance. Here is how the main options compare:
| Blind Type | Best For | Durability | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roller blinds (cordless) | All rooms, all tenant types | High | Wipe clean |
| Vertical blinds (wand-operated) | Large windows, patio doors | High | Easy to replace individual slats |
| Venetian blinds (aluminium) | Kitchens, bathrooms | Medium | Wipe clean, moisture-resistant |
| Roman blinds | Professional and executive lets | Medium | Fabric care required |
| Motorised roller blinds | Premium and corporate lets | Very high | Minimal, no mechanical wear |
Roller Blinds: The Landlord’s Default
Made-to-measure roller blinds are the most practical choice for the majority of rental properties. A quality roller blind with a protective headbox fascia resists the knocks and bumps of everyday tenant use, wipes clean easily, and looks presentable across multiple tenancies. Blackout options are particularly popular for bedrooms.
The key is specifying a commercial-grade mechanism rather than a domestic one. The difference in cost is modest; the difference in lifespan is significant.
Vertical Blinds: Underrated for Large Openings
Vertical blinds are available wand-operated by design, making them inherently compliant with BS EN 13120. They are particularly well-suited to wide windows and patio doors. Individual slats can be replaced if damaged, which keeps ongoing costs low.
Motorised Blinds: Worth Considering for Higher-End Lets
Motorised blinds remove cords entirely, making them the safest option by design. For corporate or executive lets, they also add a premium finish that justifies a higher asking rent. The upfront cost is higher, but the absence of mechanical wear means they typically outlast corded alternatives by several years.
Our Three-Tier Landlord Packs
We have simplified our landlord offering into three tiers, each matched to a specific type of rental property and target tenant. Rather than quoting room by room from scratch every time, these packs give you a predictable specification and a fast turnaround.
The Investor Pack: Student Lets and HMOs
Durable, wipe-clean roller blinds with protective fascia headboxes, fitted to all windows. Designed for high-traffic properties where practicality and robustness matter most. The Investor Pack is built around a 5-day turnaround from measurement to installation, so void periods are kept as short as possible.
The Professional Pack: Young Professional Tenants
An upgrade to the living areas, introducing stylish Wave curtains alongside blackout roller blinds in the bedrooms. This combination photographs well for listings and appeals to tenants who want a property that feels like a home rather than a furnished box.
The Executive Pack: Corporate and High-End Lets
A hotel-standard finish using dual-layer voile and full drapery. This level of finish commands a premium asking rent and attracts corporate tenants on longer-term contracts, which in turn reduces void periods and agent fees.
Not sure which tier is right for your property? Our team is happy to advise based on your target market and the local rental comparables in your area. View our full lettings and landlords service here.
Why Quality Blinds Protect Your Rental Yield
The economics of cheap blinds in rental properties rarely work out as intended. Here is the real calculation:
- Off-the-shelf blinds typically last one to two tenancies in a rental setting before mechanisms fail, brackets break, or fabrics discolour beyond cleaning.
- Professional-grade blinds with commercial mechanisms are designed for repeated daily use and typically hold their appearance across four to five tenancies or more.
- Replacement costs for a failed blind (including callout, removal, and refitting) generally range from £80 to £200 per window, depending on the blind type. That cost recurs every time a cheap blind fails.
Beyond maintenance, there is a more direct yield impact. A property that presents well in listing photographs attracts more enquiries, reduces the time it sits empty, and gives you more leverage to hold your asking rent. Tenants who feel they are living in a well-maintained home also tend to stay longer and treat the property with more care.
The rule of thumb we share with landlords: spend a little more on the blinds once, and spend nothing on them again for the duration of the tenancy.
Our Key Collection Service: No Need to Be On-Site
We know that landlords managing multiple properties across Hertfordshire cannot always be available for measurements and fitting appointments. Our Key Collection service is designed around that reality.
Here is how it works:
- You authorise your letting agent or estate agent to release the property keys to us.
- We collect the keys, carry out a full measurement survey, and agree the specification with you remotely.
- We fit the blinds at a time that works around the property schedule.
- Keys are returned directly to the agent once the property is rental-ready.
You do not need to take time off work or travel to the property. We handle the entire process from first measurement to final installation, and we communicate with your agent directly to keep the handover on schedule.
This service is particularly useful for landlords based outside Hertfordshire who manage properties in the area, and for letting agents who want to offer a reliable blind-fitting referral to their landlord clients.
To discuss your next project or request a quote, get in touch with the Unidrape team or visit our showroom in Welwyn Garden City.
Author – Amanda Gamlin. Updated July 2026