Tenant wants blinds, who pays?

thegirlintheattic

I think your main problem is that your still thinking it is your house - it's not - it is the tenants until next summer.

It seems a very sensible request, if you pay for them - you choose the color and the supplier.

If you say no chances are they will go ahead and do it anyway. They may do a bad job and while they should make good the wall prior to moving out you don't know how well they will do.

jojo_2012_2

You don't have to put up blinds full stop unless there were any on the inventory when tenants moved in. But actually it probably would be good from a security/privacy point of view to put some in for after dark. But to your specifications of course not metal!

Sambucus_Nigra

thegirlintheattic wrote: »

I think your main problem is that your still thinking it is your house - it's not - it is the tenants until next summer.

I think the main problem is that they don't talk to their tenants! Or go round there and do it themselves.

Pupnik

I think blinds are a reasonable request, I wouldn't want to live somewhere where there was no privacy no matter how nice the views are. Where we are now the landlord provided nets and we hung our own curtains. In this case it seems like the window is an unusual size so it may be hard for them to get off the shelf blinds. If I were you I would have the blinds put in but their style should be your choice, metal ones would be awful with the colour scheme you described so I would go for some nice neutral fabric or wooden ones from a trustworthy company. The tennants/ letting agent should not have a say in their style if you are paying for it.

As for why they have requested the blinds now there could be any number of reasons- it will keep the room warmer during the winter and with it getting dark so much earlier they probably don't want people peering in.

The_Palmist

Have you tried saying No to blinds ?

If your tenants insist just say you will take it out from deposit.

andybenw

I cannot believe there has been three pages about fitting blinds in a rental property.

Heres the answer.

1. Treat it as a rental. ie admit that most won't be bothered about the picture window view and that blinds will probably be required by most people.

2. Insist on cream being fitted. You will only have to change them later otherwise. If they won't accept cream then no blinds.

3. Do not let the tenants fit the blinds themselves. If they are students you must assume no previous experience of DIY.

or

F^%$ them off with a bull explanation that it'll cost more than you expected and sort it out when the tenancy expires. Tell them to purchase a spring loaded rod and curtain out of their own money if it is so important to them.

McKneff

I havent waded through all these posts but if I was renting a place to live in I would expect to buy my own curtains/blinds as to what I like.

If I owned the property I would be telling my tennants to get their own curtaiins/blinds.

Humphrey10

If I viewed a place to rent and was told 'the landlord insists on this window being uncovered at all times' I'd think 'total nutter, probably a pervert trying to spy on the tenants' and not deal with the landlord or estate agent again. What estate agent agrees to market a property with such strange restrictions?

paddedjohn

pimento wrote: »

£190 for blinds for a six foot picture window? Blimey! I had a quote for nearer £500 when I wanted a new blind in my eight foot window. I shopped around, too.

£190 for 1 large blind seems steep to me, i paid £400 for 7 window blinds, a 6x7 blind for the french window and roller blinds for the back door and window, all fitted and guaranteed. This was 4 yrs ago and prices have risen but not that much surely.

OP,shop round and fit a blind to match the rest in the house, after all you will be looking for new tennants in 6 months.

starlight_xx

I rent an apartment and my kitchen had no blinds or curtains when I moved it, I hate looking out into the dark at night so asked my LL if it would be ok to have a roller blind fitted, I said Id get it measured and fitted by a well known company and they were more than happy with it. I have to say it would never have entered my mind to ask them to pay. I saw there was no blind there when I agreed the lease.

I know a kitchen window is different to a large living room one but it just wouldnt occur to me to ask for the LL to foot the bill for something I wanted, if it was to replace existing ones fair enough.

I paid £85 for a dormer window blind so £190 definitely sounds cheap...