Tenant Asking for Blinds

[George Kopp]

I have a warehouse type apartment that doesn't have any blinds and no one can really look directly into the apartment without a telescope or something. I have a female tenant who is moving in in two weeks and she's asking me if I plan to put up blinds. This was never mentioned before. I'm estimating blinds would cost $500 - $700 and while they might enhance the apartment, it's also one more thing that will break. 

Have you guys dealt with this type of request before? How did you or would you handle. I can obviously tell her that if she wants blinds, she needs to buy them, but I don't want to get off on the wrong foot either. I'm considering telling her I'll split the cost with her provided I choose the blinds. Either that or just no. I don't really want to invest a lot of money in this particular apartment right now.

[Nathan Gesner]

You should provide a home that ensures security and privacy. If you don't put up blinds, she'll put something up and it may cause damage or look like crap (e.g. blankets in the windows). There are cheap blinds from Walmart.com for most sizes. If your house is A or B class, you should definitely spring for something nicer like selectblinds.com but you don't need top-dollar, 2-inch plantation blinds in custom colors.

If tenants ruin them, you deduct from their deposit just like you will for flooring, paint, appliances, landscaping, etc.