Does the new 2022 CPSC Ruling Require landlords to install cordless blinds?

Question

I have a new tenant who requests new cordless blinds based on the 2022 ruling from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Does anyone have any knowledge on whether cordless blinds are required by law, or a helpful "suggestion"?

Jaryn Pierson · Answer

Love the cordless blinds. Always put on a fresh set in between turns if they old ones are beat up. Cost is pretty minimal and the difference between cord / corded is almost nothing. I vote to make the resident of your building happy and make the upgrade !

Nathan Gesner · Answer

You can read about it yourself: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/11/28/2022-25...

There were "209 fatal and near-miss strangulations..." in the 12-year period they looked at. It's not nearly as dangerous as people think.

To my knowledge, there is no federal or local law regarding this. All the companies are selling corded blinds. If your tenant wants cordless, let him pay the difference for the upgrade.

Greg Scott · Answer

I would be very surprised if there is national legislation that requires landlords to swap out corded blinds for cordless.  I was in Home Depot buying custom blinds for my home last week and learned you can still order corded blinds if you want.  Nobody carries them in-stock any more.

On the other hand, a tenant that requests cordless blinds could potentially create liability if you say "no" and somebody later gets hurt.  Most rent-quality blinds are pretty cheap.  I'd probably just swap them out.  If you have a higher end rental with expensive blinds, I would offer to put in cheap cordless blinds, and then gauge their reaction.  You can always hang onto the expensive blinds for re-use after the tenant moves out.