Investor · Coconut Creek, FL · Member since 2016 · 23 posts · 13 votes
Do you provide window blinds in your Class C properties or leave it to tenants? I’m considering vertical blinds since individual slats can be replaced, which may be more cost-effective and help avoid wall patching from repeated installations.
What has worked best for you in terms of durability and turnover costs?
I stopped providing ANY window treatments in Class C rentals years ago. If prior tenants leave blinds that are in great shape I may leave them in place for the next tenants. But, when I'm showing the apartment to prospects, I explain that the blinds were left there but that I do not provide them. The new tenants are welcome to use use them or take them down in favor of something else. Typically, though, I remove any evidence of any sort of window treatment from every window, patch the screw holes, and just let the new tenant start all over.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
5mo
Vertical blinds are the absolute worst! When the door or window is open, the slats literally beat each other up, breaking the weak plastic hangers each slat clicks onto. Also, they tend to outsmart the tenants...they must be turned to the viewing orientations before closing, otherwise the string guides get fouled up.
For lanai doors, "standard" sized, inexpensive drapes are best. They are cheap enough to toss when they get too dirty looking.
Windows I only use the plastic mini blinds. They hold up better than metal, are not as noisy as metal can be in certain conditions, and they will not bend permanently (WTH do Tenants DO to their blinds?). They are somewhat pricey, but can be just soaked and sloshed in a bathtub to clean and reuse if the strings don't get broken.
Wood blinds are generally too expensive.
It seems like an unnecessary expense, but it prevents tenants from using towels, sheets, flags, newspaper, and tinfoil from covering the windows to achieve that ghetto look.