Question for landlords and tenants

[spunkarella]

Is it reasonable to expect that the landlord/owner will leave the blinds when they vacate?

We just moved into a rental house, and we are our landlord's first tenants. He moved out of the house right before we moved in, and took the blinds with him. We never specifically discussed him leaving or taking them. I just assumed they would stay and I think it's kind of bizarre that he took them.

I am considering emailing and asking him to replace them, but I don't want to be an annoying tenant unless there is just cause. There is also a clause in our lease that we are responsible for repairs under $150. The cheapest ones I found would be around $100 for the bare minimum rooms that face the street. But is it really a repair if I am trying to get the house back to the condition it was in when we first looked at it?

[definitelyO]

blinds should have stayed. and should be included in any rental property.
I've bought houses where all the blinds and anything screwed into the wall stayed (curtain rods but not actual curtains).

[thatgirl2478]

It depends.

If the previous renter (assuming there was one) put in their OWN blinds, I wouldn't expect those to be left for you. However, I would expect that the LL put in blinds in their place.

If the blinds were provided by the LL, I would expect that they would stay. We left black out curtains on the windows of our rental vs blinds.

[Deleted]

Although I think the blinds should have stayed, I don't think it's something I would take issue over. I would probably go out and buy some thermal black out curtains and call it a day.

I don't think the clause saying you are responsible for repairs really has anything to do with blinds, because the blinds aren't something on a house that "needs repair." Unless something in your lease states that the blinds were to stay, I think you are SOL.

[ejpint]

Generally, blinds stay, along with anything screwed into the walls. For our home that we rent out, we left curtain rods, but not actual curtains. Our current rental has blinds/shades, but no curtains.

However, if the landlord specified that blinds wouldn't stay, there's no rule. I'd probably send an email that in your experience, blinds or shades are a part of the rental, and ask if he'd consider replacing them.

[anna7602]

That's strange. Our "blinds" are actually shutters that are attached to the building. But, the landlord did give us curtains.

In the home we own, however, the previous owner took the stormwindows with her. I thought that was pretty bizarre since they're usually custom-made. It riled me up to have to pay for storm windows.

People are strange.

[ddi741]

We don't include the blinds with our rental. We left curtains and curtain rods but not blinds. They are too easily damaged and we don't want the expense of having to replace them.

[ESF]

Blinds should stay. I've never moved into a place that didn't have them. They are part of the house. I would ask for them to be put back or ask if you can send him the bill for new ones and/or take it off your rent.

[fbf2006]

I always thought blinds were part of the rental property before I moved to NY. In 2 of the 3 NYC apartments I've rented, we had to buy our own blinds.

[Deleted]

I am a landlord and rent where we live. I don't expect blinds to stay, but I seem to be in the minority.

FWIW, we've lived in large apartment complexes and they do provide us with blinds. However, I would have been fine if we had to put up our own curtains.

[mollybrown]

There have been blinds included in every place that I've rented. It's bizarre that they took the blinds. Why on earth would a tenant want to buy blinds or curtains for every apartment that they move into? The tenant would have to buy new window coverings every time they moved since they aren't adjustable...what a waste of money. I would ask the landlord to replace them pronto.

Even when we bought our houses, permanently affixed blinds were required to be sold with the house unless they were explicitly excluded. If a seller doesn't want the window treatments to be part of the deal in my state, they need to be removed before the house is listed (or excluded in the listing). I would expect the same for a rental.

[M]

Blinds should have been included. My parents put blinds in all their rentals and there have been blinds in every place we've ever rented. My parents even left blinds in a house they sold years ago.

It's strange that they would take the blinds away. Most blinds that I've seen are custom built for that window.

[LoveTrains]

Blinds should be included.

In some states (including MA & RI), the landlord is only required to provide blinds in bedrooms. However it is a legal requirement in both of those states for the landlord to provide them in those specific rooms. So you might want to check into your rules for your state.

I am a landlord, and I left my tenant blinds and black out curtains on the bedroom windows and curtains on the sliders. I also left gauzy almost see through curtains up in the kitchen and living room.

[aliciar6]

i left the window blinds where my house had them and my downstairs curtains that were tailored for that door and the windows and also the vertical blinds for the upstairs sliding door.

i did take my curtain rods and curtains, minus the one valance in the kitchen. i left that.

when i rented an apartment in NJ, they only provided window blinds, they didn't provide anything for the sliding glass door.