I provide the blinds. I buy the cheapest miniblinds I can find.

I haven't found a satisfactory solution to the damaged blind problem, because they don't seem easy to replace (I've never tried to replace one, to be honest).

Class C or lower properties, I just use cheap white blinds from Wal Mart. Less than $5 per blind. Put up and forget. Tenants in these places destroy or take them most times. Replacing them is just a cost of business.

If you do nothing you get sheets, old flags or blue tarps on the windows.

In nicer places, you need nicer blinds. These can cost quite a bit more but they destroy them less.

Places with no blinds are harder to rent.

Tenants damaged the blinds? Charge them. Tenants don't have the right to cause you damages, period.

6,

Mini blinds are cheap and easy to swap out.

They hide crummy windows in old houses!

We put them on EVERY window. If I don’t the res will use railroad spikes and nail up junky blankets, tearing up my trim amd walls, and making my homes look like carp from the street.

Momma picks the house and Momma notices she will not have to spend money on drapes so OUR houses look good to her. Beats the competition.

My lease is clear: broken miniblinds are $20 each to replace but can easily be replaced by the res for much less.

A broken blind is NOT a cost of doing business to be absorbed by the LL. People can actually live in a house without tearing up blinds.

We supply inexpensive vinyl blinds. If they are damaged, we charge for them. I have installed many and they have lasted fairly well if you take the time to install them correctly, which most people don't.

1) The anchors should go into wood if at all possible, not drywall. If you must anchor to drywall, use a helical anchor not those cheap ones...search for TOOFIX SELF DRILLING anchors and you'll see what I mean.

2) the center support on the cheap vinyl ones should ALWAYS be installed...most people don't because it is extra work.

Thinking...

We seldom have just one blind broken. If any are broken it’s usually several. It’s as if they don’t know how to use blinds so they go around breaking them, not learning Oops! Don’t do that! They break!

I cringe when I see movie characters snap them down to peek out. Just gently lift UP one vane and you can easily see out!

I don’t like stuff piling up in landfills, so I replace slats in the blinds when one is broken. One of my tenants thought I was nuts for doing this, but, she’s been with me for a while, and says she is now starting to fix small things, rather than just pulling them out and replacing them.

I always take the extra slats out of the bottom of blinds and store them in a box, so I have a supply of spare slats at the ready. Its putzy busy-work for sure, but, I was raised to be frugal, to recycle, and I get a small satisfaction out of not creating more waste.

Curtains are another good choice, I provide both now for living room and bedrooms, mini-blinds only for kitchen.Mini blinds are mounted outside mount to the window trim, the curtains are installed on a 1X4” above the window trim. When installing that board, I make sure I find the studs. I’ve been installing sheers and an inexpensive curtain for about $ 15, including the rods. Clearance sales, Goodwill, rummage sales.

BTW, direct sunlight is very hard on mini-blinds. It deteriorates the vinyl quickly. Manufacturers used to put lead in the blinds to prevent this, but that was banned in 1996.

On one house, I have to replace slats on the south kitchen window frequently, never have replaced any on the east and north windows. Used to have to replace on the west side, but my shade tree has grown up enough so that’s not getting as much sun.

I have mini-blinds in many of my places. I had been skipping them for a while, but my tenants like them. So, I've started putting them in again, and letting my tenants know that the blinds are new. I expect them to look new when I get the home back at the end of their lease.

I also install curtain rods. In my new construction, we had draper's blocks installed at all the windows. Super helpful! We installed decent curtain rods (great price from Amazon Basics) and we offer neutral curtains to the residents. In many cases, they want black-out curtains in the bedroom.

The aluminum or cheap plastic mini blinds look cheap.

The 2' or 2 1/2"faux wood blind from walmart.com give the window a nice look.

Add 6" to the width of the window and at least 6" to the height of the window when purchasing the windows. If the blind is too long and there is excessive slats it's easy to cut the length of the blinds.

The cordless are best due to no strings on the blinds especially with small kids.

Yes they are more expenses than the el cheapo blinds but they do look really good on the windows. And IF the tenant damages them charge them $50 or $100 per widow depending on the size of the blinds.

AND this saves having the tenant use beach towels or bedsheets nailed to the window frames. Plus blinds give a great look from the exterior of the unit.

Odor is the hardest thing to control in a turnover. Cloth drapery (and carpet) hold odors.

Don, I hear ya! It’s definitely putzy/busy work, not for most. I just mean to relay in my long-winded blathering way that it can be done .

I especially liked BRAD 20,000 remark: