In my Class C rental houses, I have always used the cheap mini-blinds to cover the windows with. With the vacancy I am working on now, I am considering using the ready-to-hang curtains that are sold at Walmart. These are the same curtains that my tenants will use over my mini-blinds. So, I am thinking now to skip the mini-blinds and just hang curtains.

Blinds in all class of rentals for me unless the window is too big, then I use a neutral colored curtain.

If you provide curtains, expect to wash them or replace at turnover. Fabric holds in bad smells. IMO, the 2 inch vinyl plantation blinds are sturdier and easier to keep clean than mini blinds.

Razorback,

Personal taste? My tenants personal taste revolves around whatever Walmart is selling the day they come to cash their checks.

until January of this year we didn't do any window treatments. Since we are now upgrading every rental as vacancy's come up -- we put up mini blinds (ELCHEAPOs) to give a somewhat finised look. (lowes brand)

For Class C, in your Neck of the Woods ?

How about Blue Bed Sheets.

(Cut down the middle and drawn back on the sides)

Add a pattern of 16.91 ounce bottles of Atrial Rubicite

( a Lone Star Favorite )

The primary reason I use window coverings is so my vacant houses don't have that empty 'vacant look' from the street.

GCARL yea the rods are easy-- but then when they leave you have to wash their curtains---- yuk,oh.

Both Home Depot and Lowes just discontinued the blinds we've been putting up for years. The ones with the strings that now apparently deadly to children. Now they are selling 'no-string' blinds for twice the price :(

Used to be we ate the cost of blinds but that's going to depend going forward.

I use curtains or drapes on the windows in neutral colors and 80% of the tenants use them . They are easy to wash and hang up for the next tenant. I think the window treatment attracts more tenants, because it is a saving for them. If you do use curtains make sure that the width is 2 to 3 times the width of the window and are nice and full.

Those cheap mini-blinds ain't so cheap any more. At our local HD I can't even find a cheap mini-blind. They are now all cordless & at some sizes triple the price the old blinds were.

On our personal properties I've stopped using the the cheap blinds. I can now order on eBay the 2" faux wood blinds for a few dollars more than I'm now gonna have to pay for the crappy cordless blinds from HD. And they ship somewhat local from Wichita so I have them in a couple days. They look much nicer both inside & from the street, last longer & are easier to clean. I always charge for blinds anyway so if someone trashes one they get to pay to replace it anyway.

We just finished up a little house & the only 2" blinds I could find that matched in all the sizes I needed were cordless. They also had no wand for tilting the blinds. Took a little getting used too & we'll see how they hold up. I don't mess with the blinds in my own house ever. So that makes replacing blinds just a personal pet peeve of mine.......sometimes I just want to send a note saying "QUIT TOUCHING STUFF". My husband just rolls his eyes & says quit being unreasonable. And I will freely admit it is unreasonable to expect tenants not to mess with the blinds but out of everything we deal with that aggravates me the most for some reason.

Both.

Mini blinds are attached to the window casing. A 1X 4" board is screwed to studs above the casing, and about a foot wider than the casing.

Both mini-blinds and curtains are washed and repaired at turnover. (Personal taste. I cannot abide tossing things in a landfill. )

Tenants are told they may replace what I provide, but for the mini blinds, need to use my brackets. They can put screws, nails, whatever into the 1" X 4". They have to keep the originals to turn back over when they move.

At first, I was buying my window coverings at Goodwill, ReStore, or rummage sales. Now, tenants replace my cheap ones with nicer, and often leave those, as well as mine. My 1X4"s are scrounged, when I can find them, all woodwork gets painted, so it doesn't matter what it started out as, as long as it can be secured to a stud, and screwed or nailed in reasonably easily (I had some old lumber given to me that needed very sharp power tools to work. Tenants need to be able to attach with hand tools.

My kitchens just have mini blinds, but, I am thinking about installing boards for cafe curtains, so there aren't more holes in the casing and walls. I like the boards to allow the curtains to go wider than the window, because thieves can get a glimpse of the 50" flat screen from the sides of mini-blinds, (and the cord holes, which is wh yI do both blinds and curtains.)

Bathroom window, when located in shower area, gets painted white on the glass, mini-blind hung off of casing, plastic shower curtain hangs off of stainless steel screws that are in the 1"X4" over the casing. At least one tenant has hung a black-out privacy panel over that. I don't blame her. Even my glass block bathroom window gets the vinyl shower curtain . (Women don't like anyone to know they are in the shower, even if they cannot be seen easily.)

Julie, that made me laugh. I so wish I could get tenants to 'quit touching stuff!'

For the rentals I previously owned in TX, I provided blinds, but had to carefully watch the homes. A common practice in south Texas is to tape aluminum foil to the inside of the windows. I suppose it keeps the heat out. But the foil tends to eventually melt into the window, and ruin them. So I had to watch and any time I (well, my PM actually) saw foil taped on, had to tell the residents to take it down.

I saw they had both corded and cordless blinds at Lowes last week. They used to be $3 back when we started, and are now $5.

I've tried putting up some sheers at my humblest house, in addition to the blinds, to try and make it look nicer. DH hated them-- they were just one more thing to get dirty and destroyed, and the house would rent just as well either with or without them. The curtain rods and sheers went the way of the dodo at the next turnover.

Roy: You said the dogs will ruin blinds - and they do. But won't they also chew/claw/pull down curtains? Six of one, half dozen of the other. Maybe try some of each? Like curtains in living space, blinds in bedrooms? Doubt it will really matter. Whatever is more cost- efficient for you.

Personally, I've been using cheap 1" vinyl mini blinds everywhere. Instant privacy without hanging sheets/towels. I too am disappointed with Home Depot for their discontinuation of the cheap ones. Found them in Walmart, but don't know if that will last.

I install curtain rods if they are wanted - makes me seem helpful, and lets me secure them properly.

I've been putting up curtains for years.

Some of mine complained recently that they like the curtains, because they can really help keep the cold out, but that when there is a nice day, nothing keeps people from still seeing in.

I'm thinking of just installing blinds plus the curtains. The issue that they are changing the blinds is a little bit troublesome. I've got a price in my lease that if the miniblinds need replacing, we will do so for $15. This assumed we would be able to get the similar miniblinds for $5 - 8. I guess I'll need to raise that going forward. I've always told people that we expected them to pick them up for the $5 - 8 at Lowe's, and if we had to do it, it would be $15, to pay for the time and labor getting the new ones.

DJ, got that idea off of this forum years ago.

Regarding going to cordless, Isn't it just the way that when we get something figured out, regulations, or trends goes and changes it on us!

DJ,

Large picture windows- when I have WW replace the windows, we eliminate that silly oversized picture window. Instead, we do three evenly sized double -hung windows. ( hmm , just now I am wondering why I do double-hung, only one of my tenants has ever known they could pull the top sash down to vent heat.... Topic for another thread)

Busy,

Roy, that's definitely a good thing!

I cannot stand useless things like large windows that do not open! To me, it would make more sense in those 1950-60's Picture window sets to have the openable windows in the middle, because when the window set is that big, getting the curtains out of the way to let in a little fresh air means exposing the whole living room view to the neighborhood.

Since I replaced the picture window sets with three openable windows, I have seen my tenants using that center window to ventilate, so, I'm glad I went back to the 1940's look of a bank of all openable windows. (One tenant regularly opens all three.)

I'm with ya on eliminating no value, high maintenance things. The house I'm (still) rehabbing will have no closet doors. Long, inexpensive curtains over the bedroom closets (the doors on the bedroom closets went floor to ceiling,) open shelving in the bathroom closet. Maybe someday I'll add a pair of doors to the very top of the bath closet, just to hide cleaners, fem products, clutter. But, those doors won't be a priority.

I didn't use to focus on window treatments, but after I started to manage things myself I became annoyed with how beat up the window casing got. Now I provide the cheap white brackets for curtains. Tenants often leave curtains behind and I offer them to the next tenant. Usually they say yes. In a couple of apts w/ large windows I provide a rod and there is frequently an issue. The tenant breaks the finial or takes the rod. I hate painting around window blind brackets and I remove them every chance I get.It is the rare tenant that then installs blinds. I also would rather not constantly replace mini blinds and throw them away.

I use mini blinds on all Windows and provide brackets for curtains that are rarely used.

On both of my apartments with triple Windows together I have also mounted a board for heavier duty hardware. Painted the same color as the wall it almost invisible. I don't think anyone has used them.

Roy, given the post from today about HELOCs, my revised answer would be for you to use whatever is already at hand, without inputs of money or hired labor. Instead, for you, put the time and money into acquiring a couple more units.

What do other landlords in the area provide? I'll bet many just don't. Go that route for NOW, and when there are more units on your roster providing CASH FLOW, you can go fancy. But, for now, in my busy-body mom voice, I'm telling you, 'Don't guild the turd.'

I use Bridges Blinds a local company for all of my units. They install vertical blinds that fit inside the the window opening. The hardware operates effortlessly. I use an off white color. They are classy. They wear well. I have worked out a system for cleaning them at turn overs that is quick and effective. Sure I have some broken vanes. I keep extras that I cut to fit on hand. A 3 bedroom house cost for all windows and a patio door is under $400 and they have lasted 11 years. Sure I have replaced vanes. How many? I couldnt tell you.

I have had drapes in the past. Every turnover they must be replaced at the very least. I have had mini blinds. A pain to clean. The look of them I don’t care for.