Is your rental home safe – landlords are being advised to check that blinds used by tenants in their rental homes are safe for young children.

Older blinds with looped cords or chains may pose a threat to children – but you can make them safer.

Changes to standards for blinds in 2014 led to improved product safety, and new blinds with looped cords must have child safety devices installed, either at the point of manufacture, or sold with the blind.

However, the Office for Product Safety and Standards has warned blinds installed earlier may not have these features – and millions of households could be affected.

It has now issued advice for landlords and homeowners who are being told to:
Is your rental home safe?
Fit a tidy, tensioner or a cleat: tidies and tensioners should be firmly fixed to an adjoining surface so that the cord or chain are permanently held tight.
Position cleats out of children’s reach on an adjacent surface, at least 1.5 metres from the floor.
Fasten cords in a figure of eight after every use of the blind, making sure all the spare cord is secured on the cleat.
Move furniture away from windows. Children love to climb, so keep furniture clear of window blinds. This includes cots, beds, highchairs and playpens.

Written by Sally Walmsley

Blog Post from Residential Landlords Association 

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