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So I've been renting this house for a bit over a year now. I signed a 3 year lease. On the move-in checklist sheet, I listed that the blinds in the ENTIRE house were broken, i.e. missing slats, slats hanging on by tape, etc. Its becoming a real pain in the butt keeping these slats on. Can't turn on a fan anywhere in the house without a few on each window falling off (no joke, several are just leaning against the window or taped on). Im tired of putting these things back on, several times a day. When I first moved in, the PM was aware of the issue, but did nothing to fix the issue.
I know that this isn't an issue of whether or not the house is inhabitable, I just think the landlord should care a bit more about their tenants that never have issues with the HOA, pay their rent on time each and every month and keep the property in good order. Its frustrating. I feel privacy is a concern as some of these blinds are so broken, that people can look in at you from the streets. I've done all I can, short of paying out-of pocket for replacement blinds.
Is there anything I can do? My apologies, this, I guess, is more of a frustrated rant against my PM that is too busy to fix ANYTHING in the house in a timely manner (broken stove that sat broken for a few weeks, gate to back yard sat broken for nearly a month, etc etc.)
Besides the listing in the move-in checklist, have you ever communicated to the landlord to have them repaired or replaced?
The landlord is a corporation. I've tried tracking them down, but haven't been successful. I've communicated with the PM and all they say is the landlord isn't concerned with the blinds.
I don't remember where you live, but you could check to see if landlords have to provide window coverings. I doubt it, but you could check.
You could take down the bad ones, and put up your own window coverings, then put the old funky ones back up when you move, I suppose.
A trick I learned with the vertical blinds, is when they're open and all moved over the the side together, to slip a rubber band around them. This keeps them from rattling around in the wind, and helps keep them from getting damaged or falling out of the slats above. Vertical blinds - the cheap plastic kind - are horrible about coming loose.
You could also check to see if you can replace the holders where the slats attach. I know you can buy replacement slats.
But, I would probably take down the funky ones, and put up my own window coverings. I'm living with the blinds that came with my apartment here, but they were brand new and I knew the trick to using the rubber band to help preserve them. Even still, the last slat sticks already and I have to yank it into place, so the whole window is covered. They're just not made to last.
As far as I know, no state requires a landlord to provide window coverings. I suspect that what you see is what you get.
Mini blinds are really cheap and if you get the same brand, the new ones will slip into the same brackets, so they are very easy to change.
Personally, I'd rather pay $12-$20 for a new blind than to spend three years fiddling multiple times a day with taping up broken blinds.
If you do replace blinds, save your receipts so that the landlord can't bill you for broken blinds when you move out.
I don't know what the heck it is that tenants do to window blinds. I can live for 10 years with mini blinds and never break them. I never have tenants move out that haven't broken three or more of the blinds. They break the slats, they break the strings, and sometimes they even break the bar at the top of the blind.
I don't remember where you live, but you could check to see if landlords have to provide window coverings. I doubt it, but you could check.
You could take down the bad ones, and put up your own window coverings, then put the old funky ones back up when you move, I suppose.
A trick I learned with the vertical blinds, is when they're open and all moved over the the side together, to slip a rubber band around them. This keeps them from rattling around in the wind, and helps keep them from getting damaged or falling out of the slats above. Vertical blinds - the cheap plastic kind - are horrible about coming loose.
You could also check to see if you can replace the holders where the slats attach. I know you can buy replacement slats.
But, I would probably take down the funky ones, and put up my own window coverings. I'm living with the blinds that came with my apartment here, but they were brand new and I knew the trick to using the rubber band to help preserve them. Even still, the last slat sticks already and I have to yank it into place, so the whole window is covered. They're just not made to last.
I would buy new plastic clips, but some of the slats, where there is that hole the clips go through, are completely broken as well. They managed to turn some of the slats upside down so that the area where the plastic clip clips onto them are facing the bottom of the window sill.
I had my niece over last night. I set her up in the guest bedroom. I have never used this room before. I turned on the ceiling fan and 3 vertical blinds fell off, scaring her.
I want to buy my own, and so far I've replaced a few, plus the Arcadia window blinds, but its becoming expensive. Every time I replace one set, another set starts falling apart. God I hate slum lords.
Yeah, that's why I went blindless. I personally don't like blinds, instead I put up drapes.
Lol, when I first moved in, I was breathless at how beautiful the house was. All the windows. I just didn't take a close enough look at the details and, frankly, I was more concerned about getting the rent I want, setting up utilities and so on.
Lol, when I first moved in, I was breathless at how beautiful the house was. All the windows. I just didn't take a close enough look at the details and, frankly, I was more concerned about getting the rent I want, setting up utilities and so on.
Yeah, nothing wrong with that. I made a post on do-it-yourself drapes (at the time I called it blinds, my bad).
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