Though there is no legal requirement in Colorado that landlords provide window shades, all of my clients have agreed to provide window coverings or curtain rods. Most provide simple slatted blinds, however some of the houses I manage have higher-end window treatments. Also, a few units I manage have a combination of blinds and curtain rods where the tenant is expected to provide the drapes.
Curtain Rods
There are a lot of cheapo curtain rods available, so when I have a need to get curtain rods for a window in a rental I aim to get the non-retractable, solid kind, such as a 1″ diameter wood rod.
Types of Window Shades
In regard to blinds, typically I order metal slatted blinds of a thicker gauge than the basic gauge, though sometimes I have maintenance guys buy plastic blinds off the hardware store shelf and cut them to fit.
A few times I’ve installed cellular shades in rental windows. They are nicer looking and they help with heat retention in the winter and cool retention in the summer. But depending on how rough your tenants are when they open and close the blinds, they are a bit more delicate than the slatted blinds.
Sliding Glass Door Shades
For sliding doors, I am moving away from the vertical blinds. They are easy to break, especially if a person tries to slide the whole bank of slats over before turning open the blinds. For a sliding door I supply either a good curtain rod or I get two horizontal blinds, one to cover each panel of the sliding door, mounted on one head rail.
Cleaning Window Shades
Window blinds can be time-consuming to clean. After years of experimenting with different solutions, my current modus operandi is that dirty blinds are one of the few things that I am okay turning over to a new tenant with the caveat that they can turn them back dirty, within reason, at the end of their lease.
