Corded Blinds Child Safety in NSW Rental Properties

The December 2025 Rule Was Victorian

The rental minimum standard requiring secured cords on internal window coverings from 1 December 2025 applies in Victoria, not NSW. NSW did not introduce that separate rental standard or an advertising deadline on that date.

Accessible loops on blinds, curtains, and similar window coverings can pose a strangulation risk to young children. Securing cords is a sensible safety measure for NSW landlords, even though the Victorian rental standard does not apply to NSW properties.

Which Window Coverings Should You Check?

For a child-safety check, look at any internal window covering that uses cords, chains, or similar operating mechanisms that form accessible loops. This includes:

• Venetian blinds with pull cords
• Roman blinds with rear cord loops
• Vertical blinds with chain or cord controls
• Roller blinds with chain loops

Curtains that operate on a track without cords do not have a loop to secure. Cordless blinds, spring-loaded blinds, and motorised blinds also avoid this cord-loop risk.

What Landlords Must Do

If you choose to reduce the cord-loop risk, the practical options are:

1. Install cord cleats or tensioners — a cleat mounted on the wall or window frame that holds the cord taut, eliminating the hanging loop. This is the cheapest fix and can be done without replacing the blind. Clause 22 of the Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019 lists cleats or cord guides as a minor change. A tenant can request this change in writing, and a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse consent.

2. Replace with cordless alternatives — spring-loaded roller blinds, top-down/bottom-up blinds, or motorised systems. This eliminates the cord risk entirely but costs more.

3. Remove the blind — if the window does not need a covering (a high window, a window facing a private garden), removing the corded blind eliminates the loop. Check that the property still meets the Section 52 lighting standard.

What NSW Landlords Need to Do

NSW law does not set a cord-cleat deadline before advertising or re-letting. If you want to secure cords before a tenancy, you can arrange the work yourself; a tenant may also request cleats or guides as a minor change under Clause 22.

In practice, fitting cleats at a routine inspection or before a vacancy can reduce child-safety risks. The cost of a cord cleat is under $10 per window. Waiting until you are about to sign a new lease and discovering you need to fix six windows creates unnecessary pressure.

Documentation

Add cord safety to your pre-tenancy walk-through checklist. For each window, note whether the covering is cordless, has a cleat/tensioner fitted, or has been replaced. Include this in the condition report.

For the full pre-tenancy compliance checklist — including corded blinds, smoke alarms, pool certificates, and all seven Section 52 minimum standards — the Rental Minimum Standards in New South Wales guide covers every item in sequence.

See more New South Wales guides →