Window Coverings Rental Property Tasmania: Section 36N Rules

Section 36N of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 requires landlords to provide window coverings in every bedroom and primary living area of a Tasmanian rental property. It sounds straightforward, but the detail matters — the wrong type of covering, a missed room or a misunderstood exemption can turn into a breach notice.

Which Rooms Need Coverings

Window furnishings are required in every room the landlord knows is intended to be used as a bedroom or a primary living area. That means:

• All bedrooms (including any room marketed or furnished as a bedroom)
• The main living room or lounge area
• Open-plan living/dining areas count as a primary living area

Kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, hallways and storage rooms do not require coverings under this section, though practical reasons might lead you to install them anyway.

What Qualifies as a Covering

The Act does not prescribe a specific product. Acceptable options include:

• Curtains (lined or unlined)
• Venetian blinds
• Roller blinds
• Fixed privacy shutters

The covering must be capable of two things: blocking external sightlines into the room and assisting thermal retention. A sheer curtain that does neither would likely fail the standard. Corded blinds must also have safety cleats or tension devices anchored to the wall to prevent child strangulation — this is a separate safety obligation under national product safety standards.

The Social Housing Exemption

Public housing managed by Homes Tasmania or prescribed social housing providers is automatically exempt from the window coverings requirement. Private landlords cannot claim this exemption.

Applying for an RTC Exemption

If you own a private property where window coverings genuinely serve no purpose — say, a rural home with high-performance double glazing and no external sightlines — you can apply to the Residential Tenancy Commissioner for an exemption under section 36P.

The RTC must be satisfied that:

1. The property either fails the strict wording but fulfils the Act's intent, or an alternative design or technology makes the standard unnecessary
2. The tenant is not unfairly disadvantaged by the exemption

Applications go to the RTC in writing with the property address, the specific standard being exempted, technical justifications, photographs and a copy of the lease. If granted, the exemption certificate must be physically attached to the tenancy agreement.

Building age or financial expense alone does not automatically qualify. The bar is high, and each exemption is time-limited.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

A section 36N breach carries the same maximum penalty as any Part 3B failure — 50 penalty units, which works out to $10,650 at the current FY 2026–27 rate. More practically, the tenant can serve a 14-day notice to terminate the lease.

Window coverings are one of the cheaper standards to meet, and one of the easiest to overlook during a rushed re-let. The Rental Minimum Standards in Tasmania guide includes a room-by-room pre-letting audit that catches window coverings alongside the other six standards in a single walkthrough.

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