Curtains in a Rental House?

As someone who rents I think I would decline to rent a house that had shower curtains over the window or curtains made from towels. To me it would be an indication that the landlord was not going to be a very good one and wouldn't provide the maintenance needed for the house.
As a renter, I take the same kind of care of the house I live in as if it were my own. Things might get broken or messed up but I will fix what I can or pay to replace it.

It really depends on the tennants.

The local landlord is cleaning up a rental where the previous tenants let their three dogs run thru the house for several weeks without letting them out, then took off without paying.

The dogs were Pizzing, sheoting and peeing all over the place! Anything waist down had been ruined, incl walls. They essentially used the rental as a kennel.

When I had rental property, I had a couple of big toilet paper boxes full of yard sale curtains/sheets, etc. When someone new moved into the house I would let them know that if they needed some curtains I had some they could use. Most people preferred to provide their own anyway.
shellbug

Been lucky enuf to have 'your kind' of renter for nearly 25 yrs in this old house. So I'm really trying not to complain about the 'cat lady' who just moved out.
I think I'm going to try to get something up-I don't want to cover the framing around the windows-it's original even tho painted & might go the miniblind route again if we can dig up the $$$.

Patty

__________________
My book is out! Go 'like' it on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Goo...83553391747680

I am also with the cheapest mini-blinds you can find crowd. That way if they don't want to do anything they can just use those or maybe put up a little something colorful as a curtain if they want to (and I would say to do all the windows).

Of all the places we have rented (as tenants) none ever provided curtains. We always had to put up our own.

In one place I did use sheets as window coverings. They were sewn to fit in the rods but they were modified yard sale sheets. Odd size windows, very little money in our pockets, and the lease said the coverings had to be white.

I'd put up cheap, durable curtains. Curtains are sized to the windows and a renter can't use them on another house. Provide them, include them in the inventory.
The hard part of renting isn't curtains, it is finding someone that pays their rent and doesn't trash your investment. That's a skill I never did quite obtain.

Dint mean to step on any toes, I was merely relating MY experiences with tenants. I am quite sure there are responsible tenants in this world, its just that I have yet to rent to any of them. I do my best to provide my tenants with decent comfortable homes at reasonable rates, and so far the thanks I have recieved is to have to spend between 2 and 5 grand repairing the place each and every time someone has moved out. I do have one set of tenants that pay on time, and seem to take good care of the house and yards, but they havent moved out yet. (with any luck they wont for a very long time)

__________________
"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

Add my vote for cheap mini blinds. Curtains are too connected to individual taste and decor preferences. Mini blinds look uniform from the outside. They're only $5-6 per window.

__________________
Goat's Milk Soap, Lip Balm & Gardener's Hand Balm
www.brushwoodfarm.com

Having been a landlord, and the daughter of landlords, I assure you that there are many bad tennants. They are the reason I was happy to sell my rental house.

My Mom recently sold a rental house as a tear-down for a fraction of what it should have been worth.

Her tennant had changed the locks so she didn't have access. He poured water through a wall mounted air conditioner, apparently thinking it was a swamp cooler. This destroyed the air conditioner, and the wall it was mounted in.

Without telling anyone, he removed the gas furnace and installed a wood stove. Mom found out when the County sent her fines for code violation.

We still don't know why he did it, but the tennant went under the house and sawed through the massive beam running lengthwise under the house, causing the whole house to sag. My theory is that he wanted to burn in his wood stove.

As a landlord you risk losing a ton of money when you rent to someone. You are fortunate indeed if you rent to someone who takes care of the place and pays their rent on time.

__________________
I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam.

Popeye

Mimi blinds from Walmart. When renting, you want the most neutral items. White/cream walls, beige carpeting, mini blinds.

You have to expect that most renters will not take care of things the way you take car of your home.

First: replacement cost: figure in the cost of your labor.

Second: When you have a rental, the deposit should cover not only cleaning but general repair - non-refundable.

Third: when you write your lease, have a clause in it that states you have access on, lets say, the third Thursday of each month, to change the furnace filter. That keeps you in contact with the renter. Chat them up for questions & look over the property while you're there.

This is a business. Some repair is tax deductable!

__________________
Only she who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible

I've been on both sides of this.

Wouldn't ever expect rental to come with curtains. Would for sure expect at least shades.

Vinyl mini-blinds are cheap.

It's against the law here to require any sort of non-refundable deposit. You'd have to include that cost in the rent. Deposits must be kept in an escrow account.

I am renting currently, the blinds are nice and some people don't bother with curtains especially bachelors or college kids. Check your local habitat for humanity they probably have decent blinds for a good price.

Also if you could provide the curtain rods as well it would be great, I am not the handiest human and when I have to install curtain rods I worry I will mess something up. If you use the extension ones I believe with some people they will just take those along with the curtains if they leave.

Take care - Thea

Cheap mini-blinds. I just put 13 new mini-blinds in a rental that I have and it cost $93.00 including tax. That's cheap, and it makes the place look 100% better. I have provided curtains in the past and the tenant has always taken them down and put up what they like.

if the mini blinds are in good shape, i leave them....i tell the renters they can use them or not, what ever they prefer....., i dont supply window coverings..
i use straight vinegar in a sprayer to help eliminate the pet odors, works pretty good.
samm

I'm with the cheap mini blind folks. I've been a renter and a landlord. Mini blinds are the way to go. Sometimes you can even find them on clearance at Wal Mart.

__________________
I'm running so far behind I thought I was first!

http://hickahala.blogspot.com/

Got a minute or 2 so going to see what wallyworld has...floor refinishers are in the rental today, tomorrow, fri. They MAY be able to refinish the wood floor in the kitchen as well! Would save us hiring Home Despot to lay vinyl.
Thanks to all for suggestions.
Should've taken b/4 pics-maybe we'll take after pics.

Patty

__________________
My book is out! Go 'like' it on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Goo...83553391747680

Mini blinds are a good option, but I preferred tension rods and made simple rod pockets curtains. I always look out for tension rods at garage sales for replacements. Fabric could be garage sale sheets or lace, or inexpensive muslin from a fabric store. The fabric cleans well and the rods are easily replaced.

Checked out the cheepie miniblinds & of course none will fit the windows. So got tension rods...now to get cheepie curtains...

__________________
My book is out! Go 'like' it on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Goo...83553391747680

I am a LL. I always put new mini blinds from Wal Mart or the auction when they have some that will fit in my rentals.

They last according to what kind of tenant I have.

Right now I am starting to clean up a rental that is awful. They were gone 3 weeks before we even knew they were gone. They never did contact us, I had to call around and find the woman. Of course she said she would be there that wkend to get her things. She never showed. After another month I called her employer and asked if she still worked there. She did, but she would not talk to me. She told her employer that she didn't have the money to pay us to just sell what she had left, like that stuff would cover what she owes.

The appliances were ours to start with, so I went there and cleaned my refridgerator
It was already nasty with the heat and stuff, but I managed to get it clean. Found out that their electric had been off for a month.

I can see why people don't have anything. They had a good start when they rented but they did not take care of what they had.

All my rentals have curtain rods that we put up so they can put the curtains up without making more holes.

__________________