Rental blinds

[Lily27]

In need of some advice. Just moved into a rental property. We had noticed the blinds in the windows when we viewed the house but after moving we realised that they are all broken. Previous tenant came round to collect post and informed us that the blinds were broken for years. Landlord apparently has refused to replace them, claiming that it’s not his responsibility to provide curtains. That may be so but we think it should have been pointed out to us that the blinds don’t work. What do we do now? Do we have any rights?

Curtains and soft furnishings do tend to be a tenant's responsibility unless the landlord choses to provide them (and then set a rent that reflects that). Blinds I'm not sure about, but are often fitted by tenants in the absense of curtains as a cheaper option.

Is the rent reasonable? Is there a lot of competition for properties in this area? Do you intend to stay for a long time?

In short, do you have options, and does your relationship with your landlord matter?

The simplest thing to do would be to pay yourself for new blinds. But if you are paying full whack for the property and won't be there forever, you might choose to make a fight out of it.