Child safety: Advice for landlords on window blind safety

A house isn’t a home without the furnishings, and blinds and curtains are an essential part of the décor. Blinds and curtains limit light, protect your privacy and can have the potential to transform a space, they’re an essential part of a room, however they can also pose a risk to small children.

As a landlord you have a duty of care to your tenants, including keeping your properties safe and free from health hazards. Blinds which contain cords or chains pose a risk to young children and babies and it’s your responsibility to ensure they are safe.

Blinds fall into two distinctive categories: New blinds and existing blinds. If the blinds in your property were installed before 2014, they may not include the necessary safety features. The British Blind and Shutter Association recommends that any new blinds that are installed are ‘safe by design’. This means that they don’t have any cords or chains that could be a risk to young children.

What blinds are safe by design?

Vertical blinds- Vertical blinds have a wand operated system, which are safe by design.

Perfect Fit blinds- These blinds are inherently child safe as they use a system that allows you to move the bottom bar by hand.

Allusion blinds- These slats are opened, closed and tilted via a wand.

If your blinds aren’t inherently child safe, there are several measures you can take to ensure they can be made safe.

1. Position beds and cots away from windows with cords and chains
2. Ensure that separate safety systems are always used properly
3. Move all furniture away from windows to prevent children from climbing onto windowsills and risking harm.

There are also some safety systems you can put in place to make blinds safer. These include:

Breakaway connectors- these have been designed to come apart under pressure and are generally used on roller blind and vertical blind chains.

Tensioning device- this should be securely fixed at least 150cm from the floor and is generally supplied alongside roller blinds, vertical blinds and roman blinds.

Cord cleat- This should be fixed 150cm from the floor and out of reach of children, the cord/chain must be secured in a figure of eight after each operation of the blind.

Cord consolidator- A breakaway connector enables up to four cords to be operated with a single cord. It is made in two halves and designed so that if force is applied, the connector breaks in half.

Inner cords- An inner cord limits how the cords can be pulled and looped. All inner cord stops should be located as close to the head rail as possible and not more than 5cm from the head rail when the blind is fully lowered.

Rear breakaway clips- these are found on the rear cords on roman blinds. They are designed to snap away if force is applied and can be snapped back in place.

It’s extremely important to ensure that the blinds in your properties are safe for your tenants and to guarantee any potential harm to babies or young children is avoided. By installing safe by design blinds in your property or implementing safety systems, you can ensure that your properties are safe and secure for families living there.