Rental minimum standards · window coverings
Blind cord anchors, fitted free while I’m already at the property.
Every corded blind and curtain in a Victorian rental has needed an anchor since 1 December 2025. If I’m on site for a lock job, I’ll do the cords at the same time and it won’t appear on the invoice.
1 Dec 2025Deadline already passed
No exemptionsHowever old the blind is
$0While I’m there for a lock job
Same dayPhotos sent for the file
The standard most portfolios are still behind on.
Switchboards and smoke alarms get booked because they’re big jobs with a supplier attached. Cord anchors are a five dollar part and ten minutes of work, so they slide down the list — until a routine inspection turns one up, or a tenant asks for an urgent repair.
A portfolio of thirty houses can easily need two hundred anchors. Nobody wants to organise that as its own job, and no trade wants to drive across town to fit three of them.
Which is why I do them while I’m already standing in the property.
- You send a lock job as normalAddress, tenant name, tenant mobile, work order number.
- I check the corded coveringsEvery room, while I’m there. Takes a few minutes.
- Anchors fitted on the spotCleat or cord guide, screwed into something solid.
- Photos back the same dayOne per room, so the property file shows it was done.
What the standard actually asks for
In plain English, and in the order it usually comes up.
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Every corded blind or curtain
Internal window coverings with a cord or chain. If the cord can hang loose, it needs an anchor.
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No loop below 1600mm
The cord must be secured so it can’t form a loop of 220mm or more within a child’s reach.
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Age of the blind is irrelevant
National product rules only covered blinds from 2015 on. The rental standard closed that gap.
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Fixed properly, not stuck on
A cleat or cord guide screwed into the frame or wall. Adhesive hooks pull off and don’t count.
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Advertising a non-compliant property
Since 25 November 2025 a listing that doesn’t meet the standards can be reported and taken down.
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Tenants can act themselves
Renters may request an urgent repair, or fit anchors without asking permission first.
This page is general information for property managers, not legal advice. The full wording of the standards sits with Consumer Affairs Victoria, who also post out free cord safety kits.
The offer, in one line.
Any lock job you send me, anywhere in Geelong or Wyndham — I’ll anchor the blind cords in that property free of charge while I’m there. No extra line on the invoice, no second visit to arrange, no call to make.
If you’d rather book a whole property or work through a portfolio as its own job, tell me how many and I’ll quote it before I start.
Alexis — Lock Services
0415 395 981
alex@lockservices.com.au
Fully insured. Covering Geelong, Corio, Norlane, Belmont, Newtown, Highton, Lara, Leopold, the Bellarine, Werribee and Wyndham.
Questions property managers ask
When did this become mandatory?
1 December 2025. It applies to every rental property with corded internal blinds or curtains, with no exemption for older window coverings.
Do older blinds get an exemption?
No. The national product safety rules only covered blinds sold from 2015 onwards, and that left a large share of rental stock outside the net. The Victorian rental standard closed the gap, so the age of the blind makes no difference.
What actually counts as compliant?
A cleat or cord guide fixed to the wall or window frame, positioned so a loose cord can’t form a loop of 220mm or more below 1600mm from the floor. The fixing has to go into something solid — adhesive hooks come away and won’t hold.
How much do you charge us?
Nothing, when I’m already at the property for a lock job. It doesn’t appear on the invoice. For a standalone visit, or a run of properties, I’ll quote it first so you can pass a number to the owner.
How long does a property take?
Ten to twenty minutes for a typical three bedroom house, depending on how many corded coverings there are and what the walls are made of.
Do we get anything for the file?
Photos of each anchor fitted and a short note of which rooms were done, sent through the same day. It sits on the property file alongside the rest of the compliance record.
Can you check the locks at the same time?
That’s usually the reason I’m there. External entry doors need a working deadlatch or a lock that’s key operated from outside, and openable windows need functioning latches. I’ll tell you what I find and quote anything that needs doing.
Send one lock job and see how it runs.
Cords anchored while I’m there, photos back the same day, invoice with your work order on it.
Call 0415 395 981 Send a text