Are cordless blinds a legal requirement in New Zealand rental homes?
New Zealand has a mandatory product safety standard for corded internal window coverings, which requires safety devices (like cord cleats or tension devices) to reduce risk to young children - it isn't a blanket ban on cords, but landlords and homeowners do have safety obligations to meet. This is general information, not legal advice - for a rental property specifically, it's worth confirming current requirements with Tenancy Services or the Commerce Commission.
This one comes up a lot, especially from landlords getting a property ready between tenancies, or new parents doing a safety check around the house - I hear it just as often from rental owners in the Waikato as I do around the Bay. It's an important question, so I want to give you a straight answer rather than a sales pitch.
Corded blinds have been linked to child strangulation incidents both here and overseas, which is why New Zealand introduced a mandatory safety standard for internal window coverings with cords or chains. In practice, this means products sold need to include safety features - things like cord cleats, tension devices, or breakaway connectors - designed to stop a loose cord becoming a hazard, particularly in homes with young children.
It's not that cords are illegal outright, but the safety requirements around them are real, and as a landlord or homeowner, it's worth taking seriously - both for compliance and, more importantly, for the safety of anyone in the home.
What I recommend, especially for rentals:
Cordless options wherever possible - shutters are naturally cordless by design, and a lot of modern blinds now come in cordless or motorised versions.
If you do have corded blinds, make sure cleats or tension devices are properly fitted and actually being used, not just supplied and left in a drawer.
Check existing window coverings in older rental properties, particularly ones that predate current safety standards - it's an easy thing to overlook during a routine inspection.
Because shutters don't use a hanging cord system at all, they sidestep this issue entirely, which is another reason a lot of parents end up choosing them - it's one less thing to think about or check.
If you're not sure whether your current window coverings meet current safety expectations, or you're weighing up what to install in a rental or family home, I'm happy to have a look and give you an honest read on your options.
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