Rental property blinds have a job description that retail blinds don't. They have to survive tenants who slam them shut. They have to be child-safe by default (a tenant-safety lawsuit risk worth taking seriously). They have to clean up to "rent-ready" in five minutes between turnovers. And they have to be cheap enough that replacing a damaged slat doesn't blow the maintenance budget. This is the landlord's playbook for blinds we've developed across hundreds of rental units in Middle Tennessee.
The rental landlord's four requirements
- Durable. Survives slamming, pet claws, sun, humidity. No real wood — it warps. No fancy cellular — fragile.
- Child-safe / cord-free. Mandatory in any property that might house families. Cordless lift only.
- Easy to clean and turn over. Washable, replaceable slats, no fabric to dry-clean.
- Affordable enough to absorb damage. Replace a slat for $20, not the whole blind.
One product hits all four reliably: 2.5″ faux wood, cordless, white.
Why faux wood wins for rentals
- Humidity-proof. Bathrooms, kitchens, laundries — no warping. Real wood would fail in 2–3 years.
- Washable. Damp microfiber removes most of what a tenant leaves behind. Heavier grime cleans with mild soap.
- Replaceable slats. Snap a single slat? $20 part, 5-minute swap. We keep the most common slat sizes in stock for landlord clients.
- Cordless is the default, so the WCMA child-safety standard is met without adding a cleat or a wall anchor.
- Cheap enough to spec at scale. $89/window installed, falling to $75–$85/window on multi-unit landlord packages.
Tenants change every year or two. The blinds should change every fifteen.
The Stately Shades landlord package
For landlords and property managers across Middle Tennessee, we offer a structured pricing tier:
- Per-unit pricing: $75–$95 per window installed on multi-unit orders (10+ windows).
- Turnover slat replacement: $20 per slat, scheduled around your turn calendar.
- One-call scheduling: text the address and unit number, we book the install within the week.
- Single point of contact for your whole portfolio — no juggling multiple sub-contractors.
- Net-30 invoicing on landlord accounts (after the first project).
If you run more than 20 doors in our service area, ask about bulk landlord pricing on the first call.
What we install at a typical rental
A 2-bedroom rental with 9 windows is a representative project. Typical spec:
- Living room: 2.5″ faux wood, white, cordless. 3 windows × $85 = $255.
- Kitchen: 2″ faux wood (slimmer profile), white. 1 window × $80 = $80.
- Bathroom: 2″ faux wood. 1 window × $80 = $80.
- Bedroom 1 (primary): 2.5″ faux wood, white. 2 windows × $85 = $170.
- Bedroom 2: 2.5″ faux wood, white. 2 windows × $85 = $170.
Total: $755 for the unit, fully installed. Add roughly 10% if any windows need outside-mount or specialty trim.
Where to upgrade past faux wood
Two upgrades worth considering on a rental, depending on tenant tier:
- Bedroom blackout cellular — $140–$200/window. Higher-end rentals or short-term/Airbnb properties benefit from the better blackout and insulation. Tenants notice.
- Roller shades with a cleaner modern look — $90–$140/window. Worth it for higher-rent units (>$2,500/month) where the visual impression at showings matters.
For everything else — 80% of the doors — faux wood is right.
Short-term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO)
Short-term rentals are blind-stress at 10× the rate. Five different guests in a month, each with a different idea of how a blind operates. Two notes specific to STRs:
- Use top-down/bottom-up cellulars in primary bedrooms. Guests get privacy + view, and review scores notice.
- Avoid drapery. Fabric is a cleaning nightmare and stains catastrophically. Roller shades behind faux drapery (visually layered) is the photogenic compromise.
Our 2026 landlord default spec
Norman or Bali 2.5″ faux wood, cordless, white, inside-mount on every window in the unit. Whole-unit cost typical $650–$950 installed, depending on window count. Same product across the portfolio = same replacement slat inventory.
Tenant safety: the legal note
The Window Covering Manufacturers Association requires cordless or inaccessible-cord operating systems on all stock window coverings sold for residential use as of 2018. Most states (including Tennessee) align with this standard. Installing corded blinds in a rental property in 2026 is a real liability risk if a child or pet is harmed — and we won't sell them. Every blind we install in a rental is cordless by default.
How to get rental pricing
Text or call 629-298-8241 with the address, unit count, and rough window count per unit. We'll quote landlord pricing on the first conversation and book the measure visit within the week. Or use the contact form.
We work with landlords and property managers across Davidson, Sumner, Wilson, Williamson, Rutherford, Robertson, Cheatham, and surrounding counties.
