Blind Cord Compliance

Blind cord safety is now a critical compliance issue across Victoria, particularly for organisations responsible for council housing and housing commission. With updated Rental Minimum Standards requiring corded internal window coverings to be secured from 1 December 2025, what was once often treated as a minor maintenance item is now firmly within the scope of regulated compliance. While blind cord safety has been an established expectation in sectors such as hotels and commercial accommodation for many years, the council and public housing sector can sometimes be overlooked in broader safety discussions. In high turnover and high-occupancy environments, a single non compliant blind cord can quickly lead to complaints, urgent callouts, failed audits, or reputational damage, particularly where children or vulnerable occupants are involved.

Why this matters in council and public housing
In council and housing commission environments, compliance is rarely about a single dwelling. Responsibility typically spans large portfolios, high tenant turnover, and diverse building types, many of which had blinds installed long before current safety expectations became formalised standards. When you consider vulnerable occupants, family groups, visiting children, and support services regularly attending properties, blind cord compliance becomes more than a routine maintenance item, it is a genuine safety and risk management responsibility across the entire portfolio.
These properties frequently house families, children, and vulnerable occupants. That makes blind cord safety more than a routine maintenance issue, it becomes a regulated safety requirement tied directly to rental compliance. From 1 December 2025, secured blind cords are a mandatory component of Victoria’s Residential Rental Minimum Standards. This means the requirement must be satisfied before a property is advertised or let.
What ‘compliance’ actually means
The rule itself is simple: No dangling loops within a child’s reach. The benchmark used for these standards is that cords must be secured so they cannot form a loop of 220mm or longer at a height below 1600mm above floor level.
This means that a permanent cord safety device must be fitted and installed correctly, such as a cleat or a cord guide, so it stays secure and effective during everyday use. This aligns with the intent of the competition and Consumer Safety Standard 2014, which focuses on ensuring cords are installed and managed so that they can’t form a hazardous loop below the 1600mm height threshold, using the correct components and following the manufacturing guidelines.
The operational reality: this shows up during audits, complaints, and vacancy turnarounds
What catches many organisations out is that blind cords “look fine” until you test them the way an inspector or a concerned parent would: Is there slack? Can it form a loop? Is the device mounted high enough? Is it firmly fixed to the wall or frame, or does it pull away over time?
And because Victoria’s minimum standards link compliance to advertising and letting, cord safety can affect more than safety outcomes. It can affect your leasing and vacancy pipeline. Consumer Affairs Victoria is explicit that minimum standards must be met before advertising, and that secured cords are a required standard from 1 December 2025.
Penalties and reputational exposure are real
There are also strong legal incentives to get this right. Public reporting has highlighted that breaches of rental minimum standards can attract substantial fines, with figures commonly reported around $12k for individuals and $61k for companies, depending on the offence and circumstances.
Even where enforcement isn’t the daily concern, most council and accommodation providers care about what comes with non-compliance: incident risk, complaints escalations, internal audits, and uncomfortable questions after the fact.
The good news: most fixes are straightforward—if you assess properly
In many cases, compliance work is fast and cost-effective. It’s often a matter of fitting the correct anchor device for the blind type, ensuring correct height placement, using suitable fixings for the substrate, and confirming the outcome (no hazardous loop can form in the risk zone).
Where portfolios include mixed blind systems, older frames, or unusual installations, the value is in doing it systematically: surveying rooms, identifying high-risk setups, prioritising child-accessible areas, and documenting rectification clearly for audit purposes.
How we can help
If you’re responsible for a portfolio (council-managed properties, public/community housing, hotels, rooming houses, or other accommodation), we can carry out blind cord compliance checks and rectification works aligned with the Victorian minimum standards and the relevant installation guidance. We focus on practical outcomes: identifying risk quickly, fixing it correctly, and leaving you with clear records that stand up during internal reviews and external inspections.