According to the state government, all rental properties in Victoria, including in Hume and Whittlesea, will be safer for children with consultation underway for a new rental minimum standard for blind cords.
Kidsafe Victoria joined the state government to discuss the proposed standard which will be mandatory for every rental property in Victoria from October 2025.
It is already mandatory under product safety standards for all blinds installed after 2010 to be secured with either a cord guide or cleat and installed against a wall or structure.
The new standard will require every rental property (regardless of when the blinds were installed) to meet the standard.
The standard will apply to all rental properties from October 30, 2025 with no exemptions.
The state government said Victorian parents and carers living in an older rental property don’t have to wait for the new standard to come into effect.
Free blind cord safety kits to modify older curtains or blinds are available via the Consumer Affairs Victoria website.
The kit contains a device that tensions looped cords to a window frame, so they are no longer loose, reducing the likelihood of strangulation. Under rental reforms introduced in 2021, renters do not need permission from their rental provider to install blind or cord anchors.
For more information on blind cord safety, visit consumer.vic.gov.au/blindcordsafety.
The mandatory safety standard for blind cords is one of the changes being proposed to the rental minimum standards.
To have your say on the proposed new minimum standards, visit engage.vic.gov.au.
