The information document is the part of tenancy law written for the renter to read. In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT the tenancy Act makes the landlord or agent give it (in the ACT, or say where to find it) at or before the start of the tenancy. So we checked whether it tells them about the hazard this masthead covers most: the looped cord on a blind or curtain.
What each guide says
The official renters' information document, and what it says about blind and curtain cords
| Jurisdiction | Document | On cords |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Renters Guide, published October 2026. Must be given on or before the occupation day (Residential Tenancies Act 1997, s 66). | States the rule. Corded internal coverings must have an anchor installed to ensure the cords are secured or tensioned and can’t form a loose loop, with a free kit on offer. |
| Western Australia | Form 1AC, Information for Tenant, approved March 2026 (Form 1AD for agreements not in writing). The form says the tenant must be given it at the start of the tenancy. | Warns. Loose cords on blinds or curtains not fixed out of reach pose a strangulation risk for children; contact the landlord or property manager. |
| NSW | Tenant Information Statement, October 2026 (formerly the New Tenant Checklist). Must be given before the agreement is signed (Residential Tenancies Act 2010, s 26(4)). | A permission. Among minor changes a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse: install cleats or cord guides to secure blind or curtain cords. No mention of the risk. |
| Queensland | Form 17a, Pocket guide for tenants (houses and units), version 19, May 2025 (Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008, s 67). | Nothing. No mention of window coverings at all. |
| South Australia | Tenant Information Guide, January 2026 (Residential Tenancies Act 1995, s 49(3)). | Nothing. The word "window" does not appear in its 27 pages. |
| ACT | The Renting Book, reflecting the law as at January 2026 (the information booklet in standard tenancy term 13, Residential Tenancies Act 1997). | Nothing on cords. Its 150 pages mention blinds once, fixing blinds to a window, as an example of a minor modification. |
| Tasmania | The Rental Guide, published May 2019. Not a mandatory handover: the government's page says the owner should give the tenant a copy. |
Nothing on cords. Coverings appear only as a minimum standard: they must be present in any room the owner knows is likely to be a bedroom or living area. |
| Northern Territory | A Guide to Renting in the NT, version 4.3, February 2026. Voluntary: we found no provision in the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 or its regulations requiring an information document. | Nothing on cords. Replacing window dressingsappears as an example of a safety or security modification. |
The guides follow the rule books, with one exception
Victoria's line is what you would expect. It is the only jurisdiction where we found a cord-safety standard for rentals (our national scoreboard has the detail), and its guide states that standard in a sentence.
Western Australia is the exception. It has no window-covering standard in its tenancy law, as we reported in August, but its tenant form still names the hazard and tells the renter to raise it with the landlord. It is the only guide that says what a loose cord can do.
NSW sits between. Its statement treats cords as the renter's project: fitting cleats or cord guides is on the list of minor changes a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. That is useful to a renter who already knows the risk, and silent to one who does not. NSW has no rental cord standard (see our paper trail).
The other five say nothing about cords. Queensland's and South Australia's do not mention window coverings at all. Tasmania's guide, still the May 2019 edition, mentions them only as something the property must have, which matches the presence-only standard in its Act. The ACT and NT guides mention blinds or window dressings only as things a renter might change.
Our view, labelled as such
This is opinion, built on the documents above. A renter in Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra or Darwin reads the official guide and learns nothing about the cord hazard, though the regulator could put it in front of renters at almost no cost. WA shows it does not need a new standard: three sentences in a form it already prints. Six of the eight guides carry 2026 dates, so the next edition is the obvious place to add it.
What a renter can do now
The national installation test applies everywhere: no loose loop of 220 mm or more within 1,600 mm of the floor, with the cord fixed by a cleat or a cord guide. Our explainer on the 220 mm rule sets it out. In NSW, the Tenant Information Statement itself lists fitting cleats or cord guides as a change a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse; elsewhere, ask the landlord in writing.