Sorry more confusion - if it’s a two-unit condo association, I’m confused by references to a “Board”. The “Board” would have to consist of the owners of the two units - in which case it makes no sense to have a board as the purpose of the board is to avoid having a large group making every decision. Are you absolutely sure that the association consists of only you and the neighbor who owns the other side of the building? I know a development where some buildings that appear to be “twin” or “duplex houses” are in fact part of a complex with nearly 3000 units - it would make a lot more sense to have a board if there were even 10 units rather than 2 ( and how do you break a tie with two?)
Is there currently an HOA board that you know of? The board is typically made up of homeowners elected to the position by the other homeowners. But sometimes the homeowners just don’t bother and there isn’t a board and the HOA isn’t really enforced or anything. I would guess that there’s not a board with your situation of just two homeowners. But that’s not to say that a busy-body neighbor couldn’t activate the HOA and put themselves on the board. How the board is formed is also something you should be aware of. If it’s by an election where each home site gets one vote, then you both have the same number of votes and it’d be 50/50. But if it’s a vote where each person on the deed gets one vote, then they would have 2 votes to your 1. I’m not sure you have to be worried about that happening at this time, but just something to read up on in your HOA contract and be aware of.
I like having my blinds open to get as much natural light as possible but don’t like that people can see into my living room all day, so I got some of these blinds. This gives us a nice mix of natural light and privacy. despite this we do keep them fully open the majority of the daylight hours. For the bedroom we got the true blackout blinds that function similarly, which is very nice. We can drop the top rail a foot or so and be able to take a shower/get dressed/do whatever without any danger of someone on the street being able to see in.
I really don’t care what my neighbors think of my blind usage habits. If they don’t like it when I draw my blinds during the day or keep them open at night, tough shit. I couldn’t tell you what any of my neighbors do with their blinds, I don’t pay attention, could not care less, and even if I did care it’s not my business.
What I do in my home is my business, blinds or no blinds.
My house is my house.
Yeah, but only on the weekends.
If the person walking by thinks your place is unoccupied, then they wouldn’t knock on your door.
When we first moved here there were some apartments which were not rented. They all had all of the outside blinds closed, and I have noticed that some neighbors do the same when they go on vacation. Otherwise don’t notice it much.
For contrast, we found it weird when we were in Amsterdam. Many people never close their curtains/blinds, even if their living room is right by the sidewalk. No thank you.
We are on the ground floor and have blinds which can be opened from the top or the bottom in all the windows to the front and sides. The windows in the rear have curtains only. Never had anybody ask us to close or open our blinds.
My friends who have lived in 2 or 3 family houses that have a condo association typically have a “board” that consists of one person from each unit. So if there are two couples and a single guy, only three people show up to “board meetings”, where they decide what to do about the roof leaking.
I don’t care if my neighbors have their blinds up or down or whatever. But I do care about unknown people giving unwanted attention to my house or any other nearby house. It’s simple Occam’s Razor tells me that’s likely what my neighbors think as well.
I wouldn’t expect someone thinking my house is empty to knock on my door while I’m there. That’s like seeing myself in a mirror with mine eyes closed.
I don’t know you or your neighborhood. You’re a better judge of it than anyone here. Your reason #2 was “crime” so you at least had some thoughts similar to mine.
Put a pair of old shoes out on the stoop. Or some old piece of pottery or something. Really, just some signs of life. Do you have a door matt? How about some not-to-loud chimes?
You don’t need to open your window-covering to show signs of occupation.
Or a tape loop featuring periodic loud screams and guttural moaning.
Maybe it’s just the asshole in me, but if a neighbor told me my closed blinds were a problem, damn sure those blinds would stay forever closed.
Says the man living in an area without a neighbor in sight! 
This thread reminds me of a local custom I heard about in Amsterdam. If you walk around the streets of the old town, you see all the windows brightly lit, with no curtains or blinds closed, even at night. And these are big windows - you can see everything. I was told it’s expected, and therefore rude to draw your blinds. God knows what happens if you want to walk around naked. But then, I guess they’re Dutch, so probably no one minds.
I never open my blinds. My windows are essentially at ground level. Besides the fact that another building is just across the parking lot, the complex is full of kids playing outside. Nobody has ever complained.
This is my position. I do live in a condo complex, so my neighbors are close. The only condo “rule” we have on windows is the one about curtains/blinds needing to be white on the window facing side. Nobody wanders around trying to find a unit that’s for sale or rent. They’d go to zillow or someplace like that. The people likely to get the cops called on them are the ones who’d knock on a door to ask if a unit was available. Looks like someone planning a break-in.
Update: I ran into my neighbor outside, and asked him how this most recent person who asked about my place came into contact with him. He said he happened to be outside and the person was walking buy. So maybe they really are just trying to be good neighbors.
Or maybe they were were casing the place and covering up their nosiness by making up some story about rental availability when talking to your neighbor. Perhaps your neighbor’s comment “You might want to open your blinds at least some of the time…” was a subtle warning that she suspected possible potential foul play.
I was referring only to my neighbors’ motives in telling me about the inquirers, not the inquirers’ motives in inquiring.
Well, the police can go straight to hell.
Same here. A room without a window cannot be called a bedroom in any commercial sense, and it is illegal to rent out a unit intending for a windowless room to be used as a bedroom.
So as we were walking the dog this morning, we were looking at whatever we passed, and commenting on whatever we noticed, anything that had changed. That includes home improvements, vehicles, plantings - and yes, in extreme cases - if a house had never had its drapes open or if the drapes are always open such that you can see right through the house.
We really don’t CARE one way or another, so long as people make minimal effort to have their home and property look well maintained. And, as we have decorated and maintained our home, we look to our neighboring homes for ideas of how that can be done well - or less well.
But for those of you who say you have no idea who has their drapes open or closed - what the hack DO you look at as you walk the neighborhood? Are there aspects of homes you DO notice, but you somehow manage to avoid noticing window coverings?
(We have always had dogs, and walk a limited number of routes 2-3 times just about every day.)
When Mrs. J. and I are walking the beastie we look at each other, down the street to see what traffic may be coming, adjacent farmland to see what the cows are up to, neighboring houses and yards to see who’s put up a new fence or addition, returning waves or greetings if someone happens to be outdoors, check out what’s flowering in their yards and what creatures of theirs are barking at Pluto.
I don’t notice window coverings as they don’t interest me, and I don’t expect to peer into people’s homes to see what they’re up to.
I read the memoirs of a WWII navy nurse and she recounted when she was in San Diego she got off work at 3am due to some long procedure, returned to her third story room at the barracks, and decided to take a leisurely shower with all the hot water she wanted for a change.
On shutting the shower off she heard a thrumming noise and noticed just out the window a blinking red light. It was on the bottom of a blimp’s gondola and the whole crew was looking back at her. She waved and turned her back on them to towel off.