Doesn't a landlord have to provide window shades?

What a landlord must legally provide to tenants in rental property is clearly listed in several sections of 105 CMR 410.  Among them are a kitchen sink, a working stove and oven, a toilet and washbasin, a bathtub or shower, light fixtures in the kitchen, bathroom, halls and stairways, heat (but not with space heaters) and hot water.  The last two items may or may not be paid for by the landlord according to provisions of the lease.  For more information about a landlord's obligations, see our page on Massachusetts Law about Landlord and Tenant.  You can find there under "Other Web Sources," an excellent summary of the obligations of both landlords and tenants, Good Neighbors Handbook, from the City of Boston.