We have been renting from the same landlord for about 10 years; we have been in this apartment for about 6. We actually plan to buy a house in two years, and had planned to use our landlord/realtor, but everything has suddenly changed.

We went on a vacation, and when we came back, the apartment below had been gutted and our entire apartment was coated in dust. The landlord did reluctantly send a maid service to dust, and we felt like that was the end of it. Then it was proposed that since our radiators were leaking water into the gutted apt, we get a new heater and air conditioner. When the project was suggested, we offered to move into one of her other apartments, but were talked out of it. The landlord and heater guy told us it would be 3-5 DAYS, start to finish. We are now going into week 6. We cannot use half our rooms because of the holes in the floor and our cat, and we now only have heat in two rooms. I have given the landlord a deadline of Thanksgiving, and I feel sure it will not be done by then.

First, we should have gone to the city permit people when we first got back from our trip; the landlord has no permits for any of this work. At this point, I am willing to give it a week. I am worried about what was in the dust and continues to be in the dust from the work below us. I bought a book on tenant's rights, but I would like any input on how to deal with this. We have had such a good relationship with our landlord until this point, that we were really baffled and confused by what was happening.