I am a writer, working at home. Construction just started in the apartment above me, apparently to last a few months. The pounding starts at 8:00 in the morning, and goes until about 6:00 p.m. What are my rights? Are they allowed to start this early? Do I have any recourse? Thanks --
I know exactly how you feel because my LL has been renovating apartments in my building, and there are are several apartments, plus a building under construction, which face my apartment.
When the building construction began to get out of hand, local residents looked into their work permit and discovered they were only permitted to work from 9am to 5 or 6pm on weekdays. Neighbors filed complaints with the local precinct and the workers cut back their hours to the appropriate times.
Check to see if your LL has any permits for this construction. Then do a follow-up with the City's Buildings Dapertment. They're usually willing to take anonymous complaints so you shouldn't have to worry about your LL retaliating.