Do I have a case, or any rights at all?

[BrooklynGremlin]

I posted this in gen. discussion, but I think I should have put it here instead. Sorry for the confusion and double post.

Ok, bear with me here, this is gonna take a moment or two. From the beginning:
My parents and I moved into this apartment back around 1974. Around 1980, the house was sold and the new owner kept us as tenants. Eventually, the owner moved out and left her daughter and son-in-law occupying the apt on the 2nd floor (it is a 2 family house). They moved out about 2 years ago.

My mother passed in 1985, and only my dad & I remained here, I was 15 at the time.

Around the same time, she began renting out the basement. I am quite positive it is an illegal apt. She's had numerous tenants in there.

In December of 1998, me & my then-fiance moved into the basement for privacy, and I wanted to stay close to my dad, who was getting old and his health was failing. My dad smoked heavily, and due to his health & age did not perform a lot of maintainance in the apt. Even while in the bsmt, I maintained my old room upstairs with my pc, internet connection, bedroom with AC that I used when my girlfriend visited her mom & family during the summer months. No AC was downstairs.

At this point, it was my dad on the 1st floor, who smoked, me & my girlfriend in the basement who both smoked, and tenants on the 2nd. I don't know if they smoked or not. At no point did either myself or my dad have a lease for either apartments.

My dad passed in June 2001, and i took over the apartment on the 1st floor. As per agreement with LL, me & my friends renovated the 1st floor apt, and no rent for that apt was paid, only for the basement which I still lived in until the work was done. Painted all room, new light fixtures, new double doors, kitchen tiles, counter top, "fleckstone" on all cabinets, a bunch of things were done.

The new tenants on the second floor ahve complained that I smoke, and complain constantly to the LL. The LL has told me in the past, around april of this year, that I should leave. She later dropped the discussion, and I'm still here. Now the people on the 2nd floor are burning incense outside my door, and routinely come downstairs to spray an aerosol around my apt. This is ALL due to smoking, nothing else. I am under the impression the LL told the tenants it was a no-smoking bldg. I have only lived here for 28 years, so I wonder if I have any rights at all. Anyone have any advice?

[BrooklynGremlin]

I just laid out the cash, and kept receipts. The LL did pay me back in cash for them.