I realize the owner is not personally responsible for the construction in the building, which belongs to someone else. However, he:
1) Rented the apartment to me in January while construction was already underway without informing me of that fact;
2) Did absolutely nothing to try to alleviate the problem in any way or help find an alternative, and;
3) As far as I know, despite no longer being able to claim ignorance of the situation, immediately put the apartment back on the market.
What a pity. The apartment itself is in a good location and was basically in order when I moved in. However, it doesn't matter how nice a place is if you know that if there's a problem you are totally on your own. I do not recommend renting with this owner.