I have rented for a few decades, primarily from older owners' crappier 2nd-homes, typically the last remants of older housing in gentrifying parts of working-class towns. My ideal landlord doesn't want to invest anything in their rental, other than bare-minimums for legal habitability [even then..].
This has four-times given me immense negotiating leverage, with the trade-off of having to provide my own labor for minimal standards of living (e.g. I currently pay ~40% below-market, but am responsible for all HVAC/mech/pest maintenance; example: recently replaced the water heater).
Have you asked your landlord if you can modify your apartment, or is it a corporate no-returned-calls situation?
