A 60-day notice is required for tenants who have lived in an apartment for more than one year, but less than two years, or have a lease of at least one year, but less than two years. Tenants who have lived in a unit for more than two years, or have a lease of at least two years, must get a 90-day notice.
In New York, it is required for a lease to be enforceable that all parties sign. Which means that your current lease is not binding, but—and this is a major 'but'—if the landlord were to send you a signed copy of the lease now, the lease would become binding.
With the current rent laws, destabilization (also called vacancy decontrol) may happen when a rent-stabilized apartment's monthly rent exceeds $2,700 while the apartment is vacant.
Landlords may refuse to renew a lease only under certain enumerated circumstances, such as when the tenant is not using the premises as a primary residence.
Under the Rent Stabilization Law, an owner may begin an eviction proceeding when the current lease expires, but only after the tenant is given written notice that the lease will not be renewed. This notice must be served at least 90 and not more than 150 days before the current lease term expires.
In NYC, an owner may refuse to renew a rent stabilized tenant's lease because the owner has an immediate and compelling need to possess the apartment for use as his or her primary residence or as a primary residence for his or her immediate family.
New York City rent stabilized tenants are entitled to receive a fully executed copy of their signed lease from their landlords within 30 days of the landlord's receipt of the lease signed by the tenant. The lease's beginning and ending dates must be stated.
The Landlord-Tenant Lawyer can help with getting your holding deposit back for a NYC rental apartment if you never signed a lease.
If you do not have a written lease, or your lease expired and you don't live in rent regulated housing, the landlord/owner may be able to go to court to evict you even if you did not do anything wrong. It is the landlord/owner's right to evict you without a reason.