I've lived in the same apartment for 6 years without a lease. The rent began at $1200/month, was raised to $1550/month, and now the landlord is selling the building and offering a lease at $2200/month.
The landlord has always required the rent in cash without receipt (he's been quite straightforward that he does this to avoid taxes).
My understanding is that he can set the rent at whatever he'd like since it's a small building (it's a four-apartment brownstone, please correct me if I'm wrong), but I have two questions:
Will a lease need to be honored by the new landlord?
Is there any recourse or opportunity from his requiring the rent be paid in cash without a lease or receipt?
Thanks for any help.