Entitled to renew lease?

[megabulk]

I have been living in an illegal loft (zoned commercial) for the last 5 years. There are a total of 8 units in this building, comprising a total of about 16 persons. 5 years ago, all of the tenants signed 5-year commercial leases, which we then gave to the landlord and never saw again (and no, none of us had the presence of mind to make a copy).

The landlord is fully aware that we are living in this building. Although none of us tenants have copies of the leases, the landlord has been following the letter of the lease, e.g. raising the rent by 4% once a year.

Recently we have all received notice from the landlord that our leases are coming to an end and will not be renewed (we live in an up-and-coming neighborhood, and he wants to convert the building into a hip shopping mall).

My question is, do we have any right to remain living here? Are we entitled to a renewal of the lease?

If it makes a difference, we are located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this.