Does a landlord have to follow eviction laws even if the lease states otherwise?

Asked by ItalianPrincess1217 (11979) August 16th, 2011 from iPhone

There have been a few tenants in my building that have had issues with the landlord. Just the other day, our new neighbors were forced to move out in 3 days notice because they gave 30 day notice to move out and the landlord didn’t like that, so they sent a letter to them saying to vacate the premises in 3 days. My other neighbors had the same thing happen to them but that was due to nonpayment of rent. They were given 3 days to pay or leave. Is this legal? I am slightly concerned because I recently gave notice to the landlord that I would be leaving before the lease is up. I found a new place and the conditions are completely unlivable at this apartment. I won’t go into details, but trust me when I say, nobody can happily stay here. Now I worry that they will send me a similar letter to vacate. I looked over the lease and it does state something about if lease terms are broken they can give 3 days notice. Doesn’t every landlord in ny still have to follow the eviction laws? Can they really come knock on someone’s door if they dont leave in 3 days and “force” them out? I’m not even packed yet! And I’m almost 9 months pregnant. I can’t move my entire apartment alone. Also, my new apartment is not available until the first of September so I would have to find a place to go. Yikes. Any landlords know the laws on something like this? Any peace of mind would be appreciated!