Building Details: Upper Manhattan, prewar ~1920, 40 units, RS
Situation: I am the primary tenant of an RS apartment. My lease ended this past winter but I didn't receive a lease renewal form despite requesting one from my LL via email. I've been on time with my rent payments and haven't had any issues with the LL during the 4+ years I've lived here.
Fast forward to today, I've decided to move out and sent my LL a 30-day notice with the understanding that I'm on a month-to-month arrangement since I never got a lease renewal form. They responded that I'm not month-to-month and that they will send me a lease renewal form "again" for me to sign. I'm confused about this response. I'm still leaving at the end of this month so I'm not sure what they're trying to accomplish. I'd appreciate any kind of insight/advice on this situation.
1. To confirm, if I never got a lease renewal does it mean that I'm month-to-month after the lease expired?
2. Is there anything I need to be aware of in terms of legal actions my LL could take when I move out?
3. Since my LL has been unresponsive/uncooperative what are some best practices for me to cover myself when I move? I'm planning on taking pictures of the apartment when I leave and have the super sign a key return form when I give the keys back. Would this be sufficient and are there any other actions I could take?