BEST ANSWER
Alicha,
This is an instance where you are going to want to read your lease very carefully. In the case of most residential leases, the answer is no; the lease will "survive" the sale. There are some leases that have provisions for this type of situation, though.
I have seen a few instances where leases are automatically terminated upon the sale of the building. More often, there is a clause in a lease that states that the owner can terminate the lease on 60-90 days notice for any reason. If the new owner is looking to do work on the building, occupy your apartment, etc., they may plan to have you vacate the space.
In any case, this is a good time for you to sit down and read your lease carefully to find out what types of situations you may find yourself in. In addition, this would also be a good time to do a quick consultation with a local real estate attorney. If you have the contact information for the new buyer, it also not a bad idea to call them and introduce yourself and try to make a good first impression.
On the off chance that you do not have a current, signed lease, your rights to the apartment are severely limited. In general, your occupancy of the unit and timely paid rent will give you about 30 days of rights to the space. When it comes time for your next installment of rent, though, the owner would probably be able to terminate your tenancy.
I hope this helps! Good luck!
Mon Jun 9 2008, 08:37