Catch-22 Situation and Need Some Advice (Maybe Legal??)

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okay here is the scenario: My grandmother, mother and I moved into this apartment. The original lease was in my grandmother's name. When she died in 1986, my mother never formerly changed the name on the lease to hers, and instead of paying the rent by check with her name on it got money orders and signed the money orders under her mother's name..uh, this in itself was actually probably illegal, but the landlord did accept the money orders nonetheless. Over the years there were minimal rent increases, and because we were considered rent-control since we had moved prior to 1973 when apartment where thereafter rent-stabilized, our rent was cheap...Now legally we had the right to remain here due to the law of succession deal...her mother was the original leasee, and by blood we had the right to remain here, and besides we had lived here all along anyway. Then in around 2000 we didn't get anymore rent increases and the rent became frozen at the same amount due to my mother being a senior citizen, which is also allowable with the SCRIE program. Okay here is where it gets sticky. Now my mother died last year on August 27, 2006. Almost right away, to save my hide, and thinking in legal terms, I decided to apply for DRIE (Disability Rent Increase Exemption) --the idea being that since I'm on disability benefits and to prevent my landlord from taking it in his head to raise the rent, I applied--so I sent just about every form of documentation to verify my application, but they kept saying they needed more valid proof, that is some kind of official lease in MY name to verify I live there...yeesh. Well I did manage to get some other documents from the housing department, but there really still is nothing official with my name on it..it still has my grandmother's name on everything..like I said, my mother never changed it..why...don't ask. Now here's my dilemma....To get this "official" documentation and a lease with MY name on it, naturally means contacting the landlord..which I admit I've been hesitant to do even after all this time...my thinking is that he might take it into his head to raise my rent suddenly and for a lot more than what I'm paying which is still the frozen rent from 2000.. Now he knows very well I live here, as he has been accepting money orders from me IN MY NAME for over a year now. The problem is that the new rule of succession changes after the first person after the original leasee...Yes, my mother was covered by the rule, but even though I'm of the same blood family line and have lived here all my life, I might be obligated to pay more rent nonetheless, thus the reason for my applying for DRIE to prevent any rent increases. So like what do I do??...To get accepted in the DRIE program I need this documentation of a lease under my name...but if I approach the landlord to GET this, he might raise my rent, big time...see the Catch-22 situation I'm in? Okay maybe many of you haven't been able to follow this as it is all legal smeagal stuff, but I do tend to think legalise anyway...LOL So please --advice here maybe??