Are there any special laws pertaining to landlord / tenant relations if the landlord resides on the property?

My landlord lives downstairs from me in a two apartment house in upstate New York. He claims that since he lives there he has special rights that a non-resident landlord would not have. He claims that he can evict a tenant for any reason at all, even outright prejudice, because he lives on the property. He also says if he were an absentee landlord this would not be true. Where can I find out more about this?