Threatening to Disclose Modifications to Landlord to Avoid a Rent Increase

My question involves criminal law for the state of: NY

My roommates are requesting me to make a significant increase in my rent (one that's not proportionate to each room) after 2 years that go against the agreement we had when we first signed the lease. It's not an increase I can afford, so essentially i'll be forced to move out.

Catch is our apartment has an "illegal" wall unit that was built since we moved in. Without this wall unit they can't rent the apartment to anyone else. Would it be considered blackmail if I threaten to notify the management about the wall unit unless they agree to let me pay my equal share of the rent?

Yup. But why would you want to continue living with jerks like this?

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Quoting eerelations

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Yup. But why would you want to continue living with jerks like this?

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Amen to that.

You can look at New York's theft by coercion laws, Penal Code Sec. 135.60 et seq., and larceny statutes, Sec. 155.00 et seq., as well as any other statutes that may apply, to see how your planned course of conduct might run afoul of the law. I think what you have described so far is a poor fit with those statutes, but I'm not going to parse the entire penal code to see what charges might theoretically be supported by your plan.

I've read as much as i could find on blackmail, extorshion, etc. What doesn't seem to fit in my case is the fact that i'm not asking them to give me any extra money or anything in return for me not using this information. I am only asking to pay my even share of the rent increase.

So why do you want to continue living with these jerks?

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Quoting fstep

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I've read as much as i could find on blackmail, extorshion, etc. What doesn't seem to fit in my case is the fact that i'm not asking them to give me any extra money or anything in return for me not using this information. I am only asking to pay my even share of the rent increase.

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Then just refuse to pay an uneven amount of rent. What is their basis for wanting you to pay a higher portion of rent?

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Quoting llworking

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Then just refuse to pay an uneven amount of rent. What is their basis for wanting you to pay a higher portion of rent?

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their basis is that everyone else is paying over x amount, thing is we agreed years ago my rent should be way less because i have the fake wall and therefore much less privacy.
if i refuse to pay the uneven amount i have to move in which case they will just rent it out to someone else, so only way i stay and keep myself at a reasonable price is by threatening the wall situation, hence i need to know if i can get in trouble for doing this.

So, you threaten them with disclosing the illegal wall, and they decide to let you continue paying far less rent than they do. So you stay where you are.

And you think that then everything then go comfortably on and no one will hold any grudges? No one will be upset with you? Maybe make life a little less than happy for you?

No, of course not. After a threat like that, legal or not, everything will still be fluffy kittens and rainbows and unicorns and puppies.

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Quoting cbg

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So, you threaten them with disclosing the illegal wall, and they decide to let you continue paying far less rent than they do. So you stay where you are.

And you think that then everything then go comfortably on and no one will hold any grudges? No one will be upset with you? Maybe make life a little less than happy for you?

No, of course not. After a threat like that, legal or not, everything will still be fluffy kittens and rainbows and unicorns and puppies.

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It will pass in a few weeks. We have completely opposite schedules and never see each other anyway. I'm willing to deal with a little grudge to not have to find a new place, which is hell to do in NYC.