Moving out, need some advice

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Hi all.

Love the podcast and this whole idea of putting people together!

Quandary-

I’ve lived in the top level of a house (duplex) for almost 20 years. The house is worth probably $1 million or more, it’s in Silverlake, California. I am moving with my husband and our baby to a house we are buying. We know we are moving in mid July into our new house. 

My landlord and I have a weird relationship. He’s not the nicest guy, we’ve had words. He’s pulled some real bad stuff that I didn’t know was illegal at the time. No love there. Our rent is cheap here compared to everything in LA.  We have paid off his mortgage, he owes nothing on the house. He bought another house that he lives in now. He won’t pay us to leave. At one point he was offering us money, but then he pulled the offer.

So you know what? That’s fine, I love the duplex. I will stay, in the apartment, and get a roommate. This roommate will have one bedroom and access to the whole place, and I’ll have the other bedroom. Technically I will still live in Silverlake, but I will spend 99% of my time with my family in our new house. There is no lease at the apartment, we’re month to month.

Our first question is, when we get a roommate, does the landlord have to approve this new roommate? I will keep my renters insurance here

Last question is, can we rent the one bedroom out for more money than he’s renting this place to us for, or is that illegal? If my rent is $1,500. a month and I get a roommate and charge him/her $3,000. a month rent to live here, is that legal, in California?

I have friends who are getting $30,000 - $40,000 to move out of their one bedroom apartments all over LA that are being converted and sold as condos. I don’t want to move until he pays me. Is that bad? I don’t know how to approach him about this. If he would pay me, I would leave. Until then, I don’t want to move out.

Any articles been written about this or PDF's I can read?

Thanks