Hi,

I just want to say first of all that I'm new to BC and renting a place in Canada by myself so I know almost nothing about the tenant's rights here. On another note, the landlord is quite fussy and probably not accommodating me in any way.

Background information:

I'm renting a two-bedroom basement with a roommate. The lease began on February 1st, 2022 (one-year lease) but I was not in Canada at that time so my roommate moved in first and I moved in on March 7th, 2022 ( I paid March's rent as usual). Now I have to move out on December 26th, 2022, breaking my lease. My roommate will stay until the end of her lease duration.

I notified the landlord on November 8th, 2022 and requested permission to assign my place for January. On November 11, 2022, she emailed me back saying she acknowledges my notice but she is planning to increase the rent by $100/month (around 10% more than what I'm paying right now). In short, I can't assign my lease but I can sublet it for the month of January only. I then answered that I will try to find someone, to which she did not respond at all.

My questions are:

Regarding subletting and rent:

1. In case I can't find a sublet, what will happen? Do I still have to pay the full rent for January? Am I entitled to get my damage deposit back?
2. In case I find a sublet, is there a sublet agreement form I can sign with them? Can I request the move-out inspection to happen in December even if there will be a sublet in January?
3. I was not present for the move-in inspecting tour but my roommate was. Do I have to be present (either virtually or in person) in order to get my deposit back or just my roommate being present is enough?

( My landlord did not mention the move-in inspection to me at all. I did not get a written notice that the inspection was happening or a report afterward. Being new, I did not think about it)