I'm looking for ways I can "protect" this private lender. 

He is "the" KGB master strategist, what he was able to achieve through strategy and guise is only paralleled by Adolf Hitlers rise from private in a jail cell to Fueler. 

So it isn't a complete waste, you would simply need to follow the strict reading of the law with no private clauses for consideration...I'm not sure how that plays out since technically if the lease is void, so is the tenancy meaning you could terminate anytime and not wait for the original lease expiration...I'm sure that's covered somewhere, but again I'd ask my local atty what to do given this is such a locally specific issue. 

I have done Private Money Loans on auctions in the past.

Remedy after termination.If the rental agreement is terminated, the landlord may have a claim for possession and for rent and a separate claim for actual damages for breach of the rental agreement, reasonable attorney fees as provided in § 55.1-1245, and the cost of service of any notice under § 55.1-1245 or 55.1-1415 or process by a sheriff or private process server, which cost shall not exceed the amount authorized by § 55.1-1247, and such claims may be enforced, without limitation, by initiating an action for unlawful entry or detainer.

I'm new to posting here... was a member way back in my early days,I'll hit this "contact" button to try and privately get in touch.Thanks for the message

Leverage private lenders and seller financing to avoid draining cash reserves.

They’ll send someone to look at it and (hopefully) help pay for the repairs, but you'll likely want to use an aggressive private adjuster that is going to advocate for YOU.   

You'd have to find a private lender to give you a bridge loan.

I also had more confidence, more resources in terms of private lenders who were willing to lend to me because I now had a track record, and good contractors.By running my own marketing, I had access to a lot more opportunities and was able to start supplementing the cost of my acquisitions through wholesaling and the occassional flip which in turn expanded my network.