(he/she may be stating a code that doesn't apply to this house due to age etc) and I would ask for both of those...... then your only option is to fix it or lock it up, so no one but you has access to that area.While codes can be a PITA from a $$ aspect, they are often rooted in a real safety concerns, so factor that into your decision.

Meaning that they are potentially more inclined to do "quick fix" repairs instead of addressing the actual root issue of something.

They had an engineer out when they first bought the property about 5 years ago & the engineer recommended a root barrier & gutters.

Getting back to the root of your question, you only real options are a private money lender (more than likely would need to be friends or family), hard money lenders, or getting a line of credit secured by equity in your personal residences.

Obviously there's a grass roots component here (along with the hotel lobbyist's obviously).I say this, in this tread specifically, not to play chicken little but to make potential short term rental investors in the Tucson, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Flagstaff and other communities aware of the fact that Arizona will not always be the "Airbnb Wild West" and to be prepared for the eventuality of STR regulations being imposed here, as is happening all over the country.Now, most of the regulations that I've seen that have been imposed have a grandfather component so getting in ahead of the "smack down" could stand to secure the value of your rental, but this has not always been the case, some places simply shut it down (Which I don't think AZ would do, if anything they'll just impose a permitting requirement as it shows good faith to the lobbyist's AND increases tax income).Also, government regulation isn't ALL bad, as it slows the influx of competition in an area, helping to keep prices from bottoming out.I say all that to say this.

Thanks for any inputCheck HVAC, electric meters, water sewer areas for leaks, large trees near buildings and sidwailks for root issues, windows and doors age and condition, structure issues and integrity etc.Also if you can get into the units make sure to view all of them and behind every other door that’s not a rental unit. 

If the city looks like it's doing a lot to promote business and growth, that's a very good sign.Step four, once you've rooted out the cities that don't have strong local governments, find the local newspaper websites and poke around.When you've narrowed your list to one or two great markets, call brokers, property managers, and local bankers and tell them you're interested in their market and will be visiting shortly.

  :)    Gives me a heads up on routine stuff like roots, obstructions, etc, to clear.... or that I will need to dig the whole thing up because its crushed or built out of tar paper (look up "orangeburg pipe", it was a thing back in the 60s!) 

You can do jetting/cleaning if there's a tree, but if there is a offset depending where the roots are you probably can't.

I have roots here, my wife has family nearby, and we are mostly satisfied with our neighborhood.I think this is a GOOD thing for investors.