Many unscrupulous PMs will try to increase revenue by inflating expenses and charging for unnecessary items.

Unnecessary costs for a cash-out or HELOC doesn't make sense unless you plan to live in the house for a few years.  

There is a delicate balance somewhere between keeping legislation strong enough to protect homeowners, while also not burdening the industry so much that people choose to do work illegally as you suggested, or take unnecessary time to deliver a finished project (and thus a home for somebody in this case).

You can:Go to other markets, or;Find motivated sellers or;Adjust your financial criteria to reflect market forces (either directly or through using some value-add approach after purchase), or;Hold off expansion of your empire until the Gods (market forces) see things your way, or;Pack it in and play the stock market.BTW, drop the "two months" self-imposed deadline: You will wind up doing a deal for the sake of doing a deal, trying to convince yourself it is "good'" not because it actually is "good."

Trust, you will crowd out alllll sorts of unnecessary stuff if you do that one thing.

@Monica BergerIn a community I own in Virginia (golf course community) they just imposed STR restrictions - nothing you can do except bring in a new board to overturn it but that’s probably not gonna happen

All these tenant portals usually have 1 or 2 things that are annoying or unnecessary. 

Can anyone recommend a trustworthy inspector who is not going to overcharge or create unnecessary problems?

You cannot impose an additional fee for an emotional support animal (ESA), but it's essential to obtain documentation confirming its status as a service animal. 

For example I have house hacking clients in Malibu doing STR and the city imposes a 15% gross income tax.The popular areas (Joshua Tree, Big Bear, etc.) from what I am hearing are over saturated.