Yes you can get in without "military" involvement. 

I will always take a deposit unless I know the people involved. 

Was he really involved in your deals?

We have several subcontractors that handle the process but the owner has zero involvement.

In that case you should get an attorney involved as encroachment would be a material issue that if known should have been disclosed both to the broker and to any potential buyer.  

While the traditional approach involves buying a multi family property, living in one unit and renting out the other - with rising prices and interest rates; others have considered renting out bedrooms as unit spaces. 

Personally, I would never invest in a place I didn't even visit and also meet/interview the people who would be involved (agent, manager, contractor, etc.)

Is there some other way to verify his involvement? 

Keep in mind magistrates deal with MANY MANY cases involving small issues so their rulings OFTEN may not follow the correct technical application of the law.

For your first question, writing a scope of work (SOW) involves detailing all the tasks and materials needed for your project.