We used a service and a proven letter, I mailed every month for 6 months, actually alternating 500 every two weeks, so I had more time to follow up with the usually 30-ish responses. 

<<I could alternatively leave it as an "open" loft, no powder room -so 1 bedroom/1bathroom + loft..... 

Alternatively, the Short-Term Rental (STR) loophole allows losses to offset W2 income if you materially participate.

If traditional banks aren't providing favorable terms, consider alternative lenders like HML or PML.  

For HELOCs without W2 income, look into local credit unions or community banks, as they often have more flexibility with alternative income verification and rental portfolios.

However I wouldn't expect this to stop you from getting approved, but it may mean you should consider looking at alternative options or structure the deal in a way where you won't be caught with a net loss due to the PPP.

I wanted to reach out and ask what other alternatives to Stessa are out there.

However, fraud is an exclusion in all insurance policies and had the option of focusing on their negligence and completely ignore the forgery where I would receive  cooperation from their insurance carrier or alternatively go for the $100K and hope I can someday turn that judgement into cash.

It seems to be but the pricing is just way higher than the alternatives. 

Alternatively, you could skip the cameras and post signs everywhere (and in your marketing) and just claim you have cameras.