From my experience, you can use that savings to house hack with an FHA loan, invest in a turnkey property in a more affordable market, or even partner with others to expand your purchasing power.

With the bill being so much higher than the needed approval you should have been communicated with as a curtesy.

The Only other deductions that I have right now are $154 for unpaid water bill, and $45 for the minor repairs mentioned (doorbell, blinds, shower).Questions for the group:Does $540 seem excessive for a cleaning charge, given the situation?

There is the Experian Boost that adds monthly utility bills as credit and various apps and facebook groups.

The violations would include 'the personal occupation of a garage as residence' while asserting to police that he didn't live in it, along with the power overloads due to use not in keeping with a garage rental.  

Quote from @Bill Hampton: @Felicia JenkinsAlso, Padsplit will want you to eliminate any dining room, den, etc to add more bedrooms. 

@Chris Piper  all do respect way to much info , to many spend so much time reading books watching videos, going to seminars, and building their " Power Team " .

I'm in the training and have found it very helpful, but I'm unclear about the legalities of billing oneself as a private money lender if you are not licensed by the DRE.

They might not be great for cash flow but might be great for long term capital appreciation especially when you use leverage.I’d rather own a $1M asset that breaks even but appreciates consistently by 3% than own a $100k asset that cash flows $3k per year.There’s power in investing in or near your backyard.  

It broke day 1, it was fixed day 1, here’s a bill for 75% of what I paid to handle it myself.