You need to have "Skin" in the game meaning your money or "Family" money.You can receive "gift funds" from a "Family" member if money was given to a family member and then given to you as a gift from family it would work.Keep in mind even if the seller gives you money the bank/lender will see the deposit into your account since they ask for (2) months of bank statements.

The difficulty with this particular situation was that we had a different email on file for the tenant, one that he always used in the past.

But I wondering how difficult is it to get a DSCR loan without experience building or buying rental properties.1.

Also they would like to see you have some skin in the game, which it sounds like you are working on. 

Don't get me wrong, these come with their own challenges, such as the high minimum investment ($50-100K, although that's also about how much you'll need to buy a rental), and the difficulty in finding reputable sponsors.

I am also trying to find an attorney or lawyer to help me with the process but I am having difficulty finding one in the Santa Clara county area.

Meaning, the borrower must bring at least 10% skin in the game.  

IMO it goes against the meaning of the word if the new entrants to the group aren't coming to the table with at least a certain level of experience and skin in the game.

I was not getting any solid signal about rental occupancy rate either and from a property appreciation point of view, I felt there was hardly any skin left in the game for me. 

Do you have any skin in the game.