If they fail to acknowledge your claim, then your contractor license board consumer department can help you out.

Have your attorney draw up a lease and purchase option to ensure your compliance with consumer protection laws.

Fortunately we had the financial position to be able to "leave them at the alter" and go a different direction, however most consumers may not be as fortunate or prepared.

Only thing is a STR is more time and mind/thought consuming than a IRA.

Even if you contest it you do so after they collect the funds back from your account, which is why the consumer's bank issues a "temporary" credit during the dispute process.Essentially you burn a processor and you're done with electronic payments for 5 years.

Not ideal and not the route I'd advocate, but bearable.In other instances, in which a financial/tax service provider promotes non-compliance to unwitting consumers, the potential costs can be astronomical to all clients.Consumers of financial & tax services should always seek - and get - total transparency from their service/product providers.

I charge more than Cleaning fee all year round to help pay for consumables and small breakage.

A fund would need a Security offering and then you would need a MLO or Consumer finance license or RE Broker license to make the loans in the State of CA.. one of the 3..

If you wouldn't mind sharing, what are the top 5 time consuming tasks you come across? 

HELOC which stands for HOME equity line of credit, is a consumer loan product that is supposed to be used for personal or household, not commercial purposes.