I have a few short term rentals, and they are incredibly popular.

The assessment would finish with a score between 0 and 100 points and each landlord could choose a bottom score they were comfortable with.

So in a nutshell, my 3 incredibly profitable cash flowing rental properties are killing me in getting another mortgage.

The only thing I could think of was making Skype appointments or something similar to walk inspectors through the property, but I think that'd be incredibly difficult for the inspector to fully do their job.

Bouncing back with a great credit score is easier 

I would do the following:Improve credit score to get the best ratesBuild a strong relationship with your lender(s)Have a solid cash reserveIncrease all credit lines/limitsBut I don't think there's much he can do now, most of the above takes years to do. 

It relied much more on landlord references and criminal background, then income verification and credit scores.

I would still steer clear of the 550 credit score applications with a poor rental history.Hope this helps!

Try virtual mentoring with SCORE!

Any other big purchases in the near future as refinancing could cause a temporary drop in your credit score.