Say I went with that one though and secured it all cash.

Since then, I’ve paid myself back with the rental cash flow.

This means no per booking fees for our owners, which adds up to a bundle of cash over the course of a year.  

I am looking for a platform that is cost effective, but allows me to track all the essentials, give owners access, and ease of accounting.

Cash flow is better here, but appreciation is less (CA is off the charts for this metric compared to most of the country, so it's not that OK is bad- depends on your goals and expectations). 

If you are cash, lets chat.

Currently, I find myself in a situation where a significant sum of my cash is held up due to complications between these entities.

I've been told Cash for keys is a good method but how do you go about doing that?

If those do not work then go buy a rental that does not cash flow. :) 

But the idea of solving the water problem in a way that generates cash flow intrigues me.