I have been told by my town that there's no way to change this. 

They will tell you they will do it for less, but again, 99% of the time, no, not done properly.

First, I'll say "no way"!  

There is no way to transfer the listing ownership to a co-host through Airbnb. 

No, absolutely zero.

Booking challenges would be no different than using Airbnb/VRBO.

That someone you hire is your biggest risk and it is essential you find someone reliable.Research as many people in your local market that do the work you need and talk to them on the phone.

No construction zone.  

I've reached out to the office about 2 hours ago, but no one answered the phone.

An illegal unit (on the cities radar, no go living there) not so much.