If you have raised the rent within the past year, you either need to incur the charge, give a notice of decrease in rent or make you sure you have an option that does not include a charge.I then checked with Los Angeles consumer affairs on proper notice:If the tenant is under their lease and in their lease you state rent can be delivered one way and you are changing that, they must CONSENT to a "change in terms."  

For that 10K investment you may want to read a blog I wrote about an investment I made with a company that provides co-ownership in a portfolio of 10 rental properties for instant diversification.  

I have also found from my analysis that this market will deliver a strong cash flow.

They can be great lead generators, but not instant ones.

There's little if any instant equity, but it cashflows really well, so I'm reluctant to walk away.Assuming I can find someone willing to make up the difference, what forms could that investment take in order to be acceptable as part of the down payment for a conventional investment loan?

Charge by the class or hour, and always deliver more than you promise.

However, since these turn key property management companies make their money on reselling to investors at near retail value, I'll probably lose significantly on that instant equity I could get not going the turn key property management route. 

They seem to deliver on what they promise. 

My goal is to promise only what I know I can deliver and I believe this is the best way to achieve long term for success for me and my partners.  

If you can deliver, they will return for business.