We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to perform the balcony inspections required under SB 326 by the Board of Directors of an HOA in San Luis Obispo.
Tumbling Waters HOA San Luis Obispo
The condominium association has 68 decks requiring Stage 1 inspections. Bill Leys, President of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants said he is extremely excited to see the number of Associations who are contracting with the firm for these important inspections. “We have a lot of deck inspections scheduled for most of the summer and are scheduling some jobs into October already, the demand is really ramping up.” said Leys.
Leys recommends that Associations start getting bids now and getting inspections scheduled ASAP. “There’s a point where we will reach full capacity and I anticipate we will be pretty booked for inspections through the end of the year and into 2024 within the next 4 months. There are not many inspectors and structural engineers who are doing balcony inspections and those that are, are telling me they’re booking up rapidly as well.”
Reach out to us today, drop us an email using the contact form on the left side of your screen, or call Bill Leys directly at 805-801-2380.
We are pleased to announce that Shoreline Condominiums in Santa Barbara has selected William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC to perform their SB 326 balcony inspections.
Shoreline Condominiums has over 60 decks, multiple walkways and bridges for pedestrians and numerous stairs supported by wood framing that requires inspection under the bill.
Clients understand how important choosing the right inspection company is to perform these vital inspections and appreciate that I guarantee in writing that I have no conflicts of interest. I don’t own a waterproofing company or have any interest in any company’s products that I might specify to repair your decks.
Call me today to schedule a free EEE evaluation of your property. 805-801-2380. Ask for Bill,bI answer the phone every time and you’ll be in good hands.
Bill Leys, president of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC received a Certificate of Completion from Simpson Gumpertz and Heger after attending their recent webinar “External Elevated Elements: Are You Sure That Your Balcony Is Safe?”
The hour-long program focused on the Berkeley balcony collapse tragedy that claimed 7 lives in 2015. Six other young adults survived, but sustained serious life threatening injuries that continue to create health issues to this day.
Leys contributed to the reporting of the balcony collapse with his expertise to the LA Times, The Mercury, The Irish Sun, SF Gate and other news outlets. Leys also testified at the CA Senate hearings on the proposed balcony bill brought by Senator Jerry Hill. Said Leys “I said back in 2016, and I still say it today, wood decks with waterproofing must be built to exacting standards and the highest workmanship in order to remain waterproof and safe. Inspections, maintenance and repairs must be performed to keep people safe on raised decks. Those students should never have lost their lives if people had done their job.”
Today Bill Leys continues to advocate for deck safety, performing SB 326 balcony inspections for HOAs throughout California. “We are one of a few companies that performs these inspections free of any conflicts of interest.” said Leys. “Many so called balcony inspectors are using SB 326 as a backdoor method to take advantage of unsuspecting HOAs who aren’t aware that their inspector is actually a waterproofing contractor. Worse yet, we know of several individuals who have complaint disclosures on their license they hold with CSLB that prey on HOAs under the guise of being an independent balcony inspector.”
Leys points out that his firm guarantees in writing that they have no conflicts of interest, with no ownership or interest in any company that performs construction work or manufactures waterproofing materials. “We work only for the HOAs best interests and when we work with our clients to get their decks repaired, we always use a written scope of work and obtain a minimum of three bids from contractors. Anything less is not acceptable to us.” said Leys
William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC was formed in 2020 and concentrates on working with HOAs in southern California. The firm is a member of the CAI Coachella Valley chapter as well as the Channel Islands Chapter. Please contact Bill today for a free EEE evaluation and proposal.
There’s a lot of false information being spread by grifters in the balcony inspection industry.
First let me say that I have a lot of respect for my peers in the waterproofing consulting industry. Many of them are members of trade association groups, have designations as roof and waterproofing consultants and have the highest ethical standards. I salute them and place myself amongst them as a person who puts their client first, above all other interests.
Then there are the people in the balcony inspection industry who are spreading false information, sowing fear and generally lack any moral compass at all. They typically own a contracting business and are in the balcony inspection business to take advantage of unsuspecting managers and Boards of Directors of HOAs.
Case in point, the screen shot above from a deck inspectors website… Saying the inspection must be done by a licensed and certified inspector. There are no requirements set down in SB 326 that an inspector must be licensed or certified. What SB 326 says is the report must be signed by a licensed structural engineer or a licensed architect. There is no licensing entity, such as CSLB or The Board of Professional Engineers that issues licenses or administers tests for EEE inspections under SB326. This competing inspectors website is full of false information designed to frighten you.
Secondly, Associations are not required to file their balcony inspection report with the city or country building department. If, and only if the Structural Engineer or the Architect determines that an EEE is structurally unsound, and is a threat to life/ safety, then that person is responsible to notify the local building department, within 15 days after the inspection about the unsafe structure.
Third, we already caught this “deck inspector” having a balcony inspection report signed by a civil engineer and have reported that to the Board of Professional Engineers for investigation.
When you know the facts you’ll see why we and our fellow peers uphold the highest standards and are your best choice to perform your balcony inspections. Don’t get bamboozled, get educated, ask questions and above all always get 3 bids. Call us today for your free EEE evaluation of your HOA and rest easy knowing we are working in your best interests.
Go to the Board of Professional Engineers website and look up this license number. It doesn’t belong to the civil engineer who signed it. Now look up the name of this engineer and you’ll see that he is a civil engineer. https://search.dca.ca.gov/?BD=31. And just out of curiosity, isn’t it strange that this guy used the wrong license number?
We are pleased to announce that we’ve signed a contract with Carhill Condominiums in San Luis Obispo to perform Stage 2 inspections of the Associations EEEs.
Stage 2 inspections include destructive testing and borescope camera inspections after our Structural Engineer determined after a Stage 1 inspection that water was getting past the building envelope into structural members of the EEEs.
Bill Leys, president of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC said ” We are fast becoming the choice of HOA managers and Associations to perform SB 326 inspections because of our commitment to being free of conflicts of interest by guaranteeing in writing that we do not own any contacting firm, bid on any work or have any interest in any products we may specify for repairs and restoration of an Associations EEEs. Managers recognize that low ball bids for balcony inspections come from firms that own waterproofing companies that want to do the repair work. These companies know they can pad the cost of inspections into the cost of repairs and the Association is hoodwinked into thinking they got a deal. William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC always seeks 3 bids for Stage 2 inspections and 3 bids for repairs to structural elements.”
Stage 2 Inspiring results- This deck has severe water intrusion issues after a Stage 1 inspection determined that water likely leaked into structural members.
The experts at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC invite your Association to come experience our professionalism, expertise and no conflicts of interest guarantee and see why we are becoming the choice of HOA professionals to perform EEE inspections.
We are excited to announce that we were selected to perform the balcony inspections at Varsity Park HOA in Moorpark by the Board of Directors of the HOA under SB 326.
Balconies await inspection by Bill Leys, the Deck Inspector.
The property is managed by A Diamond Management located in Thousand Oaks.
Bill Leys, President of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC said the award of the contract to the firm is another sign that the managers of associations recognize the experience of the company and that the firm’s competitive pricing allows HOAs to be able to afford the best deck inspectors in the industry. “A lot of other companies don’t have deck inspectors who have actually installed deck waterproofing systems like I have. Years of experience installing deck systems and tearing apart failed deck systems teaches one a lot more than what ” book learning”: ever can. Real experience makes a difference.”
Please contact us for your free no obligation EEE evaluation and proposal for an SB 326 inspection. We visit every job personally so we know your property, and what it will take to inspect it effectively. We don’t ask you to send us pictures and tell us how many decks you have… That’s not your job to do the deck inspectors job.
See why Bill Leys is The Deck Inspector. Call or email us now.
We are proud to announce that we’ve recently signed agreements with Bella Villeta HOA in Santa Barbara and Hueneme Shores HOA in Port Hueneme for SB 326 balcony inspections.
Bella Villeta HOA is managed by The Management Trust Santa Barbara division and Hueneme Shores HOA is managed by Community Property Management of Camarillo.
Bill Leys, president and owner of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC said ” Managers are reporting to us that our bids are very competitive, our proposals are detailed and very informative and that, along with our guarantee of no conflicts of interest, has led the way in Boards of Directors having an increased trust that they are hiring a reliable firm with years of experience in inspecting decks.”.
Leys has been advocating for deck inspections and inspecting decks since 2007… Long before Berkeley happened and has been a front runner in developing inspection standards, testifying at California State Senate hearings on the balcony bills in 2017.
HOAs and managers needing SB 326 inspections should contact us to get their free EEE evaluation and proposal for the required inspections.
I was going to write an article on SB 326 and discuss the bill and it’s intricacies, although not as a lawyer, because I’m not one and I can’t give legal advice-except to advise you to get legal advice…and so while I’m researching and of course reading other experts articles, opinions etc, I came across one article that stood out from the rest. It was written by David Swedelson.
David Swedelson of Swedleson & Gottlieb LLC is located in Los Angeles CA. David and the firm he is a partner in do a lot of HOA related law work and I’ve known him for nearly 18 years as member/vendors of CAI Channel Islands Chapter. David is passionate about the HOA industry and laws governing the industry. He wrote what I’d basically write-an unvarnished opinion that hits all the issues in the bill and addresses the problems a Board/Association could face if they don’t get their inspections done.
Lets look at some points David makes; On pages 2-3 of the article, David points out the fact that some balconies/walkways may be exempt from needing to be inspected. This is absolutely true; however, as David points out, just because a deck is over living space doesn’t mean it and the railing assembly shouldn’t be inspected. We agree, inspect even if it’s not “required” to be inspected. Decks over living spaces are roofs first, and therefore generally the HOA’s responsibility to maintain, repair and replace. Inspections form the basis for maintenance to ensure building components reach their maximum life expectancy. And inspections cost far less than defending lawsuits if something was to happen.
Under “Who Can Make The Required EEE Inspections” on page 3, David is again totally correct saying that inspections MUST BE MADE BY A LICENSED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER OR ARCHITECT and while a contractor may be involved in the inspection process opening up areas for inspection, a licensed contractor is NOT qualified to make these inspections. Further David cites an example that we see happening all the time, contractors telling associations that they will do the inspections and have their inspections signed off by a licensed architect or structural engineer. YES, YES and YES. I have heard of a civil engineer who has been caught signing an SB 326 report. So Associations need to be very careful with whom they have do their inspections with. We as professional SB 326 inspectors work with, and our reports are appended to the Structural Engineers stamped report. We guarantee in writing that we have no conflicts of interest.
On page 4 David addresses an important point under “What Happens If The Expert Finds Dry Rot Or Other Conditions Affecting The Structural Integrity Of The EEE?” Again, David is correct in saying that the inspector must send a copy of the report to the local code enforcement agency within 15 days of completion of the report. If there are structural defects that presents a hazardous condition, or even a hint of a hazardous condition, the structural engineer isn’t going to say well maybe it won’t collapse; no they are going to default to it’s hazardous and needs immediate attention. Why? Surfside. If you don’t know look it up.
David is correct on the dollar figures and as the deadline looms, experts will get booked up. What he doesn’t mention though is that this will be the time when grifters take full advantage of desperate Associations who are trying to meet the deadline for inspections.
On page 5 of David’s FAQ’s “What If A Board Fails To Comply With The New Balcony Inspection Law?”, David’s points are pointed. There could be a lack of coverage for the Board if an inspection didn’t get done, someone gets injured and sues.
David cites several relevant cases where that happened, and so the judicial deference rule will not protect Boards under all circumstances. Probably not something you as an Association want to be the example on…
All in all, the issues David brings up, the examples etc, all show how important it is for HOA’s to get started sooner rather than later-2025 is 2 years away; far but not that far. It’s going to get busier and busier for balcony inspection companies, and that’s not something that can be changed quickly. There’s only so many us professional and ethical balcony inspection companies and we can only do so many inspections. They take time and so do reports.
Call us today for a free EEE evaluation at your HOA, and take David Swedelson’s words with you as you seek to get your inspections done. We’re at 805-801-2380 or email us through the contact box on the left side of the screen.
“Don’t you love farce? My fault, I fear I thought that you’d want what I want Sorry, my dear! But where are the clowns Send in the clowns Don’t bother, they’re here…” (lyrics by Stephen Sondheim)
I have noticed more and more deck waterproofing and general contracting companies that are suddenly becoming SB 326 balcony inspectors. They try to disguise themselves as balcony inspectors, but the giveaway as to what their true intentions are obvious when you start looking at their websites and offerings…
I see one company in Los Angeles that advertises 50% off balcony inspections; “savings” are applied to repairs…
I see a deck inspection company in Palm Springs that is owned by the same person who owns a waterproofing company out there…
I see a company in Los Angeles that is named after an African animal that looks like a horse saying that they will start demoing your decks and then have the structural engineer come inspect…
Watch out for clowns!
Currently the industry is under assault by less than ethical contractors who mislead their clients, use illegal contracts, have attorneys on their payroll that enforce illegal contracts and are just seeking to separate you from your reserve accounts.
They hide behind their reports which are written to suit their needs to try to force you to replace perfectly good balconies by saying that their useful life is a year or less. They use scare tactics, high pressure and lawyers that have the ethics of cockroaches.
When sorting the wheat from the chafe in finding a balcony inspector one must be diligent. Do background checks on the company You can use the secretary of state’s business portal to find who owns what, check Yelp and Google reviews, ask for references, check with other HOA managers about their experience. Insist that your balcony inspector sign a no conflict of interest statement. Insist that your balcony inspector has no ownership interest in any waterproofing or contracting company.
We here at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC guarantee that we have no conflicts of interest in owning a waterproofing company, any material manufacturer or have any conflicts of interest that would interfere with putting the HOA’s best interest ahead of ours. Reach out today, we don’t have any clowns here.
We’ve seen a lot of hype over balcony inspection vents here in California. This new product is the result of the SB 326 & SB 721 Balcony Inspection bills that were passed after the deaths of 7 young adults and severe injuries to 6 who survived the collapse of a balcony in Berkeley in 2015.
Essentially balcony inspection vents allow one to easily inspect the interior cavities of a deck enclosed underneath in stucco or other materials. Balcony inspection vents are designed to be installed in a retrofit fashion or on new construction across the bays on a deck. Most are set up with a piano hinge that allows the vent to be opened and the joists and substrate can be observed. Several other less expensive types require the vent to be pulled down after removing several screws.
California's SB 326 Balcony & Deck Inspection Experts 