We are pleased to announce that we have been selected by an HOA in Santa Barbara to perform their SB 326 Balcony Inspections. The 29 + EEEs, including decks stairs and walkways will be inspected by our licensed structural engineer and Bill Leys, a qualified waterproofing consultant who has been inspecting decks since 2007.
This job marks the 6th contract we’ve signed with the management companies HOA clients. They know when their clients contract with William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC that they are getting a company that has great references, no conflicts of interest and a commitment to our industry and HOA clients to do what’s right.
Contact us today for your free EEE evaluation and proposal. I walk every job before we bid, we know your property and we know how to do your job efficiently. There’s a reason we are becoming the deck inspection company to rely on. Contact Bill Leys today and get started on working with a company that has your interests first.
We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to perform an SB 326 balcony inspection for a 100 unit condominium complex in Camarillo. The association has multiple decks and stair/landing combinations that are required to be inspected under the balcony bill.
We have no conflicts of interest, and we guarantee that in writing. We are here to protect our clients and we work in their best interests, not ours.
There’s a reason we are in demand and it’s because HOA managers are realizing that we are one of the best inspection companies in the market. We are on a very short list of inspection companies on Davis-Stirling.com. If a company that you are considering isn’t on that list, there’s probably a good reason. Don’t take chances, get the best you can. Bill Leys has been inspecting decks since 2007. Call us today.
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 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.
“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.
SB 800 allows for condos to file claims for construction defects within 10 years of completion of the buildings. SB 326 adds additional language that strengthens some of that Bill and improves upon it. While condos may want to pursue construction defect claims, they may want to postpone their Balcony inspection if they suspect they have defects. Why?
Simply because the balcony inspection report becomes part of the association’s records for a minimum of 9 years and is part of the reserve study. A report showing numerous deficiencies may be a red flag to buyers, your insurance company and could cause unintended problems.
One attorney I know recommends pre-inspections of the EEEs and inspections of the building envelope in general. “I strongly recommend a pre-inspection. Open 2 or 3 locations and if there are issues,do repairs first. That way the report isn’t a surprise (and protects property values) and if the project is under 10 years old, the builder pays for inspections and repairs.” We concur and so we offer our clients pre SB326 inspections of EEE’s that are suspected of having damage/ defects.
We will open up several decks/ balconies for inspection of the structural elements. If there are damages and repairs are necessary then the beginning of an SB 800 claim can be started with the developer/builder. At the time of opening the decks and balconies we will document all conditions prior to destructive testing starting and then document while removing materials and exposing structural elements. Items removed will be documented, logged in and retained for evidence in our secure storage location. We will then issue a report to the Board on our findings.
As a structural engineer is not involved at this point and the number of elements that are being opened are limited, the cost to do this is much lower than a SB 326 stage 2 inspection would be.
If you would like a proposal for a Pre-SB326 Inspection, contact us today for a quote.
After a boroscope camera saw some damage, full destructive testing reveals the horror show lying hidden away, a collapse waiting to happen; that could have happened without a deck inspection. Photo courtesy of American Restore, Inc.
As the owner of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC, I’ve been a proponent of doing deck inspections for a very long time. Deck collapses have been happening long before the shocking Berkeley deck collapse that left 6 dead and 7 severely injured on the sidewalk below and they continue with alarming frequency today.
With SB-326 in place, it is important to find the right inspector for your HOA. There are a lot of new inspection companies that have popped up with dubious track records and many have conflicts of interests by also owning a waterproofing company that can just happen to give you a bid… and there are the established firms like William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC that have been doing deck inspections, forensics and construction defect investigations for years and have no conflicts of interest because we don’t bid for any repair work that we may discover.
In 2006 I presented a Powerpoint presentation on decks at the Association of Professional Reserve Advisors (APRA) annual symposium in Rancho Mirage. It was there that an HOA manager approached me about doing deck inspections for his client Associations. My first deck inspection was Montecito HOA in Walnut Creek, an Apartment to Condo conversion. That inspection found numerous defects and deficiencies on the balconies.
From there my inspection business took off and I have been inspecting decks and balconies on buildings all over California for 16 years now. We are recommended by HOA management firms, Reserve Study companies such as CACM Services in Long Beach, B&W Management in Arroyo Grande and Facilities Advisors International LLC.
Read our reviews from over the years I’ve been doing inspections here- Reviews & Recommendations and you’ll see the same consistent theme, how our expertise made a difference.
Put our expertise to work for your Association today, starting with a free SB-326 EEE evaluation of your property. We’ll calculate what EEE’s need to be inspected and give you a free proposal for the work. I think you’ll find our pricing competitive and our work exceptional. Email Bill Leys at LeysWaterproofingConsultants@gmail.com today to get started.
William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC is pleased to announce that the firm has joined the Channel Islands Chapter of CAI.
We are pleased to be a member and offer our SB-326 Balcony Inspection services, along with roof consulting, below grade waterproofing consulting and expert witness and construction defect investigations.
Member managers and Board members can look forward to having a company that can provide competitive bids, waterproofing expertise and absolute integrity in it’s interactions with clients, contractors, competing vendors and the general public. Look for us at upcoming Channel Island Chapter events, I’ll be posting dates/times and places of where and when we’ll be there.
Do you need a balcony inspection? Reach out today and request your free EEE evaluation and quote. We have partnered with a structural engineer and can provide your Association with a report that meets and exceeds the SB-326 Balcony inspection requirements.
California's SB 326 Balcony & Deck Inspection Experts 