Recently one of our clients who we have a proposal out with to perform their deck inspections under SB326 reached out with some follow-up questions. They wanted to know if we were going to use a boroscope camera and if we were “certified deck inspectors”. Our answer is no, we are not “certified”. Allow me to explain.
A quick search on Google showed us that there are several companies that advertise they are “certified deck inspectors”. Diving deeper, it seems all these unscrupulous inspection companies claiming they are certified inspectors are directly affiliated or owned by contractors. By claiming they are “certified inspectors” they seek to elevate their bonafides by saying they’re something that doesn’t exist in the SB326/SB721 inspection field. Continuing our search, the legitimate companies that we compete with make no such claim that they are certified. They make statements that they are architects or engineers, which is readily confirmed via the Board of Engineers and Board of Architects.
There are two non-profit national organizations that have deck inspection training courses and they then issue a certificate after the course is completed saying in essence that the person has successfully completed a training seminar. Inter-NACHI (International Association of Certified Home Inspectors) and NADRA (North America Deck & Railing Association) offer extensive courses for inspectors to take online. One other entity online purports to train people to be “certified” SB721/SB326 inspectors specifically related to California. None of these entities mentioned above can make an individual qualified to perform inspections under SB326 or SB721.
We explained to the client that the qualifications to do balcony inspections under SB326 is quite clear; an engineer (licensed as a civil, PE, or structural engineer) or a licensed architect are the only individuals qualified to do the inspection. We explained to our client that the companies advertising that they are “certified deck inspectors” are exaggerating at best and committing fraud ( in our opinion) at worst.
We further explained that these companies claiming to be “certified” only hold contractor’s licenses and that review of their personal and corporate held CSLB licenses showed that they have complaint disclosures against them by the contractor’s state license board.
One unscrupulous contractor has a long list of lawsuits (over 100!) against his company by unsatisfied clients, complaint disclosure on his license for multiple violations of contracting laws, including taking a deposit over $1,000, while another “inspector” has a complaint disclosure showing they hired non-licensed sub-contractors and failed to complete the job for the contract price, while yet another inspector/contractor was forced to disassociate from a licensed contractor for conspiring to defraud the CSLB!
Our client appreciated the information and has hired us to do their SB326 inspection for them as they didn’t appreciate one particular braggart puffing themselves up while denigrating William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC.
Our client also appreciated our written guarantee that a structural engineer will personally perform the inspection, that we have no conflicts of interest and that we are humble and no-spin (their words) when it comes to approaching our solemn duty in performing inspections.
Reach out today for a conversation on how we can help you with our expertise, professionalism and integrity for your SB326 inspection needs. No nonsense, no inflated claims, just honest ethical practices to serve our industry and save lives.
SB 326 Deck Inspection Specialists * Building Waterproofing Consultants * Construction Defect Investigations By Bill Leys The Deck Expert 