Tag Archives: Palm Desert SB 326 Inspections

SB 326 Balcony Inspections

Why You Should Hire William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC For Your Balcony Inspections

Here’s why William Leys Waterproofing Consultants, LLC stands out as your best choice for balcony (SB-326) inspections:

What Makes Us the Ideal Choice

1. Strong Experience & Genuine Expertise

A deep background in waterproofing.
Bill Leys brings more than two decades of hands-on experience, beginning in 2003 as a waterproofing contractor and working for a leading engineering/architect firm- Allana Buick & Bers in Palo Alto.

2. Trusted
Bill has been a licensed deck waterproofing contractor since 2007, actively installing waterproof deck coatings across California for HOAs, apartment complexes, and residential projects. Hundreds of clients over the years have trusted Bill to waterproof their decks.

3. Extensive deck inspection history
Since 2007, Bill has conducted deck inspections for HOAs, apartments, and real estate transactions—bringing 17+ years of field knowledge to each inspection.

4.  Ethical Integrity & No Conflicts of Interest

5. Strict ethical standards
We guarantee in writing that there are no conflicts of interest—we do not bid on repair work, nor are we tied to any alternative revenue streams.

6. Transparent and fair bidding
Instead of pushing repair contracts, William Leys encourages clients to obtain three competitive bids, maintaining the free market and transparency.

7. Compliance with SB-326 Requirements

8. Engineer-led inspections
We require that a licensed structural engineer be physically present during inspections—this ensures full compliance with SB-326, which mandates a qualified professional conduct the inspections.

Supplemental waterproofing reports
While the structural engineer handles the official inspection and report, we provide a supplementary waterproofing report that is appended to the engineer’s sealed report—creating a comprehensive and technically rigorous report.

9. Comprehensive, Client-Focused Service

100% sampling on EEEs (Exterior Elevated Elements)
Unlike some providers meeting only minimum statistical thresholds, we inspect 100% of all categories (decks, stairs, walkways), delivering a thorough, confidence-building evaluation.

Specialized for HOA needs
Bill’s previous experience as a CMCA-certified HOA manager gives him insight into reserve studies, ongoing maintenance concerns, and association priorities.

Relevant geographic coverage
Serving a wide area—from Paso Robles to Bakersfield, Orange County, and Palm Springs—we’re locally accessible and familiar with regional building conditions.

Insurance and protection
We carry robust General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, and Errors & Omissions insurance—valuable safeguards for HOAs and associations.

10. Proven Reputation & Client Trust

Positive client feedback
One HOA manager shared:

“I’ve received high praise from the Board that they really respect your findings and knowledge of the inspection process.”

Trusted repeat selection
We’ve been chosen by multiple HOAs—such as in Santa Barbara and Palm Springs—because of our reliability, ethical stand, and expertise.

In Summary

Experience & Expertise 20+ years in waterproofing, licensed, deeply technical
Ethical Integrity No repair bidding; transparent client-focused approach
SB-326 Compliance Engineer on site; dual-report method for structural and waterproofing insights
Thorough Service 100% EEE inspection; HOA management savvy; wide service area
Client Trust & Reputation Praised by HOAs; chosen repeatedly for key projects

In short, William Leys Waterproofing Consultants excel through their blend of deep technical knowledge, unwavering ethics, regulatory compliance, and client-centric service. They provide both peace of mind and exceptional quality—making them a standout choice for balcony inspections under SB-326.

Reach out today for a free quote on your inspection.

SB 326 Balcony Inspections

Bill Leys Explains Why Job Site Visits are Essential For Bidding on SB326 Inspections

While on a property in Orange county I made this short video on why we walk properties before we give an HOA a bid on their SB 326 inspection.

Watch our short video as I explain why I want to walk your HOA before bidding your SB 326 inspection.
Deck Inspections, SB 326 Balcony Inspections, SB 721 Inspections

You Gotta Read the Fine Print! HOA’s Need to be Careful of Companies Advertising “Free” or “20% Off” Type Offers on Balcony Inspections

Many companies are offering deals that have hidden motives behind them. Before buying, you need to know what it’s really going to end up costing your HOA.

William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC was recently contacted by a member of an HOA in Ventura County where that member had learned that his association’s Board of Directors were considering passing a special assessment in the range of 2 million dollars for repairs to balconies and stairs.

Information we got from the owner was that a large nationwide HOA reconstruction firm told the HOA that they had 13 emergency repairs and 300+ non emergency repairs to do and the budget was apx 2 million dollars for this work.

The resident also learned that this nationwide HOA reconstruction firm had waived the $41,000+/- Stage 1 inspection fee provided they were given the repair work. We believe that to be highly unethical and so does that owner. We provided a letter of opinion that the association could self finance the non emergency repairs over a period of several years, taking on a couple buildings at a time to make repairs.

We’re also seeing  companies now advertising “free inspections” and “20% off” specials. With all of these offers, there is always fine print, and fine print never benefits the consumer. If you’re going to buy into these offers, make sure your legal counsel is protecting your interests by reviewing their contract before you sign.

One thing these companies have in common is that they are larger firms with a lot of overhead and with the slowdown of inspection requests coming in they need to churn business. Due to the other services that we offer, we are staying busy with work that they don’t offer such as construction monitoring and building envelope inspections.

At William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC, we provide upfront honest bids on SB326 inspections. We strictly follow SB 326 requirements by guaranteeing that an engineer is physically present at the inspection and inspecting the structural elements. We have competitive prices that are straightforward without fine print in our contract. We have a waterproofing expert who writes the waterproofing report which is then appended to the engineers sealed and signed report.

Our strict ethical standards demand that we only inspect and report for the benefit of our clients, not ourselves. We believe that inspectors should not be bidding on repairs.

Reach out today for a discussion on how we can assist you with your balcony inspection requirements. Call us at 805-801-2380

Download our free inspection certificate and ask every inspection company you are considering hiring to sign it. This will rapidly separate the legitimate inspection companies to the top when the contractors who also inspect don’t want to sign it.

Inspection Certificate-1Download
SB 326 Balcony Inspections

High Compliments From an HOA Client

It is always nice to get unsolicited compliments from our clients and the one that we received yesterday from Joseph in Los Angeles is very appreciated.

We try very hard to bring the best in service and stay on top of current trends in the industry to make sure our clients get the very best advice that we can give.

If your HOA needs help in balcony inspections, roof consulting or building envelope water intrusion issues, let me help you. Reach out today for a free discussion on what William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC can bring to the table in value for your community.

From an HOA client in Los Angeles, we sincerely appreciate the compliments!
Deck Inspections, SB 326 Balcony Inspections, Uncategorized

Protect Your HOA With Our SB326 Inspection Certification

If you have been following our blog for any time now you know that we have been railing against the practice that is roiling the inspection industry where unethical inspection companies are using Engineers or Architects to robo sign reports that they have written after they have done the inspection. Sb326 clearly requires a licensed architect or engineer to perform the inspection however some companies are trying to deliberately circumvent that requirement and are using contracted labor to do the inspection instead of an architect or engineer.

We made up this form that you should ask your inspection company to fill out and certify/attest that their inspections follow the letter of the law and that a architect or engineer shall be performing the inspection.

The SB326 inspection certification form will give your HOA some legal protection (inquire with your attorney as to what limits there might be) from liability if a company tries to slip one by you. An example is a report that we saw from empire works where the report was clearly written by empire works and there was a letter attached to the report by the architect saying that empire works perform the inspection and that that architect concurred with their findings. Our discussions with attorneys has determined that the report does not meet the requirements of 326.

Download it here for free! The first doc is in word form. For the PDF version click the second that says  Inspection Certificate PDF

Inspection Certificate word versionDownload
Inspection Certification PDF version Download
SB 326 Balcony Inspections

SB326 & The Board of Directors Fiduciary Duties To Act In the Best Interests of the Association

Fiduciary duty is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as a “duty obligating a fiduciary as an agent or trustee to act with loyalty and honesty in a manner consistent with the best interest of the beneficiary of the fiduciary relationship as a principal or trust beneficiary.”

CAI’ magazine “Common Ground” has a very good article in their March April issue on fiduciary duty. Quoting from the article Bob diamond senior council at Reed Smith in McLean Virginia says”the essence of fiduciary duty is to act in the best interests of those who you serve. A director must put aside personal considerations when making decisions on behalf of the owners.”

Rotting wood on a deck.

When it comes to sb326 and fiduciary duty the duty of the board is to carry out the inspections as required by law regardless of cost or that they don’t have money in the associations accounts to pay for it. A lack of knowledge or understanding about sb326 will not be a legal defense or at least won’t be a strong defense to not carrying out an inspection of the common area Exterior Elevated Elements.

A director for a homeowners association must act within the scope of their given authority, acting good faith use ordinary care Act in the best interest of the association and act reasonably when making business decisions.

The reason sb326 exists is because of the tragic collapse of a balcony in Berkeley that resulted in the deaths of seven people and leaving six with lifelong injuries. Warning signs were evident and the property management company failed to investigate the reported deck problem thoroughly. That is one of the reasons that a multi-million dollar settlement was made before the case went to trial.

Unsafe railing

William Leys Waterproofing Consultants can help Boards meet their fiduciary duties with our thorough and comprehensive inspections of your decks, stairs and walkways. By hiring an experienced waterproofing inspector like Bill Leys, who guarantees that a structural or civil engineer will be performing the structural inspection, helps protect the Association from financial liability. Our inspection team has 20+ years of experience in structural and waterproofing experience.

By hiring an experienced firm with the required credentials, your association will be secure in the knowledge that your EEEs are safe for residents, guests and service personnel to use. We’ve seen competitors of advertising that they are “the cheapest inspection company”. From our perspective, that isn’t comforting at all, especially when you find out that the cheapest company is hiring “handymen” as contract labor to perform the inspection.

Hidden danger exposed after destructive testing.

Reach out today for a quote on your SB 326 inspection needs. We give you a fast free quote that exceeds the requirements of SB326 by inspecting 100% of the EEEs, utilizing moisture meters, thermal imaging cameras and as needed, borescope cameras.

Don’t leave your Association legally exposed to lawsuits by ignoring your fiduciary duties. Call Bill Leys directly at 805-801-2380 to start your inspection. William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC has been setting the bar in performing SB326 inspections since 2022.

Deck Inspections, SB 326 Balcony Inspections, SB 721 Inspections

Balcony Collapses After SB326 Balcony Inspection Bill Deadline Passes, SB721 Apartment Inspection Bill Was Extended

Balcony collapses in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles CA. Fortunately only minor injuries.



I have questions.
Was this a condo or an apartment?
Was an SB326 or SB721 inspection done and what were the findings?
Who did the inspection if it was inspected?
If it wasn’t inspected, why not? SB326 required inspections to be done by January 1, 2025 and SB721 was extended a year until January 1, 2026.
Did a landlord/property manager delay the inspection if it was an apartment?
Did a board of directors delay an inspection despite the deadline?

All these questions need to be asked by ABC7 Los Angeles who reported this incident. ABC 7 please reach out to me and I will meet you on site today, Sunday Feb 16th to review the accident scene from the street. 805-801-2380 Bill Leys

Someone or someone’s will be getting sued.

SB 326 Balcony Inspections

Using Humorous Memes To Get Our Message Out- Protect Your HOA from Unethical SB326 Inspectors Who Own Waterproofing/Contracting Companies

Is humor the best way to market our SB326 inspection services? Viral memes seem to resonate with people these days so it’s worth a shot.

If you need a SB326 inspection you need to vet your inspector thoroughly. Are they independent and free of conflicts of interest? Any inspection company that owns a waterproofing or contracting company is not free of conflicts of interest.

We’ve seen multiple clients coming to us with SB326 reports in hand that were written by contractors, signed off on by an engineer who didn’t actually inspect the EEEs and the report is written to favor the contractor who now uses that report to extort HOAs reserve funds.

At William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC we guarantee in writing that we have no conflicts of interest. We don’t own a waterproofing or contracting company, we hire a structural engineer who writes the report and we write a supplemental waterproofing report that is appended to the engineers report.

Call today, time is running out for getting your inspection done before the deadline. 805-801-2380 ask for Bill.

SB 326 Balcony Inspections

Bill Leys Discusses SB 326

Watch this video where Bill Leys discusses some if the problems SB326 has and how Associations can protect themselves from the loopholes in the bill.

One of the first things to do when qualifying your balcony inspector is to ask if they own or are employed by any contractor, Waterproofing or general contractor… And if they answer yes… Well Bill has some advice for you and you’ll just have to watch to see what to do.

See what Bill has to say!
SB 326 Balcony Inspections

Follow Us! We’re Now On YouTube!

Yes it’s true, we have a YouTube channel that we will be bringing educational content too.

Our first video discusses who can inspect EEEs under SB326, what warning signs to watch for when considering inspectors and why William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC is a great choice for your inspections.

Be sure to subscribe to our channel and comments are always welcome!