Tag Archives: Redondo Beach SB 326 inspections

SB 326 Balcony Inspections

HOAs Are Required to Have Final Inspection Reports Issued After Repairs are Done Under SB-410


Attention HOAs, SB 410 took effect on January 1st and imposes certain requirements on HOAs and on balcony inspection companies.

For HOA Boards of Directors, you are affected in several ways; the first being that SB326 reports are now considered to be HOA records, which means an owner can request and review them at any time. Secondly, reports cannot be withheld or redacted and third sellers of a common interest development property now must provide buyers with the most recent SB326 inspection report.

In regards to inspection companies, their reports must include as of January 1st, the date of the inspection, the total number of units in the community. How many exterior elevated elements there are? And I think it would be a good idea to break down how many of each type there are IE stairs versus balcones versus walkways. How many units have exterior elevated elements? How many exterior elevated elements were inspected and whether any safety concerns were identified.

Our engineering partner is already in compliance with these requirements and so we are ready to forge ahead and set the bar with our superior inspections and inspection reports.

Lastly But probably the most important part of sb410 is the requirement for HOAs to have an engineer issue a final report after repairs are made to life safety issues. This final report is needed to be able to enable buyers of property obtain mortgages and sellers of properties to be able to sell without undue delay. Personally, I expect that we will see legal claims brought against HOAs that fail to obtain final inspection reports and unnecessarily delay there homeowners to be able to close a sale.

As always, this is not legal advice. Please obtain the advice of your HOA attorney related to SB 410 sb326 and any other bills that may affect common interest developments related to balcony inspections.

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SB 326 Balcony Inspections

SB 326 Inspection Specialists William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC Discovers Hidden Dangerous Railing Defects at a Redondo Beach Condo

As deck inspection experts who concentrate on SB 326 inspections for condos, we see a lot of defects in our line of work.

This week was no different, at an inspection we performed with our engineering partners at Critical  Structures Inc we found numerous railings that were structurally compromised. The wood railings on 16 decks were assembled using nails to fasten the stiles to the railing frame.

We don’t like nails for structural railings meant to prevent falls from the deck. In the past, nails were the method most often used, whereas today structural screws are required. At this property we check the railings by pushing on them and with a light kick at the bottom. To our horror, we discovered numerous railing stiles were not able to withstand a light kick without pushing out with the nails.

Watch our 30 second video to understand

Hidden railing dangers found by Deck Expert Bill Leys!

Our biggest fear is that a child leaning against the railing stiles might fall if the nails fastening the stiles pull out of the wood rail bottom piece. With these decks over the concrete driveway and being 14′ high on the lower deck and 24′ tall on the upper deck, any fall from that height would probably have fatal consequences.

This discovery highlights why HOAs need to hire the best qualified inspection company instead of the least expensive company. Yeah the cheap company, if they missed these defective railings and an accident happened, would get sued. Small comfort for the victim if they were seriously injured or killed.

At William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC, we are very thorough in our inspections, ensuring with our checklist that we check every critical life safety items. Call us today for a free conversation on how we can help you with getting the most thorough inspection at a competitive cost. Call Bill Leys at 805-801-2380.