“California does not issue or require a credential called a ‘Certified Deck Inspector’ for SB 326 inspections. Private organizations may issue their own certificates, but consumers should determine who issued the credential, whether the certifying organization is independent of the inspection company, and whether the credential actually qualifies the individual to perform the inspection required by the applicable California statute.”
If you see the term “certified” in any advertising, website or stated orally by a salesperson, owner or company representative, all we can say is “Caveat Emptor” or in plain English, buyer beware.
Just because they say you inspection is “certified”, doesn’t mean it is. This website as shown above in this screenshot may mislead consumers into believing that this firm is more qualified to do EEE Inspections than others who don’t advertise as being “certified”.
Great inspection firms don’t need to puff themselves up with dubious certifications no one has ever heard of. We don’t claim that our reports are “certified” because there’s no such thing. Certified by whom? A private entity? A recognized non profit building & construction group such as NADRA or IIBEC? Don’t be fooled by the term certified as thrown about on some inspection companies websites. If someone claims their report is certified, ask them by whom is it certified and under what standards and can I see those standards? If you dig, you may find that the claim of “certified reports” is self serving.
Our Updated Logo Reflects Our Role Coordinating SB 326 Inspections
At William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC, we believe that an HOA board should understand exactly who it is hiring, what services each professional will provide, and who is responsible for the engineering judgments required as part of an SB 326 inspection.
Recently, correspondence from the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) gave us an opportunity to take a closer look at how we described our SB 326 services on our website and in our proposals.
We took that opportunity seriously.
The result is a clearer and more transparent description of our role, the role of the licensed structural engineering firm performing the engineering services, and how the different parts of an SB 326 project are coordinated for our clients.
Why We Made Changes
SB 326 projects can involve several different disciplines.
There is an important distinction between waterproofing and building-envelope consulting, project coordination, and the professional engineering services that California law reserves for appropriately licensed professionals.
Although we understood those distinctions in practice, the Board’s correspondence caused us to examine whether they were communicated clearly enough in our marketing and contractual documents.
We concluded that we could do better.
Rather than simply changing a few words, we reviewed our website and proposal language with the goal of making the relationship easier for an HOA board, community manager, or building owner to understand before retaining us.
Clearly Identifying Who Performs the Engineering Work
One of the most important changes is greater clarity about the licensed engineering firm’s role.
William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC is a waterproofing consulting and project-coordination company. We do not represent ourselves as a licensed engineering firm.
When professional engineering services are required for an SB 326 project, those services are performed by the licensed engineering firm identified for the project.
That distinction is now stated more clearly in our materials.
The engineer is responsible for the engineering observations, professional opinions, determinations, and engineering report within the engineer’s scope of services. The engineering report is prepared and signed or sealed as required by the licensed professional responsible for that work.
Our role is separately described so clients can understand the services William Leys Waterproofing Consultants provides.
What William Leys Waterproofing Consultants Brings to the Project
Our expertise is rooted in waterproofing.
We have been inspecting decks and evaluating waterproofing conditions since 2007. That field experience gives us a practical understanding of how exterior elevated elements are constructed, how waterproofing systems deteriorate, where water commonly enters assemblies, and how seemingly minor waterproofing defects can contribute to much larger problems.
On an SB 326 project, our work may include project coordination, documentation, communication with the client and engineering firm, waterproofing-related observations and consulting, and coordination of other services within our agreed scope.
But experience with waterproofing does not turn a waterproofing consultant into an engineer.
We believe clients deserve to understand that distinction.
Transparency Should Start Before the Contract Is Signed
An HOA board should not have to decipher a website or proposal to figure out who will actually perform the professional services being offered.
Our revised approach is intended to answer those questions upfront.
Before retaining us, a prospective client should be able to understand:
– who the client is contracting with; – what William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC is responsible for; – which services will be performed by a licensed engineering firm; – who is responsible for professional engineering judgments and the engineering report; – what services are included in the proposed scope; and – what additional investigation or services may be recommended if conditions discovered during the project warrant them.
We believe this level of clarity is good for everyone involved.
Taking Regulatory Guidance Seriously
Businesses sometimes view questions from a regulatory agency as something to fight or minimize.
We chose a different approach.
The Board’s correspondence gave us a reason to review how we communicated our services and ask a straightforward question:
Could an HOA board reading our website or proposal misunderstand who is performing the engineering services?
Where we believed the answer could possibly be yes, we changed the language.
That process has resulted in materials that we believe more accurately describe the respective roles of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants and the licensed engineering professionals involved in an SB 326 project.
Experience and Professional Licensure Are Different Things
California’s SB 326 inspection requirements exist for an important reason: exterior elevated elements can present serious safety concerns when deterioration is allowed to progress unnoticed.
A successful inspection program therefore benefits from both professional engineering judgment and practical knowledge of waterproofing systems and the conditions that cause them to fail.
Those are complementary areas of expertise, but they are not interchangeable.
Our goal is not to blur that distinction. It is to make it clear.
A Better Process for Our Clients
We believe the changes prompted by the Board’s correspondence have made our company better.
Our website is clearer. Our proposals are clearer. The responsibilities of the participants are better defined. And prospective clients receive more information about the structure of the engagement before deciding whether to hire us.
For an HOA board making decisions involving building safety, association funds, and long-term maintenance obligations, transparency shouldn’t be an afterthought.
It should be part of the inspection process from the beginning.
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Questions About an SB 326 Project?
William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC provides waterproofing consulting and SB 326 project-coordination services for homeowners associations and building owners throughout California.
If your association is preparing for an SB 326 inspection or trying to understand the condition of its exterior elevated elements and waterproofing systems, contact us to discuss the project, our scope of services, and the role of the licensed engineering professionals involved.
Does your inspection company have 1099 contractors using Pogo sticks to perform your balcony inspection? This might be a little exaggerated, but the point is, a cheap inspection is a cheap inspection. Hiring the wrong inspectors could cost your HOA dearly. Read on…
Not actual footage of a deck inspection company doing SB326 inspections, but it seems that this method is used in many cases. Blurry photographs, unclear reports, inspections done by 1099 contractors, that low fee for a Stage 1 SB 326 inspection is a loss leader that turns into sky-high engineering and repair fees.
There are still quite a few HOAs out there that haven’t had a balcony inspection done yet. Many are smaller, self managed HOAs that haven’t heard of SB326. These smaller associations are easy prey for unsavory unethical inspection companies that need to feed their never ending high overhead.
By offering ridiculously low initial inspection fees, they Hoover up the unsuspecting HOAs into their pipeline. Once the HOA is in their grasp, they ratchet up the pressure on them; saying you have deck problems and the City is going to fine you $500 a day if you don’t immediately comply… And then they tell you that you need their engineering services, which might be true, although often times it’s not.
This is where the cheap bid the company gave you turns into a high cost engineering job, often costing thousands more than what ethical firms charge. Don’t fall for low fees; all it means is there won’t be an engineer present doing the inspection. That low fee, that’s hundreds or thousands less than legitimate engineers and waterproofing experts fees means there’s going to be a guy on a Pogo stick getting paid $280 a day (we have the help-wanted ads to prove it!) to bounce around your HOA going as fast as he can. He’s probably received very little training, has zero experience in actually building, waterproofing or inspecting decks, yet some people believe that the inspection is just as good as the experts inspections are.
At William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC, we coordinate the independent engineering company to perform are dedicated to providing the very best inspection possible. We know that inspections save lives, protect property and more importantly, reduce liability for the HOA, the HOAs insurance company and the management company.
Bill Leys has performed hundreds of SB 326 waterproofing observations since 2020, and with our independent structural engineer, provides peace of mind to our clients.
Call us today for a free conversation about how we inspect, why we’re better and why your HOA is in good hands with us! Call 805-801-2380 today!
This is another reason why EEE inspections are necessary!
At William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC, we take balcony inspections very seriously as life safety is paramount! Don’t wait until an accident happens, even though no one died in this accident, we’ll bet good money that one or both victims of this railing failure will bring a lawsuit against the building owner. A good inspector likely would have flagged the railing as being unsafe.
Here at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC we have found many structural deficiencies over the years on EEEs we have inspected. We have had to post notices informing residents that the balconies were off limits until repairs were made.
The answer in short is no, all inspection companies are not the same. Here is an explanation on why inspection companies are not at all equal in experience, ethics and in following the balcony bill requirements.
The SB 326 balcony inspection bill failed to ban inspectors from owning construction companies and failed to ban inspectors who own waterproofing and construction companies from bidding on jobs they inspected, so unscrupulous individuals are popping up to take advantage of unsuspecting and unknowledgeable consumers.
Without a doubt, during your Google search you are bound to come across deck inspection companies advertising on the world wide web which are run by individuals who opened a deck inspection company to take unfair advantage of HOAs despite their contractors licenses having complaint disclosures listed on their license for such offenses such as failing to complete work for the price quoted in their contract, taking a deposit in excess of $1,000, hiring unlicensed sub contractors and departing from trade standards.
We personally know of one deck inspector/deck inspection company who is under active investigation by the Board of Engineers for practicing engineering without an engineering license. That investigation was opened in July 2025 and remains active today.
We appreciate the outreach from so many people around the state who are appreciative of what we’re doing here at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC!
If you don’t trust your balcony inspection report, if your balcony inspection company is pressuring you to take out special assessments, if your balcony inspection company also does repairs, you need to reach out to us today to help you defend against unethical immoral tactics designed to separate your HOA from its money. We perform second opinion inspections that can help an HOA determining if they got a good report or not.
Call today, I answer the phone personally! Bill Leys 805-801-2380
Condominiums with EEEs and are turning 6 years old will need to do inspections.
In all of the rush to get older condominiums in compliance with SB 326, what’s been forgotten is the section in SB 326 that requires condominiums that are turning 6 years old to do an inspection.
Watch our video here-
Closed caption for your convenience
That’s right, when your condominium turns 6 years old from the date of issuance of the certificate of occupancy, the board of directors will need to commission a SB326 inspection. We’ve found that many management companies aren’t paying attention to this requirement or don’t know about it.
January 1st is almost upon us and every year in California we see new laws come into effect on the first of the year and this year is no different.
You can watch our video here if you prefer
Deck Expert Bill Leys Discusses SB 410 & How It Effects HOAs & Deck Inspection Firms Reports
Notably for HOAs and balcony inspection companies SB 410 will take effect on January 1st and impose 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.
I keep seeing some firms offering 20% off a competitors lower price to steal the deck inspection job away.
That should not inspire confidence in their capabilities as inspectors, in fact it should cause your board concern.
We allow ample time to perform the on-site balcony waterproofing observations,p giving ourselves the ability to really stop and review EEEs that raise our suspicions that something “maybe ain’t right” as we say in these parts lol. This method has proven to us over and over that careful Inspections take time and by taking our time, we often find hidden problems that a cursory inspection would miss.
Your balcony inspection is not something you should take lightly; there’s a lot of liability and if something goes awry, selecting the wrong deck inspection company with a contract that heavily favors them with clauses that excludes them for their errors and omissions will cause your HOA to assume liability.
I’ve heard of one company that has a forty page contract; ours is twelve pages for comparison. A forty page contract sounds like a nightmare that no average consumer can reasonably understand in my opinion. Without an attorney to review this kind of contract, you are probably signing something that is not beneficial to your Association. We recommend that all contracts be reviewed by an attorney prior to executing them, including ours.
Don’t rush to the conclusion that all balcony inspection companies are the same; they aren’t. Let us show you why we are setting the bar in performing #SB326 waterproofing observations for independent structural engineers in Southern California. Reach out for a free proposal and a conversation on how we coordinate this critical inspection with you.
Watch this quick video about using fire pits, turkey fryers and grills on combustible decks… To ruin the plot line, do not use turkey, fryers, fire pits or grills on any decks.
Please be safe this Thanksgiving holiday and don’t grill, use a fire pit or fry the turkey on your deck!
We’re pleased to announce that we were awarded the contract to coordinate a SB 326 inspection for a condominium complex on Pacific Street in Santa Monica. The three story building with decks stairs and walkways requiring inspection received several bids from competitors.
The Board after reviewing the bids and each firms credentials, selected our bid over the others, citing that our bid included a guarantee that a licensed independent structural engineer will personally inspect the EEEs, that we don’t perform repairs and that our inspection team’s bonafides gave them the confidence in awarding the job to William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC.
These walkways and stairs are EEEs as defined in SB 326 and will be inspected by the best inspection team in the industry.
Of course it might also have helped that the Associations Board has an engineer serving as president and recognized that qualifications matter. Our independent structural engineer is an award winning engineer with years of experience doing structural inspections.
While on a property in Orange county I made this short video on why we walk properties before e give an HOA a bid on coordinating their SB 326 inspection.
Watch our short video as I explain why I want to walk your HOA before bidding your SB 326 inspection.
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.
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.
