Tag Archives: SB 326 Inspector

A Client Asks Us “There Are So Many Deck Inspection Companies, Aren’t They All The Same?”

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.

Continue reading A Client Asks Us “There Are So Many Deck Inspection Companies, Aren’t They All The Same?”

A Video Message In Time To Help Keep Your Thanksgiving Safe!

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!

Santa Monica Condo Board Selects William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC to Perform Their SB 326 Inspection

We’re pleased to announce that we were awarded the contract to perform 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 our 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 engineer is an award winning structural engineer with years of experience doing structural inspections.

Continue reading Santa Monica Condo Board Selects William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC to Perform Their SB 326 Inspection

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.

Continue reading Protect Your HOA With Our SB326 Inspection Certification

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 a lack of  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 carry out an inspection of the common area Exterior Elevated Elements in my non legal opinion.

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

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!

William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC Signs A Simi Valley HOA For a Stage 1 SB 326 Inspection

We are pleased to announce that we’ve just signed a contract with an HOA in Simi Valley for a Stage 1 balcony inspection.

The inspection will include 44 balconies and 32 stairs that are required to be inspected under the bill.

Citing our experience and having the best price of the 3 bidding firms, the HOA has placed it’s confidence in us by voting to hire us

See the difference when you hire William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC! Get in touch today!

Another Satisfied Client Praises Our Knowledge

We love getting positive feedback, I mean who doesn’t?

We don’t ask our clients to review us or praise us, we think that’s kinda cheesy. However we love unsolicited emails like this one that came in today.

Hello Bill, Thanks again for the work done with ABC HOA.  I’ve received high praise from the Board that they really respect your findings and knowledge of the inspection process.” Kevin HOA Manager

See the difference between William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC vs our competition and get in touch with us for a free EEE evaluation and proposal.

Guaranteed no conflicts of interest, competitive costs, award winning structural engineer and an expert ex Waterproofing contractor. Can they say that?

Contest us via the contact box to the left to get started.

 

HOA in Big Bear Selects William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC to Perform SB 326 Inspections on 90 Balconies & Stairs

We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to perform a SB 326 inspection for a large HOA in Big Bear. With 90+ decks, stairs and landings the association knew they needed an expert with the experience to properly inspect their Exterior Elevated Elements.

The association manager found us through a referral from a fellow CAI manager, who told them about the positive experience they had with us.

William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC was selected to perform balcony inspections in Big Bear!

We invite you to experience the professional and experienced licensed structural engineers and waterproofing experts that make up our team. Reach out today for your free EEE evaluation and proposal.

An EEE Evaluation May Have Helped Stop a Stair Collapse

On Monday we were in Pasadena looking at an association for the purpose of counting how many decks stairs walkways they have so we could bid to perform a SB 326 inspection job. The property is in an older established area that has Magnesite decking in the stairs and decks.

One stairway caught my eye with the long large crack in the Magnesite rubbing down the stair stringer. This critical piece of framing behind the Magnesite has, in my opinion, been infiltrated with water, has swollen and caused the Magnesite to crack and is likely dry-rotted as well, creating a life safety concern should it fail with people in the stairs.

We alerted the Board of Directors and their HOA manager to have the stairs shored up until repairs can be made. We would be remiss if we did not.

An EEE evaluation is not an inspection of the decks and stairs, but it is important to do in person to see the actual site conditions… And who knows, maybe we’ll catch a potential life safety issue at your association while we’re at it.

This is why we inspect, to protect life/safety and preserve your Associations property. Feel free to reach out to us for your free proposal for an SB 326 Inspection.