The SB 326 balcony bill is confusing enough, but it becomes even more complicated when scam artists seek to use that confusion to benefit themselves. Case in point, one certain “deck inspectors” website was recently found to be advertising “Professional Inspection Services” using their CSLB issued contractors license #745936 to infer that they were a licensed balcony inspection company. Clicking on the link will take you to CSLB’s website.

We call this fraud. Implying that you are something that you are not, and foisting that fraud onto consumers needs to be criminalized under SB326. Worse yet, further research into this individual and company reveals that the shareholder of the waterproofing company has a license under his name, where CSLB lists in large red font to click here for Complaint Disclosure information. Click the link to see who the person is. CSLB doesn’t list the violations, but we have the complaint paperwork here.

Even worse, we caught this company using a civil engineer to sign a balcony inspection report when only a structural engineer can sign it. That matter is being investigated by the Board of Professional Engineers. We found that the individual who signed the report didn’t even put his license number on the report, rather he used someone else’s license number. Searching his name, we found his license which clearly shows he is a civil engineer.

The public expects balcony inspectors to be ethical and professional. With grifters like this individual in the industry, goodwill will be quickly eroded and the public won’t know who to be able to trust. That’s why this week I’ll be speaking at the CLAC,the lobbying arm for CAI in California, meet your legislators webinar to advocate to strengthen the bill with civil and criminal penalties for fraud and to ban contractors from inspecting balconies under the bill. They have clear ethical issues in bidding repairs and performing inspections. Home inspectors are banned from bidding on any work they may find is needed in the course of doing a home inspection. The same needs to apply to the balcony inspection industry.

If you are looking for a balcony inspector we have firms listed on this site that are not bidding on repairs. We suggest that to help protect your HOA from fraud and unethical inspectors that you ask them to sign a no conflicts of interest disclosure. Insist that they cannot bid for repairs. Get three bids using a scope of work. Have your attorney review any contract before signing it.