Are You Ready for Required Inspections of Balconies and Exterior Elevated Elements?
Abstract
California's Senate Bill 721 and Senate Bill 326 Mandate Compliance by Statutory Deadlines By Omid Ghanadiof, EEEAdvisor Engineering Get ready! January 1, 2025 is the deadline for compliance with both Senate Bills 721 and 326 for multifamily rental properties and condominiums that contain three or more dwelling units. Senate Bill 326 is for condominiums, and Senate Bill 721 is for apartment buildings. The distinctions between the required inspection cycles under Senate Bill 721 and Senate Bill 326 are striking. Under Senate Bill 721, subsequent inspections need to be completed by January 1st every six years following the initial inspection. Senate Bill 326 does not specify any fines; however, the inspection report is incorporated into the HOA's reserve study and it will likely be subject to the same penalties as failure to comply with the Davis-Stirling Act. Sample Size of Inspections Described as "The biggest divergence between the law meant for apartments and the law meant for condominiums, sample size for inspection under Senate Bill 721 is just 15% of each type of Exterior Elevated Element shall be inspected. Under Senate Bill 326; however, sample size is a bit more elaborate. Senate Bill 326 requires any inspection to include"a sufficient number of units inspected to provide 95% confidence that the results from the sample are reflective of the whole, with a margin of error of no greater than plus or minus five percent. 3Eadvisor Engineering assists rental property owners and homeowners associations with compliance with state mandated balcony inspections per Senate Bills 721 and 326.
