We are not aware of any upcoming changes to the laws which would extend the currently established deadline of January 01, 2025 to conduct your EEE inspections and, notably, the present legislative session closes at the end of August. The only change to the law of which we are aware is the addition of licensed Civil Engineers to the list of professionals who are authorized to inspect EEE for HOAs. This change was approved by the Governor on July 15, 2024 and became effective immediately.
The California state legislature mandated the completion of required EEE inspections by January 01, 2025 and, here at E3, we know that cities are taking these laws seriously. Not only are countless cities across the state notifying property owners of these statutory requirements, they are also issuing warnings that enforcement actions will be taken against those who fail to timely comply with the law. E3 is here to help. We highly encourage owners and managers to take proactive measures in complying with these important governing statutes and local ordinances. Inspection companies will inevitably become busier as the deadline approaches. Do not wait to learn if a penalty or fine will be assessed for noncompliance, exposing yourself to potential liability and putting the health and safety of your community at risk.
In the case of HOAs, if the condition of an EEE poses an immediate threat to the safety of occupants, you must take immediate preventive measures which include preventing occupant access to the subject EEE until repairs have been made, inspected and approved by the local enforcement agency. Apartment owners have generally the same obligations with respect to conditions which pose an immediate threat to safety. In addition, an apartment building owner must apply for a permit to make non-emergency repairs within 120 days and complete those repairs within 120 days of pulling the permit. Please note that apartment owners who fail to comply with these timelines after a certain grace period are subject to fines of between $100 and $500 per day.
While there is presently no requirement for an inspection report to be sent to the state, many cities are requiring copies of reports to be sent directly to them. Some cities request a copy of all reports; others ask for a copy of a report only where repairs are called out; and yet other cities only require reports in cases of the need for emergency repairs. Cities are obviously concerned about the health and safety of their communities, and mandating their receipt of copies of reports is one way they can ensure that EEE within their jurisdictions get inspected. Cities may also see this as an opportunity to generate revenue through permitting fees, as well as fines and penalties imposed upon those who do not timely inspect or perform repairs, as discussed in A3, above. We have compiled a list of cities known to us to date to require a copy of an inspection report. Feel free to click on the “Municipalities” tab on our website to review our compilation. We caution, however, that various cities are updating their requirements on an ongoing basis and, therefore, our list may not be complete. As such, we strongly encourage you to contact your local authority to make sure that you are following the legal requirements for your locality.
If your inspection was conducted by an E3 inspector, we encourage you to contact us here at E3. If not, please see A4, above.
While a city may certainly require a copy of an inspection report once the inspection is completed, we cannot comment on the validity of Freemont’s (or any other city’s) requirement to provide it with an inspection report prior to the January 01, 2025 deadline established by our state for the completion of inspections. Generally speaking, local authorities may broaden requirements imposed by our state, but may not limit them. If you have questions pertaining specifically to your local codes, we strongly encourage you to discuss them with your local authorities.
Please see A3, above. We can also say that many cities have their own parameters for determining permitting requirements, with no established standard rule by which all cities operate. For example, some cities require a permit for sealing a waterproofed walking deck, while others do not.
Exterior Elevated Elements should be the subject of inspections. These include load-bearing components and their associated waterproofing elements.
While each inspector performs inspections in his/her own way and some charge a hefty price while you wait interminably to receive a report, at E3, we sympathize with your frustration. As such, not only are our inspectors properly trained, skilled, and experienced in performing thorough inspections expeditiously, but we also encourage each inspector to use the E3 Inspection Reporting Software which standardizes the inspection and reporting process and streamlines the report-generating process, resulting in the completion of reports in days, not weeks, with a concomitant time and cost savings to our customers.
Deadlines for commencing and completing repairs, if any, are not tied to the January 01, 2025 deadline for completing inspections. Please see A3, above, for further clarification.
We are not aware of any financial aid programs that offer assistance for these purposes.
One sure way to tell who is qualified is to check a license. Take, for example, one unscrupulous individual operating out of San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast of California who touts himself as a “Deck Inspector” and “Building Envelope Expert” but when one checks his license history on the CSLB’s website, one quickly learns that his contractor’s license has been revoked and that he has numerous outstanding judgments against him! By hiring an E3 Certified Inspector, you can be sure that you will not fall prey to such imposters.
