Terms of Utility Service & Privacy Policy

1. What We Are

SanDiegoBalconyGuide.com ("the Utility," "we," "us") is a free lead-referral and information utility serving HOA boards, community association managers, property managers, and multifamily owners in San Diego County, California. We are not a licensed structural engineering firm, architecture firm, or contractor, and we do not perform inspections, issue inspection reports, or perform repair work. We connect visitors with independent, third-party California licensed Structural Engineers (PE) and Architects ("Partners") qualified to perform state-mandated exterior elevated element inspections.

2. Lead-Referral Disclosure — Licensed PE / Architect Firms, Not Contractors

When you submit a request through this site, your information (name, phone, email, ZIP, property type, unit count, timeline, and any notes) is shared with one or more Partner firms, who may contact you directly to scope the engagement and provide a quote. We may receive a referral fee from Partners for connecting you. This does not affect the price you are quoted. Our referral partners for the mandated inspection itself are licensed structural engineering and architecture firms — not general contractors. California law requires the inspection be performed by a licensed structural engineer or architect; a general contractor cannot issue a compliant SB 326 or SB 721 inspection report. Where an inspection identifies conditions requiring repair, we may separately refer you to a licensed contractor for the remediation work, which is a distinct engagement from the inspection.

3. Legally Mandated Inspections & Statutory Deadlines

SB 326 (California Civil Code § 5551) requires common interest developments — HOAs and condominium associations — to have exterior elevated elements inspected by a licensed structural engineer or architect. The initial inspection deadline for most associations was January 1, 2025, and inspections recur on a nine-year cycle thereafter. SB 721 imposes a comparable inspection requirement on multifamily rental buildings with three or more units, on a similar recurring cadence. These are statutory obligations, not optional maintenance. The dates and cycles described on this site are general summaries only; your property's specific obligations and deadlines depend on facts we do not evaluate. Confirm your obligations with your own legal counsel or your inspecting engineer.

4. Call Recording & Consent (California — Two-Party Consent, Penal Code § 632)

California is a two-party (all-party) consent state under California Penal Code § 632. Calls placed to tracking numbers on this site may be recorded for quality, training, and lead-attribution purposes. An audible disclosure is played to all parties — both the caller and the receiving Partner firm — before the call is connected. By remaining on the line after that disclosure, you consent to the recording. If you do not consent, hang up and contact the Partner firm directly.

5. No Legal or Engineering Advice; No Guarantee of Compliance Outcome

Nothing on this site is legal advice, engineering advice, or a professional opinion, and no attorney-client or engineer-client relationship is created by using this Utility. We do not evaluate your property, interpret the statutes as applied to your building, determine your deadline, or certify compliance. We do not guarantee any compliance outcome, inspection result, report acceptance, or freedom from liability or enforcement action. While we make reasonable efforts to work with appropriately licensed Partners, we do not independently verify licensure, registration, or professional liability insurance on every engagement and are not liable for the quality, timeliness, findings, or outcome of any inspection or work performed by a Partner. Always verify a firm's California license before signing an engagement agreement.

6. Information We Collect & How It's Used

We collect the information you submit via our forms (name, contact information, property ZIP, property type, unit count, inspection type, timeline, and optional notes) and standard analytics data (IP address, device, referrer). This is used solely to route your request to an appropriate Partner and to improve our matching service. We do not sell your data to unrelated third parties.

7. Contact

Questions about this policy: info@sandiegobalconyguide.com

Last updated: August 2026