What it means for your study
Bay Area condominiums are often older buildings converted from apartments, with original plumbing, wiring and waterproofing still in the walls. Those systems belong in the study when the association is responsible for them; Civil Code 5550 names gas, water and electrical lines the association must repair. A first study on an older building can show a large gap, and the board is better off knowing it now.
Two things to raise with the firm
- Check whether a past seismic retrofit appears in the component list, with its own remaining life, and whether its cost is in the reserve history.
- Ask how the study handles sewer laterals and water lines that run under the building; responsibility differs from one set of governing documents to the next.
The statewide rules, briefly
A visual inspection of the accessible major components at least every three years and a board review every year (Civil Code 5550). A funding plan adopted at an open meeting. A reserve summary and the 5570 disclosure form in the annual budget report. And for condominium buildings, the balcony inspection every nine years.
Firms with a base in or near San Francisco Bay Area
Marin County firm offering reserve studies and capital needs assessments.
Listed with ECHO, the California homeowner association education group, with offices north and south.
From the firms' own sites; not a recommendation. More firms on the statewide list.