Living in Los Angeles means living with the reality of earthquakes. For apartment owners and property managers, this reality carries added responsibility: ensuring multifamily buildings are safe, resilient, and compliant with seismic codes.
One of the most dangerous vulnerabilities is soft-story design. These buildings have a weak or open ground floor, often used for parking, with residential units above. During an earthquake, the open ground level lacks the stiffness needed to resist lateral movement, making collapse highly likely. Los Angeles ordinances now mandate retrofitting for soft-story buildings, but many still await compliance.
Earthquake retrofitting is often seen as a future project, but waiting is risky. As deadlines approach for mandated retrofits, demand for engineers and contractors will increase, potentially driving up costs and creating delays. Acting early ensures you get the best pricing, the most qualified experts, and the peace of mind that your tenants are safe.
