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1321 Columbus Ave

Russian Hill, SF 94133 0024024 8 units · 3 fl · 1961

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Russian Hill
Above average
avg 1.9
2
FewerMore

This building has 2 novs (7y), above the Russian Hill average of 1.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1321 Columbus Ave rent-controlled?

San Francisco's Rent Ordinance caps rent increases and provides eviction protection for most residential units built before 1979 with 2+ units. Here's how this building scores.

Built before 1979
Built 1961
2 or more units
8 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
C2
Likely rent-controlled. Building age and unit count suggest this property falls under San Francisco's Rent Ordinance.

Based on SF Assessor records. Not legal advice — confirm with the SF Rent Board.

Building characteristics
Units8
Floors3
Year built1961
Total area6,545 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0024024
Ownership

Registered owner per SF Assessor-Recorder (secured roll).

Owner name
Bardaro Barbara J Revocable
Mailing address
Pamela Shelchuk 97 Rebecca Ln Atherton CA 94027
Last sale
021898

Landlord portfolio

Other SF properties this owner holds, with risk grades for each.

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

1321 Columbus Avenue is an 8-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1961 and currently owned by Barbara J Bardaro Revocable Trust. The building has undergone several significant structural improvements, including mandatory soft-story retrofitting completed in 2016 with the installation of Simpson moment frames, and subsequent kitchen and bathroom upgrades scheduled for 2024 to meet current electrical codes. The property has experienced some structural challenges, notably in 2009-2010 when there was an incident involving vehicle impact that required emergency repairs, though this has since been resolved. The building has maintained routine maintenance with multiple systems upgrades, including recent water heater replacements (2024) and gas line conversions (2024), though there are currently active code compliance issues related to the Mandatory Soft Story Program that remain unresolved.

The property has experienced several routine inspections over the years, with the most recent ones in 2020 showing some non-compliance issues particularly related to earthquake safety requirements, though most other previous complaints and violations have been resolved. Recent activity around the building has been primarily related to external matters such as sidewalk blockages and garbage overflow issues that have emerged in early 2025, suggesting ongoing challenges with street-level maintenance and access. Fire safety records show multiple false alarms and system malfunctions over the years, but no actual fire incidents or civilian injuries have been reported. The building's systems appear to be receiving regular updates and maintenance, with several permits issued in 2024 for various infrastructure improvements, though the active soft-story compliance issue suggests some work remains incomplete.

AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below

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Risk rating

How 1321 Columbus Ave's risk score is calculated

We trained a model on 7 years of SF DBI inspection data — notice of violation filings, complaint history, and owner track records. It estimates the probability that DBI inspectors will issue a Notice of Violation at this address in the next 12 months. Lower % = safer.

What the score means for you

Grade A–B — Low risk

DBI rarely finds violations here. Strong maintenance history and a clean complaint record.

Grade C — Moderate risk

Some past violations or complaints on record. Worth asking the landlord about any open issues before signing.

Grade D–F — High risk

Elevated violation and complaint history. DBI has found issues here before and is statistically likely to again.

Neighborhood percentile
12th percentile

Out of 1133 buildings in this neighborhood, 997 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
24%
No DBI
violation
76%
DBI violation
likely
Model explanation

What's driving this score

The three data points that most influenced this building's risk rating — ranked by the weight the model placed on each one.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 12.5%
Moderate concern 78.1%
Severe concern 9.4%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1321 Columbus Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

1321 Columbus Ave event timeline

Violations, complaints, fire incidents, permits, and buyouts — most recent records in order.

2026
311 Request May 10
Garbage and debris
other bagged boxed contained garbage
311 RequestMay 10
Garbage and debris

See all 24 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 1321 Columbus Ave apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

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