Free SF apartment background check

736 Bay St

Russian Hill, SF 94109 0027034 2 units · 2 fl · 1913

This building has a higher-than-average number of open problems nearby. Few open issues; problems get fixed quickly. A reasonable bet for a smooth tenancy.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Russian Hill
At or below average
avg 1.9
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Russian Hill average of 1.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 736 Bay St 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 1913
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH3
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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1913
Total area2,435 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0027034
Ownership

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

Owner name
Merritt Family 1989 Trust
Mailing address
739 Vista Dr Emerald Hills CA 94062
Last sale
040819

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The Merritt Family 1989 Trust owns this two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building located at 736 Bay Street in Russian Hill, which was constructed in 1913. The property has undergone several significant renovations and faced multiple regulatory challenges in recent years. Between 2015-2020, substantial improvements included electrical upgrades with new wiring installation in 2017 (EW201711039068), complete electrical system replacement (EW20150730821), and plumbing system upgrades including bathroom repiping and new boiler installation (PP20170920895). Several concerning incidents occurred during this period, notably multiple complaints about unauthorized construction work and safety concerns. In late 2015, there were serious allegations regarding unpermitted structural work, including stair and deck replacements, with complaints of dangerous working conditions being filed. Similar issues arose in 2019, when unauthorized deck and stair reconstruction work triggered enforcement actions requiring compliance with planning case #2019-002563ENF, ultimately leading to the official requirement to reduce the size of the rear deck and stairs.

The building has a documented history of maintenance and compliance issues, including a lead paint violation notification in 2013 that was abated by July 23, 2013. Earlier improvements included a 2016 renovation involving interior staircase modifications and bedroom reconfigurations, and exterior maintenance work such as deck surface replacement and waterproofing in 2015. The property has undergone various maintenance issues typical of older buildings, including exterior painting needs, weatherproofing concerns, and sidewalk maintenance. Recent activity at the property has primarily involved routine municipal services and maintenance issues consistent with urban residential properties, such as parking enforcement and street cleaning matters. The building's historical permit and violation record shows both proactive improvements and reactive responses to compliance issues, with most recent major construction activities focusing on interiors and systems upgrades rather than structural modifications.

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

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Risk rating

How 736 Bay St'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
96th percentile

Out of 1133 buildings in this neighborhood, 45 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
94%
No DBI
violation
6%
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.

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

The ZIP code captures local housing market and enforcement patterns that affect all buildings in the area.

Neighborhood location

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

Building permits (past 7 years)

Number of permits pulled at this address — construction or renovation activity over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 86.7%
Moderate concern 6.0%
Severe concern 7.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

736 Bay St event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Oct 13
Parking on sidewalk
Red - Toyota prius - 7gmk250
311 RequestJul 28
Blocking driveway cite only

See all 3 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 736 Bay St 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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