Free SF apartment background check

278-280 Francisco St

Telegraph Hill, SF 94133 0039016 3 units · 2 fl · 1925

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 Telegraph Hill
At or below average
avg 1.2
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Telegraph Hill average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 278-280 Francisco 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 1925
2 or more units
3 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
Units3
Floors2
Year built1925
Total area3,536 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0039016
Ownership

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

Owner name
Michael Piscitello Lvg Tr
Mailing address
Icon Real Estate 2030 Union St Ste 201 San Francisco CA 94123
Last sale
042299

Landlord portfolio

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

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Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

280 Francisco St, San Francisco, CA 94133
278 Francisco St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 278-280 Francisco Street in Telegraph Hill is a 2-story, 3-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1925, currently owned by the Michael Piscitello Living Trust. The building has undergone several significant improvements over the past decade, with the most recent being a December 2024 sidewalk defect report related to tree root lifting, an open issue as of now. Between 2016-2018, major window upgrades were completed, including the installation of aluminum clad wood windows across the front facade, totaling $25,000 in improvements. In 2010, substantial renovations were undertaken on Unit A, including kitchen and bathroom remodeling ($26,000), along with electrical rewiring, plumbing updates, and drywall insulation work ($6,000). The building had a notable cluster of safety violations in July 2005 related to fire safety and gas utility requirements, including the need for fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and gas shutoff tools, though all these violations were abated by August 2005. More recently, there have been multiple parking-related complaints at the property, with three blocking driveway incidents reported in October 2023, though the majority of parking complaints were either resolved or invalidated. Two general cleaning issues were reported and resolved in 2020 and 2022, and there is currently an open graffiti complaint from June 2024.

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

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Risk rating

How 278-280 Francisco 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
85th percentile

Out of 684 buildings in this neighborhood, 103 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
93%
No DBI
violation
7%
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.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

Building permits, owner's portfolio

Permits pulled across all of this owner's buildings over 7 years.

DBI complaint rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building complaint rate across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 86.3%
Moderate concern 6.9%
Severe concern 6.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

278-280 Francisco St event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Oct 08
Blocking driveway cite tow
black - BMW X5 - 8PAT243
311 RequestOct 07
Blocking driveway cite tow

See all 3 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 278-280 Francisco 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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