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649 Bay St

Russian Hill, SF 94133 0044011 6 units · 3 fl · 1962

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. 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 649 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 1962
2 or more units
6 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
Units6
Floors3
Year built1962
Total area7,437 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0044011
Ownership

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

Owner name
James T Chen Bypass Tr
Mailing address
Chen Pauline M Trustee 49 Warren Dr San Francisco CA 94131
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

This three-story, six-unit multi-family residential building located at 649 Bay Street in Russian Hill was built in 1962 and has undergone several significant improvements over the years. The most substantial recent work was a completed seismic soft-story upgrade in 2017 costing $95,000, which brought the building into compliance with important safety standards. Regular maintenance has been demonstrated through various building permits, including reroofing work in 2008 and 1991, and street space permits in 2010 and 2017.

The building has experienced several infrastructure issues recently, particularly with sewer systems, as evidenced by four sewage backup incidents between October 2023 and January 2024 involving the 4-inch sewer vent. There were also two sidewalk-related issues reported in April 2023, though inspections found no problems. Historical records show a cluster of violations in 2006 related to fire safety and gas utility systems, including malfunctioning emergency exit lights, fire door issues, and gas meter requirements, though all these violations were promptly addressed and abated by July 2006. The building has maintained regular housing inspections (2000, 2004, 2006, and 2008), indicating ongoing oversight by housing authorities. While there have been miscellaneous issues reported through 311 calls, such as graffiti, illegal postings, and human/animal waste on the street, these appear to be more related to the building's urban environment rather than structural or maintenance concerns.

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

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Risk rating

How 649 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
25th percentile

Out of 1133 buildings in this neighborhood, 850 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
52%
No DBI
violation
48%
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.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Neighborhood location

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 42.5%
Moderate concern 29.6%
Severe concern 27.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

649 Bay St apartment reviews

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The story over time

649 Bay St event timeline

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

2025
Electrical Permit Jan 28
Replace electrical meter and main. (6 units and 1 house)
Complete

See all 6 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 649 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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