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764-766 Chestnut St

Russian Hill, SF 94133 0050006C 2 units · 2 fl · 1907

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Russian Hill
At or below average
avg 1.9
1
FewerMore

This building has 1 novs (7y), at or below the Russian Hill average of 1.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 764-766 Chestnut 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 1907
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM1
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 built1907
Total area2,738 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0050006C
Ownership

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

Owner name
John E Wai 1981 Living Trus
Mailing address
John E Wai, Trustee Po Box 641045 San Francisco CA 94164
Last sale
041321

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.

766 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94133
764 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 764-766 Chestnut Street in Russian Hill, owned by the John E Wai 1981 Living Trust, has undergone substantial renovations and faced several maintenance challenges since its construction in 1907. Most recently, in early 2025, there have been ongoing structural modifications including the addition of footings below the exterior wall along the east property line, along with bathroom renovations in the downstairs unit costing approximately $28,192. In late 2024, significant structural work was performed including the replacement of a moment frame with plywood shearwall at the rear wall and additional interior stair strengthening. Notable concerns have emerged regarding water issues, with multiple leak complaints reported in early 2024, including a potential mold problem that led to a tenant's departure. There have also been historical compliance issues, including a 2022 violation for a protruding structural beam on the front porch, which was subsequently addressed. The building has undergone multiple comprehensive renovations over the years, including complete remodels of both kitchens and bathrooms in 2019 and 2021, and has had various permits issued for electrical and plumbing work. A planning record from 2022 shows a requirement to relocate the front door to meet entry requirements, though this appears to be part of ongoing improvements to the property. The most recent complaint as of December 2024 relates to the possible use of the neighbor's property line wall for construction support, which is currently active.

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

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Risk rating

How 764-766 Chestnut 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
21th percentile

Out of 1133 buildings in this neighborhood, 895 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
43%
No DBI
violation
57%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building NOV rate across everything this owner manages — high rates signal pattern neglect.

Director's hearing rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building rate of director's hearings across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 59.5%
Moderate concern 27.4%
Severe concern 13.1%
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

764-766 Chestnut St event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit May 16
Revision to pa #200904095976 & 202410183313 1st fl: reconfiguration of master bathroom & remove partition walls btwn storage and garage area. 2nd fl: change from laundry to powder room & reconfiguration of bathroom, laundry at closet area. 3rd fl: return the room back its original use as bedroom
$1 · Complete
Building PermitFeb 20
Replace front windows to comply w/ complaint #202534179 window replacement. 8 windows total. inkind. max u factor 0.30.

See all 22 events

Full history back to 2019 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 764-766 Chestnut 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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