Free SF apartment background check

225 Chestnut St

Telegraph Hill, SF 94133 0061001C 5 units · 3 fl · 1947

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 Telegraph Hill
At or below average
avg 1.2
1
FewerMore

This building has 1 novs (7y), at or below the Telegraph Hill average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 225 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 1947
2 or more units
5 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
Units5
Floors3
Year built1947
Total area5,661 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0061001C
Ownership

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

Owner name
Alton Family Trust
Mailing address
Gregg H & Caroline Loewy Al 225 Chestnut St San Francisco CA 94133
Last sale
031219

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
AI summary

The 225 Chestnut Street property is a 3-story, 5-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1947 and currently owned by the Alton Family Trust. The building has experienced significant permit-related issues, with an active Notice of Violation from July 2021 alleging unauthorized alterations affecting the entire interior and exterior, including changes to unit configurations, fire escape removal, and unauthorized roof deck installation. This situation has prompted a 2023 permit application to consolidate and legalize previously issued permits and address un-permitted work. The property has undergone substantial improvements over the years, including plumbing system upgrades for four kitchens and bathrooms, electrical rewiring of all floors, installation of a new elevator (2015), and the addition of an in-ground pool and patio (2016-2018). Several compliance issues have emerged, particularly regarding safety inspections and permit expirations between 2012-2018, with multiple violations related to unpermitted work and expired permits requiring abatement proceedings. More recently, in 2019, there was a Department of Public Health involvement concerning swimming pool safety covers, which remains an active issue.

Recent records from 2023 indicate attempts to address these ongoing compliance matters, including work to meet safety requirements and respond to planning violations. The building's history includes significant plumbing upgrades, including a new boiler system (2013), and various safety improvements. Historical complaints have been documented regarding lead paint issues (2008), external peeling paint (2007), and some neighborhood concerns about construction hours and occupancy during renovations (2013). The property has also experienced recurring parking enforcement issues, with multiple reports of driveway blockages throughout 2024, indicating ongoing challenges with parking management in the area.

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Risk rating

How 225 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
25th percentile

Out of 684 buildings in this neighborhood, 513 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
69%
No DBI
violation
31%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

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 56.2%
Moderate concern 23.3%
Severe concern 20.6%
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

225 Chestnut St event timeline

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

2024
Planning Record Mar 11
Variance pursuant to Planning Code Section 144 (b)(1)) entrances to Off Street Parking. Response to sf planning notice of violation (#2021-007096enf). Consolidate previously issued permits (#2012-0104-1711, 2012-0518-0809, 2012-0911-9462, 2016-809-4586, 2017-1107-3317 & 2018-0320-4094) as well as legalize additional un-permitted work done by previous owner(s),
Accepted

See all 7 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 225 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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