Free SF apartment background check

540-550 Filbert St

Telegraph Hill, SF 94133 0088009 18 units · 3 fl · 1909

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Telegraph Hill
Above average
avg 1.2
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 novs (7y), above the Telegraph Hill average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 540-550 Filbert 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 1909
2 or more units
18 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM2
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
Units18
Floors3
Year built1909
Total area18,060 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot0088009
Ownership

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

Owner name
Leong 550 Filbert Street Pa
Mailing address
Po Box 330357 San Francisco CA 94133
Last sale
000000

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.

51 Medau Pl, San Francisco, CA 94133
544 Filbert St, San Francisco, CA 94133
540 Filbert St, San Francisco, CA 94133
55 Medau Pl, San Francisco, CA 94133
546 Filbert St, San Francisco, CA 94133
540 A Filbert St, San Francisco, CA 94133
59 Medau Pl, San Francisco, CA 94133
542 Filbert St, San Francisco, CA 94133
550 Filbert St, San Francisco, CA 94133
53 Medau Pl, San Francisco, CA 94133
61 Medau Pl, San Francisco, CA 94133
57 Medau Pl, San Francisco, CA 94133
548 Filbert St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 540-550 Filbert Street building is a 3-story, 18-unit multi-family residential structure built in 1909 in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood. The property currently faces significant compliance issues regarding seismic safety, as it is listed as Non-Compliant with San Francisco's mandatory soft story retrofit requirements (Tier 3). Despite obtaining various permits and beginning retrofitting work in 2016 with estimated costs of $80,000, the retrofit program remains incomplete as of 2020, leading to an active violation for failure to complete all associated work and obtain the required final signoff and certificate of completion.

Recent improvements include a completed $83,000 fire alarm system upgrade in 2023 to meet current fire code requirements, which involved installing low-frequency sounders in sleeping areas and updating the fire panel and devices. The building has experienced recurring fire safety issues, with multiple violations and complaints regarding alarm systems, sprinkler/standpipe systems, and sleeping area requirements between 2017 and 2024. Historical maintenance concerns include significant issues in 2000 with roof problems causing leaks into units, inadequate stairway lighting, and security violations, most of which were resolved within weeks. The building underwent some unit-specific renovations in 2018 involving plumbing and electrical work, and there was a complaint about unpermitted window installations in 2005 that was subsequently abated.

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

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Risk rating

How 540-550 Filbert 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
2th percentile

Out of 684 buildings in this neighborhood, 670 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
15%
No DBI
violation
85%
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 7.6%
Moderate concern 47.1%
Severe concern 45.4%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

540-550 Filbert St apartment reviews

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The story over time

540-550 Filbert St event timeline

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

2026
Fire Complaint Apr 15
Extinguishers
No Merit

See all 19 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 540-550 Filbert 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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