Free SF apartment background check

153-159 Varennes St

Telegraph Hill, SF 94133 0104041 4 units · 3 fl · 1902

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
Above average
avg 1.2
4
FewerMore

This building has 4 novs (7y), above the Telegraph Hill average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 153-159 Varennes 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 1902
2 or more units
4 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
Units4
Floors3
Year built1902
Total area4,289 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0104041
Ownership

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

Owner name
Oconnell Living Trust
Mailing address
James C Oconnell, Trustee 460 Remillard Dr Hillsborough CA 94010
Last sale
040298

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.

157 Varennes St, San Francisco, CA 94133
159 Varennes St, San Francisco, CA 94133
153 Varennes St, San Francisco, CA 94133
155 Varennes St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 153-159 Varennes Street in Telegraph Hill is a three-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1902, currently owned by Oconnell Living Trust, containing 4 units. The building has undergone several significant improvements over the years, with the most recent major work being a street space permit issued in 2016. In 2012, substantial window improvements were completed at a cost of $15,000, and in 2011, the building underwent reroofing work valued at $19,000. Between 2000 and 2001, the property underwent several structural enhancements, including foundation work, dry rot repairs, and voluntary seismic upgrades, though some of these permits expired.

The building has had three routine housing inspections (2002, 2006, and 2016), during which various safety and maintenance issues were identified and subsequently resolved. Notable violations from 2006 included requirements for hot water heater seismic bracing, gas utility shutoff tools, and gas meter instructional diagrams, while the 2016 inspection cited concerns about damaged paint creating potential lead hazards and issues with the fire escape drop ladder. Recent years have seen a variety of 311 calls related to the property's vicinity, including street cleaning requests and hazardous waste inspections. Two encampment cleanup operations were conducted near the property in 2018, and there were instances of sidewalk sanitation issues reported in 2015. Planning records indicate closed variance requests for building a rear deck at the first-floor level, though there are no recent tenant buyout records associated with the address.

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

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Risk rating

How 153-159 Varennes 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
40th percentile

Out of 684 buildings in this neighborhood, 410 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
85%
No DBI
violation
15%
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.

Neighborhood location

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

Building permits, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 44.0%
Moderate concern 10.4%
Severe concern 45.6%
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

153-159 Varennes St event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Nov 30
Garbage and debris
other loose garbage debris yard waste
Electrical PermitAug 04
Replace federal pacific main disconnect and sub panel in unit to approved circuit breakers.

See all 9 events

Full history back to 2024 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 153-159 Varennes 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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