Free SF apartment background check

52-56 Varennes St

Telegraph Hill, SF 94133 0115040 3 units · 3 fl · 1906

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
At or below average
avg 1.2
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Telegraph Hill average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 52-56 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 1906
2 or more units
3 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
Units3
Floors3
Year built1906
Total area3,003 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0115040
Ownership

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

Owner name
Chit Yuen Lee Bypass Trust
Mailing address
Lee Yuk Ping Yu, Trustee 350 Francisco St Apt 9 San Francisco CA 94133
Last sale
043098

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.

52 Varennes St, San Francisco, CA 94133
54 Varennes St, San Francisco, CA 94133
56 Varennes St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 52-56 Varennes Street is a three-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1906, containing three units and currently owned by the Chit Yuen Lee Bypass Trust. The building has undergone several inspections and improvements over the years, with the most significant recent actions occurring in 2013 when multiple fire safety violations were documented and subsequently abated. These violations included issues with fire escape ladders, the need for fire extinguishers, and combustible storage concerns, all of which were resolved by July 2, 2013. Prior to this, in 2010, there were allegations regarding a possible illegal basement unit and combustible storage issues, though these were also addressed by mid-2013.

Historical records show several routine inspections from 2000 onwards, with a notable complaint in 1998 regarding multiple maintenance issues including peeling paint, electrical problems, drainage concerns, and foundation erosion, all of which were promptly resolved. The building's immediate area has experienced recurring street cleanliness issues, with eight reports of human or animal waste and general cleaning needs documented between 2019 and 2023, though these are external to the building itself and have all been resolved through city services. Both the building violations and recent 311 calls indicate that while the building has had periods of non-compliance and maintenance issues in the past, these have been addressed through regular inspections and prompt responses to violations.

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

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Risk rating

How 52-56 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
61th percentile

Out of 684 buildings in this neighborhood, 267 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
88%
No DBI
violation
12%
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.

Building age

Older buildings tend to have more maintenance challenges; SF's pre-1906 earthquake housing stock carries distinct risk.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

Building permits, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 73.3%
Moderate concern 15.5%
Severe concern 11.2%
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

52-56 Varennes St event timeline

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

2025
Electrical Permit Jun 17
Change existing federal pacific sub-panel
Complete
Electrical PermitJun 17
Change existing federal pacific sub-panel

See all 5 events

Full history back to 2025 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 52-56 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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