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1539-1545 Powell St

North Beach, SF 94133 0129002B 4 units · 2 fl · 1907

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 North Beach
At or below average
avg 2.1
1
FewerMore

This building has 1 novs (7y), at or below the North Beach average of 2.1.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1539-1545 Powell 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
4 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
Units4
Floors2
Year built1907
Total area3,680 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0129002B
Ownership

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

Owner name
Yu Zhuo C & Lily Li
Mailing address
118 De Montfort Ave San Francisco CA 94112
Last sale
082305

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.

1541 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1545 A Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1539 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1543 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

This two-story multi-family residential building, located at 1539-1545 Powell Street in North Beach, was constructed in 1907 and contains 4 units. The property has undergone several significant mechanical updates in recent years, including the installation of two mini-split heat pumps in October 2022 and a new furnace in September 2022, following multiple heating system replacements between 2021-2022. A notable plumbing issue occurred in early 2021 with multiple complaints regarding broken sewer lines that reportedly affected neighboring properties and resulted in some water intrusion problems; this was subsequently addressed through a completed repair in March 2021. The building's maintenance history shows consistent attention to infrastructure needs, including a complete reroofing in 1999 and various furnace installations between 2007-2008.

The property faced several compliance issues in March 2008, including violations related to door closing devices, fire extinguisher maintenance, water heater safety features, and storage blocking exit routes; however, all these violations were abated by the end of March 2008. There were also heating system problems reported in December 2007 and December 2021, though these were addressed through system upgrades and repairs. In addition to these maintenance and compliance matters, the building experienced environmental issues in December 2021, with reports of mold, lack of heat, and rodent/insect infestation, which were subsequently transferred to appropriate health departments for investigation. While the building has had various routine inspections and some building violations over the years, most recent work has focused on updating and replacing aging systems to improve resident comfort and safety. The most recent major systems work includes the 2022 HVAC upgrades and a 2021 sewer line repair, indicating ongoing maintenance efforts by the current owners, Yu Zhuo C & Lily Li.

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

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Risk rating

How 1539-1545 Powell 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
24th percentile

Out of 362 buildings in this neighborhood, 275 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
52%
No DBI
violation
48%
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.

Building age

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 40.2%
Moderate concern 31.6%
Severe concern 28.2%
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

1539-1545 Powell St event timeline

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

2022
Plumbing Permit Oct 21
Work category: 1m; replace old heater to install two new mini spilt heat pump for unit #1539 #1545a two unit
Complete
Plumbing PermitSep 16
Work category: 1m; renwe permit pmw2021713007 replace old furnace to install new one and vent pipe

See all 9 events

Full history back to 2021 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 1539-1545 Powell St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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