Free SF apartment background check

1501-1515 Powell St

North Beach, SF 94133 0129007 9 units · 3 fl · 1908

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 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 1501-1515 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 1908
2 or more units
9 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NBEACH
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
Units9
Floors3
Year built1908
Total area6,990 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0129007
Ownership

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

Owner name
Gee James
Mailing address
2362 27th Ave San Francisco CA 94116
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.

1501 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1511 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
806 Vallejo St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1503 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1513 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1507 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1509 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1515 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
1505 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
808 Vallejo St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 9-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building at 1501-1515 Powell Street in North Beach, owned by James Gee, was constructed in 1908 and has undergone several significant improvements over the years. Most recently, completed in October 2024, the building received a substantial roof upgrade costing $45,000, which involved the installation of a modified bitumen membrane system. The property had previously addressed its mandatory soft-story retrofit requirements in 2023, completing the work at a cost of $110,000 and obtaining the necessary Certificate of Final Completion. Other notable improvements include a 2019 electrical service upgrade to 200 amps, window replacements in 2018, and various staircase repairs throughout the building's history, including dry rot remediation work in 2015 and earlier back stair replacement in 1996.

The building has maintained ongoing attention to safety and compliance requirements, with several fire safety inspections noting primarily "No Merit" findings regarding alarms, extinguishers, and exit maintenance between 2017 and 2024. While there were multiple violations issued between 2011-2022 requiring attention to water heater bracing, ventilation, interior surface maintenance, and security features, most of these were abated by December 2023. The property's maintenance history shows regular attention to structural elements, including multiple reroofing projects, stair repairs, and window upgrades. Recent 311 calls from 2023-2025 primarily concerned exterior issues such as street cleaning, graffiti, and parking meter maintenance, which were generally resolved promptly. The building's current maintenance and safety status appears to be up-to-date, with no active violations or complaints as of late 2023.

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

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Risk rating

How 1501-1515 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
8th percentile

Out of 362 buildings in this neighborhood, 333 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
20%
No DBI
violation
80%
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 15.0%
Moderate concern 49.5%
Severe concern 35.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1501-1515 Powell St apartment reviews

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The story over time

1501-1515 Powell St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Apr 14
Garbage and debris
human waste or urine

See all 15 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1501-1515 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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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

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