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820 Clay St

Financial District North, SF 94108 0210009 7 units · 3 fl · 1907

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 Financial District North
Above average
avg 3.2
18
FewerMore

This building has 18 novs (7y), above the Financial District North average of 3.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 820 Clay 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
7 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
CRNC
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
Units7
Floors3
Year built1907
Total area3,774 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0210009
Ownership

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

Owner name
Song Yee & Elaine Chiu Revo
Mailing address
Chiu Song Yee & Elaine Ttee 251 Maynard St San Francisco CA 94112
Last sale
052317

Landlord portfolio

Other SF properties this owner holds, with risk grades for each.

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

820 Clay Street is a 3-story, multi-family residential building constructed in 1907, housing 7 units and currently owned by Song Yee & Elaine Chiu Revocable Trust. The property has undergone several significant safety upgrades in recent years, including a comprehensive fire alarm system upgrade in 2023 valued at $10,000, which included the installation of new smoke detectors, manual pull stations, and horn strobes throughout residential sleeping areas. Importantly, the building has experienced recurring fire safety issues, with violations documented between 2017-2024 related to extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and alarm systems, though most have been subsequently corrected.

The building recently faced multiple violations in September 2024 during a routine inspection, including issues with plumbing fixtures, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, and lead paint hazards, all of which were documented as abated by January 2025. Historical improvements include a seismic upgrade completed in 2000 (costing $65,000) and reroofing work in 2001. The property has experienced recurrent maintenance issues over the years, with a notable pattern of plumbing and safety-related complaints. Recent 311 calls from late 2024 and early 2025 primarily concerned exterior garbage and debris, though these were relatively minor and promptly addressed. The building also had a brief period requiring awning legalization in 2024, though this was successfully completed under the awning amnesty program. While the building has maintained basic requirements through various permit completions, the frequency of fire safety violations and recent inspection violations suggests ongoing compliance management challenges.

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

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Risk rating

How 820 Clay 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
48th percentile

Out of 145 buildings in this neighborhood, 75 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
51%
No DBI
violation
49%
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.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 33.8%
Moderate concern 43.3%
Severe concern 22.8%
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

820 Clay St event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Dec 18
Other illegal parking
Parking Enforcement
Fire IncidentDec 05
700 False alarm or false call, other

See all 22 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 820 Clay 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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