Free SF apartment background check

1242 Taylor St

Nob Hill, SF 94108 0213019 6 units · 3 fl · 1909

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 Nob Hill
At or below average
avg 2.4
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Nob Hill average of 2.4.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1242 Taylor 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 1909
2 or more units
6 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM3
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
Units6
Floors3
Year built1909
Total area7,050 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0213019
Ownership

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

Owner name
Henry & Shui Lee Revoc Tr-R
Mailing address
Merchant Real Estate, Inc. 520 21St Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
102997

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 1242 Taylor Street property is a 3-story, 6-unit multi-family residential building located in Nob Hill, constructed in 1909 and currently owned by the Henry & Shui Lee Revocable Trust. The building has undergone several significant improvements in recent years, with the most critical being a comprehensive fire alarm system upgrade completed in January 2024, including the installation of addressable smoke detectors, manual pull stations, and low-frequency horns in residential sleeping areas to meet current safety standards. The building completed mandatory soft-story seismic retrofitting in 2017 (as a Tier 3 property) and addressed foundation issues in 2019. Between 2021 and 2022, Units 4 and 6 underwent substantial bathroom renovations, including dry rot repairs and plumbing improvements, with appropriate electrical work completed for bathroom exhaust fans and fixtures.

The property has a history of maintenance issues, particularly related to water damage and heating systems. A series of bathroom ceiling leaks were documented between 2010 and 2013, resulting in multiple housing complaints and indicating potential historical plumbing vulnerabilities. The building experienced several code violations in 2009/2010 related to seismic bracing, fire safety systems, and various interior maintenance issues, including a notable lead paint hazard notice in 2010. All these violations were resolved by August 2009. The most recent building maintenance records show attention to both structural and safety systems, though there have been ongoing reports of sidewalk parking violations near the property, with multiple complaints recorded throughout 2024, though these are not directly related to building conditions. An open case regarding property damage from trees was filed in December 2023, which may require further attention.

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

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Risk rating

How 1242 Taylor 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
66th percentile

Out of 1125 buildings in this neighborhood, 382 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
72%
No DBI
violation
28%
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 size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

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 39.0%
Moderate concern 32.7%
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

1242 Taylor St event timeline

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

2024
Building Permit Jan 02
Upgrade the existing fire alarm system by replacing it with (1) addressable fire alarm unit. (1) wireless communicator next to facu (5) addresable smoke detector (4) addressalbe manuel pull station (3) horn strobes (18) low frequency horn at all residential sleeping area to comply with sffc section
$15,000 · Complete
Electrical PermitJan 02
Upgrade existing fire alarm to comply with sffc section 1103.7.6.1

See all 14 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1242 Taylor 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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