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37-39 Priest St

Nob Hill, SF 94109 0215029 3 units · 2 fl · 1927

This building has more problems than most buildings in this 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 Nob Hill
Above average
avg 2.4
14
FewerMore

This building has 14 novs (7y), above the Nob Hill average of 2.4.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 37-39 Priest 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 1927
2 or more units
3 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
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
Floors2
Year built1927
Total area2,410 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0215029
Ownership

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

Owner name
Barlow Patricia
Mailing address
39 Priest St San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
061595

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.

39 Priest St, San Francisco, CA 94109
37 Priest St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 37-39 Priest Street property is a two-story, three-unit multi-family residential building located in Nob Hill, owned by Patricia Barlow and constructed in 1927. The building has experienced several significant maintenance and safety concerns in recent years, particularly regarding the roof deck area. A 2023 complaint reported an unsafe roof deck with no railing, potential structural problems, and issues related to short-term rentals. There are ongoing concerns with water intrusion, though a 2021 water leak complaint from Housing Inspection Services remains active. Multiple compliance issues were identified in 2018 regarding illegal modifications to the roof area, including unpermitted planter boxes creating a guardrail-type barrier and water-related problems affecting neighboring properties. The building's safety systems have also been a recurring concern, with violations noted in 2016 for missing carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, and gas shutoff tools.

Earlier history shows various maintenance work and repairs were completed, including bathroom renovations in 2012, kitchen updates in 2011, stairway repairs in 2006, and several building upgrades. The property has undergone multiple inspections revealing various violations, most of which were eventually abated. Notable issues from 2006 included problems with weatherproofing, egress obstruction, and plumbing fixtures. More recent routine inspections have highlighted ongoing maintenance needs, including a 2023 complaint about an unsupported door frame in a shared hallway with the neighboring property (45 Priest Street). The property has also experienced historical issues with unauthorized short-term rentals, resulting in penalties that could affect current and future property transactions.

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

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Risk rating

How 37-39 Priest 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
22th percentile

Out of 1125 buildings in this neighborhood, 878 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
26%
No DBI
violation
74%
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.

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building NOV rate across everything this owner manages — high rates signal pattern neglect.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

Director's hearing rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building rate of director's hearings across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 12.2%
Moderate concern 65.6%
Severe concern 22.3%
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

37-39 Priest St event timeline

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

2026
Building Permit May 20
Construction of 3 convenient steps out of unit 37a priest st and landing obove the steps.
$2,500 · Complete
DBI ComplaintFeb 27
Date last observed: 26-feb-26; time last observed: today; floor: 1; unit: a; exact location: main bldg; building type: residence/dwelling plumbing inoperative; exposed wiring; work w/o permit; structural problems; ; additional information: roof falling in, non working bathroom, illeagle airbnb usage ;

See all 11 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 37-39 Priest 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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