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1553-1557 Washington St

Nob Hill, SF 94109 0217023 4 units · 2 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 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 1553-1557 Washington 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
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
Units4
Floors2
Year built1907
Total area3,550 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0217023
Ownership

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

Owner name
Fong Erwin
Mailing address
1553 Washington St San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
051517

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.

1553 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1557 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1555 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-story multi-family residential building at 1553-1557 Washington Street in Nob Hill is a 4-unit apartment complex constructed in 1907 and currently owned by Erwin Fong. The property has undergone several significant improvements over the past decade, with the most notable being the installation of a 3.8 kW solar panel system on the roof in 2019, and a substantial garage conversion project in 2015 that included the installation of a car stacker/lift system, completed at a cost of $60,000. Between 2014 and 2015, the building received considerable modernization work including a rear cottage kitchen and bathroom remodel ($25,000), roof repairs including rafter replacement and insulation upgrades, and a comprehensive electrical service upgrade to 200A with new meter boxes.

The property faced multiple building violations in August 2009, primarily related to fire safety and plumbing concerns, including issues with fire extinguishers, combustible storage, seismic bracing for water heaters, and various interior surface requirements. However, all these violations were officially abated by October 26, 2009. A more recent complaint in May 2018 regarding improperly secured construction materials was also resolved. The building's maintenance record shows prompt attention to violations and regular updates to safety features, with no active violations or recent complaints on file. The property has experienced typical urban building issues as documented in 311 calls, including parking enforcement matters and street cleaning requests, which were all addressed appropriately.

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

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Risk rating

How 1553-1557 Washington 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
58th percentile

Out of 1125 buildings in this neighborhood, 472 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
69%
No DBI
violation
31%
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 (ZIP code)

The ZIP code captures local housing market and enforcement patterns that affect all buildings in the area.

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 50.6%
Moderate concern 18.6%
Severe concern 30.8%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

1553-1557 Washington St event timeline

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

No dated public records on file yet.
Every record we have

Full data for 1553-1557 Washington 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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