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912 Powell St

Nob Hill, SF 94108 0224014 9 units · 5 fl · 1923

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 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 912 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 1923
2 or more units
9 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM4
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
Floors5
Year built1923
Total area5,629 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0224014
Ownership

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

Owner name
Claussen James
Mailing address
1517 North Point St #475 San Francisco CA 94123
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 912 Powell Street property is a 5-story, 9-unit multi-family residential building located in Nob Hill, constructed in 1923 and currently owned by James Claussen. The building has experienced multiple maintenance and safety-related issues over the years, with the most significant cluster of violations occurring in August 2002, when multiple citations were issued regarding non-functional fire escape drop ladders and window sash cord problems. These violations were all abated by October 2002. More recent concerns include two fire complaints in 2017, one regarding blocked exits (which was promptly corrected) and another related to hazardous materials that was found to have no merit. The building has also generated some fire alarm incidents, including a false alarm and a contained cooking fire, neither of which resulted in civilian injuries.

In recent years (2023-2024), there have been various neighborhood maintenance issues near the property, including reports of garbage and debris, sidewalk cleaning needs, and a graffiti incident (still open as of April 2023). There were two noise complaints in February 2024, with one specifically noting illegal fireworks, and a defaced parking sign that required attention in November 2023. The most substantial exterior work documented was a sidewalk repair permit from 2002 (which expired) and a street space permit issued in 2007 for $1.00. The building underwent routine housing inspections in 2002 and 2005, with all issues being resolved. While the building's historical record shows periodic maintenance issues and safety violations, particularly relating to fire escape systems, most of these problems have been resolved promptly when addressed.

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

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Risk rating

How 912 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
5th percentile

Out of 1125 buildings in this neighborhood, 1069 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
16%
No DBI
violation
84%
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.

Number of floors

Building height affects maintenance complexity and is one of the size signals the model uses.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 19.8%
Moderate concern 42.5%
Severe concern 37.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

912 Powell St apartment reviews

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The story over time

912 Powell St event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Dec 24
Permit parking
defaced ok
311 RequestJul 11
Toters left out 24x7

See all 3 events

Full history back to 2024 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 912 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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