Free SF apartment background check

626 Powell St

Downtown, SF 94108 0272009 34 units · 6 fl · 1922

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. 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 Downtown
At or below average
avg 6.9
3
FewerMore

This building has 3 novs (7y), at or below the Downtown average of 6.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 626 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 1922
2 or more units
34 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.

Statewide backstop · AB 1482

California Tenant Protection Act of 2019

Even when a building isn't covered by local rent stabilization, the statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still apply. It caps annual rent increases and requires the landlord to state a legal reason to end most tenancies.

15+ years since occupancy
Built 1922
Annual rent increase cap
5% + CPI, max 10%
Just-cause eviction
After 12 months
Local rent control likely takes priority. This building appears to fall under the local ordinance above, which is stronger than AB 1482. Where a local just-cause ordinance applies, its rules govern instead of the state cap.

AB 1482 does not apply to single-family homes and condos unless owned by a corporation, REIT, or an LLC with a corporate member; to owner-occupied duplexes; or to deed-restricted affordable housing. The Act is in effect until January 1, 2030. Not legal advice — see the California landlord–tenant guide.

Building characteristics
Units34
Floors6
Year built1922
Total area15,695 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0272009
Ownership

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

Mailing address
C/o Ballast Investments 49 Powell St Fl 4 San Francisco CA 94102
Last sale
041521

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 34-unit residential building at 626 Powell Street, constructed in 1922, is currently experiencing significant infrastructure challenges, particularly with its elevator systems. As of December 2024, there are active violations related to non-working elevators that require restoration to proper working condition and verification of current state operation permits. Recent complaints from early 2026 (February through April) indicate persistent elevator failures, with reports of both elevators being out of service for extended periods, including one elevator reportedly non-functional for over two years. These issues prompted multiple complaints to Housing Inspection Services and the Disabled Access Division, with one complaint including correspondence indicating management's reluctance to address the repairs.

The building underwent some improvements and modifications in recent years, including the installation of a new fire alarm system (completed in 2019) and low-frequency sounders (completed in 2021), as well as a significant renovation project in 2020 to add two basement-level units, converting an existing garage space. The property has a documented history of building service requests, with 133 filed through the 311 service system over the past seven years, though most recent requests have been related to parking enforcement matters. The building's inspection and violation record shows a relatively low number of formal violations (3 Notices of Violation, 1 Final Warning Notice, and 1 Director Hearing) compared to the volume of service requests, suggesting that while there are numerous reported issues, only a small fraction have resulted in formal violations.

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

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Risk rating

How 626 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
10th percentile

Out of 448 buildings in this neighborhood, 403 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
6%
No DBI
violation
94%
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.

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 6.3%
Moderate concern 79.8%
Severe concern 13.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

626 Powell St apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

626 Powell St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jul 29
Other illegal parking
Parking Enforcement
Plumbing PermitJul 28
Work category: 8p; remove existing ao smith domestic hot water boiler #932 j94 25278 and strike from sfdbi. install laars mt2v0400 domestic hot water boiler and connect to existing piping and hot water storage tanks.

See all 27 events

Full history back to 2019 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 626 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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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

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