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861 Sutter St

Downtown, SF 94109 0299019 60 units · 6 fl · 1913

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 Downtown
Above average
avg 6.9
28
FewerMore

This building has 28 novs (7y), above the Downtown average of 6.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 861 Sutter 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 1913
2 or more units
60 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RC4
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
Units60
Floors6
Year built1913
Total area39,995 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0299019
Ownership

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

Owner name
Sf Multifamily Iv Property
Mailing address
C/o Ballast Investments 49 Powell St Fl 4 San Francisco CA 94102
Last sale
060421

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

861 Sutter Street is a 6-story, 60-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1913 and currently owned by SF Multifamily IV Property. The building has undergone significant renovations in recent years, including the addition of nine units in 2020, window replacements due to water damage, and comprehensive updates to multiple units between 2019-2020, including kitchen and bathroom remodels, electrical upgrades, and the installation of new washer/dryer facilities. More recent maintenance includes a complete reroofing project (2024) and hot water boiler replacement (2024). However, the building has experienced recurring elevator issues, with multiple complaints in 2023-2024 documenting extended outages that particularly affect disabled residents. Water-related problems have also been a concern, with complaints in 2023 regarding flooding and potential mold issues. The building's safety systems have undergone updates, including a fire alarm system replacement in 2020 and compliance upgrades, though there have been several fire safety violations in recent years requiring attention to sprinkler systems and alarm maintenance. While many recent improvements suggest active maintenance and upgrading of building systems, the ongoing elevator reliability issues and history of water-related problems indicate areas of persistent concern for resident comfort and accessibility.

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

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Risk rating

How 861 Sutter 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
3th percentile

Out of 448 buildings in this neighborhood, 435 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
5%
No DBI
violation
95%
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 2.8%
Moderate concern 77.4%
Severe concern 19.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

861 Sutter St apartment reviews

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The story over time

861 Sutter St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 06
Garbage and debris
mattress
Building Violation (NOV)Feb 09
Building violation

See all 37 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 861 Sutter 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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