Free SF apartment background check

516-528 Geary St

Downtown, SF 94102 0305007 88 units · 6 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 Downtown
Above average
avg 6.9
56
FewerMore

This building has 56 novs (7y), above the Downtown average of 6.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 516-528 Geary 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
88 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
Units88
Floors6
Year built1923
Total area44,365 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0305007
Ownership

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

Owner name
Sf Multifamily Iv Property
Mailing address
Ballast Investments Llc 49 Powell St Fl 4 San Francisco CA 94102
Last sale
032719

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.

524 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
520 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
518 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
528 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
516 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The six-story multi-family residential building at 516-528 Geary Street, owned by SF Multifamily IV Property, contains 88 units and was constructed in 1923. The building has undergone extensive renovations in recent years, with significant work completed between 2019-2020 involving unit modernizations, including kitchen and bathroom renovations, flooring updates, and electrical system improvements across multiple apartments. However, there have been several concerning issues, particularly in 2022-2023, including reports of a swinging historic sign posing a safety hazard, problems with wide cracks in the building, and a period of electrical outage in unit 508. The fire safety systems have been a recurring concern, with multiple violations documented between 2016-2024 related to sprinklers, alarm systems, and standpipes, including two open violations as of late 2024 regarding standpipe caps and sleeping area requirements. The building experienced several maintenance issues documented through tenant complaints, particularly in 2019-2020, such as elevator problems, common area cleanliness concerns, and water damage. Historical records show various building violations from 2014-2015 that were subsequently abated, including issues related to fire safety, smoke detection, and window repairs. The property has maintained an active renovation schedule, with recent work including accessibility improvements such as power door operators installed in 2019 and 2022, though some renovations were reported to have been performed without proper permits according to a 2020 complaint.

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

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Risk rating

How 516-528 Geary 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
2th percentile

Out of 448 buildings in this neighborhood, 439 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 3.1%
Moderate concern 86.0%
Severe concern 10.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

516-528 Geary St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 16
Garbage and debris
human waste or urine
311 RequestApr 17
Garbage and debris

See all 36 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 516-528 Geary 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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