Free SF apartment background check

601-611 Ellis St

Tenderloin, SF 94109 0335001 48 units · 6 fl · 1916

This building has more problems than most buildings in this 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 Tenderloin
At or below average
avg 12.0
3
FewerMore

This building has 3 novs (7y), at or below the Tenderloin average of 12.0.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 601-611 Ellis 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 1916
2 or more units
48 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
Units48
Floors6
Year built1916
Total area24,937 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0335001
Ownership

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

Owner name
Law Trust
Mailing address
William T Law, Succ Tte 359 Hyde St Apt 200 San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
000000

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.

359 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109
609 Ellis St, San Francisco, CA 94109
601 Ellis St, San Francisco, CA 94109
611 Ellis St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 48-unit, 6-story apartment building at 601-611 Ellis Street, built in 1916 and currently owned by Law Trust, has a mixed history of maintenance and compliance issues over the years. Most recently, in September 2023, there was a tenant complaint regarding excessive heat from the laundry facility and maintenance issues including broken doors and interior graffiti. The building is currently facing two active complaints from February 2023 regarding unauthorized awning installation, and had routine inspection complaints in 2018 concerning falling/chipped paint and gas odors in unit 303. The building's infrastructure has seen regular updates, including a house trap replacement in 2022, water heater (2018) and boiler (2018) replacements, and fire system upgrades in 2014. Multiple fire safety violations have been recorded and require attention, including a sleeping area requirement violation issued in May 2024, along with past violations for extinguishers and sprinkler systems in March 2023.

The property has experienced recurring issues with its boiler system, with multiple complaints about expired permits between 2010 and 2019, though some of these were subsequently resolved. Accessibility improvements were initiated in 2020 to remove obstructions from store entrances, and there have been various infrastructure improvements including stair repair (2019), reroofing (2002), and window replacement (1986). The building's fire safety systems have received attention over the years, though violations have persisted, as evidenced by the 2024 sleeping area requirement violation and past sprinkler system and extinguisher issues. Recent service calls primarily relate to street cleaning and maintenance issues outside the building, which have been consistently resolved through proper channels. The building's maintenance history shows regular efforts to address various systems and infrastructure, though some recurring issues suggest ongoing challenges with consistent compliance and maintenance.

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

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Risk rating

How 601-611 Ellis 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
27th percentile

Out of 172 buildings in this neighborhood, 126 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
8%
No DBI
violation
92%
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.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 7.0%
Moderate concern 59.7%
Severe concern 33.4%
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

601-611 Ellis St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 15
Public works
bsm complaint
311 RequestJun 11
Garbage and debris

See all 20 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 601-611 Ellis 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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