Free SF apartment background check

950 Bay St

Russian Hill, SF 94109 0453004A 18 units · 3 fl · 1926

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 Russian Hill
Above average
avg 1.9
8
FewerMore

This building has 8 novs (7y), above the Russian Hill average of 1.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 950 Bay 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 1926
2 or more units
18 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM3
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
Units18
Floors3
Year built1926
Total area12,900 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0453004A
Ownership

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

Owner name
Herman Wendel Revoc Tr
Mailing address
Wendel Herman & Zerbib Gail 401 Country Club Dr San Francisco CA 94132
Last sale
031507

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 18-unit, 1926 building at 950 Bay Street in Russian Hill, owned by the Herman Wendel Revocable Trust, has undergone significant renovations and faced several regulatory challenges in recent years. Most notably, the property completed mandatory seismic retrofitting as a Tier 2 soft-story building, with work officially marked as complete and receiving its CFC issuance. The building has seen substantial unit improvements, with multiple apartments receiving kitchen and bathroom remodels, including Units 4, 9, 10, 17, and 18, typically involving cabinets, sinks, tub surrounds, and electrical upgrades. Recent violations and complaints have raised concerns about safety and compliance, including a December 2023 open violation regarding sleeping area requirements and an earlier set of complaints in 2018 regarding unauthorized work, including unpermitted electrical and heating system modifications. The property has experienced recurring issues with its fire alarm system, with multiple complaints between 2010-2023, though most were marked as "Condition Corrected." Additionally, there was a significant compliance issue in 2016 regarding soft-story retrofit requirements that resulted in violations, though these were eventually resolved through proper permitting. The building's recent maintenance history shows attention to infrastructure, including a main water service line replacement in 2017 and ongoing unit improvements, though some work has generated tenant complaints about proper permitting procedures. While the building has experienced various maintenance issues, including plumbing concerns and exterior maintenance needs, most recent complaints have focused on fire safety systems and unauthorized work rather than major structural or safety concerns.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 950 Bay 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 1133 buildings in this neighborhood, 1110 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
13%
No DBI
violation
87%
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 6.7%
Moderate concern 82.7%
Severe concern 10.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

950 Bay St apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

950 Bay St event timeline

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

2025
Building Violation (NOV) Sep 18
Building violation
Provide shutoff tool that can be used to shutoff the gas. provide diagram and instructions printed on paper at least eight and one-half inc…
Building Violation (NOV)Sep 18
Building violation

See all 15 events

Full history back to 2021 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 950 Bay St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 950 Bay St
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.