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970 Bay St

Russian Hill, SF 94109 0453005B 12 units · 3 fl · 1927

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
9
FewerMore

This building has 9 novs (7y), above the Russian Hill average of 1.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 970 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 1927
2 or more units
12 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
Units12
Floors3
Year built1927
Total area9,678 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot0453005B
Ownership

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

Owner name
Bernard L Shain Revoc Lvg T
Mailing address
Shain Allen I Ttee 970 Bay St Apt 9 San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
042115

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, 12-unit multi-family residential building at 970 Bay Street in Russian Hill, owned by Bernard L Shain Revocable Living Trust, was constructed in 1927 and has undergone several significant safety upgrades over the past decades. Most recently, in December 2023, the building completed an $18,000 upgrade to its fire alarm system, installing new low-frequency sounders to comply with San Francisco Fire Department requirements. The building is in compliance with the mandatory soft-story retrofit requirements, having completed the $117,000 retrofit work and received its Certificate of Final Completion (CFC) under Tier 3 designation. Other notable improvements include a 400-amp electrical service upgrade completed in 2015 and various routine maintenance issues addressed through building inspections.

The building has experienced several safety-related incidents over the years, particularly concerning its boiler system. In 2004 and 2009, violations were recorded regarding the steam boiler's single-wall heat exchanger and operational permits, though these issues were subsequently abated. Fire safety inspections in 2007-2008 noted problems with blocked exits and fire extinguishers, while a 2019 exit maintenance issue and a 2020 electrical systems complaint were either corrected or found to have no merit, respectively. The building has also had various maintenance and operational issues documented through 311 calls, including street cleaning, parking violations, sewer issues, and graffiti removal, all of which were resolved. While the building's historical records show past safety concerns, the completion of major safety upgrades and the resolution of most historical violations suggest ongoing attention to building maintenance and safety requirements.

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

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Risk rating

How 970 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
3th percentile

Out of 1133 buildings in this neighborhood, 1099 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
14%
No DBI
violation
86%
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 54.0%
Severe concern 39.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

970 Bay St apartment reviews

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The story over time

970 Bay St event timeline

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

2026
Building Violation (NOV) Apr 13
Building violation
In unit #5, heat did not operate and temperature is below minimum requirement. boiler did not work, broken. repair or replace. if replaced,…
Building Violation (NOV)Apr 13
Building violation

See all 14 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 970 Bay 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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