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2821 Polk St

Russian Hill, SF 94109 0478002A 4 units · 2 fl · 1924

This building has a higher-than-average number of open problems nearby. Few open issues; problems get fixed quickly. A reasonable bet for a smooth tenancy.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Russian Hill
At or below average
avg 1.9
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Russian Hill average of 1.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 2821 Polk 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 1924
2 or more units
4 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM1
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
Units4
Floors2
Year built1924
Total area3,796 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot0478002A
Ownership

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

Owner name
Schwab Stephen J & Bai Shan
Mailing address
2821 Polk St Apt 2 San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
070620

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 4-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 2821 Polk Street in Russian Hill, owned by Stephen J Schwab and Bai Shan, has undergone substantial renovations over the past few years. Between 2019-2020, the property underwent significant improvements to all four units, including comprehensive kitchen and bathroom remodels, electrical rewiring, hardwood floor replacements, and window upgrades, with individual unit improvements costing between $42,000 to $49,000 each. In addition to these interior renovations, the back house received new siding in July 2020, and several mechanical upgrades were completed during this period including a new furnace, tankless water heater, and the installation of a gas fireplace.

The building's history shows earlier substantial work in 2002-2003 when unit #1 was enlarged with structural modifications including the installation of a steel beam. Safety systems were addressed during recent renovations, including the installation of a 70-amp subpanel in apartment 3 and various electrical upgrades. The property has maintained compliance with housing inspections, showing no significant recent violations. While there have been multiple 311 calls regarding street cleaning needs and waste removal in the vicinity of the building between 2022-2025, these primarily relate to public sidewalk issues rather than building-specific concerns, and most have been resolved promptly. The building has experienced several alarm system activations over the years, though all were determined to be false alarms or system malfunctions with no reported injuries or actual fires. Prior permits from the 1990s and earlier demonstrate attention to fundamental building safety, including roofing work and seismic improvements such as bolting the mudsill to the foundation and plywood installation to basement walls.

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

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Risk rating

How 2821 Polk 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
70th percentile

Out of 1133 buildings in this neighborhood, 340 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
82%
No DBI
violation
18%
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.

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

The ZIP code captures local housing market and enforcement patterns that affect all buildings in the area.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 51.4%
Moderate concern 10.3%
Severe concern 38.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

2821 Polk St event timeline

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

2020
Building Permit Jul 14
Back house replace siding. about 400 sq ft in kind
$15,000 · Complete
Plumbing PermitJul 06
Work category: 1m; install a direct vent gas fireplace per manual specs. gas line by others.

See all 9 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 2821 Polk 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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