Free SF apartment background check

1437 Chestnut St

Marina, SF 94123 0497009G 12 units · 3 fl · 1926

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. Few open issues; problems get fixed quickly. A reasonable bet for a smooth tenancy.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Marina
Above average
avg 1.1
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 novs (7y), above the Marina average of 1.1.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1437 Chestnut 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
12 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH3
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 built1926
Total area10,566 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0497009G
Ownership

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

Owner name
John J Howse Ins Trust 2012
Mailing address
John J Howse 2644 Webster St San Francisco CA 94123
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

1437 Chestnut Street is a 12-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1926 in San Francisco's Marina district, currently owned by the John J Howse Ins Trust 2012. The building has undergone several significant improvements in recent years, most notably a fire alarm system upgrade in 2024 to comply with San Francisco Fire Department requirements, and a seismic retrofit in 2017 as a Tier 3 soft-story building. Between 2021-2022, substantial interior remodeling work was completed on units 2, 22, and 32, including bathroom additions, kitchen relocations, and closet modifications, with corresponding updates to plumbing and electrical systems.

The building's maintenance and safety history shows various compliance issues and resident concerns, particularly regarding fire safety systems and building maintenance. Fire safety inspections between 2006 and 2024 have identified recurring issues with the alarm system and fire extinguishers, though most violations have been promptly corrected. Recent complaints from November 2024 noted concerns about rodent presence in the garage and loose stair railing, while previous complaints from 2021 reported plumbing issues and unaddressed ceiling repairs. The property has maintained regular safety inspections, with most historical violations being resolved, though some recent maintenance concerns suggest ongoing challenges with building upkeep.

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

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Risk rating

How 1437 Chestnut 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
26th percentile

Out of 988 buildings in this neighborhood, 731 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
54%
No DBI
violation
46%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 54.6%
Moderate concern 19.3%
Severe concern 26.2%
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

1437 Chestnut St event timeline

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

2024
DBI Complaint Nov 07
Date last observed: 06-nov-24; time last observed: 11:00am; identity of person performing the work: sjk development ; floor: 1; exact location: garage; building type: residence/dwelling stairway safety; insects/rodents; ; additional information: rodents present in the garage. one dead rodent has been present for several days. management first notified in february but does not respond or address the issue. back stairwell railing is also loose.
Housing Inspection Services
Building PermitMay 30
Fire only- upgrade (e) fire alarm system to comply with sffd sec 1103.7.6.1

See all 21 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1437 Chestnut 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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