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1229 Chestnut St

Russian Hill, SF 94109 0499001H 24 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
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 novs (7y), above the Russian Hill average of 1.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1229 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
24 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
Units24
Floors3
Year built1926
Total area15,654 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0499001H
Ownership

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

Owner name
Zimmerman David R & Marilyn
Mailing address
1621 Ascension Dr San Mateo CA 94402
Last sale
122997

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, 24-unit multi-family residential building at 1229 Chestnut Street in Russian Hill, owned by David R. & Marilyn Zimmerman, has undergone several significant upgrades and faced multiple maintenance challenges since its construction in 1926. Most notably, the building completed its mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2016 (at a cost of $60,000) and received a substantial electrical upgrade in 2013 with the installation of a 400-amp service with 25 meter and circuit breaker panels. Recent concerns have emerged regarding the building's maintenance, particularly with a February 2024 complaint about deteriorating conditions in the common garage affecting multiple units, where residents reported loose ceiling and wall materials and water issues. The building has a documented history of resolving violations, including a cluster of December 2015 violations related to fire safety, plumbing permits, and smoke detection systems, all of which were abated by January 2016. Earlier improvements included a 2012 kitchen and bathroom renovation, plumbing upgrades, and responses to various maintenance issues such as a 2005 ceiling/wall repair due to a pipe leak. The property has experienced several minor fire-related incidents (all with no civilian injuries) and completed its soft-story retrofit as a Tier 2 building, demonstrating compliance with seismic safety requirements. Regular inspections have been conducted over the years, with the most recent routine inspection flagging multiple fire safety-related items that were subsequently addressed.

The building's maintenance record shows ongoing attention to upgrading systems and addressing violations, though recent complaints about the common garage conditions suggest potential emerging maintenance challenges. The property has maintained compliance with major safety requirements such as the soft-story retrofit program, and historical records indicate that most identified violations have been promptly addressed. Recent 311 calls regarding the property primarily relate to external issues such as street cleaning and debris, rather than internal building conditions.

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

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Risk rating

How 1229 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
8th percentile

Out of 1133 buildings in this neighborhood, 1042 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
22%
No DBI
violation
78%
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 6.4%
Moderate concern 42.3%
Severe concern 51.4%
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

1229 Chestnut St event timeline

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

2025
Building Violation (NOV) Sep 22
Building violation
It is the property owner's responsibility to be present or direct his/her representative to attend the reinspection as scheduled on this no…
Building Violation (NOV)Sep 22
Building violation

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 1229 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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