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1856 Franklin St

Pacific Heights, SF 94109 0623007C 8 units · 4 fl · 1914

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. 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 Pacific Heights
Above average
avg 1.4
3
FewerMore

This building has 3 novs (7y), above the Pacific Heights average of 1.4.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1856 Franklin 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 1914
2 or more units
8 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
Units8
Floors4
Year built1914
Total area9,777 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0623007C
Ownership

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

Owner name
Cowan Jordan B & Alber Kris
Mailing address
1856 Franklin St Apt 4 San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
011221

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The four-story TIC building at 1856 Franklin Street in Pacific Heights, constructed in 1914, contains 8 units and is currently owned by Cowan Jordan B & Alber Kris. The property has undergone numerous significant improvements over the past decade, most notably completing a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2017-2018 (with minor revisions) to improve seismic safety, which was classified as a Tier 3 building with work completed and Certificate of Final Completion issued. The building has seen substantial modernization efforts including a comprehensive fire safety system upgrade in 2014, electrical system improvements in 2012 (including a 400-amp service replacement), and window replacement projects in 2015. Unit renovations have been performed, notably in 2012 for Unit 8, and major plumbing work was completed in late 2024 involving sewer main line and house trap replacement.

Recent concerns have emerged about unauthorized modifications to the property, with multiple complaints filed in April 2024 regarding unpermitted work including roofing, plumbing repairs, interior remodels, window replacement, and siding work. The building has a history of fire safety and egress-related issues, though most violations were abated by early 2018. More recent complaints from 2023-2024 have focused on issues with exterior planters affecting fire escape access, security camera functionality, and various maintenance concerns. The property has maintained compliance with major safety requirements, as evidenced by the completed soft-story retrofit and regular system upgrades, though the recent complaints about unpermitted work suggest some ongoing maintenance and compliance concerns.

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

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Risk rating

How 1856 Franklin 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
11th percentile

Out of 963 buildings in this neighborhood, 857 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
29%
No DBI
violation
71%
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.

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.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 27.4%
Moderate concern 40.5%
Severe concern 32.1%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1856 Franklin St apartment reviews

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The story over time

1856 Franklin St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request May 27
Not offensive
city receptacle
311 RequestMay 09
Other illegal parking

See all 15 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 1856 Franklin 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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