Free SF apartment background check

1600 California St

Nob Hill, SF 94109 0643004 33 units · 4 fl · 1914

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 Nob Hill
At or below average
avg 2.4
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Nob Hill average of 2.4.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1600 California 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
33 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
POLK
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
Units33
Floors4
Year built1914
Total area23,890 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0643004
Ownership

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

Owner name
Jenkel John
Mailing address
3325 Gravenstein Hwy N Sebastopol CA 95472
Last sale
031121

Landlord portfolio

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

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Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

1519 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1517 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1600 California St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1507 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1515 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1501 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 33-unit, 4-story multi-family residential building at 1600 California Street in Nob Hill, owned by Jenkel John, was constructed in 1914 and has undergone several significant upgrades and maintenance work in recent years. Most notably, in 2024, the building received major electrical system improvements with the replacement of 27 fuse boxes and a new sub-panel installation. The property has maintained an active maintenance schedule, with recent work including plumbing upgrades in 2019, such as the installation of multiple sinks and water heaters, and various infrastructure improvements including a 2018 reroofing project costing $35,000.

The building has experienced some maintenance challenges, particularly related to water issues, with multiple complaints and work orders regarding leaks, water damage, and associated mold problems between 2017 and 2019. These issues appear to have been addressed through various repairs and upgrades, including flood repairs in 2018 and plumbing modifications. The property has an active fire violation regarding sleeping area requirements from December 2023 that is currently open, though many past fire-related violations have been resolved, including sprinkler system maintenance issues in 2017. Recent improvements to the building's systems suggest ongoing investment in maintenance and infrastructure, though the presence of recent violations indicates some areas still requiring attention. The building's history includes various routine inspections and corrective actions, particularly in the early 2000s, addressing safety features such as fire escapes, elevators, and security systems, all of which were subsequently resolved.

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

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Risk rating

How 1600 California 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
7th percentile

Out of 1125 buildings in this neighborhood, 1046 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
18%
No DBI
violation
82%
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 20.6%
Moderate concern 58.4%
Severe concern 20.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1600 California St apartment reviews

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The story over time

1600 California St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 06
Curb or curb ramp defect
Street Defect
311 RequestJun 01
Public utilities commission

See all 28 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1600 California 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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