Free SF apartment background check

1440 Sutter St

Lower Pacific Heights, SF 94109 0672004 15 units · 3 fl · 1976

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Lower Pacific Heights
At or below average
avg 1.6
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Lower Pacific Heights average of 1.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1440 Sutter 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 1976
2 or more units
15 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC3
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.

Statewide backstop · AB 1482

California Tenant Protection Act of 2019

Even when a building isn't covered by local rent stabilization, the statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still apply. It caps annual rent increases and requires the landlord to state a legal reason to end most tenancies.

15+ years since occupancy
Built 1976
Annual rent increase cap
5% + CPI, max 10%
Just-cause eviction
After 12 months
Local rent control likely takes priority. This building appears to fall under the local ordinance above, which is stronger than AB 1482. Where a local just-cause ordinance applies, its rules govern instead of the state cap.

AB 1482 does not apply to single-family homes and condos unless owned by a corporation, REIT, or an LLC with a corporate member; to owner-occupied duplexes; or to deed-restricted affordable housing. The Act is in effect until January 1, 2030. Not legal advice — see the California landlord–tenant guide.

Building characteristics
Units15
Floors3
Year built1976
Total area15,015 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0672004
Ownership

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

Mailing address
Steven C. Thrower 1 Bush St Ste 900 San Francisco CA 94104
Last sale
071019

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 15-unit apartment building at 1440 Sutter Street in Lower Pacific Heights has undergone significant recent activity, with multiple unit renovations completed between 2017 and 2022. These improvements include kitchen and bathroom rehabilitations, washer/dryer installations, and associated electrical and plumbing upgrades in units 102, 202, 204, 302, and 105. The building has also addressed important safety concerns, including a fire alarm system upgrade in 2018 to comply with SFBC requirements, and a successful soft-story retrofit completed as a Tier 2 building, which involved seismic strengthening under San Francisco's mandatory program.

Recent maintenance history shows ongoing attention to building systems, with a water heater replacement completed in 2023, and various unit improvements suggesting active property management. However, some recurring issues warrant attention: there have been multiple fire alarm system violations in 2023-2024, and the building experienced several plumbing-related complaints between 2014-2018, including significant sewage backup issues that were ultimately resolved. A notable cluster of violations and complaints occurred between 2008-2009, involving interior repairs, ventilation, and plumbing concerns, all of which were eventually abated. The property is currently active in pursuing the addition of four new ADU units on the ground floor, as permitted under San Francisco regulations.

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

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Risk rating

How 1440 Sutter 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
19th percentile

Out of 670 buildings in this neighborhood, 543 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
48%
No DBI
violation
52%
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 33.0%
Moderate concern 36.1%
Severe concern 30.8%
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

1440 Sutter St event timeline

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

2026
Electrical Permit Jan 05
Upgrade fire alarm system to comply with sffc 1103.6.7.1
Complete

See all 22 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1440 Sutter 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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