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864 Ellis St

Van Ness/ Civic Center, SF 94109 0718010 25 units · 5 fl · 1911

This building has more problems than most buildings in this 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 Van Ness/ Civic Center
Above average
avg 6.7
7
FewerMore

This building has 7 novs (7y), above the Van Ness/ Civic Center average of 6.7.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 864 Ellis 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 1911
2 or more units
25 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RC4
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
Units25
Floors5
Year built1911
Total area12,600 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusWelfare
Blocklot0718010
Ownership

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

Owner name
Ellis Street Assocs Lp
Mailing address
201 Eddy St San Francisco CA 94102
Last sale
062218

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 25-unit, 5-story apartment building at 864 Ellis Street, owned by Ellis Street Assocs Lp, has undergone several significant safety system upgrades in recent years, including a $121,035 fire alarm system replacement and upgrade in 2020 to meet current codes, complete with new detectors and low-frequency horns. The building has experienced multiple safety-related incidents and maintenance challenges over the past decade, with notable concerns including a serious incident in February 2017 involving locked exits during a fire alarm, recurring elevator outages, and laundry facilities with persistent operational issues. More recent violations in 2023-2024 have included sleeping area requirements as well as multiple compliance issues related to fire escape maintenance, smoke detectors, and fire extinguisher requirements.

The building's maintenance history shows regular upgrades to essential systems, including multiple boiler replacements between 2017-2019, backflow device replacements, and various plumbing improvements. While many fire safety violations have been promptly addressed and corrected, including sprinkler system and alarm system issues in 2022, there have been concerns about building management's response to maintenance issues, particularly regarding waste management and common area upkeep. The property has experienced recurring problems with garbage management, evidenced by multiple tenant complaints and 311 calls regarding debris and sanitation issues in common areas. Fire incident history shows primarily unintentional alarm activations with no civilian injuries reported, though there was one confined cooking fire incident. Recent 311 calls (2024) have continued to show patterns of waste management and debris concerns around the property perimeter, requiring multiple responses from city services.

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

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Risk rating

How 864 Ellis 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
27th percentile

Out of 85 buildings in this neighborhood, 62 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
11%
No DBI
violation
89%
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.

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building NOV rate across everything this owner manages — high rates signal pattern neglect.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 29.6%
Moderate concern 32.1%
Severe concern 38.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

864 Ellis St apartment reviews

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The story over time

864 Ellis St event timeline

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

2025
DBI Complaint Dec 26
Date last observed: 24-dec-25; floor: all floors; unit: all units.; exact location: main bldg; building type: residence/dwelling no heat; ; additional information: i am a resident and i would like my complaint to remain anonymous. i fear retaliation. ;
Housing Inspection Services
311 RequestJun 19
Not offensive

See all 15 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 864 Ellis 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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