Free SF apartment background check

1001-1031 Franklin St

Van Ness/ Civic Center, SF 94109 0720036 124 units · 13 fl · 1965

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 Van Ness/ Civic Center
Above average
avg 6.7
8
FewerMore

This building has 8 novs (7y), above the Van Ness/ Civic Center average of 6.7.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1001-1031 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 1965
2 or more units
124 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM4
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
Units124
Floors13
Year built1965
Total area95,230 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusWelfare
Blocklot0720036
Ownership

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

Owner name
Martin Luther Tower Lp
Mailing address
John Stewart Co 1388 Sutter St 11Th Fl San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
080511

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

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

1031 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1001 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The Martin Luther Tower, located at 1001-1031 Franklin Street in San Francisco's Van Ness/Civic Center neighborhood, is a 13-story, 124-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1965. The property has experienced recurring maintenance and safety issues in recent years, with particular concerns around its heating system and fire safety compliance. Most notably, there have been multiple violations regarding boiler permits and heating system operation in 2024, along with recurring problems with water heating and plumbing systems as documented in several complaints throughout 2023-2024. The building has also experienced several fire safety violations, including issues with sprinkler systems, emergency lighting, and sleeping area requirements, with the most recent violation related to sleeping area requirements on October 28, 2023. Recent improvement projects include window and sliding door replacements in 2018, reroofing in 2017, and the installation of new security fencing in 2023. The property is undergoing significant development changes, with plans for a new 7-story, 94-unit senior affordable housing building filed in 2022, which would replace the existing parking structure and create a connected campus with the current building.

Recent records indicate ongoing maintenance challenges, with complaints about window problems, ventilation issues, and construction noise in 2023-2024. The property has experienced multiple instances of inadequate heating and hot water supply, particularly affecting vulnerable senior residents. Historical records show patterns of fire safety violations, including problems with the high-rise sprinkler system compliance, though many earlier violations have been abated. The building's management has demonstrated ongoing efforts to address maintenance issues, as evidenced by recent permit activity for boiler replacement in 2024 and various other infrastructure improvements. However, the frequency of heating system-related complaints and violations suggests persistent challenges in maintaining reliable building systems, particularly affecting resident comfort and safety.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 1001-1031 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
12th percentile

Out of 85 buildings in this neighborhood, 75 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
8%
No DBI
violation
92%
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 6.2%
Moderate concern 79.8%
Severe concern 14.0%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1001-1031 Franklin St apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

1001-1031 Franklin St event timeline

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

2026
Electrical Permit May 26
Fa hci will replace exisiting amplifiers located on ground, 3rd,6th,9th and 12th flrs. install new 120 watt amplifiers, existing backboxes will be reused. witness test only inspection.
Issued

See all 22 events

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

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 1001-1031 Franklin St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 1001-1031 Franklin St
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.