Free SF apartment background check

511 Birch St

Hayes Valley, SF 94102 0794024 3 units · 2 fl · 1982

This building has a higher-than-average number of open problems nearby. Few open issues; problems get fixed quickly. A reasonable bet for a smooth tenancy.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Hayes Valley
At or below average
avg 2.3
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Hayes Valley average of 2.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 511 Birch 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 1982
2 or more units
3 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC1
Not rent-controlled. Buildings constructed after 1978 are generally exempt from SF rent increase limits under the Costa-Hawkins Act.

Based on SF Assessor records. Not legal advice — confirm with the SF Rent Board.

Building characteristics
Units3
Floors2
Year built1982
Total area3,500 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0794024
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lim Family Living Trust
Mailing address
Estrellita P Lim Trustee 12 Surrey Ct Daly City CA 94015
Last sale
040899

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.

625 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102
511 Birch St, San Francisco, CA 94102
627 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 2-story, 3-unit multi-family residential building at 511 Birch Street in Hayes Valley, owned by the Lim Family Living Trust, was constructed in 1982. The building underwent significant exterior work in 2007-2008, including a $9,000 stucco application project to update its exterior finish. A series of violations were documented between 2008 and 2011, primarily related to fire safety and emergency systems, including issues with fire escape ladders, smoke enclosure door closers, fire extinguishers, and gas utility shutoff tools. All these violations were abated by January 31, 2011.

The building has had three routine safety inspections by Housing Inspection Services in 2008, 2011, and most recently in 2018, none of which currently show any active violations. Recent fire safety concerns include an alarm system issue in April 2024, which was resolved by May 2024. Two cooking-related incidents were recorded, though both were contained with no civilian injuries reported. While there have been multiple 311 calls in the past year regarding the exterior of the property (including reports of graffiti and illegal parking), these issues appear to have been resolved through normal city processes. The building's documented history shows regular maintenance and compliance with safety requirements, with no active violations or unresolved complaints as of the latest available data. The most recent fire safety system maintenance (April 2024) suggests ongoing attention to safety systems, though the age of the building (over 40 years) should be noted in terms of general maintenance considerations.

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

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Risk rating

How 511 Birch 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
86th percentile

Out of 1027 buildings in this neighborhood, 144 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
86%
No DBI
violation
14%
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.

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

The ZIP code captures local housing market and enforcement patterns that affect all buildings in the area.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

Estimated permit value across all of this owner's buildings.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 67.0%
Moderate concern 16.1%
Severe concern 16.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

511 Birch St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 09
Homelessness and supportive housing
housing homeless request for service
311 RequestMay 22
Garbage and debris

See all 5 events

Full history back to 2026 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 511 Birch 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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