Free SF apartment background check

500 Fillmore St

Hayes Valley, SF 94117 0828018 19 units · 4 fl · 1900

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 Hayes Valley
Above average
avg 2.3
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 novs (7y), above the Hayes Valley average of 2.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 500 Fillmore 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 1900
2 or more units
19 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM1
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
Units19
Floors4
Year built1900
Total area8,748 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0828018
Ownership

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

Owner name
James R Towan Fmly Tr
Mailing address
Towan James R Trustee 44 Gough St Ste 202 San Francisco CA 94103
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 19-unit, 4-story multi-family residential building at 500 Fillmore Street in Hayes Valley, owned by the James R Towan Family Trust, has experienced several significant events over recent years, most notably a fire incident in 2018 that affected units 202, 302, and 402, causing damage to floors, walls, and ceilings. This incident led to multiple repair projects, including a $35,000 renovation in late 2018 to address damage in several units, and more recently, a $25,000 fire system upgrade in early 2024 to enhance safety features including new smoke detectors and pull stations. The building has maintained an active fire safety compliance record, with recent inspections in 2023 revealing a sleeping area requirement violation that remains open, though other issues such as blocked exits and extinguisher concerns were promptly corrected.

The property has a documented history of maintenance and compliance activities, including three routine safety inspections between 1998 and 2010. Recent complaints have highlighted various concerns, including a lead paint removal issue in 2023 and a 2020 complaint about non-essential cleaning during shelter-in-place orders. There have been multiple records of garbage overflow issues outside the building in late 2024, with several street cleaning cases being resolved through city services. The building's fire safety systems have undergone regular scrutiny, with inspections showing the need for improvements to sprinkler systems and alarm systems, though most recent complaints in 2024 were found to have "No Merit." While there have been some historical violations related to sanitation and interior surface conditions, most have been promptly addressed, and the building continues to receive regular maintenance and upgrades to meet current safety standards.

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

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Risk rating

How 500 Fillmore 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
16th percentile

Out of 1027 buildings in this neighborhood, 863 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
40%
No DBI
violation
60%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

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 15.6%
Moderate concern 37.5%
Severe concern 46.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

500 Fillmore St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request May 14
Liner issue damaged missing
Litter Receptacle Maintenance
311 RequestMay 14
Not offensive

See all 23 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 500 Fillmore 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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