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683-689 Fell St

Hayes Valley, SF 94102 0829019 4 units · 3 fl · 1900

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. 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 683-689 Fell 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
4 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH3
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
Units4
Floors3
Year built1900
Total area6,592 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0829019
Ownership

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

Owner name
Yin Sau Wong Trust
Mailing address
Wong Yin Sau Trustee P O Box 927 Cupertino CA 95015
Last sale
051700

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.

689 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
683 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
687 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
685 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 683-689 Fell Street is a 3-story, 4-unit multi-family residential building with ground-floor retail, constructed in 1900 and currently owned by the Yin Sau Wong Trust. The building has undergone several significant renovations, including major kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects in 1992 and 2002, and exterior stairway repairs in 1999. The most notable period of concern occurred between 2004-2009, when multiple fire safety violations were documented, including issues with fire extinguisher maintenance, egress obstructions, and combustible storage concerns - all of which were ultimately abated by November 2009. The building experienced regular safety inspections, with one significant complaint in 1994 regarding safety concerns including locked exits and electrical system issues, along with tenant complaints about maintenance problems including pests and various building system failures.

Recent history shows ongoing maintenance activity, with the most recent significant issue being an open complaint regarding tree root damage to the sidewalk (October 2024) and several resolved parking enforcement issues. The building's fire safety record shows multiple smoke detector activations and water-related incidents, though none resulted in injuries. The most recent tenant buyout occurred in 2019 for $100,000 involving one tenant at 681 Fell Street. The property has undergone routine maintenance and repairs as evidenced by various building permits, and while there have been multiple housing complaints over the years, most have been resolved through appropriate channels. Recent 311 calls primarily relate to parking issues and debris removal, suggesting that while the building's systems and structures are being maintained, there may be ongoing challenges with the surrounding public space management.

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

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Risk rating

How 683-689 Fell 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
28th percentile

Out of 1027 buildings in this neighborhood, 739 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
52%
No DBI
violation
48%
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.

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 34.8%
Moderate concern 28.6%
Severe concern 36.6%
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

683-689 Fell St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 17
Blocking driveway cite tow
Parking Enforcement
311 RequestJun 01
Sidewalk defect

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 683-689 Fell 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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