Free SF apartment background check

550 Buchanan St

Hayes Valley, SF 94102 0830017 6 units · 3 fl · 1913

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
1
FewerMore

This building has 1 novs (7y), at or below the Hayes Valley average of 2.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 550 Buchanan 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 1913
2 or more units
6 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
Units6
Floors3
Year built1913
Total area8,475 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0830017
Ownership

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

Owner name
Szeto & Szeto Trust
Mailing address
Kwok Hung & Nikki Szeto Tru 1489 Webster St Ste 218 San Francisco CA 94115
Last sale
092616

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 6-unit, 3-story apartment building at 550 Buchanan Street in Hayes Valley, owned by Szeto & Szeto Trust, was constructed in 1913 and has undergone significant renovations and faced several maintenance challenges over the years. Most notably, the building completed its mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2019, which included slab leveling work valued at $20,000, bringing it into compliance with San Francisco's seismic safety requirements. Multiple renovation projects have occurred, including the 2015 remodeling of Apartment #3 (kitchen and bathroom renovation with new laundry hookups) and similar improvements in Apartments #4 and #6 in 2014. The building has experienced recurring boiler permit issues, with five separate complaints about unpermitted operation between 2009 and 2021, though all were eventually resolved.

Recent concerns have centered around building systems and maintenance, particularly the gutter and downspout issues reported in 2023, which involved disconnection problems and improper positioning affecting neighboring properties. The building has a history of fire alarm system malfunctions, with several false alarms recorded, though no injuries were reported. Other notable past issues include kitchen ventilation concerns related to Apartments #4 and #6 in 2015, back stairs deterioration in 2015, and multiple plumbing and electrical violations in 2007 regarding lead paint hazards and various interior maintenance items. The property has undergone periodic routine safety inspections, most recently in 2018, and has maintained its soft-story retrofit compliance status as "Work Complete, CFC Issued."

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

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Risk rating

How 550 Buchanan 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
26th percentile

Out of 1027 buildings in this neighborhood, 760 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
51%
No DBI
violation
49%
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.

Building size

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

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.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 31.6%
Moderate concern 55.3%
Severe concern 13.0%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

550 Buchanan St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request May 17
Not offensive
building residential
311 RequestMay 16
Not offensive

See all 15 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 550 Buchanan 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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