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535-537 Fell St

Hayes Valley, SF 94102 0830025 2 units · 2 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
1
FewerMore

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

Rent & eviction protection

Is 535-537 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
2 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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1900
Total area3,174 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0830025
Ownership

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

Owner name
Zhang Chen
Mailing address
535 - 537 Fell St San Francisco CA 94102
Last sale
030218

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.

537 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
535 A Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
535 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

This two-unit multi-family residential building, located at 535-537 Fell St in Hayes Valley, has undergone significant recent construction and safety upgrades since 2022. The property, built in 1900 and owned by Zhang Chen, is currently in the process of implementing a comprehensive fire safety upgrade, with a new sprinkler system being installed throughout the building at a cost of $50,680, along with extensive plumbing work that will cover all four levels and include three laundry rooms, three kitchens, nine bathrooms, and radiant heat systems ($216,000).

The building is undergoing substantial structural improvements, including concrete foundation reinforcement at the front of the property ($12,000) and pressure grouting work at the west property line wall. A notable third-story vertical addition was permitted in 2018, along with basement expansion and seismic upgrades. Recent complaints about disruptive construction noise and a violation regarding property line work documentation were addressed through building enforcement channels in early 2024. The property has also been subject to scrutiny regarding potential unauthorized short-term rental operations, with enforcement actions taken in 2023.

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

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Risk rating

How 535-537 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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

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

Director's hearing rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building rate of director's hearings across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 51.5%
Moderate concern 42.0%
Severe concern 6.5%
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

535-537 Fell St event timeline

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

2026
311 & DBI Complaint Mar 09
Illegal construction no permit exceeds permit scope
Residential Building
Building PermitJan 12
Solar permit: installing 6 solar pv modules, 450 watts per module, total no. of rating 2.7 kw. mounted: roof, ballasted: n | adding on 2.7 kw pv to the previous permit # e202512127727 this is a revision for the previous permit # e202512127727

See all 25 events

Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 535-537 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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