Free SF apartment background check

837-839 Oak St

Hayes Valley, SF 94117 0844030 2 units · 2 fl · 1890

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 837-839 Oak 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 1890
2 or more units
2 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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1890
Total area4,420 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot0844030
Ownership

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

Owner name
Holcomb David L & Carol E
Mailing address
839 Oak St San Francisco CA 94117
Last sale
050995

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.

839 Oak St, San Francisco, CA 94117
837 Oak St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 837-839 Oak Street is a two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building located in Hayes Valley, owned by David L. and Carol E. Holcomb. Built in 1890, this flats and duplex structure has undergone several documented improvements over the years, including the installation of six energy-efficient replacement wood windows in 2006 (with a U-value of .38-.52) and compliance work following a physical inspection in 2000. Historical records show two significant safety concerns from the late 1990s: a November 1997 complaint regarding heating issues and structural problems including a collapsing porch and missing stairs, which was abated within a month, and an expired permit from 1989 for reroofing work.

The most recent history of the property shows several maintenance and safety issues in the immediate vicinity, though not directly related to the building itself. Between 2022 and 2024, there have been multiple reports of urban concerns including graffiti (most recently in April 2024), hazardous materials (glass) street cleaning needs (November 2023), illegal postings, and parking violations. A fallen tree incident was reported and resolved in May 2024, and there was one noise complaint related to entertainment in September 2022. While these external issues indicate typical urban neighborhood challenges, most have been promptly addressed by appropriate city agencies. The building's permit and complaint history suggest that major structural and safety problems have been addressed over two decades ago, with no recent building-specific complaints or permits on file.

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

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Risk rating

How 837-839 Oak 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
93th percentile

Out of 1027 buildings in this neighborhood, 72 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
90%
No DBI
violation
10%
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 location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

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

Building permits, owner's portfolio

Permits pulled across all of this owner's buildings over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 80.4%
Moderate concern 13.9%
Severe concern 5.8%
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

837-839 Oak St event timeline

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

2025
DBI Complaint Sep 19
The residents at the home are doing some rood construction and they do not seem to have a permit. all the roof debris is falling on to caller's property and there is not protection set up around. (311 sr 101002638369)
Building Inspection Division

See all 1 events

Full history back to 2025 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 837-839 Oak 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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