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538-540 Haight St

Hayes Valley, SF 94117 0848005 5 units · 3 fl · 1900

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 538-540 Haight 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
5 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC2
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
Units5
Floors3
Year built1900
Total area5,670 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0848005
Ownership

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

Owner name
Donald Defraga Tr
Mailing address
Defraga Donald Ttee 690 Chestnut St San Francisco CA 94133
Last sale
000000

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.

540 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
538 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, multi-family residential building at 538-540 Haight Street, located in Hayes Valley, was constructed in 1900 and contains 5 apartment units plus retail space. The property's recent history has been marked by significant activities related to an ATM installation, which generated multiple code enforcement actions starting in July 2012 when the ATM was installed without proper permits. This led to abatement proceedings and a director hearing in April 2013. Subsequent permits were issued to address the violations, including a 2014 revision to modify the ATM's front wall dimensions and a 2015 electrical permit for receptacle installation, with all related work now being marked as complete.

The building has experienced some concerning safety-related issues in its recent history, including a 2006 complaint regarding potential egress problems for the apartment units during renovation of the ground floor retail space, though this was resolved within several months. The property has also faced multiple complaints about sidewalk cleanliness in 2024, with numerous reports of garbage and debris, including instances requiring removal of glass, mattresses, and other waste. While most of these recent cases have been resolved, the volume of cleaning requests suggests ongoing challenges with exterior maintenance. The building underwent notable interior improvements in the early 2000s, including a $30,000 laundry facility remodel in 2001 and various accessibility enhancements. A 2008 routine housing inspection was completed without further noted violations.

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

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Risk rating

How 538-540 Haight 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
60th percentile

Out of 1027 buildings in this neighborhood, 411 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
72%
No DBI
violation
28%
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.

Building age

Older buildings tend to have more maintenance challenges; SF's pre-1906 earthquake housing stock carries distinct risk.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 54.4%
Moderate concern 22.8%
Severe concern 22.8%
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

538-540 Haight St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Feb 03
Amplified sound electronics
Noise

See all 5 events

Full history back to 2024 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 538-540 Haight 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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