Free SF apartment background check

631-637 Haight St

Hayes Valley, SF 94117 0861031 8 units · 3 fl · 1885

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Hayes Valley
Above average
avg 2.3
7
FewerMore

This building has 7 novs (7y), above the Hayes Valley average of 2.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 631-637 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 1885
2 or more units
8 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
Units8
Floors3
Year built1885
Total area4,750 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot0861031
Ownership

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

Owner name
Tam Thomas W
Mailing address
Thomas Tam 150 Naples St San Francisco CA 94112
Last sale
050101

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.

633 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
631 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
635 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
637 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 631-637 Haight Street is a three-story, multi-family residential building constructed in 1885, containing 8 units plus commercial space. The building has a significant history of permit modifications and compliance issues, most notably an active building violation (since 2015) regarding unauthorized unit conversions, including multiple safety and code compliance concerns such as unapproved wiring, plumbing, and lack of required smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Recent building permits from 2021 indicate attempts to address some of these compliance issues through legalization of previously altered commercial spaces. The property suffered a substantial fire in 2013 that required extensive repairs ($68,185) to unit #637, including electrical and plumbing work, with additional improvements to rear decking in 2014.

The building has experienced ongoing maintenance and compliance challenges over recent years, including multiple citations for fire safety violations, most recently in December 2023 regarding sleeping area requirements. There have been persistent issues with the ground floor commercial space, which has faced multiple complaints about unauthorized residential use since 2016, maintaining the same pattern of operations under different business names. This commercial space's status has generated several housing inspection cases and community complaints about unauthorized changes of use. Recent plumbing and electrical permits from August 2024 suggest ongoing work related to previous violations. The property has also been subject to various building complaints concerning safety hazards, including loose mechanical equipment in 2020 and multiple vacant storefront issues, with active violations related to fire safety, building permits, and storage management as of 2018. While some historical permits show legitimate repairs and modifications, the persistent nature of the compliance issues suggests ongoing challenges with maintaining proper occupancy and building code adherence.

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

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Risk rating

How 631-637 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
8th percentile

Out of 1027 buildings in this neighborhood, 945 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
22%
No DBI
violation
78%
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.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

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 18.0%
Moderate concern 67.1%
Severe concern 14.9%
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

631-637 Haight St event timeline

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

2026
Building Permit Jan 23
Repair handrails and provide anti slip tape at front stairs. less then 50% repair inkind. comply with nov #202648977, item 2.
$500 · Complete
Planning RecordJan 23
Repair/replace handrails at front entry stair, (e) amd (p) wood, like for like design

See all 20 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 631-637 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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