Free SF apartment background check

2978-2980 Clay St

Pacific Heights, SF 94115 1001016 2 units · 2 fl · 1895

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 Pacific Heights
At or below average
avg 1.4
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Pacific Heights average of 1.4.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 2978-2980 Clay 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 1895
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
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 built1895
Total area2,150 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1001016
Ownership

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

Owner name
Smith Bilbrey 2018 Lvg Tr
Mailing address
Erin Christopher Smith Ttee 2980 Clay St San Francisco CA 94115
Last sale
100220

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

2978 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94115
2980 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94115
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 2978-2980 Clay Street is a two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building located in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood. Built in 1895 and currently owned by the Smith Bilbrey 2018 Living Trust, this flats/duplex structure has undergone several significant improvements over recent years. The most substantial renovations include a major bathroom and kitchen remodeling project on the second floor completed in 2019 (costing $30,000), and comprehensive electrical upgrades including a new sub-panel and modern bathroom features executed in 2020. Earlier improvements (2017) involved front yard repairs, retaining wall work, and comprehensive kitchen and bathroom renovations, with associated plumbing and electrical permits properly filed and completed.

The building's maintenance history shows attention to critical infrastructure, including sewer line work and various utility upgrades. However, there have been some concerning safety issues, particularly a 2015 complaint regarding missing fire alarms and smoke detectors, and a complaint in 2018 about blocked driveway access. The property has experienced recurring issues with blocked driveway access, as evidenced by multiple parking enforcement calls between 2021 and 2024, though many of these resulted in unable-to-locate responses or citations. A tenant buyout was recorded for unit 2982 in July 2019 for $90,000. The most recent building-related activity includes a Public Records Request currently under review as of 2023, possibly pertaining to units 2978-2982 Clay Street.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 2978-2980 Clay 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
82th percentile

Out of 963 buildings in this neighborhood, 173 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
85%
No DBI
violation
15%
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.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

Owner's portfolio size

Number of SF parcels this owner is registered on — larger portfolios have distinct risk patterns.

Notices of Violation, owner's portfolio

DBI NOVs across all buildings this owner is registered on — a signal of systemic maintenance issues across the portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 90.6%
Moderate concern 7.8%
Severe concern 1.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

2978-2980 Clay St apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Create account

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

2978-2980 Clay St event timeline

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

2020
Building Permit Jan 08
Street space
Issued
Electrical PermitJan 07
New sub-panel upstairs. new master bath, kitchen. new bedroom plugs, smoke detectors, floor heat for two bathrooms, exhaust fans for two bathrooms.

See all 4 events

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

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 2978-2980 Clay St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Search another address Get full report
Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39
Most Popular Current plan

Renter

For the weeks when the stakes are highest

$10/mo

Billed $120/year — save $24 vs monthly

  • Unlimited basic reports
  • 5 premium AI reports per month
  • Download PDF & Excel reports
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
  • Full event timeline — every year of history
  • Landlord portfolio & ownership insights
Start Your Search

Less than $0.34/day. Cancel anytime.

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 2978-2980 Clay St
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.