Free SF apartment background check

421 Laurel St

Presidio Heights, SF 94118 1019006 2 units · 2 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 Presidio Heights
At or below average
avg 1.2
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Presidio Heights average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 421 Laurel 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
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 built1900
Total area1,882 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1019006
Ownership

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

Owner name
Kaoru Carl & Keiko Gishifu
Mailing address
Kaoru Carl & Keiko Gishifu, 421 Laurel St San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
082897

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 421 Laurel Street in Presidio Heights is a two-story flats and duplex structure dating back to 1900, currently owned by Kaoru Carl & Keiko Gishifu. The building has undergone several significant modifications over its history, including a major vertical expansion in 1993 costing $147,000, and the construction of a new sunroom following the removal of previous construction in 1984. Recent months have seen numerous municipal service requests, primarily between September 2024 and January 2025, including parking enforcement issues, illegal postings on traffic lights, and a public health environmental health matter initiated in December 2024. The building's fire safety record shows four alarm-related incidents, none resulting in fires or civilian injuries, including unintentional activation of smoke detectors and security systems.

The property has experienced ongoing neighborhood challenges in recent months, with multiple 311 calls addressing issues such as illegal parking, graffiti, and street cleaning needs, including a notable open case from January 2025 regarding human waste or urine. The building's age and location suggest it may be experiencing typical urban maintenance challenges, though the permit history indicates past investment in building improvements. The most recent serious incident related to building safety or resident experience appears to be the public health environmental health matter from December 2024, which was referred to health district inspectors. The property's two-unit configuration and historical permit activity suggest it has maintained compliance with residential use codes, though the recent pattern of municipal service requests indicates ongoing neighborhood maintenance and enforcement needs.

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

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Risk rating

How 421 Laurel 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 181 buildings in this neighborhood, 33 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
86%
No DBI
violation
14%
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.

Building age

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

Property class: multi-family flat

2–4 unit flats (class F) are a common SF building type with their own maintenance and complaint patterns.

Building permits, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 79.3%
Moderate concern 16.8%
Severe concern 3.9%
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

421 Laurel St event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Aug 28
Bulky items
Furniture
311 RequestAug 05
Bulky items

See all 3 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 421 Laurel 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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