Free SF apartment background check

3149 California St

Lower Pacific Heights, SF 94115 1031028 12 units · 3 fl · 1928

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. Few open issues; problems get fixed quickly. A reasonable bet for a smooth tenancy.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Lower Pacific Heights
Above average
avg 1.6
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 novs (7y), above the Lower Pacific Heights average of 1.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 3149 California 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 1928
2 or more units
12 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
Units12
Floors3
Year built1928
Total area9,921 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1031028
Ownership

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

Owner name
California Street Complex H
Mailing address
Norm Buckhart C/o Flynn Inv 1717 Powell St Ste 300 San Francisco CA 94133
Last sale
060121

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 12-unit, 3-story apartment building at 3149 California Street, owned by California Street Complex H, was constructed in 1928 and has undergone several significant renovations and safety upgrades in recent years. Most notably, the building completed a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2016 (Cost: $104,856) to comply with seismic safety requirements, and a comprehensive fire alarm system upgrade in 2017 to meet current fire code standards (Cost: $12,000). Recent improvements include a complete reroofing project in 2022 (Cost: $62,760) and the installation of a new steam heating boiler in the same year. The building has seen substantial unit modernization work, with several apartments receiving upgrades to kitchens, bathrooms, and electrical systems between 2015 and 2020, including Units 2E, 5E, 9E, and 10E, all incorporating new fixtures and modern amenities.

The property had several housing inspections in 2016 that identified various issues, including requirements for smoke enclosure door repairs, fire proofing, and boiler operation permits, all of which were subsequently addressed by July 2016. Historical complaints from 2003-2004 regarding emergency exits and stair repairs were also resolved. While there were some complaints about noise and appliance issues in earlier years, most recent records indicate these problems have been resolved. The building's maintenance history shows regular attention to safety systems and prompt response to violations, with all known issues being addressed and closed. Recent parking enforcement records (2018-2019) show multiple incidents of driveway blocking, though these are typical urban enforcement matters unrelated to building conditions.

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

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Risk rating

How 3149 California 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
25th percentile

Out of 670 buildings in this neighborhood, 502 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
53%
No DBI
violation
47%
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 size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Number of units

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

Property class: mixed-use w/ SFR

Mixed-use property including a single-family residential component.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 50.8%
Moderate concern 27.6%
Severe concern 21.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

3149 California St event timeline

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

2025
Building Violation (NOV) Mar 17
No permit to operate the boiler. serial no 740af7642757, cmc 1022. monthly monitoring fee applies. code sec: sfbc 110a, table 1a-k
Building Violation (NOV)Mar 17
No permit to operate the boiler. serial no 799182-202105, cmc 1022. monthly monitoring fee applies. code sec: sfbc 110a, table 1a-k

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 3149 California 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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