Free SF apartment background check

3 Commonwealth Ave

Jordan Park/Laurel Heights, SF 94118 1038001 9 units · 3 fl · 1921

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Jordan Park/Laurel Heights
At or below average
avg 0.9
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Jordan Park/Laurel Heights average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 3 Commonwealth Ave 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 1921
2 or more units
9 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM2
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
Units9
Floors3
Year built1921
Total area9,540 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1038001
Ownership

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

Owner name
Jordan Park Llc
Mailing address
220 Montgomery St Ste 1940 San Francisco CA 94104
Last sale
123016

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 3 Commonwealth Ave property, a 3-story, 9-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1921 and currently owned by Jordan Park LLC, has undergone several significant improvements and maintenance work over the past decade. Most recently, in 2022, the building received important fire safety upgrades, including a fire alarm system replacement with new control panel, smoke detectors, and low-frequency sounders to enhance resident safety compliance. The building completed its mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2016 (cost: $108,000) to improve seismic safety. Other notable infrastructure work includes plumbing system upgrades with the replacement of cast iron pipes in 2022, a new domestic and steam heat boiler installation in 2018, and several unit-specific renovations, particularly in Units 2, 6, and 8, focusing on kitchen and bathroom improvements. The building has maintained compliance with safety requirements, though there was a brief period in 2018 involving violations related to boiler permits, which were promptly addressed within days of citation.

The property's maintenance history shows regular attention to building envelope issues, including stucco replacement and insulation work in 2020 to address leaking on the south side (cost: $39,000), and structural repairs to stairs at the back of the house in 2019. Fire safety systems have been a focus area, with multiple fire alarm system activations recorded (all determined to be unintentional) and periodic fire complaints showing minor issues such as blocked exits (2023) and extinguisher concerns (2017). The building has a history of routine inspections and prompt resolution of violations, with the most recent 311 calls primarily concerning outside issues like sidewalk cleaning and parking violations. Recent planning records from 2023 indicate the installation of Verizon Wireless equipment on an existing pole, showing continued infrastructure improvements in the vicinity. The building's completed soft-story retrofit and ongoing maintenance demonstrate active management, though potential tenants should note the building's age and the nature of older building systems requiring periodic updates.

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 3 Commonwealth Ave'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
13th percentile

Out of 272 buildings in this neighborhood, 237 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
46%
No DBI
violation
54%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 32.3%
Moderate concern 45.4%
Severe concern 22.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

3 Commonwealth Ave 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

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

3 Commonwealth Ave event timeline

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

2026
Fire Complaint Mar 18
Alarm Systems

See all 13 events

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

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 3 Commonwealth Ave 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.

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

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

Watch 3 Commonwealth Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.