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119 Palm Ave

Jordan Park/Laurel Heights, SF 94118 1061005 13 units · 3 fl · 1963

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. 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
Above average
avg 0.9
4
FewerMore

This building has 4 novs (7y), above the Jordan Park/Laurel Heights average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 119 Palm 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 1963
2 or more units
13 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
Units13
Floors3
Year built1963
Total area11,700 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1061005
Ownership

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

Owner name
Schmetterer Family Trust
Mailing address
William T Schmetterer Trust 4630 Geary Blvd San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
102907

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 13-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building at 119 Palm Ave, owned by the Schmetterer Family Trust, has undergone several significant improvements since its construction in 1963. Most notably, the building completed its mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2017 at a cost of $115,000, installing plywood shear walls and concrete foundations to enhance seismic safety. Recent years have seen multiple window and door replacements, with work completed between 2018-2019 including reroofing ($24,000) and the installation of a new hydronic boiler. The property experienced significant water damage issues in early 2023, with multiple complaints from Unit 105 regarding water intrusion and mold concerns, though these were reportedly addressed by April 2023.

The building has a documented history of maintenance and safety compliance measures, including regular fire safety inspections and corrections. Recent fire safety complaints in July 2023 regarding exit maintenance and street numbering were marked as having either "No Merit" or "Condition Corrected." There was also one cooking-related fire incident recorded, though it was contained and resulted in no injuries. Historical records show periodic maintenance issues, including a notable heating system failure in 1998, but most recent improvements suggest ongoing attention to building systems. The property has complied with various regulatory requirements and completed significant modernization work, including window upgrades, door replacements, and infrastructure improvements, though the 2023 water damage incident indicates there may still be periodic maintenance challenges.

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

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Risk rating

How 119 Palm 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
8th percentile

Out of 272 buildings in this neighborhood, 250 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
38%
No DBI
violation
62%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 31.0%
Moderate concern 57.4%
Severe concern 11.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

119 Palm Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

119 Palm Ave event timeline

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

2026
Electrical Permit Jan 05
Additional witness test fee for final inspection, ref permit number e202508255046
Complete

See all 21 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 119 Palm Ave 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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