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137 Palm Ave

Jordan Park/Laurel Heights, SF 94118 1061009 5 units · 2 fl · 1917

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 Jordan Park/Laurel Heights
Above average
avg 0.9
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 novs (7y), above the Jordan Park/Laurel Heights average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 137 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 1917
2 or more units
5 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
Units5
Floors2
Year built1917
Total area5,343 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1061009
Ownership

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

Owner name
Kwan Y Jay Trust
Mailing address
137 Palm Ave Apt 5 San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-story, five-unit multi-family residential building at 137 Palm Ave, owned by Kwan Y Jay Trust, was constructed in 1917 in the Jordan Park/Laurel Heights neighborhood. The property has undergone several maintenance and improvement projects over the years, with the most recent significant work including a completed house trap replacement in December 2024 and garage rewiring in July 2020. The building currently has active violations from August 2019 related to lead paint hazards and unpermitted work, including concerns about damaged paint that potentially poses health risks to residents, particularly vulnerable populations. The property has a history of window-related permits, with the most recent window work being done in 2018 in response to complaints about unpermitted window replacement.

Historical records indicate various improvements completed during the 1980s, including reroofing, sheetrock work, and window installations, along with a 1986 permit for code compliance. The building experienced fire safety issues in 2004 that were subsequently addressed, including concerns about smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and combustible storage in the garage. More recently, there has been a pattern of driveway blocking incidents near the property, with multiple enforcement requests between 2023 and 2025, though many of these cases were either unable to be verified by officers or were marked as invalid for enforcement purposes. A roof access issue was reported in August 2020 and was corrected by January 2021. While the building shows periodic maintenance and attempts to address violations, the presence of active lead paint-related citations from 2019 remains a notable concern.

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

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Risk rating

How 137 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
34th percentile

Out of 272 buildings in this neighborhood, 180 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
74%
No DBI
violation
26%
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 65.7%
Moderate concern 22.3%
Severe concern 12.0%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

137 Palm Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

137 Palm Ave event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Mar 29
Other excessive noise
Noise

See all 12 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 137 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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