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140 Palm Ave

Jordan Park/Laurel Heights, SF 94118 1062040 5 units · 2 fl · 1921

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 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 140 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 1921
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 built1921
Total area5,820 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1062040
Ownership

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

Owner name
Vera J Poon Fmly Tr (Trust
Mailing address
Poon Vera J Ttee 3117 Louis Rd Palo Alto CA 94303
Last sale
081721

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

140 Palm Ave is a 5-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1921, currently owned by the Vera J Poon Family Trust. The property has undergone several significant improvements to enhance safety and accessibility over the years, most notably completing its mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2016 at a cost of $75,000, which included building reinforcement in the basement, new foundation work, and the installation of steel strong walls. The building was equipped with an elevator in 2003 (at a cost of $95,000) to improve accessibility for the top rear apartment, with associated electrical work completed the same year. Other major maintenance work has included a new roof installation in 2008 ($16,000), termite repairs in 2007 ($3,000), and a trenchless sewer replacement in 2009.

The building has a history of addressing safety compliance issues, with a notable instance in 2004 when violations were recorded regarding fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and emergency exits during a routine inspection. These violations were all promptly abated by July 2004. The property has maintained its soft-story compliance as a Tier 3 building, with work completed and a Certificate of Final Compliance issued. Recent external matters recorded through 311 calls include a curb defect (2023), though this appears to be a public infrastructure issue rather than a building concern. The building's maintenance and improvement history suggests regular attention to structural integrity and resident safety, particularly in areas requiring statutory compliance such as seismic retrofitting and accessibility.

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

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Risk rating

How 140 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
26th percentile

Out of 272 buildings in this neighborhood, 201 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
68%
No DBI
violation
32%
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.

Building age

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 57.2%
Moderate concern 25.6%
Severe concern 17.2%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

140 Palm Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

140 Palm Ave event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Jun 18
Curb or curb ramp defect
Curb or Curb Ramp Defect

See all 1 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 140 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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