Free SF apartment background check

1985 Ellis St

Western Addition, SF 94115 1127021 12 units · 3 fl · 1905

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 Western Addition
At or below average
avg 5.1
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Western Addition average of 5.1.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1985 Ellis 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 1905
2 or more units
12 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC2
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 built1905
Total area8,736 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1127021
Ownership

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

Owner name
Mark E & Sophia S Cusing Re
Mailing address
4444 Geary St San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
012914

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The building at 1985 Ellis Street, located in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood, is a multi-family residential apartment complex that has undergone significant fire safety improvements in recent years. Most notably, a fire alarm system upgrade costing over $41,000 was initiated in December 2024 to comply with current fire code requirements, and a related electrical modification in June 2023 upgraded the fire panel and installed low-frequency sounders in sleeping areas. The building completed its mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2016, demonstrating compliance with seismic safety requirements.

The property has experienced recurring fire safety issues, with multiple violations and complaints regarding alarm systems, sprinkler systems, and fire safety equipment documented between 2016 and 2024. A small grease fire occurred in September 2022 (which did not require fire department response), and there was one documented gas leak incident with no reported injuries. The building's maintenance history shows attention to infrastructure needs, including a 2021 sewer lateral/house trap update, the removal of unauthorized towerstream equipment in 2015, and various emergency repairs. However, the property has faced some resident concerns over the years, including a 2022 complaint regarding overcrowding (nine people in one bedroom apartment), and a 2015 issue with persistent odors in common areas. Recent 311 calls from late 2024 indicate ongoing challenges with street-level garbage and debris issues in the vicinity of the building, though these are external to the structure itself.

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

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Risk rating

How 1985 Ellis 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
40th percentile

Out of 167 buildings in this neighborhood, 100 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
51%
No DBI
violation
49%
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 42.2%
Moderate concern 51.6%
Severe concern 6.2%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1985 Ellis St apartment reviews

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The story over time

1985 Ellis St event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Dec 26
Garbage and debris
furniture
311 RequestSep 09
Garbage and debris

See all 18 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 1985 Ellis 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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