Free SF apartment background check

2038 Mcallister St

North Panhandle, SF 94118 1160038 11 units · 3 fl · 1900

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 North Panhandle
At or below average
avg 1.7
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the North Panhandle average of 1.7.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 2038 Mcallister 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 1900
2 or more units
11 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH3
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
Units11
Floors3
Year built1900
Total area6,605 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1160038
Ownership

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

Owner name
Wai L Wong Management Co Ll
Mailing address
2243 32nd Ave San Francisco CA 94116
Last sale
052404

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 2038 McAllister Street property is a three-story, 11-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1900, currently managed by Wai L Wong Management Co L. The building has undergone several significant safety system upgrades in recent months, with a new fire alarm system installation completed in December 2023 costing over $39,000, following a nearly $47,000 cancelled attempt at similar work just two months prior. A major plumbing infrastructure update was completed in December 2024, involving the replacement of approximately 50 feet of 4-inch sewer lateral pipe. However, the property has experienced recurring sewage issues, most recently documented in November 2024, with multiple complaints about sewer lateral problems, including a significant incident in November 2024 involving flooding and waste overflow on the sidewalk.

The building's maintenance history reveals several concerning patterns, particularly regarding fire safety and plumbing systems. There have been multiple fire safety system violations and complaints over the years, including issues with extinguishers, alarm systems, and sprinklers, with the most recent violations occurring in 2024 and 2023. The property has also faced significant plumbing challenges, with multiple complaints about sewage issues dating back to 2004, including a documented broken trap in 2005 and recent complaints about inadequate repairs to the sewer line. Other concerns include electrical issues (exposed wiring in 2014), rodent infestation (2009), and problems with fire escape access (2003). While many violations have been corrected when brought to attention, the building's history shows persistent challenges with both fire safety systems and plumbing infrastructure, with particular concern about the adequacy of the sewer system as evidenced by recent complaints and repair attempts. Two recent applications have been submitted proposing to construct a new detached building with two ADUs on the property through the Local Program.

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

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Risk rating

How 2038 Mcallister 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
10th percentile

Out of 797 buildings in this neighborhood, 717 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
41%
No DBI
violation
59%
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.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 34.0%
Moderate concern 47.5%
Severe concern 18.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

2038 Mcallister St event timeline

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

2025
Planning Project Jun 25
The project proposes the construction of a new detached 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom accessory dwelling unit (2038A McAllister) on the ground level in the rear yard of an existing 3-story multi-family residence, which currently has 11 units. The drawings for the photovoltaic (PV) system, fire alarm and fire sprinkler requirements will be submitted under separate permits.
Closed
Building PermitJun 24
Construction of new one (1) detached 1-story, type v-b, adu with 2 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms. pv & f/a under sep permit(s). exist main building is 3-story, 5 units residential r-2 occupancy. adding accessory (1) unit.

See all 16 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 2038 Mcallister St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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