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50-52 Cole St

North Panhandle, SF 94117 1189010 2 units · 2 fl · 1911

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 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 50-52 Cole 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 1911
2 or more units
2 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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1911
Total area2,770 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1189010
Ownership

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

Owner name
John Allan Bier Living Trus
Mailing address
Eric Bier, Co-trustee 260 Parkside Dr Palo Alto CA 94306
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

50 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
52 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit multi-family residential building at 50-52 Cole Street in Park North, constructed in 1911 and classified as a Flats & Duplex, is currently under ownership of the John Allan Bier Living Trust. The property has undergone several significant infrastructure improvements in recent years, with the most notable being electrical system upgrades in 2024, including knob and tube rewiring, sub-panel installations, and a main panel upgrade from 60A to 200A. The building's historical maintenance record shows efforts to bring the structure into compliance with building codes in 1987 and 1990, though permits from these projects are now expired. A reroofing project was initiated in 1994, however this permit also reached expired status.

The property has experienced recurring issues with graffiti, with the most recent incidents occurring in September 2023 on the sidewalk and September 2022 on the building itself, though the 2022 incident was partially attributed to a backlog created by the COVID-19 pandemic's suspension of enforcement on the San Francisco Graffiti Ordinance. Other exterior maintenance concerns have been documented through 311 calls, including missed street cleaning routes in January 2025, an overflowing city garbage can in July 2022, and various street cleaning needs in January 2015. It's worth noting that many of the historical permits required to bring the building into code were issued in the late 1980s and early 1990s, suggesting that the current electrical upgrades in 2024 are addressing an older wiring system that was last worked on over 30 years ago.

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

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Risk rating

How 50-52 Cole 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
81th percentile

Out of 797 buildings in this neighborhood, 151 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
85%
No DBI
violation
15%
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.

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

Estimated permit value across all of this owner's buildings.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

Building permits, owner's portfolio

Permits pulled across all of this owner's buildings over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 74.5%
Moderate concern 17.2%
Severe concern 8.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

50-52 Cole St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Apr 06
Municipal transportation agency
transportation engineering request for service
311 RequestMar 05
Other illegal parking

See all 8 events

Full history back to 2024 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 50-52 Cole St apartments

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

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