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154 Cole St

North Panhandle, SF 94117 1194014 17 units · 3 fl · 1910

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in North Panhandle
Above average
avg 1.7
40
FewerMore

This building has 40 novs (7y), above the North Panhandle average of 1.7.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 154 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 1910
2 or more units
17 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC1
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
Units17
Floors3
Year built1910
Total area12,700 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1194014
Ownership

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

Owner name
Ray John Wittenberg Tr 2011
Mailing address
Ray John Wittenberg Trustee 43 San Marino Dr San Rafael CA 94901
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.

154 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
2082 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117
2078 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117
2080 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117
2084 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

154 Cole Street is a 17-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1910, currently managed by the Ray John Wittenberg Trust (2011). The property has undergone several significant upgrades over recent years, including a completed soft-story retrofit in 2018 (Tier 4) to improve seismic safety, window replacements in Units #9 (2019, wood) and other units (2017, vinyl), and various kitchen improvements related to a former restaurant space. The building's infrastructure has seen notable updates, including a new Peerless gas boiler installation in October 2024, kitchen fire system upgrades, and electrical improvements between 2022 and 2024.

However, the building has faced recurring heating system challenges, with multiple tenant complaints about inadequate heat during 2020-2023, including an "inadequate heat" complaint as recent as October 2023. The property has also experienced maintenance issues, evidenced by a June 2023 complaint regarding poor lighting and safety concerns in the basement stairs, and a June 2023 complaint about pest control (insects/rodents) on the second floor. A cluster of building violations was documented in December 2019, including issues with smoke/carbon monoxide detectors and various safety compliance items, though these were abated by May 2021. Fire safety systems have been a focus, with violations noted for sprinkler systems in 2019, though the building's overall fire safety systems (alarms, extinguishers) were found to have "No Merit" in 2022 inspections. The property also experienced lead paint-related notifications in 2019. Recent 311 calls from late 2024 (January) have documented recurring issues with overflowing garbage facilities, though these are not directly related to building habitability.

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

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Risk rating

How 154 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
0th percentile

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

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
11%
No DBI
violation
89%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Notices of Violation (past 7 years)

DBI issued Notices of Violation at this address over the last 7 years — a direct record of code enforcement activity.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 5.1%
Moderate concern 81.8%
Severe concern 13.1%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

154 Cole St apartment reviews

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The story over time

154 Cole St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Apr 14
Garbage and debris
other loose garbage debris yard waste
Fire ComplaintJan 29
Alarm Systems

See all 23 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 154 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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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

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