Free SF apartment background check

542-546 Central Ave

North Panhandle, SF 94117 1198025 3 units · 3 fl · 1900

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 542-546 Central 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 1900
2 or more units
3 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
Units3
Floors3
Year built1900
Total area3,425 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1198025
Ownership

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

Owner name
Singer Robert Michael
Mailing address
544 Central Ave San Francisco CA 94117
Last sale
032718

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.

542 Central Ave, San Francisco, CA 94117
546 Central Ave, San Francisco, CA 94117
544 Central Ave, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 542-546 Central Avenue is a 3-unit, two-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1900, currently owned by Robert Michael Singer. The building has undergone significant renovations over the past decade, with the most recent major work being the installation of new entry doors in January 2023 costing $10,586. Other substantial improvements include a $20,000 front façade restoration in 2018, which involved replacing corbels, repairing stairs, and re-stuccoing, and a comprehensive interior remodel of one unit in 2016 valued at $75,000. The building's systems have been continuously upgraded, with the most recent addition being a Mustang Level 2 EV charger installed in April 2022. Historical issues from a 2003 inspection, including safety concerns about emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and gas shutoff tools, were all resolved by August 2003.

The property has maintained regular safety inspections, with the most recent routine safety inspection occurring in 2017. There were two expired permits from 2015-2016 related to bathroom additions, water heater replacement, and laundry installations, though these improvements appear to have been completed based on subsequent plumbing permits. Multiple electrical upgrades have been performed, including rewiring projects, installation of new circuits, and replacement of the main electrical system components between 2011 and 2016. Recent neighborhood activity has primarily consisted of parking-related issues, with numerous complaints about blocked driveways and sidewalk parking noted between 2023 and 2024, though these are external to the building's operations.

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

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Risk rating

How 542-546 Central 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
45th percentile

Out of 797 buildings in this neighborhood, 438 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
72%
No DBI
violation
28%
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 age

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

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 73.0%
Moderate concern 21.2%
Severe concern 5.8%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

542-546 Central Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

542-546 Central Ave event timeline

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

2026
Building Permit May 20
Work in unit 546 central ave only: like for like bathroom remodel, shower to shower replacing vanity toilet and fan. same location. no removal of walls
$12,000 · Issued
Plumbing PermitMay 20
Bathroom remodel

See all 10 events

Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 542-546 Central 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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