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1255 Grove St

Alamo Square, SF 94117 1202002G 12 units · 3 fl · 1927

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 Alamo Square
At or below average
avg 2.3
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Alamo Square average of 2.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1255 Grove 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 1927
2 or more units
12 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM2
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 built1927
Total area8,544 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1202002G
Ownership

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

Owner name
Murphy San Francisco Ltd Pr
Mailing address
1355 Valencia St %murphy In San Francisco CA 94110
Last sale
022598

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, 12-unit apartment building at 1255 Grove Street in Alamo Square, built in 1927, has experienced several significant maintenance and safety issues over its history, with the most pressing concerns emerging in recent years. Most notably, there is an active complaint from December 2020 regarding the building's soft-story status, which has not been added to the city's property mandate despite posing potential seismic hazards. Recent building improvements include a 2020 project to replace windows and siding at the rear of the building, while electrical upgrades were completed in 2006 with the installation of new meters and panels. The building has a documented history of water-related issues, with a 2010 complaint regarding water damage, rotting floorboards, and crumbling walls, though these violations were abated within one month.

Security and safety systems have required ongoing attention, with multiple fire safety violations recorded between 2005-2018, including issues with alarm systems, blocked exits, and sprinkler systems. The building's history shows pattern of unpermitted work, including a 2021 complaint about unauthorized construction in the garage and a 2005 incident involving the gutting of units without proper permits. Maintenance records indicate ongoing attention to building upkeep, with various routine safety inspections documented between 1999 and 2017. Recent 311 calls from 2023-2025 primarily relate to external issues such as parking violations, graffiti, and sidewalk maintenance, suggesting that while the building has had its share of internal maintenance challenges, recent years have seen fewer urgent internal safety complaints.

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

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Risk rating

How 1255 Grove 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
15th percentile

Out of 305 buildings in this neighborhood, 259 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
39%
No DBI
violation
61%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 33.5%
Moderate concern 56.3%
Severe concern 10.2%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

1255 Grove St event timeline

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

2025
Fire Complaint Jun 03
Extinguishers
Violation Issued
DBI ComplaintApr 02
Date last observed: 01-apr-25; time last observed: 9:15am; identity of person performing the work: chris balster; floor: 1; unit: garage; exact location: main bldg; building type: residence/dwelling work w/o permit; work beyond scope of permit; illegal change of use; ; additional information: dumptrucks outside, labor done in garage by a business;

See all 7 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1255 Grove 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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