Free SF apartment background check

1837 Oak St

Haight Ashbury, SF 94117 1225034 14 units · 3 fl · 1904

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 Haight Ashbury
Above average
avg 1.8
11
FewerMore

This building has 11 novs (7y), above the Haight Ashbury average of 1.8.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1837 Oak 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 1904
2 or more units
14 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
Units14
Floors3
Year built1904
Total area15,755 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1225034
Ownership

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

Owner name
Panhandle Oak Apts Lp
Mailing address
Russell B Flynn, Managing P 1717 Powell St Ste 300 San Francisco CA 94133
Last sale
030521

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 12-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building at 1837 Oak Street in Haight Ashbury, owned by Panhandle Oak Apts Lp, has undergone significant improvements and faced several challenges since its construction in 1904. Most notable are recent fire safety upgrades, including a 2023 fire alarm system replacement to meet 2022 SFFC standards and the installation of low-frequency horns, followed by similar fire safety improvements in 2019 that included new smoke detectors and monitoring modules. The building completed its mandatory soft-story retrofit as a Tier 3 property, achieving work completion and receiving a Certificate of Final Completion in 2019. Substantial interior improvements were made in 2018-2020, including the addition of two ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units), boiler relocation, and various unit remodels with corresponding electrical and plumbing upgrades.

The building is currently facing multiple active Housing Inspection Notices of Violation (NOVs) from March 2021, related to fire safety equipment, energy code compliance, fire escape maintenance, carbon monoxide and smoke alarm requirements, fire proofing, sanitation issues, and more. These violations have a common theme of safety and maintenance requirements that were supposed to be addressed in October 2023. While many major systems have been updated, including new furnaces, fire sprinkler system installation, and structural improvements with steel beam replacements, the presence of these active violations suggests ongoing maintenance and compliance challenges. Recent 311 calls from 2023-2024 predominantly relate to street cleaning issues outside the building, including reports of hazardous materials and waste, though these external matters are separate from the building's internal conditions. The property completed various significant improvements between 2015 and 2024, including backflow device replacement in 2024, multiple unit renovations, and comprehensive fire safety system upgrades, indicating ongoing investment in building systems and infrastructure.

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

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Risk rating

How 1837 Oak 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
7th percentile

Out of 581 buildings in this neighborhood, 540 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
29%
No DBI
violation
71%
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 43.0%
Moderate concern 31.6%
Severe concern 25.4%
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

1837 Oak St event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit Mar 07
Remove 2 flags private walkway to comply with compliant 202534833 waterproof foundation return on west side adu apt 15 not in public right of way
$2,900 · Issued
Planning RecordMar 07
Minor excavation and demo work for waterproofing at front (northwest) first-floor. No expansion and restore back to original. Ground disturbance would be approximately 24 to 32 inches with a total volume of 2 to 3 cubic yards of spoils.

See all 15 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1837 Oak 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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