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540 Cole St

Haight Ashbury, SF 94117 1230018 6 units · 3 fl · 1911

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 540 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
6 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
Units6
Floors3
Year built1911
Total area6,150 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1230018
Ownership

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

Owner name
New California Land Company
Mailing address
2214 Greenwich St San Francisco CA 94123
Last sale
090320

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 6-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building at 540 Cole Street in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood, owned by New California Land Company, has undergone significant improvements and faced several challenges since its construction in 1911. Recent maintenance has included a complete kitchen renovation in Unit #4 (2021), fire safety upgrades including a sprinkler system installation (2019) and fire alarm monitoring system (2020), and various plumbing and electrical improvements. Notably, the building completed its required soft-story retrofit work and received a Certificate of Final Completion (CFC).

The property has experienced multiple compliance and maintenance issues, particularly during 2021-2022, including complaints regarding work beyond permit scope, privacy concerns from newly constructed windows, and persistent lighting disturbances. Two recent incidents in 2022 involved concerns about construction compliance and building maintenance practices. A more recent issue from November 2024 involves reports of pulsing low-frequency hums affecting residents. The building's history includes earlier fire safety improvements, including a 2019 sprinkler system installation, and various structural repairs such as reroofing and siding replacement due to leaks. The property has maintained compliance with most regulatory requirements, though some historical fire safety violations were noted, including a 2021 citation that was subsequently corrected.

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

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Risk rating

How 540 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
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

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 15.7%
Moderate concern 63.6%
Severe concern 20.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

540 Cole St apartment reviews

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The story over time

540 Cole St event timeline

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

2025
DBI Complaint Feb 25
Apologies for the late email. i now currently have no hot water at 540 cole street. i believe there's an issue at this property apartment building. perhaps the cause of this ongoing pulsing hum. property manager is vertex property management. they have dismissed my previous contacts regarding the issue.
Housing Inspection Services

See all 21 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 540 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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