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1221 Masonic Ave

Haight Ashbury, SF 94117 1244002 12 units · 3 fl · 1910

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 Haight Ashbury
Above average
avg 1.8
2
FewerMore

This building has 2 novs (7y), above the Haight Ashbury average of 1.8.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1221 Masonic 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 1910
2 or more units
12 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
Units12
Floors3
Year built1910
Total area9,375 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1244002
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lee Edwin Arthur
Mailing address
670 San Antonio Rd #17 Palo Alto CA 94306
Last sale
062603

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 building at 1221 Masonic Ave in Haight Ashbury, owned by Edwin Arthur Lee, was built in 1910 and has undergone several significant renovations and faced recurring maintenance challenges over the past decades. The building completed a critical seismic soft-story retrofit in 2016 (tier 3), demonstrating compliance with San Francisco's earthquake safety requirements. The property has experienced recurring boiler-related issues, with multiple complaints between 2013-2022 about operating permits, including a major interruption of heating in 2017 that required intervention from Housing Inspection Services. Recent plumbing work includes backflow prevention system installations in 2022 and a new steam boiler installation in 2016.

The building's safety systems have required ongoing attention, with multiple fire safety inspections revealing issues with extinguishers and alarm systems, though all were reportedly corrected promptly. The property has had historical challenges with basic services, including a period of no heat for 26 days in 2017, and multiple plumbing and heating complaints suggesting ongoing maintenance challenges. Recent routine inspections (as of 2023) indicate that some issues may still require attention, though many historical violations have been resolved. The building has a documented history of various maintenance projects, including window replacements after fire damage in 2011 and reroofing work in 2005, indicating regular property upkeep. The recent 311 calls and complaints from late 2024 show typical urban street maintenance issues outside the property, while the most recent fire-related complaint from September 2024 regarding overcrowding was found to have no merit.

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

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Risk rating

How 1221 Masonic 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
11th percentile

Out of 581 buildings in this neighborhood, 517 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
35%
No DBI
violation
65%
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 15.9%
Moderate concern 32.5%
Severe concern 51.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1221 Masonic Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

1221 Masonic Ave event timeline

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

2024
311 Request Sep 12
Garbage and debris
human waste or urine

See all 9 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1221 Masonic 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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