Free SF apartment background check

625-629 Cole St

Haight Ashbury, SF 94117 1248002 5 units · 3 fl · 1904

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 Haight Ashbury
At or below average
avg 1.8
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Haight Ashbury average of 1.8.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 625-629 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 1904
2 or more units
5 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
Units5
Floors3
Year built1904
Total area5,700 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1248002
Ownership

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

Owner name
Martin-Rutherford John E
Mailing address
625 Cole St San Francisco CA 94117
Last sale
062001

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.

627 A Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
627 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
629 B Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
629 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
625 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
AI summary

The 625-629 Cole Street property is a 3-story, 5-unit multi-family residential building located in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood, built in 1904 and currently owned by John E. Martin-Rutherford. The building has undergone several significant improvements over the years, most notably completing a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2017 at a cost of $50,000, bringing it into compliance with San Francisco's seismic safety requirements. Other major maintenance work includes reroofing in 2008 ($18,625) and various street space-related improvements in 2019. The building has experienced multiple routine housing inspections over the years, with notable violations in 2003 and 2010 primarily related to fire safety concerns, including issues with garage ventilation, door glazing reinforcement, and combustible storage. All these violations were resolved by January 2004, and subsequent inspections have not resulted in any active violations.

Recent external conditions around the property have been documented through 311 calls, with the most recent being a general cleaning request in May 2024. The area has experienced recurring issues with sidewalk cleanliness and maintenance, including instances of waste, garbage, and graffiti between 2017 and 2024, though these have been addressed as indicated by the "Closed Case Resolved" status. A 1997 complaint regarding an illegal basement unit was resolved shortly after filing, and there have been no documented unauthorized units since then. The building's only recent significant work was the completed soft-story retrofit, which brings the property up to current seismic safety standards, though it is classified as Tier 3 which generally indicates substantial work was required for compliance.

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Risk rating

How 625-629 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
35th percentile

Out of 581 buildings in this neighborhood, 378 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
63%
No DBI
violation
37%
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.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 56.0%
Moderate concern 21.0%
Severe concern 23.0%
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

625-629 Cole St event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Oct 12
Abandoned vehicles
DPT Abandoned Vehicles Low

See all 2 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 625-629 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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