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36-38 Downey St

Haight Ashbury, SF 94117 1254065 2 units · 2 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 36-38 Downey 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
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1904
Total area2,364 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusWelfare
Blocklot1254065
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lycee Francais De San Franc
Mailing address
1201 Ortega St San Francisco CA 94122
Last sale
072505

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.

38 Downey St, San Francisco, CA 94117
36 Downey St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-story multi-family residential building at 36-38 Downey Street in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood, currently owned by Lycee Francais De San Franc, has a rich history since its construction in 1904. The property has undergone several significant maintenance and improvement projects over the years, including a substantial structural repair in 2000 to address dry rot damage to a three-story deck and rear stair, costing $27,000. More recent improvements include the installation of a Tesla EV charger (completed May 2024), sewer/housetrap replacement (completed September 2017), and a street space permit issued in 2017. A notable incident occurred in 2012 when the building experienced violations related to unpermitted roofing work, though these were resolved by June 2013 after proper permits were obtained.

The building's recent history (2020-2024) has been primarily marked by external issues rather than internal building concerns, including several parking enforcement matters, noise complaints, and instances of graffiti on or near the property. There was one incident of flooding in February 2023 that was resolved by the PUC Sewer Operations. The property has maintained active compliance with building codes since resolving the 2012 violations, with no current active violations on record. In 2006, a new rear yard stair was constructed, representing one of the earlier significant modifications to the property. The building's maintenance record shows regular upkeep, with the most recent major systems improvement being the 2017 sewer/housetrap replacement.

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

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Risk rating

How 36-38 Downey 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
87th percentile

Out of 581 buildings in this neighborhood, 76 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
85%
No DBI
violation
15%
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.

Building age

Older buildings tend to have more maintenance challenges; SF's pre-1906 earthquake housing stock carries distinct risk.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

DBI complaint rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building complaint rate across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 79.7%
Moderate concern 12.2%
Severe concern 8.1%
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

36-38 Downey St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jan 31
Other illegal parking
Parking Enforcement

See all 5 events

Full history back to 2024 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 36-38 Downey St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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