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853-857 Cole St

Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights, SF 94117 1267008A 4 units · 3 fl · 1909

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 Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights
At or below average
avg 0.9
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 853-857 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 1909
2 or more units
4 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
Units4
Floors3
Year built1909
Total area3,807 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1267008A
Ownership

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

Owner name
Amit Nagpal & S Vedantham S
Mailing address
Nagpal Amit Trustee 14288 Chester Ave Saratoga CA 95070
Last sale
062300

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.

855 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
857 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
853 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 853-857 Cole Street is a three-story, four-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1909, currently owned by Amit Nagpal and S Vedantham. The building has undergone several significant maintenance and safety-related interventions over the past decades, with the most recent major work completed being a sewer and house trap replacement in October 2024. In 2018-2019, substantial work was performed to address issues with rear wooden stairs and the utility room, including electrical rewiring and plumbing updates, though this work was initially met with some neighborhood concerns about construction noise. Historical records show recurring maintenance issues with the rear stairs, including repairs in 1998, reroofing in 1996, and various other maintenance work dating back to 1984.

The building has experienced multiple violation cases, particularly notable in December 2002, with citations for various issues including combustible storage, handrail repairs, and sanitation concerns, all of which were abated by February 2003. In 2010, several fire safety violations were documented regarding fire extinguishers and garbage receptacle placement, which were also resolved. More recent tenant concerns have included reports of unsafe work practices, peeling paint, and chipping lead paint in 2020, though these complaints are now listed as not active. The property has generated multiple 311 calls in 2024, primarily related to parking issues and sidewalk conditions, though most were resolved promptly. A notable tenant buyout occurred in November 2017 for $20,000 involving one unit at 857 Cole Street.

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

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Risk rating

How 853-857 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
11th percentile

Out of 526 buildings in this neighborhood, 468 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
46%
No DBI
violation
54%
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.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 38.9%
Moderate concern 33.6%
Severe concern 27.5%
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

853-857 Cole St event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit Oct 27
Re roofing: torch down.
$25,000 · Complete

See all 8 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 853-857 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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