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491-495 Frederick St

Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights, SF 94117 1267040 12 units · 3 fl · 1909

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 Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights
Above average
avg 0.9
4
FewerMore

This building has 4 novs (7y), above the Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 491-495 Frederick 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
12 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC1
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 built1909
Total area8,850 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1267040
Ownership

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

Owner name
Benny Cheung Revoc Tr
Mailing address
Cheung Benny Trustee 765 Market St Apt 29G San Francisco CA 94103
Last sale
010908

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.

495 Frederick St, San Francisco, CA 94117
491 Frederick St, San Francisco, CA 94117
493 Frederick St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, 12-unit multi-family residential building at 491-495 Frederick Street in Parnassus/Ashbury Heights, owned by Benny Cheung Revoc Tr, has undergone significant improvements and faced various challenges since its construction in 1909. Most notably, in 2018, the building completed mandatory soft story retrofits for both residential and commercial portions, totaling $110,000 in improvements, bringing the structure into compliance with 2016 SF Building Code requirements. The building's systems have been regularly maintained and upgraded, with substantial electrical and plumbing work completed in 2007-2019, including comprehensive rewiring and bathroom renovations.

Recent events of particular note include a set of building compliance issues in January 2024, involving the fire escape ladder maintenance and Section 604 compliance, which were resolved within a week. The property experienced a fire safety violation in August 2024 regarding operating without a permit, though this was subsequently abated. While the building has experienced various issues since 2004, including concerns about security, fire escape conditions, and infrastructure problems (such as dry rot in 2005), these have generally been addressed promptly. The property is currently operating under valid permits for both residential and commercial uses, including a Type 41 ABC license for full-service restaurant use with specified operational hours. Recent property maintenance records show attention to external cleanliness, with multiple graffiti incidents reported and addressed through city services between late 2024 and early 2025.

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

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Risk rating

How 491-495 Frederick 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
5th percentile

Out of 526 buildings in this neighborhood, 500 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.

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 17.5%
Moderate concern 33.0%
Severe concern 49.4%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

491-495 Frederick St apartment reviews

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The story over time

491-495 Frederick St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request May 03
Garbage and debris
other loose garbage debris yard waste
311 RequestApr 28
Damaged tree

See all 16 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 491-495 Frederick 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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