Free SF apartment background check

856 Clayton St

Buena Vista Park/Ashbury Heights, SF 94117 1269067 2 units · 3 fl · 1900

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 Buena Vista Park/Ashbury Heights
At or below average
avg 1.6
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Buena Vista Park/Ashbury Heights average of 1.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 856 Clayton 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 1900
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
Floors3
Year built1900
Total area2,375 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1269067
Ownership

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

Owner name
Susan G Margolis Revoc Tr
Mailing address
Margolis Susan G Trustee 856A Clayton St San Francisco CA 94117
Last sale
031813

Landlord portfolio

Other SF properties this owner holds, with risk grades for each.

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story multi-family residential building at 856 Clayton Street, owned by Susan G Margolis Revoc Tr, was constructed in 1900 and contains two units. The property has undergone several significant renovations and improvements over the past two decades, with the most substantial work occurring between 2009-2012, including a comprehensive kitchen remodel ($71,700), multiple sliding door replacements, bathroom renovations, and electrical upgrades. In 2009-2010, the building faced several maintenance challenges, particularly with water-related issues including drainage problems that resulted in a building violation, though these were abated by October 2009. The property has experienced some structural and maintenance issues over its history, including dry rot repairs in 2009, wood replacement work in 2001 due to fungal damage, and a reroofing project in 1992.

Recent activity in and around the building has primarily involved exterior and infrastructure maintenance, with multiple 311 calls in 2023-2024 related to sidewalk issues, parking violations, and debris concerns. Notably, there was a carbon monoxide incident recorded, though no civilian injuries were reported. The most recent significant interior work appears to be the 2012 bathroom remodel on the third floor, which included plumbing and electrical updates. The property underwent a tenant buyout in March 2016, with two tenants receiving $20,000, though this appears to be related to the adjacent property at 852 Clayton Street based on the address discrepancy. The building's maintenance history suggests regular updates and repairs are performed, with most issues (such as the 2009 violations) being addressed promptly.

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

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Risk rating

How 856 Clayton 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
75th percentile

Out of 351 buildings in this neighborhood, 88 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.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

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

Building permits, owner's portfolio

Permits pulled across all of this owner's buildings over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 79.1%
Moderate concern 13.3%
Severe concern 7.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

856 Clayton St apartment reviews

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The story over time

856 Clayton St event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Nov 20
Parking on sidewalk
Parking Enforcement
Electrical PermitOct 23
Solarapp+ approval: sa20251023-2454-508-14730-a - installing 29 roof-mounted solar pv modules, 440 watts per module, total no. of rating 12.76 kw. including 2 energy storage unit, of 48 vdc, 150 a, with 14.3 kwh each in capacity. residential (r-3) grid interactive sola

See all 7 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 856 Clayton 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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