Free SF apartment background check

117-123 Downey St

Buena Vista Park/Ashbury Heights, SF 94117 1269091 4 units · 2 fl · 1906

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 Buena Vista Park/Ashbury Heights
Above average
avg 1.6
6
FewerMore

This building has 6 novs (7y), above the Buena Vista Park/Ashbury Heights average of 1.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 117-123 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 1906
2 or more units
4 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
Units4
Floors2
Year built1906
Total area6,012 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1269091
Ownership

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

Owner name
Harrah Michele A
Mailing address
121 Downey St San Francisco CA 94117
Last sale
030321

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

117 Downey St, San Francisco, CA 94117
123 Downey St, San Francisco, CA 94117
119 Downey St, San Francisco, CA 94117
121 Downey St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 117-123 Downey Street is a 4-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1906 in the Buena Vista Park neighborhood, currently owned by Michele A Harrah. The building has undergone significant renovations and improvements over recent years, with the most recent work completed in 2023 including kitchen and bathroom remodels with electrical upgrades (cost: $50,639). Important safety upgrades were implemented in 2016-2017, including the installation of a new sprinkler system, a 180k BTU boiler, radiant heating system, and comprehensive electrical rewiring with new subpanels and smoke detectors. The building has faced several compliance challenges, particularly during 2016-2017 when multiple complaints were filed regarding unpermitted work, including concerns about construction hours, exposed wiring, and fire safety issues. These complaints were subsequently addressed, though there was a notable complaint in July 2022 regarding unpermitted construction of two roof decks.

Historical documents reveal previous building violations from 2004 and 2011 related to fire safety and plumbing issues, though these were marked as abated. The property has experienced consistent maintenance and upgrading of systems over the years, including sewer lateral replacement, sidewalk repair, and various plumbing improvements. Recent 311 calls (from 2023-2024) primarily relate to parking enforcement and street cleaning issues, which are external to the building's operation. Planning records show permitted modifications to the roof structure and light well area, demonstrating regulatory compliance for recent improvements.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 117-123 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
11th percentile

Out of 351 buildings in this neighborhood, 312 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
43%
No DBI
violation
57%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

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 39.3%
Moderate concern 46.9%
Severe concern 13.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

117-123 Downey St apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

117-123 Downey St event timeline

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

2026
Building Violation (NOV) May 11 Serious
Building violation
There is an area of water stained wall coming down from the crown mold. the plaster has cracked in line with the water stains. there is a s…
Building Violation (NOV)May 11
Building violation

See all 17 events

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

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 117-123 Downey St apartments

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

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 117-123 Downey St
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.