Free SF apartment background check

154 Downey St

Buena Vista Park/Ashbury Heights, SF 94117 1269150 5 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 154 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 1900
2 or more units
5 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
Units5
Floors3
Year built1900
Total area2,760 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1269150
Ownership

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

Owner name
Eng Thomas 2005 Trust
Mailing address
W J Britton & Co 1345 Mission St San Francisco CA 94103
Last sale
092100

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The five-unit, three-story multi-family residential building at 154 Downey Street in Buena Vista Park, owned by the Eng Thomas 2005 Trust, has undergone several significant safety improvements since its construction in 1900. Most notably, the building completed a seismic retrofit as a Tier 3 soft-story building in 2014, demonstrating compliance with modern safety standards. Recent maintenance activity includes a filed foundation replacement permit from September 2020, though this permit's current status is not specified in the records. The building has a history of addressing structural and safety concerns, including the installation of handrails at rear exterior stairs in 2006 (completed), and previous repairs to damaged stairs in 1999, damaged retaining walls in 1996, and reroofing work in 1999.

The property experienced two notable periods of building violations in the early 2000s. A February 2003 complaint resulted in multiple violations related to security, fire safety, and building requirements, including the need for self-closing doors, proper garbage receptacle placement, and handrail installation - all of which were abated by June 2003. In June 2006, another set of violations was documented, primarily concerning interior surfaces, including issues with paint leading hazards, wall molding, fireproofing, and water damage, all of which were also addressed by September 2006 when the related leak complaint was resolved. More recent records from 2023-2024 show multiple reports of abandoned garbage and debris outside the property, though these were generally resolved through proper channels and were not officially attributed to the building's occupants. A notable pattern of property maintenance issues appears to have been resolved by 2006, with the building undergoing significant structural improvements since then, though the most recent foundation replacement permit from 2020 remains in filed status.

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

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Risk rating

How 154 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
42th percentile

Out of 351 buildings in this neighborhood, 204 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
72%
No DBI
violation
28%
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 age

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

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

Estimated permit value across all of this owner's buildings.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 76.9%
Moderate concern 12.9%
Severe concern 10.3%
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

154 Downey St event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Jul 31
Blocking driveway cite only
Parking Enforcement

See all 3 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 154 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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