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4971-4973 17Th St

Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights, SF 94117 1289058 2 units · 2 fl · 1974

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 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 4971-4973 17Th 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 1974
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
Floors2
Year built1974
Total area3,130 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1289058
Ownership

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

Owner name
Kwan Henry S & Vicky L
Mailing address
945 Taraval St # 708 San Francisco CA 94116
Last sale
022621

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.

4971 17th St, San Francisco, CA 94117
4973 17th St, San Francisco, CA 94117
4971 A 17th St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 4971-4973 17th Street in the Parnassus/Ashbury Heights neighborhood, owned by Henry S. Kwan and Vicky L., has undergone several significant modifications since its construction in 1974. Most notably, the property has implemented comprehensive fire safety upgrades in recent years, including the installation of a new sprinkler system in 2020 (with 26 heads and 2" underground service) costing $20,500, and a complete fire alarm system that year featuring advanced components such as smoke detectors, pull stations, and strobe lights. The building has also seen substantial infrastructure improvements, including a 400-amp electrical meter service upgrade in 2021 with three unit meters and one house meter, and the legalization of the second-floor unit in 2016 which involved kitchen installation, lighting upgrades, and hydronic heating system improvements, totaling $70,000.

More recent developments show continued attention to building systems, including a hydronic fan coil system installation for unit 4971 in 2022. The property has experienced periodic issues with blocked driveways, as evidenced by multiple parking enforcement calls in 2024, though these are external to the building itself. A series of four false alarm/events related to the fire alarm system have been recorded, though no actual fires or civilian injuries have occurred. The building underwent a roof replacement in 2018 and attempted to add a fourth unit in 2019, though this permit was withdrawn. All major systems upgrades appear to have been completed successfully, with permits showing proper finalization of the work. The property has maintained compliance with local regulations, as evidenced by the successful legalization process completed in 2016.

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

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Risk rating

How 4971-4973 17Th 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
90th percentile

Out of 526 buildings in this neighborhood, 53 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
90%
No DBI
violation
10%
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.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

Property class: multi-family flat

2–4 unit flats (class F) are a common SF building type with their own maintenance and complaint patterns.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 88.9%
Moderate concern 8.1%
Severe concern 3.0%
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

4971-4973 17Th St event timeline

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

2022
Plumbing Permit Jan 14
Work category: 1m; install new hydronic fan coil system for unit 4971
Complete

See all 8 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 4971-4973 17Th 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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