Free SF apartment background check

540 Lake St

Lake Street, SF 94118 1352021K 4 units · 2 fl · 1925

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 Lake Street
At or below average
avg 0.6
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Lake Street average of 0.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 540 Lake 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 1925
2 or more units
4 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM2
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 built1925
Total area3,820 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1352021K
Ownership

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

Owner name
Ng 2002 Revocable Intervivo
Mailing address
Edmond S & Sophie W Ng Trus 530 11Th Ave San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
070198

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

540 Lake Street is a 2-story, 4-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1925, currently owned by the Ng 2002 Revocable Intervivo Trust. The property has undergone several significant improvements over the past few years, with the most recent major renovation completed in March 2023 involving the replacement of 16 street-facing windows with energy-efficient aluminum-clad wood double-hung windows. Between 2018 and 2019, the building underwent substantial unit improvements including a complete kitchen remodel, bathroom upgrades, electrical panel relocation, service upgrades to 200 amps, and plumbing modifications in Unit 1. The building has a history of addressing maintenance issues, with records showing three separate sewer backup incidents in late 2018 that were promptly resolved, and a window replacement project to improve energy efficiency completed in 2023.

The property experienced two significant routine housing inspections in 2001 and 2008, which identified various fire safety and security concerns including blocked exits, combustible storage, and inadequate self-closing doors. All violations were abated by June 2002, and during the 2008 inspection, issues such as garbage receptacle placement and security device requirements were addressed. A recent fire complaint from September 2024 regarding blocked exits was resolved by October 2024. The building's maintenance history shows regular upkeep, including reroofing projects in 1989 and 2019, and various unit-specific improvements. Parking-related issues have been documented through multiple 311 calls between 2018 and 2023, primarily involving blocked driveways, while a noise complaint regarding garbage collection was recorded in mid-2020. The property's recent improvements and prompt response to violations and maintenance issues suggest active management, though the building has had recurring concerns with parking and occasional maintenance challenges such as the 2018 sewer issues.

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

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Risk rating

How 540 Lake 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
45th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 363 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
84%
No DBI
violation
16%
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.

Building age

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 77.9%
Moderate concern 12.4%
Severe concern 9.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

540 Lake St event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit Oct 29
Unit #4: kitchen and bath room remodel. add new subpanel. replace sink and electrical. replace existing shower pan.
$25,000 · Issued
Plumbing PermitOct 29
Apt 4: new sink at kitchen, new vanity and replace (e) shower pan.

See all 9 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 540 Lake 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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