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4540 California St

Lake Street, SF 94118 1367025 12 units · 3 fl · 1923

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Lake Street
Above average
avg 0.6
1
FewerMore

This building has 1 novs (7y), above the Lake Street average of 0.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 4540 California 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 1923
2 or more units
12 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM1
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.

Statewide backstop · AB 1482

California Tenant Protection Act of 2019

Even when a building isn't covered by local rent stabilization, the statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still apply. It caps annual rent increases and requires the landlord to state a legal reason to end most tenancies.

15+ years since occupancy
Built 1923
Annual rent increase cap
5% + CPI, max 10%
Just-cause eviction
After 12 months
Local rent control likely takes priority. This building appears to fall under the local ordinance above, which is stronger than AB 1482. Where a local just-cause ordinance applies, its rules govern instead of the state cap.

AB 1482 does not apply to single-family homes and condos unless owned by a corporation, REIT, or an LLC with a corporate member; to owner-occupied duplexes; or to deed-restricted affordable housing. The Act is in effect until January 1, 2030. Not legal advice — see the California landlord–tenant guide.

Building characteristics
Units12
Floors3
Year built1923
Total area10,380 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1367025
Ownership

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

Mailing address
Steven C. Thrower 1 Bush St Ste 900 San Francisco CA 94104
Last sale
033114

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, 12-unit multi-family residential building at 4540 California St, owned by 4540 California Street LLC, was constructed in 1923 and has undergone several significant improvements in recent years. Most notably, the building successfully completed mandatory seismic strengthening work in December 2019, which included the installation of new shear walls, moment frames, and grade beams using FEMA guidelines, demonstrating compliance with important safety requirements. The building has also shown consistent maintenance of its life safety systems, with a completed fire alarm system upgrade in 2020 that brought the building into compliance with SF fire codes.

Recent tenant infrastructure improvements have focused on unit modernization, particularly in Units 4, 7, 8, and 9, which have received new washer/dryer installations and various kitchen and electrical upgrades. However, there have been recurring maintenance issues that warrant attention. There were three separate reports of water-related incidents in 2023, with flooding affecting multiple units, and ongoing fire alarm system concerns have been documented, including a violation in February 2024. Historical complaint records show past challenges with heating systems and fire safety (specifically fire proofing and egress issues) in 2004-2006, which were subsequently addressed. The property is currently classified as Tier 3 under the Soft Story program, and while the CFC (Certificate of Final Completion) has been issued, the fire alarm system has received two violations in recent years (2019 and 2024) that were corrected.

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

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Risk rating

How 4540 California 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
1th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 653 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
25%
No DBI
violation
75%
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 size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

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.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 13.9%
Moderate concern 67.7%
Severe concern 18.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

4540 California St apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

4540 California St event timeline

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

2025
Planning Record Oct 31
Zoning letter for compliance report
Closed - Issued
Fire ComplaintAug 19
Alarm Systems

See all 26 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 4540 California 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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