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4550 California St

Lake Street, SF 94118 1367027 6 units · 3 fl · 1912

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. 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
Above average
avg 0.6
4
FewerMore

This building has 4 novs (7y), above the Lake Street average of 0.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 4550 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 1912
2 or more units
6 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.

Building characteristics
Units6
Floors3
Year built1912
Total area4,440 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1367027
Ownership

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

Owner name
Yip/Tang Family Trust
Mailing address
Sze Hoi Yip & Ziling Tang, 438A 21St Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
061503

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.

4550 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118
4550 California St #219, San Francisco, CA 94118
Augrented Insights
AI summary

The 6-unit apartment building at 4550 California Street, owned by the Yip/Tang Family Trust, was constructed in 1912 and stands 3 stories tall. The property has undergone several significant improvements and faced various challenges over the years. Most notably, it completed mandatory seismic retrofitting in 2014 under the city's Soft Story program, which included foundation reinforcement and the addition of anchor sill bolts, demonstrating compliance with Tier 3 soft story requirements. In 2018, a comprehensive renovation was completed in Unit 1, including bathroom and kitchen remodeling, electrical rewiring, and plumbing updates with the installation of a tankless water heater.

The building has experienced recurring maintenance issues, particularly with the rear stairs, which required repairs in 2002 and replacement in 2007 due to dry rot concerns. Several building violations were recorded, with the most recent in 2019 regarding fire safety equipment and floor coverings, though these were abated by January 2020. The property underwent a significant transformation in 2004-2005 when there were reports of unauthorized unit conversions involving the addition of a seventh unit, though this was subsequently addressed. Multiple routine inspections and complaints over the years have documented various maintenance issues, including plumbing problems, heating concerns, and security upgrades. Recent maintenance records from 2021-2024 show continued attention to infrastructure issues, including sewer backups and exterior maintenance matters. The building has maintained active compliance with major safety requirements, including the soft story retrofit, though historical records show periods of deferred maintenance that required correction through violations and complaints.

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Risk rating

How 4550 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
25th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 495 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
74%
No DBI
violation
26%
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.

Permit rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building permit rate across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 63.3%
Moderate concern 27.6%
Severe concern 9.0%
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

4550 California St event timeline

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

2019
Building Violation (NOV) Dec 04
Building violation
At time of inspection, fire extinguishers were expired. recharge as required.
Building Violation (NOV)Dec 04
Building violation

See all 5 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 4550 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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