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4906-4908 California St

Lake Street, SF 94118 1371019 2 units · 3 fl · 1924

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
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 4906-4908 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 1924
2 or more units
2 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
Units2
Floors3
Year built1924
Total area3,428 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1371019
Ownership

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

Owner name
Baruth Ari & Clara Hatcher
Mailing address
4908 California St San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
032618

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.

4906 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118
4908 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

4906-4908 California Street is a two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building located in the Lake-Presidio neighborhood. Built in 1924 and currently owned by Ari Baruth & Clara Hatcher, this flats/duplex property has undergone significant modernization and safety improvements in recent years. Most notably, there has been substantial work on fire safety systems, including the recent 2024 upgrade of the fire alarm system to comply with SFFC regulations and the installation of a fire sprinkler system for the ground floor and ADU in 2023, with additional fire safety work ongoing into 2024. The building underwent substantial renovations in 2016, including kitchen and bathroom remodels, laundry room relocation, and window replacements. A notable project in 2019 involved the legalization of a ground floor studio unit and associated safety system installations, with subsequent bathroom and storage room work totaling approximately $62,000 combined.

The property has seen regular maintenance and upgrades to its core systems, including two furnace replacements in late 2021 and a 2023 electrical service relocation with new meter installations. Historical records show earlier improvements such as reroofing work completed in 1989. The building has experienced minimal serious issues, with only two recorded fire-related incidents - a false alarm and a hazardous condition, neither of which resulted in civilian injuries. Recent 311 calls have primarily focused on general cleaning and maintenance issues in the vicinity of the property, with most cases being promptly resolved. The property's recent permit activity and systematic upgrades suggest active management and compliance with current safety standards.

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

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Risk rating

How 4906-4908 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
21th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 521 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
71%
No DBI
violation
29%
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.

Property class: tenancy in common

Tenancy-in-common ownership structure, which has distinct maintenance and management patterns.

Building age

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

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 76.1%
Moderate concern 20.2%
Severe concern 3.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

4906-4908 California St event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit Apr 29
Comply with physical inspection report cc-8835
$2,500 · Complete
Electrical PermitApr 14
The house has a back unit addressed as 4906-a and partial unit circuitry needed to be rewired per code. replace power outlets, retrofit lighting fixtures to led. add separate circuits for the bathroom lighting and power outlet. all new receptacles are changed to tamper resistant.

See all 14 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 4906-4908 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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