Free SF apartment background check

174 12Th Ave

Lake Street, SF 94118 1371026 6 units · 2 fl · 1963

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. 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
1
FewerMore

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

Rent & eviction protection

Is 174 12Th Ave 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 1963
2 or more units
6 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
Units6
Floors2
Year built1963
Total area4,342 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1371026
Ownership

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

Owner name
Chung Eric K
Mailing address
433 California Street San Francisco CA 94104
Last sale
052101

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

174 12th Avenue is a two-story, 6-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1963, currently owned by Eric K. Chung. The property has a significant historical record of building improvements and compliance issues, with the most pressing concern being its current non-compliant status with the Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program (Tier 3). While the building has made some progress in seismic improvements, including permits issued in 2017 and 2022 for ground level retrofitting at an estimated cost of $80,000, there remains an active complaint (filed in February 2021) indicating failure to complete all associated work and obtain final signoff as required by the San Francisco Building Code regarding earthquake safety.

The building's maintenance history shows regular upkeep through the years, including reroofing in 1996, sheetrock repairs in 1998, and various renovation projects in the late 1990s. Multiple building violations have been recorded, primarily related to gas utility safety requirements in 2002 (resolved in 2003), and more recently, issues regarding the mandatory soft story program compliance and associated fees in 2017-2021. A notable housing complaint from 2005 concerned water leakage lasting two years, though this was eventually resolved in 2009. The most recent 311 call regarding the property was recorded in December 2024, related to garbage and debris, which was promptly resolved by street cleaning services. While the building has undergone various improvements and addressed multiple code violations over the years, the outstanding issues related to seismic retrofit compliance represent the most significant current concern for the property.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 174 12Th Ave'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
17th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 548 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
65%
No DBI
violation
35%
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.

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building NOV rate across everything this owner manages — high rates signal pattern neglect.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 71.8%
Moderate concern 16.5%
Severe concern 11.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

174 12Th Ave apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

174 12Th Ave event timeline

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

2022
Building Permit Nov 02
Commencement of work not started under previously approved bpa#201712186712 (retrofit ground level for wood frame seismic retrofit program per soft story retrofit per sfbc ch 4d, 2016 cebc appendix a4. comply with nov 201720235)
$80,000 · Issued

See all 3 events

Full history back to 2021 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 174 12Th Ave apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 174 12Th Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.