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5420 California St

Lake Street, SF 94118 1376021 5 units · 2 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
Above average
avg 0.6
7
FewerMore

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

Rent & eviction protection

Is 5420 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
5 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
Units5
Floors2
Year built1924
Total area4,495 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1376021
Ownership

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

Owner name
Wong Leonard & Agnes Trust
Mailing address
1131 Bowdoin St San Francisco CA 94134
Last sale
082818

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 2-story multi-family residential building at 5420 California Street, located in the Lake - The Presidio neighborhood, was constructed in 1924 and contains 5 units. The property, owned by the Wong Leonard & Agnes Trust, has undergone several significant improvements in recent years, most notably in 2016-2017 when substantial renovations were completed to convert ground floor rooms into an ADU, including the addition of a kitchen, dining room, and shower facilities, along with comprehensive electrical and plumbing upgrades. During this period, a new fire sprinkler system was also installed throughout the ground floor to enhance safety measures. The building has maintained basic infrastructure through various maintenance works, including water heater replacements in 2008 and historical improvements such as reroofing in 2004.

Recent housing inspections in 2024 revealed some maintenance issues that were subsequently resolved, including problems with six broken street-facing window frames (non-operable), a difficult-to-open kitchen door to rear stairs, and an oven repair requirement. The property has a history of addressing safety compliance matters, such as a 2005 violation related to combustible storage and fire sprinklers, which was resolved by March 2005. Earlier records show various routine inspections and minor repairs, including step replacement in the lightwell in 2008 and foundation work in 2016. External to the building itself, there have been multiple 311 calls regarding street cleaning and waste management issues near the property, with the most recent calls concerning garbage debris in January 2025, though these are municipal rather than building-specific concerns.

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

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Risk rating

How 5420 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
20th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 528 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.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

Owner's portfolio size

Number of SF parcels this owner is registered on — larger portfolios have distinct risk patterns.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 61.2%
Moderate concern 23.6%
Severe concern 15.2%
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

5420 California St event timeline

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

2026
Fire Complaint May 06
Alarm Systems
Fire ComplaintMay 06
Extinguishers

See all 9 events

Full history back to 2024 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 5420 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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