Free SF apartment background check

5614 California St

Lake Street, SF 94121 1378013 4 units · 2 fl · 1923

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 5614 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
4 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
Units4
Floors2
Year built1923
Total area3,910 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1378013
Ownership

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

Owner name
Fong Lydia & Liping
Mailing address
1600 Lombard St San Francisco CA 94123
Last sale
050498

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

5614 California Street is a 4-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building located in the Lake -- The Presidio neighborhood, constructed in 1923 and currently owned by Lydia & Liping Fong. The building has undergone several significant changes and faced various compliance issues over the years. Most notably, there was a period of unauthorized unit construction in 2000 when a garage area was converted into an illegal 5th apartment, which raised multiple safety concerns including inadequate fire safety features and emergency egress. This unauthorized conversion led to several building violations regarding fire safety requirements, though these violations were ultimately abated by March 24, 2000. The building underwent substantial renovations in the late 1990s, including foundation repairs, reroofing, and various interior modifications including bedroom conversions. In 2005, there were permit actions to remove unauthorized kitchen and bath facilities from the ground floor, suggesting ongoing issues with unauthorized modifications.

More recent history shows continued maintenance challenges, with significant attention required for building exterior upkeep including dry rot repair and restucco work in 1997. The property has generated numerous 311 calls in 2024, primarily related to garbage and debris issues on the property or nearby, though these are mostly sanitation concerns rather than structural or safety issues. Multiple electrical permits were also issued in 2005 to remove certain outlets, indicating continued attention to building electrical systems. The most recent complaint regarding illegal construction was filed in 2017 concerning the ground floor behind the garage apartment rental, though this complaint is listed as not active without a clear resolution date.

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

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Risk rating

How 5614 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
26th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 488 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
75%
No DBI
violation
25%
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 61.6%
Moderate concern 22.9%
Severe concern 15.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

5614 California St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Apr 26
Garbage and debris
other loose garbage debris yard waste

See all 4 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 5614 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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