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163 21St Ave

Lake Street, SF 94121 1381010C 2 units · 2 fl · 1938

This building has a higher-than-average number of open problems nearby. 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
3
FewerMore

This building has 3 novs (7y), above the Lake Street average of 0.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 163 21St 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 1938
2 or more units
2 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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1938
Total area4,195 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1381010C
Ownership

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

Owner name
Eng Stanley
Mailing address
163 21st Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
050500

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

This two-unit residential building, constructed in 1938 and located in the Lake -- Presidio neighborhood, houses its two stories of flats and duplexes under the ownership of Stanley Eng. The property has experienced several maintenance and safety issues over its history, with the most significant recent events occurring in 2019-2020. These include multiple violations and complaints regarding hazardous conditions around the garage area, with three separate violations filed in November 2019 concerning protruding nails and unsafe trim, which were resolved by December 2019. In July 2020, the building received three fire safety violations related to storage, exits, and dispersal areas, all of which were subsequently abated.

The building's maintenance history shows various improvements and repairs over the years, including termite and dry rot remediation in 1987, bathroom renovations in 1988, and several other renovation attempts in the 1990s. More recently, there has been a persistent pattern of parking-related issues near the property, with multiple citations issued between 2021 and 2024 for vehicles blocking driveways and parking on sidewalks. There have also been two instances of sidewalk obstruction due to private vegetation, reported in late 2021. While these parking and sidewalk issues suggest ongoing challenges with the building's immediate surroundings, the more serious safety violations from 2019-2020 were addressed promptly. The building's permit history indicates regular maintenance, though some permit applications from the 1990s are shown as canceled or expired.

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

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Risk rating

How 163 21St 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
34th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 436 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
78%
No DBI
violation
22%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

Estimated permit value across all of this owner's buildings.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 51.7%
Moderate concern 39.9%
Severe concern 8.4%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

163 21St Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

163 21St Ave event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Mar 26
Bulky items
Refrigerator
311 RequestMar 26
Bulky items

See all 7 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 163 21St Ave 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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