Free SF apartment background check

278 27Th Ave

Lake Street, SF 94121 1386023 12 units · 3 fl · 1961

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

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 278 27Th 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 1961
2 or more units
12 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
Units12
Floors3
Year built1961
Total area12,192 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1386023
Ownership

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

Owner name
Chung Wo Louie Survivors Tr
Mailing address
C/o Les Louie 2431 Anza St San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 12-unit, 3-story multi-family residential building at 278 27th Avenue, owned by Chung Wo Louie Survivors Trust, has undergone several significant improvements since its construction in 1961. Most notably, the building completed a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2017, which included ground floor reinforcement, installation of shearwalls, and steel moment frames, demonstrating compliance with seismic safety requirements. Recent building improvements include a 2020 renovation that replaced sliding doors and windows, along with exterior siding upgrades, costing approximately $130,000. The building's fire safety systems have required ongoing attention, with multiple violations recorded in recent years regarding alarm systems, exit maintenance, and fire escape conditions. A cluster of four violations was issued in October 2024, including issues with fire extinguishers, blocked exits, and alarm systems, though these were subsequently marked as abated.

The property has a documented history of routine inspections and several corrective actions taken in response to violations. In 2021, a blocked exit and alarm system issue was corrected, while a 2019 exit blockage violation was addressed. The building previously faced multiple fire safety compliance issues in 2003 and 2006, including problems with the fire escape drop ladder, central alarm system, and combustible storage. Historical complaints from 1994-1996 regarding plumbing issues were resolved, and the building's maintenance record shows regular attention to safety features such as handrails, which were updated in 2007 and 2008 to meet code requirements. The property has maintained its soft-story retrofit status as complete, with a Certificate of Final Completion issued, and shows ongoing commitment to address safety violations as they arise, though the frequency of fire-related violations suggests recurring maintenance needs in this area.

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

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Risk rating

How 278 27Th 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
4th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 634 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
36%
No DBI
violation
64%
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.

Building size

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

Number of units

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

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 40.4%
Moderate concern 41.4%
Severe concern 18.2%
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

278 27Th Ave event timeline

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

2024
Fire Complaint Oct 14
Extinguishers
Violation Issued
Fire ComplaintOct 14
Blocked Exits

See all 7 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 278 27Th 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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