Free SF apartment background check

234 27Th Ave

Lake Street, SF 94121 1386034 5 units · 2 fl · 1962

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
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 234 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 1962
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 built1962
Total area4,383 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1386034
Ownership

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

Owner name
Alex & Darlene Mcdow Fmly T
Mailing address
Mcdow Alex K & Darlene M Tt 2 Brooks Pl Pacifica CA 94044
Last sale
032320

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-story, five-unit apartment building at 234 27th Avenue, owned by Alex & Darlene Mcdow Fmly T, has undergone several significant improvements and faced various compliance challenges since its construction in 1962. Most notably, the building successfully completed its mandatory Soft Story retrofit program, achieving "Work Complete, CFC Issued" status as of 2024, though it faced violations for non-compliance in 2021. Recent major improvements include a new 400A electrical service upgrade completed in March 2023, and a reroofing project completed in April 2024 costing $20,700. The building has a history of fire-related issues, with a fire damage repair to the garage and fire escape in 1991, and multiple fire safety violations addressed in 2006 related to smoke enclosure doors, fire escape maintenance, and fire proofing materials - all of which were abated by October 2015.

The property has undergone various infrastructure improvements, including a sewer lateral replacement in 2012, and a significant soft-story retrofit completed in 2015 costing $100,000. Several complaints and violations were recorded in the mid-2000s related to fire safety systems, emergency egress, and routine inspection access, all of which were resolved. The building experienced one notable case of unpermitted work in 2015 regarding siding installation and stair repairs, though this was subsequently addressed. Recent property maintenance issues have included multiple reports of garbage and debris on the property, with the most recent incidents occurring in December 2024. The property has also had several complaints about parking and sidewalk issues in the surrounding area, though these are not directly related to the building's condition or management.

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

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Risk rating

How 234 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
6th percentile

Out of 660 buildings in this neighborhood, 620 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
40%
No DBI
violation
60%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

Director's hearing rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building rate of director's hearings across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 41.1%
Moderate concern 50.0%
Severe concern 8.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

234 27Th Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

234 27Th Ave event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jan 23
Blocking driveway cite only
Parking Enforcement
311 RequestJan 22
Blocking driveway cite only

See all 10 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 234 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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