Free SF apartment background check

290 16Th Ave

Central Richmond, SF 94118 1418026 8 units · 4 fl · 1921

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 Central Richmond
At or below average
avg 0.5
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Central Richmond average of 0.5.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 290 16Th 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 1921
2 or more units
8 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.

Statewide backstop · AB 1482

California Tenant Protection Act of 2019

Even when a building isn't covered by local rent stabilization, the statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still apply. It caps annual rent increases and requires the landlord to state a legal reason to end most tenancies.

15+ years since occupancy
Built 1921
Annual rent increase cap
5% + CPI, max 10%
Just-cause eviction
After 12 months
Local rent control likely takes priority. This building appears to fall under the local ordinance above, which is stronger than AB 1482. Where a local just-cause ordinance applies, its rules govern instead of the state cap.

AB 1482 does not apply to single-family homes and condos unless owned by a corporation, REIT, or an LLC with a corporate member; to owner-occupied duplexes; or to deed-restricted affordable housing. The Act is in effect until January 1, 2030. Not legal advice — see the California landlord–tenant guide.

Building characteristics
Units8
Floors4
Year built1921
Total area7,620 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1418026
Ownership

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

Mailing address
Mingjing Li 1545 Pine St San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
051721

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 7-unit, 4-story apartment building at 290 16th Avenue in the Central Richmond neighborhood has undergone significant modifications and faced several compliance issues since its construction in 1921. Most notably, there have been substantial recent upgrades to the building's safety systems, including a 2021 comprehensive fire alarm system upgrade ($24,000) replacing detectors, pull stations, and adding low-frequency sounders to meet current safety codes. The building underwent major interior reconfigurations in 2018-2019, converting units into 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom configurations, and adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in one of the garage spaces. Several compliance issues have been documented, including multiple accusations of illegal unit conversions (2016-2021), unauthorized electrical and plumbing work in units 3-7 (2021), and past heating system violations (2008-2014). The building has a history of parking enforcement issues, with numerous citations for sidewalk parking and driveway blocking in 2024. Importantly, the building is classified as Tier 3 in the city's soft-story program but is currently listed as non-compliant, indicating it has not yet met retrofit requirements. Recent improvements include the installation of a central heating system in Unit 8 (2020) and various unit-specific upgrades, while historical violations from 2001 regarding fire safety systems and 2008 issues with garbage chutes and fire escape ladders were properly abated. Three units underwent comprehensive remodeling in 2018-2019, including bathroom and kitchen renovations, with associated plumbing and electrical work properly permitted.

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

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Risk rating

How 290 16Th 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
7th percentile

Out of 2250 buildings in this neighborhood, 2092 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
47%
No DBI
violation
53%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

Number of units

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 34.9%
Moderate concern 49.8%
Severe concern 15.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

290 16Th Ave apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

290 16Th Ave event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jul 23
Parking on sidewalk
Parking Enforcement
311 RequestJul 21
Parking on sidewalk

See all 23 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 290 16Th 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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