Free SF apartment background check

4821-4827 California St

Inner Richmond, SF 94118 1423046 4 units · 2 fl · 1922

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 Inner Richmond
At or below average
avg 0.9
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Inner Richmond average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 4821-4827 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 1922
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 built1922
Total area4,080 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1423046
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lu Hester Trustee
Mailing address
4823 California St San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

4827 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118
4823 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118
4821 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118
4825 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 4-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 4821-4827 California Street in the Inner Richmond, constructed in 1922 and currently under the ownership of Lu Hester Trustee, has undergone several significant maintenance and improvement projects over the past decades. Most notably, in 2016, the building underwent substantial interior renovations including kitchen and bathroom remodeling with new fixtures, cabinets, and tiles, along with electrical upgrades (though one electrical permit was cancelled). The building's systems have been updated with the replacement of all four water heaters in 2009, and there have been important structural repairs including back stairs repair due to dry rot and siding replacement in 2001. The property experienced a temporary fire safety issue in 2004 regarding combustible storage, which was resolved within two months of being cited.

Recent activity at the property has been primarily related to parking enforcement, with multiple citations issued between 2022 and 2024 for blocked driveways, suggesting ongoing issues with parking management in the vicinity. Three fire-related incidents have been recorded, but notably, there were no civilian injuries associated with these events, including a carbon monoxide incident and a malfunctioning alarm system. The building's maintenance history shows regular upkeep, including a street space permit issued in 2017 and various plumbing and electrical work, though some permits from 2000 and 1987 for reroofing and code compliance respectively are listed as expired. The property's inspection history includes routine inspections in 1999 and 2004, both of which were resolved, demonstrating compliance with housing standards.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 4821-4827 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
27th percentile

Out of 1723 buildings in this neighborhood, 1258 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
74%
No DBI
violation
26%
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.

Building age

Older buildings tend to have more maintenance challenges; SF's pre-1906 earthquake housing stock carries distinct risk.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 57.7%
Moderate concern 29.0%
Severe concern 13.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

4821-4827 California St apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

4821-4827 California St event timeline

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

No dated public records on file yet.
Every record we have

Full data for 4821-4827 California St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 4821-4827 California St
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.