Free SF apartment background check

390-396 5Th Ave

Inner Richmond, SF 94118 1436023 4 units · 2 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 Inner Richmond
Above average
avg 0.9
17
FewerMore

This building has 17 novs (7y), above the Inner Richmond average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 390-396 5Th 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
4 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC3
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 built1921
Total area4,358 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1436023
Ownership

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

Owner name
Menzies Harold Inc
Mailing address
4044 Geary Blvd 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.

396 05th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118
390 05th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 4-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 390-396 5th Avenue in San Francisco's Inner Richmond district is owned by Menzies Harold Inc and was constructed in 1921. The building has experienced several significant maintenance and safety issues over the past five years, with the most recent major work being a sewer and house trap replacement completed in April 2023. There have been persistent plumbing issues, including multiple water leaks affecting units 394 and 396 between 2018 and 2021, with reports of water damage and ceiling issues. Safety concerns have included violations related to lead paint hazards, with complaints filed in January 2018 and August 2021 regarding damaged paint and required remediation procedures. The building has also faced security and safety compliance issues, with active violations as of August 2021 regarding smoke and carbon monoxide detector requirements, and previous concerns about window repairs and security devices.

Historical maintenance records show dry rot repair work completed in 1997 and reroofing work that expired in 1995. The building has undergone several routine inspections over the years (1999, 2004, 2010, and 2016), and there have been past violations related to exterior paint condition (2008). Recent activity around the building (as of late 2024) has primarily involved external maintenance issues such as garbage and debris concerns, as well as parking enforcement matters. While the building has experienced recurring maintenance issues, particularly with plumbing and safety systems, there is limited recent history of serious fire incidents or civilian injuries associated with the property. The most recent fire-related calls were for a service call and an outside rubbish fire, neither of which resulted in injuries.

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 390-396 5Th 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
3th percentile

Out of 1723 buildings in this neighborhood, 1671 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
34%
No DBI
violation
66%
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.

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building NOV rate across everything this owner manages — high rates signal pattern neglect.

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 17.9%
Moderate concern 41.5%
Severe concern 40.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

390-396 5Th Ave 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

390-396 5Th Ave event timeline

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

2025
Fire Complaint Jul 24
Blocked Exits
No Merit
DBI ComplaintJun 13
There is a lock on the door leading to the roof it also a fire exit.

See all 17 events

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

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 390-396 5Th Ave 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 390-396 5Th Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.