Free SF apartment background check

545 39Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1505007 8 units · 2 fl · 1959

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the 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 Outer Richmond
At or below average
avg 0.7
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Outer Richmond average of 0.7.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 545 39Th 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 1959
2 or more units
8 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
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
Units8
Floors2
Year built1959
Total area5,396 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1505007
Ownership

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

Owner name
Fong Family Trust 1996
Mailing address
Paul & Vivian Lee Fong Trus 81 Lopez Ave San Francisco CA 94116
Last sale
040506

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 8-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 545 39th Avenue in the Outer Richmond, owned by the Fong Family Trust 1996 and constructed in 1959, has undergone several significant safety and maintenance upgrades over recent years. Most notably, in late 2022, the building's fire safety systems were improved to comply with San Francisco Fire Code requirements, including the installation of low-frequency sounders and a new fire alarm system upgrade costing $16,000. The property has maintained an active commitment to modernization, with earlier improvements including the replacement of street-facing and rear windows in 2016 and significant electrical upgrades in 2019 involving the replacement and relocation of safety switches and meter sockets.

The building experienced some maintenance challenges in the early 2010s, including plumbing issues in 2012 with a sewage backup incident in Unit #2, and water quality concerns in 2011 with reports of brown water from fixtures. Electrical safety concerns were reported and promptly addressed in 2003 regarding laundry room wiring. All these issues were either resolved or abated, with the last known building violations from 2012 being officially closed by August of that same year. The property has also been the subject of various parking enforcement issues in recent years, with multiple citations issued for vehicles blocking driveways, particularly between 2020-2023, indicating ongoing challenges with street parking compliance in the vicinity. While there have been periodic reports of sanitation-related issues on sidewalks near the building, these were handled through appropriate city services and do not appear to be directly related to the building's maintenance record.

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 545 39Th 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
10th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 936 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
52%
No DBI
violation
48%
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 size

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

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 47.9%
Moderate concern 37.6%
Severe concern 14.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

545 39Th 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

545 39Th Ave event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Aug 13
Blocking driveway cite only
Black - Honda Civic - 7ZAP613
311 RequestAug 04
Bulky items

See all 7 events

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

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 545 39Th 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 545 39Th Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.