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542 38Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1507028 2 units · 2 fl · 1984

This building has a higher-than-average number of open problems nearby. 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 542 38Th 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 1984
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
Not rent-controlled. Buildings constructed after 1978 are generally exempt from SF rent increase limits under the Costa-Hawkins Act.

Based on SF Assessor records. Not legal advice — confirm with the SF Rent Board.

Building characteristics
Units2
Floors2
Year built1984
Total area3,762 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1507028
Ownership

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

Owner name
Fung Susan
Mailing address
542 38th Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
121112

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 542 38th Avenue in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood is a two-story flats and duplex structure built in 1984, currently owned by Susan Fung. The building's permit history shows three primary construction-related activities: a demolition permit issued in February 1984, a wall addition in the basement sub-basement rear completed in July 1984, and a significant window upgrade project in June 2012 that involved replacing aluminum windows with vinyl windows throughout the front and back of the building at a cost of $28,500.

The property has generated multiple 311 calls over the past several years, with the most recent incident occurring in March 2024 involving street defects that required police intervention for safety verification. There has been a notable pattern of sidewalk parking violations in the vicinity, with at least six documented incidents between 2018 and 2022, resulting in several citations. Other 311 calls have involved general street and sidewalk maintenance issues, including loose garbage removal in July 2019, a public works service request in September 2021, and a damaged side sewer vent cover report in October 2015, though the latter was investigated and determined not to require further action. The building itself appears to have undergone regular maintenance and improvements, with no recorded safety or habitability concerns in the permit or 311 call data.

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

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Risk rating

How 542 38Th 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
86th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 146 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
90%
No DBI
violation
10%
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.

Neighborhood location

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

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

Estimated permit value across all of this owner's buildings.

Building permits, owner's portfolio

Permits pulled across all of this owner's buildings over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 82.3%
Moderate concern 10.9%
Severe concern 6.8%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

542 38Th Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

542 38Th Ave 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 542 38Th 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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