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540 38Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1507029 2 units · 3 fl · 1981

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 540 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 1981
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
Floors3
Year built1981
Total area4,757 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1507029
Ownership

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

Owner name
Yu Kelvin & Lorraine 1996 F
Mailing address
Kelvin & Lorraine Yu 807 Cape Cod Dr Redwood City CA 94065
Last sale
110596

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, two-unit multi-family residential building at 540 38th Avenue in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood was constructed in 1981 and is currently owned by the Yu Kelvin & Lorraine 1996 F Trust. The building has undergone several noteworthy improvements over the years, including the installation of energy-efficient windows and patio doors in 2008, with some completed work costing approximately $5,900, though there was an additional permit for the upper unit's patio door installation that was withdrawn. Earlier maintenance included a reroofing project conducted in 1999. In 2015, the property experienced two significant sewer-related incidents involving a 4-inch vent, which required immediate attention from PUC Sewer Operations and marked an unusual maintenance challenge for the building.

The property has been subject to multiple parking-related issues in recent years, with the most recent incidents occurring in 2023 involving vehicles parking on the sidewalk and blocking driveways, though these are external neighborhood issues rather than building-specific concerns. A notable planning application from 1982 sought to legalize a rear yard addition that extended 12 feet into the required 54-foot rear yard, though this variance request was ultimately disapproved. The building's most recent service calls have primarily revolved around external matters such as sidewalk parking violations and street cleaning, with no reported internal building issues since the 2015 sewer incidents.

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

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Risk rating

How 540 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
90th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 104 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
91%
No DBI
violation
9%
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.

Building size

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

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 79.9%
Moderate concern 10.7%
Severe concern 9.4%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

540 38Th Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

540 38Th Ave event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Nov 04
Parking on sidewalk
GRAY - Suburu - 9223XG
311 RequestApr 04
Blocking driveway cite only

See all 2 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 540 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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