Free SF apartment background check

518 38Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1507033 8 units · 2 fl · 1960

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. 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 518 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 1960
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 built1960
Total area7,434 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1507033
Ownership

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

Owner name
Li Family Living Trust
Mailing address
Li Marguerite & Stacy Trust 1210 Spencer Dr Santa Rosa CA 95404
Last sale
051418

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 8-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 518 38th Avenue in the Outer Richmond, owned by the Li Family Living Trust, has undergone several significant upgrades and faced some concerning issues in recent years. Most notably, in 2023, the building underwent comprehensive improvements including window replacement, weatherproofing, and stucco repair costing $80,000, followed by tenant buyouts totaling $90,000 for two tenants. In 2015, the building completed important safety improvements including seismic retrofitting to address its Tier 3 soft story status ($110,000), re-roofing ($24,000), and electrical system upgrades involving Ufer grounding installation. The plumbing system received attention in 2014 with a sewer line replacement, though this permit is listed as expired.

The building has experienced several maintenance and safety challenges, particularly related to its fire safety systems. There was a significant complaint in 2022 about crumbling drywall, wooden blocks between units, and mold infestation in unit #2, and earlier fire alarm system issues were noted in 2012 and 2003. A carbon monoxide detector activation was recorded, but no CO was found. The property has generated multiple 311 calls in recent years, including a sewage backup in November 2023 and several requests for general cleaning of loose garbage. While the building appears to have addressed many of its historical compliance issues, including a 1986 order to bring the building into full compliance with municipal code, the frequency of recent maintenance and safety-related complaints suggests ongoing challenges with property upkeep, particularly related to fire safety systems and building envelope maintenance.

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

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Risk rating

How 518 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
13th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 905 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
58%
No DBI
violation
42%
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.

Building size

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

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 47.0%
Moderate concern 34.1%
Severe concern 19.0%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

518 38Th Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

518 38Th Ave event timeline

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

2023
311 Request Sep 05
Abandoned vehicles
DPT Abandoned Vehicles Low
Building PermitApr 21
Replace windows, weather proofing barrier, stucco surfaces on west, east facing walls & lightwells

See all 4 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 518 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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