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522-524 37Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1508015 2 units · 4 fl · 2018

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 522-524 37Th 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 2018
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
Floors4
Year built2018
Total area5,321 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1508015
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lau Yun-Fai Chris & Yim Dia
Mailing address
2545 Irving St San Francisco CA 94122
Last sale
060619

Landlord portfolio

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

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Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

524 37th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121
522 37th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 522-524 37th Avenue is a four-story, two-unit multi-family residential building located in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood. Built in 1906 and owned by Chris Lau and Dia Yim, this building has undergone significant renovation and construction work since 2015. Major improvements have included the installation of a residential elevator (in 2018), complete electrical systems for both units (2015), and extensive plumbing work including new duplex unit installations, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, and heating systems for both units (2015-2017). The building's construction history is notable for a series of street space permits issued between 2016 and 2017, and a significant plumbing project in 2009 that included comprehensive updates to multiple bathrooms, kitchens, gas lines, and utility services.

However, the building's history also includes several concerning incidents and ongoing violations, particularly during the 2007-2009 period. There are active violations related to excessive excavation work that occurred in 2008, creating potentially hazardous conditions at the property lines, with associated compliance issues. Additional complaints from that time period documented unsafe site conditions, including unsecured debris and safety hazards. More recent complaints in 2017 raised concerns about construction debris blocking sidewalks and sand containment issues. The property has experienced recurring issues with sidewalk parking violations in recent years, particularly involving vehicles not adhering to parking regulations. While many of these historical issues have been resolved through subsequent permits and inspections, the property has required multiple permit renewals and inspections to complete various systems installations, suggesting a somewhat protracted construction timeline. Recent building improvement work appears to be largely complete, though some systems (such as the elevator) were permitted but either installed under an expired permit or not completed according to current records.

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

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Risk rating

How 522-524 37Th 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
92th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 83 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
92%
No DBI
violation
8%
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.

Neighborhood location

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

Number of floors

Building height affects maintenance complexity and is one of the size signals the model uses.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 86.6%
Moderate concern 8.5%
Severe concern 4.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

522-524 37Th 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 522-524 37Th Ave apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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