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453 21St Ave

Central Richmond, SF 94121 1523010 4 units · 2 fl · 1974

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 Central Richmond
At or below average
avg 0.5
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Central Richmond average of 0.5.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 453 21St 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 1974
2 or more units
4 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
Units4
Floors2
Year built1974
Total area3,890 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1523010
Ownership

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

Owner name
John & Teresa Ng Lim 2016 R
Mailing address
Yau Theresa K 720 Pine Ln San Rafael CA 94903
Last sale
082097

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 453 21st Avenue in the Central Richmond neighborhood is a two-story, four-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1974 and currently owned by John & Teresa Ng Lim. The building has undergone several significant improvements over the past two decades, including a complete window replacement project in 2008 ($11,250) where 23 vinyl windows were installed throughout the building, a re-roofing project in 2017 ($15,500), and the replacement of the water heater in 2020. Of particular note is the sewer/housetrap replacement completed in 2018, which is a critical infrastructure upgrade.

The building has experienced two fire safety-related violation incidents, one in 2002 and another in 2011. The 2002 incident involved issues with combustible storage and fire extinguisher maintenance, while the 2011 incident required re-inspections and confirmation of fire extinguisher placement and accessibility. All violations were resolved, with the 2002 violations being abated by June 2002 and the 2011 violations by June 2011. The property has maintained active engagement with building maintenance and compliance requirements, as evidenced by the regular issuance and completion of various permits.

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

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Risk rating

How 453 21St 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
82th percentile

Out of 2250 buildings in this neighborhood, 405 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
89%
No DBI
violation
11%
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.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 70.4%
Moderate concern 14.4%
Severe concern 15.1%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

453 21St Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

453 21St Ave event timeline

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

2024
311 Request May 11
General cleaning
Other Loose Garbage

See all 2 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 453 21St 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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