Free SF apartment background check

444 9Th Ave

Inner Richmond, SF 94118 1536029 7 units · 2 fl · 1961

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Inner Richmond
At or below average
avg 0.9
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Inner Richmond average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 444 9Th 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 1961
2 or more units
7 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM1
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
Units7
Floors2
Year built1961
Total area3,712 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1536029
Ownership

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

Owner name
Raymond K & Louisa C Tong R
Mailing address
Raymond & Louisa Tong Trust 2595 25Th Ave San Francisco CA 94116
Last sale
050401

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 7-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 444 9th Avenue in San Francisco's Inner Richmond district, owned by Raymond K & Louisa C Tong R, has a documented history dating back to 1998. The building's maintenance record shows periodic attention to infrastructure, including permits for reroofing in 1999 and street space work in 2008. Notably, there were multiple significant safety concerns between 2003-2005, including violations related to a fire escape drop ladder that required multiple notices before being finally addressed in 2005. During this same period, there were serious lead paint hazard notifications issued in 2004, with required remediation work completed by February 2005. Most concerning is a current active complaint from January 2025 regarding blocked fire escape access due to large planters, which was last observed in February 2024.

More recent maintenance and incident history shows a mix of routine inspections and various infrastructure issues, including a sewage backup in 2016 (which was resolved) and an overgrown tree issue in 2021. Two separate 311 calls regarding the building's maintenance were made for fire hazards in 2024 (closed with no merit) and general tree maintenance in 2021. Historical complaints from 2011 and 1998 suggest relatively minor exterior maintenance issues, such as loose garbage and automotive debris on nearby streets. The building's age (built in 1961) and location in the Inner Richmond indicate typical urban residential challenges, though the pattern of violations and complaints from 2003-2005 regarding safety systems suggests a period of particular concern that appears to have been addressed, with the exception of the recent fire escape access issue.

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

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Risk rating

How 444 9Th 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
8th percentile

Out of 1723 buildings in this neighborhood, 1585 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
50%
No DBI
violation
50%
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 age

Older buildings tend to have more maintenance challenges; SF's pre-1906 earthquake housing stock carries distinct risk.

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 52.0%
Moderate concern 31.2%
Severe concern 16.8%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

444 9Th Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

444 9Th Ave event timeline

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

2025
Electrical Permit Sep 11
Replace federal pacific with siemens apt #1
Complete
Electrical PermitSep 11
Replace federal pacific with siemens apt #6

See all 6 events

Full history back to 2025 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 444 9Th 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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