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538 3Rd Ave

Inner Richmond, SF 94118 1545041 6 units · 2 fl · 1964

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 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 538 3Rd 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 1964
2 or more units
6 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
Units6
Floors2
Year built1964
Total area4,328 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1545041
Ownership

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

Owner name
Taft/Chai Kwai Loo Revoc Tr
Mailing address
Loo Evelyn & Loo Marilyn Su 1188 Vallejo St San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 6-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 538 3rd Avenue in San Francisco's Inner Richmond district, managed by the Taft/chai Kwai Loo Revocable Trust, has undergone several significant safety and infrastructure upgrades since its construction in 1964. Most notably, the building completed a mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit as a Tier 4 building in 2018, with work valued at $150,000, and received a Certificate of Final Completion.

Recent improvements include a comprehensive fire alarm system upgrade in late 2023 (cost: $27,891) to enhance safety compliance, including the installation of horn/strobes and low-frequency sounders in sleeping rooms. The building has a documented history of addressing serious safety and maintenance issues, including a comprehensive resolution of multiple housing code violations in early 2016 that addressed smoke detectors, windows, heating systems, fire extinguishers, and other safety concerns. These violations were abated by April 20, 2016, during which time the property was temporarily designated as a nuisance under Section 1001-d of the San Francisco Housing Code.

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

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Risk rating

How 538 3Rd 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
42th percentile

Out of 1723 buildings in this neighborhood, 999 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
81%
No DBI
violation
19%
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.

Owner's portfolio size

Number of SF parcels this owner is registered on — larger portfolios have distinct risk patterns.

Building age

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 73.5%
Moderate concern 14.8%
Severe concern 11.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

538 3Rd Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

538 3Rd Ave event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Mar 21
Other illegal parking
Parking Enforcement

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 538 3Rd 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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