Free SF apartment background check

226-228 Balboa St

Inner Richmond, SF 94118 1546018A 2 units · 2 fl · 1909

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. 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.

12-Month Maintenance Forecast

26%

(risk — lower is better)

Looks clean

Estimated probability of a DBI violation or complaint in the next 12 months.

7-YEAR TREND Violations + complaints / yr

'20

'21

'22

'23

'24

'25

'26

'27*

*Next year, projected from recent activity and predicted risk.

7-Year Historical Counts

0

NOVs (7y)

2

DBI Complaints (7y)

15

311 Calls (7y)

0

Fire Incidents

0

2nd NOVs

0

Dir. Hearings

0

City Atty

13

Permits (7y)

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Rent & eviction protection

Is 226-228 Balboa St 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 1909

2 or more units

2 units

Property type

Multi-Family Residential

Zoning

NC2

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

Units	2
Floors	2
Year built	1909
Total area	2,500 sq ft
Property type	Multi-Family Residential
Tax status	None
Blocklot	1546018A

Ownership

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

Owner name

Growing Tree School Llc

Mailing address

1028 Balboa St San Francisco CA 94118

Last sale

010518

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.

226 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118

228 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Augrented Insights

Initial analysis

The property at 226-228 Balboa Street is a two-story, multi-family residential building located in San Francisco's Inner Richmond neighborhood, built in 1909 and currently owned by Growing Tree School LLC. The building has undergone significant transformations in recent years, transitioning from retail space to a childcare center serving approximately 64 children. This change of use began in 2018 and has involved substantial renovations including the installation of a new fire sprinkler system, fire alarm system, radiant heating, and various electrical and plumbing improvements, with 2022 revisions costing around $640,000 for the childcare conversion. The building has received multiple permit approvals in 2024 for fire sprinkler installation, electrical work, and plumbing updates, with recent concerns about work being conducted without proper permits noted in March 2024.

Recent public health and safety concerns include multiple reports in 2024 regarding pest infestations and environmental health issues, though some of these cases are still under investigation or were transferred to the SF DPH Healthy Housing Program. The property has also experienced periods of vacancy and code enforcement attention, with complaints filed regarding a vacant commercial storefront in 2023. Other building maintenance and public space issues have been documented through 311 calls, including reports of garbage, graffiti, and illegal postings, though these are generally routine urban maintenance matters. The property's current renovations and occupancy change have involved extensive work to meet safety and regulatory requirements, as evidenced by the numerous permits for fire safety systems, heating, and electrical upgrades, with some historical permits for sprinkler systems being cancelled. The building's conversion from retail to childcare use represents a major transformation of the space, requiring comprehensive updates to meet current codes and standards.

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

Risk rating

How 226-228 Balboa St'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

26th percentile

Out of 1723 buildings in this neighborhood, 1275 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest

Predicted 12-month outcome

74%

No DBI
violation

26%

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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

DBI complaint rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building complaint rate across the owner's portfolio.

Permit rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building permit rate across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast

No violation 71.4%

Moderate concern 24.2%

Severe concern 4.4%

Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.

Apartment reviews

226-228 Balboa St apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

226-228 Balboa St event timeline

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

2025

Building Permit Dec 31

To obtain final inspection for work approved under pa# 2018-0208-0819, pa# 2020-0721-0558 and pa# 2020-1123-9541. all work is complete

$1 · Complete

Building PermitDec 31

To obtain final inspection for work approved under pa# 2024-0517-2413. all work is complete

See all 15 events

Full history back to 2021 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 226-228 Balboa St apartments

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

What this is

Permits issued by the SF Department of Building Inspection for new construction, alterations, and repairs. Includes estimated cost and current permit status.

Permit #	Description	Cost	Filed	Status
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What this is

Plumbing permit applications filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection. Covers plumbing installation, repair, and replacement work.

Permit #	Description	Filed	Status
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What this is

Electrical permit applications filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection. Covers electrical wiring, panel upgrades, and related work.

Permit #	Description	Filed	Status
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What this is

Notices of Violation issued by the SF Department of Building Inspection for code violations. Unresolved notices can escalate to legal action.

Date Filed	Complaint #	Description	Item	Category	Status
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What this is

Complaints filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection about code violations. Tracks the complaint lifecycle from filing through abatement or referral.

Complaint #	Date Filed	Date Abated	Division	Status	Description
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What this is

Planning Department project entitlements — discretionary review, conditional use, variances, and environmental review for this parcel.

Address	Opened	Closed	Status	Description	Applicant
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What this is

Planning Department administrative and compliance records that are not full project entitlements — pre-application meetings, code violations, and referrals.

Address	Opened	Closed	Status	Description	Applicant
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What this is

SFFD fire incidents geo-joined to this parcel. Covers structure fires, alarms, and emergency responses with injury and fatality counts.

Date	Situation	Civilian Injuries	Civilian Fatalities
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What this is

Fire code violations issued by the SFFD. Tracks corrective actions required and resolution status for fire safety code enforcement.

Violation Date	Description	Corrective Action	Status	Close Date
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What this is

Fire code complaints received by the SF Fire Department geo-joined to this parcel. Includes complaint type, disposition, and outcome.

Received	Description	Disposition Date	Disposition
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What this is

SF 311 service requests geo-joined to this parcel. Includes maintenance complaints, street/sidewalk issues, and quality-of-life requests.

Opened	Type	Agency	Category	Details	Status
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What this is

Buildings subject to SF's mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit program. Unreinforced multi-story wood-frame buildings must meet compliance tiers.

Tier	Status
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What this is

Tenant buyout (Ellis Act pre-cursor) agreements recorded with the SF Rent Board. Tracks amounts paid to tenants to vacate rent-controlled units.

Disclosure Date	Buyout Date	Amount	Tenants
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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning