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1608-1612 Balboa St

Central Richmond, SF 94121 1560020 2 units · 2 fl · 1924

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 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 1608-1612 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 1924
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC1
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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1924
Total area3,296 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1560020
Ownership

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

Owner name
Kwong Family Trust
Mailing address
Kwok Fu & Fung Sin Kwong 433 14Th Ave San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
000000

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.

1608 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1610 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1612 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 1608-1612 Balboa Street in the Central Richmond neighborhood is a two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building with street-level commercial space, constructed in 1924 and currently owned by the Kwong Family Trust. The building's maintenance history shows regular window replacements, with multiple permits issued between 1990 and 2005 for window upgrades, along with various interior improvements including kitchen cabinet replacement in 1992 and hallway repairs in 1993. Several significant issues have emerged in recent years, including multiple complaints about unauthorized dwelling units in commercial space during 2023, an illegal dwelling in a vacant commercial store (July 2023), and concerns about construction work being performed without proper permits (August 2022). The building has also faced periodic maintenance and safety concerns, including overgrown vegetation in 2018, a potentially unsafe painting frame in 2020, and a history of combustible materials and weed-related fire hazards between 2014-2018.

The property's recent history has been marked by several concerning patterns, particularly regarding unauthorized modifications and usage of the commercial space, as evidenced by multiple building complaints between 2022-2023. A paint condition complaint was filed in March 2024 regarding chipping paint at 1614 Balboa, with potential lead concerns. The building's exterior has experienced various maintenance issues as documented in 311 calls throughout 2024, including problems with overflowing garbage and sidewalk blockages. Historical records show the property has undergone typical urban maintenance and improvement work, including window replacements and interior renovations, though some permits from the 1990s and 1980s are listed as expired or incomplete. The most persistent issues appear to revolve around the proper use and maintenance of the commercial portion of the building, with multiple violations related to egress obstruction and storage of combustible materials in past years.

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

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Risk rating

How 1608-1612 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
7th percentile

Out of 2250 buildings in this neighborhood, 2092 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
48%
No DBI
violation
52%
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.

Property class: apartment building

Apartment building — this property classification influences expected violation rates.

DBI complaints, owner's portfolio

Complaints across all of this owner's buildings over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 39.3%
Moderate concern 53.0%
Severe concern 7.8%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

1608-1612 Balboa St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Mar 01
Garbage and debris
other loose garbage debris yard waste
Building PermitFeb 20
Add 1 bathroom and laundry. replace 6 front windows in kind with vinyl.

See all 12 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1608-1612 Balboa St 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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