Free SF apartment background check

1720-1734 Balboa St

Central Richmond, SF 94121 1561018 8 units · 2 fl · 1922

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the 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 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 1720-1734 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 1922
2 or more units
8 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
Units8
Floors2
Year built1922
Total area9,854 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1561018
Ownership

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

Owner name
Fong Kenton D
Mailing address
35718 Hillside Ct Fremont CA 94536
Last sale
072302

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

1728 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1726 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1724 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1722 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1720 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1732 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1730 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
1734 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 8-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 1720-1734 Balboa Street in Central Richmond, owned by Kenton D. Fong, was constructed in 1922 and has undergone several significant structural improvements over its lifetime. Most notably, the building completed a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2019 (with an initial permit in 2017 costing $25,000 and subsequent revision costing $3,000) to enhance its seismic safety, including the addition of shearwalls on both the first and second floors. The building's foundation was entirely replaced in 2006 with an $20,000 project addressing 80 linear feet of rear foundation, following a 2004 notice of violation. Multiple maintenance issues have been addressed over the years, including water damage repairs in 2012 (testing to stucco walls), sidewalk repairs in 2011, and courtyard stucco repairs in 2003.

The property experienced a cluster of fire safety violations in 2004 that were resolved by December 2006, including issues with fire extinguishers, gas shutoff tools, and combustible storage concerns. While the building underwent routine inspections in 1999, 2004, 2011, and 2014, more recent maintenance and safety compliance appears to be up-to-date. The building has received numerous reports regarding parking violations in recent years, particularly for sidewalk parking, with the most recent incidents occurring in 2024, though these are external to the building's condition. The property also had one reported instance of graffiti in 2023 and experienced some issues with garbage collection in 2022, though these appear to be promptly addressed.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 1720-1734 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
8th percentile

Out of 2250 buildings in this neighborhood, 2070 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
54%
No DBI
violation
46%
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.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

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 41.8%
Moderate concern 40.6%
Severe concern 17.6%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1720-1734 Balboa St apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

1720-1734 Balboa St event timeline

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

2019
Building Permit Sep 04
Revision to app#201708148156 per soft story retrofit. 1)detail for shearwall s-1, location on right side corridor. 2) detail for shear wall s-2" if ext exist with out foundations. non other work.
$3,000 · Complete

See all 1 events

Full history back to 2019 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 1720-1734 Balboa St apartments

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

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 1720-1734 Balboa St
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.