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559-561 20Th Ave

Central Richmond, SF 94121 1563009A 3 units · 2 fl · 1918

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 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 559-561 20Th 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 1918
2 or more units
3 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
Units3
Floors2
Year built1918
Total area3,376 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1563009A
Ownership

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

Owner name
Tam May Hing Ho
Mailing address
561 20th Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
040502

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.

561 20th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121
559 20th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 559-561 20th Avenue in the Central Richmond neighborhood is a two-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1918, containing 3 units and classified as Flats & Duplex. The building has experienced several significant maintenance and compliance issues over recent years, most notably a recent remodel of kitchen and bathroom spaces in 2024 (completed at a cost of $64,315) that was initiated in response to an earlier complaint about unpermitted interior work. This recent renovation included plumbing and electrical updates, with a water heater replacement also issued in July 2024. The building has a documented history of unauthorized modifications, including a 1999 incident involving an illegal apartment in the back, and more recent concerns in 2012 regarding plumbing issues that resulted in water damage and heating problems.

The property has undergone various legitimate improvements and maintenance work over the years, including the legalization of additional rooms and bathroom facilities in 1997, and structural work such as reroofing in 1995 and staircase replacement in 1984. Several building violations have been recorded and subsequently resolved, including flue installation issues in 2009, which was abated in 2012, and concerns about unauthorized kitchen installations. The building's maintenance history shows a pattern of requiring compliance work to address various violations, most recently in 2024, suggesting ongoing challenges with maintaining consistent adherence to building codes and permit requirements. While many historical issues have been resolved, the most recent complaints and permit activity in 2024 indicate that some challenges with unauthorized modifications and compliance with building codes persist.

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

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Risk rating

How 559-561 20Th 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 2250 buildings in this neighborhood, 1305 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
84%
No DBI
violation
16%
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.

Notices of Violation, owner's portfolio

DBI NOVs across all buildings this owner is registered on — a signal of systemic maintenance issues across the portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 72.9%
Moderate concern 22.4%
Severe concern 4.7%
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

559-561 20Th Ave event timeline

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

2024
Plumbing Permit Jul 30
Work category: 1p; replace water heater
Complete
Building PermitMay 28
To comply with complaint #202424011 remodel kitchen and bathroom. no layout change

See all 5 events

Full history back to 2024 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 559-561 20Th 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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