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3438-3442 Balboa St

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1578014B 3 units · 2 fl · 1925

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Outer Richmond
Above average
avg 0.7
12
FewerMore

This building has 12 novs (7y), above the Outer Richmond average of 0.7.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 3438-3442 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 1925
2 or more units
3 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
Units3
Floors2
Year built1925
Total area2,904 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1578014B
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lim How & Bik Jun Pang Revo
Mailing address
Lim How & Bik Jun Pang, Tru 946 Stockton St Apt 11F San Francisco CA 94108
Last sale
030221

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.

3442 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
3440 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
3438 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 3438-3442 Balboa Street in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood is a 2-story, 3-unit multi-family residential building with ground-floor commercial space, built in 1925. The building has undergone several significant renovations and faced multiple maintenance challenges over recent years. Notably, there are active building violations from 2022 that remain unresolved, including issues with heating systems, sink drainage, roof/ceiling joists, lead paint hazards, plumbing fixtures, and stair repair needs. The building experienced significant heating system problems in early 2022 and had plumbing issues, including sewage-related complaints, in 2021.

Recent improvements include a substantial residential unit remodel in 2023 ($80,000), comprehensive HVAC system upgrades in 2024, and electrical rewiring work also in 2024. The commercial portion of the building underwent a change of use in 2016, converting from dry cleaning to restaurant space, and has since received several related improvements including fire suppression system installations and electrical upgrades. The property has a history of addressing various maintenance issues, including reroofing work in 2022, but continues to grapple with several unresolved building violations that impact resident comfort and safety. The building's maintenance history shows ongoing efforts to improve systems and spaces, though some work has required multiple permits and revisions, suggesting complexity in addressing various building systems and code compliance.

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

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Risk rating

How 3438-3442 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
2th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 1019 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
30%
No DBI
violation
70%
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.

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building NOV rate across everything this owner manages — high rates signal pattern neglect.

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.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 23.3%
Moderate concern 41.6%
Severe concern 35.1%
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

3438-3442 Balboa St event timeline

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

2025
Plumbing Permit Dec 17
To renew expired plumbing permit # pp20241104819 for final inspection
Complete
Building PermitDec 15
To obtain final inspection for pa# 202409191222 & 202303103470. all work is complete.

See all 21 events

Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 3438-3442 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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