Free SF apartment background check

687-689 39Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1582018A 2 units · 2 fl · 1944

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 Outer Richmond

At or below average

avg 0.7

0

FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Outer Richmond average of 0.7.

12-Month Maintenance Forecast

25%

(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)

1

DBI Complaints (7y)

7

311 Calls (7y)

0

Fire Incidents

0

2nd NOVs

0

Dir. Hearings

0

City Atty

0

Permits (7y)

Unlock complete report Compare another building

Rent & eviction protection

Is 687-689 39Th 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 1944

2 or more units

2 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

Units	2
Floors	2
Year built	1944
Total area	1,750 sq ft
Property type	Multi-Family Residential
Tax status	Home Owners
Blocklot	1582018A

Ownership

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

Owner name

Wong Yok Kum & Nora F

Mailing address

689 39th Ave San Francisco CA 94121

Last sale

000000

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.

687 39th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121

689 39th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121

Augrented Insights

Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 687-689 39th Avenue in San Francisco's Outer Richmond district is a two-story flats and duplex structure, owned by Wong Yok Kum & Nora F, and was constructed in 1944. The property has undergone several significant improvements over the years, including a complete kitchen and bathroom remodel in 2004 (costing $15,000), which included the replacement of fixtures and cabinets, along with associated electrical work involving installation of lights and switches. A concerning incident occurred in July 2022 when a complaint was filed regarding power washing and sanding work being performed in a potentially hazardous manner, disturbing what was believed to be lead-based exterior paint without proper containment or cleanup measures. More recently, in June 2024, the property experienced sewage issues, with reports of a sewage back-up from a side sewer vent, which was subsequently resolved.

The building's maintenance history shows some attention to basic upkeep, with records indicating a kitchen and bathroom remodel in 2004, though an earlier reroofing permit from 1995 was listed as expired. The property has generated various 311 calls over the years, including multiple instances of Christmas tree removal (2021 and 2022), general street cleaning needs, and a noise complaint in 2018. Parking enforcement issues were reported in 2019 regarding a vehicle blocking the driveway, though these cases were ultimately deemed invalid or could not be validated upon inspection. Other minor complaints have included graffiti on the sidewalk in 2016 (which was investigated and found to have no trace), and a litter receptacle violation in 2014 that was resolved through outreach and enforcement measures. While the building has received necessary maintenance and improvements over time, the 2022 complaint about potentially hazardous work practices raises some concern about adherence to proper maintenance protocols.

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

Risk rating

How 687-689 39Th 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

25th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 780 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest

Predicted 12-month outcome

75%

No DBI
violation

25%

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.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

Permit rate, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast

No violation 69.5%

Moderate concern 22.9%

Severe concern 7.7%

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

Apartment reviews

687-689 39Th Ave 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

Create account

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

687-689 39Th Ave event timeline

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

2022

DBI Complaint Jul 21

Date last observed: 20-jul-22; time last observed: around 12:30 pm (most recently; identity of person performing the work: unknown whether contractors an; floor: all, build; unit: 687-689; exact location: main bldg; building type: residence/dwelling work being done in dangerous manner; other building; ; additional information: power washing, sanding, and otherwise disturbing likely lead-based exterior paint without containment or cleaning. building thought to be pre-1978 according to records (built 1944?) and therefore lead paint assumed present. concerned to see dust and paint chips are spreading below scaffolding onto the street outside the work area.;

Housing Inspection Services

See all 1 events

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

Unlock complete timeline

Every record we have

Full data for 687-689 39Th Ave 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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

What this is

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

Address	Opened	Closed	Status	Description	Applicant
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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
Loading…

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.

Search another address Get full report

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

Renter

For the weeks when the stakes are highest

$10/mo

Billed $120/year — save $24 vs monthly

Unlimited basic reports
5 premium AI reports per month
Download PDF & Excel reports
Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Full event timeline — every year of history
Landlord portfolio & ownership insights

Start Your Search

Less than $0.34/day. Cancel anytime.

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