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689 20Th Ave

Central Richmond, SF 94121 1624006Q 2 units · 3 fl · 1924

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 689 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 1924
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
Units2
Floors3
Year built1924
Total area3,484 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1624006Q
Ownership

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

Owner name
Polster Howard & Adrienne R
Mailing address
691 20th Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
072017

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, two-unit multi-family residential building at 689 20th Avenue in the Central Richmond neighborhood, built in 1924, has undergone significant maintenance and improvements over the past decade. Most recently, in 2024, the property has seen interior plaster repairs due to water damage and window replacement work, following earlier 2023 improvements that included new siding and roofing. The building successfully completed its condo conversion in 2022, which included comprehensive updates such as complete rewiring (2015), upper unit kitchen remodel (2014), and seismic upgrades (2018). Several plumbing improvements have been implemented, including gas line replacement (2016), water heater installation (2015), and bathroom legalization work (2014).

The property has experienced some compliance issues in the past, most notably during 2014-2015 when there were multiple violations and complaints regarding unauthorized bathroom and garage modifications, which were subsequently resolved through proper permitting and inspections. More recent concerns include a 2024 complaint about unpermitted work and debris blocking sidewalks, though this was relatively recent compared to earlier resolved violations. The building has not experienced any active violations since early 2015, and multiple systems have been upgraded or replaced, including plumbing, electrical, and structural components, suggesting regular maintenance and improvement efforts by the current owners.

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

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Risk rating

How 689 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
97th percentile

Out of 2250 buildings in this neighborhood, 68 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
94%
No DBI
violation
6%
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 age

Older buildings tend to have more maintenance challenges; SF's pre-1906 earthquake housing stock carries distinct risk.

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.

Property class: single-family home

Single-family homes (class A) have distinct violation and complaint patterns from multi-family buildings.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 89.9%
Moderate concern 7.6%
Severe concern 2.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

689 20Th Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

689 20Th Ave event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Dec 09
Other illegal parking
Parking Enforcement
311 RequestDec 02
Other illegal parking

See all 13 events

Full history back to 2021 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 689 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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