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646 8Th Ave

Inner Richmond, SF 94118 1637026 8 units · 3 fl · 1962

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 Inner Richmond
At or below average
avg 0.9
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Inner Richmond average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 646 8Th 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 1962
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
Floors3
Year built1962
Total area5,172 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1637026
Ownership

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

Owner name
Raphael & Sai Ling Chan-Sew
Mailing address
Raphael & Sai Ling Chan-sew 1750 Broadway Apt 1 San Francisco CA 94109
Last sale
060501

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 8-unit multi-family residential building at 646 8th Avenue in the Inner Richmond, owned by Raphael & Sai Ling Chan-sew, has undergone several significant maintenance and safety improvements since its construction in 1962. Most recently, in October 2024, the building received a new modified bitumen roof covering approximately 2,200 square feet at a cost of $19,000. The property completed its mandatory Tier 3 soft-story retrofit in 2017 at a cost of $75,000, demonstrating compliance with seismic safety requirements. The building has had recurring maintenance issues related to water damage and structural integrity, with records showing dry rot repairs in 1989 and 1996, and an earlier roofing project in 1993.

The property has undergone multiple routine safety inspections over the years, with the most recent one in May 2017 revealing several fire safety and building code compliance issues. These included problems with fire escape ladders, guardrails, self-closing doors, carbon monoxide detectors, security features, and egress obstructions - all of which were abated by June 2017. There have been three additional routine inspections (2001 and 2010) and a concerning report in 1996 about rotting stairs. The building experienced two fire-related incidents: one involving sprinkler activation and another detailing a water problem, though neither resulted in civilian injuries. Recent 311 calls from 2020-2024 primarily document municipal service requests, including multiple reports of sidewalk parking violations and some maintenance issues like abandoned furniture and debris, which have been resolved through standard city processes.

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

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Risk rating

How 646 8Th 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
9th percentile

Out of 1723 buildings in this neighborhood, 1568 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
53%
No DBI
violation
47%
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.

Number of units

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

Building age

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

Building size

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 42.9%
Moderate concern 25.4%
Severe concern 31.7%
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

646 8Th Ave event timeline

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

2024
Building Permit Oct 23
Flat, reroofing modified bitumen, about 2200 square feet.
$19,000 · Complete

See all 1 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 646 8Th 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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