Free SF apartment background check

421-427 Balboa St

Inner Richmond, SF 94118 1639048 2 units · 2 fl · 1907

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Inner Richmond
Above average
avg 0.9
2
FewerMore

This building has 2 novs (7y), above the Inner Richmond average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 421-427 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 1907
2 or more units
2 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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1907
Total area2,510 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1639048
Ownership

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

Owner name
Wu Daniel & Lu Pauline
Mailing address
Lo Man Lee 2844 Ulloa St San Francisco CA 94116
Last sale
110718

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.

421 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118
425 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118
427 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118
423 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 421-427 Balboa Street in San Francisco's Inner Richmond district is a 2-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1907, currently owned by Daniel Wu and Pauline Lu. The building underwent significant renovations in 2007-2008, with major work completed in both units including kitchen and bathroom remodels, electrical upgrades, and the installation of new water heaters and furnaces. The electrical system received particular attention during this period, with multiple permits showing comprehensive rewiring work, including a complete system upgrade in January 2008. A serious incident occurred in November 2012 when one unit experienced fire damage requiring substantial electrical repairs.

The property has a history of code compliance issues, particularly regarding illegal dwelling units. In 2006, multiple complaints were filed regarding unauthorized bathroom and kitchen installations behind the commercial space, which were eventually resolved by 2009. More recently, there has been an active complaint as of July 2023 regarding a vacant commercial storefront, and there are ongoing concerns about building maintenance evidenced by multiple 311 calls in 2023-2024 related to garbage and debris in the vicinity. The building underwent a routine safety inspection in 2014 and was subject to several plumbing and electrical inspections between 2008-2012, indicating regular oversight by city authorities.

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

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Risk rating

How 421-427 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
3th percentile

Out of 1723 buildings in this neighborhood, 1671 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
34%
No DBI
violation
66%
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.

Director's hearing rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building rate of director's hearings across the owner's portfolio.

Director's hearings (past 7 years)

Director's hearings are escalated enforcement actions for buildings that haven't resolved violations — a serious signal.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 43.2%
Moderate concern 51.3%
Severe concern 5.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

421-427 Balboa St event timeline

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

2025
Building Violation (NOV) Sep 10
Failure to comply with the vacant or abandoned commercial storefront ordinance 52-19 and s.f.b.c 103a.5, monthly monitoring fee section 110a table 1a-k.
DBI ComplaintSep 10
Vacant storefront.

See all 6 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 421-427 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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