Free SF apartment background check

851-853 29Th Ave

Central Richmond, SF 94121 1672004A 2 units · 2 fl · 1935

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 851-853 29Th 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 1935
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
Floors2
Year built1935
Total area3,500 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1672004A
Ownership

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

Owner name
Wang Cao H
Mailing address
545 Kite Hill Terrace Orinda CA 94563
Last sale
011811

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.

853 29th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121
851 29th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 851-853 29th Avenue is a two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building located in San Francisco's Central Richmond neighborhood. Built in 1935, the building has undergone several maintenance and improvement projects over the years, with the most recent significant work being window and door replacements in 2012 (permitted cost: $2,000) and a completed vinyl siding installation in 2000 (cost: $21,000). Earlier renovations included the addition of a family room and half bath on the ground floor in 1998-1999, although this permit eventually expired. A concerning incident was reported in December 2011 when complaints were filed regarding an alleged illegal third unit in the building, though these complaints were marked as "Not Active" within a week.

Recent records from 2020 through 2024 indicate ongoing maintenance issues primarily related to trees in the vicinity, with multiple reports of overgrown trees and one instance of a possibly damaged tree in December 2024. The property has experienced some parking-related challenges, with three separate reports of driveway blocking between 2016 and 2023, though enforcement officers were unable to locate the offending vehicles in each instance. The building's exterior maintenance appears reasonably maintained, with records showing past roofing work (1993) and sidewalk repair permits. The property's permit history suggests regular upkeep, though the 2011 complaints about an unauthorized unit indicate there may have been at least one period of unauthorized modifications to the building.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 851-853 29Th 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
95th percentile

Out of 2250 buildings in this neighborhood, 112 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
93%
No DBI
violation
7%
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.

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

Estimated permit value across all of this owner's buildings.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

DBI complaint rate, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 85.4%
Moderate concern 9.4%
Severe concern 5.2%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

851-853 29Th 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

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

851-853 29Th Ave event timeline

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

No dated public records on file yet.
Every record we have

Full data for 851-853 29Th Ave apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

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.

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

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

Watch 851-853 29Th Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.