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838 38Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1680028B 2 units · 2 fl · 1925

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 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.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 838 38Th 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 1925
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 built1925
Total area3,000 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1680028B
Ownership

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

Owner name
Woo Vincent F & Lily
Mailing address
2295 28th Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

This two-unit multi-family residential building, located at 838 38th Avenue in the Outer Richmond neighborhood, is a two-story flats and duplex structure built in 1925 and currently owned by Vincent and Lily Woo. The building's permit history is minimal, with records showing a sewer repair and a street space/sidewalk permit issued in October 2008, though the modest cost of $1.00 for the latter requires clarification.

The property has generated several municipal service requests over the past decade, with the most recent occurring in 2023. Notable recent incidents include a mechanical equipment noise complaint in January 2023 (which required no action), and a currently open case from February 2022 regarding damaged property. The building's immediate vicinity has experienced various local issues, particularly related to recreational infrastructure, with two park-related structural maintenance requests in 2022 (referred to Capital Review) and 2016, as well as a park patrol request in 2017. Other neighborhood concerns have included an abandoned vehicle complaint in March 2022 (determined to have no merit), illegal postings in September 2020, and some street cleaning needs in 2016. The earliest documented infrastructure issue was a curb defect reported in January 2015, which was subsequently resolved. While these incidents provide a glimpse into the building's environment, they mostly pertain to neighborhood conditions and city services rather than structural or safety concerns with the building itself.

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

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Risk rating

How 838 38Th 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
52th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 499 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
85%
No DBI
violation
15%
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.

Neighborhood location

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

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

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

DBI complaint rate, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 81.3%
Moderate concern 11.4%
Severe concern 7.2%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

838 38Th Ave event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit Oct 02
Re-roofing: remove and replace roofing material / existing roofing material (in-kind)
$24,000 · Complete

See all 1 events

Full history back to 2025 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 838 38Th 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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