Free SF apartment background check

879 38Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1681006C 4 units · 2 fl · 1924

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. 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 879 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 1924
2 or more units
4 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
Units4
Floors2
Year built1924
Total area3,720 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot1681006C
Ownership

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

Owner name
Wong Doris
Mailing address
848 38th Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
012610

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

879 38th Avenue is a two-story, four-unit multi-family residential building owned by Doris Wong, constructed in 1924 in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood. The property has undergone several significant renovations and improvements over the past decades, with the most substantial work occurring between 2007-2008 when units 1, 2, and 4 received kitchen and bathroom remodels, including new cabinets, tiles, and electrical upgrades, with a total reported cost of $31,000. In 2015, an attempt was made to legalize an additional first-floor unit consisting of a living room, two bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom, but this permit was ultimately cancelled.

The building has experienced several maintenance and compliance issues over its history, including a set of violations in 2004 related to combustible storage and deteriorated drainage pipes, which were abated by February 2005. More recently, there have been three complaints (2004, 2013, and 2023) regarding what appeared to be an unauthorized dwelling unit (ADU) at the property, with the most recent complaint in 2023 being marked as not active after investigation. Infrastructure improvements have included multiple gas line installations for laundry facilities in 2010 and 2011, and various electrical upgrades including service changes and new lighting installations. The building's systems have been regularly maintained, with records showing responses to recent structural maintenance issues and recreation equipment concerns in 2023-2024, primarily relating to external features rather than building systems.

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

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Risk rating

How 879 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
14th percentile

Out of 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 894 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
59%
No DBI
violation
41%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

Neighborhood location

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 43.5%
Moderate concern 38.1%
Severe concern 18.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

879 38Th Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

879 38Th Ave event timeline

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

2023
DBI Complaint Mar 02
Entrance through side gate --- they have an illegal adu in the back and are renting out, please check and have them get proper paperwork
Housing Inspection Services

See all 2 events

Full history back to 2019 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 879 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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