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879 39Th Ave

Outer Richmond, SF 94121 1682011 2 units · 2 fl · 1994

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 879 39Th 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 1994
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
Not rent-controlled. Buildings constructed after 1978 are generally exempt from SF rent increase limits under the Costa-Hawkins Act.

Based on SF Assessor records. Not legal advice — confirm with the SF Rent Board.

Building characteristics
Units2
Floors2
Year built1994
Total area3,912 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot1682011
Ownership

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

Owner name
Liu Siyuan John & Caterina
Mailing address
879 39th Ave San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
070921

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 879 39th Avenue in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood is a two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1994, currently owned by Liu Siyuan John and Caterina. The building has undergone significant maintenance and improvements over the past several years, with the most recent work including a 2023 gas water heater replacement and a 2022 furnace replacement. Between 2020-2022, substantial exterior work was completed, including window replacements (totaling 21 windows at the back and 8 on the front), siding replacement on multiple façades, stucco replacement, and door replacements. The property underwent a major interior renovation in 2021, involving kitchen and bathroom remodeling, bathroom fixture updates, and associated plumbing and electrical work.

The building had some notable issues in 2018, with multiple violations reported that year including heating problems, rodent infestation, and various interior maintenance concerns, though all were officially abated by October 30, 2018. A fire complaint regarding blocked exits was reported and corrected in June 2022. More recently, there was a sewage backup issue reported in December 2024, which was resolved by the Public Utilities Commission. The area has experienced several street-related issues as documented in 311 calls, primarily regarding abandoned vehicles and parking violations, though these are external to the building itself. Multiple tenant buyouts have occurred in the vicinity between 2022-2023, suggesting significant rental market activity in the immediate area, with buyout amounts ranging from $60,000 to $65,000.

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

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Risk rating

How 879 39Th 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 1040 buildings in this neighborhood, 52 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.

Neighborhood location

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

Building size

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

Building age

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 93.5%
Moderate concern 4.6%
Severe concern 1.9%
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 39Th Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

879 39Th Ave event timeline

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

2026
Plumbing Permit Mar 02
Work category: 1p; sherry xueli zhang remove/replace 50-gal gas water heater in the garage. like for like same location.
Issued

See all 11 events

Full history back to 2021 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 879 39Th 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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