Free SF apartment background check

1589-1599 42Nd Ave

Outer Sunset, SF 94122 1888007 6 units · 2 fl · 1948

This building has more problems than most buildings in this neighborhood. 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 Sunset

At or below average

avg 1.8

0

FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Outer Sunset average of 1.8.

12-Month Maintenance Forecast

43%

(risk — lower is better)

Generally fine

Estimated probability of a DBI violation or complaint in the next 12 months.

7-YEAR TREND Violations + complaints / yr

'20

'21

'22

'23

'24

'25

'26

'27*

*Next year, projected from recent activity and predicted risk.

7-Year Historical Counts

0

NOVs (7y)

0

DBI Complaints (7y)

75

311 Calls (7y)

0

Fire Incidents

0

2nd NOVs

0

Dir. Hearings

0

City Atty

1

Permits (7y)

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Rent & eviction protection

Is 1589-1599 42Nd 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 1948

2 or more units

6 units

Property type

Multi-Family Residential

Zoning

NC1

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

Units	6
Floors	2
Year built	1948
Total area	5,950 sq ft
Property type	Multi-Family Residential
Tax status	None
Blocklot	1888007

Ownership

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

Owner name

Tam Family Trust

Mailing address

Tam James Trustee 103 Flying Cloud Isle Foster City CA 94404

Last sale

010799

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.

1597 42nd Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

1599 42nd Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

1595 42nd Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

3600 Lawton St, San Francisco, CA 94122

1589 42nd Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

1593 42nd Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

Augrented Insights

Initial analysis

The Tam Family Trust owns this two-story, six-unit multi-family residential building located at 1589-1599 42nd Avenue in the Outer Sunset neighborhood, constructed in 1948. The property has undergone several significant renovations and improvements over the past decade, with the most recent major work occurring in 2017-2018, including window upgrades, new entry doors, and electrical improvements. In late 2016, substantial interior renovations were completed in two units, including new kitchens, bathrooms, and comprehensive electrical updates. The building has maintained regular compliance with safety requirements, with all fire violations and other compliance issues from 2019-2022 being promptly abated, including matters related to the sprinkler system, smoke alarms, and fire extinguishers.

Historical records show the building received routine housing inspections in 2000 and 2002, during which several security and maintenance issues were identified, including door repairs and security requirements, all of which were subsequently resolved. The property has some recent activity related to telecommunications equipment, with records showing both completed and cancelled permits for T-Mobile antenna installations on and around the property between 2006 and 2010. Recent 311 calls primarily relate to typical municipal services, including street cleaning and utility inquiries, with no current housing or building concerns evident. The most recent tenant buyout record shows a payment of $70,000 to two tenants at a nearby address (1515 41st Avenue) in May 2020, though this is separate from the current property's tenancy records.

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

Risk rating

How 1589-1599 42Nd 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

24th percentile

Out of 632 buildings in this neighborhood, 480 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest

Predicted 12-month outcome

57%

No DBI
violation

43%

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.

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.

12-Month severity forecast

No violation 43.7%

Moderate concern 29.6%

Severe concern 26.7%

Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.

Apartment reviews

1589-1599 42Nd Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

1589-1599 42Nd Ave event timeline

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

2026

Building Permit Mar 26

T- mobile: remove(1) (e) antena & install (6)(n) antennas within radomes; remove (2)(e) micro cabinet & install (2) (n) cabinets; install (n) batteries; install (n) 200 amp meter.

$175,000 · Filed

Planning RecordMar 26

T- Mobile: Remove(1) (E) antenna & install (6)(N) antennas within radomes; Remove (2)(E) micro cabinet & install (2) (N) cabinets; Install (N) batteries; Install (N) 200 amp meter.

See all 3 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1589-1599 42Nd Ave apartments

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

What this is

Permits issued by the SF Department of Building Inspection for new construction, alterations, and repairs. Includes estimated cost and current permit status.

Permit #	Description	Cost	Filed	Status
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What this is

Plumbing permit applications filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection. Covers plumbing installation, repair, and replacement work.

Permit #	Description	Filed	Status
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What this is

Electrical permit applications filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection. Covers electrical wiring, panel upgrades, and related work.

Permit #	Description	Filed	Status
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What this is

Notices of Violation issued by the SF Department of Building Inspection for code violations. Unresolved notices can escalate to legal action.

Date Filed	Complaint #	Description	Item	Category	Status
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What this is

Complaints filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection about code violations. Tracks the complaint lifecycle from filing through abatement or referral.

Complaint #	Date Filed	Date Abated	Division	Status	Description
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What this is

Planning Department project entitlements — discretionary review, conditional use, variances, and environmental review for this parcel.

Address	Opened	Closed	Status	Description	Applicant
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What this is

Planning Department administrative and compliance records that are not full project entitlements — pre-application meetings, code violations, and referrals.

Address	Opened	Closed	Status	Description	Applicant
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What this is

SFFD fire incidents geo-joined to this parcel. Covers structure fires, alarms, and emergency responses with injury and fatality counts.

Date	Situation	Civilian Injuries	Civilian Fatalities
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What this is

Fire code violations issued by the SFFD. Tracks corrective actions required and resolution status for fire safety code enforcement.

Violation Date	Description	Corrective Action	Status	Close Date
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What this is

Fire code complaints received by the SF Fire Department geo-joined to this parcel. Includes complaint type, disposition, and outcome.

Received	Description	Disposition Date	Disposition
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What this is

SF 311 service requests geo-joined to this parcel. Includes maintenance complaints, street/sidewalk issues, and quality-of-life requests.

Opened	Type	Agency	Category	Details	Status
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What this is

Buildings subject to SF's mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit program. Unreinforced multi-story wood-frame buildings must meet compliance tiers.

Tier	Status
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What this is

Tenant buyout (Ellis Act pre-cursor) agreements recorded with the SF Rent Board. Tracks amounts paid to tenants to vacate rent-controlled units.

Disclosure Date	Buyout Date	Amount	Tenants
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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning