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2318-2320 21St Ave

Parkside, SF 94116 2349036A 2 units · 2 fl · 1987

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Parkside
Above average
avg 0.8
8
FewerMore

This building has 8 novs (7y), above the Parkside average of 0.8.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 2318-2320 21St 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 1987
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 built1987
Total area4,777 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot2349036A
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lao & Chen Family Trust
Mailing address
Lao Ricky J & Chen Christin 1069 Capitol Ave San Francisco CA 94112
Last sale
120402

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.

2318 21st Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116
2320 21st Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 2318-2320 21st Avenue in the Parkside neighborhood, owned by the Lao & Chen Family Trust, was constructed in 1987 and spans two stories. The property has experienced several significant issues since 2019, particularly concerning safety violations that were mostly addressed by March 2021. These violations included problems with fire safety systems such as blocked exits, fire escape ladders, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers, as well as electrical and plumbing concerns. A series of complaints in early 2020 reported specific issues like non-functional dryer vents and lack of hot water, which were subsequently addressed through permits. More recent building concerns include an active complaint from January 2019 regarding a front door lock security issue that remains unresolved as of October 2023.

The property has undergone various improvements and modifications over the years, including significant renovations in 2001 that added storage rooms, guest rooms, and laundry facilities, as well as exterior improvements like vinyl siding installation in 2005. Historical records show earlier work from 1997 involving termite repairs and structural modifications in 1986. More recently, there have been multiple reports of parking violations in the vicinity, with several citations issued in 2023-2024 for vehicles blocking driveways. Infrastructure concerns were documented in late 2022 related to sewer issues, with reports of flooding and sewage backup problems being resolved by city maintenance services. While many of the building's historical violations have been resolved, the persistence of the security lock issue and the recent infrastructure problems indicate some ongoing maintenance challenges.

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

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Risk rating

How 2318-2320 21St 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 255 buildings in this neighborhood, 219 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
48%
No DBI
violation
52%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building NOV rate across everything this owner manages — high rates signal pattern neglect.

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 19.1%
Moderate concern 28.2%
Severe concern 52.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

2318-2320 21St Ave event timeline

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

2020
DBI Complaint Feb 27
No hot water
Housing Inspection Services
DBI ComplaintFeb 25
Dryer vent has been sawed off.

See all 15 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 2318-2320 21St Ave apartments

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

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