Free SF apartment background check

251 Parnassus Ave

Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights, SF 94117 2631001 18 units · 3 fl · 1925

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights
Above average
avg 0.9
1
FewerMore

This building has 1 novs (7y), above the Cole Valley/Parnassus Heights average of 0.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 251 Parnassus 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
18 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH3
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
Units18
Floors3
Year built1925
Total area13,200 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot2631001
Ownership

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

Owner name
Pearl Street Ventures Llc
Mailing address
715 Harrison St San Francisco CA 94107
Last sale
090319

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

Located in the Parnassus/Ashbury Heights neighborhood, 251 Parnassus Avenue is a 3-story, multi-family residential building constructed in 1925, containing 18 units and currently owned by Pearl Street Ventures LLC. The building has undergone several significant improvements over the years, with the most notable being the successful completion of a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2016 (as a Tier 2 building) which brought the structure into compliance with seismic safety requirements. The property has experienced recurring boiler permit issues, with multiple violations filed between 2010 and 2020 regarding improper boiler operation permits, though these issues were eventually resolved. More recent maintenance and upgrades include a new backflow system for the boiler (2018), an electrical system upgrade to 400 amp service (2003), and routine fire safety inspections in 2021 that resulted in corrected conditions for alarm and sprinkler systems.

The building's maintenance history shows regular upkeep, including window replacements in 2014 and various plumbing upgrades. While there have been occasional issues, such as a 2013 construction noise complaint and multiple garbage and debris incidents reported in 2024 (all resolved), these have generally been addressed promptly. Three notable fire safety incidents were recorded, including a gas leak, steam pipe rupture, and water leak, though none resulted in civilian injuries. The property has also received periodic routine inspections and has maintained compliance with building code requirements, as evidenced by a 1984 completion of necessary code updates and more recent infrastructure improvements. While there have been some concerns with sidewalk cleanliness and graffiti on property, these are primarily external to the building itself.

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

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Risk rating

How 251 Parnassus 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
6th percentile

Out of 526 buildings in this neighborhood, 494 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
31%
No DBI
violation
69%
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.

Building size

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

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 23.2%
Moderate concern 58.4%
Severe concern 18.4%
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

251 Parnassus Ave event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Mar 25
Abandoned vehicle
Parking Enforcement
DBI ComplaintMar 05
Appliances, countertops, and shelves issues.several structural and safety issues, including broken windows, holes in the walls that have been covered with cardboard, peeling paint, and a secondary egress that does not open.

See all 12 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 251 Parnassus 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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