Free SF apartment background check

4226 20Th St

Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights, SF 94114 2696015 2 units · 3 fl · 1892

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 Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights
At or below average
avg 1.3
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights average of 1.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 4226 20Th St 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 1892
2 or more units
2 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
Units2
Floors3
Year built1892
Total area3,190 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot2696015
Ownership

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

Owner name
Shulman Elena
Mailing address
4226 20th St San Francisco CA 94114
Last sale
080217

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 4226 20th St is a 3-story, 2-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1892, currently owned by Elena Shulman. The building has a significant history of unauthorized unit modifications, with multiple attempts to legalize additional units between 1989-2005. Notably, in 2005, the building was cited for containing two unauthorized basement units (designated Units B and C) - one at the back with a complete kitchen and bathroom, and a second at the front with inadequate light and ventilation. These violations initiated a series of enforcement actions including multiple Notices of Violation (N.O.V.) in 2005, though efforts to legalize the units through permits in 2005 and 1990 were ultimately disapproved or cancelled. The property also faced serious maintenance issues, including a raw sewage backup incident in 2001 that displaced a tenant and damaged property.

More recent history shows ongoing concerns with the property, particularly regarding tree roots affecting the sidewalk (reported multiple times in 2022-2023) and various sidewalk cleanliness issues. The building has undergone several permitted improvements over the years, including window replacements in 2005 and circuit modifications in 2003, though some repairs and improvements appear to have been done without proper permits, as evidenced by historical complaints. The most recent building-related activity on record was limited to two street space permits issued in 2019. The property remains subject to historical violations regarding the unauthorized units, with the Planning Department records showing attempts to address these through various applications, though without successful resolution.

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

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Risk rating

How 4226 20Th St'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
87th percentile

Out of 1278 buildings in this neighborhood, 166 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
88%
No DBI
violation
12%
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.

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

The ZIP code captures local housing market and enforcement patterns that affect all buildings in the area.

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

Estimated permit value across all of this owner's buildings.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 87.6%
Moderate concern 9.4%
Severe concern 3.0%
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

4226 20Th St event timeline

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

2019
Building Permit Aug 12
Street space
Issued
Building PermitJul 19
Street space

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 4226 20Th St 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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