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1556 Howard St

South of Market, SF 94103 3511019 3 units · 3 fl · 1913

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 South of Market
At or below average
avg 3.3
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the South of Market average of 3.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1556 Howard 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 1913
2 or more units
3 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
SLR
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
Units3
Floors3
Year built1913
Total area3,540 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3511019
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lee Tony H & Yousun Sunny
Mailing address
Po Box 411473 San Francisco CA 94141
Last sale
072910

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 1556 Howard Street property is a three-unit multi-family residential building located in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, owned by Tony H. Lee and Sunny Yousun, and constructed in 1913. The building has undergone several significant renovations and improvements over the past two decades, with the most recent major work being the replacement of 19 street-facing windows in 2010 at a cost of $6,400. Historical records show a pattern of maintenance and safety upgrades, including bathroom and kitchen remodels, as well as addressing structural concerns such as hazardous stairs and landing replacement. In 1996, there were serious safety concerns when tenants reported collapsing exterior stairs, which ultimately led to multiple improvements through various permits.

The building has experienced several health and safety inspections, with a routine inspection in 2003 revealing multiple violations related to self-closing doors, combustible storage in the garage, and unpermitted work, though these issues were resolved by February 2005. Earlier concerns in the mid-1990s included heating problems and maintenance issues with stairs and handrails. More recent building management has focused on exterior maintenance, including a 2023 incident involving a malfunctioning alarm system. The property has generated numerous 311 calls between 2022 and 2024, primarily related to street cleaning issues such as graffiti removal, debris, and sidewalk maintenance, though these are typical for urban areas and not directly related to building conditions.

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

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Risk rating

How 1556 Howard 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
41th percentile

Out of 430 buildings in this neighborhood, 254 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
61%
No DBI
violation
39%
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 (ZIP code)

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

DBI complaints, owner's portfolio

Complaints across all of this owner's buildings over 7 years.

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 25.0%
Moderate concern 12.7%
Severe concern 62.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

1556 Howard St event timeline

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

No dated public records on file yet.
Every record we have

Full data for 1556 Howard 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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