Free SF apartment background check

255 Dolores St

Mission Dolores, SF 94103 3556054 14 units · 4 fl · 1941

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 Mission Dolores
Above average
avg 2.9
7
FewerMore

This building has 7 novs (7y), above the Mission Dolores average of 2.9.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 255 Dolores 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 1941
2 or more units
14 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM1
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
Units14
Floors4
Year built1941
Total area7,574 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3556054
Ownership

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

Owner name
Ronald & Laura Martorana Re
Mailing address
Martorana Ronald & Laura Tt 39 Humboldt Ct Pacifica CA 94044
Last sale
112118

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The four-story, 14-unit apartment building at 255 Dolores Street, owned by Ronald & Laura Martorana Re, was constructed in 1941 and has undergone significant safety upgrades in recent years. Most notably, the building completed a comprehensive fire safety system upgrade in 2023, including smoke detector replacement and notification device upgrades costing nearly $20,000, followed by a fire alarm system upgrade in May 2024 to include low-frequency sounders. The building's fire safety history shows recurring issues with exit blocking and alarm systems between 2017 and 2023, though all reported violations were promptly corrected. A major renovation occurred in 2017-2018 that added two units to the building, including the installation of new kitchens, bathrooms, and updated fire sprinklers on the first level.

The building has maintained active compliance with San Francisco's Soft Story Retrofit program, achieving "Work Complete, CFC Issued" status as a Tier 3 building. Recent common area inspections in 2023 identified several compliance issues related to fire extinguishers, fire escapes, and safety equipment, though these were all addressed and marked as "Not Active." While the building has experienced historical heating system complaints (noted in 1999, 2003, and 2005), the most recent mechanical work suggests these issues have been resolved. Multiple 311 calls in 2023 primarily relate to external maintenance issues such as sidewalk parking and graffiti, which are typical urban building management challenges. The property has maintained consistent communication with city authorities regarding safety compliance and regular maintenance, as evidenced by the prompt resolution of inspection violations and ongoing building improvements.

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

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Risk rating

How 255 Dolores 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
17th percentile

Out of 799 buildings in this neighborhood, 663 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
37%
No DBI
violation
63%
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 (ZIP code)

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

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 20.8%
Moderate concern 41.6%
Severe concern 37.6%
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

255 Dolores St event timeline

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

2024
Electrical Permit May 20
Online electrical permit: 4 of 4 - 9 floors. upgrade fire alarm to include low frequency sounders.
Complete

See all 10 events

Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 255 Dolores 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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