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521-525 Castro St

Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights, SF 94114 3583069 3 units · 3 fl · 1900

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights
Above average
avg 1.3
2
FewerMore

This building has 2 novs (7y), above the Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights average of 1.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 521-525 Castro 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 1900
2 or more units
3 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
CASTRO
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 built1900
Total area4,370 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3583069
Ownership

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

Owner name
Antonio & Rita Castellucci
Mailing address
Castellucci Antonio & Rita 1757 Union St San Francisco CA 94123
Last sale
041421

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.

523 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114
521 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114
525 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 3-story mixed-use building at 521-525 Castro Street, owned by Antonio & Rita Castellucci, dates back to 1900 and comprises three residential units with ground-floor retail space. The property has undergone significant renovations over the past decade, with major work in 2019-2020 including a complete retail remodel, kitchen and bathroom renovations, and the addition of shower facilities, totaling over $100,000 in improvements. The conversion from a former video store to a Levi's retail location in 2019 involved both interior and exterior upgrades, including new signage and storefront improvements. Building violations were documented in 2019 and 2022 related to unpermitted gutting of the unit and failure to comply with the Vacant Commercial Storefront Ordinance, though these were subsequently abated. The property has maintained regular upkeep, with recent improvements including new HVAC systems and infrastructure upgrades.

Recent activity at the site has primarily involved routine maintenance and sign-related work, with the most recent complaint in 2023 regarding vacant commercial storefront registration. The building's history includes necessary accessibility improvements in 2013 with the installation of an automatic door opener. While there have been several 311 calls in the vicinity during 2024, these primarily relate to sidewalk maintenance and parking issues rather than building-specific problems. The property has experienced some historical issues with roof leaks (1997) and permitted construction work (2019), but overall, the recent record shows consistent investment in maintaining and upgrading both residential and commercial components of the building.

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

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Risk rating

How 521-525 Castro 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
4th percentile

Out of 1278 buildings in this neighborhood, 1227 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
24%
No DBI
violation
76%
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.

Director's hearings (past 7 years)

Director's hearings are escalated enforcement actions for buildings that haven't resolved violations — a serious signal.

Director's hearing rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building rate of director's hearings across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 27.9%
Moderate concern 64.6%
Severe concern 7.4%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

521-525 Castro St apartment reviews

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The story over time

521-525 Castro St event timeline

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

2023
DBI Complaint Sep 20
Vacant commercial storefront2023 registration due 07/13/2023
Code Enforcement Section

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 521-525 Castro 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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