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278 San Carlos St

Inner Mission, SF 94110 3596049 2 units · 2 fl · 1910

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 Inner Mission
Above average
avg 2.6
9
FewerMore

This building has 9 novs (7y), above the Inner Mission average of 2.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 278 San Carlos 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 1910
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
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
Floors2
Year built1910
Total area2,556 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3596049
Ownership

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

Owner name
Papandreou Argyris
Mailing address
3149 Cabrillo St Apt 1 San Francisco CA 94121
Last sale
120116

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building at 278 San Carlos Street, owned by Argyris Papandreou, was constructed in 1910 and has experienced several significant maintenance and infrastructure issues over the past decade. Most recently, in August 2024, the property underwent repairs to a damaged electrical weather head, which was completed. The building has faced recurring water-related problems, with multiple complaints and violation notices regarding water damage, including a 2018 incident requiring repairs to address both the damage and weather stripping issues, and a 2019 complaint about water damage affecting interior surfaces and plumbing fixtures. Structural safety has been a concern, particularly regarding stairs, with violation notices in 2016 and 2020 regarding repairs needed for stairways and posts. The property has also faced electrical system challenges, including complaints in 2021 about unauthorized electrical work and shared metering systems between units, as well as a significant safety shutdown of kitchen appliances due to electrical issues during rain in 2018.

The building's maintenance history shows attention to basic infrastructure, with various repair and improvement projects completed over the years, including a 2014 repair of a second-floor landing and tread replacement, bathroom demolition work from 1992, and reroofing performed in 1990. Multiple building code violations have been documented and subsequently abated, including issues with interior surfaces, plumbing, electrical systems, and general maintenance. The most concerning pattern appears to be ongoing water-related problems, as evidenced by multiple violation notices and complaints regarding water damage, with at least two separate incidents occurring between 2018 and 2019. The property has also experienced various code compliance issues, including concerns about possible illegal unit status and shared metering arrangements between units, though these matters appear to have been addressed through inspection processes. Recent activity around the property in early 2025 shows multiple reports of garbage and debris, though these appear to be regular street cleaning matters rather than building-specific issues.

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

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Risk rating

How 278 San Carlos 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
16th percentile

Out of 2380 buildings in this neighborhood, 1999 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.

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

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

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

Notices of Violation (past 7 years)

DBI issued Notices of Violation at this address over the last 7 years — a direct record of code enforcement activity.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 12.7%
Moderate concern 29.5%
Severe concern 57.8%
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

278 San Carlos St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 16
Garbage and debris
other loose garbage debris yard waste
311 RequestJun 16
Garbage and debris

See all 17 events

Full history back to 2019 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 278 San Carlos 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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