Free SF apartment background check

685 Noe St

Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights, SF 94114 3601078 3 units · 4 fl · 1960

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. 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
1
FewerMore

This building has 1 novs (7y), at or below the Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights average of 1.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 685 Noe 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 1960
2 or more units
3 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
Units3
Floors4
Year built1960
Total area4,721 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot3601078
Ownership

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

Owner name
Bowdle William J & See Thom
Mailing address
685 Noe St Apt 3 San Francisco CA 94114
Last sale
032620

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The four-story, three-unit apartment building at 685 Noe Street, owned by William J. Bowdle and Thom See, was constructed in 1960 in the Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights neighborhood. The property has undergone several significant maintenance and improvement projects over the past two decades, with the most recent being termite-related repairs completed in August 2022 that included stucco replacement, and plumbing upgrades in 2021 that involved replacing the sewer house trap and lateral piping. The building has experienced recurring issues with pest control, requiring attention in both 2019 and 2022. A substantial renovation program was undertaken in 1999-2000, including window replacements, kitchen remodels, and bathroom additions in units 2 and 3, along with various deck and siding repairs.

The building has maintained compliance with various inspections and permits, though it experienced two notable building violations in 2021 related to a broken house trap that was promptly addressed. Historical issues from 2002 involving egress obstruction were also resolved. Recent activity around the property has primarily involved external maintenance and urban management issues, as documented in multiple 311 calls between 2023-2024, including reports of sidewalk hazards, illegal parking, and waste management concerns. The building's infrastructure updates include a complete reroofing project in 2013 and a vertical addition proposal filed in 2000 (though the application was not completed). Regular maintenance appears to be ongoing, with permits showing consistent attention to structural and plumbing systems, including a water heater replacement in 2019 and various deck repairs.

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

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Risk rating

How 685 Noe 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
19th percentile

Out of 1278 buildings in this neighborhood, 1035 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
54%
No DBI
violation
46%
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.

Number of floors

Building height affects maintenance complexity and is one of the size signals the model uses.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 59.8%
Moderate concern 33.4%
Severe concern 6.9%
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

685 Noe St event timeline

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

2022
Building Permit Aug 08
Termite report #22663 07/13/2022 items #1 and #5/ replace stucco in kind.
$15,000 · Complete

See all 5 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 685 Noe 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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