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3-5 Liberty St

Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights, SF 94110 3608005 9 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
7
FewerMore

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

Rent & eviction protection

Is 3-5 Liberty 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
9 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
VALEN
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.

Statewide backstop · AB 1482

California Tenant Protection Act of 2019

Even when a building isn't covered by local rent stabilization, the statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still apply. It caps annual rent increases and requires the landlord to state a legal reason to end most tenancies.

15+ years since occupancy
Built 1900
Annual rent increase cap
5% + CPI, max 10%
Just-cause eviction
After 12 months
Local rent control likely takes priority. This building appears to fall under the local ordinance above, which is stronger than AB 1482. Where a local just-cause ordinance applies, its rules govern instead of the state cap.

AB 1482 does not apply to single-family homes and condos unless owned by a corporation, REIT, or an LLC with a corporate member; to owner-occupied duplexes; or to deed-restricted affordable housing. The Act is in effect until January 1, 2030. Not legal advice — see the California landlord–tenant guide.

Building characteristics
Units9
Floors3
Year built1900
Total area16,650 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3608005
Ownership

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

Mailing address
220 Montgomery St Fl 20 San Francisco CA 94104
Last sale
071420

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.

956 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
966 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
5 Liberty St, San Francisco, CA 94110
962 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
964 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
958 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
3 Liberty St, San Francisco, CA 94110
960 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
968 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story, 9-unit multi-family residential building at 3-5 Liberty Street, constructed in 1900, has undergone significant recent activity, particularly in 2020-2024. Most notably, the building completed its mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2020 at a cost of over $126,000, achieving compliance with San Francisco's earthquake safety requirements. In 2023-2024, there are active concerns regarding building safety, with several outstanding violations filed in September 2023, including issues with fire escape maintenance, and missing compliance affidavits for smoke/carbon monoxide detectors and Section 604 requirements. The commercial space has seen multiple tenant improvements, with the most recent work completed being reroofing at a cost of $50,000 in early 2024, and the addition of new HVAC equipment in 2022. The property has a history of building complaints and compliance issues, including a recent active complaint from December 2024 regarding unpermitted construction of treatment rooms in the commercial space, and previous complaints about unpermitted cell site equipment installation in 2013 and unauthorized retail space modifications in 2014, though these older violations have since been resolved.

The building's maintenance history shows significant investment in improvements and repairs, including dry rot repair on the ground floor in 2021 ($40,000), various plumbing upgrades, and electrical work to support modern amenities. While most recent permits and inspections have been properly processed, the current active violations from 2023 regarding safety systems suggest ongoing maintenance challenges. The surrounding area has experienced typical urban issues in recent months, as evidenced by multiple 311 calls between August 2024 and December 2024 reporting various street conditions, though these external issues are not directly related to the building's internal conditions. The property's management, 956 Valencia Street Associates LLC, appears to be actively maintaining and upgrading the building, though compliance with certain safety requirements remains a current concern as of late 2024.

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

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Risk rating

How 3-5 Liberty 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
2th percentile

Out of 1278 buildings in this neighborhood, 1252 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
19%
No DBI
violation
81%
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.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 18.6%
Moderate concern 72.9%
Severe concern 8.5%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

3-5 Liberty St apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

3-5 Liberty St event timeline

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

2026
Building Violation (NOV) Jun 12 Serious
Building violation
At the time of inspection the trash receptacles were at the curb and full while bags of refuse remained on the ground in the buildings tras…
Building Violation (NOV)Jun 12
Building violation

See all 30 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 3-5 Liberty 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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