Free SF apartment background check

976-980 Valencia St

Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights, SF 94110 3608008 20 units · 4 fl · 1907

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
11
FewerMore

This building has 11 novs (7y), above the Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights average of 1.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 976-980 Valencia 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 1907
2 or more units
20 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.

Building characteristics
Units20
Floors4
Year built1907
Total area15,432 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3608008
Ownership

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

Owner name
Sanmames Richard
Mailing address
949 Valencia St San Francisco CA 94110
Last sale
050718

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Multiple entrances & addresses

Included addresses

All street addresses sharing this blocklot that are covered by this report.

980 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
976 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
978 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 976-980 Valencia Street property is a 4-story, 20-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1907, currently owned by Richard Sanmames. The building has undergone numerous significant improvements and faced various maintenance challenges in recent years. Most notably, there are active violations as of December 2023 regarding sleeping area requirements, along with repairs needed for the fire escape drop ladder, seismic strapping, and general interior maintenance including painting. The building previously completed its soft-story retrofit under Tier 4 requirements, demonstrating compliance with seismic safety standards. Recent building improvements include a filed permit for window replacements (27 wood windows) in 2020, bathroom renovations in 2018-2019 (including work in units 105, 205, and 305), and important safety system upgrades such as a voluntary fire system replacement in 2016.

The property has experienced recurring issues with vacant commercial storefronts, with the most recent complaint filed in September 2023. A 2023 routine apartment inspection revealed several active violations that need to be addressed. Historical maintenance records show consistent attention to various systems including plumbing (new shower valves and systems), electrical upgrades (including lighting improvements), and upkeep of safety features such as fire systems and sprinklers. Regular maintenance has included roof replacement in 2016 and commercial tenant improvements in 2017-2018. The building's history includes several fire safety-related violations that were mostly corrected promptly, though a sleeping area requirement violation remains open as of December 2023. The property has maintained its basic infrastructure through various permitted improvements, including drainage work, heat pump installations, and bathroom renovations across multiple units.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 976-980 Valencia 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
3th percentile

Out of 1278 buildings in this neighborhood, 1240 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
20%
No DBI
violation
80%
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.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

Building size

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 11.9%
Moderate concern 39.7%
Severe concern 48.4%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

976-980 Valencia St apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

976-980 Valencia St event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit Oct 31
Add 5 sprinkler heads over an existing fire sprinkler system
$7,500 · Filed
Fire ComplaintJul 07
Extinguishers

See all 15 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 976-980 Valencia St apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 976-980 Valencia St
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.