Free SF apartment background check

541-545 Alvarado St

Noe Valley, SF 94114 3624041 3 units · 3 fl · 1908

This building has a higher-than-average number of open problems nearby. Few open issues; problems get fixed quickly. A reasonable bet for a smooth tenancy.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Noe Valley
At or below average
avg 1.2
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Noe Valley average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 541-545 Alvarado 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 1908
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
Floors3
Year built1908
Total area3,580 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3624041
Ownership

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

Owner name
Grinfelds Investments Lp
Mailing address
3800 21st St San Francisco CA 94114
Last sale
011812

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.

545 Alvarado St, San Francisco, CA 94114
543 Alvarado St, San Francisco, CA 94114
541 Alvarado St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-unit residential building at 541-545 Alvarado Street in Noe Valley, owned by Grinfelds Investments LP, has a mixed maintenance and incident history since its construction in 1908. The property experienced significant fire-related issues in December 1997, requiring major repairs, and has shown recurring fire safety concerns through the years, including multiple violations in 2012 related to improper garbage storage in unsprinkled areas, fire extinguisher requirements, and lock safety. More recent maintenance work includes a street space and sidewalk repair permit issued in 2010 and bathroom/kitchen remodeling completed in 2002.

The building has undergone several routine inspections and faced various violations over the years, with the most recent being a smoke detector activation incident with no fire recorded. Recent maintenance and safety compliance issues included electrical problems and garbage storage concerns in 2012, which were subsequently abated. The property has shown a pattern of parking-related issues in the surrounding area, with multiple complaints between 2019-2024 regarding vehicles blocking driveways and sidewalk parking, though these are external to the building itself. The building's permit history shows various attempts at improvements and compliance, including a canceled permit for attic stairs installation in 1988, suggesting ongoing modifications to meet current standards, though many historical fire-related concerns appear to have been properly addressed through subsequent compliance actions.

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 541-545 Alvarado 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
43th percentile

Out of 1879 buildings in this neighborhood, 1071 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
72%
No DBI
violation
28%
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.

Neighborhood location

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

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

The ZIP code captures local housing market and enforcement patterns that affect all buildings in the area.

Building age

Older buildings tend to have more maintenance challenges; SF's pre-1906 earthquake housing stock carries distinct risk.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 49.2%
Moderate concern 22.5%
Severe concern 28.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

541-545 Alvarado 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

541-545 Alvarado St event timeline

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

No dated public records on file yet.
Every record we have

Full data for 541-545 Alvarado 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 541-545 Alvarado St
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.