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1040-1042 Howard St

South of Market, SF 94103 3726018 9 units · 3 fl · 1914

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. 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 South of Market
At or below average
avg 3.3
2
FewerMore

This building has 2 novs (7y), at or below the South of Market average of 3.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1040-1042 Howard 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 1914
2 or more units
9 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
SLR
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
Units9
Floors3
Year built1914
Total area6,540 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3726018
Ownership

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

Owner name
Kwong Michael
Mailing address
1220 Howard St San Francisco CA 94103
Last sale
121102

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.

1040 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103
1042 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 1040-1042 Howard Street property is a three-story, 9-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1914, currently owned by Michael Kwong. The building has experienced several significant events over its history, most notably a fire in 2022 that damaged Unit #4 and required subsequent repairs including the installation of fire-rated interior walls and replacement of fire-damaged siding, with work completed in 2024. The building is currently undergoing major improvements including a mandatory soft-story retrofit scheduled for completion in 2024, which involves the installation of plywood shear walls with concrete grade beams. Recent improvements also include a substantial upgrade to the fire alarm system completed in 2024, which now includes addressable components and additional safety features as per San Francisco Fire Code requirements.

The building's maintenance history reveals several periods of concern for resident safety and comfort. Active violations from 2016 remain regarding lead paint, smoke detection systems, and various building maintenance issues including repairs to windows, ceilings, and the resolution of a pigeon infestation. Complaints from 2021-2022 indicated persistent problems with fire safety systems, electrical issues, and plumbing concerns, particularly affecting Unit #4. The property has a documented history of fire safety violations, including issues with extinguishers and alarm systems, though these have generally been addressed when cited. The building's soft-story compliance status is currently listed as non-compliant under Tier 4, though permits have been issued for required retrofitting work. Recent 311 calls from January 2025 primarily relate to street cleaning and encampment issues near the building's location, which are outside the property's direct responsibilities.

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

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Risk rating

How 1040-1042 Howard 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
10th percentile

Out of 430 buildings in this neighborhood, 387 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
16%
No DBI
violation
84%
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 units

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

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 14.0%
Moderate concern 67.2%
Severe concern 18.8%
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

1040-1042 Howard St event timeline

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

2026
Fire Complaint Feb 24
Multiple Fire Code Violations
Violation Issued
Fire ComplaintFeb 24
Alarm Systems

See all 21 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1040-1042 Howard 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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