Free SF apartment background check

520 Natoma St

South of Market, SF 94103 3726058 12 units · 3 fl · 1911

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
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the South of Market average of 3.3.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 520 Natoma 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 1911
2 or more units
12 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RED
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
Units12
Floors3
Year built1911
Total area5,715 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot3726058
Ownership

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

Owner name
Usui Minako
Mailing address
520 Natoma St Apt 12 San Francisco CA 94103
Last sale
072721

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

Located in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, 520 Natoma Street is a 3-story, 12-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1911, currently owned by Usui Minako. The property has undergone several significant renovations and repairs over the past two decades, including a complete electrical rewiring of all 12 units in 2005, multiple unit renovations (notably Unit #9 in 2019), and most recently, a door and sidelites replacement in October 2023 costing $14,490. The building's systems have seen various updates, including a boiler replacement in 2022 and roofing work completed in 2005.

The building has faced several fire safety concerns over the years, with multiple fire violations and complaints regarding alarm systems, extinguishers, and emergency lighting between 2013 and 2023, though these issues appear to have been consistently addressed and abated. Historical concerns from 2004-2005 included various fire safety requirements such as smoke enclosure door closers and fire escape maintenance, which were also resolved. The property has experienced several routine inspections and a few more serious issues, including a sewage backup in 1996 and concerns about possible illegal units in 2006. Recent 311 calls from late 2024 indicate ongoing challenges with street cleaning and debris management in the vicinity, and there is currently one open noise complaint from December 2024. The building's maintenance history shows a pattern of addressing both routine upkeep and more significant renovations, with particular attention paid to fire safety systems and unit modernization.

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

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Risk rating

How 520 Natoma 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
17th percentile

Out of 430 buildings in this neighborhood, 357 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
23%
No DBI
violation
77%
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.

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

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

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 28.9%
Moderate concern 49.2%
Severe concern 21.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

520 Natoma St apartment reviews

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The story over time

520 Natoma St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 18
Blocked sidewalk
spin standing scooter
311 RequestJun 17
Blocked sidewalk

See all 23 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 520 Natoma 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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