Free SF apartment background check

279-281 Shipley St

South of Market, SF 94107 3753083 4 units · 2 fl · 1906

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 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 279-281 Shipley 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 1906
2 or more units
4 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RSD
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
Units4
Floors2
Year built1906
Total area2,880 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3753083
Ownership

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

Owner name
Donald Woo No. 3 Family-Lp
Mailing address
393 7th Ave Ste 301 San Francisco CA 94118
Last sale
010698

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.

279 B Shipley St, San Francisco, CA 94107
281 Shipley St, San Francisco, CA 94107
279 A Shipley St, San Francisco, CA 94107
279 Shipley St, San Francisco, CA 94107
281 B Shipley St, San Francisco, CA 94107
281 A Shipley St, San Francisco, CA 94107
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 279-281 Shipley Street is a two-story multi-family residential building located in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, containing four units and built in 1906, currently owned by Donald Woo No. 3 Family-lp. The building has undergone several significant renovations and improvements over the past decades, with the most recent being a comprehensive unit update completed in 2024 that included a bathroom remodel, kitchen cabinet replacement, countertop installation, and electrical panel upgrade, all totaling $60,000. Historical improvements include a 2015 unit renovation ($22,000) replacing various bathroom and kitchen fixtures, and important safety upgrades in 2008 including the installation of a fire control panel and partial sprinkler system. A notable modification was attempted in 2009 with a request to create additional addresses for the property, and there was a previous conversion proposal to add two additional units from ground floor storage, though it's unclear if this was ultimately completed.

The building's safety systems have been regularly maintained, with a 2008 upgrade to a new NFPA 13R sprinkler system and smoke detector installations. Both the 2011 and 2007 routine safety inspections by Housing Inspection Services did not result in any active violations. Recent street-level 311 calls from 2019-2023 primarily involved issues external to the building such as cleanliness and encampment reports, with the most recent being general cleaning requests and waste removal services. There was one recorded fire incident listed as a "100 Fire, other" with an act of nature cause, though no civilian injuries were reported. The building's permit history shows consistent maintenance and upgrading of units, with particular attention to bathroom and kitchen renovations, suggesting active management of residential improvements.

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

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Risk rating

How 279-281 Shipley 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
78th percentile

Out of 430 buildings in this neighborhood, 95 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
82%
No DBI
violation
18%
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.

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

Dollar value of permits pulled at this address — large recent spend can signal deferred-maintenance catch-up.

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 65.5%
Moderate concern 24.2%
Severe concern 10.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

279-281 Shipley St event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit Aug 27
1 bathroom remodel with same layout. relace kitchen countertop. no work on existing kitchen cab9inet. replace electrical breaker panel inside the unit.
$12,000 · Complete
Plumbing PermitAug 27
One bathroom remodel. replace kitchen countertop.

See all 9 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 279-281 Shipley 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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