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5 Decatur St

South of Market, SF 94103 3780032 2 units · 2 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 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 5 Decatur 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
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
SLI
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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1908
Total area1,332 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot3780032
Ownership

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

Owner name
Peter P Farragher Exemption
Mailing address
Margaret M Farragher, Ttee 2231 27Th Ave San Francisco CA 94116
Last sale
000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

This two-story, two-unit multi-family residential building located at 5 Decatur St in the South of Market neighborhood was built in 1908 and is currently owned by Peter P Farragher Exemption. The building's recent history (2024-2025) has been marked by persistent sanitation issues, with multiple reports of garbage, debris, and human waste on the property or immediate vicinity, including open cases as recently as January 2025. The property has also experienced recurring graffiti issues and problematic waste management situations, including overflowing city garbage cans and other debris problems, though many of these cases have been resolved through city intervention.

From a safety perspective, the building has had several fire-related incidents and violations, including a September 2024 citation for multiple fire code violations and an ERRCS permit issue, along with various alarm system activations from 2017-2024 (though none resulted in civilian injuries or confirmed fires). Historical violations (2022-2024) related to fire safety equipment, kitchen hood cleaning, and general safety requirements have been documented at nearby addresses (866-888 Brannan St), suggesting potential broader safety compliance issues in the immediate area, though most of these were eventually abated or corrected. While the building's age and use as a residential property suggest potential maintenance challenges, the most significant current concerns appear to center around exterior sanitation issues rather than immediate building safety or structural integrity problems.

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

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Risk rating

How 5 Decatur 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
84th percentile

Out of 430 buildings in this neighborhood, 69 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
83%
No DBI
violation
17%
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 (ZIP code)

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

Neighborhood location

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

Estimated permit spend (past 7 years)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 79.0%
Moderate concern 13.5%
Severe concern 7.5%
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

5 Decatur St event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Sep 16
Municipal transportation agency
sign shop request for service

See all 4 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 5 Decatur 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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