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3171-3173 Cesar Chavez St

Bernal Heights, SF 94110 5503024 2 units · 2 fl · 1911

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 Bernal Heights
At or below average
avg 1.2
0
FewerMore

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

Rent & eviction protection

Is 3171-3173 Cesar Chavez 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
2 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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1911
Total area2,000 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot5503024
Ownership

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

Owner name
Cheng Chun-Chih
Mailing address
4935 Bel Escou Dr San Jose CA 95124
Last sale
072120

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.

3173 Cesar Chavez St, San Francisco, CA 94110
3171 Cesar Chavez St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 3171-3173 Cesar Chavez Street in Bernal Heights, owned by Cheng Chun-chih, was constructed in 1911 and is classified as a two-story flats and duplex structure. The property has undergone several significant maintenance and improvement projects over the past decade, including a complete sewer line replacement in 2015, re-roofing work in 2022 costing $6,000, and a filed proposal in 2021 for an ADU addition that includes demolishing exterior stairs, building a new balcony, and adding a wet bar. Historical records indicate a building complaint was filed in 1996 regarding welding work, overcrowding, and concerns about an illegal apartment, though this was resolved within weeks. The building has experienced various fire-related incidents, including two gas leak responses and three other good intent calls by emergency services, none of which resulted in civilian injuries.

The property has been the subject of multiple tenant buyouts in March 2019, with three separate transactions totaling $169,500 across 15 tenants (7 from 3173 units, 5 from 3171 units, and 3 from 3171 units). A conditional use authorization request to remove an illegal dwelling unit was withdrawn in 2019, though there have been multiple planning records related to an illegal unit investigation. The surrounding area has seen frequent recent activity, particularly in 2024, with numerous parking-related complaints and resolved encampment situations, though these are external to the building itself. A cancelled roofing permit was filed in 2018, and earlier records from 1985 show an expired permit for stair repairs, indicating ongoing structural maintenance concerns have been addressed over time.

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

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Risk rating

How 3171-3173 Cesar Chavez 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
100th percentile

Out of 1276 buildings in this neighborhood, 0 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
95%
No DBI
violation
5%
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 89.1%
Moderate concern 8.7%
Severe concern 2.2%
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

3171-3173 Cesar Chavez St event timeline

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

2025
311 Request Apr 23
Parking on sidewalk
Parking Enforcement

See all 7 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 3171-3173 Cesar Chavez 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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