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12 Fair Ave

Bernal Heights, SF 94110 5615052 11 units · 3 fl · 1908

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. 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 Bernal Heights
Above average
avg 1.2
19
FewerMore

This building has 19 novs (7y), above the Bernal Heights average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 12 Fair Ave 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
11 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC3
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
Units11
Floors3
Year built1908
Total area10,494 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot5615052
Ownership

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

Owner name
Ma Charles
Mailing address
70 Manor Dr San Francisco CA 94127
Last sale
092619

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.

3201 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
12 Fair Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
3207 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 12 Fair Avenue property, located in Bernal Heights, is a three-story multi-family residential building constructed in 1908 and containing 11 units, with approximately 20,000 square feet of total area including ground floor commercial space. The building underwent significant renovations and safety upgrades in 2017, including mandatory soft-story seismic retrofitting of both the residential and commercial portions (with costs of $40,000 and $20,000 respectively). Between 2018-2019, substantial improvements were made to the ground floor commercial space, including ADA compliance upgrades and tenant improvements totaling over $113,000, along with related electrical and plumbing work. The property experienced notable maintenance and safety issues throughout 2021, when multiple violations were documented related to lead paint hazards, fire safety systems, and electrical infrastructure, though these were subsequently addressed and abated by April 2022. Recent maintenance records show the installation of new heating systems in 2023, including a high-efficiency furnace and split system heat pump, with corresponding electrical upgrades completed in September 2023.

The building has a history of commercial vacancy issues, with multiple complaints about the vacant storefront between 2018 and 2023, most recently documented as active in March 2023. Several routine violations of building and fire safety codes were recorded between 2015-2022, including concerns about fire escapes, alarm systems, and blocked exits, though these were generally resolved through corrective actions. A 2016 complaint raised concerns about potential unauthorized changes to tenant lease agreements, and in 2015 there was a documented pest infestation issue (cockroaches) in Unit 2. The property is currently classified as a Tier 4 soft-story building, with verification that all required seismic work has been completed. Recent municipal service calls in 2024 have primarily related to external issues such as sidewalk defects and urban landscaping concerns, indicating ongoing attention to property maintenance requirements.

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

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Risk rating

How 12 Fair Ave'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
0th percentile

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

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
14%
No DBI
violation
86%
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.

Building size

Total floor area — a proxy for building scale and the number of systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) that can fail.

Number of units

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

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 28.7%
Moderate concern 38.6%
Severe concern 32.7%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

12 Fair Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

12 Fair Ave event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 15
Homelessness and supportive housing
housing homeless request for service
311 RequestApr 10
Other illegal parking

See all 30 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 12 Fair Ave 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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