Free SF apartment background check

1201 Cortland Ave

Bernal Heights, SF 94110 5654046 2 units · 2 fl · 1900

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 1201 Cortland 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 1900
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH1
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 built1900
Total area1,314 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot5654046
Ownership

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

Owner name
Cao David & Chen Cindy
Mailing address
224 Elmira St San Francisco CA 94124
Last sale
030316

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

This two-unit residential building, located at 1201 Cortland Ave in Bernal Heights, is a two-story flats and duplex structure built in 1900, currently owned by David Cao and Cindy Chen. The most recent significant building permit activity occurred in December 2019, when work commenced under a permit with an associated cost of $15,000, though this was under a previously approved permit from 2015.

The property and surrounding area have experienced a notable increase in maintenance and enforcement issues throughout 2024. There have been multiple instances of graffiti reported in May 2024, affecting both the sidewalk and adjacent AT&T property, with some cases being transferred to various service departments. The building's immediate vicinity has seen recurring issues with abandoned vehicles, with three separate reports in April 2024 and one in February 2024, though all were resolved with vehicles being gone upon inspection. The area has also faced challenges with parking violations, including two instances of sidewalk parking in May 2024, and continuing infrastructure issues such as a curb defect reported in October 2024. Additional neighborhood maintenance concerns were addressed in July 2024 with the removal of abandoned debris, specifically a mattress. While many of these issues have been resolved promptly, they suggest an ongoing pattern of neighborhood maintenance challenges in the immediate area around the property.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 1201 Cortland 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
91th percentile

Out of 1276 buildings in this neighborhood, 115 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
87%
No DBI
violation
13%
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 79.0%
Moderate concern 14.6%
Severe concern 6.4%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

1201 Cortland Ave apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

1201 Cortland Ave event timeline

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

2026
311 Request May 18
Other excessive noise
Noise

See all 6 events

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

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 1201 Cortland Ave apartments

13 SF public datasets for this parcel — permits, violations, complaints, fire records, 311 calls, planning records, and buyouts.

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 1201 Cortland Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.