Free SF apartment background check

623-625 Cortland Ave

Bernal Heights, SF 94110 5663017A 3 units · 2 fl · 1907

This building has far more open problems than almost any other in the neighborhood. A handful of unresolved issues. Worth a careful walk-through and pointed questions.

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.

12-Month Maintenance Forecast

56%

(risk — lower is better)

Some concerns

Estimated probability of a DBI violation or complaint in the next 12 months.

7-YEAR TREND Violations + complaints / yr

'20

'21

'22

'23

'24

'25

'26

'27*

*Next year, projected from recent activity and predicted risk.

7-Year Historical Counts

0

NOVs (7y)

2

DBI Complaints (7y)

20

311 Calls (7y)

0

Fire Incidents

0

2nd NOVs

0

Dir. Hearings

0

City Atty

0

Permits (7y)

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Rent & eviction protection

Is 623-625 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 1907

2 or more units

3 units

Property type

Multi-Family Residential

Zoning

NC2

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

Units	3
Floors	2
Year built	1907
Total area	2,950 sq ft
Property type	Multi-Family Residential
Tax status	Home Owners
Blocklot	5663017A

Ownership

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

Owner name

Donaldo & Alice Navarrete R

Mailing address

Navarrete Donaldo & Alice D 625 Cortland Ave San Francisco CA 94110

Last sale

000000

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.

623 A Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

623 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

625 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

Augrented Insights

Initial analysis

The property at 623-625 Cortland Ave is a mixed-use two-story building constructed in 1907, containing three residential units plus commercial space. The building's maintenance history shows regular upkeep, including window replacements in 1992, reroofing in 2002, and multiple water heater replacements in 2017. Significant infrastructure improvements include a solar panel installation in 2020 (4.03 kW), electrical system upgrades in 2005, and the resolution of unapproved conduit issues in 2012. However, there are serious ongoing concerns related to unauthorized conversions of commercial space to residential use. Three active complaints filed between 2014 and 2023 regarding illegal unit conversions and changes of use remain unresolved, including a recent complaint from June 2023 about an allegedly vacant commercial structure.

The building has experienced persistent sewer-related issues, with multiple sewage backup incidents reported through 311 calls between 2022 and 2024. The most recent clusters of sewage discharge incidents occurred in late 2023 and 2024, with several cases involving 4-inch sewer vents and one noted flooding issue. While the property has received timely responses to these infrastructure problems, the recurring nature of the sewage issues suggests an ongoing drainage or plumbing challenge. Additionally, there was an illegal conversion of retail space to residential use reported in planning records, though this was officially closed with no violation found. The building's owners, Donaldo & Alice Navarrete R, have maintained the property through various improvements over the years, including solar panel installation and multiple utility upgrades, but the combination of unauthorized unit conversion complaints and persistent plumbing issues raises important questions about the building's current operational status.

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

Risk rating

How 623-625 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

8th percentile

Out of 1276 buildings in this neighborhood, 1174 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest

Predicted 12-month outcome

44%

No DBI
violation

56%

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.

DBI complaint rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building complaint rate across the owner's portfolio.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

Neighborhood location

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

12-Month severity forecast

No violation 24.5%

Moderate concern 54.9%

Severe concern 20.6%

Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.

Apartment reviews

623-625 Cortland Ave apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

623-625 Cortland Ave event timeline

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

2026

311 Request May 01

Garbage and debris

other loose garbage debris yard waste

See all 8 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 623-625 Cortland Ave apartments

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

What this is

Permits issued by the SF Department of Building Inspection for new construction, alterations, and repairs. Includes estimated cost and current permit status.

Permit #	Description	Cost	Filed	Status
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What this is

Plumbing permit applications filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection. Covers plumbing installation, repair, and replacement work.

Permit #	Description	Filed	Status
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What this is

Electrical permit applications filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection. Covers electrical wiring, panel upgrades, and related work.

Permit #	Description	Filed	Status
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What this is

Notices of Violation issued by the SF Department of Building Inspection for code violations. Unresolved notices can escalate to legal action.

Date Filed	Complaint #	Description	Item	Category	Status
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What this is

Complaints filed with the SF Department of Building Inspection about code violations. Tracks the complaint lifecycle from filing through abatement or referral.

Complaint #	Date Filed	Date Abated	Division	Status	Description
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What this is

Planning Department project entitlements — discretionary review, conditional use, variances, and environmental review for this parcel.

Address	Opened	Closed	Status	Description	Applicant
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What this is

Planning Department administrative and compliance records that are not full project entitlements — pre-application meetings, code violations, and referrals.

Address	Opened	Closed	Status	Description	Applicant
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What this is

SFFD fire incidents geo-joined to this parcel. Covers structure fires, alarms, and emergency responses with injury and fatality counts.

Date	Situation	Civilian Injuries	Civilian Fatalities
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What this is

Fire code violations issued by the SFFD. Tracks corrective actions required and resolution status for fire safety code enforcement.

Violation Date	Description	Corrective Action	Status	Close Date
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What this is

Fire code complaints received by the SF Fire Department geo-joined to this parcel. Includes complaint type, disposition, and outcome.

Received	Description	Disposition Date	Disposition
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What this is

SF 311 service requests geo-joined to this parcel. Includes maintenance complaints, street/sidewalk issues, and quality-of-life requests.

Opened	Type	Agency	Category	Details	Status
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What this is

Buildings subject to SF's mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit program. Unreinforced multi-story wood-frame buildings must meet compliance tiers.

Tier	Status
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What this is

Tenant buyout (Ellis Act pre-cursor) agreements recorded with the SF Rent Board. Tracks amounts paid to tenants to vacate rent-controlled units.

Disclosure Date	Buyout Date	Amount	Tenants
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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning