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147 Cortland Ave

Bernal Heights, SF 94110 5670016 2 units · 2 fl · 1916

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. 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
Above average
avg 1.2
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 novs (7y), above the Bernal Heights average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 147 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 1916
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 built1916
Total area2,800 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot5670016
Ownership

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

Owner name
Dinsay Dawn Foster
Mailing address
147-149 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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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

This two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building at 147 Cortland Ave in Bernal Heights, owned by Dawn Foster Dinsay, has a significant history of building maintenance issues dating back to 2014 and continuing through 2024. The property, built in 1916, has been facing persistent problems with water damage and lead paint hazards, with multiple violations related to weather-proofing on siding and paint conditions. A major pattern of violations emerged in July 2022, including issues with weather-proofing, paint conditions, and lead paint safety concerns, with active enforcement actions continuing through 2023-2024 including final warning letters issued in August 2023.

Recent concerning developments include two complaints in late 2023 and 2024 regarding potentially hazardous work involving asbestos tiles, specifically power washing and scraping of tiles that created health risks and left debris on the block. The building has maintained some level of regular maintenance, as evidenced by a permit from 2015 for rear stairs repair and painting work valued at $5,000. More recent concerns include infrastructure issues, with a missing side sewer vent cover reported in November 2024, though this was determined to be the property owner's responsibility and the issue was eventually resolved.

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

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Risk rating

How 147 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
11th percentile

Out of 1276 buildings in this neighborhood, 1136 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
49%
No DBI
violation
51%
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 tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

DBI complaint rate, owner's portfolio

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

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 32.9%
Moderate concern 40.9%
Severe concern 26.2%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

147 Cortland Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

147 Cortland Ave event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Apr 22
Municipal transportation agency
transportation engineering other
311 RequestApr 20
Other

See all 13 events

Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 147 Cortland 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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