Free SF apartment background check

424-426 Cortland Ave

Bernal Heights, SF 94110 5678028 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.

12-Month Maintenance Forecast

29%

(risk — lower is better)

Looks clean

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)

0

DBI Complaints (7y)

18

311 Calls (7y)

0

Fire Incidents

0

2nd NOVs

0

Dir. Hearings

0

City Atty

1

Permits (7y)

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Rent & eviction protection

Is 424-426 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

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	2
Floors	2
Year built	1900
Total area	2,500 sq ft
Property type	Multi-Family Residential
Tax status	None
Blocklot	5678028

Ownership

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

Owner name

Hayes Billie J

Mailing address

3518 Lowell Ave Richmond CA 94804

Last sale

112019

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.

426 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

424 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

Augrented Insights

Initial analysis

The two-unit, two-story multi-family residential building at 424-426 Cortland Avenue in Bernal Heights, owned by Billie J. Hayes, has a history dating back to 1900, classified as a Flat & Store with 4 or fewer units. The property has undergone several significant modifications and repairs over the years, with the most recent being an accessibility improvement in December 2022 to comply with the ABE program, including the installation of powered door operators and adjustments to the sidewalk slope at a cost of $10,000. Prior improvements include various safety-related upgrades between 2002-2005, such as deck rail modifications, step repairs, and dry rot repairs, as well as electrical work including a 100-amp underground conversion in 2004.

The building has experienced several regulatory and safety concerns, most notably a 2014 complaint regarding bar capacity and outdoor heating equipment, and a 2009 complaint about unpermitted scaffolding and paint removal. In 2005, multiple complaints were filed regarding the deck's condition, including concerns about its height, railing safety, and stair stability, though these issues appear to have been addressed through subsequent repairs and modifications. Recent complaints and 311 calls from 2021-2024 primarily relate to exterior building maintenance issues such as graffiti, sidewalk debris, and a water leak, with the most recent being a traffic engineering request from January 2024. The property holds an ABC Type 48 license for bar use, approved as a continuation of existing operations without authorizing new bar use at the site, and has undergone various inspections and compliance checks, including one violation in November 2005 that was subsequently closed.

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

Risk rating

How 424-426 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

45th percentile

Out of 1276 buildings in this neighborhood, 702 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest

Predicted 12-month outcome

71%

No DBI
violation

29%

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.

Property class: apartment building

Apartment building — this property classification influences expected violation rates.

Building size

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

12-Month severity forecast

No violation 66.7%

Moderate concern 26.1%

Severe concern 7.1%

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

Apartment reviews

424-426 Cortland Ave apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

424-426 Cortland Ave event timeline

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

2022

Building Permit Dec 08

To comply w/abe program abe#202208052713. abe program/ord 51-16. technical infeasibility/unreasonable hardship per ordinance 51-16. install powered door operator in accordance w/dbi sheets da-04/da-05. sidewalk slope unreasonable hardship request. level landings on both sides of door.

$10,000 · Complete

See all 1 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 424-426 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