Free SF apartment background check

1500 Cortland Ave

Bernal Heights, SF 94110 5690044 4 units · 3 fl · 1959

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.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1500 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 1959
2 or more units
4 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
Units4
Floors3
Year built1959
Total area3,150 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusWelfare
Blocklot5690044
Ownership

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

Owner name
Meda Small Properties Llc
Mailing address
2301 Mission St Ste 301 San Francisco CA 94110
Last sale
090517

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 4-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 1500 Cortland Ave in Bernal Heights, owned by Meda Small Properties LLC, was constructed in 1959 and has undergone several significant improvements over recent years. The most recent work, issued in July 2024, involves the installation of a new voluntary fire alarm system to comply with San Francisco Fire Code requirements, with an associated cost of $21,946. The building underwent substantial renovations in 2017, including window replacements across multiple units, kitchen and bathroom updates, electrical rewiring, and installation of new water heaters, all totaling approximately $105,000. During the same period, structural improvements were made to enhance the building's safety, including the addition of plywood sheathing and anchor bolts at the front wall.

The building's maintenance history reveals several past issues that have been addressed, including a 2011 routine inspection that identified various fire safety concerns, which were all abated by February 2016. These violations included requirements for fire extinguisher maintenance, ceiling repairs, and combustible storage issues. The building experienced some infrastructure challenges in the past, including a period of no hot water reported in July 2022 and historical heating system problems in 1994. Two minor fire incidents were recorded: one involving electrical wiring/equipment problems and another concerning contained trash or rubbish, though neither resulted in civilian injuries. Recent maintenance has been documented through various permits showing ongoing attention to building systems, including a 2005 electrical upgrade with 200-amp underground conversion, and multiple plumbing updates in 2017, including new water heaters and heater installations across multiple units.

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

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Risk rating

How 1500 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
7th percentile

Out of 1276 buildings in this neighborhood, 1187 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
42%
No DBI
violation
58%
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.

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 36.3%
Moderate concern 31.9%
Severe concern 31.9%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

1500 Cortland Ave event timeline

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

2026
Electrical Permit Mar 30
Replace existing 60a electrical panel with new 60a electrical panel. install new 240v 30a breaker circuit for heat pump.
Complete
Plumbing PermitMar 27
Work category: 1p; replace old gas water heaters with hybrids

See all 10 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 1500 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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