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204 Girard St

Portola, SF 94134 5980002

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 Portola
At or below average
avg 1.8
1
FewerMore

This building has 1 novs (7y), at or below the Portola average of 1.8.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 204 Girard St 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 1906
2 or more units
? units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
Possibly exempt. Built before 1979 but single-unit — single-family homes and condos may be exempt from the SF Rent Ordinance.

Based on SF Assessor records. Not legal advice — confirm with the SF Rent Board.

Building characteristics
Units
Floors3
Year built1906
Total area2,200 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot5980002
Ownership

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

Owner name
Ripplewald Trust
Mailing address
Lichtenwald Irv H & Ripple 1131 Clay St San Francisco CA 94108
Last sale
092194

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-story multi-family residential building at 204 Girard Street in the Portola neighborhood, owned by Ripplewald Trust, has a significant history of fire-related incidents and subsequent repairs. Most notably, the property experienced a serious fire in 2019 that rendered both units uninhabitable, resulting in comprehensive repairs throughout 2020 including drywall, plumbing, electrical, painting, flooring, and HVAC work, with costs totaling $140,000. This followed an earlier fire incident in 2008 that affected the lower unit, requiring extensive restoration work including electrical rewiring, plumbing updates, and structural improvements such as foundation work and shear wall installations. The building's infrastructure has seen various upgrades over the years, including a 2017 sewer pipe replacement, and multiple kitchen and bathroom remodels in 2020.

In terms of maintenance and safety, the building underwent significant code upgrades in 2008 to address violations following the fire incidents, and all documented permits have been completed satisfactorily. Recent activity around the property has primarily involved street cleaning services, with multiple reports of garbage and debris between December 2024 and January 2025, though these appear to be external to the building itself. The only recorded fire safety incident in recent records was a malfunctioning smoke detector, which posed no danger to residents. While the building has experienced two major fire incidents requiring extensive repairs, all work has been properly permitted and completed, suggesting attention to code compliance and safety standards.

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

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Risk rating

How 204 Girard St'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
47th percentile

Out of 255 buildings in this neighborhood, 135 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
73%
No DBI
violation
27%
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.

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

The ZIP code captures local housing market and enforcement patterns that affect all buildings in the area.

Director's hearings (past 7 years)

Director's hearings are escalated enforcement actions for buildings that haven't resolved violations — a serious signal.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 75.3%
Moderate concern 20.6%
Severe concern 4.1%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

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The story over time

204 Girard St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Feb 19
Garbage and debris
other bagged boxed contained garbage

See all 10 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 204 Girard St 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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