Free SF apartment background check

257 San Jose Ave

Inner Mission, SF 94110 6514018 8 units · 2 fl · 1962

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 Inner Mission
At or below average
avg 2.6
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Inner Mission average of 2.6.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 257 San Jose 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 1962
2 or more units
8 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RM2
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
Units8
Floors2
Year built1962
Total area3,720 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot6514018
Ownership

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

Owner name
Carmel Era Holdings Inc
Mailing address
Po Box 1994 San Leandro CA 94577
Last sale
030620

Landlord portfolio

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

Unlock complete report
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 8-unit, two-story multi-family residential building at 257 San Jose Avenue in San Francisco's Inner Mission neighborhood, owned by Carmel Era Holdings Inc, was constructed in 1962 and has undergone several significant improvements in recent years. Most notably, the building is currently undergoing a mandatory soft-story seismic upgrade (filed December 2020) and the addition of 5 ADUs at the ground floor level (filed November 2020). Between 2021-2022, substantial unit improvements were completed in apartments 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8, including kitchen and bathroom remodels, installation of combo washer/dryers, and associated electrical and plumbing work, with the final inspections completed in May 2022. The building also underwent reroofing work in early 2022, costing approximately $17,840.

The property's maintenance history includes some notable issues from the mid-2000s that have since been resolved, including several violations related to gas utility shutoff tools, interior surfaces, and damaged ceilings, all of which were abated by August 2007. A more serious complaint from 1995 reported sewage damage, carpeting issues, and a malfunctioning stove and oven, though this was resolved within six months. Recent inspection records from 2011 found no violations. There have been no recent building violations since 2007, suggesting improved maintenance standards, though there was one noise complaint related to construction work in July 2021. The building's recent history has been primarily focused on significant upgrades and improvements, with all permitted work being properly completed and inspected through 2022. The property has experienced typical urban issues such as garbage concerns and parking complaints in the surrounding area, as evidenced by 311 calls, but these are external to the building itself and primarily relate to public space maintenance.

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

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 257 San Jose 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
13th percentile

Out of 2380 buildings in this neighborhood, 2071 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
32%
No DBI
violation
68%
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.

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.

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 56.9%
Moderate concern 35.1%
Severe concern 8.0%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
Apartment reviews

257 San Jose Ave apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

Buildings nearby
Loading…
The story over time

257 San Jose Ave event timeline

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

2022
Plumbing Permit May 12
To continue final inspection for units #2, 3, 4, 7, 8. under previous permit: pp 20210421440 & pp20210310706
Complete
Electrical PermitMay 12
Unit 2: install face plates, light switches, lights, electrical outlets, smoke detector. ref to bldg permit 202205093808 & 202205093805

See all 14 events

Full history back to 2021 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 257 San Jose Ave apartments

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

Still apartment hunting in SF?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any SF address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all 13 SF datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10 one-time

~$3.33 per building. No subscription ever. Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 3 Reports — $10

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39 one-time

30 reports — ~$1.30 each. No subscription ever.

  • 30 full AI-powered reports
  • Download PDF reports
  • Advanced safety analysis
  • Compare multiple buildings
  • Credits never expire until you use them
  • Full public records (200 rows per dataset)
Buy 30 Reports — $39

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from SF Open Data, DBI, SFFD, SF Rent Board & Planning

Watch 257 San Jose Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.