Free SF apartment background check

251 San Jose Ave

Inner Mission, SF 94110 6514019 6 units · 2 fl · 1906

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 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.

12-Month Maintenance Forecast

36%

(risk — lower is better)

Generally fine

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)

31

311 Calls (7y)

0

Fire Incidents

0

2nd NOVs

0

Dir. Hearings

0

City Atty

3

Permits (7y)

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Rent & eviction protection

Is 251 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 1906

2 or more units

6 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

Units	6
Floors	2
Year built	1906
Total area	7,034 sq ft
Property type	Multi-Family Residential
Tax status	None
Blocklot	6514019

Ownership

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

Owner name

Emilio Montalvo 2008 Revoc

Mailing address

Rosemarie Montalvo Campos 2234 Whipple Ave Redwood City CA 94062

Last sale

000000

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights

Initial analysis

The two-story, six-unit multi-family residential building at 251 San Jose Avenue in the Inner Mission, owned by Emilio Montalvo 2008 Revoc, has undergone several significant improvements and faced various maintenance challenges since its construction in 1906. Most notably, in 2019, the building completed a mandatory soft-story retrofit costing $100,000 to improve seismic safety, achieving compliance with current building codes. The property has a documented history of water-related issues, including a concerning 2019 complaint about mold growth affecting walls, with reports of water damage and health concerns among residents, though this issue is no longer active. Earlier incidents include fire damage repairs in 2007, during which window replacements were also performed due to fire-related damage.

The building has experienced periodic maintenance issues that required attention, including multiple violations in 2003 related to gas meter safety, exterior door security, and stair repairs, all of which were successfully abated by February 2003. In 2009, there were complaints about damaged carpets and fire safety concerns, though these were resolved promptly. Recent maintenance history shows attention to basic upkeep, with various building permits for repairs and improvements, including a laundry room remodel in 2009 and repairs following a 1994 reroofing project. The property has not had any active building violations since 2003, though there have been multiple 311 calls regarding external maintenance issues such as sidewalk cleaning and tree root damage between 2021 and 2024. An illegal short-term rentals complaint from 2017 appears to have been resolved, with no further activity reported.

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

Risk rating

How 251 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

53th percentile

Out of 2380 buildings in this neighborhood, 1119 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest

Predicted 12-month outcome

64%

No DBI
violation

36%

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.

Building size

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

Number of units

The number of units affects how the model reads complaint and violation totals — more units means more potential sources.

Neighborhood (ZIP code)

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

12-Month severity forecast

No violation 42.1%

Moderate concern 25.4%

Severe concern 32.5%

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

Apartment reviews

251 San Jose Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

251 San Jose Ave event timeline

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

2026

Plumbing Permit Jun 08

Work category: 2pa; install two full bathrooms with shower, one kitchen sink,washer and dryer, water heater,one floor drain and gas for wall heater, water heater, dryer, stove.

Issued

Building PermitMay 21

Unit #5: kitchen and bathroom upgrades. replace cabinets and fixtures with in kind box materials. replace plumbing and plumbing fixtures and cabients with in kind materials. no structural work to be done.

See all 6 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 251 San Jose 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