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1537-1539 Church St

Noe Valley, SF 94131 6593019 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 Noe Valley
At or below average
avg 1.2
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Noe Valley average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1537-1539 Church 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 1900
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC1
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
Units2
Floors2
Year built1900
Total area2,076 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot6593019
Ownership

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

Owner name
Polo Robert J
Mailing address
1474 Church St San Francisco CA 94131
Last sale
121411

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.

1537 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94131
1539 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94131
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 1537-1539 Church Street in Noe Valley, owned by Robert J Polo, has undergone several significant upgrades and faced some maintenance challenges since its construction in 1900. Most recently, in 2024, the property received a complete reroofing ($19,900) and underwent electrical upgrades including rewiring within existing black pipe, lighting improvements, and smoke alarm installation to meet insurance requirements ($20,145). A notable accessibility improvement was completed in late 2023 to comply with the Accessible Business Entrance program, involving the installation of a door release button and buzzard system. The building's systems received major attention in 2012 when significant plumbing violations were documented and promptly addressed, including water heater flue corrections, proper waste piping installation, and fixture reconnections - all resolved within a month. The electrical system received a substantial upgrade in 2004 with a 200-amp service installation, and previous roofing work was completed in 1991.

The property has maintained compliance with building codes since the 2012 plumbing violations were resolved, though there were some infrastructure issues documented through 311 calls, including a collapsed sidewalk in 2013 (which was addressed) and various maintenance matters. Recent permits indicate ongoing maintenance and improvement of the building's infrastructure, including the 2024 electrical work and the 2023 accessibility upgrades. The building's history shows responsible ownership in addressing violations promptly and maintaining the property through regular upgrades, with recent improvements focusing on accessibility and safety features. While there have been several 311 calls regarding the property, most were related to routine urban maintenance issues rather than building-specific problems.

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

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Risk rating

How 1537-1539 Church 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
81th percentile

Out of 1879 buildings in this neighborhood, 357 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
88%
No DBI
violation
12%
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 age

Older buildings tend to have more maintenance challenges; SF's pre-1906 earthquake housing stock carries distinct risk.

Property class: apartment building

Apartment building — this property classification influences expected violation rates.

Construction spend, owner's portfolio

Estimated permit value across all of this owner's buildings.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 84.3%
Moderate concern 11.5%
Severe concern 4.2%
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

1537-1539 Church St event timeline

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

2026
311 Request Jun 16
Public works
bses request for service
311 RequestFeb 10
Other illegal parking

See all 7 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 1537-1539 Church 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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