Free SF apartment background check

2103 Castro St

Noe Valley, SF 94131 6612030 5 units · 2 fl · 1964

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 Noe Valley
Above average
avg 1.2
10
FewerMore

This building has 10 novs (7y), above the Noe Valley average of 1.2.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 2103 Castro 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 1964
2 or more units
5 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
RH2
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
Units5
Floors2
Year built1964
Total area4,410 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusHome Owners
Blocklot6612030
Ownership

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

Owner name
Shui Ha Lew Trust
Mailing address
2103 Castro St Apt 1 San Francisco CA 94131
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 5-unit, 2-story multi-family residential building at 2103 Castro Street, owned by the Shui Ha Lew Trust, has experienced several significant maintenance and safety issues over the past two decades. Most recently, in June 2024, there was a sewage discharge issue from a side sewer vent that required attention, and the building underwent reroofing work in October 2022 costing $9,800. The property has a concerning history of fire safety violations, with a cluster of infractions documented in November 2000 related to fire escape obstructions, smoke enclosure doors, fire proofing, fire extinguishers, garage storage, and gas meter instructions, all of which were abated by January 2001. More recent safety concerns include multiple complaints from October 2019 regarding mold issues and a leak on the second floor, as well as documentation of expired fire extinguishers and non-functional smoke detectors.

The building has also faced maintenance challenges, as evidenced by a July 2022 complaint about unauthorized late-night mechanical work in the backyard, though this violation is listed as not active. A routine inspection in 2008 noted various issues, and there were two separate inspections in 2005 documenting widespread mold presence in multiple unit areas. In June 2016, violations were issued regarding alarm systems and fire extinguishers, requiring correction without permits. More recently, between 2020 and 2024, there have been several municipal service calls regarding the property, including sidewalk issues, tree maintenance, and various sign repairs. The most recent tenant buyout recorded at this address was in May 2024, involving two tenants and totaling $35,000, though this address appears to correspond to nearby 479 28th Street rather than 2103 Castro St.

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

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Risk rating

How 2103 Castro 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
4th percentile

Out of 1879 buildings in this neighborhood, 1804 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
36%
No DBI
violation
64%
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.

NOV rate, owner's portfolio

Per-building NOV rate across everything this owner manages — high rates signal pattern neglect.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with DBI about this building over 7 years.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 16.4%
Moderate concern 28.3%
Severe concern 55.3%
Estimated probability of receiving a DBI Notice of Violation in the next 12 months at each severity level. Model: full_hgb_balanced.
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The story over time

2103 Castro St event timeline

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

2025
Building Permit Oct 29
Window replacement in-kind. 4 at rear and 2 in the front, and 8 in the middle. all work in kind.
$12,000 · Complete
Planning RecordOct 29
In kind window replacement for 4 windows in rear and 2 windows in the front. No change to size, location, material, or operation. [email protected] 10/29/25

See all 12 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 2103 Castro 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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