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229-233 Whitney St

Glen Park, SF 94131 6685025 3 units · 2 fl · 1906

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 Glen Park
Above average
avg 1.4
2
FewerMore

This building has 2 novs (7y), above the Glen Park average of 1.4.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 229-233 Whitney 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
3 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
Units3
Floors2
Year built1906
Total area2,519 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot6685025
Ownership

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

Owner name
John Tsia & Lillian Chen 20
Mailing address
Tsia John & Chen Lillian Co 1380 Palos Verdes Dr San Mateo CA 94403
Last sale
010814

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.

233 Whitney St, San Francisco, CA 94131
229 Whitney St, San Francisco, CA 94131
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 229-233 Whitney Street in Glen Park is a 2-story, 3-unit multi-family residential building constructed in 1906, currently owned by John Tsia & Lillian Chen 20. The building's recent history has been marked by significant construction activity and regulatory scrutiny, particularly in 2022-2024. In August 2022, a series of complaints were filed regarding unauthorized construction work, including foundation replacement and framing modifications beyond the scope of permitted exploratory work, leading to multiple notices of violation and stop-work orders. These violations prompted active neighborhood concerns about construction safety and permit compliance, and the resulting investigation created a new complaint cycle regarding work exceeding exploratory demo permit boundaries.

Recent planning records indicate an ongoing proposal (currently under review) to replace the existing structure with a new 4-story building containing three units and an accessory dwelling unit, along with additional parking and bike storage. This proposal follows earlier attempts to legalize the demolition of the existing three-unit building, which encountered various procedural setbacks including a withdrawn application in early 2022. The building's maintenance history shows periods of permitted improvements and exploratory work, including roof and deck modifications, seismic upgrades, and interior remodeling. Recent code compliance issues have included concerns about the building's vacant status and failure to comply with the Vacant or Abandoned Building Ordinance, though these violations were abated as of November 2024. The property has also experienced recurring parking enforcement issues on Whitney Street, with multiple reports of vehicles blocking driveways between 2022 and 2024.

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

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Risk rating

How 229-233 Whitney 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
6th percentile

Out of 364 buildings in this neighborhood, 342 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
31%
No DBI
violation
69%
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.

Director's hearings (past 7 years)

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

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 37.3%
Moderate concern 46.5%
Severe concern 16.2%
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

229-233 Whitney St event timeline

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

2025
DBI Complaint Nov 18
Vacant building
Code Enforcement Section
Building PermitOct 29
Construct 3-story 3-residentail units and attached 1-state adu, type 5b, apprx. 4700 gross square feet

See all 17 events

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

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Every record we have

Full data for 229-233 Whitney 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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