Free SF apartment background check

1537 Ocean Ave

Ingleside, SF 94112 6936012 2 units · 2 fl · 1922

This building has significantly more problems than most nearby buildings. Few open issues; problems get fixed quickly. A reasonable bet for a smooth tenancy.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood
Compared to a typical building in Ingleside
At or below average
avg 1.5
0
FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Ingleside average of 1.5.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 1537 Ocean 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 1922
2 or more units
2 units
Property type
Multi-Family Residential
Zoning
NC2
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 built1922
Total area2,650 sq ft
Property typeMulti-Family Residential
Tax statusNone
Blocklot6936012
Ownership

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

Owner name
Lei Joanna L M
Mailing address
1537 - 1539 Ocean Ave San Francisco CA 94112
Last sale
070203

Landlord portfolio

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

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The property at 1537 Ocean Avenue is a two-story, mixed-use building constructed in 1922, containing two residential units and ground-floor commercial space housing JoJo's Café. The building's history reveals several significant events, with the most critical being a structure fire in October 2010 that required substantial repairs including kitchen fire damage restoration and installation of a new fire suppression system, completed in 2011 at a cost of $51,000. More recently, in 2024, the café underwent a legalization process for its awning signage under the amnesty program, which had previously resulted in a complaint due to unpermitted work in July 2022.

The building has undergone various maintenance and improvement projects over the years, including reroofing work in 2015 ($6,000), bathroom renovations in 2017 ($3,000), and significant electrical and plumbing upgrades in 2011 related to the café's operations. Multiple 311 calls from 2024-2025 have been recorded, primarily related to sidewalk cleaning and debris removal, with the most notable being a public health violation in November 2024 involving overcharging customers at All Fresh Market, which has since been resolved. The property remains subject to ongoing maintenance requirements, including attention to an overgrown street tree noted in July 2024, though no immediate safety concerns were reported.

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

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Risk rating

How 1537 Ocean 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
18th percentile

Out of 156 buildings in this neighborhood, 128 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
56%
No DBI
violation
44%
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.

Neighborhood location

Precise location is a proxy for neighborhood-level risk — some SF blocks have systematically higher DBI activity.

DBI tenant complaints (past 7 years)

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

Property class: apartment building

Apartment building — this property classification influences expected violation rates.

12-Month severity forecast
No violation 40.2%
Moderate concern 46.2%
Severe concern 13.6%
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

1537 Ocean Ave event timeline

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

2024
Building Permit May 28
Legalize signage under awning amnesty program "jojo's cafe" 23.5 sf
$1 · Complete
Planning RecordMay 28
TO COMPLY WITH AWNING AMNESTY PROGRAM. COMPLAINT: 20229281. LEGALIZE EXISITNG AWNING "JOJOS CAFE" REPLACED WITHOUT PERMIT AND PROJECTING SIGN.

See all 3 events

Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 1537 Ocean Ave 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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