Free SF apartment background check

1-19 Cardenas Ave

Stonestown, SF 94132 7314001 27 units · 2 fl · 1942

This building has a higher-than-average number of open problems nearby. Renters here report frequent, slow-to-fix problems. Get repair promises in writing and check the unit before signing.

NOVs (7y) vs. neighborhood

Compared to a typical building in Stonestown

At or below average

avg 14.7

0

FewerMore

This building has 0 novs (7y), at or below the Stonestown average of 14.7.

12-Month Maintenance Forecast

74%

(risk — lower is better)

Notable issues

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)

1

DBI Complaints (7y)

11

311 Calls (7y)

0

Fire Incidents

0

2nd NOVs

0

Dir. Hearings

0

City Atty

2

Permits (7y)

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Rent & eviction protection

Is 1-19 Cardenas 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 1942

2 or more units

27 units

Property type

Multi-Family Residential

Zoning

RM1

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	27
Floors	2
Year built	1942
Total area	—
Property type	Multi-Family Residential
Tax status	None
Blocklot	7314001

Ownership

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

Owner name

American Campus Communities

Mailing address

12700 Hill Country Blvd Ste Austin TX 78738

Last sale

092206

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.

4 Varela Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

9 Cardenas Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

17 Cardenas Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

1 Cardenas Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

8 Varela Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

13 Cardenas Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

11 Cardenas Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

19 Cardenas Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

15 Cardenas Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

6 Varela Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

2 Varela Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132

Augrented Insights

Initial analysis

The 27-unit multi-family residential building at 1-19 Cardenas Avenue, owned by American Campus Communities and constructed in 1942, has experienced several significant events in recent years that warrant attention. Most notably, in January 2025, there were concerning reports of smoking in stairwells and issues with fire doors inside the building, filed as a fire safety/fire escape complaint. The property has also faced some recent fire safety concerns, with multiple fire code violations issued in April 2024 related to records/UL certificate requirements and ERCS permit requirements. Historical issues from early 2000 remain on record, including a cluster of violations in February 2000 for mold/mildew on walls and ceilings, ant infestations, and ceiling paint requirements, though these were all abated by March 2000.

The building has undergone various maintenance and infrastructure upgrades over the years, including reroofing in 2002 and installation of relay equipment in the mechanical room in 2000. Recent plumbing work was initiated in May 2023 for installation of new fixtures and equipment, though this permit was ultimately canceled. The property has a history of regular housing inspections, with multiple routine inspections recorded between 2001 and 2011, showing some ongoing oversight by housing authorities. In terms of fire incidents, while no civilian injuries have been reported in recent years, the building has experienced multiple detector activations, CO detector issues, and one documented natural gas leak incident, all of which were mitigated without injuries. The property is currently undergoing some infrastructure improvements related to a nearby SFSU development project, including sidewalk widening and infrastructure upgrades, as documented in recent planning records.

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

Risk rating

How 1-19 Cardenas 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

94th percentile

Out of 31 buildings in this neighborhood, 2 are predicted to be safer.

RiskiestSafest

Predicted 12-month outcome

26%

No DBI
violation

74%

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.

Neighborhood location

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

Owner's portfolio size

Number of SF parcels this owner is registered on — larger portfolios have distinct risk patterns.

12-Month severity forecast

No violation 17.0%

Moderate concern 40.6%

Severe concern 42.4%

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

Apartment reviews

1-19 Cardenas Ave apartment reviews

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The story over time

1-19 Cardenas Ave event timeline

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

2026

311 Request Apr 27

Parking on sidewalk

Parking Enforcement

See all 10 events

Full history back to 2020 — violations, complaints, permits, buyouts, and fire incidents.

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Every record we have

Full data for 1-19 Cardenas 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