With the tragic Ghost Ship fire leading to heightened concerns about the underground conversion of industrial buildings into un-permitted dwelling units, a formal complaint has been filed with the city alleging that the 14,000-square-foot warehouse at 1660 Jerrold Avenue, adjacent to Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood,... Read More »

Having been tagged for hiring a landscaper to simply start digging a new off-street parking pad for his newly acquired Sunnyside home, permits, plans and the City be damned, the owner of 698 Joost is now planning to go underground. While a permit to complete an emergency shoring of the hillside... Read More »

Since the beginning of the year, nearly 900 complaints have been filed with the city, alleging an illegal use, addition or action with respect to a property or property owner in San Francisco. While the complaints have ranged from the operation of an illegal “art studio/swingers sex club” on... Read More »

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed suit against the Academy of Art University today, alleging that the institution “schemed to violate state and local laws in its aggressive acquisition and use of vast real estate holdings in San Francisco.” As we first reported earlier this year, over 80... Read More »

As we first reported last year, of the 40 known properties currently operated by the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, 30 appeared to be operating illegally without necessary permits or approvals. But upon further review, it’s actually 33 of the 40 properties, or 82.5 percent, which are... Read More »

A real estate agent purchased 2523 34th Avenue, which was listed as a two-bedroom Parkside home with an (unwarranted) two-bedroom in-law unit on the ground floor, both of which were tenant occupied, for $850,000 this past October. Within a few days, an anonymous complaint was filed with the City,... Read More »

Of the 40 known properties now operated by the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, 75 percent appear to be operating illegally without necessary permits or approvals. And according to a Planning Department report slated to be presented to San Francisco’s Planning Commission next week, the following nine... Read More »

San Francisco’s Supervisors have unanimously approved legislation which will prohibit rent increases or evictions based on adding new roommates to an existing tenancy, will give tenants a chance to cure minor lease infractions, including violations of a no subletting clause, prior to allowing a landlord to initiate eviction proceedings,... Read More »

In addition to prohibiting rent increases or evictions based on adding new roommates to an existing tenancy, even when an existing lease specifically disallows new occupants or specifies an associated increase in rent, a proposed change to San Francisco’s Administrative Code would also prohibit landlords from raising the rent... Read More »

In our inbox this morning: I have very good sources that tell me my neighbor, a landlord, is in the initial stages of trying to build an illegal apartment in the SFH next door. It will be camouflaged by a permitted “renovation” to this SFH. The last thing we... Read More »