Legislation which would require special authorization from San Francisco’s Planning Commission in order to merge or remove any residential unit in the city – whether legal, illegal or demonstrably unaffordable – is working its way through the City’s Board of Supervisors. And in addition to further restricting the merger... Read More »

Accused of waging an ongoing war of  “harassment, intimidation, and retaliation” against dozens of rent-controlled tenants in an attempt to raise her rent-roll, City Attorney Dennis Herrera is now seeking an injunction to stop Anne Kihagi from continuing to harass and illegally evict tenants in the buildings which she now... Read More »

Purchased as a vacant two-unit building on an idyllic block, with “period details and wood floors throughout,” for $2.1 million in May of 2014, the Liberty Hill duplex at 4121-4123 20th Street returned to the market this past September listed for $2.25 million with a mostly gutted lower level,... Read More »

Having been informed that securing approvals and a valid permit to legally add an off-street parking pad to his home could be challenging and time consuming, a Sunnyside homeowner engaged a landscaper to simply start digging, permits, plans and the City be damned (as we first reported last week).... Read More »

The single-family Sunnyside home at 698 Joost Avenue was purchased for $705,000 without a garage or off-street parking space in January of last year. Last month, the buyer of the home met with San Francisco’s Planning Department to discuss excavating the home’s sloped lot using Excavation Contractors to build... 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 »

It’s time for a (slightly edited) guest editorial from a plugged-in reader: I am a homeowner in SF’s 11th political district. The neighborhoods in my district have the potential to be charming, but unfortunately many people think it’s OK to pave over their front yards to then use the... Read More »

A plugged-in reader’s story and perspective on unpermitted work: Well, I’m neither a buyer, seller, planner, architect, nor nimby, and have never filed a . I’ve lived in my home for 30 years and have always followed the rule that my neighbor’s home is his business. But, that... Read More »

Last November CBS5’s Joe Vazquez took a walk though of 149 Mangels (cereal box reinforcements and all). While yesterday he wisely observed from afar (and yes, talked briefly with us). ∙ Bidding War Erupts Over $399,000 San Francisco Home ∙ San Francisco Home Under Renovation Collapses ... Read More »

The San Francisco building permit for a partial foundation replacement at 149 Mangels Avenue: San Francisco Building Permit #200703226945. The anonymous complaint for non-permitted work on the foundation that preceded the permit by two weeks: San Francisco DBI Complaint #200794822. ∙ ‘Dream house’ collapses on Sunnyside hill Read More »