Rental apartment help in Toronto

[Recoil]

Toronto people,

There is a very nice building located at 8 St. Thomas street in Toronto. Google the street and you'll see where I'm looking, it's right next to the Windsor Arms Hotel and across from Cartier. I found the link below and apparently it has been deemed a historic building due to it's architecture.

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2007/law1401.pdf

I went by the building and the entrance only has a list of residence with buzzer numbers; no contact information for rental inquiries or the superintendent's contact information. I've searched Google and I've found nothing. Anyone have any ideas of how to get information on renting a unit? It's the only building like it in the area and I'm really interested in it. I've seen a few buildings like it up at Yonge/Lawrence and West Eglinton, but none are nearly as nice, and I really don't want to start taking the subway to work. This is the only building South of Bloor that I can find like it.

If anyone has any ideas let me know, or if you know any other similar buildings in the area.

Thanks in advance.

 

[freshcutgrass]

Well, I'm afraid you're too late...the University Apartments are to be incorporated into a new condo development called The St. Thomas. There used to be a pair, but sadly one was demolished, along with a few old victorian houses.



You could still live there...only I think the condo units start at $2 million.


If older neo-classical rental buildings are your thing, there is one almost right across the street from it on Sultan St...





Otherwise, either look elsewhere on the U of T campus area...or the streets running east off Yonge, south of Bloor....loads of old walk-ups (and cheaper prices).

 

[Recoil]

I saw that one was demolished, it was in bad shape. Are you saying they are keeping the building as-is and turning it into condos, or knocking the last one down as well to build a new condo?

 

[freshcutgrass]

The one still standing has had its facade restored, and the entire building will be incorporated into the development. The demolished one was supposed to have its facade attached to the new building, but I believe that idea has since been scraped. At any rate, the old walk-up will have the interiors completely rebuilt (larger units), and will not be rental.

 

[GQgeek]

what price range are you looking in btw? I may relocate to TO at the end of next year and would be curious what you find, depending on how much it is.

 

[Recoil]

I can't say I'm a fan of the mixing of the designs.

As for price range, I bet a walk-up in that neighborhood is expensive to rent, I can only imagine what the rent is. I bet at least 2K a month for a decent 1 bedroom.

 

[freshcutgrass]

I can't say I'm a fan of the mixing of the designs.

I think that's why the facadectomy was scraped, leaving the one original building standing as if it were not part of the project. Hariri Pontarini is a good architect.

What is your budget? Old walk-ups are your preference? Do they have to be neo-Georgian?

Older, purpose-built rental buildings in Toronto are reasonably cheap, as the hyper condo market has raised the vacancy rates in older buildings to a renters market. Deals can be had in the area (UofT, Annex, etc), as this is an area that needs to house many students and faculty (read..the not so rich). In other words, considerably less than $2k.

Victorian/Edwardian/Deco era apartment buildings are not so plentiful in "old" Toronto, because the city actually prohibited them in most areas, as they dreaded the evil "tenament building"....whether you were poor, working class, middle class or rich....you generally lived in a house of some kind. "Apartment living" was something that didn't come into vogue until the swing'n 60's.

 

[Recoil]

Originally Posted by freshcutgrass

I think that's why the facadectomy was scraped, leaving the one original building standing as if it were not part of the project. Hariri Pontarini is a good architect.

What is your budget? Old walk-ups are your preference? Do they have to be neo-Georgian?

Older, purpose-built rental buildings in Toronto are reasonably cheap, as the hyper condo market has raised the vacancy rates in older buildings to a renters market. Deals can be had in the area (UofT, Annex, etc), as this is an area that needs to house many students and faculty (read..the not so rich). In other words, considerably less than $2k.

Victorian/Edwardian/Deco era apartment buildings are not so plentiful in "old" Toronto, because the city actually prohibited them in most areas, as they dreaded the evil "tenament building"....whether you were poor, working class, middle class or rich....you generally lived in a house of some kind. "Apartment living" was something that didn't come into vogue until the swing'n 60's.

Thanks for the info. I'll keep my eyes open for more buildings in those areas. Right now I'm living Bloor/Spadina and I was looking to move closer to work downtown or along Yonge.

My problem is that I can never figure out how to get a hold of the landlords to get rental information.

 

[freshcutgrass]

Well, downtown is a vague term, as it is a large area...technically, you are already downtown. Would you prefer to be closer to the Financial District?

Any building with units to rent will have info posted outside the building. Craigslist and the "Renters news" have comprehensive listings. I have a real estate background, and actually manage a deco walk-up as a sideline. I know the city well, and can probably point you in the right direction for your location/budget/aesthetic/lifestyle needs.

 

[Recoil]

Where is this walk-up you manage? What's the rent for a 1 bedroom like?

 

[freshcutgrass]

My building is in Parkdale. There is a new owner of the building, and we are trying to establish the "market rate" for the building. So far, the latest 1 BDRM went for $1k (the result of a bidding war between several people).

But, the building is being totally reno'd, and all 1 BDRMs are spoken for at this point.

If Yorkville is your thing...then good luck. But I would consider the High Park/BWV/Roncy/Parkdale area...lots of reasonable rent in charming buildings, with good access to the core via subway, streetcar, bike. They are a more "Toronto" type neighbourhood experience than the Gucci wannabe crowd in Yorkville (don't get me wrong...I do like Yorkville, it just isn't very "Toronto" ).

 

[Recoil]

I'm willing to live anywhere near where I work so Mt. Pleasant, Yorkville, Summerhill, Rosedale, Annex, etc. etc. are all fine for me. I only mentioned this building on St. Thomas specifically because I just happened to walk by it one day. If the same building was near Summerhill or Rosedale subway I'd be all over that one too.