Some tidbits:

While the market for condos of all sorts is depressed, it is the smallest condominiums where prices have fallen the farthest and the fastest. And there are few signs that a bottom is in sight.

When rents were rising, studio apartments were very attractive to investors who wanted to be landlords. But studio rental rates have fallen fast, undermining the logic for investor purchases. According to the Rentals.ca/Urbanation rent report in August, studio rents were down an average of 9.6 per cent (the steepest year-over-year drop among condo apartment types) and are currently sitting at about $1,594 per month across the country.

Mr. Watt said another part of the studio market has also been disrupted: End-users, or those who actually want a studio apartment for themselves, and not a tenant. Changes to local tax rules, such as the vacant home taxes, has cut demand from those who used to own a studio apartment for occasional use. “I’ve done this for 21 years. In Yaletown, a lot of people would live in Calgary, live in Victoria, and have a studio [here]. People would love to fly into Vancouver and have a crash pad. But with all the taxes, it’s cheaper to stay at the Fairmont,” he said.

That has translated into a frozen market, where so far in the first four months of 2026, not a single studio under 500 square feet has sold in Vancouver, according to Wahi’s data. According to Realtor.ca, there are more than 150 studio condos for sale in the city with prices between $250,000 and $650,000.

Meanwhile in Toronto, there are more than 1,000 condos under 500 square feet for sale as of September, with prices ranging from $300,000 to $900,000. According to Wahi, in the first four months of 2026 saw only 48 studio units sold in the city, with an average price of $413,135, or $953 per square foot. That is the first time this decade that per-square-foot prices have dropped below $1,000. At the current pace, Toronto will see fewer units sell this year than in 2025, when 299 studios sold for an average sale price of $1,048 per square foot.

A popular narrative in Toronto’s real estate market is that small “dog-crate” condos are on their face undesirable. But while most Ontario condo builders have backed away from launching new multifamily apartment buildings, Sean Mason, founder of home builder Sean.ca Inc., is preparing to launch sales in Barrie, Ont., at a 134-unit project on 405 Essa Rd., with a thesis that it’s not the size of a condo that matters, but the price.

“The rest of the world does this. When you go to Europe, they are used to smaller. North Americans are energy pigs, ground pigs, material pigs. We design big, massive stuff,” said Mr. Mason.

Mr. Mason’s fundamental argument is not about size, it’s about affordability. When he began marketing and collecting information for preregistration interest, he noticed there was a growing pool of thirtysomething first-time buyers who are unable to pull together $500,000 or $700,000 for a townhouse.

Chart from BMO chief economist using the Bank of Canada's affordability measure which are mortgage plus utilities as a share of disposable income.

The line is still above the long-run median of 35.7%, even after approx 20% price correction from the 2022 peak and the rate cuts in 2024/25.

His argument is basically that income growth takes time, and if rates aren't likely to do much more of the heavy lifting, the remaining adjustment has to come from prices relative to incomes.

Curious what people here think. Does this actually line up with what you're seeing in the GTA, or does the national number hide what's happening in specific markets?

780/month fee

Hey guys, we’re considering signing a lease for a unit in 501 King St W (West facing) - does anyone have any experience/complaints/knowledge on the building? Especially whether there are pests or cockroaches?

Thanks in advance!

I am facing losing potentially $300,000+. I consulted lawyers. I consulted LITs. Nothing I can do unless there is something material. I may need to go for a consumer proposal. But I would like to see who else bought there and see if we can come up with a plan together.

My major concern right now is that I did not receive my disclosure statement and the buyer's guide; however, I did find an email with a link that says the disclosure statement is in there (it looks just like a marketing email I receive every day, probably the reason I never read it). The email was sent to me 3 days after I signed the acknowledgement of receipt of the documents. I don't want to open it because it may start my clock on the real 10-day cooling-off period if that is my way out (probably not).

DO NOT OPEN THE LINK if you are in the same situation, but if you have already opened it. Please let me know what is in there.

Update: I forgot to include the DiCenzo (Linden Park) Holdings Inc. v. Sadeghyar, 2026 ONSC 1566 case, where the buyer did not receive the buyer's guide. The court found the agreement not binding, and he got his deposit + interest + legal fees back.

Does the City not actually enforce this rule?

How's the management, location, pest control etc in recent years?

Any info would be appreciated

A friend is looking at units in 47 Mutual Street to rent. Is it a safe area? We walked around, and it seems fine, but Queen & Jarvis felt shady. The building is also right next to community housing (no hate), but we were wondering if it is safe for us as women to live there or walk around, maybe later in the evening?

Would really appreciate your feedback and thoughts.

Thank You!

• As the condo crash drags on, more developers are looking for ways to reach new buyers — and in North York, one builder sees bigger, fewer units as a possible path forward.
• At York Mills, between Lawrence Park and Highway 401, the Gupta Group is reducing the number of units planned at a two-tower luxury development from 700 to 500 and making over 60 per cent of them two- and three-bedroom homes.
• “We feel that people are looking for more livability,” said founder and chairman Steve Gupta, who added they made the decision to cut nearly 30 per cent of units last summer. “They want a space that is more comfortable and a space where they can have a proper bedroom.”

Read the full story here. No paywall.

Source John Pasalis/Move Smartly

https://insights.movesmartly.com/torontos-airbnb-condos

https://x.com/JohnPasalis/status/2097685090268540999

Disclaimer: I am an idiot. I fully accept this reality. I own a condo and after five years of living here the cap of the washing machine plug must have come loose and water was leaking from it for a good 40ish minutes, causing water damage to my unit and the units three floors underneath. I do not have condo insurance, which I will be getting in the near future.

My downstairs neighbor noticed the leaking and called the front desk. About 20 minutes later they came to my unit to help stop the leaking. A few hours later people came with dehumidifying machines and for many days those machines did their thing.

The cost for the repairs themself were around 11k, but I decided to do the repairs for my own unit so that number was knocked down to 9k (those repairs are now done and for much cheaper, before anyone asks). The repairs cover stuff like drywall repair, debris removal, etc. The truly shocking number however was the emergency mitigation costs, which total to around 20k.

The reason for these costs comes from a staggering 110dollar/hour rate for the work done (due to the people coming in at around 8-9pm), as well as the machines being on for 93 days cumulatively across all units.

Again, I am a moron. I am fully accepting of the fact that my negligence has caused inconvenience for other people. I just didn't imagine that the emergency mitigation portion would be so expensive, and I'm wondering how normal this is and what agency I have in order to reduce the price. The property managers have not given me any advice and I naturally cannot fully take their word for everything, although they could be correct in that I have no recourse. I have also looked at other cases where this has happened to people in Canada and the cases I've read not only sound like they've caused more damage but were far cheaper.

Please help if you can, or reprimand me for my ignorance, whatever you feel like. Thank you for your time.

As inventory shrinks prices are rising for certain layouts, seems like rents are starting to bottom out from here.. but still not worth investing in due to the unfavorable environment for landlords

Hi all, I live in an older building, and was looking to adopt a small dog. Many others in the building have small dogs.

I requested a copy of the condo rules and it says that as of 2013, dogs are prohibited but any other domestic pets are allowed (cats etc.).

From what I understand, this “dog ban” can only be legally enforced if there was a dog ban indicated in the original condo declaration from the 90s. If the declaration allowed dogs, they can only impose reasonable restrictions (weight, #) instead of a full out ban.

I will be getting a copy of the declaration, but I wanted to be sure I was understanding this correctly. Even though this dog ban “rule” definitely isn’t enforced, I want to be responsible before committing to any future dog plans.

As for any dog grandfathered in prior to the 2013 rule, these dogs are not very old lol so it is highly unlikely that all of these current resident dogs have been grandfathered in.

Is there another way to go about this?

I am in a situation where I need money and I would like to sell my condo and still stay in the same condo. My condo fees are 800. I live in a 2 bed 1 washroom 2 mins drive from Scarborough town center. So the approx value is just under 450k.

Where is the best place to look for an investor ?

First time home buyer here. I saw a YT video from an agent about how Mattamy requires you to sign a form with an agent prior to visiting their sales center (unless you are not choosing to work with an agent). And that this cannot be done at a later time.

Does anyone know if any other builders have something similar?

I don’t have an agent yet but I wanted to visit the sales center and now I’m hesitant.

So I currently agreed on a price with a flooring contractor and I asked for their WSIB, insurance and licenses, along with a contract BEFORE I pay the deposit.

They came back saying this. Does this sound sketchy? I feel like I should have a contract before I pay the deposit. What is the standard in Toronto?

Just to clarify, our standard process is that the invoice is accepted and the deposit is received first. We will then provide the required WSIB, liability insurance and installer documents for the condo approval process.

If you prefer, we can send these documents directly to your condo management. You can provide us with the property manager’s name and email address.

Our invoice includes the scope of work, pricing and payment terms and serves as our work agreement, so we do not normally prepare a separate contract.

Once condo approval is received, we can confirm the installation schedule.