📋 Status — current facts only
Rewritten Sep 28. This page carries the live board: what is booked, what is being considered, and what is ruled out. Superseded narrative stays in the vault (canada-immigration / first-few-weeks / 03-housing), not here.
✅ THE GATES — what a unit has to clear to count
💰 Rent ≤ $2,400/mo
📐 Studios ≥ ~500 sqft. 1-bedrooms carry NO size floor — the layout gets judged in person. Studios at 478 sqft and below are out.
☀️ No ground floor, no low floor — daylight is a hard requirement
🔑 Possession on or before Oct 11 · live now
❄️ A/C is not a constraint — a window unit is fine
📅 SCHEDULED & DONE — the record
Tue Sep 29 — ✓ DONE. Six buildings seen: 100 Gloucester + 105 Isabella (one MetCap slot) · 77 Wellesley · 85 Wellesley · 89 Isabella (Signet) · 80 Wellesley · 140 Carlton. Outcomes are in the banner above.
Wed Sep 30 — 🚫 NO VIEWINGS LEFT, and the viewing run is over. 🚫 09:30 177 St. George #0105 — CANCELLED (Sep 29): it is a ground-floor unit and fails the light gate. 🚫 10:30 Village Green (50 Alexander) — VIEWED AND DROPPED (Sep 30): the unit shown was small for the money, and the agent had not given notice to the unit, so the larger 500 sqft 1E could not be seen at all — the Oct 7 in-filter batch was never reachable. Teddy: not considering them anymore. ⚠️ That closes the shortest commute on the board (2.01 km / 24 min to the office). The day is now lunch + MobSquad office tour 12:00–14:00 and nothing else — and it was the last viewing day before the Oct 11 gate.
Mon Sep 28 — done. Hollyburn block 09:00 → 11:15, then 48 Isabella. 77 Huntley skipped; 25 St. Mary dropped on arrival.
⚠️ Thu Oct 1 is the first day of work, and the Airbnb ends Oct 11. No viewing days remain and nothing new is booked — the next move is phone and written work on the four survivors.
🔥 WHERE THE DECISION STANDS — the three from Sep 29
1 · ⭐ 89 Isabella — Penthouse P4 — $2,099 → $1,938 eff., $2.77–2.98/sqft (≈$2,099 at signing — the lightest on the board). Rent controlled (built 1960), heat + water in, only hydro + internet extra, and the lightest move-in on the board (last month only — first month is the free one). Penthouse, east balcony, north bedroom, high ceiling, large closet, brand-new appliances. ✅ Teddy's stated favourite. ⚠️ Claims 900 sqft, reads 650–700 — confirm. ⚠️ Marketed redevelopment site.
2 · 60 Gloucester #1005 (10th fl) — $1,899 + hydro → $2.75/sqft, the best of the three, and $2,400 cheaper across year one ($22,788). Newly renovated, faces west with a green view, big storage + coat closet, and the only in-unit laundry of the finalists (a 2-in-1 combo). Available Oct 3 or 4. ⚠️ Pigeon netting open; ✅ rent controlled — settled Sep 29. Every unit viewed is in a pre-2018 building and there is no new-build or condo stock on the list, so the Nov 15 2018 exemption cannot apply. That argument against #1 is gone — both finalists are controlled, so it no longer separates them.
3 · 100 Gloucester #706 / #213 — 640 sqft, $2,249 → $2,076 eff. ($3.24/sqft), negotiable to $2,200 → $2,031. Rent controlled, brand-new appliances, feels very spacious. ⚠️ Dearest per sqft of the three, water is extra, MetCap responsiveness is the weak leg, and #706 faces the construction site. 💸 And the worst move-in cash on the board: they ask first + last + October prorated → roughly $5,950–6,100 at signing, about $4,000 more up front than P4's $2,099. That is timing, not extra cost (October is rent for a period actually lived in, and the last-month deposit is credited to the final month) — but on a thin cash position the timing is the part that bites. Negotiate: $2,200 in writing + remove the water bill.
💸 CASH AT SIGNING is a different test from year-one cash — the Eff. and Rent columns are monthly figures and say nothing about what is needed on signing day. 89 Isabella P4: ≈$2,099 (last month only — the free month is the first) · 100 Gloucester #706/#213: ~$5,950–6,100 (first + last + October prorated), the highest on the board. That is a timing difference rather than an extra cost, but ~$4,000 up front is real money on a thin cash position.
Still tracked behind them: 🚫 177 St. George 1BR A is OUT — unit #0105 is ground floor, cancelled Sep 29 · 🚫 50 Alexander (Village Green) is OUT — viewed and dropped Sep 30: small for the money, and the agent had not given notice to the unit so the larger 500 sqft 1E could not be seen · 206 St. George (600 sqft, $2,100, rent controlled — best living quality viewed, and now the Annex's only surviving unit) · 77 Huntley 1BR 510 ($1,691 eff., ⚠️ 2024–25 pest reports) · 30 Gloucester (watchlist, one call settles it).
🚫 RULED OUT — you saw them, they are off the board
Ruled out at the Sep 29 viewing: 80 Wellesley and 77 Wellesley — street safety · 140 Carlton — old building he does not like, and no availability · 48 Isabella — same price as 60 Gloucester for a worse unit.
Ruled out at the Sep 30 viewing: 50 Alexander (Village Green) — small for the money, and the agent had not given notice to the unit, so the larger 500 sqft 1E could not be toured; the Oct 7 batch was unreachable. Was the shortest commute on the board (2.01 km / 24 min).
Nothing inside the Oct 11 window: 25 St. Mary (Nov) · 15 Dundonald (Nov 1) · 550 Jarvis (Nov 1 / Dec 1) · 10 Walmer (Nov 1).
Small studios only: 54–56 Maitland (237–291 sqft) · 608 Church (306–310) · 85 Lowther (340) · 267 St. George (340) · 35 Walmer (393) · 224 St. George, Skyliner · 262 Jarvis — its one large studio, #111 at 531 sqft, is on floor 1.
Ground floor: 414 Jarvis · Confirmed gone: 250 St. George · Viewed and rejected as too small: the studio-class units at 149 St. George and 20 Prince Arthur (both buildings stay tracked for their 1-bedrooms).
Retired earlier: 100 Alexander · 66 Isabella · 161 St. George · 1 & 7 Glen Rd · 337 Seaton · 445 Eglinton · 235 Bloor St E · 49 Dundonald · 96 Isabella · 403 Church · 18 Maitland Ter · 3 Gloucester · 17 Dundonald · 65 St. Mary · 35 Hayden · 365 Church · 42 Charles St E · Residences on Bloor.
All of them came out of the tracker, the scan list and the map — gone from the tables, the map markers and the day sheets, not merely greyed out. ⚠️ 60 Gloucester is the exception: it comes BACK — it was crossed out Sep 28 on a "too dark" note that belonged to a lower floor, and the unit viewed Sep 29 is on the 10th with good light.
🔎 VIEWING DAY — Tue Sep 29 · 6 buildings seen · 3 out, 3 live
🚫 OUT · 80 & 77 Wellesley — street safety. Teddy: "there are big homeless issue on that street, I literally see people shooting up through the window of the units." 77 Wellesley was the best value pick on this entire board ($2.43/sqft) — safety overrode it.
🚫 OUT · 140 Carlton — viewed; does not like the building, considers it very old, and reports no availability. It was the board's #1 ranked unit.
🚫 OUT · 48 Isabella — same $1,899 as 60 Gloucester and the same 762 sqft, so "same price I get better unit at 60 Gloucester."
⭐ IN · 89 Isabella — Penthouse P4 — ✅ NEW PRICE $2,049 — 1 month free on 13 mo + ~$500 laundry card → ~$1,853 eff. all-in (was $2,099 → $1,938). Rent controlled, heat + water included, only hydro + internet extra, and move-in = last month only ($2,049). Teddy's favourite — and now the front-runner to sign. 🏁 Signet countered his $1,950-flat ask with this, which is a BETTER deal on the timeline that matters: $1,361 cheaper in year 1 and $1,851 less at signing. ⚠️ Riders: ask for the $500 as a rent credit, and get the redevelopment status + move-in date ≤ Oct 11 in writing.
⚠️ LAST OF THE FOUR · 60 Gloucester #1005 — $1,899 + hydro, in-unit washer/dryer, faces west, storage + coat closet, available Oct 3 or 4. Best $/sqft of the three ($2.75). 🚩 Ranked last on the MANAGER, not the price — he was rude and said they "cannot do anything" about the pigeons, while the assistant manager said other tenants put netting up themselves and the building was fine with it.
⚠️ IN · 100 Gloucester #706 / #213 — 640 sqft, $2,249 → $2,076 eff., negotiable to $2,200. Rent controlled, brand-new appliances. Dearest per sqft of the three ($3.24); #706 faces the construction site.
🔑 The street-safety map, as he reported it: Wellesley St and Jarvis St carry the problem. Isabella St and Gloucester St both felt "safe, clean, no homeless issue."
🔄 Re-scan Oct 2, 2026 — what changed since Sep 29, 2026
30 changes found this scan.
❌ DELISTED — 252 Church: Unit 807 Studio, 1 ba MLS ID #C1 · $1,800 · Now — no longer listed (re-verify before writing it off)
❌ DELISTED — 252 Church: Unit 2702 Studio, 1 ba MLS ID #C · $1,900 · Now — no longer listed (re-verify before writing it off)
❌ DELISTED — 89 McGill: Unit 2804 2 bd, 1 ba · $2,350 · Now — no longer listed (re-verify before writing it off)
❓ NO UNITS LISTED — 425A Sackville: listing now shows zero available units (was 1) - verify by phone, aggregator pages go blank
🆕 NEW — 161 St. George: Studio, 1 ba · $1,945 · Now
🆕 NEW — 252 Church: Unit 5007 Studio, 1 ba MLS ID #C · $1,900 · Now
🆕 NEW — 252 Church: Unit 5702 Studio, 1 ba MLS ID #C · $2,000 · Now
… plus 23 more, all logged in the intake doc.
🎯 Filters active: ≤ $2,400 · ≥ 400 sqft · move-in by Oct 11. 19 unit(s) filtered out (13 over $2,400 · 4 after Oct 11 · 2 under 400 sqft) — logged in the intake doc, not alerted.
📝 Flagged, not auto-edited (curated row / ambiguous): 252 Church (gone: Unit 807 Studio, 1 ba MLS ID #C1 · $1,800 · Now — no longer listed (re-verify before writing it off)) · 252 Church (gone: Unit 2702 Studio, 1 ba MLS ID #C · $1,900 · Now — no longer listed (re-verify before writing it off)) · 89 McGill (gone: Unit 2804 2 bd, 1 ba · $2,350 · Now — no longer listed (re-verify before writing it off)) · 425A Sackville (no_units: listing now shows zero available units (was 1) - verify by phone, aggregator pages go blank) · 161 St. George (new: Studio, 1 ba · $1,945 · Now)…
🏢 PROPERTIES — one card per building, with everything we’ve learned
All our research lives here: management, pest history, promos, caveats, phone numbers and links. The day tabs show the same units as compact walk sheets — come here when you want the full story on a building.
⭐⭐ 140 Carlton St — WJ Properties🚫 RULED OUT SEP 29 — VIEWED, OLD, NOT LIKED, NO AVAILABILITY
🚫 RULED OUT — Sep 29. Teddy viewed it and is not considering the building: he does not like it, considers it very old, and reports no availability. It had been ranked #1 on this board (747 sqft, $1,950, $1,788 eff. — "the best size-per-dollar on the entire list"). Do not call, do not walk in, do not re-propose. Everything below is kept only as the record of why.
🏆
The best size-per-dollar on this entire list. 1BR D at 747 sqft works out to
$2.41/sqft effective, and the 711–725 sqft plans at $1,799 are
$2.29–2.34/sqft — versus 85 Wellesley
551 sqft ($3.54), 105 Isabella 621 sqft ($2.90) and 177 St George 581 sqft ($3.50). Promo is
1 month free on a new 13-month lease (that is what the Eff. column assumes). Rent-controlled, central AC, balcony, hardwood, fitness room + pool + sauna, night patrol, on-site management, water included, pet friendly (small & large dogs, cats). Trades:
shared laundry — no in-unit option anywhere in the building — and it sits on the east edge: ~20–25 min walk to the Village, direct 506 Carlton streetcar, Walk Score 96 / Bike 99. 2BR 1.5-bath 875/900 sqft also live at $2,499–2,700 if you ever want a roommate.
📝
You can apply online without a viewing: WJ Properties applicant portal (same as the "Book Visit or Apply" button).
Ask Tita: (1) is #709 (747 sqft, Sep 30) still unclaimed — that is the one to grab; (2) what a newcomer submits — work permit + MobSquad offer/employment letter and no Canadian credit file (a landlord cannot demand a bigger deposit in Ontario; ask what they accept instead, e.g. a guarantor or prepaid rent); (3) does the free month require the full 13-month term; (4) exact move-in cost (first + last only); (5) laundry room locations and machine count.✅
CONFIRMED BY PHONE, Sep 21: the 1BR
#1406 · 493 sqft is still available, and
you can walk in without an appointment when you're in the area. Promo is 1 month free on a 13-month lease. Apply online first if you want to move fast.🔑
Plan spread (landlord's own floorplan page, re-verified Sep 21): A 448–493 sqft · B 711 · C 725 · D 747, all from $1,799. Teddy confirmed 1BR #1406 — a
493 sqft A — at $1,799, but
1 Bedroom B (711 sqft) is also available Now from the same $1,799. Ask for B: +218 sqft for the same asking rent, and even at its $2,100 ceiling it is $2.95/sqft vs
$3.65/sqft for #1406. Note the listed rents are ranges, so B may quote at the upper end. Office Mon–Fri 9am–8pm, Sat–Sun 10am–4pm; the site says viewing is
by appointment, 7 days a week while the phone said walk-in is fine — trust the phone.
50 Alexander St — The Village Green🚫 VIEWED AND DROPPED SEP 30 · NO LONGER CONSIDERED
Brookfield Properties · also covers 55 Maitland · (877) 706-3093
🚫
DROPPED Sep 30 — TEDDY IS NOT CONSIDERING THIS BUILDING. The 10:30 tour showed a unit that was
small for the money, and the agent
had not given notice to the unit, so the larger
500 sqft 1E could not be seen at all — the Oct 7 batch below was therefore never reachable, and it was the whole reason this building was on the board. ⚠️ It was the
shortest commute on the board (2.01 km / 24 min to the office) and its block had cleared the Sep 29 walk-by, so the loss is real.
Everything below is kept for the record only.🔥
Re-scanned Sep 22 off the landlord's OWN availability page (
rentcafe.com — Village Green) —
Zillow was only showing 2 of 27 units.
Correct read: nothing fits today, but a big batch lands Wed Oct 7. Two 2BRs are "Now" at $3,045–3,070 (over cap);
16 units are dated Oct 7.
✅
The 7 Oct 7 units that PASS your filters (≤ $2,400 · ≥ 400 sqft · by Oct 11): •
1E Reno 2 · 500 sqft · 1BR — 1-1402
$2,135 · 3-0302
$2,120 ← the best of the batch; a real 500 sqft 1BR under your cap
•
Jr 1B Reno 2 · 430 sqft · 1BR — 2-2302
$1,970 · 2-2402
$1,970 •
Jr 1A Reno 2 · 416 sqft · 1BR — 2-1707
$1,970 •
SJ Reno 3 · 437 sqft · studio — 2-1003
$1,945 •
SH · 430 sqft · studio — 2-0802
$1,765 (cheapest in-filter unit here)
⏳
Oct 7 also drops 4 units you can't take (2-1005 $3,055 · 2-1604 $2,790 · 2-2904 $2,840 · 2-1804 $3,075 — all over cap) and a run of
342/371 sqft studios at $1,720–1,875 (under your 400 sqft floor).
⌛
The Nov 7 batch (9 units) is outside your window — 1J 665 $2,210 · 1K 683 $2,295 · 1M 713 $2,380 · 1E 500 $2,000 · SA 342 $1,745 · 2H 884 $3,040. If the Oct 7 batch gets claimed, Nov 7 is the same story one month later.
🎁
Promo: up to 2 months free base rent — "restrictions apply, offers vary by floor plan". Assume nothing until they confirm per-unit: at 2 months/13, the 500 sqft 1BR nets to
~$1,794 eff. ($3.59/sqft) and the $1,765 studio to
~$1,493.
📞
How to move: there is
no walk-in here — book a tour. Office
Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm (Wed to 7pm), Sat 10am–5pm, closed Sunday. Brookfield leasing
(877) 706-3093 · also covers 55 Maitland.
Ask: (1) can I tour a 500 sqft 1E now; (2) does the Oct 7 date move at all; (3) exactly how much free rent applies to THAT unit; (4) total move-in (first + last only — bigger deposits are illegal in Ontario).
⚠️
Diligence: the complex has
3.5/5 from 5 RentCafe reviews, with recent residents citing slow maintenance, unresponsive office and cut security hours — plus the older building-wide mice/mold reports on the sister building. This is also a
1960s-era 3-tower complex (40/50/55 Alexander): 24-hr card laundry (shared), elevator, gated, underground garage, dog park, bike storage, package room.
Inspect on the tour: the actual unit (Reno 2/3 finishes differ), the laundry room, and ask a resident about the office + super.
⭐ 85 Wellesley St — The Lincoln✓ LIVE · 1BR $1,950 / STUDIO $1,750 · BOTH NOW
Church-Wellesley Village · confirmed by phone Sep 10, listing re-verified Sep 13 · (647) 930-7911
📏 CORRECTED Sep 13 (from the live listing): the studio is 422 sqft (earlier notes said 480) and the 1BR is 551 sqft (earlier said 560); both are available Now. 422 sqft is still a genuinely roomy studio, and no promo to chase — the price you see is the price.
📞 Their instruction: call back ~Sep 20 — one week before you land — to book the viewing.✅ Called Sep 21 — the manager is on site 9am–5pm and will show the unit himself; ring during the day, no booking system. That satisfies their “call back ~Sep 20” instruction. ⚠️ Laundry type still unverified — ask on the call.
📞 Their instruction: call back ~Sep 20 — one week before you land (Sep 27) — to book the viewing.
77 Wellesley St E — Wellesley Apartments🚫 RULED OUT SEP 29 — STREET SAFETY
🚫 RULED OUT — Sep 29, on street safety. Teddy viewed it: "there are big homeless issue on that street, I literally see people shooting up through the window of the units." This was the single best value unit on the board — 780 sqft at $1,899, $2.43/sqft, appointment booked — and the safety call overrode all of it. Do not re-propose, whatever the price does. ⚠️ Carry the lesson forward: the Wellesley / Jarvis corridor is a standing exclusion, while Isabella St and Gloucester St were both described as safe and clean on the same day.
MetCap Living · Wellesley St E + Church St · Leasing 647-932-9038 · agent Maria / 226-639-5095
🆕 MetCap confirmed a 1BR directly (Sep 21). 780 sqft at $1,899 = $2.43/sqft — the best square-foot value on your entire list, and the largest 1BR found so far (48 Isabella #604 is 762 sqft). The 1B-611 floor plan is published, so you can rule the layout in or out before going.
⚠️ Utilities are the catch. Rent includes AC only — heat, hydro and water are all extra. That is the only building on your list set up this way; most cover heat and several cover water. Rough all-in lands near $2,050–2,120 (~$2.63–2.72/sqft) — still good, no longer dominant. Parking $170. That utility figure is my estimate, not a quote — get a real number on the call.
✅ 1-minute walk to Wellesley station (Walk Score 99, joint-highest of the Metcap five), pet friendly, on-site laundry + storage lockers + on-premise security, elevator, underground parking. Only 30 units / 4 floors — small and likely quiet, but no gym and shared laundry only.
🎁 Promo: 1 month free + parking incentive. The parking half is worthless to you (no car in Toronto) — make them confirm the free month applies to this unit.
📍 Church & Wellesley is the Village — the bar/club strip is on the doorstep. Ask about floor and street-facing vs courtyard, and walk past in the evening before signing.
80 Wellesley St E — Castellana🚫 RULED OUT SEP 29 — STREET SAFETY
🚫 RULED OUT — Sep 29, same viewing day and same verdict as 77 Wellesley. Street-level homeless and drug activity, visible from the units. This sits on top of the existing too-small rejection (Jr 1BR, 464 sqft) — either ground alone would have killed it. Do not call.
MetCap Living · Wellesley St E + Church St · Leasing 647-932-9040 · agent Maria / 226-407-0239
🆕 MetCap confirmed (Sep 21) — but this is the weak one of the five. The live unit is a "Jr 1 Bedroom" at 464 sqft for $1,929 = $4.16/sqft, second-worst $/sqft on your list and only 64 sqft above your 400 floor. It is a real 1BR on paper but priced like a premium unit at junior size.
✅ Heat is included here (unlike 77 Wellesley, where it is not); hydro + water extra. 76 units / 13 floors, elevator, on-site laundry + management, storage lockers, assigned + underground parking. 1-minute walk to Wellesley station (Walk Score 98).
📌 Ask them to quote a FULL 1BR rather than the junior. If a standard 1BR lands near $2,000 at 600+ sqft it becomes genuinely interesting — at 464 sqft it does not beat anything already on your shortlist.
155 Wellesley St E — Wellesley SquareMETCAP CONFIRMED · 1BR 526 SQFT + STUDIO 439 SQFT · GYM
MetCap Living · Wellesley St E + Jarvis St · Leasing 647-932-9041 · agent Maria / 226-406-5152
🆕 MetCap confirmed (Sep 21). Two live units: 1BR 526 sqft at $1,948 ($3.70/sqft) and studio 439 sqft at $1,844 ($4.20/sqft). Both sit mid-table on value, so this is a see-it-in-person call rather than a numbers play — the amenity list is why you would bother.
✅ Best amenities of the three Wellesley buildings: fitness centre, bike storage, wheelchair accessible, enterphone security, smart-card laundry, visitor parking, 118 units / 16 floors with on-site management. Heat included; hydro + water extra.
📍 Wellesley St E + Jarvis — 400 m east of 77/80 Wellesley, so it pairs naturally with those two stops.
⚠️ Price conflict: the live landlord page says from $1,948; a search listing showed $1,999. Treat $1,948 as current and reconfirm — a $51 swing will not change your decision, but the promo terms might.
💡 Note on value: 48 sqft and a gym over the cheaper Wellesley options — the amenities are what the premium buys.
🆕 89 Isabella St — Signet Group⭐ VIEWED SEP 29 · PENTHOUSE P4 $2,099 · $1,938 EFF. · RENT CONTROLLED · TEDDY'S FAVOURITE
⭐ VIEWED Sep 29 — Penthouse P4, and it is the current favourite. $2,099 with 1 month free on a 13-month lease + a $500 laundry card → $1,938 effective. Rent controlled (built 1960). Heat + water included, only hydro + internet extra. Move-in cost = last month only — the lightest upfront on the board. East balcony, north bedroom, high ceiling, large closet, brand-new appliances, move-in ready. ⚠️ Square footage conflict: the building claims 900, Teddy reads 650–700 — get it measured. ⚠️ The north bedroom faces the same construction site he flagged at 100 Gloucester, but the height makes it tolerable with the window closed. Shared laundry — "not a dealbreaker." ⚠️ Still a marketed redevelopment site (CBRE, $45M, Nov 2023) — confirm the current status. The two units below (515 / unlisted sqft) are the older tracked rows.
Church-Yonge corridor · built 1960 → rent-controlled · Signet Group (same landlord as 262 Jarvis) · agent Cheryl Lasay · leasing (416) 731-0870 · office (416) 783-1600
🆕 FOUND Sep 22 — Cheryl Lasay (Signet) volunteered this in her reply about 262 Jarvis and is showing it in the same 2pm appointment on Tue Sep 29. It had never appeared in any sweep; 89 Isabella was not tracked anywhere.
✅ Built 1960 → rent controlled (pre-Nov 15 2018). That is a real edge over 252 Church and every post-2018 build on your list.
📐 Two 1-bedrooms live, both "Now": #503 — 515 sqft, $1,999 ($3.88/sqft gross, $3.58 effective with the free month) and #204 — $2,099, size not published. 515 sqft clears your 400 floor, but at $3.58/sqft effective this lands mid-to-low on your board — behind 77 Wellesley ($2.43), 140 Carlton ($2.39 eff) and even 48 Isabella #604 ($2.49).
🎁 Promo: 1 month free on a 13-month lease + $500 laundry card, select suites. Heat + water included; hydro extra. Parking $100 outdoor / $120 underground.
⚠️ Shared/on-site laundry, not in-suite. Pet friendly (small dogs, cats), elevator, storage lockers, bike room, balconies on select units, stainless appliances, hardwood + individual thermostats. Walk Score 99 / Bike 99. Reviews are thin and mixed — Birdeye 3.8★ (6 reviews); r/TorontoRenting calls the block "old apartment buildings… nothing special or luxurious but fine".
⚠️ THE CATCH — it is a marketed redevelopment site. CBRE listed the 76-unit building for sale in Nov 2023 at $45M as a "prime redevelopment opportunity": 0.61 acres, ~500,000 sqft of density potential, up to 655 units (76 rental replacement). The whole block is a redevelopment corridor — 88 and 90 Isabella hold approved 62- and 69-storey towers, 81/83 Isabella have a live rental-demolition application (25 174951 STE 13 RH), and 164–168 Isabella were approved in Jul 2026 for a 70-storey tower. A purpose-built rental CAN be demolished (N13) with LTB approval and rental replacement — unlike the N12 owner-use risk on 252 Church, this one is a demolition risk.
✅ But be precise: as of Sep 2026 I found no demolition or rezoning application filed for 89 itself — the 2023 listing is marketing, not an application. And Ontario's O. Reg. 240/26 (Sep 21 2026) now presumes bad faith where a named N12/N13 occupant doesn't actually move in. So this is a question to ask, not an automatic walk-away.
📞 ASK CHERYL: ① has the building sold, and to whom? ② any demolition, rezoning or site-plan application in progress, and what timeline? ③ what is the rent-control status in writing? ④ is 515 sqft the real size of #503, and what does #204 measure? ⑤ does #503 qualify for the free month?
30 Gloucester St — Gloucester Gate👀 WATCHLIST · CONDO · 0 AVAILABLE (Sep 18)
Church-Yonge Corridor / The Village · 16 units · 1 block to Wellesley station · condo building (no leasing office)
🆕 IDENTIFIED Sep 18 — the old row called this "a small building with no own site." It is in fact "Gloucester Gate": a condo, so suites are listed one at a time by individual agents and there is never a building page to scan. As of Sep 18 every aggregator shows 0 available — all 16 tracked units read "Occupied".
📊 What it looks like when one does appear: studio 498–499 sqft @ $1,600–$2,220 · 1BR 520–700 sqft @ $1,400–$1,900 · 2BR 1,000 sqft @ $2,595. Several listings advertise hydro + heat + water + parking included.
🏊 Amenities: gym, pool, library, party room, concierge/door person, on-site laundry, controlled access, parking garage.
🎯 The play is an alert, not a call — there is no leasing office. An all-inclusive 1BR here at $1,600–1,900 would rank near the top of your board if one lists before you sign.
⭐ 20 Prince Arthur Ave✅ VIEWING BOOKED Mon Sep 28 · 10:00 · UNIT #2301 (500 SQFT) · SUBSTITUTION WON
🏆 The substitution landed. The booking made Sep 14 names #2301 — the 500 sqft studio at $1,999 — not the 374 sqft #00802 Hollyburn first offered at the same price ($5.34/sqft, the worst value on the list). Same rent, a third more space: $4.00/sqft, and the roomiest studio on the entire board. Notably large studios, private balconies, well-maintained.
⚠️ Ask on the visit: #2301 is listed Sep 30 against your Oct 1 start — confirm the exact date; and ask what else is open in the building (the 740 sqft 2BR at $3,000 is over budget, but a 1BR might not be).
149 St. George✅ VIEWING BOOKED Mon Sep 28 · 09:30 · UNIT #106
📅 Booked Sep 14 for Mon Sep 28, 09:30 EDT — showing #106 (studio, Oct 1, $1,800). Second stop. Use the intercom; buzzer code is posted next to it.
✅ Size settled at 500 sqft (Sep 21) — Hollyburn had quoted 414, which would have been $4.35/sqft; at 500 it is $3.60/sqft. This was the single biggest value swing of the five.
🔍 Also ask: anything open in 151 or 153 St. George (same building group), and whether the Zillow 1BR 652 sqft at $2,300 has moved under budget.
485 Huron St — Brazil Towers (Cromwell)SMALL FOR PRICE
Cromwell Management · renovated, quiet U of T area, 5 min to Huron St Airbnb
Small for the money at this rent. Only worth it if you specifically want this block.
177 St. George St — The Annex🚫 RULED OUT SEP 29 — GROUND FLOOR (0105), VIEWING CANCELLED
🚫 RULED OUT — Sep 29, on the floor gate. Teddy: "I have decided not to 177 St. George, it's ground floor, it won't work for me." Unit #0105 is ground floor, so the Wed Sep 30 09:30 viewing was cancelled and the promo question (worth up to ~$2,800/yr) went with it. The unit was fine on paper — 581 sqft, $2,035, rent controlled, renovated — the floor killed it. This was the Annex's last nominee: 206 St. George is the only Annex unit left standing.
Own site · renovated, balconies, pet friendly · (844) 308-9800 · sister property 161 St. George — ⚠️ no availability, confirmed Sep 25
📞 Cogir, by phone Sep 25: the 1 Bedroom A — 581 sqft, $2,035/month — is available for the Oct move-in. That reverses the Sep 10 answer that had this building and sister 161 St. George dead until Nov 1. The leader by size-per-dollar among the 1-bedrooms you can actually get: $3.50/sqft against $4.00 at 20 Prince Arthur. Only 48 Isabella #604 (762 sqft, $1,899, $2.49/sqft) beats it on value, and that one is a same-size swap ask, not a listed unit.
⚠️ Ask at the viewing: does it carry the same promo as sister 161 — 50% off 3 months on a 13-month lease? At $2,035 gross that promo lands near $1,957 effective. Confirm the exact unit number and available date too.
⚠️ Frat houses on St George north of Bloor — ask which way the unit faces. Renovated, balconies, pet friendly, in-building laundry. Book a viewing.
48 Isabella St (Hollyburn)🚫 RULED OUT SEP 29 — 60 GLOUCESTER WINS AT THE SAME PRICE
🚫 RULED OUT — Sep 29. Teddy went back and viewed it: #604 and #204 are the same size and price, rent lowered to $1,899, 762 sqft — which was genuinely good. His verdict: "not considering because same price I get better unit at 60 Gloucester." A comparative loss, not a defect in the building. Keep the row: at $1,899 for 762 sqft it is a real fallback if 60 Gloucester falls through, and the pest question was never resolved either way.
📅
Booked Sep 14 for
Mon Sep 28, 10:45 EDT — showing
#204 (1BR, 762 sqft, $2,100, Oct 1).
The best size-per-dollar of the five Hollyburn suites — and the one with the real question mark.
Walk the chute room, the laundry room, the stairwells and the hallways, not just the unit — every corroborated roach sighting was in those shared spaces, so a unit-only tour is the one thing that cannot clear this building.
✅ Teddy's call (Sep 10): demoviction deprioritized. Earliest move-out is
2030 and he is not planning a stay anywhere near that long, so demolition risk
does not apply to him. Recorded here for context, not as an objection. The open question on this building is the
pests — checking in person.
Context — the demolition application is real and active: City of Toronto public notice (Aug 1, 2025): Planning Application
25 182140 STE 13 OZ + Rental Housing Demolition Application
25 182157 STE 13 RH — a
69-storey, 814-unit tower replacing the current 10-storey, 84-unit building. Owner/applicant is
Land's Edge Properties (a 2024 Hollyburn divestiture); Hollyburn is only the property manager. City planner: Stephan Posikira, (416) 396-7824. Community consultation was Sep 18, 2025;
the application is still under review and the developer's own site says the earliest anyone would have to move out is
2030.
city notice ·
developer siteWhy it doesn't matter here: under Toronto's rental-replacement rules only
"eligible tenants" — those who moved in BEFORE the demolition application was filed — get the right to return at similar rent, the rent-gap payment (~36 months) and moving allowances. The application was filed ~June 2025, so
a lease signed now would put you outside that class — no right to return, no rent-gap payment.
Not relevant for a short stay; matters only if you ever wanted to be here long-term.🪳 ROACH PROBLEM — CORROBORATED by multiple tenants, and it is CURRENT. A departing tenant posted a detailed review (~Aug 26, 2026, warning prospective tenants being shown units): roach carcasses hidden in a bathroom closet within days of their Aug 2024 move-in, a live roach on the kitchen wall, droppings behind the upper cupboards and on the ceiling, and sightings in the
garbage chute room, stairwells, hallways and the laundry room. They had two treatments; the first made it worse. They credit
management with responding promptly and having a pest protocol, but say sightings continued periodically through 2025 and
as recently as ~1 month before the post — "clearly an established population somewhere in the building."
Two other tenants independently confirm: one "lived in that building for a few years and the roach infestation was insane — they would literally crawl on me at night"; another lived there ~11 years ago and had
roaches AND bedbugs, saying it only resolved after neighbours got the
LTB involved and forced a full-building spray. Management named in the reports:
Peter (building manager),
Shpresa (co-manager),
Omar (property manager).
Fairness note: that review is long and the author is in significant distress — much of it concerns noise, the laneway, and a masking dispute, and some commenters called them a difficult tenant. The pest claims specifically are what is corroborated (three separate tenants, spanning ~11 years), so weight those and not the rest.🔍 At the viewing: inspect caulk lines, under-sink traps, behind the upper cupboard doors and the ceiling; look at the garbage chute room and laundry room, not just the unit; ask when the whole building was last treated and whether it was a full-building spray or unit-only.
📧
Hollyburn emailed (Sep 10): suite
#00204, 1 bed,
762 sqft, $2,100, available Oct 1 — stained hardwood, grey quartz counters, dishwasher, upgraded appliances, balcony, west facing ($2.76/sqft, one of the better size-per-dollar units in the in-zone set).
Focus the viewing on the pests (see below) — the demoviction is not a deciding factor for a short stay.
105 Isabella St (Metcap)METCAP · HEAT INCLUDED · 1BR 667 SQFT + STUDIO 447 SQFT
MetCap Living · Isabella St + Jarvis St · leasing 647-932-9003 · agent Maria / 226-407-4983 · shares one Metcap page with 100 Gloucester St
🆕 MetCap landlord page re-checked Sep 21. Two live suites, both under the Metcap lease office rather than a third party: studio 447 sqft at $1,699 and 1BR 667 sqft at $2,099. ⚠️ Both figures conflict with the tracker's Zillow numbers: studio 447 vs 424 sqft, and 1BR 667 sqft / $2,099 vs 621 sqft / $1,951. The 1BR is bigger and pricier than Zillow suggested — confirm which is current before counting on either.
✅ "Heat is included in the rent" — stated outright on the landlord site. Hydro and water extra. Balconies in select suites.
🏢 433 units / 11 floors across the shared 100 Gloucester & 105 Isabella property. Amenities: on-site laundry, storage lockers, elevator, on-site management, assigned + underground parking, pet friendly. Walk Score 99, ~5 min to Wellesley station.
🎁 Promo: 1 month free + additional parking incentives on select units (the parking half is worth nothing to you — no car).
📌 The 447 sqft studio at $1,699 is the roomiest studio on the board at that rent — that is the real reason to keep this one alive. Also ask about the 2025 security staffing cuts the tracker flagged.
77 Huntley St — Huntley ApartmentsSTUDIO 375 SQFT $1,620 · 1BR 510 SQFT $1,845 · ALL IMMEDIATE · 🚶 WALK-IN
RPMSI · (416) 964-8265 · book.77huntley.ca · sqft confirmed Sep 14
📏 SQFT RESOLVED (Sep 14): the landlord confirms studio 375 sqft and 1BR 510 sqft. That splits the building — the studio at 375 sqft fails your 400 sqft floor (and is only $4.32/sqft, mid-pack), while the 1BR at 510 sqft / $1,845 is $3.62/sqft — genuinely good size-per-dollar (compare 50 Alexander's 430 sqft 1BR at $1,920 = $4.47, or 15 Dundonald's 478 sqft at $1,725 = $3.61 for the same money as a smaller-but-cheaper unit). Treat the 1BR as the unit here, not the studio.
⚠️ CORRECTED Sep 13: the live listing shows all three as "Available Immediately" with no free-month promo shown — the earlier "1 month free" may have ended, so the Eff. column equals list price (marked ⚠). Ask whether any promo still applies. Ask too about the 2024–25 bedbug/roach/mice reports (tenant FB group vs landlord) — inspect carefully.
Indoor pool + sauna, connected to Greenwin Square Mall.🚶 WALK-IN — RPMSI explicitly welcomes it: “meet our leasing team at the rental office located at the street level… please bring photo ID and proof of income”. ⚠️ book.77huntley.ca is DISABLED — the page says it is not offering services through the booking site right now, so don't rely on it. (416) 964-8265 did not answer Sep 21; the staffed main office is (416) 489-7368 (33 Davisville Ave) with rentals@rpmsi.net (dedicated leasing inbox) and info@rpmsi.net. Promo has appeared as 1 Month Rent Free.
27 Winchester StLIVE · 2BR 1,000 SQFT $2,750 · OVER CAP
Cabbagetown · Parliament & Carlton · heritage building, 8 units ·
>(647) 560-3601🆕 FOUND LIVE Sep 18 — freshly painted 2nd-floor apartment, ~1,000 sqft, private rear deck, free on-site laundry, one free outdoor parking space, storage locker (~5'×6'), dishwasher, hardwood, original (decommissioned) decorative fireplace, private entrance. Water included; you pay hydro, cable, internet. 1-year minimum then month-to-month. Non-smoking, no pets. Steps from Parliament & Carlton; Walk Score 97.
⚠️ $2,750/mo is $350 over your cap, and it is a 2BR. But at $2.75/sqft it is the best space-per-dollar on the entire board — the cheapest way to get a genuine second room (office / host) if you ever decide you want one.
425A Sackville StLIVE · 2BR 700 SQFT $3,995 · NO
Cabbagetown · M4X 1T1 · main floor + basement unit
🆕 FOUND LIVE Sep 18 — 2BR/1BA, 700 sqft at $3,995/mo = $5.71/sqft, the worst space-per-dollar on the board. Available Nov 1, which also misses your Oct 11 cutoff. HomeLife Realty separately markets a 2BR/2BA main-floor + basement at this address.
❌ Verdict: no. $1,595 over budget, and still overpriced per square foot even if the budget were relaxed. This is a Cabbagetown-detached-house price, not an apartment price.
306 Sackville St — Peanut Factory LoftsLIVE · 3BR 2,600 SQFT $6,989 · NO
Cabbagetown · M5A 3G2 · loft / townhome conversion
🆕 CORRECTED Sep 18 — this address was bundled into the "private landlords, knock on the door" row. It is actually "Peanut Factory Lofts": a 3BR/3BA loft conversion of 2,600–2,750 sqft listed at $6,989/mo.
❌ Verdict: no — but the correction is the point. Oct 1 was carrying this as a cheap private-landlord lead. It is the most expensive address on the entire list.
🎯 Where Cabbagetown's value sits: 27 Winchester (2BR 1,000 sqft / $2,750 — still over your cap, but the best $/sqft on the board). Not here. Oct 1 has no walk day.
🗑️ 337 Seaton St was removed Sep 18 — you judged the unit too old to be comfortable in, so it is no longer tracked or researched.
⭐ 206 St. George St — The AnnexVIEWED (WALK-IN, Mon Sep 28) · 1BR 600 SQFT $2,100 · RENT CONTROLLED · THE ANNEX'S ONLY SURVIVOR
⭐ The best living quality of anything viewed on this hunt — high floor, large balcony with a good street view, lots of light, a large bedroom closet plus a coat closet, and a new stove + fridge coming. $2,100 · heat included. ⚠️ No A/C (a window unit is fine — confirm it fits and is permitted) and ⚠️ shared in-building laundry. This is the Annex's only surviving unit: 177 St. George went out on the floor gate, 250 St. George is gone, and 149 St. George / 20 Prince Arthur were ruled out on size.
The Annex · St George station (Line 1 + Line 2) · 0.46 km / 6 min walk · walk-in — no contact captured: no building website and no listing source exists, so the link below is a map pin, not a listing
📐 Both of its open numbers are now SETTLED (Sep 29), and both came back in its favour. Size = 600 sqft (Teddy pinned it) → $3.50/sqft, so the 550 sqft downside case ($3.82/sqft) is off the table. Rent controlled — every unit viewed is in a pre-2018 building, and with no new-build or condo stock the Nov 15 2018 exemption cannot apply.
⚠️ What is left is PHONE WORK, not a viewing: ① the unit number ② the leasing name and number — nothing was captured on the walk-in ③ any incentive at all — none was mentioned and every other finalist has one (a free month would take it to $1,925 eff. / $3.21 per sqft) ④ the exact move-in date, and whether it can be Oct 1 ⑤ utilities beyond heat, and whether a portable A/C is permitted.
⚖️ How it stands: level with 177 St. George on $/sqft (both $3.50), and ~$150–250/mo more than the Church-Wellesley trio (89 Isabella P4 $2.77–2.98, 60 Gloucester $2.75, 100 Gloucester $3.24) for 40–100 sqft less and a 46-minute walk to the office against 30–32. What it still wins: quiet, the St George Line 1+2 interchange, and the best living experience of the hunt. ⚠️ "Unit a bit old" — Teddy's own words — though the landlord is spending on it (new stove + fridge coming). 🐜 Pest reputation: not recorded — inspect rather than assume.
🎯 THE SEP 29 FINALISTS — what each one still needs before it can win
Everything here came out of the viewing day itself. In every case: ask for the number in writing, and remember deposits are first + last only in Ontario.
🏁 DECISION MADE, Sep 30 — TAKING 89 ISABELLA P4. One competitor left standing, and one signature set outstanding.
✅ 89 ISABELLA P4 — $2,049/mo · 1 month free on a 13-month lease · ~$500 laundry card · heat + water included · MOVE-IN OCT 2. Chosen over 100 Gloucester #1106 ($2,050 + 1 free month), which Teddy toured: less noisy than the other two units there, but felt smaller. It lost on three counts — move-in cost 2.5 months = $5,125 vs Isabella's $2,049 (Isabella is $3,076 less out of pocket on day one), move-in Oct 6 vs Oct 2 (Oct 2 leaves 9 days of buffer before the Airbnb ends Oct 11; Oct 6 leaves 5), and all-in $1,924/mo vs $1,878/mo once water is counted, on a smaller unit (640 vs ~675 sqft).
⚠️ THE REDEVELOPMENT ANSWER CAME BACK GOOD — but it is VERBAL. The Signet agent said: "The landlord will provide ample time for all the tenants to find a new place. Please be reminded that the redevelopment is a long term plan. We may be looking into 5-10 years." ✅ That clears the threshold. 🚩 But "ample time" is not a number — the statutory floor is only 4 months, and this was said by an agent, not written on the form. BEFORE COUNTERSIGNING THE LEASE: ① put the "5-10 years / earliest vacate estimate" ON THE DISCLOSURE FORM (it is a blank required field) ② Landlord/Rental Agent section signed and dated ③ add the non-waiver line preserving RTA / City of Toronto Act / Ch.667 rights ④ get the planning + RH file numbers. Also still worth asking: the $500 as a rent credit rather than a laundry card.
Ranking final: 89 Isabella P4 ✅ CHOSEN › 100 Gloucester #1106 (runner-up, keep warm until signed) › 206 St. George › 60 Gloucester (last, on the manager).
1 · ⭐ 89 Isabella P4 — ✅ COUNTERED BACK, and it BEATS TEDDY'S OWN ASK. RECOMMENDED: ACCEPT. Teddy asked $1,950/mo on 12 months, no promo. Signet came back: $2,049/mo WITH the promo kept — 1 month free on a 13-month lease + ~$500 laundry card (they moved −$50 on the base AND kept the free month). Cash at signing $2,049 (first month free + last-month deposit) vs $3,900 for the flat-$1,950 ask; first 12 months paid $22,039 (11 × $2,049 − $500 card) vs $23,400 for the ask and $22,589 for the original. ✅ So the counter is $1,361 cheaper in year 1 and needs $1,851 LESS up front. The flat-$1,950 ask wins only on base rent ($99/mo lower) — clawing back $1,361 at $99/mo takes ~14 months of year 2, i.e. past ~month 26. On a thin cash position the lighter signing day wins. ⚠️ Two riders before saying yes: ① convert the $500 laundry card to a rent credit (same cost to them, strictly better to him — don't lose the deal over it) ② in writing: the redevelopment-application status and a move-in date on/before Oct 11 — a 13-month term on a marketed redevelopment site is the real open risk, not the last $50. 🛑 Do NOT push the base further — they have moved twice, and the remaining prize is certainty, not rent.
2 · 100 Gloucester — 📞 BACKUP, but there is now an 11th-FLOOR unit at ~$2,050. ① Is the $2,050 WITH the free month or without? That is a $2,050 swing at signing ($2,050 vs $4,100) — and "potentially" is not a number, so get it in writing. ② Does the 11th-floor unit FACE the construction site? 🎧 Height cuts ground-level street noise, but construction noise can be WORSE at height — tower cranes, concrete pumps and material drops are elevated and nothing blocks the sightline. The FACE decides, not the floor. ③ On the sticker $2,050 vs 89 Isabella's $2,049 is a $1/mo dead heat, but all-in this still loses: Isabella includes heat + water and this building charges BOTH hydro and water (~$45/mo) → ~$1,051 worse in year 1, ~$2,156 worse over 3 years, on a smaller unit (640 vs 650–700 sqft; $3.20 vs $3.04/sqft). ④ Real edges: the responsive landlord and NO redevelopment risk — which makes this a credible co-favourite, and the outright pick if Isabella's redevelopment answer comes back bad. ⑤ Keep him warm with a polite "still deciding, back to you this week" until any lease is actually SIGNED.
3 · 60 Gloucester #1005 — now LAST. 🚩 The manager was rude and flatly said they "cannot do anything" about the pigeons. ⚡ Contradicted: the assistant manager (spoken to Sep 29) was pleasant and said other tenants installed their own balcony netting and the building was fine with it — the two people at the same desk disagree. 💰 Cost was never the blocker: typical Toronto balcony netting is $365–425 (worst-case awkward installs ~$1,200–1,800); at $1,200 over 12 months #1005 is $1,899 → $1,999 effective — still competitive. ⚖️ Under the RTA, pest control is the landlord's obligation, and pigeon fouling carries real health risk (histoplasmosis, psittacosis, salmonella) — a refusal supports a T6/T2 application and a rent abatement. 🧭 But the unit is not the problem, the relationship is. A manager who stonewalls before you sign is a 12-month preview.
| Building | Open ask |
|---|
⭐ 89 Isabella — Penthouse P4
Signet · $2,049 (was $2,099) · favourite · ✅ counter on the table | 🏁 Signet has countered: $2,049/mo + 1 month free on 13 months + ~$500 laundry card. Before accepting, secure: ① convert the $500 card to a rent CREDIT — same cost to them, strictly better (a card only spends at the laundromat) ② ⚠️ the redevelopment-application status IN WRITING — this is a marketed redevelopment site on a 13-month term, and an N13 would make the low rent irrelevant ③ move-in date ≤ Oct 11 in writing ④ REAL SQUARE FOOTAGE — the building says 900 sqft, Teddy reads 650–700 ⑤ hydro + internet cost per month ⑥ window type — will it take a window A/C unit. |
60 Gloucester #1005
10th floor · $1,899 · ⚠️ LAST of the four | 🚩 Ranked last on MANAGEMENT ATTITUDE — the manager was rude and refused the netting outright. ⚡ But the assistant manager (Sep 29) said other tenants installed their own balcony netting and the building was fine with it — get it in writing from her, not him. Netting cost is not the blocker: $365–425 typical, ~$1,200–1,800 worst case; at $1,200 over 12 mo this is $1,899 → $1,999 effective. ⚖️ Pest control is the landlord's RTA obligation — a flat refusal supports a T6/T2 filing and a rent abatement. Also open: ① sqft (691 never confirmed in person) ② ✅ rent control settled (Sep 29) ③ any promo at all — the only finalist with none ④ hydro cost ⑤ Oct 3 or Oct 4 — pick one in writing. |
100 Gloucester #706 / #213
MetCap · $2,249 → $2,200 | ① $2,200 in writing — and does the free month survive it? ② remove the water bill (resident's tip) ③ which unit, and what level is each on? the construction reads far worse lower down ④ is there a third unit on a quiet face? neither #706 nor #213 faces one ⑤ hydro + water cost in dollars ⑥ move-in date ⑦ the move-in cash, in writing — they ask first + last + October prorated → ~$5,950–6,100 at signing, the highest on the board — and ~$4,000 more up front than 89 Isabella P4's $2,049 (last month only, first month free). Timing rather than extra cost, but on a thin cash position it decides whether this one is affordable on day one. ⚠️ Now a BACKUP only — see the panel above. |
🚩 NEEDS YOUR EYE FIRST — 2 to settle before they hold a slot · both from the Sep 25 re-scan
Both are listing-level contradictions — an aggregator page disagreeing with your own verified notes. One call, or the landlord's own page, closes each.
| Building | What contradicts what | How to close it |
|---|
101 Charles St E
#305 · 650 sqft · $2,300 · Oct 1 | ⚠️ Your own note records #305 as LEASED Aug 20 at $2,375. It has reappeared at a lower rent — the classic stale-aggregator signature: the page re-serves a dead row, or a different suite got mis-pinned to #305. | Confirm with the agent that #305 specifically is live at $2,300 for Oct 1 — and if not, get the suite number that actually is. |
89 McGill
#1901 · 473 sqft · $2,200 · Now | Possession flipped Nov 12 → Now, and that Nov 12 date was never independently re-checked — the row may simply have been re-dated. 473 sqft is also small for a 1BR at this price ($4.65/sqft). | Confirm the unit is genuinely vacant now rather than re-dated, and get the sqft on the phone. |
☎️ OPEN CALLS & ASKS — refreshed Sep 29 · 5 live
Ask every one: exact sqft · laundry in-unit vs in-building · earliest move-in · total move-in cost (first + last — deposits are illegal in Ontario).
| Building | Phone | What's still open |
|---|
50 Alexander St (Village Green)
Brookfield | 8777063093 | 🚫 DROPPED — viewed and rejected Sep 30. The unit shown was small for the money, and the agent had not given notice to the unit, so the larger 500 sqft 1E could not be seen and the Oct 7 batch was never reachable. Teddy is not considering the building. Office Mon–Fri 8:30–5:30 (Wed to 7), Sat 10–5, closed Sun — no walk-in. No further contact planned. |
177 St. George St
Cogir · 🚫 cancelled | 8338870952 | 🚫 CANCELLED — Sep 29. Unit #0105 is ground floor and fails the light gate, so the booked Wed Sep 30 09:30 tour is off and the promo question (~$2,800/yr) is void. The building is not necessarily dead: ask Cogir whether a mid/high-floor 1BR exists — that is the only route to a second Annex option. Otherwise 206 St. George is all the Annex has. |
206 St. George St
The Annex · walk-in · no contact captured | — | ⚠️ The Annex's only surviving unit, and everything left on it is phone work. No leasing contact was captured on the walk-in, so start by asking the desk: ① the unit number ② the leasing name and number ③ any incentive at all (none was mentioned; a free month takes it to $1,925 eff.) ④ the exact move-in date (can it be Oct 1?) ⑤ whether a portable A/C is permitted ⑥ utilities beyond heat. Size and rent control are settled: 600 sqft, $2,100, rent controlled. |
| 77 Huntley St | 4169648265 | Landlord-confirmed sizes: studio 375 sqft (under your floor) · 1BR 510 sqft $1,845 — the size-viable unit. Open: whether any free-month promo still applies (none shown on any of the 3 units) + the 2024–25 pest reports. |
| 85 Wellesley St (The Lincoln) | 6479307911 | The one open question: in-unit or in-building laundry. Sizes are settled (422 / 551). You're walking it Tue Sep 29, 11:33 — ask on the visit. ⚠️ The tap-to-dial link for this row was broken until this pass; now rebuilt from the label. |
| 30 Gloucester St | — | ⛔ No call is possible — it's a condo ("Gloucester Gate") with no leasing office; suites list one at a time through individual agents. Set a Zumper / Realtor.ca saved search instead of phoning. Typical 1BR 520–700 sqft $1,400–1,900 with utilities + parking. |
✅ CLOSED — no action needed · kept for the record
| Building | Outcome |
|---|
| 1 & 7 Glen Rd dropped, Sep 25 | ❌ Dropped Sep 25 — do not call. Manual check: 2-bedrooms only, from $3,000 → over the $2,400 cap; sister 7 Glen Rd shows no listing at all. The tracker’s own $2,000 2BR row was stale. Removed from the tracker and from the scan list. |
| 250 St. George St retired, Sep 28 | ❌ Crossed out Sep 28 after the viewing. Removed from the tracker and from the scan list. |
| 🚫 Crossed out Sep 28 — 14 buildings | Retired from the tracker, the scan list and the map. Reason in brackets. Small studios only: 54–56 Maitland · 608 Church · 85 Lowther · 267 St. George · 35 Walmer · 224 St. George (Skyliner) · 262 Jarvis, whose one large studio (#111, 531 sqft) sits on floor 1. Nothing inside the Oct 11 window: 550 Jarvis · 10 Walmer · 25 St. Mary · 15 Dundonald. Ground floor: 414 Jarvis. Confirmed gone: 250 St. George. Viewed and ruled out: 60 Gloucester (Bloor Yonge Tower — too dark). Separately, the studio rows at 149 St. George and 20 Prince Arthur were retired; those two buildings stay tracked for their 1-bedrooms. |
| 100 Alexander St | ❌ Ruled out Sep 22 — landlord confirmed no availability. Removed from the tracker. Do not call. |
| 66 Isabella dropped, Sep 25 | ❌ Dropped Sep 25 — Park Property confirmed no units left for October. Their own site listed no suites while Zillow kept serving rows, including off-market ones. Removed from the tracker and from the scan list. Do not call. |
| 161 St. George dropped, Sep 25 | ❌ Dropped Sep 25 — Cogir confirmed no availability by phone. The Wed 10:00 was never a real booking, and the 1 Bed D was only ever a floorplan price — the sole units ever confirmed live were two studios you had ruled out. Removed from the tracker and from the scan list. Its sister 177 St. George came through instead — but its only unit (#0105) is ground floor and was cancelled Sep 29, so 206 St. George is the Annex's last standing option. |
| 77 Huntley St size question only | ✅ Resolved Sep 14 — studio 375 sqft, 1BR 510 sqft, landlord-confirmed. (The promo/pest call stays open above.) |
Low-confidence curated-row conflicts from the Sep 25 scan — a row pins one unit while the live listing shows others. No action unless the building matters to you: 48 Isabella (#204 vs 2) · 77 Wellesley (#304 vs 1). Everything else that carried a conflict has been retired.
Everything else on the board has live, verified unit-level data — no call needed to know it exists.
✅ HOLLYBURN PROPERTIES — VIEWING BLOCK COMPLETED Mon Sep 28, 2026 · 5 suites across 5 buildings
Laura @ Hollyburn booked all five on Sep 14 for one continuous morning, 09:00 → 11:15. Outcome: the studios were all rejected as too small — that is what produced the current size gate. All five buildings were then retired on Sep 28 (see the closed list above). 48 Isabella #204 (762 sqft, $2,100) was the one worth keeping, and it stays on the board.
🔴 Known problem buildings — don't rent
120 Maitland St — Jarvis Court9 UNITS · CHEAPEST
Jarvis Court Apartments · hardwood floors, on-site laundry, parking
| Type | Available | Rent | Eff.* | Laundry |
|---|
| Bachelor (units 407, 709) | Now | $1,700 | $1,700 | in-building |
| 1 Bedroom (unit 502) | Now | $1,850 | $1,542 | in-building |
| More studios/1BRs | Now | $1,550–1,850 | $1,420–1,700 | in-building |
No own website — apply via RentCafe. Cheapest confirmed rents in the walking zone.
↑ 120 Maitland / Jarvis Court was moved off the walk routes on Sep 10 — Gowan-managed, Yelp 1.3, bedbugs then roaches. Same landlord as the 432–438 Jarvis group below.
↑ Cabbagetown (Oct 1) was retired as a walk route on Sep 18. 337 Seaton St was removed at your request — the unit is too old and you would not feel comfortable there, so it is no longer tracked or researched. With it gone, every remaining Cabbagetown address is over your $2,400 cap (27 Winchester $2,750 · 425A Sackville $3,995 · 306 Sackville Lofts $6,989), so a dedicated walk day could not produce a signing. The three addresses stay tracked in All Units and on the map — they now carry a muted — day chip instead of D. If a Cabbagetown unit ever drops into budget, re-add the day.
🔴 437 & 438 Jarvis · 432–433 Jarvis · 435 SherbourneAVOID
Gowan Property Management (432–438 Jarvis)
Roaches/bedbugs/mice, ignored maintenance, illegal rent hikes, fake security cameras — per multiple residents. Note: 432 Jarvis was recommended by your client; the building is Gowan-managed. The street itself is still worth walking for the other buildings.
🔴 260 Wellesley St EAVOID
St. James Town tower · Yelp 1.3★
Fires from faulty wiring, pests, unresponsive management per residents.
* Eff. = effective monthly price over a 12-mo lease including advertised promos (free months + cash bonuses amortized). Promos are limited-time and often only on select units — confirm on the call.
📋 Agent-free listing channels: viewit.ca, rentals.ca, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, plus the building sites above.
🔄 How this list is refreshed: automated scan of Zillow / RentCafe / each building's own site for live unit + rent + move-in date (apartments.com is unreliable for this — it blocks automated reads). Buildings with no current in-window unit are kept in the 👀 Watchlist, not deleted — availability changes week to week. Re-scan method saved as the rental-availability-scan skill.