914 Yonge St: A 1974 Tower Where the Fee Covers Hydro and Heat

914 Yonge Street is one of the more affordable ways to own an address between Yorkville and Rosedale. It is a 1974 tower with 105 suites, a short amenity list and a maintenance fee that covers hydro, heat and air conditioning. That combination suits some buyers very well and others not at all, so I want to explain exactly what you are getting. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An all-inclusive fee in a 1970s tower

The most important line on this building’s profile is the fee inclusion list. Common elements, heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, building insurance and cable TV are all covered. Most Toronto condos built after about 2000 meter hydro by suite, so owners there pay a separate monthly electricity bill on top of their fee.

That makes the fee here look high at first glance and much more reasonable once you compare total monthly cost. When you put this building beside a newer one, add the newer building’s hydro bill and any separate heating or cooling charge back in before you decide which is cheaper.

The other side of that coin is that everyone shares one utility bill. When energy prices rise, or when one owner runs air conditioning all summer, the whole corporation pays. Ask how utility costs have moved in recent budgets and whether the board has looked at energy retrofits or sub-metering.

There is a practical benefit too. Renters often prefer a suite where hydro and heat are included, because their monthly cost is fixed, and that can make a unit here easier to lease than a similar one where the tenant takes on separate utility accounts. For an owner-occupier, it simply means one less bill to manage.

What a 1974 building is like to live in

Buildings from this period were generally built with concrete construction, plaster or solid walls between suites and room sizes that many buyers find more generous than today’s compact plans. Those are general traits of the era rather than something I could confirm for this specific building, so walk through more than one suite if you can.

Current listings show the range. One is a one-bedroom in the 500 to 599 square foot band, and another is a two-bedroom-plus-den. At 19 storeys and 105 suites, the building works out to roughly five or six suites per floor, so corridors are short compared with a modern tower.

The amenity list is short on purpose: a party room, a meeting room, bike storage and a security system. There is no pool or gym listed. If you already pay for a gym, or you would rather not fund one through your fees, that simplicity is a point in the building’s favour.

A building this age has also been through several cycles of repair. Windows, balconies, elevators, risers and the heating and cooling system in a 1970s tower each have a long but finite life, and some will have been replaced while others may still be original. The reserve fund study tells you which is which.

Yonge and Davenport, between Yorkville and Rosedale

The building sits on Yonge Street near Davenport Road, where Yorkville’s western streets meet Rosedale and Summerhill to the east and north. Different sources label the area as Yorkville or the Annex, which tells you it sits on a boundary rather than in the middle of either.

Day to day, that means Yonge Street retail and restaurants on your doorstep, Yorkville’s shops and galleries to the southwest, and the residential streets of Rosedale a short walk east. The data panel on this page shows transit, Walk Score, food and parks.

The wider area keeps changing, with new towers proposed and built along Yonge, Davenport and the Yorkville streets nearby. For an older building like this one, that cuts both ways: new neighbours can block a view or bring construction noise for a few years, but they also add shops, services and a stronger sense that this stretch of Yonge is a destination in its own right.

It is a busy stretch of Yonge, so street noise matters. Suites higher up and away from the Yonge frontage are usually quieter, and it is worth visiting at rush hour and on a weekend evening before you commit. Just south, The Residences of 900 Yonge is a newer, smaller alternative if you want a more recent building on the same block.

Pricing and fees

There were two suites for sale when I wrote this, with asking prices between $399,000 and $669,000 and monthly fees between about $670 and $860. For a Yonge and Davenport address, the lower end of that range is a low entry point.

On the smaller listing, the fee works out to well over a dollar per square foot. That is higher than a typical new building, but remember what it includes. Once hydro, heat and cooling are taken out of your own budget, the gap with a newer building narrows a lot, and sometimes disappears.

Older buildings also tend to trade at a lower price per square foot than the new towers around Yorkville, because buyers price in the age of the systems and the finishes. That discount is the opportunity, provided the corporation is in good financial health.

The automatic panel on this page shows aggregate sale and lease figures. If you want a view on a specific suite, book a call and I will pull the comparables.

Building specifications

Amenities at 914 Yonge Street Condos

This is a building you live in for the location and the all-inclusive fee, not for its amenity floor. There is nothing here to keep you in the building on a Saturday, and nothing extra in your fee to pay for one.

Jatin’s honest take on 914 Yonge Street Condos

914 Yonge Street Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.