2357 Queen St E: An 8-Suite, Self-Managed Beach Low-Rise

2357 Queen Street East is about as small as a Toronto condominium gets: eight suites, no property manager, and the east end of the Beach outside the door. Suites here can be loft-style, with high ceilings, skylights, a fireplace and rooftop space. In a building this size, though, you are not just buying a suite; you are joining a very small board. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Eight owners, no manager

Condos.ca lists 2357 Queen as self-managed. In practice that means the owners, through their board, hire the cleaners, the snow removal and the contractors, keep the books, collect the fees and arrange the insurance. With eight suites, the board may be most of the building.

Self-management can work very well. Fees stay low, decisions are quick, and owners who care about the building look after it. It can also go wrong quietly: records go missing, the reserve fund study is not updated on schedule, or one owner ends up doing everything.

Before you buy, ask who is on the board, who keeps the financial records, and when the last reserve fund study and annual general meeting took place. A well-run self-managed building can answer those questions quickly. If it can’t, that tells you something.

Self-managed corporations have the same legal duties as large ones. They must keep a reserve fund, update the reserve fund study on schedule, hold annual meetings, carry insurance and file returns with the Condo Authority of Ontario. The duties do not shrink with the building; only the number of people sharing them does.

Ask, too, how the status certificate is produced. In a managed building the manager issues it; here, a board member or an outside bookkeeper usually does. Build a few extra days into your conditional period in case it takes longer.

Loft-style suites with rooftop space

Condos.ca does not record suite sizes for this building, so I have relied on listing descriptions. A recent listing described a two-bedroom, two-bathroom loft-style suite of about 1,200 sq ft, with high ceilings, large windows and skylights, a wood-burning fireplace and hardwood floors.

That suite had a second-floor loft level suitable for an office, with access to a rooftop deck. Rooftop decks in a low-rise are wonderful in summer, and they are also one of the most common sources of roof leaks. Ask whether the deck is exclusive-use, who maintains the roof membrane under it, and what has been replaced.

The same listing mentioned a flat roof, privacy fence and skylight done in 2022, and a water heater and roof shingles in 2021. Find out whether that roof work was paid for by the corporation or by the owner, because in a building this small the line between the two is not always clear, and the declaration is what decides it.

Because there is no published size range for the building, measure for yourself or ask for the floor plan. Loft-style suites often include space under sloped ceilings or on mezzanine levels that is counted differently from one listing to the next, and the price per square foot you calculate is only as good as the number you start with.

Parking and what the fee covers

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance and parking as included in the fee, and the listing I reviewed included one underground space. Water, heat and hydro are not on the inclusions list, so you should expect to pay utilities separately and ask for the seller’s bills.

An underground garage serving eight suites is unusual, and it is the item I would look at most closely. Garage waterproofing is expensive, and here it is shared by only eight owners. A healthy reserve fund matters more at 2357 Queen than at almost any larger building in the Beach.

The quieter east end of Queen

The building sits near Glen Manor Drive, toward the eastern end of the Beach’s commercial strip. East of Woodbine, Queen narrows to one lane each way with on-street parking and the 501 streetcar in the centre, and this stretch feels more like a village main street than a through route.

Shops and restaurants are along Queen, and the lake is a walk south. Further east, the street runs toward the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant at Victoria Park, one of the city’s best-known historic buildings. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools and parks.

Being on Queen means some street noise and summer crowds, though less than in the middle of the strip. Visit at night and on a busy weekend, and look at which side of the building the suite faces.

What 2357 Queen costs to own

Condos.ca does not publish an average price per square foot for this building, and with eight suites, sales are rare. There were no suites for sale or for rent at the time of writing.

Without building-level data, I price a suite here against comparable Beach loft conversions and townhome condos, then adjust for the parking space, the outdoor space and the condition of the shared systems. Self-managed buildings often carry lower fees than professionally managed ones, but a low fee is only good news if the reserve fund is properly funded. A fee that has barely moved in years can mean careful management, or it can mean deferred work, and the reserve fund study is how you tell the difference.

If you are seriously considering a suite here, ask me for a building sold report, which pulls the actual recorded sales for the address.

Building specifications

Amenities at 2357 Queen Condos

There are no shared amenities beyond permission to barbecue, so the fee goes entirely to running the building. Outdoor space comes with suites, such as rooftop decks, rather than as a common amenity.

Jatin’s honest take on 2357 Queen Condos

2357 Queen Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.