The Courtlands, 1201 Steeles Ave W: Big 1976 Suites, Hydro in the Fee

The Courtlands is a building I show to buyers who need real square footage and can live with a 1970s building. Suites here run from about 724 to 1,370 square feet, the fee covers almost every utility, and the price per square foot is roughly half of what new condos ask a few kilometres south. The trade-off is age, and the fee that comes with it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1976 tower built for families, not investors

The Courtlands comes from the first wave of North York condominiums, when buildings were designed for households moving out of houses rather than for investors buying one-bedrooms. You can see it in the numbers: 111 suites across 14 storeys is a low count for a tower that size, which means fewer, bigger homes on each floor.

The corporation number tells the same story. YCC-247 was registered in 1976 under the old York condominium numbering, long before the Toronto-wide TSCC series began. Buildings from this era were typically concrete with generous room sizes, separate dining rooms and real storage, and that is the main reason buyers still come here.

There is a companion building. The Courtlands II at 90 Fisherville Road sits just to the south and is a separate condominium corporation with its own budget and board. If you are comparing the two, treat them as different buildings: the fees, reserve funds and repair histories will not be the same.

Layouts: 724 to 1,370 square feet

The smallest suites here are larger than many new two-bedrooms, and the largest are in townhouse territory. Current listings describe two-bedroom-plus-den and three-bedroom-plus-den plans, which are hard to find in North York at this price point.

What you will not get is a modern open plan unless an owner has renovated. Expect closed kitchens, a defined dining room, more hallway and more closets. Some buyers love that; others budget for walls to come down. If you plan to renovate, ask management early what the corporation allows, especially for plumbing moves and flooring sound transfer.

Look closely at what has been updated inside the suite. In a building approaching 50 years old, original electrical panels, windows and the in-suite heating and cooling units may still be in some homes and long gone from others, and that difference should show up in the price.

What the all-inclusive fee really means

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, hydro, air conditioning, cable TV, building insurance, parking and water in the fee. That is close to everything. Apart from internet, phone and your contents insurance, most owners here have one monthly housing payment besides the mortgage and property tax.

The two suites listed for sale when I checked in October 2026 carried fees of about $1,073 to $1,122 a month. That looks high next to a new condo, but a new condo’s fee rarely covers hydro, heat or cable, and its suites are often half the size. Compare total monthly cost, not the fee line alone.

The other side of an all-inclusive fee is that utility costs are shared. When energy prices rise, the corporation’s budget rises, and your fee follows. A building of this age also spends more on repairs than a new one, so read the last three budgets and see how the fee has moved.

Living at Steeles and Bathurst

The Courtlands sits on Steeles Avenue West just west of Bathurst Street, where Toronto meets Vaughan. Some listing portals file the address under Vaughan, but the building is on the Toronto side of Steeles and is taxed by the City of Toronto.

Day to day, this is a car-friendly, plaza-based part of the city. Steeles and Bathurst are lined with strip plazas, grocery stores and services, and the large residential neighbourhoods on both sides of Steeles make it a settled, family-oriented area rather than a nightlife destination. The transit options are summarised in the panel on this page.

Buyers here tend to be downsizers from nearby houses, families who want three bedrooms without a house price, and people who want to stay close to community and family in the Bathurst corridor. It is a neighbourhood people move within, which keeps demand for the larger suites steady.

Because Steeles is a boundary road, change on the Vaughan side affects this building as much as change in Toronto. Watch new development applications on both sides of the street, since a new tower or plaza redevelopment nearby can alter views, traffic and, over time, what buyers expect to pay here.

Roughly $421 a square foot, and why

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $421 per square foot. That is low for Toronto and reflects three things: the building’s age, the all-inclusive fee that buyers price in, and the location at the city’s northern edge.

The two active listings in October 2026 were asking from $549,000 to $688,800. For a suite of 1,000 square feet or more, that is a lower entry price than most newer condos in North York charge for a one-bedroom-plus-den.

When you compare, compare cost per month rather than price alone. Add the fee, property tax and mortgage, then do the same for a newer, smaller suite with separate hydro and heat. The Courtlands often looks expensive on the fee and cheap on everything else.

Keep in mind that a low price per square foot partly reflects future costs. In older buildings, buyers price in the next round of major repairs, so a well-funded reserve is what turns a low number into a genuine bargain.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Courtlands

The package is classic 1970s: a tennis court, a sauna, a party room and a recreation room, with a security guard on site. There is no modern gym or rooftop lounge in the listings I checked, so ask what the recreation room actually contains before you count on it.

Jatin’s honest take on The Courtlands

The Courtlands — frequently asked questions

Looking at York Mills, Don Mills, Lawrence Park, Bathurst Manor and midtown-north Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.