Summit Royal, 625 The West Mall: Every Utility In the Fee, Two Pools

Summit Royal is the building I recommend to buyers who never want to see a utility bill again. The fee here covers hydro as well as heat, air conditioning, water, parking and cable, which is rare even among 1970s buildings, and the suites are big enough to replace a house. You also get both an indoor and an outdoor pool. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A fee that really is all-inclusive

Plenty of older buildings advertise heat and water in the fee. Summit Royal goes further: the listed inclusions are hydro, heat, air conditioning, water, parking, cable TV, building insurance and common elements. In practice, your only regular housing bills beyond the fee are property tax, internet and contents insurance.

The two current listings show fees of roughly $1,030 to $1,120 a month. Across suites of about 1,230 to 1,335 sq ft, that is around $0.77 to $0.91 per square foot. That is a very competitive number once you remember it includes electricity, cooling and a parking space.

Compare it with a new 750 sq ft two-bedroom on a separate hydro and heating meter, paying for parking on top. The newer suite may show a lower fee, but the total monthly cost of housing often ends up close, and you get far less space for it.

The risk with any fully bundled fee is that the corporation absorbs energy price increases and then passes them on to everyone. Ask how the fee has moved over the past few years and what the budget assumes for utilities.

Large, consistent suites

Condos.ca lists suites at Summit Royal from about 1,230 to 1,335 sq ft. That is a narrow band, which tells you the floor plates were designed around a few large plans rather than a mix of studios and family suites.

Plans in this size range typically work as two bedrooms plus a den or three bedrooms plus a den, well suited to families or downsizers who need room for furniture and guests. As with any 1976 building, condition depends on the owner. Original kitchens and bathrooms are common, and renovated suites are worth the premium if the work was done properly and with permits where required.

The complex carries two addresses, 625 and 627 The West Mall, under one corporation, so check which address a listing is in and where its parking and locker are. The amenities and the reserve fund are shared.

Due diligence on a 50-year-old complex

Summit Royal turns 50 in 2026, and at that age the questions that matter are about the building’s bones. A complex with two addresses, two pools and a large garage has a long list of shared components, and every one of them eventually needs replacing.

I start with the reserve fund study and the most recent updates to it, then read the status certificate and a year or two of board minutes. What I am looking for is simple: which big items have already been done, which are coming in the next five years, and whether the reserve fund balance matches the plan. If the answers are clear, an older building can be a safer purchase than a new one, because its costs are known.

I also look at the fee history. A fee that has risen gradually and predictably is a sign of a board planning ahead. Large jumps, or a long period with no increase at all, are both reasons to ask more questions before you firm up an offer.

The West Mall: established, with infill coming

Summit Royal sits on The West Mall in central Etobicoke, a corridor of 1960s and 1970s apartment towers set on large green lots near Highway 427, with Centennial Park nearby and the Sherway and Cloverdale shopping areas a short drive away. It is a car-friendly location with easy highway access, and quieter than the newer condo areas along the lakeshore.

That corridor is now being filled in. Starlight Investments planned a new 21-storey, 249-suite rental tower beside an existing 14-storey building at 555 The West Mall, southwest of the Highway 427 and Rathburn Road interchange, with construction expected to begin in 2023. Across the highway, Hazelview Investments has proposed three 22-storey towers and a 14-storey building with about 1,095 homes at 530 The East Mall, replacing a 1960s rental building.

For owners here, more neighbours brings more construction for a few years, and likely more retail and services over time. It also means more new rental supply nearby, which is worth keeping in mind if you are buying to lease out.

Pricing in context

The building average on condos.ca is about $416 per square foot. For suites over 1,200 sq ft with every utility and parking included, that is a low number for Etobicoke, where newer condos commonly ask more than twice as much per square foot.

The two suites listed when I reviewed the building were asking from roughly $550,000 to $625,000. Two listings in a 427-suite complex is thin supply, so do not expect to compare many options at once. If the suite you want is not on the market, set up an alert and be ready, because in a building where suites are this similar, condition and floor are what separate one listing from the next.

Value here depends heavily on the fee holding steady. Because the fee is your electricity and heating bill as well, I would rather pay slightly more for a suite in a building with a well-funded reserve and a clear energy plan than save on price in a building that is underfunded.

Building specifications

Amenities at Summit Royal

Having both an indoor and an outdoor pool means swimming year-round and a place to spend summer afternoons without leaving the property. A security guard, a sauna and bike storage round out a package built for people who actually live here, not for show.

Jatin’s honest take on Summit Royal

Summit Royal — frequently asked questions

Looking at Downsview, Weston, York University Heights, Rexdale and northwest Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.