Seneca Hill Drive Condos: 705 Suites With Hydro and Cable in the Fee

Seneca Hill is where I point buyers who want the most square footage for the money in North York and will accept a 1975 building to get it. Three addresses, 705 suites and one corporation, with a fee that covers hydro, heat, air conditioning, cable and parking. The fee looks high until you add up the bills you no longer pay. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Three addresses, one corporation

The complex goes by its Seneca Hill addresses, but it spans 260 Seneca Hill Drive, 350 Seneca Hill Drive and 177 Linus Road. Condos.ca records all three under a single corporation, YCC-216, with 705 suites and 18 storeys. That scale shapes everything here, from the amenity package to how quickly a major repair can be funded.

One local brokerage page advises buyers to confirm which building and corporation a suite belongs to before they buy. That is good advice in any multi-address complex. Pull the status certificate for the exact suite and make sure the corporation number on it reads YCC-216.

The building dates from the mid-1970s, a few years after condominium ownership became legal in Ontario. The Globe and Mail’s history of Toronto condos describes that period as one of government-backed building aimed at affordability, followed by a mid-decade slump. Seneca Hill registered in August 1975, right in the middle of that cycle.

Suites built for living, not for renting

Suite sizes run from about 656 to 1,161 square feet. The active listings I saw were all between roughly 700 and 1,000 square feet, and most were two-bedrooms. In a newer tower, that same floor area would often be a two-bedroom-plus-den priced far higher.

Rooms in 1970s buildings tend to be laid out more conventionally than in modern condos: separate kitchens, defined dining areas and more storage. You give up open-plan kitchens and floor-to-ceiling glass. Many buyers find the trade worth it, especially families and downsizers who want real bedrooms.

Expect renovations to vary widely. In a complex this age, some suites will have been fully redone and others will be close to original. Price per square foot only makes sense once you account for the condition of the suite in front of you.

A fee that covers nearly every bill

The fee here includes cable TV, air conditioning, common elements, heat, hydro, building insurance, parking and water. That is close to fully inclusive. Most newer North York condos bill hydro to each suite and charge for parking separately, and many leave heating and cooling to your own meter.

Across the active listings, fees ranged from about $651 to $802 a month, which works out to roughly $0.91 per square foot. Fees are set by each suite’s share of the corporation, so larger suites pay more, but the spread is narrow for the difference in size. On paper that is above many newer buildings. Once you add a hydro bill, a parking charge and cable or TV service to a newer building’s fee, the comparison often swings the other way.

The risk with bulk utilities is that the corporation carries energy price increases on behalf of every owner. Ask the property manager for the last few years of budgets and fee increases, and whether the board has studied sub-metering or energy retrofits.

Courts, grounds and the Don Valley Village setting

Condos.ca lists a party room, meeting room, recreation room, sauna, squash court, tennis court, visitor parking and a security system, with more amenities beyond that. A local brokerage page also describes an indoor pool and landscaped central grounds set back from the main roads. I could not confirm the pool from a second source, so check it in person.

The location is practical rather than glamorous. Fairview Mall, Highway 401, Highway 404 and the Don Valley Parkway are all close, and Seneca Polytechnic’s Newnham campus is nearby, which keeps rental demand steady. The data panel on this page shows the transit options, schools and parks.

Living in a 705-suite complex means a lot of neighbours and a busy elevator lobby at rush hour. It also means real staff, real facilities and a large reserve fund base, which a 50-suite building cannot match.

Pricing: what this building trades on

When I checked, five suites were listed for sale, with asking prices from about $435,000 to $588,800, and two were listed for rent. For suites mostly between 700 and 1,000 square feet, that is entry-level pricing for a family-sized condo in North York.

Having several suites on the market at once is useful. It gives you real choice between floors, exposures and levels of renovation, and it gives you live comparables to negotiate against. In a complex of 705 suites, something is almost always for sale, so there is rarely a reason to overpay for a suite that needs work.

The way to compare Seneca Hill is all-in monthly cost. A buyer paying roughly $0.91 per square foot here is covering hydro, heat, cooling, cable and parking. At a newer building with a lower fee, add those back before deciding which is cheaper to own. The TRREB sales figures in the panel on this page show what suites have actually traded for.

For a building-specific comparison, my building sold report pulls recent sales here and at competing 1970s and 1980s complexes nearby.

Building specifications

Amenities at 260-350 Seneca Hill Drive Condos

Tennis and squash courts are rare in Toronto condos of any age, and here they come with a sauna and recreation space. The package suits active owners and families who will actually use the courts. If the indoor pool matters to you, confirm it during your visit.

Jatin’s honest take on 260-350 Seneca Hill Drive Condos

260-350 Seneca Hill Drive Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.