537 Steeles Ave W Townhouses: One of Ontario’s Earliest Condos

537 Steeles Avenue West is a townhouse complex most people drive past without noticing, and it has a quiet claim to history. Registered in February 1969 as York Condominium Corporation No. 5, it is one of the first condominiums in Ontario. For a buyer, that age is both the opportunity and the homework. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1969 condominium, from the start of the idea

Ontario passed its first condominium legislation in 1967. A corporation numbered YCC-5 and registered in February 1969 was therefore one of the very first to use it, at a time when townhouse condominiums were a new way for families to own in the suburbs of North York.

That history is more than trivia. The corporation’s declaration and by-laws were written under rules that have since been replaced, and many older corporations have amended them over the years. Ask for the current declaration, by-laws and rules together, and read how they divide responsibility for roofs, windows, doors, decks and the garage between the corporation and each owner.

The address is also listed two ways. Condos.ca uses 535 to 549 Steeles Avenue West, while other listing sites use 535 to 551. Use the corporation number, YCC-5, to make sure the home you are looking at belongs to this complex.

What you are actually buying in a townhouse condo

Condos.ca records 84 homes and classifies the complex as low-rise townhouses. It lists a parking garage, visitor parking and permission for barbecues, but it does not publish suite sizes, layouts or bedroom counts, and there were no active listings at the time of writing to fill the gap.

Ask early what “parking garage” means here. In some townhouse complexes it is an attached garage belonging to each home; in others it is a shared underground garage. The two carry very different repair bills, because an underground garage roof and membrane is one of the most expensive items a corporation ever replaces.

In a townhouse condominium you usually own the interior of your home while the corporation looks after the exterior and grounds, but the line varies between declarations. Find out who pays for windows, doors, furnaces and air conditioners, and whether any of those have been replaced as a group or left to each owner.

What to check on a building from 1969

Every major component here has either been replaced already or is due. Roofs, windows, exterior cladding, private roads, walkways, drainage and any underground parking all have finite lives. The reserve fund study will show what has been done and what is planned, and the board minutes will show whether the corporation is keeping up.

With 84 homes sharing the bills, each owner’s share of a big project is meaningful. When a reserve fund falls short of planned work, a corporation can raise fees sharply or levy a special assessment. The status certificate must disclose any assessment already levied and any known plans for one, so read that section line by line and have your lawyer review it before your conditions expire.

Inside each home, have an inspector look at the electrical system. Some houses and townhouses built in Ontario in the late 1960s and 1970s were wired with aluminum branch circuits, and insurers ask about it. It can be managed safely, but you want to know before you waive conditions, not after.

Also look at the plumbing and the insulation. Homes from this era have often had partial updates, and a finished basement can hide original pipes or past water problems. Ask the seller what has been replaced and when, and ask the corporation whether there have been any building-wide drain or foundation repairs.

Life on Steeles, at the edge of the city

Steeles Avenue is the boundary between Toronto and Vaughan, and this complex sits on the Toronto side, east of Bathurst Street. Homes facing Steeles hear it. Homes deeper in the complex are usually quieter, so ask where a particular unit sits before you book a viewing.

The area around Bathurst and Steeles is starting to change. In June 2026 UrbanToronto reported a proposal by Cromwell Property Management for two purpose-built rental towers of 39 and 43 storeys, with 1,021 new units, at 6200 Bathurst Street, just south of Steeles at Fisherville Road. A proposal is not an approval, but it shows the direction of the area.

For daily errands, the Bathurst and Steeles corridor has grocery and retail on both sides of the city line. Transit options, school zones and walking details are in the panel on this page. If you commute by car, Highway 407 and Highway 401 are both a reasonable drive, which matters if you work in York Region or travel across the top of the city for your job.

Pricing a complex that rarely lists

There were no homes for sale or for rent here on condos.ca at the time of writing, and condos.ca did not publish a building price per square foot or a fee range. With 84 homes, sales come in ones and twos, so a single sale can move any average a long way.

The better guide is the recorded sales and leases on this page, compared with other 1960s and 1970s condominium townhouse complexes near Bathurst and Steeles. When you compare, adjust for size, parking type, basement finish and what the fee includes, because those vary widely between complexes of this age.

If you are thinking of buying or selling here, ask me for the building sold report, and I will pull the recent sales in this complex alongside the closest comparable townhouse corporations.

Building specifications

Amenities at 537 Steeles Avenue West Townhouses

This is not an amenity building. You get parking, visitor parking and permission to barbecue, which is what most buyers of a townhouse want, and nothing that adds to the fee for facilities you might never use.

Jatin’s honest take on 537 Steeles Avenue West Townhouses

537 Steeles Avenue West Townhouses — 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.