829 Richmond Street Townhouses: Ten 1977 Condo Towns by Trinity Bellwoods

829 Richmond is the kind of building most people walk past without knowing it is a condominium. It is a row of ten two-storey townhouses from 1977, tucked on Richmond Street West a short walk south of the Trinity Bellwoods gates. What you buy here is a small, old corporation and an excellent location, and you need to understand both. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One of the early condo corporations in the west end

The YCC in the corporation number stands for York Condominium Corporation. It is a prefix carried by many of Toronto’s older condominiums, long before today’s TSCC numbering. A low number like YCC-338, registered in 1977, tells you this complex was created in the first generation of Ontario condominiums.

That age matters more than any finish inside the units. A corporation that has existed since 1977 has been through decades of roof, window and masonry cycles. Some old corporations are in excellent shape because their boards planned well. Others have deferred work and carry it into today’s fees or a future levy. You find out which from the paperwork, not from the front door.

With only ten units, the corporation is small. Every major cost is split ten ways, so a new roof or a masonry repair is felt by every owner. On the other hand, small corporations can move quickly when the owners agree. Get a sense early of whether the owners work well together, because in a corporation this size it shows up in everything.

What a two-storey 1970s condo townhouse is like

Condos.ca lists the complex as two storeys. For townhouses of this era, that usually means living space on the main floor and bedrooms upstairs, sometimes with a basement level that is not counted as a storey. Ask for the floor plan and the measured size of the specific unit, because I could not find published suite sizes for this complex.

Expect a house-style layout rather than an open-concept condo. Many 1970s units have been renovated over the years, so two units in the same row can feel completely different inside. Judge each on its own work: who did it, whether permits were pulled, and whether the corporation approved any changes to common elements.

Condos.ca lists no amenities for this complex, which is normal for a small townhouse corporation. Your amenities are your own front door, any private outdoor space, and the neighbourhood.

Questions specific to an old townhouse corporation

Condos.ca shows no management company. That may mean the corporation is self-managed by its owners, or simply that the information is not recorded. Find out who handles the budget, insurance, contractors and the reserve fund, and ask for the name and contact of whoever does.

Ask what the unit boundaries are. In a townhouse condominium, the declaration decides whether roofs, windows, exterior walls, decks and yards belong to the unit, the common elements or the exclusive-use common elements. That decides who pays when they need work, and older declarations can be quite different from newer ones.

Ask about the building systems in the unit itself: the age of the furnace or heating system, the electrical panel and wiring type, the plumbing and the windows. Homes of this era can have systems that insurers or lenders ask about, so a good home inspection is worth the money even though it is a condo.

Parking is not described in the data I have. If you need a car space, confirm whether the unit has one, where it is, and whether it is owned or exclusive-use.

Richmond Street just below the park

The complex sits on the short residential stretch of Richmond Street West just south of Queen, close to where the stone Trinity College gates mark the southern entrance to Trinity Bellwoods Park. Few condo addresses in the city are this close to one of Toronto’s best-loved parks.

Queen West is a block north, with its restaurants, cafés, bars and shops. Because the complex is on a side street rather than on Queen itself, you get the neighbourhood without the full streetcar and nightlife noise at your window, though summer weekends near the park are busy.

The surrounding Niagara neighbourhood grew up as a working area between Queen Street and the rail corridor and now mixes older houses with newer condos. Transit, schools and nearby food and parks are in the data panel on this page.

Pricing a ten-unit complex with few sales

There were no active listings at 829 Richmond when I wrote this, and condos.ca does not show an average price per square foot for the complex. In a corporation of ten units, a sale may happen once every year or two, so there is no meaningful building average to quote.

That means pricing comes from comparable freehold and condo townhouses around Trinity Bellwoods and West Queen West, adjusted for size, condition, parking and the maintenance fee. Ask the listing agent for the current monthly fee and what it covers, since condos.ca does not record the inclusions.

When you compare the fee, remember what it is not paying for. There is no concierge, no elevator and no amenity floor, so most of the money should be going to insurance, exterior upkeep, snow and the reserve fund. A low fee in a corporation this old is not automatically good news; it can mean the reserve is being underfunded.

If you own here, or are thinking of buying, I can pull recent comparable sales for this pocket. Request them through the building sold report.

Building specifications

Jatin’s honest take on 829 Richmond Street Townhouses

829 Richmond Street Townhouses — frequently asked questions

Looking at Queen West, Trinity-Bellwoods, Kensington and Little Italy more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.