Bayview Mansions II, 1 Clairtrell Rd: The Fee That Even Covers Hydro

Bayview Mansions II is the building I point to when a buyer tells me they want one cheque a month and no utility bills. Its fee covers hydro, heat, cooling, parking and water, which is rare. The catch is that the fee is high per square foot, and the market has priced that in: this is one of the lowest price-per-square-foot buildings near Bayview and Sheppard. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A mid-rise on the quiet side of Bayview and Sheppard

At 14 storeys and 118 suites, Bayview Mansions II is a mid-rise, not a tower. It sits on Clairtrell Road, a residential street just south-west of the Bayview and Sheppard intersection, and it has a companion building, Bayview Mansions, at 2 Clairtrell Road on the same street.

That smaller scale changes daily life. Elevators are shared by fewer people, the lobby is quieter, and owners are more likely to know the board. It also means repair costs are split among 118 suites rather than 300 or 400, so the health of the reserve fund matters more here than in the big towers nearby.

I could not confirm the developer or architect from any source I checked; condos.ca does not name a builder for this building. If that matters to you, the original declaration in the status certificate will name the declarant.

An all-inclusive fee, and what it really costs

Condos.ca lists air conditioning, common elements, heat, hydro, building insurance, parking and water as included. Hydro is the unusual one. Most buildings in the area meter electricity by suite, so here you are paying for the whole building’s electricity through the fee, and your own usage does not change your bill.

That makes the fee look high. On the two current listings it runs from about $860 to $1,650 a month, and condos.ca works the listings out at about $1.53 per square foot. Compared with a building at 70 cents plus your own hydro, heat and parking, the gap is smaller than it looks, but it is still a real cost.

The practical upside is budgeting. With heat, cooling and electricity all inside one number, there are no surprise winter or summer bills, which is why this kind of building appeals to retirees and to owners who are away for part of the year.

There is a second point. In an all-inclusive building, everyone pays for the heaviest users’ electricity. Ask how the board manages energy costs, whether there are plans to sub-meter suites, and how hydro has moved in the last few budgets, because a fee that includes utilities can rise faster than one that does not.

Suites from compact to very large

Condos.ca gives a suite range of about 388 to 2,109 square feet, which is very wide for a 118-suite building. At the bottom are compact one-bedrooms; at the top are large plans closer in size to a small house. The building also has penthouse levels, which is where I would expect the biggest plans, but ask for the floor plan of any suite you are considering.

The two current listings are a one-bedroom in the 600 to 699 square foot band and a two-bedroom in the 900 to 999 square foot band. Those are the mainstream suites here, and they give a fair picture of what most resales look like.

I could not confirm ceiling heights or the original finish package. In a building of this age, expect a wide range of condition from suite to suite, and budget for updates in any suite that still has its original kitchen and floors.

A neighbourhood that keeps adding buildings

The Bayview and Sheppard corner has been filling in for years. In 2011 UrbanToronto described Bayview Village as being quietly redeveloped into a mixed-use hub and covered TwentyOne Clairtrell, a seven-storey, 128-suite building by Rockport designed by Kirkor Architects, on this same street at Spring Garden Avenue.

Clairtrell itself is a short residential street, so the building feels removed from the traffic on Sheppard and Bayview while staying a few minutes’ walk from both. That is the main day-to-day advantage over the towers that front the arterial roads.

More buildings bring more shops and services within walking distance, along with the construction and traffic that come with them. If a particular view matters, check the City’s development applications for the lots around you.

The panel on this page shows the nearest stations, schools, parks and restaurants. Bayview Village Shopping Centre and the Daniels towers on Kenaston Gardens are across Bayview Avenue.

Pricing: the lowest per square foot, because of the fee

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $557 per square foot. That is well below the Daniels buildings across Bayview, which show around $691 at Rockefeller, and a large part of the difference is the fee.

The two current listings make the point. are both asking in a narrow band of about $488,000 to $499,000, even though the two-bedroom is roughly 300 square feet larger. The two-bedroom’s fee is nearly double the one-bedroom’s, and buyers are discounting the price to compensate. Two listings is a small sample, so treat this as a signal rather than a rule.

For a buyer, that is an opportunity as long as you budget for the fee. You are buying more space for less up front, and paying more every month, with hydro and heat already in that monthly number. For recent sold prices, see the automatic panel on this page.

Building specifications

Amenities at Bayview Mansions II

Condos.ca lists concierge, a party room, guest suites and a meeting room. I could not confirm a pool or gym from the sources I checked, so if a fitness room matters to you, see it in person before you buy.

Jatin’s honest take on Bayview Mansions II

Bayview Mansions II — 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.