Forest Mansion II, 123 Omni Dr: All-Inclusive Fees by Scarborough Centre

Forest Mansion II is the building I show buyers who want one predictable monthly number. This 2001 Tridel mid-rise on Omni Drive bundles heat, hydro, air conditioning, water and parking into the fee, so the fee looks high and your utility bills largely disappear. It sits a short walk from Scarborough Town Centre and the coming subway station. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The smaller sibling on Omni Drive

Forest Mansion II is the second phase of a pair of Tridel buildings on Omni Drive. Forest Mansion I, filed by condos.ca at 117 and 125 Omni Drive, is the much taller tower next door, with suite numbers in the 2000s. Phase II is a 12-storey building with 143 suites, so you get far fewer neighbours per floor and per elevator.

Omni Drive itself is a small loop of Tridel buildings from the 1990s and early 2000s, between Scarborough Town Centre and Highway 401. Tridel has been building in Toronto since 1934, and its property management arm, Del Property Management, still runs this building.

The address needs care. Strata.ca groups 119 Omni Drive with The Omni at 115, while condos.ca files it under Forest Mansion II. Before you write an offer, confirm on the status certificate that the suite belongs to MTCC-1393.

An all-inclusive fee, and why it looks high

This is the main thing that sets the building apart. Condos.ca lists the fee as covering air conditioning, common elements, heat, hydro, building insurance, parking and water. In practice, the only bills most owners pay on top are internet, phone and contents insurance.

When I checked, current listings carried fees in the mid-$1,300s a month. That will look expensive next to The Omni down the street, which lists only common elements, insurance, parking and water. The fair comparison is fee plus utilities. Add a year of hydro and heating back onto the cheaper building and the gap narrows a great deal.

The trade-off of bulk-metered utilities is that you pay for your neighbours’ habits as well as your own, and the corporation carries the risk of energy price increases. Ask management whether the board has studied suite sub-metering, and look at how utility costs have moved in the last few budgets.

Layouts, parking and the 2001 question

Suites run from about 665 to 1,179 sq ft, so the building is mostly one- and two-bedroom plans with some larger suites. That is a comfortable size range for couples, downsizers and small families, and the plans are generally more generous than the compact layouts in newer Scarborough Centre towers.

At 25 years old, the building is in the window where original windows, corridor finishes, elevators and mechanical equipment start coming due. Read the reserve fund study and the latest budget, and ask the seller what has already been updated inside the suite.

Inside the suite, the things I look at first in a building of this age are the heating and cooling units, the window seals and the condition of the kitchen and bathrooms. A suite that still has its 2001 finishes can be a good buy if the price reflects the work, but budget for it honestly before you compare it with a renovated suite down the hall.

Condos.ca lists parking as part of the fee, which is a real advantage in this part of Scarborough. Until the subway extension opens, many trips from Omni Drive still start in a car, and a space that is already bundled into your monthly cost saves you from renting one later.

Do not assume every suite has a space, though. Parking in older buildings is sometimes deeded and sometimes exclusive-use, and some suites were sold without one. Confirm on the status certificate exactly which space and locker go with the suite, and ask management whether visitor parking is enforced and how many spots there are.

If you do not drive, ask whether the corporation allows owners to rent a space to another resident. That rule varies from building to building and is set out in the declaration and rules, so read them rather than relying on what a neighbour tells you.

Daily life between the mall and the 401

Living here means Scarborough Town Centre, the Civic Centre, the library and the highway are all close at hand. The panel on this page shows transit options and walking scores; most residents still use a car for some trips, which is why the bundled parking matters.

The area is about to change a great deal. Metrolinx is building a 7.8 km Line 2 extension from Kennedy Station to Sheppard and McCowan, with a station at Scarborough Centre, and the City is rewriting the Scarborough Centre plan around it. Oxford Properties has filed plans for about 15,500 homes on the mall lands. Expect cranes and construction for years, then much better transit.

What Forest Mansion II costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $495 per square foot. That sits above The Omni next door at about $447, which makes sense: the building is five years newer and the fee covers your utilities.

When I checked, two suites were for sale, asking from $499,999 to $577,800. Nothing was listed for lease. The sold data in the panel on this page is the better guide to what actually trades here.

When you judge the fee, divide it by the suite size and then compare it with a neighbouring building’s fee plus that building’s hydro and heating costs. On that basis an all-inclusive fee is often closer to fair than it first looks. If you want a building-specific view of recent sales, ask for my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Forest Mansion II

The amenity list is modest: a party room, a meeting room, a sauna and security staff. For most owners here the real amenity is the fee structure and the walk to Scarborough Town Centre rather than a long list of shared facilities.

Jatin’s honest take on Forest Mansion II

Forest Mansion II — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.