Kensington at Old Mill II, 12 Old Mill Trail: Large Suites by the Humber

Kensington at Old Mill II is a building for people leaving a house, not people buying their first condo. Its 65 suites start at about 971 square feet and run past 2,200, in a six-storey building on a quiet lane above the Humber, a short walk from Old Mill station. The fee covers heat, cooling and parking. What you need to watch is the building’s age and the fact that it has a twin next door. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The second of two Kensingtons

Old Mill Trail has two Kensington condominiums side by side. The Kensington at 10 Old Mill Trail, MTCC-1277, was registered in November 1999. Kensington at Old Mill II, MTCC-1349, followed a year later. They are separate corporations with separate budgets, reserve funds and managers.

Condos.ca lists this building’s address range as 2-12 Old Mill Trail, which takes in number 10, while listing The Kensington separately at 10 Old Mill Trail. Do not rely on the street number alone. Check the corporation number on the listing and the status certificate so you know which building’s finances you are buying into.

Condos.ca credits Humber Manor as builder of phase II. Its overview of the first building credits Monarch Group. The naming suggests a two-phase project, but I could not confirm from a published source how the two companies were related.

House-sized suites in a six-storey building

Suites run from about 971 to 2,211 square feet, according to condos.ca. There are no small one-bedrooms here. Even the smallest suite is larger than a typical new two-bedroom, and the largest are the size of a detached house.

That size range, in only 65 suites, is what makes this a downsizer’s building. Six storeys means fewer neighbours per elevator and a quieter lobby than a tower. It also means the views are about trees and the valley rather than the skyline, which many buyers here prefer.

I could not confirm ceiling heights, the architect or details of the outdoor space from a published source. For larger suites, ask about the number of bathrooms, the laundry location and whether the suite has a terrace or a balcony, since those vary most at the top of the range.

Large suites in older buildings are also the ones most likely to have been renovated, sometimes heavily. When a suite has been opened up or had its kitchen or bathrooms moved, ask whether the corporation approved the work and whether permits were pulled. The status certificate and the corporation’s records should show it.

What the fee buys

Condos.ca lists cable TV, air conditioning, common elements, heat, building insurance, parking and water in the fee. Hydro is not listed, so that is the one utility you pay directly. For a large suite, having heat and cooling covered makes the monthly cost far more predictable.

The amenity list is aimed at owners, not renters: a concierge, a security guard, a party room, a meeting room, a garage and visitor parking. A staffed building of 65 suites spreads that cost over few owners, which is one reason fees here are higher than in a large tower.

Condos.ca also lists a pet restriction. Read the rules if you have a dog, since restrictions on size and number are common in buildings like this.

Because heat and cooling are supplied centrally, the age and condition of that equipment matter to every owner. Ask when the boilers, chillers or heat pumps were last replaced and what the reserve fund study expects next.

Living on Old Mill Trail

Old Mill Trail is a short residential lane at the edge of the Humber valley, near the Old Mill Inn, which takes its name from the grist mill ruins on the river’s west bank. A series of mills worked this stretch of the Humber from about 1800 until the last was abandoned in 1881.

Old Mill station, opened in 1968, is close by at 2672 Bloor Street West, and the shops of Kingsway Village and Bloor West Village are a short trip away. The Humber trails are at the bottom of the hill.

New buildings have arrived around the Old Mill, including Lanterra’s ten-storey Riverhouse, built on a former Old Mill Inn parking lot, and Tridel’s One and Two Old Mill on Bloor. That gives resale buyers more choice, and it is a useful comparison for what a newer building would cost you. Transit, schools and Walk Score are in the data panel.

Price per foot against its neighbours

Condos.ca puts the average at about $921 per square foot. That is a little below the Terraces of Old Mill on Bloor at about $958, where hydro is also in the fee, and well above the townhouse condos I cover in south Etobicoke, which sit in the low $600s.

For a building now more than 25 years old, that is a strong figure, and it reflects how few large suites come to market in this pocket. A buyer is paying for size, the valley setting and a staffed building more than for finishes.

One suite was for sale and none for rent when I checked, so I will not quote a single listing’s price or fee. For the sale record, use the data panel on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Kensington at Old Mill II

This is a service package rather than a recreation package. You get people in the lobby, rooms for gatherings and secure parking, not a pool or a large gym. For owners who travel or spend winters away, the staffing is the real amenity.

Jatin’s honest take on Kensington at Old Mill II

Kensington at Old Mill II — frequently asked questions

Looking at Humber Bay Shores, Mimico, the Queensway and central Etobicoke more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.