Dundas Street West Property Management

Dundas Street West runs east-west through Toronto’s west end, and this service area covers the corridor from Ossington Avenue on the east to Lansdowne Avenue on the west, with the surrounding residential blocks extending roughly two blocks north and south of the street. The neighbourhood overlaps with the area historically known as Little Portugal, defined by its early twentieth-century housing stock, a growing number of boutique mid-rise developments, and a commercial corridor that has shifted from Portuguese-owned shops and bakeries to a mix of restaurants, cafes, and independent retail. Successful Dundas Street West property management requires working across a rental market that includes heritage conversions, low-rise apartments, and an expanding inventory of new boutique condominiums.

The neighbourhood falls under TRREB district C01 (Toronto C01) in the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s MLS system. Buttonwood Property Management has managed investment properties along Dundas Street West since 2011. Every tenancy we manage in the neighbourhood is subject to:

• Ontario Residential Tenancies Act
• Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO)
• Ontario Human Rights Tribunal
• Ontario Building Code
• Ontario Fire Code
• Vacant Home Tax (City of Toronto)
• CRA’s Non-resident Tax Withholding on Rental Income (NR4/NR6)

History of Dundas Street West

Dundas Street was named after Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, and has served as a major east-west thoroughfare since the early days of Upper Canada. The western portion of the street developed through the late 1800s and early 1900s as working-class residential blocks, with small-scale commercial activity concentrated at the intersections with Dovercourt Road, Dufferin Street, and Lansdowne Avenue.

The Portuguese community began settling along Dundas West in the 1950s and 1960s, establishing the neighbourhood that became known as Little Portugal. Portuguese bakeries, fish markets, churches, and social clubs gave the corridor a distinct cultural identity that persisted for decades. St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Adelaide Street and the cluster of Portuguese businesses along Dundas between Ossington and Dufferin anchored the community.

Beginning in the 2000s, the corridor experienced significant gentrification. Rising property values in adjacent neighbourhoods like Trinity Bellwoods and the Ossington Strip pushed residential and commercial demand westward along Dundas. Portuguese-owned businesses gradually closed or relocated, replaced by cocktail bars, brunch restaurants, and specialty retail. The residential blocks saw similar change: heritage homes that had housed working families for generations were purchased and renovated by new owners, and developers began proposing mid-rise infill projects on the commercial corridor. Today Dundas Street West retains elements of its Portuguese heritage while functioning as one of the west end’s primary dining and retail corridors.

The Housing Stock on Dundas Street West

The residential streets surrounding Dundas Street West are lined with Victorian and Edwardian semi-detached homes, workers’ cottages, and row houses from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Dovercourt Road, Ossington Avenue, Argyle Street, Lisgar Street, and Beaconsfield Avenue contain the densest concentrations of heritage housing. Many of these homes have been converted into multi-unit rental properties, with basement apartments, upper-floor suites, and rear laneway additions providing the bulk of the neighbourhood’s rental inventory.

New condominium development along Dundas Street West has been boutique in scale, consistent with the neighbourhood’s low-rise character and zoning.

• Azul Lofts (1636 Dundas Street West). A 5-storey boutique loft building on Dundas Street between Dufferin and Lansdowne. Completed with an industrial aesthetic suited to the corridor’s character.

Rental inventory beyond the condo buildings consists primarily of apartments in converted heritage homes, upper-floor units above Dundas Street storefronts, and purpose-built low-rise apartment buildings from the 1960s and 1970s. Managing these property types requires direct coordination with contractors for building systems, heritage-related maintenance, and seasonal upkeep.

Buildings Under Construction

Dundas Street West has several pre-construction and active development projects that will add new condo inventory to the corridor over the coming years.

• 1113-1117 Dundas Street West (1113 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1X3). A 10-storey mass timber residential building containing 94 units, developed by CreateTO. Pre-construction. One of the first mass timber condo projects in Toronto’s west end.
• 1494 Dundas Street West (1494 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1Y6). An 8-storey mid-rise containing 57 condo units, developed by Block Developments. Pre-construction. Located on Dundas Street near Dufferin.
• 466 Dovercourt Road (466 Dovercourt Road, Toronto, ON M6H 2W3). A 6-storey mid-rise containing 30 condo units, developed by TAS. Pre-construction. Located one block north of Dundas on Dovercourt Road.

Market Prices: Renting and Buying on Dundas Street West

Rental prices. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom unit near Dundas Street West ranges from $1,925 to $2,400, with two-bedroom units ranging from $2,600 to $3,000. The corridor sits slightly below the Trinity Bellwoods and Ossington Strip premium but benefits from the same walkability and transit access. Tenants are predominantly young professionals and couples drawn to the west end’s dining scene and the neighbourhood’s proximity to downtown.

Sale prices. Condo units along the Dundas Street West corridor sell at price points that vary significantly by building age and scale. Boutique loft units in completed buildings trade at approximately $900 to $1,100 per square foot. Pre-construction projects are pricing at higher per-square-foot rates consistent with the broader Toronto new-build market. Freehold homes on the surrounding residential streets range from $1.1 million to $2.0 million depending on lot size, condition, and unit configuration.

Current Listings Managed by Buttonwood

Buttonwood manages rental properties along the Dundas Street West corridor, from boutique loft units to converted heritage apartments on the surrounding residential streets. Current availability changes throughout the year; visit the Buttonwood listings page for up-to-date inventory.

How Tenants Commute from Dundas Street West

Walk Score data rates the Dundas Street West corridor at 99 out of 100 for walkability (Walker’s Paradise), 89 out of 100 for transit (Excellent Transit), and 89 out of 100 for cycling (Very Bikeable).

Public transit. The 505 Dundas streetcar runs east-west along Dundas Street, connecting the corridor to Dundas West Station on Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) and continuing east through Chinatown and the downtown core to Broadview Station. The 29 Dufferin bus runs north-south along Dufferin Street, connecting to Dufferin Station on Line 2. Ossington Station and Lansdowne Station on Line 2 are both within walking distance of the corridor’s eastern and western ends respectively.

Cycling. Dundas Street West has dedicated cycling infrastructure connecting the corridor to the downtown core. The residential side streets provide additional low-traffic cycling routes. Trinity Bellwoods Park, accessible from the eastern end of the corridor, connects to the broader downtown cycling network.

Driving. The Gardiner Expressway is accessible via Dufferin Street or Strachan Avenue to the south. Highway 401 is reachable via the Allen Road expressway from Eglinton Avenue to the north. Lansdowne Avenue connects to Lake Shore Boulevard for east-west driving routes.

Schools on Dundas Street West

Families renting along Dundas Street West have access to TDSB schools within the neighbourhood and its surrounding blocks.

Alexander Muir/Gladstone Avenue Junior and Senior Public School (108 Gladstone Avenue, JK-8) is located on Gladstone Avenue one block south of Dundas and serves the central portion of the corridor.

Dovercourt Public School (228 Bartlett Avenue, JK-6) is located north of Dundas Street near Dovercourt Road and serves the western portion of the neighbourhood.

Central Technical School (725 Bathurst Street, Grades 9-12) is one of Toronto’s largest secondary schools, located east of the corridor with specialized programs in visual arts and technology.

How Buttonwood Manages Dundas Street West Properties

Tenant screening is where outcomes are determined. The process Buttonwood uses was developed across thousands of tenancies throughout the GTA since 2011, and the result is six evictions in that entire period for non-payment of rent. These results are driven by proprietary tenant screening processes and procedures that Buttonwood perfected over time.

Once a qualified tenant is placed, management covers rent collection, maintenance coordination, lease renewal tracking, and annual rent increase notices issued under the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act. Property owners based outside Canada benefit from our non-resident tax compliance services, including CRA withholding obligations and NR4/NR6 reporting on rental income.

Dundas Street West’s rental inventory includes a significant share of converted heritage homes and low-rise apartment buildings. These property types require hands-on building oversight: Buttonwood coordinates directly with contractors for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing, and seasonal maintenance rather than deferring to a condo board.

Working with Dundas Street West Landlords

Landlords who own a rental property along Dundas Street West, whether a boutique loft unit at Azul, a converted Victorian duplex on Dovercourt Road, or a multi-unit heritage home on one of the surrounding residential streets, need a management partner who understands the west end’s evolving rental market.

Buttonwood delivers a value proposition that is affordable, carries the best reputation within the industry, and applies an uncommon level of expertise and ethical standard that both landlords and tenants deserve. More than 70% of our business comes through referrals.

• #1 Individual Associate – Units KW Canada 2025 – Top 5 Individuals (Keller Williams Portfolio Realty)
• Platinum Award 2024 (iPro Realty Ltd.)
• Platinum Award 2023 (iPro Realty Ltd.)
• Platinum Award 2022 (iPro Realty Ltd.)
• President’s Award 2021 (iPro Realty Ltd.)
• Platinum Award 2020 (iPro Realty Ltd.)
• President’s Award 2019 (iPro Realty Ltd.)
• Executive’s Club Award 2017 (Kingsway Real Estate Brokerage)
• 100 Percent Club Award 2016 (Kingsway Real Estate Brokerage)

Those are not marketing claims; they are measurable results over 14 plus years of rental and management services in The Greater Toronto Area.

A Neighbourhood That Rewards Careful Management

Dundas Street West’s commercial corridor continues to evolve. The Portuguese cultural heritage that defined the neighbourhood for decades is giving way to a new generation of restaurants, cafes, and independent shops, but the residential streets retain their heritage character. The combination of walkability, streetcar access, proximity to Trinity Bellwoods Park, and an expanding inventory of boutique mid-rise developments makes the corridor attractive to both tenants and investors.

Several pre-construction projects, including the 10-storey mass timber building at 1113-1117 Dundas and the mid-rise at 1494 Dundas, will add new condo inventory to the corridor over the coming years. That growth makes disciplined screening and consistent management increasingly important as the neighbourhood’s rental market matures.

Our west end portfolio extends beyond Dundas Street West. We manage investment properties in the Ossington Strip to the east, Trinity Bellwoods to the southeast, Palmerston – Little Italy to the north, and The Junction to the west.

Contact Buttonwood to discuss management of your Dundas Street West investment property. Whether you own a boutique loft on the corridor, a converted heritage home on one of the surrounding residential streets, or a unit in one of the neighbourhood’s upcoming mid-rise developments, we can provide a direct assessment of what your property requires.