Summerhill Property Management

Summerhill runs along the Yonge Street spine between the Canadian Pacific Railway corridor to the south and Jackes Avenue to the north, bounded by Avenue Road to the west and Mount Pleasant Road to the east. The neighbourhood is organized around a working commercial high street: the North Toronto Railway Station clock tower (now the flagship Summerhill LCBO), the Summerhill Market grocer that has operated since 1954, and the gourmet retail row known locally as the Five Thieves. Behind that commercial spine, quiet residential streets carry Victorian, Edwardian, and Georgian detached homes, while boutique condominiums and mid-rise residences line the Yonge corridor itself. That dual character makes Summerhill property management a discipline that spans a mix of residential properties to include condo units in boutique buildings, singlefamily homes and multiplex units.

Summerhill straddles TRREB districts C02 (Yonge-St Clair) and C09 (Rosedale-Moore Park) in the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s MLS system. Buttonwood Property Management has managed investment properties along the Yonge corridor since 2011. Each lease 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 Summerhill

The neighbourhood takes its name from Summer Hill, the 1842 country estate of Charles Thompson, a Toronto steamboat operator whose villa crowned a glacial ridge overlooking the Rosedale Valley. Thompson opened an amusement ground on the estate that drew weekend visitors north from the city, and the site gave the neighbourhood its name when subdivision began in the 1860s.

The Canadian Pacific Railway cut through the southern edge of Summerhill in 1884, and the original North Toronto Railway Station opened at Yonge and Shaftesbury in 1916. The station served intercity traffic for two decades before passenger service consolidated at Union. Its 140-foot clock tower, designed by Darling and Pearson and inspired by the Campanile di San Marco in Venice, sat largely vacant for half a century until the LCBO acquired it in 2003 and reopened the structure as its flagship store. The rail corridor still defines Summerhill’s southern edge and routes the GO Transit Barrie line directly beneath the neighbourhood.

The Housing Stock in Summerhill

The residential streets east and west of Yonge are dominated by detached and semi-detached homes dating from the 1890s to the 1920s. Macpherson Avenue, Woodlawn Avenue West, Summerhill Gardens, and Shaftesbury Avenue carry the densest concentration of heritage homes, with architectural styles spanning Victorian brick, Edwardian, Georgian Revival, and a scattering of Arts and Crafts. Lot frontages run narrower than Rosedale, typically 25 to 40 feet.

The Yonge corridor itself carries a tight concentration of boutique and mid-rise condominium buildings, most of them four to twelve storeys. These developments were approved through the 1980s and 1990s under zoning that capped heights along the strip to preserve sight lines to the clock tower. The result is a corridor of small-footprint buildings rather than high-rises.

Rental inventory in Summerhill consists of whole-house rentals on the heritage streets, and condo units in the Yonge corridor. 

Residential Buildings in Summerhill

The neighbourhood’s condominium inventory is concentrated along Yonge Street between Davenport Road and St. Clair Avenue, with a handful of boutique buildings on the side streets.

• One Balmoral (1 Balmoral Avenue). A 9-storey, 133-suite boutique condominium completed in 1998 by Diamante Development Corporation. Suites span one-bedroom to three-bedroom layouts, with several penthouse units carrying private terraces oriented toward the ravine.
  
• The Ramsden (980 Yonge Street). A 10-storey, 125-unit condominium completed in 1998 by VanBots Construction. The building sits directly across Yonge from Ramsden Park, with suites ranging from 700 to 1,900 square feet across one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans.
  
• The Ports (1177 Yonge Street). A 7-storey, 106-unit condominium completed in 1986 on the west side of Yonge near Summerhill Station. Suites are larger than the neighbourhood average, with several exceeding 2,500 square feet.
  
• 1000 Yonge Street (1000 Yonge Street). A 5-storey mid-rise on the corner of Yonge and Roxborough Street West. Retail anchors the ground floor; residential suites above include one-bedroom and two-bedroom layouts with ravine exposure.
  
• 39 Shaftesbury Avenue. A 4-storey boutique co-ownership building set one block east of Yonge, offering two-bedroom and three-bedroom suites with interior atrium light wells.
  
• 210 Cottingham Street. A 4-storey low-rise condominium on a quiet residential street north of Summerhill Station, converted from an earlier institutional use in the early 2000s with the original brick envelope preserved.
  
• 77 Mackenzie Avenue. A small boutique address of detached-style flats developed in the early 1990s, with roughly 22 units across two connected structures.

Buildings Under Construction

Summerhill’s interior blocks are fully built out, but the Yonge corridor has three active and pre-construction projects in the pipeline, adding approximately 300 new residential units to the neighbourhood.

• 1 Marlborough (1140 Yonge Street). A 13-storey, 58-suite luxury condominium by Devron and Dorsay Development Corporation at the Rosedale-Summerhill border. Suites start at 1,800 square feet with prices from the high $3 millions. The building incorporates heritage elements from the original Pierce-Arrow showroom on site. Pre-construction, launch targeted for mid-2026 with completion in 2029.
  
• 1087 Yonge Street (1087 Yonge Street). A 35-storey, 235-unit condominium by Zinc Developments at Yonge and Summerhill. The design steps a six-storey podium back to a slim upper tower to preserve sight lines to the clock tower. Pre-construction.
  
• 1220 Yonge Street (1220 Yonge Street). A mid-rise condominium at the northern edge of Summerhill near St. Clair, with a retail podium oriented toward the Yonge streetwall. Pre-construction, with unit count to be confirmed at registration.

For those buyers, the management partner selected to assist with rental and management services will shape how the real estate asset performs over time to ensure optimal return on investment.

Market Prices: Renting and Buying in Summerhill

Whole-house rentals for detached homes in Summerhill typically range from $5,200 to $10,000 per month depending on size, heritage status, and proximity to the subway. Luxury condominium units in the Yonge corridor run roughly $2,500 to $3,500 for one-bedroom suites and $3,800 to $5,500 for two-bedroom layouts, with the boutique buildings commanding a premium over larger towers.

The purchase market in Summerhill averaged approximately $2.17 million across all property types in 2024-2025, with detached homes on Macpherson, Summerhill Gardens, and Woodlawn routinely trading between $3 million and $5 million. The tenant pool reflects the neighbourhood’s profile: professionals relocating for senior roles at downtown banks and law firms, families drawn to the Whitney and Cottingham school catchments, and international investors holding properties through long-term leases.

Transit and Walkability in Summerhill

Walk Score rates central Summerhill at 97 out of 100, classifying the neighbourhood as a Walker’s Paradise. Transit Score runs between 86 and 89, and Bike Score ranges from 64 to 87 depending on the street.

Public transit. Summerhill Station on TTC Line 1 (Yonge-University) is the neighbourhood’s anchor, with direct service south to Union Station and north to Finch. Rosedale Station to the south and St. Clair Station to the north are each a single stop away. The 97 Yonge bus runs along the corridor, and the 82 Rosedale bus connects interior residential streets to the subway.

Cycling. The Yonge Street bike lanes extend through Summerhill as part of the city’s north-south cycling network. Riders can reach the Financial District in under 15 minutes, and the David A. Balfour Park ravine trail offers a car-free route into the Don Valley.

Driving. Avenue Road and Mount Pleasant Road provide direct access north to Eglinton and south to Bloor. Jarvis Street and the Don Valley Parkway are a short drive east via the ravine roads.

Schools in Summerhill

Families renting in Summerhill have access to TDSB schools that draw tenants to the neighbourhood specifically for the catchment.

Cottingham Junior Public School (85 Birch Avenue, JK-6) has served Summerhill since the late nineteenth century and remains one of the city’s smaller elementary schools by enrolment, allowing tighter teacher-student ratios.

Deer Park Junior and Senior Public School (23 Ferndale Avenue, JK-8) serves the combined Deer Park and northern Summerhill catchment, offering both the elementary and middle-school years on a single site.

Jesse Ketchum Junior and Senior Public School (7 Berryman Street, JK-8) anchors the southern catchment near Yorkville and serves families in the lower portion of Summerhill.

North Toronto Collegiate Institute (17 Broadway Avenue, Grades 9-12) is the secondary school for Summerhill residents, with a long track record in academics and athletics.

How Buttonwood Manages Summerhill 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 Yonge corridor has always been central to that portfolio. That track record reflects the precision in our processes and procedures. Summerhill attracts downtown professionals working in finance and law, families relocating for the TDSB catchment, and international investors purchasing boutique condominiums as long-term holds.

Once a qualified tenant is placed, management covers rent collection, maintenance coordination, lease renewal tracking, and annual rent increase notices 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.

Managing detached houses and condo units in Summerhill requires direct oversight: this requires deep expertise and Buttonwood offers a comprehensive end-to-end solution to real estate investors.

Working with Summerhill Landlords

Whether the property is a whole-house rental on Woodlawn Avenue, a suite at The Ramsden, or a unit in a new pre-construction tower, the management principles are the same: rigorous screening, transparent reporting, and direct communication.

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.

Our midtown portfolio extends beyond Summerhill. We manage investment properties in Rosedale to the south, Deer Park to the north, and Casa Loma to the west.

Contact Buttonwood to discuss management of your Summerhill investment property.