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Originally published in the Toronto Sun by Dianne Daniel. Reprinted with reference to the original: Making Room for Multiplexes.
When the City of Toronto approved policy and zoning changes to allow four-unit multiplexes in residential areas in 2023, the goal was to expedite construction and bring more diverse housing types to market. LandLord Property & Rental Management Inc. — a boutique company offering property management, real estate and design build services in the GTA since 1995 — embraced the decision from the start.
“I think it’s the way to go. NIMBYism (not in my backyard) might have been well-suited for the culture 15, 20, or 30 years ago, but I think the culture right now is people are finding it hard to find a place to live.” — Gotham C., LandLord Renovations & Design Build Director
LandLord has invested in multiplexes since 2017, tearing down older single-family bungalows in mature neighbourhoods and replacing them with modern, multi-unit rental properties.
As Gotham described, the idea is to divide a building in half vertically, allowing each of the four units to occupy two levels. Two apartments provide an open concept living area on the ground floor with three bedrooms located on a lower basement level. The remaining two apartments provide a main living area on the second floor with bedrooms located on the third floor.
All four units are accessed from the same entry landing, which is just steps from the driveway and parking.
“It’s a very popular model because no one is walking ‘on top of each other’ while they are sleeping.” — Gotham C., LandLord Renovations & Design Build Director
He also noted that the company relies on feedback from tenants to refine its designs.
The company’s model is also good for investors. LandLord handles all steps of the transition from single-family dwelling to multiplex — this includes identifying opportunities, negotiating a purchase, and coming up with a design. The team also acquires all necessary permits and coordinates construction. Clients then sign on for property management services, relying on LandLord to professionally lease and maintain their rentals once completed.
As of this article’s original publication, Gotham reported that LandLord had completed four multiplex transitions the prior year, with five more already on the books for the year ahead. He said the model is working for both tenants and investors, though he believes there’s room to improve the timeline. That means addressing bottlenecks related to permits, utility hook-ups, and building examinations.
“It’s a good sign that there is relative acceptance in the general population. Now they need people from the community of builders, planners and design build companies to have a symposium, to ask, ‘What are the problems? How can we narrow this down? How do we get more fourplexes in the ground?'” — Gotham C., LandLord Renovations & Design Build Director
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Originally published in the Toronto Sun by Dianne Daniel: Making Room for Multiplexes.
