Atkinson Apartments

Issues with maintenance, but that's pretty standard for any Toronto apartment building.

There was hot water in the summer but come September there is only warm water in the bathroom. When I go to boil water to take a hot bath, the power goes out on the side of the apartment where the kettles are plugged in. The maintenance staff seem to lack confidence in what they do as evidenced by dismissive and condescending responses to my complaints. I have submitted a notice to vacate in 70 days.

Atkinson offers lots of storage and a very roomy floorplan (by Toronto standards) for the price. The hue windows offer a ton of natural light, which is usually great but becomes a problem when they turn off the AC in September despite the fact that October heatwaves are the norm. The building has virtually no amenities, but if you're living here you're probably too busy with school to care, and the student gym membership at York is only $25 for the year. That said, the move-in policies are bizarre (only 2 hours for your elevator, and no booking on weekends or evenings!), the aforementioned lack of perfect control over the AC (and heat, for that matter) is a problem, and the policies in place at York Apartments seem designed to be as unhelpful and irritating as possible. The laundry is expensive and the machines are not the best quality. The maintenance staff often put the elevator on service for strange reasons (for example, hallway cleaning), and don't pay attention to whether or not the second elevator is on service for move-ins, which results in time period with no elevator access at all (rare, but should be zero). They don't communicate well about important issues like elevator outages (one has been down for 4 days as of this writing with no emails), nor do they strictly adhere to the RTA's notice requirements for apartment entry (for example, for fire-alarm testing). That said, the applicances and floors are newer, the windows are of very high quality so the apartment is very quiet, and they're bright with lots of room and on-campus. You could do far worse.

It is a nice, large and bright space with big windows, and the freedom to bring in your own furniture as well as pets. It is very conveniently located. That being said, my bathroom leaks sporadically from the ceiling (as well as has mold) and building management has done nothing about it. There is also significant cracking around the windows, which is worrying but has no effect on the temperature. Management does not clean the stairways, which have featured cigarette butts and smoothie splatters for months on end. Also, the buzzer system does not work for people with phones from outside the province, which is counterintuitive for a residence that would house people from far away. There have also been issues with cockroaches and bedbugs (which admittedly, management responds to very quickly). The walls aren't too thin, but the ceilings are, so you can hear people talking and the like in the other apartments. It's great having wifi included in the rent but it is some of the worst wifi I've ever had, and does not reach the bedroom or bathroom much of the time (at least on cellular devices). The laundry room is fine most of the time.

The apartment itself is fairly dated, with cracks/chips/quirks that come with that. Location to class and transit are ideal, and the maintenance staff does their best to keep up with temperamental elevators and kitchen appliance issues. Overall happy to call it home.

My expierence at this apartment is very poor. York University Housing Services is neither helpful nor professional. They show an unwillingness to work with students, and do not seem to comprehend the responsibilities associated with being a landlord. I would not, and currently do no, recommend York University Housing Services to any Osgoode students.
For example, York University Housing Services is difficult to get into contact with. Additionally, they do not comprehend, or care, about a severe lack of hot water in the apartment. This is not a privilege associated with tenacy. It is in the Landlord / Tenant Act.
There is a clause in the terms of obtaining one's keys to pick it up from the drop box within a time period (the duration of a day), otherwise students are subject to forfeiture of their tenancy. This is not legal. I have been looking into advocacy and resolution avenues for this problem, but will also draw your attention to it. When a tenant as paid their lawful rent, the landlord cannot revoke their tenancy vis a vis eviction on the basis they did not pick up their key in a given time frame.
Further, upon moving in, the apartment had a problem with insects that was quite rampant. The apartment was littered with dead and alive insects.
York University Housing Services shows both a disregard for the wellbeing of their tenants, and a disregard for the law. I would never recommend using York University Housing Services.

Some issues with maintenance, especially because the building is quite old.