Downtown London condos: an area guide
Key takeaways
- Downtown is London's most walkable place to own a condo, close to restaurants, the market, festivals and the river paths.
- The stock ranges from older towers to recently completed high-rises, and fees and amenities vary accordingly.
- Check street noise, parking arrangements and the specific block, because downtown changes quickly from one street to the next.
If you want to walk to dinner, a hockey game and a festival in the park, then downtown London is where you'll find condos that make that possible. The core has seen a wave of new residential towers in the last decade, adding to older buildings from the 1970s onward. Here's what to know before you buy.
The lay of the land
The core and Dundas Place
The blocks around Dundas Street, King Street and Richmond Street are London's traditional downtown: offices, Covent Garden Market, Canada Life Place (home of the London Knights), and Dundas Place, a "flex street" designed for events and patios. Newer towers here put you in the middle of the action, with the trade-offs that come with that.
Richmond Row and the north edge
Richmond Street north of Dundas, known as Richmond Row, is lined with restaurants, bars and shops, and is very popular with students on weekends. Buildings close to the Row are lively. Those a block or two away can offer the walkability with a little more quiet. Victoria Park, the site of many summer festivals and a winter skating rink, sits just to the east.
The riverfront and the Forks
To the west, downtown meets the Thames at the Forks, where the north and south branches meet, near Museum London and the river paths. Buildings with river or park views command attention, and the Thames Valley Parkway puts kilometres of paths at your door.
The downtown fringe
Woodfield to the northeast, and the areas south toward SoHo and Wortley Village, mix heritage homes with smaller condo and apartment buildings. These can be a good middle ground between downtown energy and residential calm.
Who buys downtown
- Young professionals working downtown or at nearby institutions, who value walkability.
- Movers from Toronto who are used to condo life and want to stay car-light. See our sister site Toronto to London.
- Downsizers who want to be close to the theatre, restaurants and events.
- Investors renting to professionals and students. Downtown is a reasonable bus ride to Western and Fanshawe, though the buildings' rental rules still apply.
What to check in downtown buildings
- Noise: street noise, bar traffic and festival weekends. Visit on a Friday night, and check which side of the building the unit faces.
- Parking: is a spot included, owned, rented or not available at all? Downtown parking is costly to rent separately, so it affects resale value.
- Security and building management: concierge or controlled entry, cameras, how management handles issues.
- Elevators: in taller buildings, the number of elevators and their age matter to daily life and to the reserve fund.
- Construction around you: downtown is still being built, with new towers and rapid transit work. A view today might face a new building tomorrow. Check the City's development applications map.
- Fee inclusions: newer towers often have separately metered hydro, while some older buildings include heat and water.
Older towers vs newer high-rises
Older downtown buildings often offer larger units with more practical layouts for the price, sometimes with higher fees that include utilities. Their reserve funds need careful review because major systems may be due for replacement. Newer towers offer modern finishes, amenities and energy efficiency, generally with smaller units. Their early years can bring fee adjustments as the corporation settles its budget and reserve plan. Neither is better across the board. Compare specific buildings using our fee and reserve fund guides.
Day-to-day life downtown
- Groceries: Covent Garden Market for fresh food, plus nearby grocery options. Check walking distance from the specific building.
- Transit: downtown is the hub of the LTC network and the City's rapid transit plans, and VIA Rail's London station is on York Street.
- Green space: Victoria Park, Harris Park and the river paths.
- Culture: the Grand Theatre, Museum London, live music venues and summer festivals.
Pricing
We don't publish average prices here because they go out of date quickly. More useful than any average is a list of recent sales of similar units in the same building and nearby buildings. A local agent can pull this for you from MLS data.