65/75 Windermere

After six years at 65 Windermere, we finally packed up and moved earlier this year. There’s plenty to miss about the apartment building and area, but as I’ve mentioned before, a few issues as well.
First the positives in retrospect. The Swansea area is amazing for dog owners and families. There are parks galore, access to the water, numerous trails. It definitely doesn’t feel like you’re in a huge city. You have transit at your door step with the 77 bus, a 7 minute ride to Runnymede Station and the 501 streetcar being 3 minutes walking south.
The apartments themselves have some great qualities. Walls are thick. Extremely thick. We never had issues with any noise, above, or from our neighbors on either side. Apartments have gigantic windows, and if you’re facing west like we were, you have a lovely view of the trees across the street. There is an elevator in the building, and garbage chute on every floor for disposing of bags of trash. The chutes are definitely missed at the new place.
On-​site management was always super friendly and helpful. They actually care about the building because they live there. It seems many residents take that for granted.
On the negative side of things. What makes the area very nice for some makes it terrible for others. You have few shopping options in the area, with a corner convenience store and a gas station, being your only options nearby. Likewise you’ll have to make the trek up to Bloor St, or over to Runnymede, if you’re looking for eats, or entertainment.
The building has its fair share of issues as well. Fire alarms going off randomly in the middle of the night (about once per month) was the usual for a while. The elevator seems like it might not be aging so well. The laundry room is small (four washers, four dryers) and the dryers don’t always do the job, even on a small load.
When signing up with Greenwin, you’ll be asked to sign a bunch of clauses that are not enforceable. A No Pet Clause, proof of rental insurance and the usual things that property management companies try to force you to agree with. Not a mark specifically against Greenwin, but they definitely get no points for being the typical project management company.
Overall, I’d recommend the building to people that want to live near parks, or want a more quiet life. But with the rent increases over the years, I can’t recommend it as a cheap option for those with lower incomes.