Duke Tower Kitchener | 39 fl | completed

[white_brian]

How many units are there per floor, these would appear to be small

[ZEBuilder]

How many units are there per floor, these would appear to be small

There's 14 per floor, each unit has a average square footage of 561 square feet but individual units range from 690 to 407 square feet

[jeffster]

How many units are there per floor, these would appear to be small

There's 14 per floor, each unit has a average square footage of 561 square feet but individual units range from 690 to 407 square feet

407 SF is really tiny. I suppose it would be OK for a couple without a lot of stuff, but not great for entertaining guests if you have a number of friends.

[Spokes]

Oh wow. I remember my wife and I moving into our first apartment that was a 812 sq ft one bedroom and after a little while IT felt small.

[panamaniac]

Really small apartments. I wonder why they wouldn't have included a broader range of sizes?

[ZEBuilder]

Really small apartments.  I wonder why they wouldn't have included a broader range of sizes?

The more apartments a company can fit over a area the more profit they can make and by having smaller apartments they can fit more over that area than 800sq feet apartments thusly making more money

[Square]

Yes, I'm currently looking for 1 bedroom downtown, and what I have been told is that the smaller 1 bedrooms are being taken very fast, compared to 2 or 3 bedrooms.

[panamaniac]

Yes, I'm currently looking for 1 bedroom downtown, and what I have been told is that the smaller 1 bedrooms are being taken very fast, compared to 2 or 3 bedrooms.

Any signs yet that rents are coming down?  I suppose DTK might resist what seems inevitable over the next few months.

[tomh009]

There's 14 per floor, each unit has a average square footage of 561 square feet but individual units range from 690 to 407 square feet

407 SF is really tiny. I suppose it would be OK for a couple without a lot of stuff, but not great for entertaining guests if you have a number of friends.

407 would be a studio rather than a 1BR unit, I hope.

In my much-younger (and single) days I lived for a while in a 27 m2 studio apartment (about 300 sq ft) in Europe. It could work nicely for a single person, but it's certainly a different living style.

[plam]

407 SF is really tiny. I suppose it would be OK for a couple without a lot of stuff, but not great for entertaining guests if you have a number of friends.

407 would be a studio rather than a 1BR unit, I hope.

In my much-younger (and single) days I lived for a while in a 27 m2 studio apartment (about 300 sq ft) in Europe. It could work nicely for a single person, but it's certainly a different living style.

Have lived as a couple in a 250sqft studio-ish place in Berkeley for 6 months in 2011-2012. (The kitchen was sort of separate). It was small and as expensive as the 1050sqft place in Waterloo we were renting out. Even 600sqft set up as a 1BR (my current status) is a bit small, but it depends a lot on the layout of the place. The 1050sqft place wasn't very well laid out and lots of sqft were wasted on corridors, which aren't that useful.

[jeffster]

407 SF is really tiny. I suppose it would be OK for a couple without a lot of stuff, but not great for entertaining guests if you have a number of friends.

407 would be a studio rather than a 1BR unit, I hope.

In my much-younger (and single) days I lived for a while in a 27 m2 studio apartment (about 300 sq ft) in Europe. It could work nicely for a single person, but it's certainly a different living style.

To be honest, a 400 SF place in a metropolitan Euro city would actually be quite large. Even Toronto. I used to live in an older section of Kitchener and lived in a 1930's apartment that was 1 bedroom. I think it was 420 SF if you measured wall to wall (so perhaps a little less than 420). It is doable. But as for entertaining large groups, that's out of the question.

I have friends in Hamilton that live in an older section of Hamilton, and rent the upper level of a house, plus the attic. It's a fabulous size and good for having friends over.

My perspective is that one really needs to consider their needs when buying or renting a place. If you don't like entertaining larger groups (if any), and you don't have a lot of material possession, then a place like this at DTK is good. I just wonder if the pricing corresponds.

[tomh009]

I have also done AirBNB rentals in a bunch of different studio apartments in Tokyo (before AirBNB effectively got banned in much of Japan), most of them in the 300-400 sqft range. Depending on your needs and activities, it really can work, but (1) entertaining more than one friend is not really realistic, and (2) storage is minimal. But I do think having this size range apartments available is good, as long as we have other options, too.

[Square]

Yes, I'm currently looking for 1 bedroom downtown, and what I have been told is that the smaller 1 bedrooms are being taken very fast, compared to 2 or 3 bedrooms.

Any signs yet that rents are coming down?  I suppose DTK might resist what seems inevitable over the next few months.

I don't know.  Is $1500 for a 765 square feet 1 bedroom going down?

[panamaniac]

Any signs yet that rents are coming down?  I suppose DTK might resist what seems inevitable over the next few months.

I don't know.  Is $1500 for a 765 square feet 1 bedroom going down?

No idea, as I have never rented in Kitchener.  I'm just thinking that there are going to be hundreds (thousands?) of vacant apartments in K-W by September, which makes me think that rents should be coming down.  I know of several people here in Ottawa who have renewed their leases and negotiated a small reduction in their rent.  I don't know how widespread it has become.  Would it not usually be June/July when students are looking for apartments for the coming year?  Although, as I said before, DTK might be the part of town least affected by this, if it's happening.

[jeffster]

I don't know.  Is $1500 for a 765 square feet 1 bedroom going down?

No idea, as I have never rented in Kitchener.  I'm just thinking that there are going to be hundreds (thousands?) of vacant apartments in K-W by September, which makes me think that rents should be coming down.  I know of several people here in Ottawa who have renewed their leases and negotiated a small reduction in their rent.  I don't know how widespread it has become.  Would it not usually be June/July when students are looking for apartments for the coming year?  Although, as I said before, DTK might be the part of town least affected by this, if it's happening.

I think the area's most affected would be the Doon area of Kitchener, though unsure how bad it could be. Not a lot of rental apartments for students in that area.

As for the university area of Waterloo, the impact is going to be massive. I was out with some friends yesterday, and the one lady works at the University of Waterloo, and right now they're accepting just about anyone into their programs. And as for the apartments, they are going be empty. We would be talking about thousands of empty units. And a lot of lost business for retail/restaurant in that area.

I could see if affecting rent prices if none-students start renting student units, but would anyone actually do that? As for regular rental units, the market is still tight. But if incomes are down, then I could see market price reductions, but it would be given as a subsidy of sorts. That way they could go back up to regular rates once things get bette.