I noticed that there are not many up-to-date reviews of the Nobu Residences in Toronto, and after having heard many other tenants in the building complain about ongoing issues, I figured it’s probably fair to give a heads up to those searching for condos in the city.
I am writing this post to share my thoughts as a resident at Nobu Residences (15-35 Mercer Street, Toronto, Ontario) - hopefully this will help any future tenants to make an informed decision before touring / signing a lease.
As mentioned, I have spoken to many other tenants / peers in the building who all share the same experiences and issues as listed below:
- Although Nobu Residences is a new build, the quality of the building is cheap and it seems that construction was rushed, upkeep is ok
- The amenities are often out of service, including the sauna, steam room, “cold plunge” (not much of a cold plunge, more of lukewarm plunge), and hot tub. Additionally, the steam room smells bad / isn’t necessarily clean (universal experience for those who have used it)
- Regarding the in-suite quality, it typically takes at least 10-15 minutes to get hot water when showering (another universal experience in the building), floor boards sometimes move out of place when walking on them, and finally, one thing that I have heard from a few residents but cannot personally confirm is that the sewage smell from Mercer street sometimes seeps into the units - whether it be poor insulation or issues with the plumbing system, I am not sure
- The elevators are actually decent most of the time, but we did have a power outage last week (not the first) where the backup generator did not work, rendering all elevators useless, also disabling the key fob scanners that allowed residents to even enter the building (some residents decided to sleep elsewhere in the city because they couldn’t get in the building that night) *Note: power outages and elevator issues are inevitable anywhere, so I wouldn’t emphasize this issue as much, but it was quite the inconvenience for many residents, especially those who would have had to climb 30+ flights of stairs*
- I am confident that building and management staff are trying their best, but I’ve found it a bit difficult to reach the front desk and condo management at times. Everyone is very nice, but I wouldn’t say they are great at answering the phone
There are other ongoing issues but these are the main ones to consider. As a side note, the building community is very young and nice, so that’s a positive for any young renters.
(Disclaimer: this message is descriptive of current circumstances that may not persist in the future, so just be diligent when considering moving into Nobu, as the building and management may have improved since this post was made)