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The oldest housing market in the GTA
Toronto is the oldest housing market in the Greater Toronto Area, and old housing is what a handyman and renovation business runs on.
Inside the Toronto and East York area, which covers the pre-amalgamation City of Toronto and the former Borough of East York, the 2021 Census counted 448,365 occupied private dwellings. Of those, 163,545 were built in 1960 or earlier and another 82,780 went up between 1961 and 1980. That is 55 percent of the housing stock more than 45 years old, and 36 percent of it more than 65 years old.
Housing that age does not generate one big job. It generates a permanent stream of small ones: original galvanized supply lines, cast iron stacks, knob and tube remnants, settled porches, sagging back stairs, rotted window sills on 1920s semis, plaster cracks after a foundation repair next door. A Toronto franchisee is rarely short of work. The problem in this territory is scheduling density, not lead volume.
Toronto by the numbers
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Population (Toronto and East York, 2021) | 891,320 |
| Occupied private dwellings | 448,365 |
| Owner households | 196,170 (43.8%) |
| Renter households | 252,190 (56.2%) |
| Built 1960 or earlier | 163,545 (36.5%) |
| Built 1961 to 1980 | 82,780 (18.5%) |
| Built 2016 to 2021 | 50,045 (11.2%) |
| Median household income (2020) | $83,000 |
| Average sale price, City of Toronto, July 2026 | $1,010,836 |
At 56% renters, Toronto is the one market where landlords sign more cheques than homeowners.
What a protected territory looks like here
Toronto territories are small in area and dense in dwellings. A boundary here may cover a handful of neighbourhoods rather than a whole district, because the dwelling count per square kilometre is several times what it is in Durham or Halton.
The tenure split matters as much as the housing age. At 56.2 percent renters, Toronto and East York is the only market on our list where tenants outnumber owners. That does not reduce demand, it changes who signs the cheque. A large share of your work here comes from small landlords, property managers, condominium corporations and agents preparing units for sale rather than from the homeowner living in the house. Those are repeat accounts with predictable turnover cycles, and they are why our Homecare maintenance plans and commercial work sell well in this territory.
The other half of the story is new construction. 50,045 dwellings in this area were built between 2016 and 2021, almost all of them apartments. New condominium owners are a steady source of interior finishing work: closet build-outs, lighting, mounting, blinds, small tiling jobs and deficiency lists.
Who this territory suits
Toronto suits an owner comfortable operating in a constrained environment. Street parking, permit requirements, narrow lot access, heritage districts and close neighbours all add friction to jobs that would be simple in a suburb. Franchisees who do well here are organised, communicate clearly about timelines, and price small jobs so the trip is worth making.
It also suits an owner who wants to build a book of commercial and property management accounts alongside residential work. Our head office is at 1352 C Woodbine Ave in East York, minutes from this territory, which means a Toronto franchisee gets more face time with the support team than anyone else in the system. Note that the census area quoted above includes East York, which we service ourselves. Your actual boundary will be drawn tighter than that, and we will give you the dwelling count inside it.
No construction experience is required. We train owners to quote, schedule, manage trades and run the business through The Portal, our proprietary management software.
Availability
Territory status: contact us for current availability. Franchisees must live within one hour of their office location, so if you are already in the city this territory is a natural fit.
What it costs
The total investment is $140,000, with $90,000 in cash required to open. See the investment breakdown for how that is allocated, read the franchise overview, or work through the FAQ.