Buying a home in Western Australia

WA at a glance

Each line links to the page it comes from. A dagger (†) marks a fact that was taken from an official search result and has not yet been confirmed on the agency's page from this build environment; open the link before relying on it.

Stamp duty

What it's called

Transfer duty (formerly stamp duty), assessed by RevenueWA on the dutiable value of the transaction Source

Official calculator

RevenueWA transfer duty calculator Source

How the rate works

A general rate on the dutiable value under Schedule 2 of the Duties Act 2008 (the residential rate ended 30 June 2022): $1.90 per $100 up to $120,000; $2,280 plus $2.85 per $100 above $120,000 to $150,000; $3,135 plus $3.80 per $100 above $150,000 to $360,000; $11,115 plus $4.75 per $100 above $360,000 to $725,000; $28,453 plus $5.15 per $100 above $725,000. Source

When the bands change

The schedule of rates has applied since 1 July 2008; thresholds move by budget measure, not annual indexation. The first-home thresholds last changed on 7 May 2026 Source

First home, established

No duty to $600,000; concessional rate to $800,000 (transactions from 7 May 2026) Source

First home, new or off the plan

Same as established: no duty to $600,000, concessional rate to $800,000 for a newly built home (transactions from 7 May 2026) Source

First home, vacant land

No duty to $450,000; concessional rate to $550,000 (transactions from 7 May 2026) Source

Other concessions

Off-the-plan concession: no duty to $800,000 pre-construction, tapering to 50% above $900,000; extended to 30 June 2028 and widened to survey-strata dwellings (March 2026) Source

Regional ceiling after 7 May 2026

Before 7 May 2026 regional WA had a higher concession ceiling ($750,000 against $700,000). Whether that survives the 2026-27 change was not confirmed from this environment Source

Cooling-off and contracts

Cooling-off period

None. Western Australia has no statutory cooling-off period; the offer and acceptance binds once every term is agreed Source

Cost of using it

Not applicable. A cooling-off clause exists only if the buyer and seller agree to insert one, on the terms they agree Source

When it does not apply

Every sale: private treaty and auction alike carry no cooling-off unless a clause is negotiated into the contract Source

Waiving or shortening it

There is nothing to waive. Protection comes from the conditions written into the offer instead, such as the finance clause on the O&A form Source

What the seller must disclose

No mandatory seller disclosure statement. Material facts must be disclosed and direct questions answered honestly; strata sales carry a precontractual disclosure statement Source

Deposit

No fixed deposit; the amount is negotiated in the offer and generally paid in full within seven days. At auction about 10% is paid on the day Source

Settlement

Set in the contract, usually 30 to 90 days; usually 30 days after an auction Source

Grants and schemes

First Home Owner Grant

Up to $10,000 on a first new home; cap $800,000 south of the 26th parallel (all of Perth) or $1,000,000 north of it, transactions from 7 May 2026; no income or assets test Source

Grant: eligibility

At least 18 at the date of application (an exemption is possible); at least one applicant an Australian citizen or permanent resident; no prior ownership or relevant interest in residential property anywhere in Australia, subject to the 1 July 2000 and 1 July 2004 occupancy rules; and no previous grant or first home owner rate of duty. Source

State schemes open

Keystart: low-deposit loans from a 2% deposit with no LMI, shared ownership with the Housing Authority, and Urban Connect Shared Equity on new dwellings; price limits not confirmed here Source

Closed or ended

None named in the sources checked. The pre-7 May 2026 first home owner rate thresholds and the pre-March 2026 off-the-plan thresholds were superseded, not closed Source

5% Deposit Scheme

Unlimited places, no income cap and higher price caps from 1 October 2025. The current WA price cap was not confirmed from this environment; open the price-caps page Source

Help to Buy

Shared equity of up to 30% (established) or 40% (new); applications from 5 December 2025. WA participation and price caps not confirmed here; open Housing Australia Source

Auctions and price guides

Price guides

No statutory price-guide rule. An agent may only advertise a price the seller has authorised, and the advertising must not mislead under the Australian Consumer Law Source

Underquoting

No specific underquoting offence. The general ban on false or misleading representations and the agents' Code of Conduct apply, enforced by Consumer Protection WA Source

Reforms in train

None found in the sources checked. Whether any 2025-26 price-guide or underquoting reform is in train was not confirmed from this environment † Source

Vendor bids

Permitted: the seller or their agent can bid up to the reserve price, the intended number of bids must be shown in the conditions of sale, and Consumer Protection says vendor bids are usually declared at the start of the auction by the auctioneer Source

Bidder registration

No registration requirement: Consumer Protection's 2019 decision regulatory impact statement on the Auction Sales Act records that a proposed requirement to register bidders and take bids only from them was strongly opposed by industry participants and not adopted; bidders can arrive on the day Source

Cooling-off at auction

None, as for every WA sale. The highest bidder signs the contract immediately and the purchase cannot be conditional on finance Source

The buying process

Licence check

Consumer Protection licence and registration search (real estate agents, sales representatives and settlement agents) Source

Who can do the conveyancing

A licensed settlement agent holding a current triennial certificate under the Settlement Agents Act 1981, or a lawyer Source

Electronic settlement

Electronic conveyancing through PEXA is the standard settlement process; Landgate is the land registry Source

Complaints

Consumer Protection WA: raise it with the agent first, then the Contact Centre on 1300 30 40 54; a complaint is lodged online or in writing Source