What should a landlord check every year?

At minimum: the rent against current market comparables ahead of the lease anniversary, the annual electrical safety check covering smoke alarms and RCDs, that landlord insurance is current and is landlord specific rather than a home policy, that routine inspections have actually happened and the reports were read, that any repeat repairs are assessed for replacement, and that the depreciation schedule still reflects the property after any renovations.

How often should routine inspections happen?

Every three to six months is the normal range in Western Australia, with the frequency set in your management agreement. Every three months through the first year of a tenancy is a reasonable default, because that is where you learn the most, moving to every four to six months with a settled long term tenant. Inspections that never produce a maintenance item are usually not inspections.

How often can rent be increased in Western Australia?

No more than once every 12 months, with at least 60 days written notice on the approved form. A renewal with the same tenant is treated as a continuous agreement, so signing a new fixed term does not reset the clock. Missing an anniversary does not delay the increase by a month, it delays it by a year.

Can I do this health check if I manage the property myself?

Yes. The tool works for self managed properties, properties with another agency, and properties we manage. The questions are about the property and how it is being run rather than about any particular agency, and the actions adapt to your situation.

A free audit for Perth property investors

Is your investment property actually performing?

Eighteen questions across finances, tenancy, compliance, property care and management. You get a score, a category breakdown, and a prioritised list of what to fix first.

About five minutes. No sign-up, the score appears on screen. Works whether you self manage, use another agency, or are with us.

What the check covers

Five things decide whether a rental earns or leaks.

Most owners judge a property on one number, the rent. It is the least useful of the five, because it is the one you already know. The money is usually leaking somewhere you are not looking.

25% of the score

Finances

Whether the rent has been reviewed against the market in the last 12 months, whether a depreciation schedule exists and still reflects the property, and whether you actually know your annual cash position rather than estimating it.

25% of the score

Compliance and cover

Smoke alarms, RCDs, security and blind cords, the annual electrical safety check, and whether your insurance is landlord specific rather than a home policy. The area with real penalties attached, and the one most owners assume is handled.

20% of the score

Tenancy

Vacancy over the last year, whether rent arrives on time, how thoroughly the tenant was screened, and whether anyone knows when the lease expires and what happens next.

20% of the score

Property care

Whether routine inspections are actually happening, whether repeat repairs are being assessed for replacement, whether anything has been upgraded this decade, and whether there is a plan beyond this year.

10% of the score

Management

Response times and whether you know your total annual management cost including extras. Deliberately the lightest category, because how the property is run matters more than who runs it.

Two hard limits

The critical caps

No landlord insurance caps the score at 59. Unconfirmed smoke alarms or RCDs caps it at 69. You cannot score well with a life safety gap or an uninsured asset, however good everything else looks.

A Perth investment property managed by Local Property Partners

A property performing well is usually one where somebody is watching the calendar.

The part with penalties attached

What WA actually requires, and what it costs to miss.

Every other category on this page costs you money slowly. This one can cost you a great deal quickly, and it is the category owners most often assume somebody else is handling.

Requirement	Penalty	What it means
Residual current devices	Up to $15,000	At least two RCDs protecting all power and lighting circuits, installed before the property is rented. Up to $15,000 for an individual and $100,000 for a body corporate under the Electricity Regulations 1947
Smoke alarms	Up to $5,000	Compliant mains powered alarms before a property is offered for rent. A $1,000 infringement notice can be issued, and a landlord can face a fine of up to $5,000
Minimum security	Varies	Prescribed locks to external doors and windows, and the tenant is entitled to have them met before moving in
Blind cord safety	Varies	Corded internal blinds must meet the current child safety standard, which builders and older installations frequently do not
Pool and spa barriers	Varies by council	Where applicable, inspected by the local government on a rolling cycle

Penalty figures for RCDs and smoke alarms are drawn from the Electricity Regulations 1947 and Consumer Protection WA rental home safety guidance, checked August 2026. This is a summary rather than legal advice, and maximum penalties are not the same as typical outcomes.

The practical version

One annual visit from a licensed electrician covers the smoke alarms and the RCDs and produces a certificate you can file. It is the cheapest risk reduction available to a landlord, and the single most common thing we find lapsed when a property transfers to us from another agency.

What good looks like

The year, as it should run.

Almost everything that goes wrong with an investment property goes wrong because nobody owned a date. This is the calendar a well run property follows.

Every 3 to 6 months

Routine inspection

Written report, dated photographs, and at least one maintenance item identified or explicitly cleared. Every three months through the first year of a tenancy, easing to four or six months with a settled long term tenant. An inspection that never finds anything is not an inspection.

Annually

Electrical safety check

A licensed electrician tests the smoke alarms and RCDs and issues a certificate. Diarised against the property rather than remembered, so it survives a change of manager.

Annually

Insurance review

Confirm the policy is landlord specific, that the sum insured still reflects rebuild costs, and that loss of rent cover matches the current rent rather than the rent from four years ago.

60 days before the lease anniversary

Rent review

Reviewed against comparables that actually leased nearby, with a recommendation in writing. Rent can only rise once every 12 months with 60 days notice, so a missed anniversary costs a year rather than a month. The rent review tool works out both dates.

90 days before lease expiry

Renewal conversation

Find out whether the tenant intends to stay before you need to know. A renewal secured early avoids a vacancy, a letting fee and a marketing campaign, which together usually dwarf whatever the rent review was worth.

Once, then after renovations

Tax depreciation schedule

Prepared by a qualified quantity surveyor, it lasts the life of the property and only needs updating after renovations or major asset replacement. New builds generally attract higher deductions than established properties.

Annually

The honest look at the numbers

Rent received, every cost, and what the property actually returned. Most owners can tell you the rent and not the net. The gap between those two is where decisions get made badly.

Common questions

Running an investment property, answered plainly.

Performance is not just the rent, because the rent is the number you already know. A property performing well has its rent reviewed against the market within the last 12 months, no unplanned vacancy, rent arriving on time, current landlord insurance, confirmed smoke alarms and RCDs, routine inspections every three to six months, a depreciation schedule in place, and an owner who knows their annual net position rather than estimating it. A gap in any one of those quietly costs money, and most owners have at least two.

The rent against current comparables ahead of the lease anniversary, the annual electrical safety check covering smoke alarms and RCDs, that insurance is current and landlord specific, that routine inspections have actually happened and the reports were read rather than filed, whether any item has been repaired enough times to justify replacing, and whether the depreciation schedule still reflects the property after any works. The calendar above sets out when each falls.

Failing to install RCDs in accordance with the Electricity Regulations 1947 can attract a fine of up to $15,000 for an individual and up to $100,000 for a body corporate. For smoke alarms, a $1,000 infringement notice can be issued for a property offered for sale, rent or hire without one, and a landlord can face a fine of up to $5,000. At least two RCDs and compliant mains powered smoke alarms are required before a property is rented. Maximum penalties are not typical outcomes, but the exposure is real and the fix is one annual visit.

Every three to six months, with the frequency set in your management agreement. Every three months through the first year of a tenancy is a sensible default because that is where you learn the most, easing to four or six months once a tenant is settled. What matters more than frequency is whether the report is specific enough to act on and whether anyone reads it.

A standard building or home policy does not cover the risks of renting a property out. Loss of rent, malicious or accidental tenant damage, and legal, eviction and tribunal costs generally require landlord specific cover. It is the most common serious gap we see, which is why an uninsured property cannot score above 59 in this tool no matter how well everything else is running.

Once every 12 months, with at least 60 days written notice on the approved form. A renewal with the same tenant counts as a continuous agreement, so signing a new fixed term does not reset the clock. Miss the anniversary and you do not lose a month, you lose a year. The rent review tool calculates both the earliest effective date and the date notice has to be served.

For most investment properties, yes. It is prepared once by a qualified quantity surveyor, lasts the life of the property, and only needs updating after renovations or major asset replacement. New builds generally attract higher deductions than established properties because of the 2017 changes limiting plant and equipment claims on second hand properties. General information rather than tax advice, so confirm with your accountant.

Yes. The questions are about the property and how it is being run, not about any particular agency, and the actions adapt depending on whether you self manage, use another agency, or are with us. Self managing owners tend to score well on tenant relationships and less well on compliance dates, which is exactly the sort of thing the tool is for.

Nothing, unless you choose to send them. The score is calculated in your browser and shown immediately, with no email required. If you ask for the report by email, your answers and score come through to Daria so the follow up is useful rather than generic. Nothing is shared with anyone else.

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This tool provides a general self assessment for Western Australian property owners. It is not a property appraisal, an audit, a compliance inspection, or legal, tax or financial advice. The score is generated from the answers you provide and reflects general indicators of a well run investment property, so it should be treated as a prompt for your own review rather than a finding of fact.

Penalty figures are drawn from the Electricity Regulations 1947 and Consumer Protection WA guidance and were checked in August 2026. Maximum penalties are not typical outcomes, and whether any penalty applies depends on the circumstances. Compliance requirements vary by property type, age and local government area, and the items listed are not an exhaustive statement of your obligations.

Rent increase intervals, notice periods and minimum standards are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA) and associated regulations, summarised here as at the date of publication. For advice on a specific tenancy or property, consult a qualified solicitor or contact Consumer Protection WA. For tax and depreciation questions, speak with a registered tax agent or your accountant. For electrical and building compliance, engage a licensed electrician or registered building inspector.

Your answers are calculated in your browser and are not transmitted unless you request the report by email. Where you do, your score and answers are sent so we can respond usefully, they are used only to contact you about your property, and they are not shared with third parties. Services, fees and inclusions on our side are confirmed in the REIWA form Management Agreement, which is the binding document.

Local Property Partners. Registered Agent RA85442. ABN 48 582 232 398.