Renting out a new build in Perth: the complete landlord guide.
First time leasing a brand new home? There is more to it than waiting for the keys. From builder handover checks to compliance gaps and landscaping risks, here is what every Perth investor needs to know before listing a new build for rent.
Most new build landlords assume the property is rent-ready the moment the builder hands over the keys. It is almost never the case. New builds are constructed to building code, not rental code, and the gap between practical completion and a leasable home can cost you weeks of vacancy and thousands in lost rent if it is not managed properly.
This guide is written from the perspective of a Perth property manager who has personally leased hundreds of brand new builds across our growth corridors. Every hiccup, oversight and surprise listed here is something I have seen first-hand, often more than once. The aim is to help first-time investors avoid the mistakes that cost real money and real time.
Daria Tedling, REIWA 2025 Property Manager of the Year
Before you sign: check what is actually included in your package
The single biggest surprise for first-time new build investors is discovering, mid-build, that something they assumed was included is not. Even with a so-called turn key package, exclusions are common and they cost real money to retrofit later.
The term turn key suggests you can walk in and live or lease the home with nothing left to do. In practice, it means different things to different builders. Some turn key packages cover almost everything. Others use the term loosely and exclude items that most owners reasonably expect.
The most common exclusions we see catching Perth landlords by surprise are air conditioning, window coverings, paving to side alleys, letterbox, clothesline and full landscaping. Each of these is a meaningful additional cost if you have to organise it yourself after handover, and several of them affect whether you can lease the property at all.
Air conditioning is the big one. In our experience leasing properties across Perth, the strong majority of tenants prefer or expect air conditioning, particularly in our hotter suburbs and during summer months. A property without aircon typically competes for a smaller pool of renters and may achieve a lower rent. We have seen new builds sit unleased for weeks because owners assumed aircon was included and discovered too late that it was not. If aircon is not in your package, consider adding it before practical completion or budgeting to retrofit it before you list. Costs vary widely depending on system type and home size.
Window coverings are essential. In our experience, properties without window coverings on bedrooms and main living areas are very difficult to lease. Tenants reasonably expect privacy and light control on day one. If your package excludes blinds or curtains, this is on you to organise before handover, not after.
Before you sign your build contract, write your own list of every item you expect to be included, then sit down with your builder and tick each one off the contract line by line. Anything not specifically listed is not included. Get clarification in writing for anything ambiguous. This twenty-minute conversation is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.
Beyond the main inclusions table, these items are also frequently excluded or upgraded out of standard packages: side gate locks, soft landscaping (mulch, plants, garden beds versus just lawn), retaining walls if your block has a slope, shower screens (especially frameless versus framed), hot water system overflow trays, internal NBN and data cabling, gutter and downpipe finishes, and external taps. Each is minor on its own but worth confirming line by line if you want to avoid surprises at handover.
Make your home stand out from the cookie-cutter package.
If you are building in a developing estate, chances are dozens of other homes are going up at the same time using the same builder package. They will all hit the rental market within weeks of each other, with the same kitchen, the same flooring, the same fittings, the same bare lawn. The homes that lease faster and at higher rents are the ones that have invested in a few key upgrades that elevate the home above the standard inclusions list.
If we had to pick just two, we would invest in the kitchen splashback and the landscaping. These two upgrades have the biggest visible impact in listing photos and at home opens, which directly affects how quickly your property leases and at what rent.
Builder handover checklist for new build landlords
Before you accept the keys, run through this list with your builder. Anything missed here becomes your problem the moment settlement happens.
Always check whether your builder package includes the letterbox, clothesline and side alley paving or landscaping. These are the items most frequently excluded and most frequently missed at handover. If they are not in the contract, they are not coming.
Collect and register every warranty at handover
Your builder is required to hand over warranty documentation for every appliance, fixture and major system in the home. This is the part of handover landlords most often skip, and it costs them later when something fails and the warranty has lapsed because nobody registered it.
Walk through this with your builder on the day. Do not accept a vague promise that documentation will be emailed later. Get the paperwork in your hands, check that everything is accounted for, and confirm in writing what is missing.
Create one folder, digital or physical, with everything in it: certificates, warranties, registration confirmations, manuals and serial numbers. When something fails three years in and your tenant calls at 9pm, you will not be hunting through emails trying to find the paperwork.
New builds are not automatically rental compliant
This catches many first-time new build landlords. Your home is built to construction code, but rental properties must meet additional safety and security standards under WA tenancy regulations. Below are the gaps we commonly see when assessing new builds for tenancy compliance. This is general guidance, not a complete compliance audit. Always confirm specific requirements with your property manager or by checking the current WA Consumer Protection guidance.
The landscaping problem nobody warns Perth new build landlords about
This is the single biggest issue we see with new build landlords. Settlement happens, you get the keys, and you discover that landscaping and fencing are still weeks or months away. You are now trying to lease a home with a sandpit for a front yard, no fences, and nothing for the listing photographer to work with.
The flow on effects are real. Listing photos look unfinished, prospective tenants drive past and keep driving, and you sit vacant while paying a mortgage on an empty house. We have seen new builds sit unleased for six to eight weeks purely because of incomplete external works.
If your developer is doing the landscaping, the onus is on you to book it early. Every Perth developer we deal with says the same thing when their landscaping crews are queried: we are booked out months in advance, you should have contacted us sooner. They are not wrong. Developer landscaping teams work across hundreds of lots and they prioritise whoever booked first. Do not assume your landscaping is queued up automatically just because it was included in your land package. Call your developer the moment you have a build timeline and lock in your landscaping window in writing.
What to do. Book your landscaping and fencing as early in the build as your developer or builder will allow, and do not accept delays. If your land package includes landscaping, push your developer for firm dates and hold them to those dates. If landscaping is on you, get quotes locked in well before practical completion so trades can start the day you settle.
Watering exemption and the water bill shock
If your builder or developer installs landscaping under their package, they will have your reticulation running multiple cycles a day to establish lawn. Expect very large water usage bills during this period and budget for them. You may also need to credit your incoming tenant for water usage while the lawn establishes, since they cannot stop watering without killing the lawn.
List with finished landscaping or do not list at all
It is almost always better to delay listing by two weeks and photograph a finished home than to list early with patchy lawns and no fences. The premium you can achieve on a properly presented new build typically more than covers the extra fortnight of vacancy.
Get a building inspection at practical completion
This is non-negotiable. A qualified independent building inspector at practical completion catches defects before you sign off, while the builder still has skin in the game to fix them. Without it, you discover the issues six months in when they are now your problem to repair.
One important thing. Your property manager can collect the keys from your builder at handover, but they cannot perform a building inspection for you. Building inspections require a qualified, registered building inspector. They are a different professional service entirely.
Understand the defects liability period
The defects liability period is the most underused protection in residential building. Most landlords let it expire without ever doing a proper inspection. Here is what you need to know.
In Western Australia, the defects liability period is typically a minimum of around four months from practical completion under the Home Building Contracts Act, though some builders offer longer periods of six or twelve months. The exact period is set out in your build contract, so always check what your builder has agreed to. This is the contractual window during which your builder is generally obligated to come back and rectify minor defects, things like sticking doors, paint touch-ups, grout repairs, loose fittings, doors and windows that do not close properly.
Beyond the defects liability period, WA also has a six-year statutory warranty for residential building work under the Building Services Act framework. This generally covers faulty and defective workmanship and applies for six years from the date of practical completion. Complaints are lodged through the Building Commission, and the six-year window is firm, so do not delay.
Why this matters for landlords. If your home is tenanted, your tenant lives in the property day to day and notices things you never would. Doors that stick in summer humidity, taps that drip after a few weeks of use, hairline cracks above doorways as the home settles, grout shrinkage, loose tiles, paint defects. These are often the kinds of issues the defects liability period is designed to fix, and they are often the issues your tenant will report to you.
What to do. Set a calendar reminder for two weeks before your defects liability period ends. Do a thorough walkthrough of the home with your property manager and submit a consolidated defects list to your builder in writing before the deadline. If you have a tenant in place, ask them to flag any concerns in advance so you can include those in the same submission. Always submit defects in writing with photos and dates.
This is general information about WA building consumer protection. For advice specific to your contract or situation, contact Building and Energy at the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, or seek independent legal advice.
Defects liability period: typically around 4 months from practical completion under the Home Building Contracts Act, sometimes longer depending on your contract. Covers minor defects, builder generally must rectify. Statutory warranty: 6 years from practical completion. Covers faulty and defective workmanship, complaints lodged through the Building Commission. This is general information, not legal advice.
The in-construction support partner: the smartest investment most new build landlords skip
If you take one piece of advice from this guide, take this one. Hire a building inspector who reviews your home at every stage of construction, not just at the end. It is called engaging an in-construction support partner, and it changes everything about how your home gets built.
An independent building inspector who reviews your home at every key stage of construction.
Most landlords get one building inspection at the end. We are talking about something different. An in-construction support partner is a registered, independent building inspector who attends your build site at key stages, reviews the work, documents it with photos, raises issues directly with your builder, and signs off before you make the next progress payment.
Why it works
In our experience, builders tend to complete to a higher standard when an independent inspector is reviewing each stage. It is not about catching builders out. It is about creating accountability that quality builders generally welcome.
Far more affordable than people assume
Most people guess this costs tens of thousands. The reality is a tiny fraction of your build budget, and far cheaper than rectifying a structural defect six months after handover.
The compounding benefit
A home inspected at every stage holds up better long term. Fewer defects at month four, fewer maintenance call-outs in year two, fewer disputes when you sell. For a rental property that is real money saved.
It is not your property manager
Property managers cannot do this. Building inspections require a registered building inspector. They are a separate, qualified professional service.
When to appoint your property manager
Most landlords wait until after handover to find a property manager. By then you have already missed the most valuable parts of having one. Our transparent fee structure and pre-build appraisal service is designed for this exact situation.
Get a pre-build rental appraisal
Understand what your finished home will rent for in the current market. This helps you calibrate your build choices and confirm the investment stacks up before you have committed too far.
Get mid-build market updates
Markets shift. A check in halfway through your build keeps your expected rent grounded in current data, not the figures you saw a year ago.
Appoint your property manager
Lock in your manager during the final few months of construction. They can prepare your listing copy, schedule professional photography, and have a marketing plan ready to go the day landscaping is finished.
Property manager collects keys
Your property manager can collect keys directly from the builder, perform a compliance walkthrough, and start the leasing process. You do not need to be present.
Final appraisal and listing
Right before listing, your manager confirms the final rental position based on the finished home and live market conditions. You go live with confidence in the number.
NBN connection fee for new build investment properties: the $300 nobody mentions
New builds typically incur a $300 NBN new development fee that someone has to pay before the property gets internet. This is something we recommend landlords reimburse to the tenant once they move in, since modern homes should come with a working internet connection.
How to handle it. Ask your tenant to pay the fee at connection, request a copy of their first bill showing the fee, and confirm the connection is active before reimbursing. This protects you against paying for a connection that never happened.
Final step: order your tax depreciation schedule
Once your tenant is in and the property is producing income, there is one last task before your first tax return. Get a depreciation schedule done.
A tax depreciation schedule is a report prepared by a qualified quantity surveyor that itemises every depreciable asset in your property and the corresponding deductions you may be able to claim each year. It typically covers the building itself (capital works) and fixtures and fittings inside it (plant and equipment), assigning a write-off value and useful life to each one.
Why new builds are advantaged. Brand new homes generally attract higher depreciation deductions than second-hand investment properties. Federal legislation changes in 2017 mean second-hand investment properties can no longer claim plant and equipment depreciation in most circumstances, but new builds typically still can. The actual deductions available depend on the specific property, its cost and your individual tax position.
When to order it. Once your tenant has moved in and the property is income-producing, contact a quantity surveyor and have the schedule prepared before tax time. The cost of the schedule may be tax deductible depending on your circumstances.
This is general information only and is not tax or financial advice. Speak to a registered tax agent or your accountant to confirm whether a depreciation schedule is appropriate for your specific situation and what deductions you are entitled to claim.
This guide provides general information for Perth investors building or buying a new investment property. It is not legal, tax, financial or building advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances.
For legal questions about WA tenancy or building law, consult a qualified solicitor or contact Consumer Protection WA. For tax and depreciation questions, speak with a registered tax agent or your accountant. For building defects and warranty matters, contact Building and Energy at the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. Information is current as at the date of publication and may change. Always confirm compliance and contractual requirements specific to your property before listing.
Build your new home with the lease in mind.
Three ways to start. No obligation, no pressure, no lock in contracts.
Need an introduction to a trusted in-construction building inspector? Just ask. We are happy to share details.