Last updated: 28 July 2026
Editorial responsibility: Moving To Australia.
Quick Answer
Consumer Protection is Western Australia's private-renting process owner. For an ordinary tenancy, retain the prescribed agreement and information sheet, correct the property condition report within seven days of receiving it, verify that the bond reaches Bonds Administration, report repairs in writing and use the current Commissioner or court route if a dispute cannot be resolved.
Coverage differs for boarders, lodgers and some other arrangements, so confirm which process applies before relying on the ordinary sequence.
Agreement And Move-In Record
A written residential tenancy agreement uses prescribed Form 1AA. The tenant should receive the information sheet before signing and a copy of the signed agreement within 14 days. The rental-agreement guidance explains the current requirements.
The landlord or agent must provide two copies of the property condition report within seven days after the tenancy starts. The tenant has seven days after receiving it to add changes and return one signed copy. If it is not returned, the landlord's report can become the accepted record.
Use the current property condition report, add specific corrections and keep dated photos. Photos support the report but do not replace it.
Before sending personal documents or money, verify the address, agent or owner and application channel. Use Moving to Perth to test the address against work, transport and services.
Bond
The landlord or agent must lodge the bond with Bonds Administration within 14 days. The bond-release process changed on 28 March 2026: a person named on the agreement can apply through the current process, and a disputed claim can be referred for a Commissioner's determination.
Use the current bond-process guidance rather than treating the older joint-form workflow as the only option. Keep the bond record and payment receipt with the agreement and condition report.
Repairs
Report the problem to the landlord or agent and keep the written request. Under the WA rental-home repairs process, an urgent repair needed to restore an essential service must be arranged within 24 hours; another urgent repair must be arranged within 48 hours. A non-urgent repair must be completed within a reasonable time after written notice.
If there is no response to an urgent request, follow up, check the agreement for a preferred repairer and use a suitably qualified repairer only within the official urgent-repair conditions. Send the invoice and evidence to the landlord. Do not deduct the cost from rent.
Disputes And Exceptions
Start with the agreement, condition report, receipts, written notices, photos and a dated event log. Ask for a written outcome and allow the relevant response time. Consumer Protection may provide advice or conciliation; it does not replace the Commissioner or court where a binding determination is required.
The tenant guide to rental problems explains the sequence. The Magistrates Court route handles non-bond tenancy orders when informal resolution and assistance do not resolve the issue. Continue paying rent unless a lawful order says otherwise.
Boarders, lodgers, many residential-park residents, holiday accommodation, hotels, retirement villages and some institutional accommodation fall outside the ordinary Residential Tenancies Act process. Use the applicable coverage guidance rather than the standard sequence.
Renting in Australia covers accommodation choices and national scam precautions. The Rental Application Readiness Checker identifies preparation gaps, and Western Australia Guides connects the tenancy to the wider move.
This is general information, not legal or tenancy advice. The official processes above were checked on 28 July 2026.