Help to Buy is the Australian Government’s shared equity scheme, and it reached Western Australian buyers after the supporting WA legislation passed in late 2025. The Commonwealth contributes up to 40 per cent of the purchase price of a new home, or 30 per cent of an existing one, in exchange for an equity share in the property, and you can start with a deposit of just 2 per cent.

The key settings

Income caps apply: up to $100,000 a year for a single applicant and $160,000 combined for a couple. The property price cap is $850,000 in Perth and $600,000 in the rest of WA. Because the government holds an equity share rather than lending you the money, your mortgage is smaller and so are your repayments. You can buy back the government’s share over time, and when you sell, the government takes its percentage of the sale price.

Who it suits

Buyers with steady but capped incomes who can service a modest mortgage yet would take many more years to save a full deposit. It pairs naturally with the first home owner rate of duty on established properties under $600,000, where no stamp duty applies at all.

The move-in rule

Help to Buy is strictly an owner-occupier scheme. You must live in the property as your principal place of residence for the life of the arrangement, and you cannot rent it out. That means buying a property with a long fixed term tenancy in place generally will not work, because the lease survives settlement and you cannot occupy until it ends. Confirm the current move-in window and tenancy treatment with Housing Australia before you offer on anything tenanted, and see our First Home Buyers page for how each scheme compares.

Back to the First Home Buyers page, or contact us to hear about properties that fit before they hit the portals.

General information only, not financial or legal advice. Rules change. Confirm the current position with Housing Australia and your lender or broker. Settings as at August 2026.