Short-Stay in Perth Strata: the rules, the traps, and the smart way in

Buying an apartment specifically to run as a short-term rental can be a smart investment, but it is not as simple as buy, list, and hand over the keys. In Perth strata, whether a unit can be let short-stay at all comes down to state rules, your local council, and above all the by-laws of the building you buy into. Here is how it works, and where to start so you buy the right property from day one.

Why buy an apartment for short-stay

Perth’s visitor economy, a steady calendar of events, and a shortage of quality inner-city accommodation have made short-stay letting an appealing reason to buy. A well-run one or two bedroom unit near the city, the river or the beach can earn more per night than a standard lease, with the flexibility to use it yourself between bookings.

The catch is that short-stay now sits inside a proper regulatory framework, and not every building allows it. Since 2024 and 2025, Western Australia has tightened the rules, so the smart money does its homework before it buys, not after.

The state rules: register first

Western Australia now runs a state-wide Short-Term Rental Accommodation Register. From 1 January 2025, every short-stay provider, whether hosted or unhosted, must register their property before advertising it. Your registration number has to appear in your listing.

Alongside the register sits a planning rule that matters most to apartment owners. It draws a line between two kinds of letting.

So the much-asked question, how many nights a year can you run an unhosted apartment without approval, has a clear answer in Perth: up to 90 nights. Cross that line and you are into a planning application with your local council. Regional councils set their own thresholds, so the 90-night figure is a Perth metropolitan rule.

City of Vincent: a worked example

Because so much of KPR’s strata work sits in the inner-city corridor, the City of Vincent is a useful example of how a council applies these rules on the ground.

In the City of Vincent, hosted short-stay needs no development approval. Unhosted short-stay follows the state line: no approval up to 90 nights, approval required beyond that, with a cap of 12 guests per night. If you do apply, the City asks for a Management Plan and a Code of Conduct, and weighs up noise, parking, guest numbers and the effect on neighbours. Vincent has also signalled that it is unlikely to support an unhosted short-stay application in a quiet residential street surrounded by family homes. And if you plan to host more than six guests at once, a separate health registration comes into play.

The lesson: a planning approval for a full-time unhosted apartment is possible, but it is not automatic, and where the building sits matters.

The real gatekeeper: your strata company

Here is the part many buyers miss. Even if the state register is ticked off and the council would allow it, your building can still say no.

Under the Strata Titles Act 2018, a strata scheme in Western Australia can make by-laws that restrict or prohibit short-stay letting. If your scheme has such a by-law, the council of owners can enforce it: issue a breach notice, and escalate to the State Administrative Tribunal if it is ignored. There is real teeth here, because where by-laws prohibit short stays, the state can cancel or suspend your STRA registration and the operator can be reported to the register team.

In other words, the order of questions for a would-be short-stay investor is the reverse of what most people assume. It is not “will the council let me?” first. It is:

The best buy: a building zoned for short-term

Here is the insight that separates a smart short-stay purchase from an expensive mistake. The 90-night exemption only removes the need for development approval. It does not override your building. Even if you stay under 90 nights and need no approval, a scheme whose by-laws restrict short-stay, or owners who simply do not want it, can still shut you down. Nights and approvals are one question. The building’s own rules are a separate one, and both have to line up.

So the strongest purchase is often not a standard residential apartment at all. It is one where short-term accommodation is already an approved use:

1. Best: a building, or a grouping of units, zoned for short-term. Some buildings are zoned for short-term accommodation, and in some mixed-use buildings a defined group of units is set aside for it. In these, short-stay is a permitted use from the start. You sidestep the development-approval process, and there is no strata fight to be had, because the building was designed for it. This is the cleanest path by a distance.

2. Next: a residential scheme whose by-laws permit holiday letting. A good local example is 537 William Street in Mount Lawley (Strata Plan 8004), which carries registered by-law F915659:

A proprietor of a lot shall be permitted to use the lot for the purpose of letting as a Holiday apartment as agreed by the strata company.

That by-law is genuinely helpful, holiday-apartment use is contemplated here rather than banned, but read it carefully. The permission still runs through the strata company (as agreed by the strata company), and it only deals with the building’s own rules. It does not remove the council’s requirements. Let a unit at 537 William Street as a short-term rental and you would still need City of Vincent approval to do it. The by-law clears the strata hurdle; the council hurdle is still there.

In other words, a scheme by-law that permits holiday letting is a strong second, but a building or unit grouping that is actually zoned for short-term is the cleaner buy, because the use itself is already approved. Whichever path you take, you still register on the state STRA Register and meet the council’s rules for the nights you intend to run.

Working out which buildings, and which groups of units inside mixed-use buildings, are zoned or set up for short-term is not something you can tell from a listing photo. It is exactly what Cloud Stays can help you with.

Where to start: talk to Cloud Stays first

If you are buying with short-stay in mind, the first call to make is to Cloud Stays. Before you fall for a particular apartment, they can point you to the buildings and unit groupings that are zoned or set up for short-term, where the numbers stack up, and where guests actually want to stay. Starting with them means you look at the right buildings from the outset, rather than finding a unit you love and then discovering the zoning or the scheme will not allow it.

Once you own the right unit, the same team runs it for you. A short-stay apartment is a small hospitality business: dynamic pricing, guest communication at all hours, cleaning and linen between stays, maintenance, and keeping on top of registration and compliance. Done casually, returns and reviews suffer. Done properly, a good manager more than pays for themselves.

Start here. Cloud Stays is a Western Australian owned short-stay specialist covering Perth and the South West. Before you buy, they can advise which buildings to consider for short-stay. Once you own it, they handle setup, styling and photography, listing and dynamic pricing, 24/7 guest support, housekeeping and an owner portal, so your apartment performs without running your life. Locally owned, expertly managed.

Talk to Cloud Stays first

This article is general information current as at 2026, not legal, planning or financial advice. Short-stay rules, fees and thresholds change, and by-laws differ from building to building. Always confirm the current position with the relevant local government, the WA STRA Register and the strata company, and seek professional advice before you buy or start letting. KPR is not a lawyer or financial adviser.