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The Western Australian government is now actively monitoring compliance on rent bidding laws statewide, with inspections being extended to regional areas.
The Cook Labor government is continuing to crack down on rent bidding by extending compliance inspections to the regions.
Last May, the government prohibited landlords and agents from asking or inviting tenants to pay more money to secure an available rental property.
The ban came as part of a series of reforms to Western Australia’s tenancy laws, which came into effect in 2024 and 2025.
Consumer Protection officers have already been conducting inspections in Perth to ensure compliance with the laws, with the checks now being extended to the regions.
Beginning in the Goldfields, officers will go to open houses, undercover as prospective tenants, to discuss higher rent offers.
Under the reforms, a tenant can offer to pay more rent if they wish, but a landlord cannot encourage or request that the tenant raise the price.
Failure to comply with these laws may result in fines of up to $10,000 for individuals and $50,000 for corporations.
As part of their measures to ensure obedience, officers have also been openly attending open homes to educate property managers and landlords about what constitutes rent bidding and its consequences.
The inspections in Perth proved successful, with officers observing no instances of rent bidding among property managers or landlords across 28 property inspections.
WA Commerce Minister, Dr Tony Buti, said it was essential for all Western Australians to have access to secure housing, whether in the suburbs, regional areas, or remote regions.
“Our rent bidding ban ensures a level playing field for all tenants across WA, and that’s why we are expanding inspections into regional areas, starting with the Goldfields,” he said.
“The high level of compliance we’ve observed during our Perth inspections is very encouraging and demonstrates that our ban on rent bidding is working effectively,” Buti added.
Member for Kalgoorlie, Ali Kent, said she was pleased that tenants in the Goldfields would benefit from the tenancy protections and would not be disadvantaged.
“Through a range of innovative reforms, the Cook Labor government is doing everything we can to bolster housing in our region,” Kent concluded.
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