Finding flatmates in Perth takes six steps: decide what you need, look in more than one place, write a first message that gets a reply, inspect in person, check what kind of agreement you are being offered, and only then pay. The order matters. Most bad experiences come from skipping the fourth or the fifth.
This guide is for people looking for a room in a flatshare, or for housemates to live with, in Perth. If you already have the house and need someone to fill a room, read how to find a housemate in Perth. The WA rules quoted here come from Consumer Protection WA and Circle Green, checked in October 2026.
The whole search on one page
| Step | What to do | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| Decide | Area, budget per week, move-in date, deal-breakers | A short list of two or three areas |
| Look | Search several sites, and set alerts where you can | A profile or a few lines about yourself |
| Message | Answer what the ad asks, give dates | Your move-in date and length of stay |
| Inspect | See the room and meet the household in person | Your questions, and someone who knows where you are |
| Check | Ask what kind of agreement it is | The questions further down this page |
| Pay | Bond and rent, with a written agreement and a receipt | A payment method that leaves a record |
What do you need to decide first?
Hosts in Perth choose between people on three facts: when you can move in, how long you will stay and what you can pay each week. Have them ready before you send a single message.
- Move-in date. A real date. "From the 14th" gets an answer. "ASAP" reads like every other message.
- Length of stay. Many ads set a minimum stay. If you only need two months, say so up front.
- Weekly budget. Rent for rooms in Perth is advertised by the week. Decide your ceiling with bills included, so you can compare rooms that quote them differently.
- Deal-breakers. Parking, pets, your own bathroom, a household that is quiet or one that is social. Pick the two or three that really matter.
Where do you look for flatmates in Perth?
In more than one place. Rooms in Perth are commonly advertised on Facebook room groups and Marketplace, Gumtree and Flatmates.com.au, and each works differently for the person looking: whether you can message a new listing straight away, whether your profile is public, whether you pay. Those differences, taken from each site's own pages, are set out in where to advertise a room for rent in Perth. It is written for hosts, and it is just as useful from the other side.
Two more places are worth a look.
- People you know. A room that is passed on through friends or workmates never reaches a website. Tell people you are looking, with your date and budget.
- A "room wanted" post. Instead of answering ads, you describe yourself and let hosts come to you. It works when your situation is a selling point, for example a roster that has you away half the time (FIFO rosters explained shows how to describe yours).
Kipmates, the room-share marketplace launching in Perth, is a third option: you can browse rooms by suburb, weekly rent and move-in date, and the first contact with a host happens in on-platform messaging.
How do you choose an area?
Perth is spread out, and a cheap room a long way from your work or your friends is not cheap once you count the travel. Start from where you need to be most days, then work outward along a train line or a main road. If you are arriving from interstate for FIFO work, moving to Perth for FIFO work: the complete checklist puts the search in order with the licence, the car and the bond.
A few ways people narrow it down:
- In and around the city centre: Perth CBD, Northbridge, Leederville, Mount Lawley, Subiaco
- South of the river, close to the city: Victoria Park, East Victoria Park, South Perth
- Near the coast: Scarborough, Fremantle
- Near the airport, for FIFO work: covered in detail in where to live in Perth as a FIFO worker
We have left out travel times and "best suburb" rankings on purpose: they depend on where you work and how you travel. Look at a map with your own two or three fixed points on it, then check the trip at the time of day you would actually make it.
What does a flatshare in Perth cost?
We do not publish an average, because one number cannot cover a room in a new apartment and a room in an older house an hour apart. People searching in Perth describe the market in their own words: "more demand than properties so prices are high & it can take quite a while to find a room". The way to find out what your budget buys is to compare live listings in the two or three areas you chose.
What you can plan for is the shape of the cost.
- Weekly rent, and whether it includes power, water, gas and internet.
- Bond. For a tenancy, Consumer Protection WA says the bond can be up to four weeks' rent, unless the rent is over $1,200 a week.
- Rent in advance. For a tenancy, a lessor can only ask for up to two weeks' rent in advance.
- Setting up. Bedding, a desk, a shelf in the fridge to fill. Ask what is already in the room.
- Getting around. Parking at the house, or the cost of public transport from that suburb.
If you are a boarder or lodger, the bond and advance rent are whatever you and the host agree, which is a reason to agree them in writing.
Rental bonds (Consumer Protection WA)consumerprotection.wa.gov.au
How do you write a first message that gets a reply?
The most common complaint from people looking in Perth is this one: "I've messaged quite a few adverts but no one replies". Hosts, for their part, are sorting through dozens of messages that say nothing. A message that answers the ad stands out.
- Read the ad and answer what it asks. Hosts often ask for "a bit about yourself, your work schedule, and your lifestyle".
- Give your move-in date and how long you want to stay.
- Say what you do and when you are home. If you work shifts or a FIFO roster, say which.
- Describe how you live, in specifics. "Clean and respectful" is what everyone writes. "I cook most nights and I'm in bed by ten" is information.
- Mention the car, the pet or the partner now, not at the inspection.
- Ask one real question about the house, and suggest two times you could come and see it.
Five or six lines is enough. Then follow up once, politely, after a couple of days.
What should you check at an inspection?
Go in person. If you are not in Perth yet, send someone you trust, and treat a video call as a first look only.
The room and the house
- Does the room match the photos? Does the door lock?
- Kitchen, bathroom and laundry: how clean are they on an ordinary day?
- Where would you park, and where does your food go?
- Phone signal and internet in the room itself
The people
- Meet everyone who lives there, not only the person showing the room.
- Ask how bills, cleaning and guests work now. The answers tell you more than the ad did.
- Ask why the last person left.
Tell someone where you are going, and trust your read of the place. If the household's routines are the opposite of yours, a nice room will not fix it. The topics to agree on before you move in are listed in share house rules that actually work.
How do you avoid scams when looking for a flatshare?
One rule covers almost all of it, and people in Perth room groups repeat it to each other: "don't pay any money until you actually see the property".
WA ScamNet describes the usual script: someone posing as the owner, an excuse for why you cannot go inside, and a request to pay bond and rent upfront with keys to be posted later. Scamwatch's warning covers fake shared accommodation listings as well as whole properties, and its advice is to insist on an inspection.
- Never pay a bond, deposit or "holding fee" for a room you have not been inside.
- Be wary of rent well below everything else you have seen.
- Do not send copies of your passport or licence to someone you have not met.
- Keep the conversation on the site where you found the ad for as long as you can, so there is a record.
The full list of warning signs, and where to report, is in rental scams in Perth: how to spot them before you pay.
Fake rental advertisements (WA ScamNet)scamnet.wa.gov.au
What should you ask before you pay?
In WA, "flatmate" is not a legal category. Circle Green describes three positions you can be in when you share: a co-tenant, a sub-tenant, or a boarder or lodger. The first two are protected by the Residential Tenancies Act. Boarders and lodgers are not, although Consumer Protection WA says they still have rights under common law and the Australian Consumer Law.
So before money changes hands, ask:
- Whose name is on the tenancy agreement, and will mine be added?
- Is my agreement with the landlord, or with you?
- Does the landlord or agent know I am moving in?
- Is this payment a bond, and will it be lodged with Bonds Administration?
- How much notice do we each give?
Then get the answers in writing, pay by a method that leaves a record, and take dated photos of the room on the day you move in. What each position means for your bond and your notice is explained in rooming house, boarder or housemate: what's the difference in WA?.
This is general information, not legal advice. Consumer Protection WA can be reached on 1300 30 40 54.
FAQ
How do I find flatmates in Perth?
Decide your area, weekly budget and move-in date, then search several places at once: Facebook room groups, Gumtree, Flatmates.com.au and, from its launch, Kipmates. Send a specific first message, inspect in person, and check what kind of agreement is on offer before you pay.
How much does a room in a Perth flatshare cost?
It varies with the suburb, the house and what the rent includes, and we do not publish an average. Compare current listings in two or three areas, and check whether bills and parking are included before you compare prices.
How long does it take to find a room in Perth?
There is no official figure. People searching describe a competitive market where it can take quite a while. Having your dates, budget and a short introduction ready lets you reply the same day a room is listed.
Is it safe to find housemates online in Perth?
It can be, if you keep to the basics WA ScamNet and Scamwatch set out: inspect the property in person, never pay bond or rent before you have been inside, and be wary of rent well below the market or an owner who cannot meet you.
What is the difference between a flatmate, a housemate and a roommate?
In everyday Australian use they mean the same thing: someone you share a home with, each with your own bedroom. None of them is a legal term. In WA your legal position is co-tenant, sub-tenant, or boarder or lodger, depending on your agreement.
Do I need rental references to get a room in a share house?
Not always. Many people looking in Perth are new arrivals without a local rental history. A reference from an employer or a previous housemate, and a clear introduction, do much of the same job.
Sources
Checked October 2026.
- Sharing a rental home, Consumer Protection WA.
- Rental bonds and Paying rent, Consumer Protection WA.
- From the Commissioner: boarders' and lodgers' rights explained (17 September 2025), Consumer Protection WA.
- Shared Tenancies fact sheet, Circle Green Community Legal.
- Fake rental advertisements, WA ScamNet, Consumer Protection WA.
- Fake rental properties and shared accommodation listings, Scamwatch, National Anti-Scam Centre.
