Four places cover most rooms advertised in Perth: Facebook groups and Marketplace, Gumtree, Flatmates.com.au and, from its launch, Kipmates. They differ on three things that matter to a host: what you pay, how people contact you, and how much of your personal information ends up in public. No single one is right for every room.
This comparison uses only what each site says about itself on its own help, pricing and terms pages, read in October 2026. Where a price or a rule was not on a page we could read, we say so and give no figure. Kipmates is our own site and is one of the four, so its column says plainly what it does not do yet. Prices and features change: follow the links before you decide.
The four options at a glance
| Cost to advertise one room | Paid options | How people contact you | Checks the site describes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook groups and Marketplace | Not published on the help pages we read | Not published on the help pages we read | Comments on your post and Facebook messages | Not published on the help pages we read |
| Gumtree | One free ad at a time in Real Estate | Plus, Featured and Premium upgrade packages, prices not on the help page | Gumtree messaging, plus your phone number if you choose to show it | Advice to meet face to face and ask for ID |
| Flatmates.com.au | Free to list | Upgrade plans, from $29.99 for property listers | On-site messaging, plus mobile numbers for upgraded members | Mobile activation code, security checks on listings, optional ID verification |
| Kipmates | Free during the launch period, then a host plan | Host plans and a seeker pass, see the pricing page | On-platform messaging only | Photo ID check for hosts before a listing is shown |
The detail behind each line follows.
Facebook groups and Marketplace
Most Perth room groups are ordinary Facebook groups: you write a post, add photos, and replies arrive as comments and private messages. Marketplace is Facebook's listings section, which its Help Centre describes as a way to "buy and sell items with people in your community on Facebook".
Cost. The Marketplace help pages we read explain how to create a listing and do not mention a listing fee. A price list for advertising a room was not published on their site at the time of writing.
Contact. Through Facebook itself: comments under a group post, and messages. Both sides use their Facebook profile.
What is public. This depends on the group. Facebook's Help Centre says that in a public group, "anyone on or off Facebook can see what's shared in the group" and anyone on Facebook can see who is in it. In a private group, only current members can see posts and the member list. Check the group's setting before you post an address or a phone number.
Checks. We did not find a description of identity checks for people posting rooms in groups on the help pages we read, so we make no statement either way.
In practice, our own notes from Perth room groups show a pattern hosts will recognise: replies that say "Messaged you!" or "Pm me please" under the post, with the actual conversation scattered across private messages.
Public and private Facebook groups (Facebook Help Centre)facebook.com
Gumtree
Gumtree is a general classifieds site. Rooms sit under its Real Estate category.
Cost. Gumtree's help page says you can post one free ad at a time in Real Estate, and that any further ads need a Plus, Featured or Premium upgrade package. The page lists those package names without prices, so the cost of a second ad was not published on that page at the time of writing.
Contact. Gumtree's help says a phone number is optional. If you add one it is publicly visible. If you do not, all messages come through Gumtree's messaging system. Your registration email is not shown unless you type it into the ad, and you only need to give a general location, not a street address.
Checks. Gumtree's safety page for rentals puts the checking in your hands: always meet face to face, take someone with you to view a property, and "whether you're the person that advertised or replying to an ad always ask for ID". We did not find a description of identity checks carried out by Gumtree on advertisers.
Which categories have a listing fee? (Gumtree Help)help.gumtree.com.au
Flatmates.com.au
Flatmates.com.au is a share accommodation site that, according to its own FAQ, is owned and operated by REA Group. It is the kind of site people often call a flatmate finder: hosts list rooms, and people looking for a room list themselves. We have no connection with it.
Cost. Its FAQ says the site "can be used for free", and its upgrade page says there is no requirement to upgrade to find flatmates. Listing a room and searching are free.
What a free listing means. The FAQ says a free listing "will become free to message after 14-days active on the site or when you upgrade your account, whichever is sooner". The upgrade page explains the other side: to message a listing activated in the last 14 days straight away you need an upgraded account, otherwise the message can be delayed by up to 14 days. So for the first two weeks, a free room ad can be contacted without delay only by upgraded members.
Paid options. According to the FAQ, upgrading lets you contact all members, view available mobile numbers, have your listing advertised on realestate.com.au and list multiple properties. The upgrade page says plans start from $29.99 for property listers. The full list of plans and their durations is on a plans page that asks you to log in, so we give no other figure.
Contact. Through the site's messaging. Members can choose whether other members can access their mobile number.
Checks. The terms say you must enter an activation code sent to your mobile phone before publishing. The FAQ says new and edited listings go through security checks, and that each listing and each conversation has a report link. The upgrade page says people looking for a room can verify a passport or Australian driver's licence. The terms also say the site is not a party to any agreement between users and will not get involved in disputes between them.
Frequently asked questions (Flatmates.com.au)flatmates.com.au
Why upgrade (Flatmates.com.au)flatmates.com.au
Kipmates
Kipmates is a room-share marketplace built in Perth, first for FIFO workers and the households that suit them. It is in pre-launch: hosts can prepare listings now, and there will be fewer rooms and fewer seekers at the start than on sites that have run for years. That is the main thing to weigh against everything below.
Cost. Listing a room is free during the launch period. After that, hosts pay a plan to keep a listing visible, and replying to seekers stays free. Seekers get a limited number of free contacts, then can buy a pass. Current prices are on the pricing page. Kipmates never handles the rent or the bond.
Contact. Everything goes through on-platform messaging. No phone number or email address is shown on a listing or a profile.
What is public. Listings show the weekly rent, the move-in date and an approximate area. The exact address is not shown.
Checks. Hosts complete a photo ID check, run by Stripe Identity, before their listing is shown to seekers. Every listing and profile can be reported.
What is specific to it. Seekers put their roster on their profile, and hosts can mark a household as FIFO-friendly.
You can list a room to see the form before you decide.
What should a room ad say, wherever you post it?
The same ad works everywhere. Perth hosts who get useful replies tend to cover the same points:
- Weekly rent, and exactly what it includes
- Bond, minimum stay and the date the room is free
- Parking, and whether pets are possible
- Who lives in the house and how it runs (a short list of share house rules does this well)
- What you want to know about the person: "a bit about yourself, your work schedule, and your lifestyle", as one Perth host puts it
For choosing between the people who reply, see how to find a housemate in Perth. Which bond rules apply depends on whether that person will be a tenant or a boarder: see rooming house, boarder or housemate.
Is it safe to advertise or look for a room on these sites?
No site removes the need for your own checks. Scamwatch's advice on fake rental and shared accommodation listings applies on every platform: insist on an inspection inside the property, and do not pay before you have seen it. Gumtree's own safety page says the same, and adds that someone willing to rent a place without meeting is unlikely to be genuine. If you are the one searching, finding flatmates in Perth walks through it step by step.
For hosts, the risks are different: your photos copied into a fake ad, and your phone number or address left in public. Use the on-site messaging each platform offers, keep the street address for people you have agreed to show the room to, and report copies of your ad. The full list of warning signs is in rental scams in Perth.
Which one fits which situation?
- You have one room and want to advertise today at no cost. A Facebook group or a single Gumtree ad does that. On Gumtree, leave the phone number out if you want replies kept in its messaging.
- You want a site dedicated to share housing with people already searching on it. Flatmates.com.au is a dedicated national site. Plan around the first 14 days of a free listing, or look at its upgrade page.
- You do not want your name, profile or number under a public post. Avoid public Facebook groups. Gumtree without a phone number, Flatmates.com.au messaging and Kipmates all keep the first contact inside the site.
- Your house suits someone who is away half the time. Kipmates is built around that: rosters on profiles and FIFO-friendly households. During pre-launch, it makes sense to list there and keep your ad running elsewhere as well.
- You have several rooms. Gumtree's free allowance is one ad at a time in Real Estate. Flatmates.com.au lists multiple properties as an upgrade feature. Kipmates has host plans for more than one listing on its pricing page.
- You are letting a whole property on a lease. None of these replaces a licensed property manager.
Nothing stops you using two of them at once. If you do, mark the room as taken everywhere on the day it goes.
FAQ
Is it free to advertise a room for rent in Perth?
It can be. Gumtree's help page allows one free ad at a time in Real Estate. Flatmates.com.au says the site can be used for free, with paid upgrades. Kipmates is free to list on during its launch period. Facebook's help pages did not publish a fee for rental posts at the time of writing.
How much does Flatmates.com.au cost?
Listing and searching are free. Its upgrade page says plans start from $29.99 for property listers. The full list of plans is shown after login, so check the site for the plan and duration that apply to you (checked October 2026).
Is Flatmates.com.au safe?
The site describes several measures on its own pages: a mobile activation code before you publish, security checks on new and edited listings, report links, and optional ID verification for people looking for a room. Its terms also say it is not a party to agreements between users. As on any site, inspect the room in person and do not pay first.
What are the alternatives to Flatmates.com.au in Perth?
Facebook room groups and Marketplace, Gumtree's Real Estate category, and Kipmates, which is in pre-launch in Perth. Each handles cost and contact differently, as set out in the table above.
Can I post rooms for rent on Gumtree for free?
Yes, one at a time. Gumtree's help page says you can post one free ad at a time in Real Estate, and that further ads need a paid upgrade package.
Should I put my phone number in a room ad?
You do not have to. Gumtree says a phone number is optional and is publicly visible if you add it. On Kipmates no phone number is shown at all. Keeping the first contact in the site's messaging leaves you a record and keeps your number out of public view.
Sources
Checked October 2026. Each platform is described from its own pages only.
- Differences between public and private Facebook groups and Marketplace, Facebook Help Centre.
- Which categories have a listing fee?, Gumtree Help.
- Will my email address, phone number and street address be visible on my ad?, Gumtree Help.
- Safety: rental and real estate, Gumtree Help.
- Frequently asked questions, Why upgrade and Terms and conditions, Flatmates.com.au.
- Fake rental properties and shared accommodation listings, Scamwatch, National Anti-Scam Centre.
