Landlord Insurance WA (2024)

Compare landlord insurance brands in Western Australia

Landlord insurance WA cover options

Landlord insurance can be broken down into three types of cover:

• Home insurance. Home insurance, or building/building-only cover, offers cover for your home and other fixtures on your property against damage from fires, storms, theft and vandalism. Cover usually provides additional protection against loss of rent due to damage rendering the property uninhabitable or damage to shared areas such as pools and gardens.
• Contents insurance. Contents cover protects any of your household possessions and any other property you have on site against the same risks as home insurance. Additional options are usually available for communal items like pool equipment or outdoor furniture.
• Home and contents insurance. Offering total protection for your property and everything inside, this is the most comprehensive level of cover available to landlords and includes optional cover for both rental default and damage or loss caused by tenants or their guests.

Finder survey: Do Australians from different states think home insurance is worth it?

What should my landlord insurance WA policy cover?

Every landlord faces slightly different risks but if you live in Western Australia, you most likely want to get cover for the following:

What additional benefits can landlord insurance in WA cover?

As well as the items listed above, you can often add these additional benefits to your landlord insurance:

• Loss of rent. This can cover you if the tenant doesn't pay rent they owe you and leaves your building without giving the required notice, or is legally evicted.
• Tax audit costs. If the ATO conducts an audit of your financial affairs, landlord insurance can cover the professional fees you incur to defend yourself.
• Legal liability cover. If a tenant dies or suffers an injury at your property and someone sues you, legal liability can protect you.
• Replacement of locks. If a tenant is evicted and doesn't hand over the keys, landlord insurance can cover the costs.
• Removal of tenant's possessions. If you've made an insurance claim for loss of rent, some policies can cover the cost of removing the tenant's possessions from the property.

Who offers landlord insurance in WA?

Australian home insurance providers usually aren't state-specific, which means homeowners in Western Australia can access cover from an extensive range of trusted insurance brands, including the following:

What else do I need to know as a landlord in WA?

While landlord insurance is virtually the same across the country, each state has slightly different rules. Here's what you need to know as a landlord in Western Australia:

• Bond and advance rent. You can ask for a bond of up to four week's rent unless you rent the place for more than $1,200. If that's the case, there is no upper limit. You can also ask for two weeks advance rent.
• Rent increases. You can increase the rent once every six months with a 60-day notice. In a fixed-term arrangement, this also needs to be stated in the agreement or else you'll need to wait until the agreement ends. Your first increase can't occur until at least six months after the tenancy starts.
• Ending a tenancy. You must let your tenant know 30 days before a fixed lease ends. If it is a periodic lease, you need to give them a 60-day warning unless you have a valid reason (such as selling the house or tenant not paying rent), in which case you can shorten the notice.
• Pets. As a landlord, you're in control, as tenants need your written permission if they want to keep a pet in your rental property. You're also allowed to charge a "pet bond" of up to $260.
• Access for inspections. You're only allowed four inspections per year and you'll need to give a notice period of between 7 and 14 days before each one.

FAQs about landlord insurance in WA

• No, it isn't mandatory to have landlord insurance in Western Australia; however, if anything happens, as the landlord, it's generally your responsibility to pay for the damage. You're also responsible for setting lease terms and collecting bond and rent for the property. Landlord insurance protects you against such financial burdens and provides you with legal liability cover when these things go wrong.

• There's no legal requirement for a landlord to have in WA but if your property is furnished, it's worth getting both building and contents insurance.

• Landlords insurance can cover you for loss or damage to your property and its contents. It can pay for damage caused by fires, storms, theft and vandalism. You can also get additional protection for loss of rent.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise

Gary Ross has written 698 Finder guides across topics including:

• Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
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