First Home Owner Grant WA: what it pays and who qualifies

What is the First Home Owner Grant in WA?

If you have never owned residential property in Australia and you are buying or building a brand new home in Western Australia, you could be eligible for a one-off grant. The property has to fall under a value cap, and you have to live in it.

The grant is paid once per eligible transaction, not once per person. Two first home buyers purchasing together receive one grant between them, not one each.

What is published right now

The figures below were read directly off the Western Australian Government's own pages on the date shown. Check the source before you rely on them, because these settings move.

The 26th parallel of south latitude runs well north of Perth, so the entire metropolitan area and the whole of the south west sit under the lower cap. If you are buying in the Pilbara or the Kimberley, the higher cap is the one that applies to you.

Who is eligible

Eligibility is assessed against the applicant and against the property, and both have to work. The published conditions cover your age, your property history and how you intend to use the home.

• You must be at least 18 years of age at the time you apply
• You must not have previously received the grant
• You must not have previously owned residential property in Australia that meets the criteria set out by RevenueWA
• The home must be a new home, or one that has undergone substantial renovations
• The property must fall under the value cap that applies to its location
• You must occupy the home as your principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months, starting within 12 months of completion

Residency and citizenship conditions also apply, and there are specific rules for people who have owned property before a particular date or who have owned property without living in it. Those are the cases where it is worth reading the source material properly rather than relying on a summary.

What counts as a new home

A new home is one that has not been previously occupied or sold as a place of residence. In practice, that covers the three routes most first home buyers take.

• Buying a house and land package, where you contract with a builder to construct on your block
• Buying a home that has been built but never lived in or sold as a residence, such as a new apartment or a display home in some circumstances
• Building on land you already own, under a building contract or as an owner-builder

A home that has undergone substantial renovations can also qualify, but the definition is narrower than most people assume. A renovated kitchen and bathroom will not do it.

An established house that someone has lived in does not attract the grant. This is the single most common misunderstanding we see, and it is worth settling before you start looking at listings.

How and when to apply

Most applications go through the lender financing the purchase, which submits the application on your behalf as an approved agent. You can also apply directly to RevenueWA.

Going through the lender is usually simpler, because the grant can then be applied at the right point in the funding. Applying directly is the route if you are not borrowing, or if your lender is not an approved agent.

Documents you will generally need

• Proof of identity for every applicant
• The contract of sale, or the building contract with your builder
• Evidence relating to the land, where you are building
• Confirmation of the completion or settlement date
• Bank account details for payment of the grant

Applications must be lodged within 12 months of the completion date. Where the grant is paid before you have satisfied the occupancy condition, and you then do not satisfy it, the grant has to be repaid.

How the grant fits into your funding

The grant reduces what you need to find, but the timing matters. On a build, it is typically paid at a specific point in the construction rather than at the start, so it will not usually help with your initial deposit.

That timing difference catches people out on house and land packages. You still need the deposit and the early progress payments covered from your own funds or your loan.

There is also a separate first home owner rate of transfer duty in Western Australia, with its own thresholds and its own rules, administered by RevenueWA. It is not the same thing as the grant, and being eligible for one does not automatically make you eligible for the other.