In short: Perth's Nepali community is spread across the south-eastern suburbs, the inner south near the universities and the northern corridor, rather than in one hub. After PR, WA gives first home buyers a duty exemption to $500,000 (concession to $700,000 in Perth) on new or established homes, a $10,000 grant on new homes, and the First Home Guarantee with an $850,000 cap.
Key takeaways
- The Guarantee cap is $850,000 in Perth and $600,000 in regional WA, with no income cap.
- WA's first home owner duty rate applies to established homes as well as new: exempt to $500,000, concession to $700,000 in Perth or $750,000 regionally.
- The FHOG is $10,000 for a new home.
- FIFO and shift income is common and lenders treat allowances differently; mining-town and inner-city apartment postcodes carry lender limits.
- PR holders can buy established homes; temporary residents cannot and pay the 7% foreign surcharge on new ones.
Perth is the most distant capital from the rest of the country, and its Nepali community has grown on its own terms: nurses and aged-care workers at the hospitals, chefs and hospitality staff, mining-services and FIFO roles, and IT and accounting graduates from the universities. Housing is cheaper than the east coast and the state's duty concession reaches lower than most. This post covers where families are buying, what the schemes give a newly permanent household, and the WA-specific lender rules that matter.
WA's rules in one table
| Scheme | Rule at the time of writing |
|---|---|
| First Home Guarantee | 5% deposit, no LMI, no income cap; cap $850,000 Perth, $600,000 regional WA |
| First home owner rate of duty | Exempt to $500,000; concession to $700,000 (Perth) or $750,000 (regional); new or established |
| First Home Owner Grant | $10,000 for a new home |
| Foreign buyers duty surcharge | 7%; PR holders exempt |
| Established-dwelling ban | Foreign persons blocked until at least 30 June 2029; PRs and spouses of citizens and PRs unaffected |
Confirm with RevenueWA and Housing Australia.
Where Nepali families buy in Perth
South-east (Cannington, Thornlie, Gosnells, Canning Vale and the estates beyond). The closest thing Perth has to a Nepali hub, with South Asian grocers and momo kitchens along the rail corridor. Established 1980s to 2000s homes and villas sit alongside newer estates further out. Lender note: villas and older houses often fall inside the duty-exempt $500,000 band or the concession band; small strata villas are financed like houses.
Inner south (Bentley, Victoria Park, Como and around Curtin University). Students, graduates and young couples in units and older homes. Lender note: student-heavy apartment buildings and small units attract tighter policy; older houses are straightforward.
North (Joondalup line, Wanneroo, the northern estates). Families in nursing and hospitality at the northern hospitals, buying established homes or house-and-land packages. Lender note: new estates mean construction loans, valued on completion, with the $10,000 grant and land-only duty.
South-west corridor (Cockburn, Kwinana, Rockingham, Baldivis). Cheaper houses and new estates for families working in industry and health. Lender note: some lenders apply concentration limits on particular estates; check before signing.
Worked example: an established house in the south-east at $600,000
A Nepali couple, a nurse and a FIFO plant operator, PR since February, buy an established three-bedroom house in Thornlie for $600,000 with the Guarantee.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | $600,000 |
| Deposit (5%) | $30,000 |
| Loan | $570,000 |
| Transfer duty | Concessional first home owner rate (between $500,000 and $700,000); confirm the figure on the RevenueWA calculator |
| LMI | $0 (Guarantee) |
| Settlement agent, inspections, registration | Roughly $3,000 to $4,500 |
| Monthly repayment, for illustration at 6.00% p.a. over 30 years | About $3,417 |
The FIFO income is the interesting part. The plant operator's base salary is counted in full, but site and travel allowances are counted at 80% or 100% or not at all depending on the lender, and the difference can move borrowing power by $50,000 or more. Choosing the lender before choosing the house is the sensible order here. A villa at $480,000 in the same area would be duty-free and need a $24,000 deposit, with repayments of about $2,734 a month. Check the LMI you are avoiding with the LMI calculator and your ceiling with the borrowing power calculator.
Community notes
Perth's Nepali associations run Dashain and Tihar programs, football and cricket tournaments and a weekend Nepali school, and the Hindu temples and Buddhist centres in the metropolitan area host Teej, Buddha Jayanti and the major festivals with the wider South Asian community. Nepali grocers and momo and thakali restaurants are found along the south-eastern rail corridor and near the universities. Because of the distance from the east coast, Perth's community is tight and the association groups are the reliable source of suburb, school and employer advice. Regional WA families in Bunbury, Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie are mostly on the 491 pathway and have their own small groups.
Lender and document notes for new PR households
Lenders want passport and PR grant notice, two payslips and an ATO income statement, three months of statements showing 5% genuine savings, and a clean Australian credit file. For FIFO workers, add the employment contract showing roster and allowances. Gifts from family in Australia need a gift letter and bank trail; funds from Nepal are not a lawful source under Nepal Rastra Bank rules and lenders require a documented, legal source. Mining towns such as Karratha, Port Hedland and Kalgoorlie, and some inner-city apartment postcodes, carry lower maximum LVRs with some lenders. Lenders test at your rate plus 3 percentage points and treat regular remittances as expenses. See the documents checklist, our low-deposit home loans page and the new migrants guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which Perth areas fall inside the duty-free $500,000 band?
Villas and older houses in the south-east, south-west and outer north often do, though a family home in most suburbs now sits above it. Between $500,000 and $700,000 the concessional rate still saves a meaningful sum compared with ordinary duty. RevenueWA's calculator gives the exact figure for any price.
How do lenders treat FIFO income?
Base salary is counted in full by every lender. Site, travel and living-away allowances are counted between zero and 100% depending on the lender and how long you have received them. Two years' history and consistent payslips help. A broker's job is to match your roster and allowance mix to the lender that counts the most of it.
Can I buy in a mining town with the Guarantee?
Sometimes. Karratha, Port Hedland, Newman and Kalgoorlie carry LVR limits or exclusions with some lenders, and the regional Guarantee cap of $600,000 applies. Where a panel lender will lend at 95% on the property, the Guarantee works; where it will not, you need a larger deposit or LMI.
I am on a 491 in Bunbury. What can I do now?
Buy a new home or land with FIRB approval and the 7% surcharge, but not an established home, and not with the Guarantee. Most families use the final year before the 191 to build genuine savings and a clean credit file, then buy with the Guarantee and duty concession after PR. See our temporary resident guide.
Talk to GNT Finance
GNT Finance arranges home loans across Western Australia by phone, video and e-signature from our Melbourne office, in English, Nepali or Hindi. We match FIFO and shift income to the right lender and check postcode policy before you commit. Book a free consultation or call 0426 403 703; our home-loan service is at no cost to you in most cases. See also our Perth, Western Australia, Sydney, Victoria and Australia-wide pages.
This is general information, not migration, legal, tax or credit advice. Migration rules change often — confirm with a registered migration agent (MARA) or the Department of Home Affairs. Grant, duty and Guarantee figures are as at the time of writing; confirm them with RevenueWA and Housing Australia.
Written by Gorakh Timilsina
Founder, CEO & Senior Mortgage Consultant at GNT Finance. Gorakh started as a broker assistant, spent years as a senior credit officer assessing loan applications, and now helps Melbourne families get the right loan approved. English, Nepali and Hindi spoken.