How to Prepare a WA Rental Property for a New Tenant Without a Property Manager

If you're self-managing a rental property in Western Australia and a new tenant is moving in, here's the direct answer: complete a safety audit, provide Form 1AC when entering the written lease and Form 1AA before occupation, prepare the Form 1 condition report, and document the property's condition with photos. Give the tenant two copies of Form 1 within 7 days after the tenancy starts; the tenant must return one completed copy within 7 days after receiving it. Skipping a step creates a gap that can surface in a bond dispute, a repair escalation, or a Magistrates Court application.

This is the full sequence, in the order a self-managing landlord encounters each step.

Phase 1: The Safety Audit (Before Lease Execution)

Before executing a lease, every applicable minimum standard must be verified. These aren't optional best practices — they're statutory requirements that a tenant can enforce through the Magistrates Court.

Residual Current Devices (RCDs)

WA law requires at least two RCDs on the switchboard of every residential rental. Required RCDs must be installed by a licensed electrical contractor. Record the contractor's name, licence number and electrical-work certificate or Notice of Completion (Form WH-5) in your trade records. Verify the licence on the Building and Energy register before engaging the contractor.

Smoke Alarms

Every level of the property must have a working smoke alarm. Mains-powered alarms are required; a non-removable 10-year lithium battery alarm may be used where there is no hidden space to run wiring and no other suitable location, or where the dwelling is not connected to mains electricity. Battery alarms in other circumstances require local government approval. These must be installed before the lease is executed. Check that each alarm responds to the test button and note the installation or battery replacement date.

Security Locks

Schedule 4 of the Residential Tenancies Regulations 1989 prescribes specific lock standards. The main entry needs a deadlock or a key-lockable security screen door compliant with AS 5039-2008. Other external doors may use a deadlock, a patio bolt where a deadlock cannot be fitted, or a compliant key-lockable security screen door. Accessible external windows need functional locks that prevent opening from outside, subject to specified exceptions. Work through the property room by room — main entry, back door, side doors, sliding doors, ground-floor and accessible windows.

Habitability Standards

Sections 42 and 45 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 require the property to be maintained in a reasonable state of repair and reasonably fit for habitation. In practical terms: weatherproofing (roof, walls, windows), adequate ventilation (particularly in bathrooms and kitchens — mould is a common dispute trigger), functional plumbing and drainage, and a working hot water system.

Pool Barriers (If Applicable)

If the property has a swimming pool or spa containing water deeper than 300 mm, the barrier must meet the safety requirements, and local councils inspect barriers at intervals of no more than four years. Annual inspection fees are capped between $57.45 and $78. If an inspection is overdue, contact the council to arrange it before the tenancy begins — a non-compliant pool barrier is both a safety hazard and a compliance failure.

Gas Installations

If the property has gas appliances, any maintenance or installation work must be done by a licensed gas fitter. Unlike Victoria, WA does not require annual gas safety checks — but the installation must comply with the relevant Australian Standards, and the contractor's licence should be verified and recorded.

Phase 2: Pre-Tenancy Forms and Condition Report

Once the safety audit is complete and you've found a tenant, prepare the prescribed forms. Provide Form 1AA before occupation and Form 1AC when entering into the written lease. Give the tenant two copies of the Form 1 condition report within 7 days after the tenancy starts; the tenant must return one completed copy within 7 days after receiving it. Keep proof of delivery for each document.

Form 1AA — Residential Tenancy Agreement

The prescribed tenancy agreement under the RTA. You can add supplementary terms (e.g., pet conditions under the Phase One reforms), but you cannot remove or alter the prescribed statutory clauses. Both parties sign before occupation.

Form 1AC — Information for Tenant

A mandatory information document for written tenancy agreements. Provide it when entering into the written lease. An unprovided Form 1AC creates a documentation gap that the Commissioner can identify in a bond dispute.

Form 1 — Property Condition Report

The ingoing condition report documenting every room, fixture and surface. Give the tenant two copies within 7 days after the tenancy starts; the tenant must return one completed copy with any comments within 7 days after receiving it. This is the baseline document against which end-of-tenancy damage claims are measured.

For each form, record the delivery method (in person, post, or email if the parties have agreed to electronic delivery), the date, and the recipient. A form delivery log gives you the evidence chain if the serving of any document is later disputed.

Ingoing Condition Photos

The Form 1 condition report works best with a structured photo set. Photograph every room following a consistent sequence — ceiling, walls (each), floor, fixtures, fittings — and any existing damage or wear. Date-stamped, room-by-room photos are substantially more persuasive in a bond dispute than a text-only condition report.

Phase 3: The Compliance File

Before the tenant moves in, your compliance file should contain:

• Electrical-work record — Electrical Safety Certificate or Notice of Completion (Form WH-5), with contractor licence details
• Smoke alarm record — installation dates, type (mains/lithium), test confirmation
• Lock compliance check — room-by-room verification that door and window locks meet Schedule 4
• Pool barrier certificate (if applicable) — current council inspection with date and next inspection due
• Gas installation record (if applicable) — licensed gas fitter details and work performed
• Signed Form 1AA — both parties' copies
• Form 1AC — signed/acknowledged copy with delivery record
• Form 1 property condition report — landlord's completed version plus tenant's annotations
• Ingoing photos — date-stamped, room-by-room, cross-referenced to Form 1

This documentation set is what the Magistrates Court and the Commissioner for Consumer Protection expect to see if any aspect of the tenancy is later disputed. The courts give significantly less weight to verbal claims or undated records.

What Changes With the 2024–2026 Reforms

Phase One reforms affect the new tenancy setup:

• Pet rights: tenants have a statutory right to keep pets, with the landlord's ability to refuse limited to prescribed grounds. A pet bond capped at $350 can be collected in addition to the standard bond.
• Minor modifications: tenants must request prescribed minor modifications using Form 26. The landlord must respond in writing within 14 days; no response automatically approves the request, and some refusals require Commissioner approval.
• Rent increases: limited to 12-month intervals, with Form 10 notice required. This affects your lease terms if you're setting the initial rent with an intention to review.

The March 2026 bond release restructure changed how end-of-tenancy bond disputes work — either party can apply directly for release, and disputed claims go to the Commissioner for free administrative determination rather than requiring a Court application.

Phase Two proposals (announced May 2026) are not yet law and should not be treated as current requirements.

The Full Sequence at a Glance

1. Safety audit — RCDs, smoke alarms, locks, habitability, pool barriers, gas
2. Trade records — contractor details, licence verifications, eNotice references
3. Advertising and tenant selection
4. Form 1AA — signed tenancy agreement before occupation
5. Form 1AC — tenant information, provided when entering the written lease
6. Form 1 — prepare the ingoing condition report with structured photos
7. Give the tenant two Form 1 copies within 7 days after the tenancy starts; receive one completed copy within 7 days after delivery
8. Compliance file assembled — every certificate, record and form copy in one place
9. Keys handed over

The whole process takes a few days of active work if the property's standards are already current, or a week or two if you need to arrange trade work for RCDs, smoke alarms or locks. The Rental Minimum Standards in Western Australia guide walks through each step in detail, with standalone printable tools — a pre-tenancy safety audit, trade licence ledger, form delivery log and property condition photo guide — that you can take to the property.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long before the tenancy starts should I begin the compliance check?

Allow at least two weeks. RCD installation or electrical work requires a licensed electrical contractor, and in regional WA, dispatch windows can be several days. If the pool barrier inspection is overdue, council inspection wait times vary. The safety audit should be complete before you execute the lease, not scrambled in the week before move-in.

What if the previous property manager didn't keep proper records?

This is common when transitioning from managed to self-managed. Start by requesting the full property file from the outgoing agency. Then audit what you receive against the compliance checklist: electrical-work records, smoke alarm records, condition reports and form delivery logs. Any gaps need to be filled before the next tenancy starts. A fresh pre-tenancy safety audit is the fastest way to establish a clean baseline.

Can a tenant refuse to move in if something fails the standards check?

If a tenant moves in and discovers a compliance failure (e.g., no working RCDs or non-compliant locks), they can apply to the Magistrates Court for repair or compliance orders. Rent reduction claims are also within the Court's tenancy jurisdiction.

Do I need to serve the forms in a specific order?

Provide Form 1AA before occupation and Form 1AC when entering into the written lease. Give the tenant two copies of Form 1 (the property condition report) within 7 days after the tenancy starts; the tenant must return one completed copy with any comments within 7 days after receiving it. Log each delivery for the audit trail.

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