WA's short-term rental reforms mean many unhosted properties now require development approval from their local council — on top of state registration. We confirm whether approval applies to your property, prepare your management plan, and lodge the application on your behalf.
Illustrative example — South West WA
A host in Busselton had three properties operating for eight months before realising approval was required from night one — there is no 90-night exemption in the South West the way there is in Perth metro.
We prepared retrospective applications and management plans for all three. Two were approved within nine weeks. The third took an extra three weeks after the council requested additional information on parking arrangements.
The host paid a retrospective penalty fee — three times the standard lodgement cost — but kept all three properties operating throughout because the applications were lodged before any compliance notice was issued.
Read what happens if councils catch you operating without approval →
Councils now receive daily booking data from Airbnb, Stayz and Booking.com — which means they know exactly who is operating, at what address, and for how many nights.
There's no national standard. What your council requires — which documents, which forms, which questions answered, whether your neighbours get notified — is different from the council next door. Get it wrong and your application comes back. That's where we come in.
"A means not permitted unless council exercises discretion after advertising the application."
You answer questions about your property once. We handle the council-specific translation.
We match it to the right local government area and pull the current zoning classification for short-term rental use — hosted and unhosted — straight from the gazetted scheme.
Parking, check-in times, who manages the property, house rules. The same questions a council planning officer will be checking for. We can create and provide this information for you if you don't have the answers.
Built in the exact shape your council expects — some want an 8-section narrative covering proposed use, noise, complaints, maintenance, security, and house rules; others (like Vincent) want a structured form with labelled fields for guest screening, eviction process, and minimum stay. Same intake, the right output either way.
Application form, site plan checklist, and management plan submitted the way your specific council requires — in person, by post, or via portal — and we track it through to determination.
A team of professionals — mainly WA-based, with a few in Queensland — covering planning, engineering, property management and software.
Planning
Lead the assessment of each application — reading the zoning, anticipating what a council assessor will flag, and shaping the management plan to the standard each authority actually expects.
Engineering
Provide technical input on site plans, building specifics, and any engineering documentation a council requests as part of the assessment.
Operations
Bring direct experience of how short-term rentals actually operate day to day — informing management plans that reflect real operating conditions, not just a generic template.
Systems
Built the tools that track every application through to determination, match each property to the right council requirements, and keep clients updated without anything slipping.
Council lodgement fees are separate and paid directly to council — we'll tell you the exact number before you commit to anything.
Submit your property details and we will confirm whether development approval applies, what your council requires, the associated costs, and expected timeframe — before you pay us anything.
We're checking the scheme text for your address now. You'll hear from us within one business day with your pathway result.
Portfolio pricing, a quick question about your council, or not ready to submit the form — send us a message and we'll reply within one business day.
Urban Approval Group