If you let a whole home in the Perth metropolitan area, you can take bookings for up to 90 nights in a 12-month period without development approval from your local government. Past 90 nights you need that approval before you keep going. That is the whole rule. The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) states that the planning changes do not put a cap on the number of nights a property can be let, so the 90 nights is a threshold for approval, not a limit on your business. This article covers how the nights are counted, what changed on 1 January 2026, and how to earn more from the nights you open if you decide to stay under the threshold.
What the 90-Night Rule Is and Who It Applies To
The rule comes from the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Amendment (Short-Term Rental Accommodation) Regulations 2024, which DPLH lists as now in effect. Unless short-term rental accommodation (STRA) is exempt or a permitted use under the local planning scheme, you need development approval from your local government before you operate. The 90-night exemption is the carve-out for unhosted letting in the Perth metropolitan area.
“Unhosted” means guests have the whole dwelling to themselves, whether that is a house, villa or apartment. A typical whole-home Airbnb or Stayz listing is unhosted. Hosted STRA, where you live on the property during the stay, follows a different rule, covered in the next section.
Four details decide whether the exemption covers you.
- The 90 nights can be spread across the year. They do not have to be consecutive.
- The 12 months run from the date you registered on the STRA Register, not from 1 January or 1 July. Each property has its own reset date.
- The exemption applies only in the 30 metropolitan local governments DPLH lists, from Joondalup down to Rockingham and out to Mundaring and Serpentine-Jarrahdale. Outside that list, including Mandurah and the rest of the Peel region, the local government decides whether unhosted STRA needs approval from the first night.
- The STRA Register does the counting. Booking events from the platforms feed into it, and it sends you a notification at 80 nights and again at 90.
DPLH describes the exemption as being for people who want to let their own home while they are away, on holiday for example. If you plan to run an unhosted property year round, its advice is to get development approval first, before you take any bookings.
What Changed on 1 January 2026
The exemption did not start on 1 January 2026. What started then is the link between planning approval and registration. From that date, STRA properties have to show they meet development approval requirements to stay registered, according to the WA Government’s announcement of the register. The STRA Register FAQ adds that if you needed approval and did not get it, your registration can be suspended or cancelled.
So an unhosted metro owner who lets more than 90 nights in a registration year without approval risks losing the registration that lets them advertise and take bookings at all. That is the consequence, and it is a planning and registration problem rather than a night limit.
Approval takes time. DPLH says a local government can take up to 90 days to decide a development application, depending on how much public consultation your area requires, and that a complete application avoids most delays. Your local government can also tell you the zoning of the property and whether a local planning policy sets out how it assesses unhosted STRA. If you already hold a valid development approval for a holiday house or bed and breakfast, it still applies, and you enter its number when you register.
Hosted vs Unhosted STRA: Why the Distinction Matters
Hosted STRA, where the host lives on the property during the guest’s stay, is exempt from development approval across the whole State. There is no night threshold for hosted letting. Registration is still required.
Hosted STRA includes granny flats where the host lives in the main house. DPLH also allows the reverse: the host lives in the granny flat and lets the main house.
Unhosted STRA, the whole-home model most investors use, is where the 90-night exemption and the approval requirement apply. If your investment property sits empty between guest stays, you are in that category. Read the unhosted short-term rental rules WA has set out before you decide your next move.
The STRA Register: Registration, Compliance and What Happens if You Ignore It
Every short-term rental in Western Australia, hosted or unhosted, inside or outside the exemption, has to be on the STRA Register before it is advertised or takes bookings. Registration has been mandatory since 1 January 2025 under the Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act 2024, according to the STRA Register FAQ. It lasts 12 months from the date you complete it and renews annually. The initial annual fee was $250 when the register opened.
The FAQ says you need at least the following to register:
- The STRA name and address
- The property management company, if you use one (the owner or tenant has to start the registration, and a manager can finish it)
- Whether the premises is hosted or unhosted
- The status of your development approval: approved with a DA number, submitted, refused, not obtained, or permitted
Skipping registration is not worth the risk. Your registration number has to appear on every advertisement, and the WA Government’s register announcement puts the fine for advertising an unregistered property at up to $20,000 for an individual and $100,000 for a corporation. The register also pulls booking events from Airbnb, Stayz and Booking.com, which is how it counts your 90 nights, so an accurate registration protects you later.
For how registration sits alongside platform fees and payouts, see our guide to Airbnb, Booking.com and Stayz fees in Australia.
Reframing 90 Nights: Why Fewer Nights Can Mean More Revenue
If you stay under the threshold rather than apply for approval, 90 nights is your working calendar. That is your choice, but once you make it the question changes. Instead of “how do I fill every night of the year”, ask “how do I earn the most from the 90 nights I have”. Revenue per night beats occupancy for its own sake.
Perth’s tourism numbers support it. Western Australia reached 99.5 per cent of its 2019 international visitor numbers in the year ending September 2025, with overseas arrivals up 17 per cent on the previous year and interstate visitors up 12 per cent, according to a WA Government media statement. Tourism WA’s visitor statistics put WA at 11.1 million overnight trips, 1.1 million of them international, in the year ending March 2026.
With that demand you do not need 365 nights of bookings to make good money. A property charging premium rates for 90 well-chosen nights can out-earn one that discounts to stay booked all year, once you count cleaning, platform fees and wear and tear.
Identifying Perth’s Highest-Demand Periods to Prioritise
Making 90 nights work comes down to choosing them well. Perth has clear peaks worth mapping against your calendar.
- School holidays, especially the summer break from December to January
- Fringe World, which runs through January and February, and the big concert and sport weekends at Optus Stadium
- Cruise ship turnaround days at Fremantle, when passengers need a night either side of sailing
- Long weekends and public holidays through the year
Destination Perth research publishes annual factsheets on overnight visitors, where they come from, what they spend, why they visit and how long they stay, which helps you pick the nights worth opening.
Practical Revenue-Per-Night Tactics When You Work Inside the Exemption
Once you know your peak windows, the job is to get the most out of each booking. A calendar with a fixed number of nights rewards precision over volume.
- Use dynamic pricing tools that raise rates automatically when demand is high
- Set minimum stays of three or four nights in peak windows to cut turnover costs
- Position the listing as premium, with professional photos and upgraded amenities
- Avoid last-minute discounting, which teaches guests to wait for a lower price
- Upsell extras like early check-in, late check-out or welcome hampers
Each of these lifts revenue per night without adding nights to the calendar. For a deeper look at pricing tools, see our guide to Airbnb pricing strategies that maximise short-term rental revenue.
Staying Visible on Airbnb While Booking Fewer Nights
A common worry is that fewer bookings will push you down Airbnb’s search results. Fewer open nights does not have to mean lower visibility, but you do have to be deliberate about it. Airbnb ranks on response times, reviews and calendar accuracy, not just booking volume.
Keep your calendar updated well in advance so guests can plan around your open dates. Reply quickly to enquiries, even for dates you are not opening, so your response metrics hold up. Our guide to the 2026 Airbnb algorithm and what Perth hosts must do to stay visible goes into this in detail.
Should You Go Hosted, Seek Development Approval, or Switch to Long-Term Rental?
Unhosted owners in the Perth metropolitan area have three paths. Each suits a different property and a different owner.
- Go hosted. If you live on the property during guest stays, including a granny flat arrangement, hosted STRA is exempt from development approval State-wide with no night threshold. You still register.
- Seek development approval. If the property is well located and demand justifies more than 90 nights, apply to your local government. DPLH’s advice is to do it before you start if you intend to operate year round, and to allow up to 90 days for a decision.
- Switch to long-term rental. For some owners a stable tenant makes more sense than managing approvals and seasonal demand.
Which one fits depends on the property’s location, how much admin you are willing to take on, and how much the extra nights would actually earn. Our comparison of short-term versus long-term rental strategies walks through the numbers.
Let Sepal Stays Turn Compliance Into Your Competitive Advantage
Managing the STRA Register, the night count and development approval on your own takes time you would rather spend elsewhere. Sepal Stays’ Airbnb management service in Perth handles the STRA Register side with you, watches your night count so an approval deadline never catches you out, and builds a revenue-per-night pricing plan for your property and its location.
We know Perth’s peak periods, local government requirements and guest expectations. You get premium pricing and full compliance without the legwork. Visit Sepal Stays to see how our managed service works across the Perth metro area.
For a revenue assessment of your property under the current rules, reach out through our contact form and we will walk you through your options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 90-night rule a cap on how many nights I can let my property?
No. DPLH states that the planning changes do not include a cap on nights. Unhosted STRA in the Perth metropolitan area let for 90 nights or less in a 12-month period is exempt from development approval. Past 90 nights you need approval from your local government.
How are the 90 nights counted?
They do not have to be consecutive, and the 12-month period runs from your STRA Register registration date. The register tracks booking events and notifies you at 80 and 90 nights.
What happens if I go past 90 nights without development approval?
Using land without the required development approval is an offence under the Planning and Development Act 2005 and can lead to compliance action and penalties from your local government. Since 1 January 2026 it also puts your STRA registration at risk of suspension or cancellation, which would stop you advertising or taking bookings.
Does the 90-night exemption apply to hosted properties?
Hosted STRA has no night threshold. It is exempt from development approval across Western Australia, but it still has to be registered.
Can I still make good money with only 90 nights a year?
Yes. Owners who open the high-demand dates and price them as premium often match or beat the annual revenue of a property booked all year at discounted rates.
How do I register my property on the WA STRA Register?
The owner or tenant starts the registration on the WA Government’s STRA Register, entering the property details, hosted or unhosted status and development approval status. A property manager can then finish it. Registration renews every 12 months.