Your First Airbnb Listing in Perth: The Complete Launch Checklist for New Hosts

Starting your first Airbnb in Perth is one of the most rewarding things you can do with a property — but it can also feel overwhelming. There are regulations to navigate, a listing to create, a property to prepare, and guests to manage. This checklist breaks it all down into manageable steps so you can launch with confidence and start earning from day one.

Step 1: Check Your Eligibility and Register

Before you do anything else, confirm that your property is eligible for short-term rental use. In Western Australia, all STRA properties must be registered on the WA STRA Register. If you're operating an unhosted rental (where guests have the property to themselves), you may also need planning approval from your local council.

Check your local council's planning scheme for any restrictions on short-term rentals in your area. Some councils have caps on the number of nights per year, while others require specific approvals for unhosted properties.

Once you've confirmed eligibility, complete your STRA registration online. You'll receive a registration number that must be displayed on all booking platforms.

Step 2: Set Up Your Business Structure

Treat your Airbnb as a business from day one. This means:

- **ABN registration:** Register for an Australian Business Number if you don't already have one. This is required for tax purposes once your rental income exceeds the GST threshold.

- **Insurance:** Standard home insurance typically doesn't cover short-term rental activity. You'll need specific STR insurance or a policy that explicitly includes short-term letting. Airbnb provides Host Protection Insurance, but it has limitations — don't rely on it as your only coverage.

- **Separate bank account:** Keep your rental income and expenses in a dedicated account. This makes tax time significantly easier and gives you a clear picture of your property's performance.

Step 3: Prepare Your Property

The physical preparation of your property is where many new hosts underinvest. The standard for short-term rentals is higher than you might expect — guests are comparing your property to hotels and other professionally managed Airbnbs.

Essential preparation includes:

- Professional deep clean of the entire property

- Fresh, hotel-quality white linen and towels (minimum 2 sets per bed)

- Well-stocked kitchen with basic cooking essentials, quality coffee, and tea

- Bathroom amenities: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap (refillable dispensers look more premium than individual bottles)

- Safety essentials: smoke alarms, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, first aid kit

- Guest information: Wi-Fi details, check-in instructions, house rules, local recommendations

- Welcome touches: a handwritten card, local treats, fresh flowers

Common oversights to avoid:

- Insufficient lighting (guests notice dark rooms in photos and in person)

- Cluttered surfaces and personal items left out

- Worn or mismatched furniture

- Poor quality mattresses and pillows (this is the number one factor in comfort reviews)

- Missing basics like a hair dryer, iron, or phone chargers

Step 4: Professional Photography

This is not optional. Professional photography is the single highest-impact investment you'll make in your listing. The difference between phone photos and professional shots is the difference between a listing that gets scrolled past and one that gets booked.

Hire a photographer who specialises in interiors or real estate. Brief them on the key selling points of your property — the ocean view, the outdoor area, the styled bedroom. Shoot during the day with natural light, and ensure every room is immaculately presented.

Budget $300 to $500 for a professional shoot. It will pay for itself within your first few bookings.

Step 5: Create Your Listing

Your listing is your sales page. Every element matters.

Title: Be specific and compelling. "Bright Coastal Apartment — 2 Min Walk to Scarborough Beach" is far more effective than "Nice Apartment Near Beach."

Description: Lead with your property's strongest features. Write in a warm, conversational tone. Be specific about distances, amenities, and what makes your property special. Include practical details like parking, check-in process, and nearby shops.

Amenities: Tick every amenity that applies. Guests filter by amenities, so missing items mean missing bookings. Pay special attention to Wi-Fi, air conditioning, parking, kitchen, and washer/dryer — these are the most-filtered amenities in Perth.

Pricing: Start slightly below market rate for your first few bookings to build momentum and reviews. Once you have 5 to 10 five-star reviews, gradually increase to market rate. Use a dynamic pricing tool from the start to avoid leaving money on the table.

House rules: Be clear but not excessive. Cover the essentials — no smoking, no parties, quiet hours, maximum guests — without making guests feel like they're signing a legal document.

Step 6: Set Up Your Operations

Before your first guest arrives, you need systems in place for:

- **Cleaning:** A reliable professional cleaner who can turn the property between guests, often with short notice. Build a detailed cleaning checklist and inspect the property yourself for the first few turnovers.

- **Communication:** Templates for booking confirmations, check-in instructions, mid-stay check-ins, and check-out messages. Automate where possible using Airbnb's scheduled messages feature.

- **Maintenance:** A list of trusted tradespeople for emergencies — plumber, electrician, locksmith, appliance repair. When something breaks at 10pm on a Saturday, you need someone you can call.

- **Supplies:** A restocking system for consumables — toiletries, cleaning products, coffee, tea, toilet paper. Running out of basics is a guaranteed path to negative reviews.

Step 7: Launch and Build Momentum

Your first few bookings are critical. They set the foundation for your reviews, your search ranking, and your long-term success.

- Set your initial price 10 to 15 per cent below comparable listings to attract early bookings

- Enable Instant Book to improve your search ranking and conversion rate

- Respond to every enquiry within an hour

- Go above and beyond for your first guests — the reviews they leave will shape your listing's trajectory

- Ask for reviews politely after each stay

Once you have 10 or more five-star reviews, your listing will start to gain organic momentum. At that point, you can raise your rates, tighten your minimum stay requirements, and focus on optimising revenue rather than building credibility.

Step 8: Monitor, Learn, and Improve

After your first month, review your performance data:

- What's your occupancy rate compared to similar listings in your area?

- What's your average nightly rate?

- What feedback are guests giving in reviews and private messages?

- Which days of the week are hardest to fill?

- Are there any recurring maintenance or cleanliness issues?

Use this data to make informed adjustments. The best hosts are constantly iterating — updating photos, refining pricing, improving the guest experience, and staying ahead of the competition.

When to Consider Professional Management

If you find that managing your Airbnb is taking more time than you expected, or if you're not achieving the results you want, professional management or co-hosting might be worth exploring. A good management partner handles everything — listing optimisation, pricing, guest communication, cleaning coordination, and maintenance — while you retain ownership and control.

The right time to consider management is when the opportunity cost of your time exceeds the management fee, or when you want to scale to multiple properties without scaling your personal workload.

Whatever path you choose, the fundamentals remain the same: present your property at its best, price it strategically, communicate responsively, and treat every guest like they matter. Do that consistently, and the results will follow.