Churchlands, WA 6018Home loan and property guide

Churchlands location and character

Churchlands lies in Perth's inner north-west within the City of Stirling, about 7 km from the Perth CBD. Herdsman Lake adjoins it to the east, Hale Road separates it from Woodlands to the north, and Empire Avenue and Valencia Avenue mark much of the boundary with Wembley Downs to the west. Floreat, in the Town of Cambridge, lies to the south across Cromarty Road, and a narrow arm of the suburb extends south-east along the lake edge to Selby Street and Flynn Street, next to Wembley.

The City of Stirling records that the name dates from 1891, when the land was bought by Perth's Catholic bishop, Matthew Gibney, and that little residential development took place until extensive subdivision near Herdsman Lake in the 1980s. The north-eastern part, where the City says development is still under way, is known as Floreat Lakes. The former Edith Cowan University campus, which the City's history collection says closed in 2008, became the Churchlands Green residential subdivision.

Transport and amenity in Churchlands

Churchlands has no railway station. The closest stations on the Yanchep Line are Glendalough Station, in Osborne Park, and Stirling Station. Public Transport Authority route data shows routes 998 and 999 running along Pearson Street, Flynn Street and Selby Street and calling at Stirling Station, route 85 linking Selby Street with Glendalough Station and Perth Busport, and routes 83 and 84 running to Perth Busport from Empire Avenue and Hale Road.

Pearson Street, Hale Road, Empire Avenue and Selby Street are the main roads through and around the suburb. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Perth Children's Hospital are in Nedlands, and Osborne Park Hospital, a public hospital without an emergency department, is in Stirling. The City reports that it has changed parking restrictions around Churchlands Senior High School and monitors student parking in nearby streets.

Herdsman Lake Regional Park, managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, adjoins the suburb and has a shared path around the lake. Within Churchlands the City counts seven local open spaces and one community open space, and describes a small deli and growers' market on Flynn Street as meeting local shopping needs. Churchlands Senior High School is a government school, Newman College is a Catholic school running from the early years to Year 12, and Churchlands Primary School stands just over the boundary in Floreat.

Housing stock in Churchlands

The City of Stirling characterises Churchlands housing as large, modern two-storey homes, reflecting subdivision from the 1980s onward, with newer houses at Floreat Lakes beside the lake and on the Churchlands Green estate, where the City's history collection records that the former campus was demolished from 2009. Four-bedroom and larger homes dominate the detached stock. Because most houses are comparatively recent, building inspections tend to focus on roofs, balconies, pools and the approval status of later additions.

The suburb also has more strata housing than its detached character suggests. The City notes that infill has made duplexes and units a significant form of construction, and the 2021 Census counted 378 occupied flats or apartments, of which 77 were in blocks of four to eight storeys and none in taller buildings. State scheme mapping shows an R60 coding at the south-eastern end near Selby Street and Flynn Street, against R20 over most of the suburb. Small detached houses are the scarce category.

Who lives and buys in Churchlands

The 2021 Census counted 3,638 residents in Churchlands, with a median age of 41 against 38 for Australia and an average household size of 2.6 people compared with 2.5 nationally. Residents aged 45 to 54 and children aged 5 to 14 were the largest age groups, at 541 and 540 people. Of 1,337 occupied private dwellings, 844 were separate houses, 378 were flats or apartments and 108 were semi-detached or townhouse dwellings, so houses made up 63.1 per cent of occupied homes and apartments 28.3 per cent, against 72.3 per cent and 14.2 per cent nationally.

Tenure is mixed. The Census recorded 499 dwellings owned outright, 472 owned with a mortgage and 341 rented, so 37.6 per cent of households with a stated tenure owned outright, 35.5 per cent had a mortgage and 25.7 per cent rented, against 31.0 per cent, 35.0 per cent and 30.6 per cent across Australia. Four-bedroom homes numbered 506 and two-bedroom homes 326, which points to two distinct markets. Median monthly mortgage repayments were $2,600 against $1,863 nationally, while median weekly rent was $365, slightly below the national $375.

For a buyer, these figures describe a high-income suburb split between large family houses and a pool of smaller strata dwellings. Median weekly household income was $2,314, compared with $1,746 nationally. Upgrading families are the most likely purchasers of the houses, while downsizers, investors and some first home buyers compete for the two-bedroom units and apartments. Rents at the Census sat close to the national median, while mortgage repayments were well above it.

Planning, lake environment and hazard mapping in Churchlands

Planning is governed by the City of Stirling Local Planning Scheme No. 3. State scheme mapping shows most residential land coded R20, the south-eastern end coded R60, and land in the centre of the suburb in a Development zone. The City has prepared a draft Local Planning Scheme No. 4 and is working on a new Local Planning Strategy, which it intends to present for community consultation in 2026. Churchlands is not on the City's published list of suburbs that may contain planning areas for urban change.

The lake shapes the hazard mapping. The state Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas, the latest version of which took effect on 13 December 2025, designates a broad band running from the Herdsman Lake edge in the north-east across the middle of the suburb towards Empire Avenue, taking in housing as well as school grounds. There, a Bushfire Attack Level assessment and higher construction standards may apply to new building work. State floodplain mapping does not cover Churchlands, but Herdsman Lake is a mapped wetland.

Heritage controls affect few properties. The State Register of Heritage Places includes Herdsman Lake Settlers Cottage on Pearson Street, and the City's Heritage List also covers Herdsman Lake itself. State Planning Policy 5.4 maps Pearson Street, Flynn Street and Selby Street as significant traffic routes, so road noise is relevant to dwellings fronting them. For apartments and units, records of waterproofing, balcony and roof maintenance and the adequacy of the reserve fund are also worth reading.

Buying a house or strata property in Churchlands

Private sales in Churchlands proceed on an offer and acceptance form. Consumer Protection WA explains that the signed form becomes a binding contract once all terms are agreed and that there is no mandatory cooling-off period, so conditions for finance approval and for building and timber pest inspections need to be written into the offer. With more than a quarter of occupied dwellings being apartments, many purchases here are of strata lots.

Consumer Protection WA notes that the seller of a strata lot must give the buyer prescribed information, including the strata plan and the scheme by-laws, and that an owner joins the strata company and pays its levies. It also suggests checking that any parking space is on the title. Buyers may wish to ask for records of recent meetings, budgets and any maintenance plan. Any deposit is negotiated and held in trust until settlement. Transfer duty is assessed by RevenueWA, and the stamp duty calculator on this site gives a general estimate.

Home loan considerations for Churchlands property

Large houses in Churchlands require large loans, so serviceability at the lender's assessment rate is usually the binding constraint, and upgraders who buy before selling may need bridging finance. Individually designed or lake-side homes can have few close comparables, which widens the range of possible valuations, so a buyer relying on a high loan-to-value ratio may wish to allow for a valuation below the agreed price. The borrowing power calculator on this site shows how income and existing debts affect the amount a lender may offer.

Units and apartments call for different checks. Some lenders apply minimum internal floor areas or limit their exposure to a single building, and strata levies are included in serviceability assessments, which reduces borrowing capacity. Records of planned remedial works in a building are also relevant to valuation. Where the deposit is small, lenders mortgage insurance is likely to apply, and investors can model rental yield with the calculators on this site.

Lending considerations for Churchlands

• Large houses require large loans, so serviceability at the lender's assessment rate is usually the limiting factor for upgraders.
• Individually designed and lake-side homes have fewer comparable sales, so a valuation below the contract price is a possibility worth planning for.
• Strata levies are included in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing capacity for units and apartments.
• Small apartments may fall below the minimum internal floor area that certain lenders and mortgage insurers require.
• Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata document conditions need to be written into the offer.
• New building work in the designated bush fire prone band may need a Bushfire Attack Level assessment, which can add to construction costs.

Lender policy differs between institutions and changes over time. The guide to Australian lenders explains how credit policy varies, and the home loan guide sets out the main loan structures.