Como, WA 6152Home loan and property guide

Como location and character

Como is located within the City of South Perth, on the southern side of the Swan River and adjoining Salter Point, Manning and the Canning River. Canning Highway divides the suburb, and that division is reflected in both its character and its density.

The suburb was originally made up of three land grants purchased by the Christchurch farmer Edmund Hugh Comer in February 1891. The land was subdivided in 1905 under the name Como Estate, and the name is thought to be derived from either the owner's surname or the area of the same name in northern Italy.

Its position close to the city, with river frontage and a station on the Mandurah line, is the reason redevelopment has been so extensive. Como today reads as a medium-density inner suburb rather than the detached-house area its 1905 subdivision created.

Transport and amenity in Como

Como is serviced by Canning Bridge station, which is on the Mandurah line about 7.2 kilometres from Perth by rail, and is served by buses as well. The Mandurah line is 70.8 kilometres long with thirteen stations and operates as a through service with the Yanchep line to the north.

By road, Canning Highway runs through the suburb and is the principal route between the city and Fremantle, while the Kwinana Freeway lies to the east. At around six kilometres from the city centre, road journeys are short and cycling is practical for many residents.

There are four schools in the area, including Collier and Como Primary Schools and Como Secondary College. The Swan River foreshore provides open space, and local shopping serves daily needs with the city close by. This guide does not describe school catchments, which the Department of Education can confirm.

Housing stock in Como

Como has one of the most redeveloped housing profiles in these guides. Original detached houses from the Como Estate subdivision and later decades have been extensively replaced by townhouses and villa units, with apartment development concentrated near Canning Bridge station and the highway.

At the 2021 Census, 3,434 of the 6,539 occupied private dwellings were semi-detached or townhouse dwellings, 2,147 were separate houses and 948 were flats or apartments, so attached dwellings made up 52.5 per cent of occupied homes against 12.6 per cent nationally, while separate houses accounted for only 32.8 per cent against 72.3 per cent. Three-bedroom homes numbered 2,699 and two-bedroom homes 2,232.

The Census also recorded 819 unoccupied private dwellings out of 7,360 on Census night, about 11 per cent. Due diligence here is largely strata work: levies, sinking fund adequacy, insurance, common property condition and any building defect history.

Who lives and buys in Como

The 2021 Census counted 14,786 residents in Como, with a median age of 38, matching the national figure, and an average household size of 2.1 people compared with 2.5 nationally. Adults aged 25 to 34 were by far the largest group at 2,757, followed by 2,117 aged 35 to 44 and 1,549 aged 45 to 54.

Renting leads, with outright and mortgaged ownership almost exactly level. The Census recorded 2,638 rented dwellings, 1,821 owned with a mortgage and 1,804 owned outright, so 40.7 per cent of households with a stated tenure rented, 28.1 per cent had a mortgage and 27.8 per cent owned outright, against 30.6, 35.0 and 31.0 per cent nationally.

Median weekly household income was $1,780 against $1,746, median monthly mortgage repayments were $2,041 against $1,863 and median weekly rent was $350 against $375. For a buyer, this is a dense inner-river market where small households dominate and the townhouse stock provides entry points well below the price of a detached house.

Planning and density in Como

Development is controlled by the City of South Perth's local planning scheme together with the Residential Design Codes, which set density coding for each lot. The scale of redevelopment shows that coding supports medium density across much of the suburb, with higher density near Canning Bridge station.

For a buyer, that has two consequences. A remaining detached house on a lot with subdivision capacity is valued partly as development land rather than purely as a home, and an established townhouse competes with newly built ones nearby, which a valuer takes into account.

Canning Highway divides the suburb and carries substantial traffic, so properties fronting it differ in amenity from interior streets, and valuers commonly note that distinction. Buyers may wish to visit at different times of day before committing.

Buying in Como under Western Australian contract law

Established homes in Western Australia are normally sold by offer and acceptance. Consumer Protection WA explains that the signed form becomes a binding contract once the seller accepts, and that there is no mandatory cooling-off period, so conditions for finance approval and for inspections need to be written into the offer.

There is no mandatory seller disclosure statement in Western Australia. Because most stock here is strata titled, the strata company records, levies, insurance, minutes and any proposed or recent works deserve close review, and a buyer should build time for that into the offer conditions. Transfer duty is assessed by RevenueWA.

Home loan considerations for Como property

Lender policy on strata security is the central issue, because more than two-thirds of dwellings are attached or apartments. Some lenders set minimum internal floor areas, which the 2,232 two-bedroom and 249 one-bedroom dwellings can fall below, apply lower maximum loan-to-value ratios to small units, or limit exposure to a single development.

Strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power, and special levies for defect rectification can be significant in newer apartment buildings near the station. With renting at 40.7 per cent, investment lending is common and assessed on different terms, with most lenders discounting rental income.

Lending considerations for Como

• More than two-thirds of dwellings are attached or apartments, so strata lending policy is central.
• Small one and two bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
• Strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments, and defect rectification levies can be significant.
• A detached house on a lot with subdivision capacity is valued partly as development land.
• Canning Highway divides the suburb and carries substantial traffic, which affects frontage properties.

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.