Mount Lawley vs WembleyTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Mount Lawley (WA 6050) is approximately 3 km north-east of the Perth CBD. Wembley (WA 6014) is approximately 4.5 km north-west of the Perth CBD, between Lake Monger and Herdsman Lake. At the 2021 Census, Mount Lawley had 11,328 residents with a median age of 38, and Wembley had 12,061 residents with a median age of 37.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 28% of occupied dwellings in Mount Lawley and 33% in Wembley, while 37% of Mount Lawley households rented compared with 37% in Wembley. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
WA 6050 · Inner northern suburbs of Perth
Mount Lawley
Mount Lawley is an inner northern Perth suburb of character homes and flats around Beaufort Street, split between three councils with heritage controls.
City of Stirling, City of Vincent and City of Bayswater. Approximately 3 km north-east of the Perth CBD.
Read the full Mount Lawley guideWA 6014 · Inner western suburbs of Perth
Wembley
Wembley is an inner western Perth suburb beside Lake Monger that mixes family houses with many older flats and relies on buses rather than a train station.
Town of Cambridge. Approximately 4.5 km north-west of the Perth CBD, between Lake Monger and Herdsman Lake.
Read the full Wembley guide
What buying in Mount Lawley and Wembley would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Mount Lawley and Wembley.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Mount Lawley to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Wembley to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Mount Lawley and Wembley: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Mount Lawley | Wembley |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 11,328 | 12,061 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 38 | 37 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,108 | $2,005 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $350 | $290 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,200 | $2,458 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 37% | 37% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 32% | 31% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 30% | 29% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 53% | 49% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 20% | 18% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 28% | 33% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 42% | 43% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 25% | 26% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 10% | 9% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Mount Lawley and Wembley
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Mount Lawley
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Character retention and heritage controls limit demolition and alteration, which valuers take into account when assessing redevelopment potential.
- Planning rules differ between the Cities of Stirling, Vincent and Bayswater, so the applicable council should be confirmed before relying on any control.
- Renovations and extensions are usually funded through a construction loan with progress payments, which requires approvals and a fixed-price contract.
- Small one-bedroom flats may fall below the minimum internal floor area that some lenders and mortgage insurers accept.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be included in the offer.
- Individual character houses vary widely, so a valuation below the contract price is a possibility for buyers with small deposits.
Wembley
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Small one-bedroom and studio flats may fall below the minimum internal floor area that certain lenders and mortgage insurers require.
- Strata levies, the reserve fund and planned remedial works in older blocks affect both valuation and borrowing capacity assessments.
- Western Australian contracts carry no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer.
- A new local planning scheme and a revised Cambridge Street precinct plan were awaiting state decisions as at September 2026.
- Renovation or rebuild projects usually need a construction loan drawn in stages against a fixed-price contract and approved plans.
Housing stock in Mount Lawley and Wembley compared
Mount Lawley
- Character houses
- Federation and Colonial style brick and tile houses on large lots, most within the City of Stirling Heritage Protection Area.
- Older flats and apartments
- Flats and apartments made up 1,291 of the occupied dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, many of them small units in older blocks.
- Townhouses, villas and terraces
- Group dwellings dispersed through the suburb, particularly around Beaufort Street, accounted for 922 occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
Wembley
- Established family houses
- Inter-war and post-war houses, many renovated or rebuilt, which made up 2,331 of the 4,790 occupied dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
- Older flats and apartments
- A third of occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, at 1,583 homes, mostly in older style low-rise blocks.
- Townhouses and grouped dwellings
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings made up 865 occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Mount Lawley and Wembley
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Mount Lawley
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Mount Lawley, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Wembley
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Wembley, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Mount Lawley and Wembley
Mount Lawley
Transport
- Mount Lawley Station (train)
- Beaufort Street (road)
- Walcott Street (road)
Schools and campuses
- Mount Lawley Senior High School (secondary, government)
- Mount Lawley Primary School (primary, government)
- Perth College (combined, independent)
- St Paul's Primary School (primary, catholic)
- North Metropolitan TAFE, Mount Lawley campus (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- Mount Lawley Hospital
- Beaufort Street town centre
- Astor Theatre
- Hamer Park
- Mount Lawley Bowling Club
Wembley
Transport
- Bus routes 81 to 85 (bus)
- Bus routes 84, 85 and 95 (bus)
- Daglish and Subiaco stations (train)
- Glendalough Station (train)
- Mitchell Freeway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Wembley Primary School (primary, government)
- Lake Monger Primary School (primary, government)
- Bold Park Community School (combined, independent)
Amenities
- Galup (Lake Monger) Reserve
- Herdsman Lake Regional Park
- Cambridge Street shops
- Henderson Park
- St John of God Subiaco Hospital (Subiaco)
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Western Australia education department.
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Request a free assessment: Mount Lawley or Wembley
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