Duplicate Images in Perth's Property Listings Are Costing Buyers Time and Money, Officials and Experts Say

Perth's overheated property market has a secondary problem that officials and industry figures are increasingly vocal about: duplicate and incorrectly placed images in residential listings are causing buyers to waste inspection time, make misinformed offers, and in some cases, lodge complaints with consumer protection bodies. The issue has sharpened as the city's median house price climbed above $800,000 in early 2026, raising the stakes on every viewing decision.

Consumer Protection WA, the state agency under the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, has noted a rise in complaints related to misleading property advertising over the past 18 months. The agency has the power to investigate agents under the Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 and the Australian Consumer Law, and has signalled it is monitoring digital listing standards more closely as online platforms become the primary point of first contact for buyers.

What the Industry Is Saying

The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, headquartered on Havelock Street in West Perth, has been working with member agencies on a revised photographic standards guide. The institute's position — outlined in internal communications to members earlier this year — is that listings should require images to accurately represent the property being advertised, with duplicates removed before a listing goes live. REIWA has noted that the volume of listings on its own platform, reiwa.com, has grown substantially alongside population growth driven by migration to WA, putting pressure on agents processing listings quickly.

Property photographers operating across the inner suburbs — including Subiaco, Mount Lawley and Victoria Park — say the problem is partly systemic. When agencies use content management systems that auto-populate image libraries, photos from a previous listing at the same address can carry over to a new one. A three-bedroom home on Beaufort Street in Inglewood might display bathroom tiles from a renovation completed four owners ago. That gap between image and reality is where disputes begin.

Settlement agents in the Northbridge and Perth CBD precinct have flagged the issue from another angle. Buyers who rely on listing photographs as part of due diligence before flying in from interstate — a growing cohort since AUKUS-related defence work began drawing workers to Perth — are particularly exposed. Karratha-based workers commuting for property inspections in the southern suburbs have also reported scheduling trips around listings that turned out to feature photos from entirely different properties.

Platforms, Standards, and What Needs to Change

Domain and realestate.com.au both have image submission policies requiring photos to relate to the advertised property, but enforcement is complaint-driven rather than proactive. Neither platform conducts automated duplicate detection across all active listings, according to industry sources familiar with platform operations — though both have been developing AI-assisted moderation tools for several years.

The City of Perth's own property team, which manages a portfolio of commercial and residential assets across the CBD and Northbridge, updated its internal listing protocols in March 2026 to require a sign-off checklist before any property goes to market. That checklist includes a specific step confirming all images match the current state of the property. Council-managed assets listed through JLL and Knight Frank under state procurement rules are now subject to this requirement.

Advocates at the Housing Industry Association's WA branch have pointed out that the problem worsens during high-volume periods — such as the pre-EOFY rush seen each June across suburbs like Baldivis, Ellenbrook and Midland. Listings uploaded in bulk are more prone to carry-over errors. The HIA has called on platforms to implement mandatory image metadata checks that flag when a photo file was last used in a previous listing.

For buyers navigating the market right now, the practical advice from settlement agents and buyer's advocates is consistent: request a fresh photo confirmation from the agent before booking a flight or driving more than 30 minutes to an inspection. Ask specifically whether all images were captured at the current property during the current listing campaign. If a listing cannot confirm that, treat it as unverified. Consumer Protection WA's complaints line — 1300 30 40 54 — remains the formal avenue if a buyer believes they were materially misled by listing photography.