Maylands, Perth Inner-City Riverside with Serious Numbers

It depends on your strategy. For income and liquidity, units are the clear winner: 5.3–6.12% yields, 400+ sales per year, and DOM often in single digits. If you want land and school-zone growth, houses in the MLSHS catchment are the better play, but expect lower percentage yields and a higher entry price around $1.02–$1.13m.

Because Maylands sits at the intersection of three powerful forces: (1) a 9-minute train to the CBD with frequent services, (2) an affordability gap to Mount Lawley and Inglewood that buyers are rapidly closing, and (3) a strong lifestyle offer—cafés, bars, river, and rail. That combination has produced ~23% growth for both houses and units in recent reporting periods.

No. High unit numbers are matched by high demand. Around 432 unit sales in a 12-month period with DOM under 3 weeks and rising rents (7.8–11.6% annual growth) indicates strong absorption, not oversupply. Investors should still favour well-located stock near the station and Eighth Avenue rather than fringe pockets with weaker demand.

Some offence categories (e.g. “offences against the person”) rank poorly at an LGA level and have risen in recent years, while stealing is more moderate. In practice, risk is micro-local: streets close to nightlife, certain laneways, and specific station-adjacent blocks can feel very different to quiet, established residential pockets. Smart buyers inspect at night, talk to locals, and lean on a good adviser to avoid streets with a poor reputation.

For a unit (~$530k), a 20% deposit is around $106,000 plus WA stamp duty (mid-tier bracket). For a house (~$1.07m), a 20% deposit is about $214,000 and stamp duty moves into the higher brackets, making units far more capital-efficient to enter. We can model different deposit levels and potential LMI costs for your situation.

It started as the cheaper option, but the gap is closing. Mount Lawley is still the prestige suburb, but its growth has been more modest recently, while Maylands has delivered ~23% gains and strong unit yields. Maylands’ own identity—river, rail, cafés, and MLSHS access—now drives demand in its own right, not just as a hand-me-down from 6050.

A new runway at Perth Airport is planned around 2028, with flight paths still being finalised. Maylands is not currently singled out as one of the hardest-hit suburbs, but any buyer sensitive to aircraft noise should keep an eye on Airservices Australia consultations over 2025–2026 and check anticipated paths before buying very close to the river or flight corridor.

Most Maylands tenants are young professionals, CBD workers, FIFO staff, and students who value the 9-minute train, river lifestyle, and local bars/cafés. They’re generally comfortable with medium-density living and will pay a premium for clean, modern units close to the station and main strip, which is exactly why yields have remained so strong.