property
Build-to-Rent Projects Deliver Fixed Rents and Amenities in Mentone
New projects along Nepean Highway and near Mentone Station deliver fixed rents plus shared facilities that shift the balance for local renters facing purchase prices above $620,000.
How we reported this
Two build-to-rent complexes opened this month in Mentone, with one-bedroom units leased from $425 a week and two-bedroom units from $585, figures released by the Mentone Rental Alliance on 6 July.
Buyers in the same postcode now face median house prices of $685,000, up 9 percent since January, while standard variable mortgage rates sit at 6.4 percent. The gap has widened since the Mentone Tenant Support Scheme began tracking household costs in late 2025.
Facilities that cut weekly outlays
The Beach Road project includes an on-site gym, parcel lockers and a shared workspace, all covered in the rent. Tenants report saving roughly $60 a month on gym memberships and another $40 on storage units that used to sit in nearby self-storage yards. The second site, opposite Mentone Station, runs a resident shuttle to the railway twice each morning, replacing a $28 weekly public-transport top-up for many commuters.
Both developments sign tenants to three-year leases with annual rent rises capped at 3 percent. That structure removes the six-monthly reviews common in older Mentone stock along Como Parade.
Numbers that shape decisions
A two-bedroom unit at the new station project costs $585 weekly or $30,420 a year. The same outlay on a $685,000 purchase at current rates would cover only interest on a 20 percent deposit loan, leaving principal and council rates unpaid. The Mentone Property Trust, which manages both sites, reports 92 percent occupancy after four weeks, with 140 applications lodged for the remaining 18 units.
Residents at the Beach Road complex can book a 12-seat meeting room and a ground-floor laundry at no extra charge. Those services previously required separate payments at the Mentone Community Centre or coin-operated laundrettes on Warrigal Road.
Tenants weighing the option can visit the Mentone Rental Alliance office on Como Parade West this week to compare sample lease terms against current listings from private landlords. Applications close for the final station-site units on 15 July.
This article is general information only and is not personal financial or investment advice. Consider your own circumstances and seek licensed professional advice before making financial decisions.