Do I pay stamp duty under rent-to-own?

Yes, but later. Stamp duty is paid when you buy the home, in the purchase window between years four and eight, at the rates and concessions that apply then.

Is rent-to-buy the same as rent-to-own?

Yes. Rent-to-buy, rent-to-own and lease-to-own describe the same idea: you live in the home now and buy it later. PublicSquare calls its program Rent-to-Own.

Is the engagement fee refundable?

It is refundable if the purchase of the home does not reach unconditional.

Are these figures a quote?

No. The calculator is a general model using the assumptions listed on this page. Your own figures depend on the property, your circumstances and the agreement you sign. The assessment that produces your actual numbers is free.

PublicSquare | Rent-to-Own & Rent-to-Sell Homes in Australia

Before you move in

Home price$750,000

Your deposit path

First home buyer (duty concessions)

State

Home type

Rent to Own upfront cost savings

9.5x cheaper

Rent to Own

$4,200

Upfront deposit$0
Engagement fee$1,100
Setup fee (new home)$0
Legal advice$1,100
Rental bond$2,000
Stamp dutyLater, at buyout

Mortgage

$40,100

Deposit (5%)$37,500
Stamp duty (QLD, FHB)$0
LMI$0 — scheme
Conveyancing$2,000
Building & pest$600

Plus the first two weeks of payments — about $1,947. Two weeks of rent and deposit contributions are payable upfront before you move in, the same as a standard tenancy. It is not included in the Rent to Own total above.

Assumptions

Mortgage side: deposit at the chosen percentage, transfer (stamp) duty at owner-occupier rates with any first-home concession you tick, Lenders Mortgage Insurance on the 5% + LMI and 10% paths (indicative premium), plus $2,000 conveyancing and $600 building and pest inspections. The 5% (no LMI) path assumes a place under the First Home Guarantee, which removes LMI but not the other costs — property price caps apply. Choosing it ticks the first-home toggle automatically, since the scheme is for first home buyers; untick it if you're using the scheme as a returning buyer (no ownership in the past 10 years), because duty concessions require never having owned a home. Rent to Own side, per PublicSquare's published pricing: engagement fee $1,100 (refundable if the acquisition doesn't reach unconditional), independent legal advice $1,100, fixed rental bond $2,000, and a setup fee of 0.99% of the initial home value for an established home — 0% for a new home from the building panel. The first two weeks of rent and deposit contributions are also payable before you move in; they are shown separately and are not part of the Rent to Own total or the cheaper-upfront multiple. Indicative rent is 4.5% of the home value a year, with the contribution fixed at 50% of it. Stamp duty on a Rent to Own home is payable when you buy, years later, and first-home concessions may apply then. Moving costs apply on either path and are excluded.

General information only — not financial, credit, legal, or tax advice. Results are estimates based on the stated assumptions and your inputs; obtain independent professional advice before making any decision. When you buy your Rent to Own home, the deposit, stamp duty, LMI and other standard purchasing costs become payable where applicable — these costs are deferred, not waived. Cheaper-upfront multiples compare total day-one cash for a mortgage purchase (deposit, stamp duty, any LMI, conveyancing and inspections) with Rent to Own starting costs. Averaged across home prices of $500,000–$1,000,000, deposit paths from 5% (no-LMI scheme) to 20%, and new and established homes at Queensland owner-occupier duty rates with no first-home concessions, Rent to Own is on average ~18x cheaper upfront.

How much cheaper is rent-to-own upfront?

On a $750,000 new home in Queensland, a first home buyer using the 5% no-LMI scheme needs about $40,100 on day one with a mortgage, against $4,200 to start with rent-to-own homes — around 9.5 times less. That gap is money you don't need now, not money you never pay.

The headline figure is the gap between the two totals. Stamp duty and a deposit are still ahead of you under rent-to-buy, paid when you buy in years four to eight, so this is money you don't need to have now. Choose "5% + LMI" to see a 5% mortgage without the government scheme: the deposit stays small, but lenders mortgage insurance appears.

What does the rent-to-own calculator assume?

Stamp duty is calculated at each state's owner-occupier rates, with first-home buyer concessions applied when you tick that option.
Lenders mortgage insurance is estimated at 4.2% of the loan on a 5% deposit, 1.9% on 10%, 0.9% on 15% and nil at 20%. Real premiums vary by lender.
Mortgage route: $2,000 conveyancing and $600 building and pest.
Rent-to-Own route: $1,100 engagement fee (refundable if the acquisition does not reach unconditional), $1,100 independent legal advice, $2,000 rental bond, and a setup fee of 0.99% of the initial home value on an established home (nil on a new home from the building panel).
The program's initial home value is between $500,000 and $1,000,000.

Frequently asked questions

It adds up the day-one cash a mortgage purchase needs — deposit, stamp duty, any LMI, conveyancing and inspections — and puts it next to the starting costs of Rent-to-Own on the same home, using the assumptions listed on this page.

Written by

Jarrod Wills

Property Lead

Licensed agent · Former mortgage broker

I was a mortgage broker before joining PublicSquare, so I look at every property and every purchase the way a lender would. I now lead the property side of the program, helping homebuyers from their first info session through to move-in, and working with our buyers agency team on each acquisition for our investors.

Reviewed by

Dean Arnold

Founder & CEO

Licensed real estate agent

I started PublicSquare in 2021 to give homebuyers a real path to ownership without a deposit, and investors a stronger-cashflow alternative to a standard rental. I hold real estate licences in Queensland and New South Wales and personally review every property that enters the program.

How this calculator was made

Written by Jarrod Wills (Property Lead) and reviewed for accuracy by Dean Arnold (Founder & CEO) before publishing. Program terms are quoted from PublicSquare's own agreements. We check it again whenever the numbers change; it was last updated 27 September 2026.

For more information, visit our Editorial Guidelines.

Rent-to-Own Calculator: Upfront Cost vs a Mortgage