Roller shutters in Applecross

Applecross had 29 burglaries in 2025, according to WA Police figures. In 2021 there were 65, so the count fell by 55% over five years, and 2025 was the lowest year in the series going back to 2017, when 76 were recorded.

Spread across the 7,228 residents counted at the 2021 Census, the 2025 figure works out at 4.0 burglaries per 1,000 people. The rate across metropolitan Perth was also 4.0, so Applecross now sits level with the metro figure. As with every suburb, the count takes in homes and businesses together. Motor vehicle thefts moved the same way, from 17 in 2021 to 10 in 2025.

Fewer burglaries is not the same as none. A roller shutter is a physical barrier on windows and doors: rolled down, it puts aluminium slats between the glass and anyone outside, and it makes forced entry slower and noisier. It sits alongside good locks and lighting rather than replacing them.

Housing here is more varied than in a typical Perth suburb. Separate houses made up 61.9% of occupied dwellings in 2021, well under the Greater Perth figure of 77.8%. Semi-detached homes, terraces and townhouses were another 21.5%, and flats or apartments 16.6%.

So close to four in ten Applecross homes are attached or in a block. If yours is part of a strata scheme, the default by-laws require the strata company's written consent before you keep anything visible from outside the lot that is not in keeping with the rest of the building. Shutters on an outside window are visible, so raise it with the strata company early.

Landgate's history of the suburb name says Sir Alexander Percival Matheson acquired the land in February 1896 and set its subdivision in motion. That dates the first lots, not the houses on them, so we measure each home as we find it. For a freestanding house, residential roller shutters suit bedrooms and the main sliding doors. Balconies and alfresco areas suit our outdoor blinds: Ziptrak, Slidetrack, cafe and motorised.

Not where the state exemption applies. State planning rules exempt works to a single house when three things hold: the R-Codes apply, the work meets their deemed-to-comply provisions, and the home is not heritage protected. The City of Melville's exemptions policy, LPP 1.17, says much the same for residential work, unless heritage considerations affect the site.

Heritage is the exception to watch. The City's heritage page says planning approval is required for all development on properties on its local heritage list. If your home is listed, ask the City before ordering.

Strata sits apart from all of this. Landgate notes that strata company approval comes in addition to any development and building approvals, not instead of them.

With 22.2% of Applecross residents aged 65 or over, the WA Seniors Card Safety and Security Rebate is worth a look. It lists security window screens or window shutters as an eligible item, with a minimum spend of $100, and pays up to $400 per household, claimable once.