How does Assemble's purchase pathway work?
Assemble Communities builds and owns apartment buildings in inner-city Melbourne. On select projects, its purchase pathway lets you rent your apartment for up to five years on a lease that renews each year, with the option, but not the obligation, to buy it.
Your purchase price is set before you move in and rises by a set amount each year; Assemble's FAQs give 3% as the example. You can buy at any point in the five years with 30 days' notice, paying a 10% deposit 30 days before settlement. If you decide not to buy, you give 28 days' notice and move out at the end of your annual lease. Assemble says there are no extra fees for being a resident or for buying.
How is PublicSquare Rent-to-Own different?
With PublicSquare's Rent-to-Own homes, you choose any established or new home on its own title listed for rent that you'd love to buy, rather than an apartment in one developer's building. PublicSquare acts for you as your licensed buyer's agent, not for the owner.
Part of every weekly payment builds your deposit: deposit contributions of 50% of your first-year rent, credited to you when you buy. In years 4 to 8 you switch to a mortgage. The program runs in Queensland and New South Wales.
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What does each cost upfront and every week?
Assemble costs less each week, because you pay rent only. With PublicSquare, $325 of your weekly payment builds your deposit; with Assemble you save the deposit separately. For apartments, both set the price the same way: 3% a year, applied only for the years completed before the year you buy.
| PublicSquare Rent-to-Own | Assemble | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash before you move in | About $4,715: legal advice $1,100, bond $2,600, first 12 weeks of our fee $1,015.38 | About $2,817: one month's rent as bond, including the $500 holding deposit |
| Weekly while you rent | $1,059.62: rent $650, deposit contributions $325, our fee $84.62 | $650 rent. None of it goes toward your deposit |
| Latest you can buy | Three months before the end of year 8 | The end of year 5 |
| Deposit by then | $130,975, credited to you when you buy | Whatever you save separately |
| Apartment price at that point | At least $922,405 (3% a year for 7 completed years), or the independent valuation if higher | $844,132 (3% a year for 4 completed years), fixed in your contract |
| Cash needed to buy | Your credited deposit, plus buying costs | A 10% deposit (about $84,413) 30 days before settlement, plus stamp duty and buying costs |
| Rates and building costs | Paid by the owner until you buy | Paid by Assemble until you buy |
| PublicSquare Rent-to-Own | Assemble | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash before you move in | About $4,715: legal advice $1,100, bond $2,600, first 12 weeks of our fee $1,015.38 | About $2,817: one month's rent as bond, including the $500 holding deposit |
| Weekly while you rent | $1,059.62: rent $650, deposit contributions $325, our fee $84.62 | $650 rent. None of it goes toward your deposit |
| Latest you can buy | Three months before the end of year 8 | The end of year 5 |
| Deposit by then | $130,975, credited to you when you buy | Whatever you save separately |
| Apartment price at that point | At least $922,405 (3% a year for 7 completed years), or the independent valuation if higher | $844,132 (3% a year for 4 completed years), fixed in your contract |
| Cash needed to buy | Your credited deposit, plus buying costs | A 10% deposit (about $84,413) 30 days before settlement, plus stamp duty and buying costs |
| Rates and building costs | Paid by the owner until you buy | Paid by Assemble until you buy |
For apartments, the price growth is level: both add 3% a year only for completed years, so buying late in your final year works out at roughly 2.4% to 2.7% a year with either. PublicSquare gives you up to eight years and builds the deposit for you. With Assemble you have up to five years, must save the full 10% deposit yourself while you rent, and can only do that in one of its buildings, when a pathway home is available.
How do Assemble and PublicSquare compare side by side?
Both give you an option to buy, not an obligation. The biggest differences are where they operate, which homes you can choose, and whether your weekly payment builds a deposit.
| PublicSquare Rent-to-Own | Assemble | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | People with steady income who could service a mortgage later but don't have, or don't want to pay, the upfront costs now. Savings of at least $5,000. | Renters in inner Melbourne who want a new apartment in a community building and can save a 10% deposit themselves |
| Who it works for | You. PublicSquare is your licensed buyer's agent | Assemble is the developer and owner, selling its own apartments |
| Where | Queensland and New South Wales | Inner-city Melbourne; Assemble says other states are planned |
| Which homes | Any established or new house, townhouse or apartment on its own title listed for rent in QLD or NSW, if the owner agrees | Apartments in select Assemble projects. All pathway homes in its first three projects were allocated when we checked |
| Who owns the home | The owner, until you buy. You hold a Call Option Deed: the right, but not the obligation, to buy | Assemble, until you buy. You sign a contract of sale that gives you the right, but not the obligation, to buy |
| How you buy | Switch to a mortgage in years 4 to 8, at the higher of the contracted minimum price or an independent valuation | Any time in the five years with 30 days' notice, at the price in your contract |
| What if you don't buy | From year 4 you can request an open-market sale under the owner's Sell-Back Guarantee. You receive your contributions back, less any unpaid amounts, any shortfall and a $3,300 marketing cost | Give 28 days' notice and move out at the end of your annual lease. Your rent was rent only, so there is nothing to refund |
| PublicSquare Rent-to-Own | Assemble | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | People with steady income who could service a mortgage later but don't have, or don't want to pay, the upfront costs now. Savings of at least $5,000. | Renters in inner Melbourne who want a new apartment in a community building and can save a 10% deposit themselves |
| Who it works for | You. PublicSquare is your licensed buyer's agent | Assemble is the developer and owner, selling its own apartments |
| Where | Queensland and New South Wales | Inner-city Melbourne; Assemble says other states are planned |
| Which homes | Any established or new house, townhouse or apartment on its own title listed for rent in QLD or NSW, if the owner agrees | Apartments in select Assemble projects. All pathway homes in its first three projects were allocated when we checked |
| Who owns the home | The owner, until you buy. You hold a Call Option Deed: the right, but not the obligation, to buy | Assemble, until you buy. You sign a contract of sale that gives you the right, but not the obligation, to buy |
| How you buy | Switch to a mortgage in years 4 to 8, at the higher of the contracted minimum price or an independent valuation | Any time in the five years with 30 days' notice, at the price in your contract |
| What if you don't buy | From year 4 you can request an open-market sale under the owner's Sell-Back Guarantee. You receive your contributions back, less any unpaid amounts, any shortfall and a $3,300 marketing cost | Give 28 days' notice and move out at the end of your annual lease. Your rent was rent only, so there is nothing to refund |
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Who does each company work for?
Assemble is the developer, owner and seller of the apartments on its pathway, so its price is the developer's price. That suits buyers who love a particular Assemble building, but it isn't independent advice on value.
PublicSquare works for you. As your licensed buyer's agent, we're required to act in your interests, not the owner's, and on our Plus package we also research and negotiate the price. You choose from homes across two states, established or new.
What should you know before choosing Assemble?
- Availability: Assemble said all purchase pathway homes in its first three projects were allocated, and asked buyers to register for future projects.
- Location: its projects are in inner-city Melbourne. It says projects are planned in other states, but it had none interstate when we checked.
- Your deposit: rent and bond do not count toward your deposit, so you need to save 10% separately while you rent.
- Grants: Assemble says you do not qualify for Victoria's $10,000 First Home Owner Grant if you live in the apartment before buying it. You may qualify for the off-the-plan duty concession if you signed before construction finished.
- Car parks: they aren't included in the sale or lease, and are leased separately to eligible residents.
In Victoria, rent-to-buy deals where your payments go toward the price are prohibited. Assemble says its pathway is a permitted arrangement under the Sale of Land Act, which is why your rent doesn't count toward your deposit. PublicSquare doesn't operate in Victoria.
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Which suits you: Assemble or PublicSquare?
Assemble may suit you if
- you live in Melbourne and want a new apartment in a community-focused building;
- you want a fixed purchase price with a modest yearly increase, and no obligation to buy if values fall;
- you can save a 10% deposit on your own while you rent, and a pathway home becomes available.
PublicSquare may suit you if
- you live in Queensland or New South Wales and want to choose your own home, established or new;
- you'd find it hard to save a deposit separately, and want part of every payment to build it for you;
- you want a buyer's agent acting for you, not the seller;
- you want up to eight years in one home, with rent rises capped at 4% a year.
Rent-to-Own has trade-offs too. Your weekly cost is higher than plain renting, and you can't pay less than the contracted minimum price, so if the market grows more slowly than your minimum you would pay above market value.
What other options should you compare?
For other developer-led options, see Coposit vs PublicSquare and Unrent vs PublicSquare. If you could afford a mortgage today, compare a deposit loan in OwnHome vs PublicSquare. For every option in one place, read Rent-to-Own companies in Australia compared.
Frequently asked questions
A way to rent one of Assemble's new Melbourne apartments for up to five years, with the option, but not the obligation, to buy it at a price set before you move in that rises by a set amount each year.
Sources
Written by
Buyer's Agent
Licensed agent · Former mortgage broker
Over 10 years’ experience as a mortgage broker and real estate agent, now a licensed buyer’s agent with PublicSquare since 2021. He has worked on 100+ property transactions and knows the Queensland and New South Wales markets and the Rent-to-Own model well.
Reviewed by
Founder & CEO
Licensed real estate agent
I started PublicSquare in 2021 to give homebuyers a real path to ownership without a deposit, and landlords 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.
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How this comparison was made
Written by Jarrod Wills (Buyer's Agent) and reviewed for accuracy by Dean Arnold (Founder & CEO) before publishing. Program terms are quoted from PublicSquare's own Contract and Appointment documents, and market figures are referenced to the sources listed above. We check it again whenever the numbers change; it was last updated 12 November 2026.
For more information, visit our Editorial Guidelines.
Read more about Rent-to-Own.
This article is general information only and does not take your personal circumstances into account. PublicSquare is a licensed real estate agency, not a financial adviser or credit provider. Consider seeking independent advice before making a decision.
