How does Coposit work?
Coposit lets you secure a new off-the-plan home with a minimum of $10,000, then pay the rest of your deposit in weekly, interest-free instalments while the home is built. Coposit says it is not a loan and charges buyers no fees; the developer pays it to list and use its platform.
You sign the developer's contract of sale at the start, at the developer's price. Your weekly payments go into Coposit's regulated trust account. When construction is complete, you arrange a mortgage and settle. Coposit works on off-the-plan apartments, townhouses, land and house-and-land packages, but only from developers who offer it.
How does PublicSquare Rent-to-Own work?
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, and move in once the owner agrees. There's no deposit, stamp duty or LMI at the start.
PublicSquare acts for you as your licensed buyer's agent, so we must act in your interests, not the seller's. On our Plus package we also research and negotiate the price. Each week you pay the listed rent plus deposit contributions of 50% of your first-year rent, and 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?
PublicSquare needs about $4,715 before you move in, then $1,059.62 a week. Coposit needs $10,000 at contract, then weekly instalments on top of the rent you already pay, until the home is finished and you settle.
| PublicSquare Rent-to-Own | Coposit | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash before you move in | About $4,715: legal advice $1,100, bond $2,600, first 12 weeks of our fee $1,015.38 | $10,000 at contract, plus about $3,000 in legal and loan costs by settlement |
| Who funds the deposit | You, through deposit contributions of $325 a week: $67,600 by year 4, $101,400 by year 6 | You: $10,000 at contract plus $65,000 in weekly instalments |
| Weekly while you wait | $1,059.62: rent $650, deposit contributions $325, our fee $84.62 | About $1,275: instalments of $625, plus the $650 rent you pay where you live now |
| When you move in | Once the owner agrees | When construction finishes |
| Weekly once you own | Your mortgage, from when you buy in years 4 to 8 | About $964 in repayments on a $675,000 loan, plus rates, insurance and strata |
| Stamp duty and LMI | None at the start; they may apply when you buy | No QLD transfer duty for a first home buyer on a new home. LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme |
| PublicSquare Rent-to-Own | Coposit | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash before you move in | About $4,715: legal advice $1,100, bond $2,600, first 12 weeks of our fee $1,015.38 | $10,000 at contract, plus about $3,000 in legal and loan costs by settlement |
| Who funds the deposit | You, through deposit contributions of $325 a week: $67,600 by year 4, $101,400 by year 6 | You: $10,000 at contract plus $65,000 in weekly instalments |
| Weekly while you wait | $1,059.62: rent $650, deposit contributions $325, our fee $84.62 | About $1,275: instalments of $625, plus the $650 rent you pay where you live now |
| When you move in | Once the owner agrees | When construction finishes |
| Weekly once you own | Your mortgage, from when you buy in years 4 to 8 | About $964 in repayments on a $675,000 loan, plus rates, insurance and strata |
| Stamp duty and LMI | None at the start; they may apply when you buy | No QLD transfer duty for a first home buyer on a new home. LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme |
Nobody else pays your deposit with Coposit. It spreads the deposit you would normally pay at contract across the build, so the full amount still comes from you. Coposit's own listings showed instalment plans from $258 a week for 138 weeks to $4,409 a week for 34 weeks when we checked.
How do Coposit and PublicSquare compare side by side?
Coposit spreads the deposit on a new home you've already contracted to buy from a developer. PublicSquare lets you live in a home you choose now, and build a deposit before you buy it.
| PublicSquare Rent-to-Own | Coposit | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Buyers with at least $10,000 who want a brand-new home and can keep paying their current rent while it is built |
| Who it works for | You. PublicSquare is your licensed buyer's agent | Coposit is paid by the developer |
| 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 | Off-the-plan projects from developers who offer Coposit, mostly apartments |
| Where | Queensland and New South Wales | Projects on its marketplace; listings filter by NSW, QLD, VIC, ACT and WA |
| Who sets the price | The higher of a contracted minimum price or an independent valuation when you buy | The developer, at contract, before the home is built |
| Who owns the home | The owner, until you buy. You hold a Call Option Deed: the right, but not the obligation, to buy | You buy it under a contract of sale and own it 100% at settlement |
| How you buy | Switch to a mortgage with your choice of lender in years 4 to 8 | Settle at the contract price with a mortgage when construction is complete |
| 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 | Coposit says pulling out after contracts works like a traditional deposit: instalments are forfeited and the contract is rescinded |
| PublicSquare Rent-to-Own | Coposit | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Buyers with at least $10,000 who want a brand-new home and can keep paying their current rent while it is built |
| Who it works for | You. PublicSquare is your licensed buyer's agent | Coposit is paid by the developer |
| 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 | Off-the-plan projects from developers who offer Coposit, mostly apartments |
| Where | Queensland and New South Wales | Projects on its marketplace; listings filter by NSW, QLD, VIC, ACT and WA |
| Who sets the price | The higher of a contracted minimum price or an independent valuation when you buy | The developer, at contract, before the home is built |
| Who owns the home | The owner, until you buy. You hold a Call Option Deed: the right, but not the obligation, to buy | You buy it under a contract of sale and own it 100% at settlement |
| How you buy | Switch to a mortgage with your choice of lender in years 4 to 8 | Settle at the contract price with a mortgage when construction is complete |
| 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 | Coposit says pulling out after contracts works like a traditional deposit: instalments are forfeited and the contract is rescinded |
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Who does each company work for?
Coposit is paid by the property developer, not by you. Its marketplace only lists projects whose developers offer Coposit, and you buy at the price the developer sets.
PublicSquare works for you. As your licensed buyer's agent, we're required to act in your interests, not the owner's, and the owner never pays our fee. You can choose any home on its own title listed for rent across Queensland and New South Wales, established or new, so you aren't limited to one developer's stock.
What concerns do people raise about Coposit?
The main concerns are the ones that come with any off-the-plan purchase. Coposit's own guides say you may be locked into a higher price if the market falls during construction, and that completion can take from several months to a few years.
- Valuation shortfall. Your lender lends against the valuation at completion, not the contract price. If the finished home is valued lower, you must cover the gap in cash. PropertyUpdate describes Brisbane buyers who contracted at $600,000 to $700,000 and found their completion valuations $50,000 to $100,000 short.
- The wait. You keep paying rent somewhere else until the build finishes, and the instalments come on top.
- Finance at the end. Your income, the lender's rules or interest rates can change during the build, and you need a mortgage to settle.
- Walking away. Coposit says pulling out after contracts forfeits your instalments, as with any deposit.
Coposit says your instalments are held in a regulated trust account that the developer can't touch, which protects them if a developer runs into trouble before completion.
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Which suits you: Coposit or PublicSquare?
Coposit may suit you if
- you want a brand-new home, most likely an apartment in a larger development, and are happy to wait for it to be built, which can take years;
- you have $10,000 now and can pay weekly instalments on top of your current rent;
- you're confident you'll get a mortgage, and cover any valuation shortfall, when construction finishes.
PublicSquare may suit you if
- you want to move in now, into an established or new home you choose, in Queensland or New South Wales;
- you want a buyer's agent acting for you rather than a developer;
- you want four to eight years to build a deposit, with rent rises capped at 4% a year and the owner paying rates, insurance and maintenance;
- you want a way out if you can't get finance: the Sell-Back Guarantee lets you request a sale from year 4.
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?
Coposit also runs Unrent, for completed developer stock; see Unrent vs PublicSquare. If you could afford a mortgage today, compare a deposit loan in OwnHome vs PublicSquare. For a developer's own purchase pathway, see Assemble vs PublicSquare. For every option in one place, read Rent-to-Own companies in Australia compared.
Frequently asked questions
No. Coposit says it does not lend you money. You pay at least $10,000 to sign a contract of sale, then pay the rest of your deposit yourself, weekly and interest-free, while the home is built.
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.
