Peet & Co was founded in 1895 as Peet & Bastow by James Thomas ‘JT’ Peet (1862-1935).
Peet was an English surveyor and draughtsman. He arrived in Australia in 1888, and after a short time in Queensland, moved to Melbourne where he established a real estate agency, Peet & Bastow, in partnership with architect Austin Bastow. By the early 1890’s Peet & Bastow turned their attention to the west, and in 1895 James Peet moved to Western Australia and established Peet & Company Ltd.
The Company had offices in William Street Perth, advertising themselves as Estate and Financial Agents. They offered a variety of services as Valuers, Advisers to clients for Subdivisions, Rental and Mortgage Collection Agents, and Agents for Crown Land. By the first half of the 20th century Peet & Co had become one of the biggest Real Estate companies in Western Australia.
