Thailand Rental Mistakes: 13 Expensive Errors to Avoid in Thailand
Lease Terms That Renters Must Understand
Many renters overlook reading or fully understanding the lease agreement, including important details like lease duration, deposit terms, renewal clauses, and penalties for early termination.
One thing that’s really important here you do need to get a lease fully checked out because sometimes you’ll get the lease in Thai, and you need to get it translated accurately. You need to have two versions of it an English version and a Thai version. The company I always recommend to help you out with things like that is Thai Legal Protection. There’s a link in the description below. They’re very good, and they’re not a lot they’re very cheap actually. They don’t cost a lot of money. But if you have things like contracts in Thai, they’ve got Thai lawyers that can go through them, and then there’s no surprises.
Choosing the Right Thailand Rental Location
A place might look great in photos, but the location could be inconvenient for commuting, shopping, or accessing amenities. It’s crucial to explore the area and check the noise levels, traffic, and accessibility to public transportation.
I’m going to tell you something that’s very common here, and it’s worth knowing. When you go onto apartment or condo rental websites, they have several out here so you can initially look at apartments, condos, prices, sizes, and everything online. It’s mainly agents renting out these apartments. What they do is put a location map on the listing with the photographs. On that map, they’ll show a BTS station literally within walking space. They all do it. So when you look at the apartment building, you think, “Wow, yeah it’s a 5 minute walk to the BTS.” A lot of the time, it’s not it’s a good 20 minutes or more.
The way I did it the way I suggest you do it is if you find an apartment on a booking site and you want to double check how far the BTS station is, go onto Google Maps. Copy the address from the rental website (they always have the full address), put it into Google Maps, and then you can see realistically where the BTS station or MRT station is. That will give you a much clearer picture of how far away public transport is. Because there’s nothing worse than paying your deposit, moving in, and finding out it’s a 20 minute walk to the BTS. It’s hot here, it’s humid you don’t want to be doing that. Some people don’t mind, but I don’t like arriving somewhere sweaty.
Checking for Hidden Rental Costs
Apart from the rent, there can be additional monthly costs like water, electricity, internet, and maintenance fees which can add up significantly. Some landlords may charge inflated rates for utilities, so it’s wise to verify and compare costs.
This is something that does happen. Not so much these days, but one of the biggest you could almost call it a scam is you go and look at a property with an agent or a landlord, and it’s perfect. The rent’s fair. You want to take this place. The government rate for electricity at the moment is around 4 or 4.5 baht per unit definitely under 5 baht per unit. But a lot of landlords, especially in these newer condo buildings, will charge what they want per unit they might even charge you 9 or 10 baht per unit.
If you’re paying 20,000 baht a month for the rent and you’re paying 10 baht per unit for electricity instead of 4.5, that’s going to hype your electricity bill up a lot. I pay directly to the electricity company. To give you an idea, I’m in a 51 square meter apartment here. I’ve got two air conditioners, and I take a lot of showers because it’s hot here. My electric bill is normally around 1,800 to 2,000 baht depending on how long I’m in the apartment for. I use fans in the daytime. If I was paying a landlord 10 baht per unit, my electric bill wouldn’t be 2,000 baht a month it would probably be more like 4,500 baht. So that’s really crucial check all those hidden prices.
Inspecting a Thailand Rental Before Signing
Many renters overlook inspecting the property thoroughly before signing the lease. It’s essential to check for maintenance issues, cleanliness, appliance functionality, and the overall condition of the apartment to avoid disputes later.
This is a very important one. I’ve known guys to go into apartments and they’ve had wooden floors. Where the table is in the middle of the room, it’s left scratches on the nice wooden floor which were there when he moved in. But of course it wasn’t documented. He signed the lease (which was a standard lease I think it was in English), and there was nothing about this.
If you move in and the scratches under the table you didn’t notice, and it’s time for you to leave, then the landlord can turn around and say, “Well, those scratches weren’t there when you moved in you’re not having your deposit back.” And it’s very hard to fight for it here. It’s almost hardly worth it when you know what it’s going to cost you in lawyers’ fees and jumping through hoops.
Everybody’s got a video on their phone these days. It’s probably a good idea just to go around and video the apartment. Show it to the agent or the landlord, have them confirm what you found. Or list out all the defects go in, see things that aren’t quite right, list them all out, and get the landlord to attach that to the tenancy agreement and sign it. Then you won’t get caught out when you leave.
Security Deposits and Refund Policies
This has caught a lot of people out in Thailand. It’s common for landlords to keep a security deposit (usually one or two months’ rent) and sometimes to withhold it after the tenant moves out. Ensure that the lease clearly outlines refund conditions for the security deposit and document the apartment’s condition on moving in.
It’s very common here for a landlord to keep your deposit. They want to hold on to your deposit until you’ve moved out so they can come in and check everything. It’s very easy for them to say, “Oh, this was broken” or “that was broken” and not return the refund. You’ve already moved out what are you going to do? How are you going to get your money back? Yes, you could take them to civil court, but it’s a lot of hassle for maybe a month’s or two months’ rent.
Another tip: when you go into an apartment, a lot of landlords will ask for two months’ deposit. People don’t negotiate. I negotiated. When I came into my apartment, she wanted two months’ deposit and one month’s rent that would have been 60,000 baht. I said to her, “Look, I’ll lay my cards on the table. If you accept one month’s deposit and one month’s rent, I’ll sign the lease today.” And she was grateful for that because the place had been empty just after COVID. It is negotiable. I don’t advise you to pay two months’ rent unless you’ve found a place that really ticks all the boxes and you just don’t want to lose it, and they won’t agree to one month.
Be careful of foreign owners for condos. A friend of mine is moving from a one bedroom to a two bedroom. The owner is from mainland China, and he’s in China at the moment. My friend said to the agent, “I’m not prepared to have the deposit go to China because if the landlord says I’m not giving you your deposit back, it’s outside the country what can I do?” So he insisted either pay one month’s deposit (and probably accept losing that) or put it into an escrow account here in Thailand. So make sure you know where the deposit is being held and that you’re going to get it back.
Budgeting for Thailand’s Air-Conditioning Costs
Electricity in Thailand can be costly, especially if the apartment lacks energy efficient air conditioning units. Understanding how to use air conditioning essentially and setting realistic expectations about electricity costs are essential.
I’ve told you what my electricity bill is, but I’ll tell you something that might surprise you about air conditioners in Thailand. Modern air conditioners are very small and very energy efficient. When you go into an older apartment, the air conditioning might be about 8 years old it’s a bit bigger, but it’s okay. If the air conditioners look ancient and they’re huge, it’s probably a good idea to let that one go. You definitely don’t want to rent anywhere where the air conditioner is the really old fashioned type the one where there’s a big fan that normally goes on the balcony and when you turn it on, there’s a lot of noise and it shakes. You want one that’s quiet.
The surprise: in the UK, if you rent a property and something like an air conditioner breaks down, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to come along and fix it. Surprisingly, it’s actually down to the tenant here in Thailand. One of my air conditioners started leaking, and I had to get it repaired. My landlady said that was down to me. I did a little bit of research, and it’s quite common. For the bigger part, for most people, the air conditioning is your responsibility. So what I do now every 4 to 6 months, the filters come out very easy. I wash them with a shower in the bath, leave them on the balcony to drain, and slip them back in. They work fine. The first time I had them professionally serviced, they came in and attached a water hose pipe it was 1,000 baht (500 baht for each room). So it’s not the end of the world if you do have to pay it.
Communicating with Landlords and Agents
Communication barriers can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. If the landlord’s English is limited, it might help to have a friend or translator to clarify the terms, or to use a bilingual lease agreement.
It’s common sense, isn’t it? If you’re with a landlord who speaks pigeon English and you can’t speak Thai and you’re not quite communicating, then either have somebody that speaks good English and Thai come along so you can thrash everything out, or if you think you’re kind of getting through it okay, just get the contract (if it comes in Thai) translated into English. Again, Thai Legal Protection can do that for you. It’s very cheap, and you can both sign both leases, and you’re on the same page.
Confirming Internet and Connectivity
High speed internet may not be available in all apartments, or there may be restrictions on installing a private connection. If reliable internet is crucial, it’s wise to confirm availability before signing the lease.
This is another one that surprised me when I moved in here. There are a lot of people who need a good, solid, fast internet connection not so much the phone minutes, but a fast connection. People work online now. I put out live streams. The internet has to be very fast. I upload a lot of videos I’ve got nearly a thousand videos on YouTube now. Some of them are 30 or 40 minutes long. If I had a slow connection, I’d be there all day trying to get them uploaded.
When I moved into this apartment, I signed up with AIS. I went to AIS in Terminal 21 and said, “Look, what’s your fastest package?” They looked up on the PC and said, “Actually, your building you can’t have faster than 50 megabits.” I looked at them a bit cockeyed and said, “50 megabits? Even the bars do over 100.” To cut the story short, the fastest you can have with AIS in this building is 50 megabits. But then I found out that if you sign up with True, you can get up to 1,000. I was lucky enough to be able to get out of the contract with AIS. I signed up with True they did a test 1,000 megabytes. It isn’t 1,000; it’s normally anywhere between 300 and 400, which is fantastic because the best I could get in the UK (they were still using copper wires on my estate) was 50.
If the internet is really important to you, before you agree to sign a lease, go to a mall, go to AIS or True, and give them the address. Ask, “What speed internet can I get there?” If they confirm they can give you the top package, then you’re good to go. Don’t make the mistake like I did.
Also, many apartments include internet connections, but when you’ve got 300 400 condos in that building and around 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. when everyone’s had dinner, they’re all on the internet and it slows right down. So it’s probably a good idea to get your own internet if it is important to you.
Understanding Local Rental Laws
Thailand’s rental laws can be different from those in other countries. For instance, tenants typically don’t have many rights to negotiate terms once the lease is signed. So it’s vital to address all concerns beforehand.
Once you’ve put pen to paper, that’s it it’s etched in stone. There are no changes unless the landlord’s a real nice guy and agrees to something, but in most cases, he won’t. So it’s crucial that you get the contract translated into English. I was lucky I was given a very simple tenancy agreement in English because the woman I deal with has a very good grasp of the English language. She said, “What do you want me to put in the contract? Here’s one we did.” And I said, “Make it very simple. Tell me what you want, I’ll tell you what I want.” And that was it.
Checking Building Management Quality
Some buildings have poor management or inconsistent maintenance practices. Checking reviews and speaking with current tenants can provide insights into how well managed a building is, which can impact your quality of life.
That’s quite simple, isn’t it? You can go up and have a look at the pool. You can go up and have a look at the gym. You can get a general feel for it. Look at the common areas. You can generally get a good idea of a building’s quality by the common areas, the pool, the gym. You get a feel for it, don’t you? I think most guys who come out here aren’t stupid, and I don’t think you’re going to rent something that’s not looking nice.
Pet and Guest Policies in Thai Buildings
Some buildings have strict rules about pets and/or long term guests. If you plan to have either, it’s best to confirm these policies in advance to avoid any fines or disputes.
You might come here as a single man. You sign the lease. You’ve been here for three months. You meet the girl of your dreams. You fall in love. You want her to move in. She brings her kit over here. She is now a resident of this apartment although it’s in your name. The landlord finds out, and he’s not happy about it for whatever reason. So when you sign the lease, get it in writing: “If I find a partner and want her to move in with me, is it fine? Won’t affect the cost?”
With regards to pets obviously the obvious things like cats and dogs, the bigger pets but you might have a budgie or a fish tank with tropical fish. For some reason, they might not agree to it. So if you’re into your tropical fish, just ask. Say, “I want to get a fish tank. Is that okay?” And if they say yes, then you’re good to go.
Comparing Rent with Local Market Rates
Foreigners sometimes pay more because they haven’t done enough research on typical market rates in the area. Comparing listings and speaking to locals or other expats can help you get a fair deal.
I’ll give you a really good example. My friend is in a fairly new low rise apartment building, one bedroom. He’s paying the same as me, but he’s only got 32 square meters. I’ve got 51 square meters. So he hasn’t got a great deal. The agent told him, “Oh, this is the last one there are no more apartments in this building.” He’s since found out that there are three identical one bedroom apartments of 32 square meters in that building, and they’re priced at around 17,000 18,000 baht a month. He’s paying 20,000. He didn’t really do his research he just used that one agent.
A lot of the times, you’ll go to a big apartment block and they’ll say, “There’s only two available in here.” Normally that’s not the case. The owners use different agents. There might be 10 agents who rent out properties in this condo building. This particular agent might have three owners one’s already rented out, she’s got two empty, and she’ll tell you there’s only two available. Actually, there could be seven, eight, or nine in there.
When you find a building you really like, don’t give up if they haven’t got any empty condos. All that means is the agent doesn’t have any more condos. Ask the building management what other agents they use. Get the address and put it into the rental websites. You might get lucky.
Negotiating Rent and Furnishings in Thailand
I didn’t put this in the list, but it’s important. Negotiation here in Thailand is very common. In the West, we’re a little bit shy to negotiate somebody gives you a price, and that’s it, you pay it. But it’s not like that here. You can even negotiate the rent.
If they’re advertising an apartment for 25,000 baht, you might get it for 22,000. The other thing is you can negotiate the furniture. If you look at an apartment and think, “This is perfect, but the fridge is too small, or the mattress is too hard, or I don’t like the microwave,” you can say to the agent, “I want the apartment, but I want a bigger fridge.” Or “I don’t like the bed I’ll buy my own bed.” Or “I don’t like the sofa I want to buy my own sofa.”
A friend of mine did just that. The landlord agreed to take all the stuff he didn’t want out, but he had to pay for the transport and the guys to take it away (about $100). Because the apartment was real nice, he agreed to it. He went to IKEA and bought a nice bed and stuff, and he’s got the apartment just how he wants it now.
