How to Find Short-Term Rentals in Thailand

If you’re planning to live in Thailand, you’ll need to find a place to stay. And it’s very easy to find accommodations with a one or even six-month lease. But what about shorter stays one month or even three? How can you find a short-term rental here in Thailand?

In this post, I’ll cover everything you need to know about short-term rentals, and then I’ll walk you through the exact process to find the best short-term rental accommodation.

Let’s get started.

Understanding the Condo Market

Let’s start with a brief discussion of the condo market. There are plenty of condos available in cities like Bangkok, but the vast majority of listed units are only available for long-term leases. The standard lease lengths in Thailand are one year, while it’s possible to negotiate 6 months.

Whether you’re browsing condo tours here on YouTube or listings on popular websites like Hipflat or Property Hub, the vast majority of condos that you encounter will require a long-term lease. Normally, agencies are paid a fee that’s equivalent to one month’s rent to find and manage a one-year tenancy. For this reason, it’s not ideal to contact agencies when looking for short-term rentals.

Option #1: Lease Takeovers

If you’re looking for a short-term condo lease, your first option is a lease takeover. Tenants who want to end their lease early may look for a lease takeover in order to avoid losing their deposit, and they often list the condo unit in Facebook Marketplace groups.

But this process can be hit or miss, as some landlords will require lease takeovers to sign a new one-year lease before they move in, while others may be more flexible. As you’ll be dealing directly with the owner and departing tenant, there can be more room for lease length negotiation.

But you need to be cautious about lease takeovers and subletting scams that are commonly listed in Facebook Marketplace groups. Scammers may ask prospective lease takeover tenants to transfer money as a deposit in order to secure the condo, and once the money’s received, they’ll quickly disappear. Never transfer any money to anyone from a Facebook Marketplace group.

Second, a departing tenant may ask you to transfer the deposit directly to their account before you move in, with a promise that you’ll receive it back from the landlord at the end of the lease. Departing tenants often wish to recover the deposit because they haven’t actually informed the landlord about the lease takeover, as many landlords will refuse to do it. You want to avoid this situation and ensure that you’re properly registered at the condo and that the landlord is aware of your presence.

Landlords need to register your stay with the Thai government using an online reporting application called the TM30. If the landlord is unaware of your presence in the condo or doesn’t do the TM30 reporting, you may have problems renewing or extending your visa and this includes tourist visas and visa exemptions.

The Fake Agent Scam

Condo registration and TM30 also protect you from another common scam in the short-term rental market: the fake agent scam.

An agent normally posts an ad for a lease takeover or short-term rental in Facebook Marketplace groups. If you contact them, they’ll bring you to the condo, and if you agree to rent the unit, the agent will ask you to pay the deposit which is equivalent to two months’ rent as well as the first month’s rent. They’ll give you the keys and they’ll tell you that you can move in immediately.

But within a couple of days, another person will arrive at the condo and claim to be the owner, expressing shock that you’re living there. They’ll claim that they haven’t been paid any rent and that you’re trespassing on their property, often with threats of police involvement. And the agent will disappear along with your money.

If you rent a condo, always make sure you’re properly registered with the condo management office and that the agent or landlord does the TM30.

Option #2: Airbnb

Your second main option to find a short-term rental is Airbnb. But you won’t save much money, as daily rates are fairly similar to hotel rates, and monthly rates are often double the price of long-term leases in the same condo building.

You may also encounter problems when staying at an Airbnb, as it’s actually illegal for owners to rent a condo unit for under 30 days, as this requires a hospitality license in Thailand. With an influx of illegal Airbnbs, many condos have instituted anti-Airbnb policies. This often includes installing face or fingerprint scanners in order to access common area facilities, and this will restrict access to people who are properly registered at the condo. Security may question you when you’re entering the condo.

Your Airbnb experience will largely depend on the specific building that you choose, as some buildings are highly restrictive while others operate as pseudo-Airbnb hotels. And always book a short stay first in order to check for any potential problems.

You may also encounter the familiar TM30 issues when staying at an Airbnb, as landlords or hosts may not register you. This is a gray area that’ll likely cause problems with new visas like the DTV, as the TM30 is a requirement for maintaining the visa.

The Bait and Switch Scam on Airbnb

When booking an Airbnb condo, you should be aware of one very common scam: the bait and switch. Many hosts on Airbnb operate a large number of condo units and advertise units that are not actually available. You’ll be instructed to pick up the keys at a specific mailbox when you arrive, but the keys will be for a different, inferior unit. Many travelers accept the bait and switch because canceling and finding a new hotel or condo last minute is an even worse option.

Option #3: Service Apartments (The Best Option)

When it comes to short-term rentals, it can be best to skip condos altogether and choose an apartment. In Thailand, condo and apartment buildings are entirely different types of residences.

• Condo buildings have individual owners for each unit and an overall property developer which constructs the condo building and manages the common areas. Unit owners typically contract external agencies to find and manage a tenant.
• Apartment buildings have a single owner for the entire building and all the units. The apartment typically has an internal management office which maintains the common areas and manages rental contracts and tenants.

This ownership management structure normally allows for much more flexibility in rental contract length, with daily, weekly, monthly, and annual rental options. Apartments are a bit of a hybrid between condos and hotels, with both long and short-term rental options.

Like hotels, rental rates tend to fluctuate depending on the season. You’ll pay higher daily, weekly, and monthly rental rates during the tourist high season, while prices and occupancy drop during the low season.

But unlike hotels, in apartments you’ll need to pay the utilities the electricity and water directly, often at inflated rates which can be double the cost of the normal city rates. For example, electricity in Bangkok normally costs just over 4 baht per kilowatt hour from the city provider. This is the price you’ll pay if you rent at a normal condo. But you’ll find rates of between 7 and 9 baht at most service apartments, and this can be a large hidden cost.

It can be best to look for units with new air conditioning units. With the inflated energy bills, an older air conditioning unit can add significant cost. Always calculate the additional electricity and water costs into your price breakdown.

But even with the inflated utility rates, service apartments tend to offer the best value in the short-term rental market, as rental rates tend to be quite reasonable and balance out the added utility costs.

How to Find a Service Apartment

But how can you find a service apartment? The best place to check for service apartments is two websites: RentHub and Thai Apartment, where you’ll find thousands of listings for short-term rentals.

It’s normally best to identify the areas or locations in the city that interest you first, as you’ll find plenty of available apartments in most areas. You’ll likely want to find an area with easy access to public transportation, good food and shopping options, and it’s near the places you’ll visit on a daily basis. You want to avoid commuting a lot in this city, as the traffic can get busy especially during rush hour.

Thailand also has lengthy rainy seasons. If you’re planning to stay here during the months of September and October, you’ll want to avoid low-lying areas as these will experience significant flooding.

Take some time looking at different locations first, and once you’ve decided on a few areas of interest, check the listings for apartments on both websites.

Walkthrough: Finding a Short-Term Apartment on RentHub

Let’s walk through finding a short-term apartment with the RentHub website.

First, you’ll want to sort for short-term apartments only, and you can choose daily or monthly. Both options will give you a wide mix of different short-term rental options. Let’s check the daily list, where we get the broadest range of options, and we can sort based on area or nearby public transportation.

For example, I’ll choose the Sathorn neighborhood. We have a list, but we’ll have to check the specific information for each building, as some listings will require a one-year lease even when sorted for short-term rentals.

You’ll find a wide range of prices for apartments, as this is a very popular option for locals. Here we have the Kith Residence with listings between 8,000 and 15,000 baht. Let’s check it out.

Plenty of pictures, but don’t always trust the pictures. These can often be old or shot with a wide-angle camera lens to make the place look bigger. It’s always best to visit in person.

Electricity is charged at 8 baht per kilowatt hour, which is almost double the city rate. Water is 18 baht per unit, but this is very inexpensive and should only come to around 200 baht per month. The deposit is 5,000 to 22,000 baht this will depend on the value of the room selected.

You normally want to see everything listed here transparently. If information is missing, it can be a red flag.

We’ve got long and short-term rentals: 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. We can see that short-term rental prices are a little bit higher than the first listed price. Many apartments will list daily rates here as well, but the lack of a daily rate means that this apartment is likely more focused on monthly rentals. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

When it comes to noise, let’s take a look at the location and Google Maps. Locations can be a little bit deceptive. This apartment was listed under Sathorn, but it’s actually across the river in Thonburi. But this is also a great location right next to BTS Krung Thonburi, so you have great access to the public transportation train system. The river ferry network runs north and south along the Chao Phraya to all the major tourist attractions, and you’re nearby Icon Siam one of the biggest and most luxurious malls in the city.

Let’s check Google reviews. We’ve only got six reviews, which is not a huge sample size, and you can’t always trust reviews as many aren’t necessarily real. But there are no negative reviews and no issues with noise that’s a big plus.

Overall, this apartment would pass my initial test, and I’d send them a message and arrange a tour. Most of the apartments use the Line application for communication. This is a popular app in Thailand, and I highly recommend that you download it before you go.

You’d want to find five or 10 more in the same area or the area that interests you. Some may not reply, but you should be able to build a good list. Send them all a Line message and arrange to come and visit as many apartments as possible in a single day.

It’s always best to tour the unit before you book anything long-term. Service apartments are often older, and you’ll want to look out for any strange smells, moisture, or bug problems. Check that everything in the unit is working properly and that there’s a functioning hot water heater as this can be missing in some older apartments.

Take a look at the general area around the building. Are there any potential sources of noise such as construction sites or busy roadways? Is the area walkable, or are the sidewalks extremely busy and choppy? How is the walk to and from the public transportation system? Specifically, these are questions you want to ask before you move into any area.

Once you’re inside, do some wall tests. You want to tap the walls if you hear any echoes, it means the walls are thin and you may have noise issues from your neighbors.

Service apartments normally come with Wi-Fi included. This can be beneficial as you’ll avoid having to set up and pay for your own internet. But service speeds can be much slower in older buildings, which may be wired for much older connections and have shared routers for multiple units across entire floors. If you need access to high-speed internet, you may want to check the available speeds at the apartment before you rent, as you normally won’t be able to install a different connection.

But you can always buy a SIM card for your phone at a service provider shop and set up an extremely fast data plan. You can run it as a hotspot, and the data speeds will rival high-speed internet. Just walk into an AIS or True shop at any mall, take a queue ticket, and ask for their best plan.

The Leasing Process for Short-Term Apartments

If you want a better rental rate and you’re committed to staying for a longer duration, you’re going to need to sign a lease. This is a four-step process.

First, make sure that the apartment will file your TM30 documentation.

Second, you’ll need to pay a booking fee. This value can be variable, but it’s a non-refundable fee which takes the apartment off the market while the management office drafts the lease agreement. The total value of the fee is negotiable, and it’ll normally be used to cover the first month’s rent or part of it.

Third, the management office will draft the lease, which will normally be in Thai. You may also receive an English version, but the Thai version is the official lease. The lease should include the rates for electricity and water. It may also include a 500 or 1,000 baht cleaning fee when you move out and this will be deducted from your deposit. There should be a clause about late payment, which is normally 500 baht per day.

Apartments handle many rentals, and this is normally a standardized lease template. It should normally be pretty straightforward. You can always send the lease to a lawyer to check it, but for most inexpensive apartments, that’s an overpriced and unnecessary check.

Finally, you’ll need to sign the lease and pay the deposit. The deposit for short-term rentals is normally equivalent to 1 month’s rent, and you’ll need to pay the deposit along with the first month’s rent minus the booking fee.

How to Protect Your Deposit

Many prospective tenants will be concerned about whether the landlord will return the deposit. But don’t be too worried. Most apartments will return the deposit minus any reasonable deductions for damages. But there are a few steps you can take to protect yourself.

First, check Google reviews and Reddit forums for any negative stories about deposits with the specific apartment. As the entire building has a single owner and manager, the reviews will be very accurate for any issues that you might encounter.

Second, take plenty of pictures of the apartment before you move in, especially of any damages.

Third, the lease agreement should include an inventory of all the items in the apartment, including small items like air conditioning remotes and larger appliances like the fridge and washing machine. Check the full inventory to ensure that everything is in the apartment and in working order.

I’ve personally never had an issue with deposits here in Thailand in 9 years, and that includes a stint at an apartment. So don’t be too worried.

And that’s it you’re ready to start your short-term rental search. Let me know if you have any questions or additional tips in the comments section.

Have a great day. I’ll see you next time, and happy house hunting.