Scott123

Yep. So whatcha goin' do? Get on with your life or let this continue to eat at you?

TH

You can get on with your life, and in the mean time make the owner suffer for the money he/she steals.

Protecting my own right and seeking justice does not eat me, it serves my personal satisfaction and integrity.

In your farangland, if something happens to you that you feel is unfair, do you just let it go?

..... My advise would be to definately not pay the last month's rent, at least you'll half your loss potential that way.

Actually, when you think about it, if you move out 1 month before end of contract, you loose one month worth of rental deposit, PLUS one month (the last month) of occupying the apartment, you still loose 2 month worth of rent...uless you can find a place to stay for free for one month after you move out of the apartment.

Same rule goes for moving out 2 month before end of contract.

The only thing this strategy does is that the landlord makes less money in total from you-- one month rent less.

A friend of mine had a similar situation to yours a couple of years ago, he simply called the Police to come and sort it all out. Now I can't remember the full details but I do recall that he ended up better off than he was going to. I know the Police here have a poor reputation, but you'll be surprised at how helpful they actually can be sometimes, (epecially if you tell them you'll make it worth their while).

Next month if I don't get my deposit back, I plan to do all the followings:

1. call the police

2. take pictures of the apartment (indside and outside)

3. take pictures of the landlord and tell him the pictures will be all over the internet.

4. file a complaint at the consumer protection board

Any other suggestions?

Oh no.....This post made me nervous now.

I am near the end of my one-year lease. In fact, this is my first year living in Thailand (BKK). My rent is 30K baht per month. So the two month deposit is 60K baht, it is a good sum of money and I would hate to loose it.

Is it common that the landlord steals rent deposit like this at the end of contract?

Yes, Scott it is far too common. They steal from Thais sometimes , but when it comes to a no count westener, often you have 50/50 chance of getting most of your money back. Invariably you will almost never get it all back anyway.

OK. Thanks for letting me know. As I mentioned, this is my first year living in Thailand and I am starting to discover the ugly side of Thais, one thing at a time. One day when I am fed up, I will certainly depart....no string attached :-)

Have your wife contact the Consumer Protection Board (sorry I don't know the number). It's part of their job to deal with things like this.

Just hope that they are able to work now (their office was located in the PAD occupied Government House).

I found this through Google re "Office of the Consumer Protection Board of Thailand":

http://www.consumersinternational.org/Temp...mp;strSubSite=1

http://www.ocpb.go.th/index_address.html this is all in Thai, so it does not help.

I doubt this office will be helpful. Based on my observation, in all situations involving conflict of interest between Thais and foreigners, Thais' attitude is: farangs have money, farang should pay. Hence, Thais are always on Thais side. Not to mention the ability of Thais to resolve any problem: they rather pretend the problem does not exist than deal with it.

Oh no.....This post made me nervous now.

I am near the end of my one-year lease. In fact, this is my first year living in Thailand (BKK). My rent is 30K baht per month. So the two month deposit is 60K baht, it is a good sum of money and I would hate to loose it.

Is it common that the landlord steals rent deposit like this at the end of contract?

I am interested in learning website design for e-commerce. Anybody knows how to get started? Is there any vocation school or evening classes in BKK that teach this subject (in English)? or perhaps I can find a private tutor (but needs to speak English). How much would be the rate for a private tutor?

Where to buy computer books (english) in BKK?

one sentence: There is always something to do, never a dull moment in BKK.

I also joined California Wow recently after some searching for a gym in BKK.

I would say Cali is cheap and adaquate, with convenient locations. Its Silom branch is being renovated now.

You can not expect more from a fitness club without paying a lot more than Cali's price.

Thanks everyone for the info! Much appreciated - some said I haven't provided enough info about my expectations, so more info about me: I'm a 27 y.o. girl, don't drink a great deal of alcohol, and my main priority is to have a fully furnished place that is decent and close to the city. I don't really do any sporty/extra curricular activities..errr....trying to think of what else to say...my main expenses here at home are rent, utilities, meals out and go to the movies alot, so assume that's what i'll be mostly spending on in BKK. Just gonna have to learn to live lean!

what is your purpose to work in Thailand? the money? 60K baht per month is not worth it. Can't you easily get this salary in your farang land? or perhaps you are comming from the Philipines, that would be a different story.

or for sale for 21m

Went there and asked yesterday....

over priced for an old building.

I voted "YES".

A condo is great investment. Especially the 4-6 million baht units.

Politicians change, but city life will be ruled by condo living.

The River - entry level units would be the best for a novice investor in Bangkok.

Do your research and read the documents.

Glaitong

Obviously, you bought "The River". But let me tell you, "The River" is on the wrong side (bad side) of the river....lol....that is why it is still at this price range (4-6 million baht unit for a brand new condo).

Enjoy your "River".

.....they're under negotiation with a construction company (sorry, forgot the name) to restart work on the building....

In the mean time, this project has missed/postponed the completion date again and again.

.....

It seems you had better engage the services of a good lawyer plus find yourself a real estate agent who is very familiar with doing property purchases by foreigners and in doing the transfers at the Land Dept office.

A real estate agent's job is to find you a property that meets your requirement.

Why bother getting an agent after you already find a property? A lawyer can handle all aspects of the real estate transaction and can be much cheaper than an agent. (I think agent's fee is 5% of the property price.)

I bought my condo about five years ago. My friends told me I was paying too much and would never get my money back. I bought the place because that is where I wanted to live and I liked it. I had no intention of selling it and considered the place as my security blanket. I no longer live there and a friend of mine has leased it. I have been offered a VERY nice profit but it is still my security blanket. Whether the value had gone up or down, it makes no difference to me.

Right....congrat on your purchase 5 YEARS AGO.

But the question is: will you buy a property NOW. I don't think you can be so sure now.

I can see topics, but can not see the details in the posts.

What did I do wrong?

All Season Mansion project is completed a few years ago. But I noticed the big sign "limited units available" still on their wall. I believe this condo building is in a very good location near Athanee residence where it is all sold out long before it was finished.

What's wrong with All Season Mansion??

I think you are way off on your calculations. If you were living here now it would cost you almost $2000. a month to live for two people. 10 to 15 years later to retire...get real. You will need a lot more to live here than the 2 grand you say you will be getting. Thailand is not a cheap country to live in anymore. You will be one of those people who will quickly hate it here if you try to live on a meager income.

Where abouts in Thailand do you live mcbride, and could you tell us a little about your lifestyle?

I live in Silom/Sathorn area in BKK. Rent is USD1000 for a 1bedroom 55sqm unit. Add another USD1000 for cable TV, electricity, internet, phone, food, transportation(bts, mrt, taxi), minimum shopping and entertainment (absolutely no bar girl companions), eating out at restaurant about 3 times a week. Hence, USD2000 per month to live in BKK.

It would help if you know WHO's selling and WHY; extremely important ! Try to find out before you offer...

LaoPo

The agent does not have to tell you who is selling the property.

The seller does not have to tell you why he/she is selling the property. The seller can also totally make up a false story about the reason why they are selling.

I can think of some senarios where it is advantagous to know how much the seller paid for the particular property:

The seller makes an "urgent" sale, and claims his family has medical emergency, or paying gambling debt...etc, and need money right away. Now I want to know how much he paid for this property, so I can make my bid lower than the price established by the valuer.

In the case of 'flipper', as the condo delivery date is getting very close, the flipper urgently needs money to pay the final installment. He needs someone to take over it 'quickly' because he does not have the cash to pay for the final installment. I want to know how much the original price he paid to the developer, so I can come in with a minimum offer.

In the U.S., the transaction value of any properties are all public record. Anybody can just go to the city/county recorder office to find out what the previous transaction value is for a certain property.

I wonder if there is something similiar in Thailand, where I can find out how much the current owner paid for his property.

In the case of "flippers", can I go to the developer and ask them how much they sold to the flipper?

Hi, I bought 2 condos in Jomtien a few years ago and now I'm thinking about selling them and moving back to my country. I am unclear whether I can just sell the condos and take the money out of the country when I move back a short time later. Does anyone know Thai law on this? thanks in advance

Before you take the money out, you have to sell the condos.

How is that going?

LOL....this is so true!!!

The condo market is going to a new direction - and that is fascinating..

The GREAT thing for all is that Sino-Thai "Brats" have been buying not just to let but to LIVE in. A big change that will haunt the Thai establishment for years to come. When the market drops, and the rents remain static (with no one to rent to)...and grand-daddy with the sino-thai face and the silk shirt (who co-signed the loan) has to cough up the cash burried in the garden from his portion of his support for the last coup/public works program, to pay off Junior's stupid purchase - then THERE IS YOUR ANSWER, my friend.

What's your point?

That new building on the corner of Sathorn and soi Suanplu is almost finished. Anybody knows what that building is? a new condo development?