Kenscot

Very concerning when you live in a condo where chinese owners illegally rent out there multiple units short term . Will this same government advice be given to hotels be also given to condos. With short term renters already resuming the practice of sneaking holiday makers into condo buildings now. What hope do residents have when the Chinese return to safeguard against the spread of sars2 to ensure health and well being.  Time to resolve this issue and aid actual hotels who need the business..pay tax. ..and have the staff to ensure law and directive are adhered.

Just heard on British radio broadcaster LBC. This character will not be killed off. Has someone finally caught some sence. Claiming racism is becoming a occupation. 

Will groundsman Willie also be removed from the show for being a racist scottish stereotype? Why discriminate against one race and not another. It's is a comedy after all.  Lighten up and have a laugh at yourselves. Yours jock.

Good job the south China Sea and Taiwan are not chinese.  If they believe that there will be big troubles.

Begs a question why are holiday makers allowed to declare they will be staying in a private residential condominium at the point of entry. Obviously friends and family can be given appropriate documents to support their visit. When my family visits I make juristic aware giving passport copies etc. As soon as possible I also complete a tm30 at jomtiem immigration although sometimes difficult depending on arriving times. Tiredness of traveller and meeting immigration opening hours. Never had any real problems. It is the ones that flaunt condo rules and thai laws that need to worry...rightly so

How can I request the police to visit my condo. Is there a task force that can be contacted. Many condos in pattaya have been taken over with hotel.com airbnb holiday guests. Doubt if any of then has a completed tm30.. The illegal hotel owner taking cash in the carpark and taking it straight out of the country. Well done to the police for finally taking action. 

I have now have been given a retirement visa for 3 years now. The first granted after an expensive trip to London.  Proof of fund. No criminal record ..doctors report etc. Thereafter, I applied at Jomtien immigration using the expensive letter from the british embassy. I did show monies moving through my account from a number of income source. The sources were also detail. MOST of these funds were reinvested with a the much smaller amount taken as living expenses. As I own a property the amount I need is far less than the 800000. I also travel home 2-3 times a year for at least a month each time and when I return I hand carry cash to cover me to a least my next flight back home. 

I now need to renew at the end of June. I will return home at Xmas (as my condo become overrun with hotels.com holiday makers). Currently I have basically zero in my thai bank account but I have 5000+ sterling in my own safe. I would guess many do similar due to unwillingness to exchange due the effects of brexit on the pound. To raise the 800000 in one go I would need to cash in some ISA's obviously tax free and planed for my older age. I use my full tax free allowance to top up. Has anyone else had any idea to minimise costs regard bank transfers, loss of tax free earnings, transfer fees etc. Any high interest accounts or investment funds available to expats here in Thailand. I found the information out of our Embassy poor for this complex and brexit worrying times. How many months of 65000 payments would suffice ? 

17 hours ago, blackhorse said:

Air bnb, extremely pro active world wide. No wonder they are a 30 billion dollar company

With complete disregard to local laws and regulations. 

There are multiple illegal hotel run and advertised through hotel.com. Illegal by law and against house rules but juristic seem incapable of resolving and the culprits who are known just ignore. Room numbers are actually sometime listed. You should feel lucky that your management enforces the house rules. What would it be like if every unit had a dog or a cat.....lines must be drawn to benefit the community. What is the company name of your juristic I would love thethem here!

Thank you for your reply I read with interest. I am not sure if there are any unsold units being rented out, but I will try to finds out. As the developer actually lives in the penthouse I would say no, but who knows. Although, I have always wondered what influence he still has over juristic.

Believe me I have tried my hardest to complain to Airbnb and all the other booking website. Without a booking reference they really are not interested, Airbnb neighbours website is a total waste of time. I did get through to Booking.com headquarters in Holland, again they did not want to hear. I guess they already know what is happening and realise illegal condo rentals is revenue, even although it has a detriment effect on legitimate hotel which are also there customers.

People must complain to the appropriate authorities, it is only government that has the power to effect these companies that hide behind the internet, although it has been reported that a letter has been sent by the Thai government to Airbnb but no reply has yet been received (Fab.tv).

On a brighter note the UK government CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) 28/6 launches enforcement action against a number of hotel booking site that it believes may be breaking consumer protection law. This include pricing policies, discount claims and miss information. The selling of rooms in defiance of  countries laws must surely be against the consumer!! There is a online case page on their web page which I will certainly be adding my comments - www.gov.uk/goverment/news/cma-launches-enforcement-action-against-hotels-booking-sites. 

Again the police and immigration in Thailand are now taking action after a lot of lobbying by the hotels association. This is a big problem to tackle in Thailand but there are great financial reward.

rgds 

6 hours ago, sandyf said:

That is the way of the world, it is not new and not unique to Thailand or Airbnb.

I have had a timeshare since 1985 and have been to many developments around Europe and here in Thailand. It is common practice for new developments to let out unsold units to holiday companies, friction between owners and holidaymakers is an age old problem.

Don't get me wrong, what you are experiencing is totally unacceptable and a resolution needs to be found, with holiday companies it was fairly easy to take the matter direct to the company concerned but with the Airbnb type setup it is a little bit more difficult. The company themselves are tied up in privacy laws that protect the owner and customer so the only hope would be that they recognise the problem and introduce some form of external complaints procedure which could result in memberships being terminated. As far as condos are concerned I would have thought that the condo management could take some form of action against the owners.

I do not really see the licencing law as an effective weapon, you may just end up with the same scenario for 30 days at a time, again it is in the hands of the owner to police the bookings.

 

15 minutes ago, soistalker said:

The main problem is that in my condo in Thailand, there is one condo that rents out on a daily basis. You get creepy foreigners and rude Thais slamming the door and talking loudly in the hallway. I asked one old english creep not to slam the door and he said something about it not being night time so what's the problem. I almost jumped him.

I agree some behaviour is unacceptable , I feel for you. My condo is full of short term renters, I have many stories that I can tell, many studios are overfilled (some may appear after the actual short term renter  secretly pays cash under the table in the lobbies). 4 adult are common places, on an occasion 4 males were running about naked in the corridors moving form floor to floor using the fire exits to meet up will more Airbnb revellers in other floors. When I approached I was given abusive threatening behaviour. I do not feel safe worrying who will arrive the next day. They would say they were only having fun on holiday, Airbnb is making communities fearful in their own properties. Not to mention the damages that will end up on the owners maintenance fees.  

1 hour ago, Destiny1990 said:

Seems only a couple of  condominium buildings  in Manila nolonger Airbnb allowed who are owned partially by government.

Besides that airbnb booming in Phillipines.

u say Airbnb forbidden in chiang mai?

Read article and click the link.

 

Airbnb welcomed more than 160,000 guests from 135 countries to Chiang Mai in 2017, with an average growth of 71 per cent year-over-year. 

 

Airbnb Experiences give travellers unprecedented insider access through selected activities arranged by local experts. 

From being immersed in the Hmong community to learning about the traditional yantra tattoo, Airbnb uses technology as a platform to connect people and create cross-cultural interaction.

 

“Travellers are increasingly interested in exploring authentic experiences through the eyes of locals,” said Parin Mehta, director of Experiences Asia Pacific. 

 

“This is not just about foreign travellers, either. Domestic travel is also on the rise, with 60 per cent growth in domestic guest arrivals from the past year. Locals are finding new ways to rediscover and enjoy the magic and hospitality of what their country has to offer.”

 

Globally, Airbnb offers 13,000 Experiences in 180 cities. In Thailand, Chiang Mai is the second-largest market for Experiences after Bangkok. 

 

Airbnb has expanded its platform across the country, where individuals or professional tour guides can now request to list on the platform and connect with the global network of more than 300 million Airbnb travellers.

 

“As tourism in Thailand continues to grow rapidly, it is increasingly important to promote sustainable travel,” said Worapong Phukpoo, head of research at Thailand’s Community Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I). 

 

“We are heartened that Airbnb is empowering entrepreneurs and strengthening communities by providing a global platform for them to share their passions and businesses.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30348731

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-27

 

 

This article is not about their core business, it is to do with the experience service which matches a customer with a service like skydiving to a walk round a paddy field. I do not see anything wrong with that, but may well at some point effect another business. Local agent may loose out with their fees going abroad instead of the community in which they live. 

I repeat I refer to The Hotel and CONDOMIIUMS act of Thailand. See something ? Condominiums!!

5 hours ago, grkt said:

 

You have style to look for problems.

 

Why do you have to care a law that is not yours ? RIDICULOUS.

 

 

 

Where is your country we will all come and break your laws....Ridiculas!!!  When visiting a country you follow their rules, try disrespecting the king and see what happen!! 

7 minutes ago, Kenscot said:

 

You were correct to cancel. Who would want to travel to a country and be on the wrong side of the law. There has now been a few court conviction of Airbnb hosts in Chonburi and more in other tourist areas. There will definitely be more. These condo are in direct competition with local hotels with employ staff and pay taxes. In a condo it is all owner that pay for a limited level of staffing and security to support a residential community.  Police and immigration are doing routine searches.

Good luck with the refund.. 

6 hours ago, Peabody said:

I made a reservation for 2 weeks at The Base in Pattaya a while back. After hearing about the kerfuffle over condo units there, I expressed my concern to the person handling the unit. I said:

:I have been reading that some big condos in Pattaya , like The Base, are having problems with the police because it is illegal to rent condos for less than 1 month. How will this affect me?"

Her response was:

"Nothing affects to you ?
Don’t worry about that .we responsibility everything sir.. If we cannot do that we don’t do na kha . The Base condo have totally 500 rooms short term rental . We just inform information our customer to immigration. Don’t worry about that . Pattaya is ok . Thank you for worry about that. ? "

 

I responded:

"Despite your words, I do not want to be in violation of Thai law or condo rules. I have advised AirBnB to cancel this reservation. I expect a 100% refund, as I feel the unit was offerred under fraudulent circumstances (it was not legally available to be rented for 13 days only).

Please advise if there is some way around this."

I have yet to hear back from her. I am currently out 6,000 THB

I have now contacted AirBnB & am waiting on their response. If nothing, maybe the next step is to involve the condo board or the police.
 

24 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Seems only a couple of  condominium buildings  in Manila nolonger Airbnb allowed who are owned partially by government.

Besides that airbnb booming in Phillipines.

u say Airbnb forbidden in chiang mai?

Read article and click the link.

 

Airbnb welcomed more than 160,000 guests from 135 countries to Chiang Mai in 2017, with an average growth of 71 per cent year-over-year. 

 

Airbnb Experiences give travellers unprecedented insider access through selected activities arranged by local experts. 

From being immersed in the Hmong community to learning about the traditional yantra tattoo, Airbnb uses technology as a platform to connect people and create cross-cultural interaction.

 

“Travellers are increasingly interested in exploring authentic experiences through the eyes of locals,” said Parin Mehta, director of Experiences Asia Pacific. 

 

“This is not just about foreign travellers, either. Domestic travel is also on the rise, with 60 per cent growth in domestic guest arrivals from the past year. Locals are finding new ways to rediscover and enjoy the magic and hospitality of what their country has to offer.”

 

Globally, Airbnb offers 13,000 Experiences in 180 cities. In Thailand, Chiang Mai is the second-largest market for Experiences after Bangkok. 

 

Airbnb has expanded its platform across the country, where individuals or professional tour guides can now request to list on the platform and connect with the global network of more than 300 million Airbnb travellers.

 

“As tourism in Thailand continues to grow rapidly, it is increasingly important to promote sustainable travel,” said Worapong Phukpoo, head of research at Thailand’s Community Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I). 

 

“We are heartened that Airbnb is empowering entrepreneurs and strengthening communities by providing a global platform for them to share their passions and businesses.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30348731

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-27

 

 

Read the hotels and condominiums act of Thailand. Short term rentals of private residential condominiums is  illegal. End of!. In Chonburi a Airbnb host are being convicted with penalties of  1000 baht per day per rental. The same has happened in the south with Phuket being more the first are enforce this law. This has been driven by ingrate neighbours the hotels industry, immigration and no doubt the inland revenue as no tax is paid. Not everything that is popular is good. A cheap holiday for one can be at the detriment of a communities. There are many empty hotels use them 

10 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

U lying Airbnb super popular in Phillipines especially under the locals.

if u read in the Nation it says airbnb so popular in Chiang Mai seems it is fully accepted already 

you should do more investigation.

 https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=airbnb+philippines+

In reference to private residential condominiums. It has been part of the condominiums and hotels act it is illegal to short term rent in Thailand. As far as I am aware Chang Mai is in Thailand. Airband host have now been prosecuted under this law as police an immigration crackdown. Also a Airbnb host  will likely not report their quest to immigration as a hotel does automatically. Within a condo you could be deemed a trespasser.

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Never used them, am entirely happy with Booking.com and Traveloka (when I travel with an airline that gives a discount voucher)

Sure I agree when booking a real hotel but realise not all hotels are what they seem many are just apartments in a residential condo. No checks are done, I could at this minute put any location up and call it a hotel. Many comments on sites complain that there was no breakfast provided....people are being cheated on these sites. What looks to be a hotels are not

5 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Its very popular in my home country..

There are also many asian countries where airbnb is high in demand Thailand should simply follow the trend.

Airbnb now illegal in the Philippines too!

1 minute ago, Destiny1990 said:

Mate most condos here are 80% empty most days of the year so how can a few airbnb units harm that?

Apart from the fact that it is illegal. I does not take long when studio are filled with 4 or more adults which will use facilities on a daily basis, booking their sunbed with towels early morning, the pool area, gyms etc are overrun even in low season. In high season it really is hell, as an owner I will need to decide if I really want to stay in my own condo. Do you suggest I should book a hotel for some peace and quiet!!! Why would anyone would want to travel to a country and act against that countries law. 

Pattaya residential condos are full of holiday makers even in low season when this is illegal in thailand. Not only is this a nightmare for owners and residents but has a major impact on hotel business. I would suggest hoteliers get toget her with government and police to stamp this out. 

It is illegal in Thailand to rent out condos for short term holidays etc. Do not do you could loose book a hotel. Short term rentals are a headache to residents and owners. Damages noise drinking. Major presure on facilties etcetera. . Also there is major problem for business and government. While condos are full of holiday makers hotels are empty.. no tax is paid and hotel workers loose their job and no tax is paid for local services. Don't book a residential condo in thailand.  You will be ejected..