BuddyDean

16 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

TWO months! Given that some places won't return it ( usual scam ) that's a bit expensive. The place I rented only charged one month.

 

The whole condo scam business is why I prefer to live in an hotel- no deposit, no electric bills, no water bills, everything the condo had except a kitchen, and cleaning, drinking water, wifi, cable tv included, and all for the same price as a condo.

I agree, and for three months or less, that is the best choice, especially if you run zircon.  If you strike g together a week+ at a time, it will be less even assuming you get your deposits back.  A Thai musician I know told me he is paying 2800 per month in Santitham, but electric is 12 THB per unit.  Many hotels give you a little fridge + daily maid service.  Would be tougher on families, but for one or two, you could easily average 350 per night inc. Everything...and many more escape options.  Agora gives the size of the rooms on the website.

27 minutes ago, sharktooth said:

Has this been changed again? I thought it was only one per calendar year?

Quite possibly...as of about six months ago, it was two, but better verify.  Also, better check on outbound ticket and 20,000 THB.

I download from www.piratebay.org. it is almost a library of congress of movies and TV.  You can put about 10 movies on a 170 THB 16 GB USB Drive..or just connect your computer to TV with HDMI.  Netflix stinks.

6 minutes ago, neilrob said:

I (or rather my partner) did my TM30 4 years ago and I have never updated it. I keep a copy of the receipt in my passport. My address has remained the same and I have a yellow tabian baan. Since then, I have been in and out of the country more than a dozen times. Immigration have never even mentioned my TM30 through several extensions, reentry permits, 90 day reports etc., let alone asked me to update it or fined me. So the answer to the OP is that enforcement of this all depends (but depends on what, who knows...)

That is still a skeleton, and on a bad day, they will count how many times you violated the law....and multiply.  Might even be simpler to not have one than to do one and not report, when you get a new arrival card.  Probably and should be are not good words, when you are lining up for a number.

If just making a new entry on a one year visa..easy..10 USD for Myanmar.  If trying to string together 30 day visa exempt stamps..the max is two per calendar year at maesai....

1 hour ago, Mahseer said:

It's first floor across from Dukes and beyond the Amazon coffee shop. Walk in and grab a number from the desk on the right, check at the desks what number they are presently at then either take a seat or go for a wander. 

 

Dont mean to further muddy the ever murky waters but I abide by the 'once registered you have 7 days to renew' and I am a frequent international traveller and never an issue.

Third Floor.(top floor).you can bypass the ground floor completely

Top floor, bring proof of ownership, maybe a bill, also, if you don't have yellow book.  Polite girl will give you a number...not mobbed, but will take a while.  If you are simply checking in to update after returning, you don't get a number, the guy will stamp it while he is fining the others, and then call your name.  Painless five minutes.  Getting over there after a 27 hour flight sure does suck, though.

And dont think you can escape the fine by doing your first one after a trip...they will know how long you were there.

BTW used my Thai ID card in BKK Hotel, and also at money changer.

and if the lease says you are responsible for rent tax; they will expect you to pay.  Before you even go inside, some big issues are Government electric rates, availability of your own internet account, rental taxes, and TM30.....only then should you start to worry about roaches, rats, and the beds being hard as a rock.

I went to prom top floor the day I got back..five hi Ute's, new stamp in the tn39 already in my passport.  I paid the fine last year, when I filed.  Yes 1600.  Condo could do it again , but eventually, you may need a true hardcopy in your passport to get an e,tension of permission to stay.  

Yes, food land and tooklaedee are off my list....they used to give four French fries with the burger....now it is twice ass much and no better.  Free wine?  Bwahaha.  I would rather mix a Breezer with some rubbing alcohol...less headache.  

That would make sense...email works and is free, and no servers are needed....their software does not work and probably cost a lot to maintain.

But gas is only about 1/4 the cost of operating a car.  IRS says its 55 cents per mile....not to be generous on your mileage expenses.

Exceptions to the two month rule would be dealing directly with a condo owner, but rarely.  Some of the bigger complexes are more reliable about refunding deposits than some guy operating three or four rentals on a shoestring, but they know how to nickel and dime you, as they probably should.  Smokers and let owners have seen some heavy deductions.  If you use the condo's cleaning service e regularly, you get a bit of insurance against st a big cleaning bill.  Oh, I knew a guy that offered to pay for the entire six month lease at Nakornping, up front with a one month deposit....the owner still insisted on two.  Also, some think it is OK to not pay the last months rent...and that can bite you in the are if it isn't prearranged.

1 hour ago, simoh1490 said:

That's not my experience and I've been living here for over 15 years, accident-free.

 

And the sample budget I posted earlier included 3k a month for diesel which more than covers my almost daily trips into Chiang Mai (22kms). 

The foreigners, who have crashed going to the outskirts reads like a phone book.  Baghdad was safe for most, so is Detroit or Chicago, but don't underestimate the risks.  It takes three times longer to get to town from Hang Dong during rush hour, than it did ten years ago.  Maybe there will be a light rail, after 10 years of even worse traffic.  Apparently, the airport is going to continue at ball to the wall, but even if it was to be moved, still could take 10-20 years, which is a lot quicker than SWAMPPY.

What you save in rent will be taken back in transport costs and accident risks.

That's good.  Using Dollar amounts is a good intro to decimal points.  Play a "how much change" game (they will be impressed, when she catches them at 711).  When I was 8, we got certificates for doing 100 math facts in five minutes, with 100% accuracy.  Only through 9 x 9.  

What I see is many underestimating the living costs for kids.  It's kind of like going gambling. and giving kids money for the arcade....cost a lot more than nickel slots.  "Fashion" is heavily taxed here, and unfortunately, that includes basic cross trainers.  Growing kids could need new clothes at a much faster rate.  If they can't eat Thai food; there goes the grocery budget.  Tops is basically double what I am used to paying.  Some condiments maybe four times more.  Wine/cheese?  Obscene.  Beef?  Cheaper to worship it; than eat it.  There are some great alternatives, but many can't make the change.  9000 per month for three puts you in a place, where you will have a lot of transport expenses.  Look at the bright side, your kids won't have to see you bring home bar girls...you won't be able to afford it.  Trips home?  You could spend three months worth on a two week trip home.

On 11/16/2017 at 6:05 PM, ThaiPauly said:

The amount of paperwork we have to generate is astounding.

 

They must need an aircraft hanger to store it all, or maybe they burn it all once a year, hence the burning season, it's not the farmers at all it's all the documentation we have generated going up in smoke!!!

I hope they burn it.  I am going on six years with the same photos.  Very detail oriented law enforcement, indeed.

Simply a warning to stay away from time wasters, and seeing if anyone else had experienced the same pile of crap.  Would apply to most of the parents posting in the FB groups seeking freelancers for tutoring.  Of course, you would be working illegally.  No transportation allowance, no consideration for time in transit, cancellations with almost notice.  Best to play hard ball from the start, unless you want to be like the proverbial backpackers " working upcountry,  for a couple of Changs."

No ladies, it is about people from the West bringing their kids over here and homeschooling them, without any experience.  Also, seeking the help of foreign teachers to tutor their kids in subjects they actually admit to not having a clue in.  It is a bit like the multitude of teachers here justifying how good they are without a degree.  If you can come over here and teach with almost no academic credentials; surely you could bring over three kids and home school them.

4 hours ago, tkramer said:

"Absolutely no competition here Big C Tesco Makro all the same high price selling the same stuff  need Liddle Aldi Asda Morrisons Sainsburys to shake the cartel of high prices up and something different to buy cheaper. And there lies the probable  answer the door is shut as money is being made"

Leave BRITISH retail out of the equation...20 years behind the USA. Bring in TRADER JOE"S...!

That's retail...!

 

Trader joes has lost most its luster, but still would be the biggest thing to hit Thailand since the Japanese Army.  Don't know how well it would  do with quadruple wine prices but they have been selling Thai cashew nuts for less than any store in Thailand for decades( in the US)..kind of lime Canadian Maple syrup...cheaper in the US..or a long list of countries selling French wine cheaper than the French.  No one in their right mind would want to basically be a tax collector.  Been the curse of the racetrack business.  

Costco is all about the Pacific Rim, based in Washington.  They have opened in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea...Thailand could logically be on the short list.  They do procure a lot of seafood, nuts, and pineapples here, as well as other components of their frozen tropical fruit items.  Walmart sees too much competition as there are few places, where they would have mini monopolies like the do in flyover USA.  Beef and poultry restrictions are numerous, and the taxation on imported produce is BS. They know better than to broker Chinese goods to Thais.  Look for Costco.

I just got an insurance card from St. Louis, MO...sent on 31 October...1.15 USD...so yes about two weeks...maybe shave off a few days from SF or LAX.

I've got seven years of returns on my thumb drive..they can lick my ---.  You don't even get a 1099, if it is your primary residence on the 2 of five rule, and under the max, however if you get a 1099 and don't declare a cost basis, they will come after you big time.  A guy in CA sold stock for 250,000.....he had paid 350,000, and had a very bad year State of California came after him for the taxes and penalties on the full 250 and started dinging his bank accounts.  Don't think for a minute there is due process on tax levees.

1 minute ago, simoh1490 said:

The presumption is that the foreigner owns the house indirectly, via n usufruct or via a company, if it is by neither of those means, they don't own the house.

I own shares of the Empire State Building REIT, but that doesn't make me an owner of it.  I would be taxed on the dividend it pays and any gaining made when I sold the shares.