Umlungu

The best way is not to threaten anyone and just abide by the contract stipulations. That's how all the satisfactory rental agreements conclude - which, hazarding a guess, are probably the vast majority. But you don't hear about those. I had a Vietnamese lady staying in my condo for two years, the second year on a handshake extension. There was a 28k deposit. she paid every month on time, paid all bills, did no damage, cleaned the place to a degree that you could have eaten off the floor. I returned it in full. I had an American stay for a year, damaged the place and stole items, did no proper, personal handover, had three outstanding months of utility bills, was late with his rent, left an absolute mess. He forfeited 18k baht, his entire deposit. He also tried the police who laughed him out of the station. So it goes. Some great tenants, some really rotten ones.

Why would your landlord have gone to the police to get you evicted if you had paid - as you say - the final month's rent via half of the deposit if you then had to leave on the expiry of your contract anyway? The fact that you argued your case after your final month's rent was deemed by the landlord as not having been paid (let's say within the 7-day payment deadline), and refused to pay it separately, and were still in the condo, you basically ensured that you forfeited your other half of the deposit (for damage etc) - even if there was no damage and no reason to hold it on the part of the landlord. The onus was / would then have been on you to retrieve it - and good luck with that. It would not have been worth the expense for a lawyer etc. You lost.

That is correct. Different rules for owners with 5 or more properties. Those regulations were initially more tenant-friendly, but have been tightened up to now protect the owner. Rental contract vary a lot and the devil is in the detail. Owners need to be precise in their demands and responsibilities covering both parties, and tenants need to read contracts and understand them. Agents need to be more professional in their contracts, the industry is not very well regulated and some agents have no clue how to set out a contract and also subsequently manage their client (be it the tenant or the owner). Most will just pop up a month before end of contract and enquire about an extension, with the sole intent of pocketing another / second monthly rent amount as commission - which is illegal, btw.

What you say is wrong. The local police agreeing with you is irrelevant - they are not the ones to adjudicate rental law and potential legal issues. It is the law - and you should spell this out in a rental contract - that 2 months rent as a deposit is a security deposit. It does not include any amount for rent (last month) or utility bills. It covers damage only, which, btw, can exceed the secure original deposit amount and can be recovered from the tenant as well. I had a tenant who stopped paying his utility bills two months out fromthe end of contract. This was deliberate as he might have known that the MEA onloy disconnects power supply after two unpaid bills. Unbeknown to the tenant, I was able to see his conduct on the MEA app. So, two months not paid, plus pro rate for last days not paid, breach of contract, entire deposit forfeited. He did pay the final month's rent , but it was late. Breach of contract. The place was a mess, and items were missing also. He demanded his full deposit back. He did not front up for a final handover, neither did his agent. Keys were not returned and kept back on his part as 'security'. He then went to the police who took a statement that he was now, 6 weeks after having left, willing to pay for 2 month's electricity. By that stage the place had been cleaned by me / contractor, new locks installed, new and happy tenants in the property (just going into their third consecutive year, a lovely young Thai couple, professionals). The original dirty, thieving and deceiving tenant was a US American. He forfeited his entire deposit.

Where are the sandy beaches in Bangkok?

Who cares? Is this even news? A brother of some actress probably unknown to most readers here, is pursuing legal action and refusing an out of court settlement. Happens hundreds of times each month. Who's interested?

It's not a grammar check. It's about spelling. Have you been to school or just starting off?

The UK will help the Thais with useful hints re the Red Bull gentleman.

Community service? Like distributing weed to the needy at the nearest weed kitchen?

At least his name qualifies as genuine to be identified as a real island ape. If it was Omar Mohammad we'd hear all the usual comments ......

Had a house built, lived in it for 8 years, sold at 2.5mb net profit.

So what happens next? Bulldoze the lot and reinstate the hill environment to its oiginal state? doubt it. Who would pay for that?

Where's the local, national criminal hub in Thailand, then, since you are so well informed?

Why so much hate? How does any of this affect you?

Locals too incompetent to do the job. So get some expats in to do it properly, on time, own tools, cleaning up and honest pricing.

Who would give him a job? You? Probably not. Circuses are a dying breed, so I guess parliament is the next best employer.

.... or can't do!

With a dress like that she'd be invisible lying down on a zebra crossing.

The can move a car, but can't drive it.

Who's she?

People cannot manage their finances. She was a businesswoman, to boot, running a restaurant. And she doesn't know how to budget, balance a budget, adjust her income and expenses accordingly? Unbelievable. It reminds me of Thais who bought a certain car brand, obviously happy with their purchase at the time. Later, the company changes its pricing, offering the same product cheaper. Suddenly the Thais who bought the product prior want a refund or some sort of financial compensation. Real world? What if the car company would have increased their prices? Would the same Thais have queued up at the cashier to pay the extra difference? Of course not. They are, mostly, financially immature and naive.

Most people (tourists) who enter will also leave. So you pay your entry ffe at the exit, in good time, with your leftover baht, get a sticker as a receipt and present at counter. No sticker/receipt - no check-in - no departure. Works wonders.

Back to the 60s: change money at airport bank upon arrival, pay cash, no credit cards, no language issues, and if you fit the category of too old, or no money, then you should consider giving travelling a miss for a while.

No, but he came by bus. 18 x bus fare equals 1 x J class

Add to all this nonsense the umpteenth re-introduction of the 300 baht tourism tax. What a joke it all is.