Etaoin Shrdlu

Yes, Por Ror Bor would not be invalidated by providing taxi services without authorizations. Por Ror Bor isn't so much a typical motor insurance cover as a scheme to reimburse hospitals for providing medical services for those injured by vehicles.

Yes, all cars legally registered must have this. It is also not necessary to establish which vehicle was involved in or caused the injury. It is sufficient to allege that the injury was caused by a vehicle. This is to allow cover to apply to hit-and-run accidents.

If the taxi does not subscribe to voluntary insurance, it would likely at least have the mandatory Por Ror Bor cover which provides baht 80,000 in medical expenses and baht 500,000 for death or permanent disability. It is not necessary to establish fault for this cover to apply and would apply to passengers.

You beat me to it.

Yes, I may have missed the point on this one. Mrs. Shrdlu and have declined such offers in the past as we expect proper services in exchange for our 3% commission.

Both parents need to be present for Thai children to get new passport unless you have a notarized letter of consent to issuance of the passport by the absent parent.

In my experience, the agent prepared the purchase and sale agreement and walked the documentation through the transfer process at the Land Department on the day of transfer.

More fun being 20 in the '70s than 70 in the '20s.

I agree with Sheryl that the booklet was prepared for use in many different countries and the bit about network versus non-network may not be applicable to Thailand. So, rather than push April for a list of network hospitals that probably does not exist, ask them to confirm that none of the hospitals in Thailand would attract the 20% deductible for being out of network. April is a fairly large insurance intermediary and is domiciled in the EU, which is quite well-regulated. I would not expect an April sales rep to intentionally withhold information on hospital networks. If you have written advice from the sales rep that April does not have a list of network hospitals in Thailand, that is likely the case.

Yes, lactose, but not glucose or fructose as sweetened yoghurt products do.

Locally made unsweetened yoghurt is widely available in Bangkok: https://www.yolidayogurt.com/en/products/ 450 grams cost about 55 baht.

Most lease agreements contain a clause that prohibits the tenant from making alterations to the unit without the landlord's permission. I would interpret this to include changing the locks. As landlord, If a tenant had concerns about previous tenants keeping spare keys to the unit, I would change the locks for the new tenant but keep a set of keys for myself. In the case of digital locks, I think there is a master password that can be used by the landlord that can't be changed by the tenant, with the tenant having a separate password for his or her use.

April is an insurance broker, not an insurance company. They likely place their clients' business with several different insurers who have differing sets of approved hospitals. Additionally, some insurers have different insurance plans which differ in cost, coverage and approved hospitals. It would first be necessary to know which insurer April is placing your coverage with and quite possibly which plan you wish to subscribe before April would be able to tell you which hospitals are on that particular insurer's approved list.

Nor is he Lucky.

If you don't sign the contract, you're not a tenant.

That's right. It isn't the complete story. Competition drives rents down to levels that provide a poor return on investment. Landlords have very little pricing power. The landlord also has to pay for common fees, insurance, taxes and also potentially deal with extended periods of time when the unit isn't rented. Also factor in that condos in Thailand often tend to be depreciating assets, at least in inflation-adjusted terms, unlike in the west where housing tends to appreciate over time. Thailand is really a renter's market.

That's not the practice here. I don't think it will work.

I think those regulations only apply to landlords that own five or more properties. I think it is also probably difficult and expensive to enforce as a tenant. There is also the issue of the fee for the agent, which is usually the equivalent of one month's rent. If a landlord only receives one month's deposit and then has to pay one month's equivalent to the agent, the landlord then effectively has no security deposit. Yes, that's the cost of doing business as a landlord, but it means that the landlord only receives eleven months' rent for a 12 month term. That's a significant hit to the return on the investment.

The agent is earning a considerable fee for arranging the deal. A good agent will help you and the landlord compile a detailed property list along with photos documenting any defects and evidencing condition and existence of the furnishings, fixtures, improvements and betterments. Insist that the agent help you with this.

This.

When checking in at hotels in the US, I've frequently been asked to agree to have an amount blocked on my credit or debit card. I don't recall this happening here in Thailand, but it may well be the case that they did so and did not tell me.

Neither have I. My experience with this comes from bookings made with hotels in the US.

Yes, there is also the option to pay at the hotel. I've done that as well. Usually that has meant paying the quoted charges upon check-in, not check-out as well as having an amount blocked on your credit or debit card for ancillary charges which is then cleared/settled on check-out.

It depends upon the state. I know of at least one state that allows foreign students to drive on their foreign licenses for the duration of their studies. Getting a car registered and insured might be a challenge without the relevant state license, however. Other states will require both the written and driving test in spite of an applicant having a foreign license. Some states will keep your foreign license if you tell them you have one when you apply for a state license. I am aware of this because I have four children who have gone off to university in the US with Thai licenses in their wallets.