amy28

Many thanks for the replies. The house is not in a gated community. No security, no gym and no swimming pool. It's in a regular village. The rental is reasonable. If the agent had made it clear that there's extra 500 baht per month for garbage collection and common fees when showing me the house, I would definitely take the house. But they decided to raise the rental only after I asked. It makes me feel they just tried to take the opportunity to charge me extra because they figured out I have no ideas how things work in Chiang Mai. I just have a hunch It's possible there will be more unreasonable charges after I move in. The house has everything that I look for but I've decided to walk away. I really appreciate your advice!

I am in the process of signing one-year lease agreement and just have been waiting for the realtor to send me the contract. Yesterday I asked the realtor about where to dump the garbage and any fees for garbage collection. Today she replied that the landlady will charge 500 baht more per month to cover "garbage collection and common fees". I am very new to Chiang Mai. I spent two months in hotels and Airbnb and I've had no experience of renting a property in Thailand. I was aware that the utility and water bills are not included in monthly rental. But the realtor never had informed me of the garbage collection fees until I asked her yesterday. Is it common for tenants to pay 500 baht extra for "garbage collection and common fees"? (BTW, the property is a newly built bungalow in Doi Saket district.) 500 baht extra is no big deal. But I just feel the realtor and landlady are not trustworthy. I'm worried about if the landlady will increase the rental for any random costs after I move in or find excuses to not return the deposits. Maybe it just sends me a signal to backoff while I still can. Thanks!