Guesthouse Crackdown

[honestly]

What is going on with all the guesthouses being raided with out proper Hotel License? My understanding is only a handful of Hotels in Pattaya have a proper license.

While the condos on Air B&B continue to operate. 

[Get Real]

Nothing out of the ordinarie is going on. Just that they check a little bit more nowadays, so if I were you I would ask if the hotel have a license to operate before I check in. Be sure to record it too. Then you can at least have a claim if they would raid it and shut it down while you stay there.

[digbeth]

If you follow the news, there's big hotel bust too, 100+rooms hotels that's been operating for decades even, so it's not just small guesthouses 

[ThaiBob]

And there was Hua Hin court ruling against airbnb (finally). Illegal condo landlords here ( < 30 days) could be next. 

[blackcab]

9 hours ago, Get Real said:

...so if I were you I would ask if the hotel have a license to operate before I check in. Be sure to record it too.

 

Section 34 (2) of the Hotel Act 2004 obliges managers of hotels to ensure that that their hotel license is displayed in a conspicuous place within the hotel. In my experience that place is usually in the reception area.

 

In general, hotels that have a valid license are not at all shy about displaying them for everyone to see.

[champers]

2 hours ago, ThaiBob said:

And there was Hua Hin court ruling against airbnb (finally). Illegal condo landlords here ( < 30 days) could be next. 

I doubt there is the manpower or the will to enforce the law to anywhere near the full extent. Condo management staff are getting a slice of the pie. Short term rentals help owners pay common fees.

[ThaiBob]

2 hours ago, champers said:

I doubt there is the manpower or the will to enforce the law to anywhere near the full extent. Condo management staff are getting a slice of the pie. Short term rentals help owners pay common fees.

I don't know what you mean, (what staff?), as I have served on a Condo Homeowner's Committee for five years. If a unit is occupied or empty it has no impact on our homeowners dues. I do agree with your comment about enforcement but a simple solution would take an airbnb software programmer 30 minutes. A prospective airbnb client could not make a booking < 30 days. Greatly simplifies enforcement. 

[champers]

10 minutes ago, ThaiBob said:

I don't know what you mean, (what staff?), as I have served on a Condo Homeowner's Committee for five years. If a unit is occupied or empty it has no impact on our homeowners dues. I do agree with your comment about enforcement but a simple solution would take an airbnb software programmer 30 minutes. A prospective airbnb client could not make a booking < 30 days. Greatly simplifies enforcement. 

My condo complex has 2000 units and an office staffed for admin plus 2 more offices for sales and rentals. I cannot beleive that owners can arrange key collects, linen changes and room cleaning without help from some of those staff. Ditto several other complexes in the area (Pattaya). 

[ThaiBob]

9 hours ago, champers said:

My condo complex has 2000 units and an office staffed for admin plus 2 more offices for sales and rentals. I cannot beleive that owners can arrange key collects, linen changes and room cleaning without help from some of those staff. Ditto several other complexes in the area (Pattaya). 

Sounds like you live in a condotel or a project that obviously permits this kind of activity. Our staff has no interaction with short-term renters; they are re-directed to landlord's agent. It was your choice to live in such a building, some new projects advertise a guaranteed rate of return for investors and the homeowners' committee serves at the developer's pleasure. Not the case in most condos here. 

[scorecard]

15 hours ago, digbeth said:

If you follow the news, there's big hotel bust too, 100+rooms hotels that's been operating for decades even, so it's not just small guesthouses 

 

What about the insurance factor.

 

If you have travel insurance, you stay in an unlicensed place, there's an accident, would your insurance company pay up?

 

 

 

 

[ThaiBob]

25 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

What about the insurance factor.

 

If you have travel insurance, you stay in an unlicensed place, there's an accident, would your insurance company pay up?

 

 

 

 

I suspect they would (if it's an accident of a personal nature) but the insurance angle is a good one. Legimate hotels of course are properly insured against just about everything but condos and unit owners are not, except for building insurance. 

[KittenKong]

My condo complex has 2000 units and an office staffed for admin plus 2 more offices for sales and rentals.

Those two other offices should not be part of the juristic person. They should be independent businesses. I suspect that this is the case.

[hemskasven01]

Isn't about they need have enough with parking places to have a proper hotel license?

Skickat från min Mi A1 via Tapatalk

[champers]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

Those two other offices should not be part of the juristic person. They should be independent businesses. I suspect that this is the case.

They wear the company uniform and liaise with the HQ in Bangkok. All rental paperwork is with the company logo. I agree they are sales not part of the juristic management.

I am not complaining, by the way. The site is very well maintained and my block has just got 2 new machines in the gym and an extra washing machine in the launderette.

[Parsve]

I experienced in Jomtien, 2 weeks ago, how many of the guesthouses take down there neon signs. I guess that is the only thing they change. 

[sam neuts]

You would be surprised at how much of a problem the 2016 amendment to the Hotel Act is going to cause.

Effectively the amendment affects all short term rentals.

Condominiums are also illegal to rent for less than 30 days.

I have just started a FB page as I have had people I know getting raided in South Pattaya a couple of days ago. Thailand Hotel Act Information and My Illegal Hotel.

You can see the 2016 Hotel Act amendment covers ALL buildings. My friends checked with Banglamung District Office and they confirmed.

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

What about the insurance factor.

 

If you have travel insurance, you stay in an unlicensed place, there's an accident, would your insurance company pay up?

 

 

 

 

Insurance companies are not in the habit of paying up if they think they can get away with it.

[Halfaboy]

1 hour ago, sam neuts said:

You would be surprised at how much of a problem the 2016 amendment to the Hotel Act is going to cause.

Effectively the amendment affects all short term rentals.

Condominiums are also illegal to rent for less than 30 days.

I have just started a FB page as I have had people I know getting raided in South Pattaya a couple of days ago. Thailand Hotel Act Information and My Illegal Hotel.

You can see the 2016 Hotel Act amendment covers ALL buildings. My friends checked with Banglamung District Office and they confirmed.

I am also wondering what the impact of these checks will be on the revenue of all properties sold with a rental guarantee of x percent in the next y years.In my idea they cannot all be filled with tenants staying 30 days or more.

[Lacessit]

I understand AirBNB is now illegal in Thailand, and so is less than 30 days rental in a condo. Vested interests in hotels.

[gandhi]

 

1 hour ago, sam neuts said:

Condominiums are also illegal to rent for less than 30 days.

What about all these pool villas?

Are they legal to rent out short term?

[Dick Crank]

This is an anti disability post, Charlie...

[VBF]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I understand AirBNB is now illegal in Thailand, and so is less than 30 days rental in a condo. Vested interests in hotels.

That's interesting because I thought it was just booking a condo for less than 30 days that was illegal. 

 

So I ask "Is AirBNB legal as long as the booking is for 30 days or more, and, in the case of a hotel, the premises are licensed?"

[bkk6060]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I understand AirBNB is now illegal in Thailand, and so is less than 30 days rental in a condo. Vested interests in hotels.

The 30 day rule has been in place for awhile.

I have talked about this many times on TV.  I live (rent) at The Base Condo Central Pattaya.

Still doing ST rentals.  100's of people everyday 90% Chinese.

Security at the gate helps them.  Calls the room rep. to facilitate them getting to the room.

 

Centric Sea and many other condo properties have the same issue.

No one cares.  Complain and the answer is "we cannot control it".

It would probably take some high level Thai to complain and demand a change.

Obviously, that has not happened....

 

[csabo]

Aka "What's with all this enforcement of the law?" 

[champers]

2 hours ago, csabo said:

Aka "What's with all this enforcement of the law?" 

Quite. Have as many laws as you like. If they don't get enforced the laws are not worth a balloon.

[QPRFC]

In Chiang Mai a couple of weeks ago most restaurants, coffee shops and guesthouses got raided, this lasted for a period of a week.

Lots shut their doors and took a vacation during this period when the word got out.

Some that didn't get the word in time and were raided have not re-opened since, including my local coffee shop, although the owner is now a TV Celebrity as he made the TV news for this article. I can only guess that these were the ones operating illegally / without correct paperwork / not enough tea money.

[HooHaa]

On 6/3/2018 at 9:52 PM, ThaiBob said:

I don't know what you mean, (what staff?), as I have served on a Condo Homeowner's Committee for five years. If a unit is occupied or empty it has no impact on our homeowners dues. I do agree with your comment about enforcement but a simple solution would take an airbnb software programmer 30 minutes. A prospective airbnb client could not make a booking < 30 days. Greatly simplifies enforcement. 

You seem to lack basic resding comprehension. Short term or Airbnb rentals help unit owners cover their fees. 

[ThaiBob]

14 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

You seem to lack basic resding comprehension. Short term or Airbnb rentals help unit owners cover their fees. 

My reading comprehension is better than your spelling abilities, thank you. A unit owner is responsible for the annual homeowner's fees whether the unit is occupied or unoccupied. I reside in my unit, it is my home; if I decide to rent my unit (> 30 days) that is my choice. However, I cannot illegally convert my unit into a hotel room. If somebody purchased a unit in my building with that intent then they made a poor business decision. 

[Peterw42]

42 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

You seem to lack basic resding comprehension. Short term or Airbnb rentals help unit owners cover their fees. 

So would running a casino or a shoe factory in the condo. all three are illegal.

"It helps to pay the fees" doesn't justify any activity if it illegal

[KittenKong]

You seem to lack basic resding comprehension. Short term or Airbnb rentals help unit owners cover their fees.

People who cant afford the common fees should not have bought a condo in the first place.

Condos are for living in, not for running as a business. I have no sympathy whatsoever for people who dont understand that simple fact.

Anyone who wants to invest in the short-term rental business should buy a hotel or guest-house or apartment building.