Electric and Water Question

[swm59nj]

         Im planning to move to Bangkok next month. I will be looking to rent a condo with a one year contract in On Nut. I have been communicating with a property management agency in Bangkok. Tonight I spoke with the agent I was working with. I mentioned electricity and water charges. She told me that I would be paying 20 baht per unit for water, and 5 baht per unit for electricity. I asked her if these were the government rates, and she said no. I told her I felt that I should be charged the government rates for water and electric. And I should not be paying a profit for utilities. She said when you rent a condo, you do not pay the government rates. Now that I challenged her on it, she immediately stopped communicating with me.

         So is the property agent correct ?

[Pattaya46]

No, not correct. Many tenants pay the official/real price...

but on the other hand, 5B for electricity is not far of the real price (about 4)

and 20B for water is probably below the real price,

So I would not avoid to rent a place I like just because of this small difference. 

[Liverpudlian]

3 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

No, not correct. Many tenants pay the official/real price...

but on the other hand, 5B for electricity is not far of the real price (about 4)

and 20B for water is probably below the real price,

So I would not avoid to rent a place I like just because of this small difference. 

I also would back this nod up

[whiteman]

Better just pay for on nights cheap hotel in On Nut and walk the streets and into a apartment block that looks good to you and ask at the desk will save you money in the long run

Edited April 22, 2019 by whiteman

[lopburi3]

Actually 5 baht is very low for electric charge - government rate is over 4 baht.  As for water it is about twice rate but you do not use enough to make it an issue (my 8 person home uses less than 500 baht per month at official rate).  

[johng]

A condo will often have large holding tanks and pumps for water they need maintenance and electricity..so an inflated water price is somewhat justified..electricity should be billed at PEA or MEA rates about 4.6 baht per unit so again 5 baht is not bad but not the "proper" rate.

[swm59nj]

My apologies. I had it backwards. Its 20 baht per unit for electricity and 5 baht for water. Sorry about that

[mokwit]

look at this way -  if they are doing that they will probably do other things - like keep your deposit, bill you for normal wear and tear. Likewise anyone who wants 3 months deposit is likely trouble. Just avoid them and save yourself a lot of aggravation. They are of a certain mindset that is nothing but trouble.

[CharlieH]

20 baht per unit for Electric is outrageous !!! 

 

Clearly they are using to subsidise the possibly attractive rent ? Anyone who operates like that I would steer well clear of.

 

 

 

[blackcab]

The rates you were quoted were about right. The government rate varies from month to month, but for electric it is 4 point something baht per unit. Many landlords round this to 5 baht for consistency.

 

Government water rates are less than 20 baht, but many condo buildings do not have government water meters for each condo unit. Instead the building installs their own meters and charges 20 baht per unit. Any profit should go into the building common fund.

 

Rather than asking if you will be charged government rates, a better question might be will you get the electric bill to pay yourself. As nearly all bills are delivered to the property, the answer is normally yes.

[swm59nj]

7 hours ago, blackcab said:

The rates you were quoted were about right. The government rate varies from month to month, but for electric it is 4 point something baht per unit. Many landlords round this to 5 baht for consistency.

 

Government water rates are less than 20 baht, but many condo buildings do not have government water meters for each condo unit. Instead the building installs their own meters and charges 20 baht per unit. Any profit should go into the building common fund.

 

Rather than asking if you will be charged government rates, a better question might be will you get the electric bill to pay yourself. As nearly all bills are delivered to the property, the answer is normally yes.

Sorry I had it backwards. It was 20 baht per unit for electricity and 5 baht per unit for water.

[luckyluke]

My government electricity bill (M.E.A.) last month was 1.277,31 Thb for 317 units. 

 

At 20 Thb per unit, it would have been 6.340 Thb. 

 

I think you better look for another place. 

[spidermike007]

It is very common for condo and apartment buildings to mark up electricity and water. A small markup is ok. But, beware of huge margins. It is beyond unethical. 5 baht for electric is very fair. A friend of mine used to pay 8 baht. That is about a 100% profit on electric. Of course marking up electric should be illegal, but it is perfectly legal, as far as I know.

[dotpoom]

Personally, it wouldn't bother me if I liked the condo and was happy with the rent ..after all ..how much can it amount to every month ...not a fortune I would imagine over and above the government charges.

[KittenKong]

13 hours ago, blackcab said:

Government water rates are less than 20 baht, but many condo buildings do not have government water meters for each condo unit. Instead the building installs their own meters and charges 20 baht per unit. Any profit should go into the building common fund.

That's the Bangkok price. In Pattaya city water is around 35B/unit, plus there is a city fee for waste water treatment that is usually added by the condo building to the per unit price that water is re-billed at.

The re-billing procedure here is the same though.

 

And as far as I know some buildings use pumped ground water which has a very different cost.

[KC 71]

Water 130 bht per month
Elecctric 650 bht approx
Here in Chiangrai


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[KittenKong]

14 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

It is very common for condo and apartment buildings to mark up electricity and water. A small markup is ok. But, beware of huge margins. It is beyond unethical. 5 baht for electric is very fair. A friend of mine used to pay 8 baht. That is about a 100% profit on electric.

It is rare for a condo building itself to charge much more than cost for any utility, though it certainly happens in apartment buildings. Electricity is almost invariably billed directly to the condo unit anyway, so any mark-up will be applied by the unit landlord or agent, and not the building.

 

5B/unit for electricity might not be a huge increase, but it is still a rip-off as the extra 1 Baht is only profit and reflects no added value.

 

Some condo units may be being billed for electricity by the MEA/PEA at a higher business rate rather than the lower domestic rate, and for those condo units 8B may be nearer the real price paid. I think that company-name units in particular can fall foul of this.

[Dania2019]

if no from her expect dobbelt up 

[seancbk]

19 hours ago, swm59nj said:

Im planning to move to Bangkok next month. I will be looking to rent a condo with a one year contract in On Nut. I have been communicating with a property management agency in Bangkok. Tonight I spoke with the agent I was working with. I mentioned electricity and water charges. She told me that I would be paying 20 baht per unit for water, and 5 baht per unit for electricity. I asked her if these were the government rates, and she said no. I told her I felt that I should be charged the government rates for water and electric. And I should not be paying a profit for utilities. She said when you rent a condo, you do not pay the government rates. Now that I challenged her on it, she immediately stopped communicating with me.

         So is the property agent correct ?

 

You are probably not renting a condo in that case.  Apartment buildings (many units, one owner) always charge extra for utilities. Condo buildings (many units, many owners) typically don't, you almost always just get a bill direct from the electric company and the Govt water dept. 

 

[Khun Tae]

Get a reliable agent. She doesn't seems to know the rates and how to response to you. So why use her ? Is she attractive ?

[Letseng]

20 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Actually 5 baht is very low for electric charge - government rate is over 4 baht.  As for water it is about twice rate but you do not use enough to make it an issue (my 8 person home uses less than 500 baht per month at official rate).  

Doesn't electricity rate depend on location? We used to pay 3 Bht acc to original electricity company bill given to us by the landlord. This was 2 yrs ago. 

[utalkin2me]

The way I understand this is, the water is charged upon entry to the building. That is "govt rate".

 

BUT, that water has to then travel through pipes, even be pumped up to the top of the building. This requires energy and maintenance. So, paying above the govt rate actually makes sense to some extent. 

[blackcab]

8 hours ago, swm59nj said:

Sorry I had it backwards. It was 20 baht per unit for electricity and 5 baht per unit for water.

 

Do you mean 20 baht per unit for water and 5 baht per unit for electricity? That would make sense.

 

If you get the electric bill to pay yourself and then pay 20 baht per unit for the water that's the same deal you will find in many, many condo buildings.

[MikeN]

Utility costs are quite cheap here so a small markup will not bankrupt you, but for reference at my condo in On Nut I pay 16 baht a unit for water ( at condo management rates) which came to 96 baht last month.

 Electricity is direct billed from MEA, last month was 886 baht. Running aircon is the biggest factor, in the cooler months our bill might be around 600/month or up to 950 when we use the air on more. If you have the aircon running all day expect to pay a LOT more, we generally only use it for an hour or so in the bedroom at night.

[mike324]

You need to find out if 1.) its an apartment that is entirely owned by a single person, or 2.) an apartment/condo which has several owners.

 

1.) If the apartment is entirely owned by a single person, than he/she is require to charge you based on the government rates according to law. But majority still don't follow the law, the ones that do may include a new add on fee "common area fee" so just look for another apartment. Its useless to try to demand what you want.

 

2.) Apartment/condo has several owners (normally they are the ones that are over 7 story tall), usually you pay a flat water rate to the condo. Electricity bill is normally sent to you and you pay government direct.

 

5 baht for electricity and 20 baht for water is pretty reasonable I think. At most you will use around 100 baht of water - perhaps the very max 120-150 / month. Its really nothing worth complaining about if the rent is cheap and apartment fits your needs.

[TheFishman1]

What people do t understand I. Condos there are lights in lobby hallways and outside parking lot and building so they mark up electric to cover extra lighting in the property usually in condos 8-10 for electric if you are a renter TIT

[Sumarianson]

I am on the gov. electric rate and in a 1 bed 35 sq. Mtr. I use aircon 24/7 in one or other room sometimes both, but rarely. I do not cook but use microwave to reheat. My bill is over 2000 up to 2500 per month. Water at standard rate also, about 180 a month. If you don't get a bill then you can be cheated. I would not go anywhere I did not get a bill.

[Rimmer]

Some posts have been re instated in order to avoid confusion

[KittenKong]

1 hour ago, TheFishman1 said:

What people do t understand I. Condos there are lights in lobby hallways and outside parking lot and building so they mark up electric to cover extra lighting in the property usually in condos 8-10 for electric if you are a renter TIT

No, in condos things like lobby and corridor lighting are covered by the common fees, as are all other costs like security and water for the pool and cleaning etc.

 

Tenants pay rent and the rent should cover the common fees. Extra mark-ups should not be necessary and when they do happen it is generally just a way of disguising higher rent.

[Peterphuket]

1 hour ago, TheFishman1 said:

What people do t understand I. Condos there are lights in lobby hallways and outside parking lot and building so they mark up electric to cover extra lighting in the property usually in condos 8-10 for electric if you are a renter TIT

For that you'll pay maintenance fee, often 20thb/sqm/month