Dear one-month tenants of my condo,

 

The apartment I let to you recently was in pristine condition when you came to stay. As someone with OCD, I saw to that.

I suppose accidents happen. Breaking a cupboard drawer, and having a dead kettle at the end of your stay which was in perfect working order before can be expected. Although failing to mention them is not accidental.

I didn't really want your leftover cheese and butter that you left in the refrigerator. However, leaving them in there with said appliance turned off ensured they were going to be thrown out anyway.

Perhaps you were too busy enjoying your holiday to clean the layer of fused carbon you left on the pan used with the induction heater. You must have been exhausted, as you extended the checkout time to 5.30 pm.

Perhaps I am being too harsh. However, when my Thai GF from a rural village commented you left the place filthy, and did not pay for any cleaning prior to your exit, it says something about the way you live.

Enjoy your flight back to the UK.

Dont you take a deposit and only give it back after inspection, cleaning expense, breakages etc ?

2 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Take dont take a deposit and only give it back after inspection, cleaning expense, breakages etc ?

Agent took the deposit, gave it back. She doesn't know it, but she's been fired.

NAME AND SHAME. I would. 

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Agent took the deposit, gave it back. She doesn't know it, but she's been fired.

I'll bet she took her commission.

Its just not worth it for short term rentals, I dont know how these guys that do airbnb get on, imagine having those dramas every couple of weeks.

6 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

I'll bet she took her commission.

Its just not worth it for short term rentals, I dont know how these guys that do airbnb get on, imagine having those dramas every couple of weeks.

The way it seems to be going here in Chiang Rai, long-term rentals are a thing of the past. Notice boards in the condos are full of for sale and for rent posters. My landlord in Chiang Mai now has three untenanted condos. The other two have been vacant for 2 years.

Pretty safe bet.

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

My landlord in Chiang Mai now has three untenanted condos. The other two have been vacant for 2 years.

He should have lowered the price, 3/4 or 1/2 or 1/4 is better than nothing for 2 years.

It's just poor business sense.

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The way it seems to be going here in Chiang Rai, long-term rentals are a thing of the past. Notice boards in the condos are full of for sale and for rent posters. My landlord in Chiang Mai now has three untenanted condos. The other two have been vacant for 2 years.

Pretty safe bet.

????????? say what? You're a tenant of somebody else and Yet you rent out your flat? Very confusing indeed!!!!!!

8 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The way it seems to be going here in Chiang Rai, long-term rentals are a thing of the past. Notice boards in the condos are full of for sale and for rent posters. My landlord in Chiang Mai now has three untenanted condos. The other two have been vacant for 2 years.

Pretty safe bet.

Sounds good to me, I have been thinking of heading to Chiang Rai maybe in August/September for a few weeks.

This kind of abuse is not uncommon...they have no investment...may be immature...breaking other people's stuff...fun!  If you can not tolerate the occasional scum-bag renter...best to sell and let someone else put up with the aggravation... ????

49 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Enjoy your flight back to the UK.

Wow, very surprising.

I have always found the UK people super clean and responsible.

Anyway, on the big picture you should be happy you had tenants for 30 days.

Latest Pattaya estimate 25,000 empty units.  So, if you can get something out of that property investment, you should feel happy.

42 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

NAME AND SHAME. I would. 

 

When you book a holiday studio/room/villa in Spain they always include 1-200 euro cleaning costs...even for a week.

 

But the broken cupboard is probably somchai's fault...Brits are used to good construction, i've never seen a broken cupboard myself. Did they pull it of the wall?

I recently had to go back to the UK for 10 months as I lived on the income from a tenant - that appeared OK, fit, working when taking over - and had worse.

 

I came back to my house being totally refitted by the local council into a disabled house, broken windows, holes in the walls, a front door that had been left open for 2 weeks, two full commodes and two weeks of his cats living and coming in the open doors - a billion flies, old ovens and fridges that he had been given money to replace.

 

I found in the end he had fabricated his references, most of which came from his family. I found new accounts in my name and dvd's arriving in my name, gas bills in my name, large amounts of drugs and notes where to get them.

 

I found out he had actually been taken into hospital. He messaged me many times saying he needed to sort out his tenancy with me. I told him take me to court if you like, but you aint coming back in. 

 

Lucky for me he died in the hospital and saved me the time and money evicting him. Harsh ? Maybe but guy was a waste of space, druggie fraudster

 

Now after 10 months redecorating , replacing windows, i'm back here with the wife and kiddie, an early pension to back up my house income, a decent tenant that I worked with for 2 months before I came back.

 

So if all you have to worry about is a burned pan and fridge mould I think you did well

So,

 

46 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

 

So if all you have to worry about is a burned pan and fridge mould I think you did well

So,

 

You may be right. I am measuring by my own standards as a tenant of a condo in Chiang Mai. In ten years, I chipped one china plate and never broke anything. I left the condo cleaner than it was when I moved in.

Same in Australia, the agent there said I was a stellar tenant. Possibly that was because I rented in a working-class suburb for a couple of years, and was the only person he had on his books who paid the rent on time.

I've been a landlord and tenant both. Personally, I think it's less stressful to be a tenant.

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

Sounds good to me, I have been thinking of heading to Chiang Rai maybe in August/September for a few weeks.

PM me if you want some info on what's available and price range. Sorry, your opportunities for dumpster assignations will be limited. Not much totty about.

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

PM me if you want some info on what's available and price range. Sorry, your opportunities for dumpster assignations will be limited. Not much totty about.

Ive got the edible totty locked down here in Siem, except my kid is here cramping my style. Hows the air?  

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

I recently had to go back to the UK for 10 months as I lived on the income from a tenant - that appeared OK, fit, working when taking over - and had worse.

 

 

 

Now after 10 months redecorating , replacing windows, i'm back here with the wife and kiddie, an early pension to back up my house income, a decent tenant that I worked with for 2 months before I came back.

 

So if all you have to worry about is a burned pan and fridge mould I think you did well

So,

 

My experience from renting out a flat back in UK was that my agent represented the tenant more than me!

Deleted

Just now, Nyezhov said:

Ive got the edible totty locked down here in Siem, except my kid is here cramping my style. Hows the air?  

IMO it's better than CM, although that's not saying much. I'm fully armored with PM 2.5 filters on the aircon, an air purifier, and a PM 2.5 meter. As I type, inside my room it is running at 8.

You would need to speak reasonable Thai to get anywhere here with the ladies. Now if you took up golf, there are some easy on the eye caddies on Santiburi and Waterford Valley. My regular caddie with the cute bum in Chiang Mai is now history.

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

I recently had to go back to the UK for 10 months as I lived on the income from a tenant - that appeared OK, fit, working when taking over - and had worse.

 

I came back to my house being totally refitted by the local council into a disabled house, broken windows, holes in the walls, a front door that had been left open for 2 weeks, two full commodes and two weeks of his cats living and coming in the open doors - a billion flies, old ovens and fridges that he had been given money to replace.

 

I found in the end he had fabricated his references, most of which came from his family. I found new accounts in my name and dvd's arriving in my name, gas bills in my name, large amounts of drugs and notes where to get them.

 

I found out he had actually been taken into hospital. He messaged me many times saying he needed to sort out his tenancy with me. I told him take me to court if you like, but you aint coming back in. 

 

Lucky for me he died in the hospital and saved me the time and money evicting him. Harsh ? Maybe but guy was a waste of space, druggie fraudster

 

Now after 10 months redecorating , replacing windows, i'm back here with the wife and kiddie, an early pension to back up my house income, a decent tenant that I worked with for 2 months before I came back.

 

So if all you have to worry about is a burned pan and fridge mould I think you did well

So,

 

How did the Council manage to do the work without your permission?

2 hours ago, roo860 said:

How did the Council manage to do the work without your permission?

He told them it was his !

23 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

He told them it was his 

That takes some believing, they did no checks?

16 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Wow, very surprising.

I have always found the UK people super clean and responsible.

Anyway, on the big picture you should be happy you had tenants for 30 days.

Latest Pattaya estimate 25,000 empty units.  So, if you can get something out of that property investment, you should feel happy.

You may be right, and i just got some pond life.

One thing I forgot in my OP - I was fascinated by the patina of grunge on the knives, forks and spoons after their stay. I can only conclude they just rinsed in running water. Perhaps they thought they were being considerate by not using the new bottle of detergent and scourer sitting next to the sink.

On 3/4/2020 at 9:03 PM, Peterw42 said:

I'll bet she took her commission.

Its just not worth it for short term rentals, I dont know how these guys that do airbnb get on, imagine having those dramas every couple of weeks.

This goes both ways.

 

My colleague needed a 2 nights stay just North of Sydney.

 

Never before used Air bnb but others persuaded him to give it a try.

 

He found a small apartment (actually part of a house but with separate entrance door), photos looked OK, he made a booking and made a deposit.

 

Within an hour he got an e-mail direct from the owner with a long list of can and cannot do, advice that the front door and interior of the apartment were monitored 24/7, plus a very detailed description of how to clean the apartment on departure.

 

Also in the list:

- Please be very careful you don't scratch the brass panel which surrounds the front door key hole.

- Be careful when you use the electric kettle, don't let hot water drops go onto the granite kitchen bench. If it's marked you will be charged for total replacement.

- Be careful when you use a towel, if there is any even small stain or dirt mark you will be charged for a new towel

- When you clean the shower alcove don't use more than 1 teaspoon of the bathroom cleaner liquid located on the shelf near the shower.

- and many more...

 

One hour after arriving his phone rang, it was the owner in the attached house complaining that he had put his suitcase on top of the bed, and asking him to be more careful.

 

It was early evening, he called his work colleague (who lived in the same area) explained about the 'rules' and his colleagues said, 'come say with me, I'll pick you up in 10 minutes.

 

He quickly called back to the owner and said he was leaving, and asked for the money already paid the second night to be refunded. Owners response 'if you are leaving right now there is no time for you to clean the apartment so I will keep all the money as reimbursement for the cleaning costs'. Owner hung up. 

 

He complained to Air bnb, their response 'sorry, should be OK next time'.

 

 

On 3/4/2020 at 4:57 PM, Lacessit said:

Agent took the deposit, gave it back. She doesn't know it, but she's been fired.

how much deposit agent take??

15 minutes ago, scorecard said:

This goes both ways.

 

My colleague needed a 2 nights stay just North of Sydney.

 

Never before used Air bnb but others persuaded him to give it a try.

 

He found a small apartment (actually part of a house but with separate entrance door), photos looked OK, he made a booking and made a deposit.

 

Within an hour he got an e-mail direct from the owner with a long list of can and cannot do, advice that the front door and interior of the apartment were monitored 24/7, plus a very detailed description of how to clean the apartment on departure.

 

Also in the list:

- Please be very careful you don't scratch the brass panel which surrounds the front door key hole.

- Be careful when you use the electric kettle, don't let hot water drops go onto the granite kitchen bench. If it's marked you will be charged for total replacement.

- Be careful when you use a towel, if there is any even small stain or dirt mark you will be charged for a new towel

- When you clean the shower alcove don't use more than 1 teaspoon of the bathroom cleaner liquid located on the shelf near the shower.

- and many more...

 

One hour after arriving his phone rang, it was the owner in the attached house complaining that he had put his suitcase on top of the bed, and asking him to be more careful.

 

It was early evening, he called his work colleague (who lived in the same area) explained about the 'rules' and his colleagues said, 'come say with me, I'll pick you up in 10 minutes.

 

He quickly called back to the owner and said he was leaving, and asked for the money already paid the second night to be refunded. Owners response 'if you are leaving right now there is no time for you to clean the apartment so I will keep all the money as reimbursement for the cleaning costs'. Owner hung up. 

 

He complained to Air bnb, their response 'sorry, should be OK next time'.

 

 

Reason #125 that I hardly ever travel anywhere

Was the landlord chinese by any chance?

No, she was Australian, immigrant from Lebanon. 

29 minutes ago, scorecard said:

This goes both ways.

 

My colleague needed a 2 nights stay just North of Sydney.

 

Never before used Air bnb but others persuaded him to give it a try.

 

He found a small apartment (actually part of a house but with separate entrance door), photos looked OK, he made a booking and made a deposit.

 

Within an hour he got an e-mail direct from the owner with a long list of can and cannot do, advice that the front door and interior of the apartment were monitored 24/7, plus a very detailed description of how to clean the apartment on departure.

 

Also in the list:

- Please be very careful you don't scratch the brass panel which surrounds the front door key hole.

- Be careful when you use the electric kettle, don't let hot water drops go onto the granite kitchen bench. If it's marked you will be charged for total replacement.

- Be careful when you use a towel, if there is any even small stain or dirt mark you will be charged for a new towel

- When you clean the shower alcove don't use more than 1 teaspoon of the bathroom cleaner liquid located on the shelf near the shower.

- and many more...

 

One hour after arriving his phone rang, it was the owner in the attached house complaining that he had put his suitcase on top of the bed, and asking him to be more careful.

 

It was early evening, he called his work colleague (who lived in the same area) explained about the 'rules' and his colleagues said, 'come say with me, I'll pick you up in 10 minutes.

 

He quickly called back to the owner and said he was leaving, and asked for the money already paid the second night to be refunded. Owners response 'if you are leaving right now there is no time for you to clean the apartment so I will keep all the money as reimbursement for the cleaning costs'. Owner hung up. 

 

He complained to Air bnb, their response 'sorry, should be OK next time'.

 

 

I think I stayed at the same AirBnB, lol.  Some of them are outrageous, I stayed at one in Sydney that had an instruction list for everything, how to flush the toilet, how to clean the shower after use "and" how to feed the owners cats. 

Landlords and tenants often have no clue about short term rentals, as you say, it can often be a nightmare for both.

I suppose if you are desperate for money, or even naive enough to think that anyone, (yes, even non-Brits'), will take care of your apartment while they are on short stay and on holiday - or even meticulously clean it on departure, then one must surely put up with total strangers messing up your 'perfect' holiday home - (which is legal/illegal)?

 

Twenty years ago, I had a holiday apartment in the south of France for eleven years. Annually, I went there, like you but I repaired, replaced or redecorated and cleaned properly - that which should have been done by them or the agents. Like you, I bleated at the agents but eventually, That's why I sold it on and have never returned to this kind of cheapie investment. It didn't and usually never does, work to your satisfaction.

 

Incidentally, I was also liable for reciprocal tax, (being a 'clean' Brit) - do you pay tax on your holiday short term lets? If it illegal and you don't pay tax - then don't complain.

If you are legal and do pay tax, please read my comments on my eleven year 'letting' saga - and do what I did. 

 

Reconsider your venture!