Illegal renting of houses to large groups of noisy tourists - where do I report?

[Card]

I live in a condo in Pattaya and overlook a number of local houses which are being rented out for 1-2 nights at a time to large numbers of tourists (often 10-20 per house). Before covid the tourists were usually Chinese or Indians, but since covid they are Thai tourists. I am sure several of the houses are owned by the same person and probably rented through an agent as they do not appear on Airbnb. I would not mind but the noise they create is intolerable most of the day and until very late in the evening.

 

I am asking where I can complain to the local or national authorities as I am sure it is illegal to rent private accommodation for less than 1 month to avoid competition with hotels, which are suffering badly at this time. Is it the police, local city hall, tax authorities, hotels association and is there a online link to make the complaint? I very much doubt complaining to the owners would make the slightest difference and it may open me to revenge.

Edited December 5, 2020 by Card

[SidJames]

City Hall, there is an English speaker hotline I believe on 1337

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/phoning-1337-pattayas-unique-call-service-run-by-city-hall

Local old bill usually like these kinds of matters as well because of illicit finds which make them look good with lots of finger pointing unless it's case of "do you know who I am"

[Oldie]

11 minutes ago, Card said:

I live in a condo in Pattaya and overlook a number of local houses which are being rented out for 1-2 nights at a time to large numbers of tourists (often 10-20 per house). Before covid the tourists were usually Chinese or Indians, but since covid they are Thai tourists. I am sure several of the houses are owned by the same person and probably rented through an agent as they do not appear on Airbnb. I would not mind but the noise they create is intolerable most of the day and until very late in the evening.

 

I am asking where I can complain to the local or national authorities as I am sure it is illegal to rent private accommodation for less than 1 month to avoid competition with hotels, which are suffering badly at this time. Is it the police, local city hall, tax authorities, and is there a online link to make the complaint? I very much doubt complaining to the owners would make the slightest difference and it may open me to revenge.

You can call the 1337 and press then 9 for English. It is the 24/7 hotline of the City Hall. But don't expect too much. If necessary they will call the police and this is where the story sadly often ends. 

[2long]

Local mafia... oh hang on, they are probably involved.

[Card]

23 minutes ago, Oldie said:

You can call the 1337 and press then 9 for English. It is the 24/7 hotline of the City Hall. But don't expect too much. If necessary they will call the police and this is where the story sadly often ends. 

Do you think it would help if I visited City Hall and made a complaint in person?

[Oldie]

34 minutes ago, Card said:

Do you think it would help if I visited City Hall and made a complaint in person?

If you have time you can do it and fill in a form. There will be nobody you can talk to. At least this was my experience. Will it help more? I don't know. But from my experience not. If you call the 1337 they will not ask for your name or address. But if you go there they would like to have it on the form but they didn't check it. 

 

Problem is that there are no good laws against things like noise. The existing laws are made for noise that exists the whole day and not only for some hours. So they can mostly only use a law for causing disturbance and charge the person 100 Baht. But if they do things without a license or other illegal things (like drugs) then this might be more helpful. If the police checks because of noise perhaps they find more... 

 

An other hotline for complaints is the 1111. It is the national hotline for complaints. You also could call the Pattaya City Police directly (not the number for emergency calls). But their English is often limited. Therefore a Thai speaking person should do this. 

 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Oldie

[Golden Triangle]

Tell the cops illegal drugs maybe being used, that might spur them on, ????

[Card]

9 minutes ago, Oldie said:

If you have time you can do it and fill in a form. There will be nobody you can talk to. At least this was my experience. Will it help more? I don't know. But from my experience not. If you call the 1337 they will not ask for your name or address. But if you go there they would like to have it on the form but they didn't check it. 

 

Problem is that there are no good laws against things like noise. The existing laws are made for noise that exists the whole day and not only for some hours. So they can mostly only use a law for causing disturbance and charge the person 100 Baht. But if they do things without a license or other illegal things (like drugs) than this might be more helpful. If the police checks because of noise perhaps they find more... 

 

An other hotline for complaints is the 1111. It is the national hotline for complaints. You also could call the Pattaya City Police directly (not the number for emergency calls). But their English is often limited. Therefore a Thai speaking person should do this. 

Thanks. Very useful. It is not only a report of noise but much more serious  involvement of probable illegal renting and tax avoidance (and immigration reporting when foreign tourists are involved) so I wonder if the authorities would take it more seriously and investigate.

[Kwasaki]

I think to complain the hope of anything happening would be no hope or Bob Hope.

Thais renting to Thais I can't see as a problem for any Thai house owner. 

Around our village after 6am and before 11pm Thais can make as much noise as they want. 

[Card]

Thais renting to different Thai groups for less than 1 month is illegal and probably involves  tax evasion.

[Guderian]

Get a Thai speaker to make an anonymous call to the cops and tip them off that the houses are full of Thais who've just returned from Burma without going into quarantine and so they're probably rife with covid. That'll set the cat amongst the pigeons!

[Oldie]

38 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

I think to complain the hope of anything happening would be no hope or Bob Hope.

Thais renting to Thais I can't see as a problem for any Thai house owner. 

Around our village after 6am and before 11pm Thais can make as much noise as they want. 

It is very complicated here with the law in respect of noise pollution. I read many things about this because I have such a problem myself as owner of a condo. Below is one of the many sources that I have read. To cut a long story short - it is better to rent than to buy. The existing laws in Thailand will often not be very helpful if you get a noise problem. 

 

"Notification of National Environment Board No.17 B.E.2540 prescribes that the 
standard of ambient noise and the maximum of Background noise level should not exceed 115 dBA. As well, a weigh equivalent noise level or the average of sound level in 24 hours should not exceed 70 dBA. These standards are limitation for noise occurring in residential area. "

 

If you want to read more about this problem you can find the (very) long version here (it is the downlod link of a PDF fiie):

 

https://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TBLJ/article/download/112588/87704&ved=2ahUKEwj495-0w7btAhUNzDgGHep5D6kQFjAAegQIBhAC&usg=AOvVaw1QbYtBPAjKH4eDmhz3gbQP&cshid=1607160586677

 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Oldie

[darrendsd]

48 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

Tell the cops illegal drugs maybe being used, that might spur them on, ????

 

They probably are being used - the OP needs to be careful if he does indeed tell them that

 

OP different city but I went to Hua Hin Tessabahn when I had a issue with noisy neighbours - they were very helpful and resolved the issue

[Kwasaki]

2 minutes ago, Oldie said:

It is very complicated here with the law in respect of noise pollution. I read many things about this because I have such a problem myself as owner of a condo. Below is one of the many source that I have read. To cut a long story short - it is better to rent than to buy. The existing laws in Thailand will often not be very helpful if you get a noise problem. 

 

"Notification of National Environment Board No.17 B.E.2540 prescribes that the 
standard of ambient noise and the maximum of Background noise level should not exceed 115 dBA. As well, a weigh equivalent noise level or the average of sound level in 24 hours should not exceed 70 dBA. These standards are limitation for noise occurring in residential area. "

 

If you want to read more about this problem you can find the (very) long version here:

 

https://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TBLJ/article/download/112588/87704&ved=2ahUKEwj495-0w7btAhUNzDgGHep5D6kQFjAAegQIBhAC&usg=AOvVaw1QbYtBPAjKH4eDmhz3gbQP&cshid=1607160586677

Thanks but I would have no interest owning or renting a condom.

I live in Thailand in the north and the local village police take care of noise when it comes to parties,  funerals, etc, etc. 

[Card]

44 minutes ago, Card said:

Thais renting to different Thai groups for less than 1 month is illegal and probably involves  tax evasion.

 

9 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

 

They probably are being used - the OP needs to be careful if he does indeed tell them that

 

OP different city but I went to Hua Hin Tessabahn when I had a issue with noisy neighbours - they were very helpful and resolved the issue

No worries. I have no intention of lying to the police about drugs or covid carriers, as has been suggested on here. It's not the people who are staying illegally who I want to shop, it is the owners of the properties that are the real culprits.

Edited December 5, 2020 by Card

[jvs]

37 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Thanks but I would have no interest owning or renting a condom.

I have bought some but never rented one!lol.

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, SidJames said:

City Hall, there is an English speaker hotline I believe on 1337

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/phoning-1337-pattayas-unique-call-service-run-by-city-hall

Local old bill usually like these kinds of matters as well because of illicit finds which make them look good with lots of finger pointing unless it's case of "do you know who I am"

'a case of do you know who I am" - ah yes, someone with Alzheimer's.

 

Edited December 5, 2020 by bluesofa
grammar

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, Oldie said:

Problem is that there are no good laws against things like noise

Yeah, I tried to translate 'noise pollution' intoThai, but google translate returned a 'page not found' error.

 

<For the hard-of-learning: The text above may contain traces of sarcasm>

[jacko45k]

Would this happen to be in the View Talay 5 area?

[Pravda]

I think 30 day rule only applies to condos?

[bkk6060]

6 minutes ago, Pravda said:

I think 30 day rule only applies to condos?

Correct.

[Card]

52 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Would this happen to be in the View Talay 5 area?

yes!

[Card]

14 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Correct.

Really? If so that means my main argument has no traction and I may as well forget about complaining.

[Card]

13 hours ago, quake said:

Op, lives in a condo and wants to control a house next to his condo.

oh wait, i had a nice private house in pattaya and now they have built a 20 story condo next to me,

oh no,  move out time.

what goes around comes around. suck it up.

The houses did not start to be rented out until long after the adjacent condos were built and occupied. There must be hundreds of condos affected by about 6 houses owned by what seems like 2 or 3 owners now, so suck that up.

[bkk6060]

6 minutes ago, Card said:

Really? If so that means my main argument has no traction and I may as well forget about complaining.

Yes, houses and villas are not part of the rule.

But, even if they were I have not heard of Pattaya authorities enforcing the short term rentals.

It has been going on for several years and very blatant at condominiums.

 

Another thing now is they are begging for any tourists to come.

So, you mentioned 10 to 20 people? I really do not see them enforcing anything regarding your complaint.

 

I get all of it on this I hate noise also.

Maybe go to Home Pro and buy a loud fan.  The good ones run around 2,000 b but are like a 747 engine noise in your room will block out any outside noise.

 

 

[Ventenio]

all it takes is ONE of them to get mad at you, and/or be connected.

 

this is a small win (best hope) to an ABSOLUTELY massive loss....

 

unless you are losing millions of baht, I wouldn't even think of complaining .

 

sure, there are things to complain about (broken stuff, dogs maybe, building related things, whatever)....but not against Thais

 

there are THOUSANDS of unreported stories of people getting hurt because of payback.  

 

don't do it

 

I UNDERSTAND you said TOURISTS....but trust me a Thai/Thais are involved.   I guess there is a 1% chance they are not......up to you

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Ventenio

[Surelynot]

Do you have a residents association within the condo?.......money talks......get together, withhold your condo fees and tell the management to get it sorted.

[Natai Beach]

It is usually farangs that complain about Thais having noisy fun. 
 

So you want to stop the thai customers having fun in their own country.

And stop the Thai owner making a living in his own country.
And cause the thai maid/staff to lose her job.

And you want the Thai police funded by the taxpayers (the customers, the owner and the maid) to sort it for you.
 

Because it annoys you, foreigner farang. 
 

This will be greatly appreciated I am sure.

 

Snitches get stitches.

[Surelynot]

7 minutes ago, Natai Beach said:

It is usually farangs that complain about Thais having noisy fun. 
 

So you want to stop the thai customers having fun in their own country.

And stop the Thai owner making a living in his own country.
And cause the thai maid/staff to lose her job.

And you want the Thai police funded by the taxpayers (the customers, the owner and the maid) to sort it for you.
 

Because it annoys you, foreigner farang. 
 

This will be greatly appreciated I am sure.

 

Snitches get stitches.

There are many pathetic comments made on these threads, but I am keeping this one as reminder as to how dumb and selfish people can get.

 

This guy is living in a condo and has every right under the sun to expect a quiet life.....he did not move next to a bar, or a night club.....he moved into a residential area. The fact he is a faraing is totally immaterial.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Surelynot

[jak2002003]

10 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

There are many pathetic comments made on these threads, but I am keeping this one as reminder as to how dumb and selfish people can get.

 

This guy is living in a condo and has every right under the sun to expect a quiet life.....he did not move next to a bar, or a night club.....he moved into a residential area. The fact he is a faraing is totally immaterial.

Op is a foreigner living in Thailand. At the end of the day he has very few, if any, real rights.

 

Most of us understand this after living here a few years. Maybe you are new here or living in some Expat bubble, but to try to impose western values and rules here does not work. 

 

Sadly I can almost guarantee if the op complains about this situation nothing will happen and the Thai people involved will think he is stupid...and he will just end up causing himself more stress 

 

He should be thankful that the houses have not been converted into noisy bars or factories, and the noise does not happen at night. 

Edited December 6, 2020 by jak2002003