If we are going to build a new house in Thailand do the neighbours have a say in the approval process?

[jack71]

We might be buying land and propose to build a new house on it. 

 

Back in Western countries if one submits plans to the relevant authorities for approval they send out letters to the neighbours to see if there are any objections. 

 

Does this happen in Thailand? Can a neighbour have their say in the process when we are trying to get a building permit. Or do they not get informed?

 

thanks

Edited December 7, 2021 by jack71

[DaLa]

We built a 5000 sq.M shop and 6 bed house on a plot 2 years ago. Yes your neighbours will have a say and  I would recommend finding a way to communicate with them re your plans. There are protocols and rules regarding overlooking windows etc and also one part of the process is having the land boundaries checked and agreed.

 

We thought we were involving one set of neighbours in the process (through my Thai wife) but when it came to the boundary check after laying all the services some relative of said neighbour decided to inform us that when the boundary wall was built they had built it 15 centimetres within their land.....and could we therefore move our services 15 cm off their land.

 

I thought I'd left this pettiness behind in the UK.  

[jvs]

As far as i know if you stick with the basic law about how far you have to stay away from walls etc

the neighbors have no say at all.

I build two houses and no one even came to have a look,this includes the Tessa bahn who issued the building permit.

[Kwasaki]

35 minutes ago, DaLa said:

We built a 5000 sq.M shop and 6 bed house on a plot 2 years ago. Yes your neighbours will have a say and  I would recommend finding a way to communicate with them re your plans. There are protocols and rules regarding overlooking windows etc and also one part of the process is having the land boundaries checked and agreed.

 

We thought we were involving one set of neighbours in the process (through my Thai wife) but when it came to the boundary check after laying all the services some relative of said neighbour decided to inform us that when the boundary wall was built they had built it 15 centimetres within their land.....and could we therefore move our services 15 cm off their land.

 

I thought I'd left this pettiness behind in the UK.  

Yeah they let you get on with then complain it's another sport of Thais to get money. 

[Crossy]

Definitely get your property limits surveyed, we gained a fair bit back from the khlong which had "moved".

 

For a house nobody is going to care, although the whole village knew what we were building even before approval. Such is the family grapevine and news dissemination system (Madam's son is married to Puyai Baan's daughter).

 

Watch your set backs, roof edges and window positions, we have a large (1.5 Rai) plot to play with but oftentimes things get a bit tight.

 

[crazykopite]

Having owned several properties and gone through the building process I would say the neighbours have no input a word of warning a good friend built a house and 9 months later  the Thai owner on the adjoining plot built a karaoke bar which prior to COVID was open until 3 am every morning and as the bar was built of wood / bamboo it’s classed as a temporary build no planning or building permit required just a nice brown envelope every month . 

[KhunLA]

There are recourses to bad neighbors ... IF ... you have a cooperating Puyai Baan, orbator, or other regulatory office.

 

We bought a lot, only 100 tw 5 yrs ago, walled it in 4 yrs ago, and started house build this year.  Very small lot next to us we didn't bother buying, as 2x the price but almost 1/2 the size.  Figured nobody would as a bit small to put a house on, and other side wasn't for sale.

 

Month after build starts, someone does, paying too much, then walls it in, again, silly price, and starts raising chickens for eggs ... W T F.

 

Should have ask neighbors, and Puyai Baan beforehand, which probably would have been denied, but we queried and told ... wait & see.  Yea, like we don't know the outcome.  Couple months and it started to stink.  

 

Pitbull wife springs into action, Puyai Baan tell him to clean up, nothing of course.  Orbator tells him to clean up or else ... nothing at first.  Over to the Amphur office, all meet at chicken coup, clean up or else.  Ask for more time, OK, clean or else.  

 

Slow progress, so wife contacts pollution control folks, who lit fire under Amphur folks then orbator and sh!t flows down hill ... so last warning.   Ignored, inspected, still smells ... 2 weeks to move or sell chickens.  You're done.  Bye bye

 

How many chickens ... 10 ???? I figure he spent 300+k for land & wall.  First time told to clean or close, he put up for sale ... 500k.  Obviously he ain't raising chickens for eggs for profit.  If 10 eggs a day, the ROI would take 10 yrs at best to break even.  And this ding dong farang ain't buying you out, so you can buy another lot across the road to repeat.  Also helped that the other Thai owner across road trying to sell a lot chimed in also with his displeasure of the chicken coup there.

 

We already had a game plan to resolve it ourselves, if officials didn't shut him down.  Thankfully avoided the need to.  Little too obvious what his game plan was.  If he wasn't such an Ahole, I would have gave him 300k for it.  Now has overpriced lot he can't sell.

 

One advantage of buying in a developed area, you know what's there, and if hang out and visit the area a few times, different times of the day, week, weekend, you can assess how life will be living there.  Buy rural, and it's cheaper, but a roll of the dice.  

 

Another thing to watch out for is access to water & electric, if not adjacent to property already.  That can add quite a bit to the price, depending how far from current lines.

 

Land office will also have the 'big picture' of future roads planned, as a property we had at Udon Thani had a planned expansion of ring rd. nearby, that would increase the value of our purchase.

 

Land seems to be the only thing that increases in value, buildings, not so much.  All profits from 2 previous builds, were due to land price appreciation.  Subtract that from sales, and we simply got ROI for the building / house, which was fine and worked out nicely.

 

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by KhunLA

[Scouse123]

Not unless your neighbour is a quantity surveyor or works for the land office!

[bbko]

I would think this is the perfect time to start off as a good neighbor, introduce yourself an let them know your plans and go from there.  If you know something in your plans might be a issue like a two story home overlooking their backyard or trees on the fence line or anything else "intrusive", this is the time to inform them. I doubt they have the power to alter your plans but it's a nice gesture to inform them.  If your plans include raising chicken or pigs you better get approval first from all those in authority.

[jack71]

3 minutes ago, bbko said:

I would think this is the perfect time to start off as a good neighbor, introduce yourself an let them know your plans and go from there. 

Its sound advice. We plan to go and chat with the 1 neighbour before starting negotiations. If we found that the guy is a crack smoking freak then it might be good to look elsewhere. 

[Henryford]

You mean they have to get approval in Thailand. Like building a 30 storey condo within 3 feet of your neighbour, or a karaoke joint in a residential area.

[recom273]

46 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

There are recourses to bad neighbors ... IF ... you have a cooperating Puyai Baan, orbator, or other regulatory office.

 

We bought a lot, only 100 tw 5 yrs ago, walled it in 4 yrs ago, and started house build this year.  Very small lot next to us we didn't bother buying, as 2x the price but almost 1/2 the size.  Figured nobody would as a bit small to put a house on, and other side wasn't for sale.

 

Month after build starts, someone does, paying too much, then walls it in, again, silly price, and starts raising chickens for eggs ... W T F.

 

Should have ask neighbors, and Puyai Baan beforehand, which probably would have been denied, but we queried and told ... wait & see.  Yea, like we don't know the outcome.  Couple months and it started to stink.  

 

Pitbull wife springs into action, Puyai Baan tell him to clean up, nothing of course.  Orbator tells him to clean up or else ... nothing at first.  Over to the Amphur office, all meet at chicken coup, clean up or else.  Ask for more time, OK, clean or else.  

 

Slow progress, so wife contacts pollution control folks, who lit fire under Amphur folks then orbator and sh!t flows down hill ... so last warning.   Ignored, inspected, still smells ... 2 weeks to move or sell chickens.  You're done.  Bye bye

 

How many chickens ... 10 ???? I figure he spent 300+k for land & wall.  First time told to clean or close, he put up for sale ... 500k.  Obviously he ain't raising chickens for eggs for profit.  If 10 eggs a day, the ROI would take 10 yrs at best to break even.  And this ding dong farang ain't buying you out, so you can buy another lot across the road to repeat.  Also helped that the other Thai owner across road trying to sell a lot chimed in also with his displeasure of the chicken coup there.

 

We already had a game plan to resolve it ourselves, if officials didn't shut him down.  Thankfully avoided the need to.  Little too obvious what his game plan was.  If he wasn't such an Ahole, I would have gave him 300k for it.  Now has overpriced lot he can't sell.

 

One advantage of buying in a developed area, you know what's there, and if hang out and visit the area a few times, different times of the day, week, weekend, you can assess how life will be living there.  Buy rural, and it's cheaper, but a roll of the dice.  

 

Another thing to watch out for is access to water & electric, if not adjacent to property already.  That can add quite a bit to the price, depending how far from current lines.

 

Land office will also have the 'big picture' of future roads planned, as a property we had at Udon Thani had a planned expansion of ring rd. nearby, that would increase the value of our purchase.

 

Land seems to be the only thing that increases in value, buildings, not so much.  All profits from 2 previous builds, were due to land price appreciation.  Subtract that from sales, and we simply got ROI for the building / house, which was fine and worked out nicely.

 

 

Yeah, this along with another post about another neighborhood karoke confirms we did the right thing.

 

No one is going to buy and build on a skewed strip of land, 5-7m x 50m sandwiched between your plot and the next 1/2 rai - only in Thailand. 
 

We didn’t pay twice the price for half the land but we paid slightly more per squared for that land than the 3/4 rai next door.

 

Interesting post, I didn’t realise the neighbours could stick their beak in, not anticipating any issues but our place isn’t the regular Thai house. 

[KhunLA]

2 minutes ago, recom273 said:

Yeah, this along with another post about another neighborhood karoke confirms we did the right thing.

 

No one is going to buy and build on a skewed strip of land, 5-7m x 50m sandwiched between your plot and the next 1/2 rai - only in Thailand. 
 

We didn’t pay twice the price for half the land but we paid slightly more per squared for that land than the 3/4 rai next door.

 

Interesting post, I didn’t realise the neighbours could stick their beak in, not anticipating any issues but our place isn’t the regular Thai house. 

Yea, as they say, hindsight's a biatch ... and now wish I did buy it when offered, 4 yrs ago.  Trying to stay minimalistic this time, as last house was 2 rai, and just too much.  Especially since we're out & about so much.

[KhunLA]

31 minutes ago, bbko said:

I would think this is the perfect time to start off as a good neighbor, introduce yourself an let them know your plans and go from there.

We had no neighbors.  10 whole chickens, he could have raised in his own back yard and easy enough to keep clean.  Build next to us for way too much money made so much more sense ... ????

Edited December 8, 2021 by KhunLA

[Stevemercer]

The property boundary check/survey, done by the local land office, is the key thing. Ths will normally involve the neighbours so everyone agrees on the boundaries. It's worth being extra nice with the land office people so that any disputes may be resolved in your favour. In addition they may be generous if your property backs government land, easements or the like.

 

The neighbours won't have any say in what you do on your land.

 

I had to laugh at the chicken story. We have a similar issue at the back of our land. Four or five guys live in temporary structures and 'raise chickens'. They also do a little cock fighting. They only have 10 - 20 hens/roosters and spend most of their time drinking and smoking. Thankfully no loud music. I assume they deal.

 

[Tropposurfer]

I'd leave out the part about the helipad 

[DefaultName]

2 hours ago, crazykopite said:

Having owned several properties and gone through the building process I would say the neighbours have no input a word of warning a good friend built a house and 9 months later  the Thai owner on the adjoining plot built a karaoke bar which prior to COVID was open until 3 am every morning and as the bar was built of wood / bamboo it’s classed as a temporary build no planning or building permit required just a nice brown envelope every month . 

Sounds...... flammable.  ????

[MrJ2U]

Not really.

 

But its nice to get along with your neighbors.

 

It's even better to have a buffer zone.

[brianthainess]

No. 

[khunPer]

On 12/7/2021 at 4:58 AM, jack71 said:

Can a neighbour have their say in the process when we are trying to get a building permit. Or do they not get informed?

If you build a "normal" home and stay within the building regulativs for the area, and build on high title deed land - for example Chanote or eventual Nor Sor Sarm title - there will to my knowledge be no neighbor hearing.

 

I had no problems when building my house. I got everything approved within little less than two weeks, but everything was also within the - in my case fairly strict - regulativs for the area. If you however change anything during construction, or later, to something that is not permitted, the neighbors can of course complain.

 

Depending on local regulativs normally you shall be within two meter from public land; three meter from water edge; one meter from neighbor if openings like windows or doors, 50 centimeter if no openings at all.
You need to check if there are any local building restrictions. In my area there are furthermore regulations for how high a building can be, depending of zones from one floor and six meters to roof top, or several floors with maximum 12 meters to roof top; 10 meters inside own land measured from public area like beach; maximum size in square meters of building depending on zone and distance from beach up to two hundred meters; distance of up to 10 meters between two buildings, even inside one's own land; no connection between two separate buildings (i.e. combining to  buildings to a larger size); roof angle, can only be flat roof or surface for a certain percentage of the construction; roof color (only natural earth colors allowed, i.e. no beautiful blue roof tiles)...

 

If you are having a building permission, the building will be inspected before a House Book is issued. The inspection and issuing of house book could in my case be made when approximately 80 percent of the construction were complete...????

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, Henryford said:

You mean they have to get approval in Thailand. Like building a 30 storey condo within 3 feet of your neighbour, or a karaoke joint in a residential area.

You might not get a 30 storey building next to you, depending of the local regulativs, but a neighbor might open a noisy late night gay bar, or karaoke, if it's on high title deed like chanote, and the neighbor - on one-or-other way - gets permission to sell alcohol and play music from a lousy band performing until late.

 

You could also get a noisy polluting repair shop as neighbor that plays loud Thai-pop music or Thai-tech on distorted speakers all day.

 

It can be a benefit to buy land within a gated community - they normally have rules against 30 storey condo-buildings and like, and noisy karoke bars and like - or buy land in an expensive area, where nobody with common sense would invest in a karaoke bar or repair shop...

[TropicalGuy]

6 hours ago, KhunLA said:

There are recourses to bad neighbors ... IF ... you have a cooperating Puyai Baan, orbator, or other regulatory office.

 

We bought a lot, only 100 tw 5 yrs ago, walled it in 4 yrs ago, and started house build this year.  Very small lot next to us we didn't bother buying, as 2x the price but almost 1/2 the size.  Figured nobody would as a bit small to put a house on, and other side wasn't for sale.

 

Month after build starts, someone does, paying too much, then walls it in, again, silly price, and starts raising chickens for eggs ... W T F.

 

Should have ask neighbors, and Puyai Baan beforehand, which probably would have been denied, but we queried and told ... wait & see.  Yea, like we don't know the outcome.  Couple months and it started to stink.  

 

Pitbull wife springs into action, Puyai Baan tell him to clean up, nothing of course.  Orbator tells him to clean up or else ... nothing at first.  Over to the Amphur office, all meet at chicken coup, clean up or else.  Ask for more time, OK, clean or else.  

 

Slow progress, so wife contacts pollution control folks, who lit fire under Amphur folks then orbator and sh!t flows down hill ... so last warning.   Ignored, inspected, still smells ... 2 weeks to move or sell chickens.  You're done.  Bye bye

 

How many chickens ... 10 ???? I figure he spent 300+k for land & wall.  First time told to clean or close, he put up for sale ... 500k.  Obviously he ain't raising chickens for eggs for profit.  If 10 eggs a day, the ROI would take 10 yrs at best to break even.  And this ding dong farang ain't buying you out, so you can buy another lot across the road to repeat.  Also helped that the other Thai owner across road trying to sell a lot chimed in also with his displeasure of the chicken coup there.

 

We already had a game plan to resolve it ourselves, if officials didn't shut him down.  Thankfully avoided the need to.  Little too obvious what his game plan was.  If he wasn't such an Ahole, I would have gave him 300k for it.  Now has overpriced lot he can't sell.

 

One advantage of buying in a developed area, you know what's there, and if hang out and visit the area a few times, different times of the day, week, weekend, you can assess how life will be living there.  Buy rural, and it's cheaper, but a roll of the dice.  

 

Another thing to watch out for is access to water & electric, if not adjacent to property already.  That can add quite a bit to the price, depending how far from current lines.

 

Land office will also have the 'big picture' of future roads planned, as a property we had at Udon Thani had a planned expansion of ring rd. nearby, that would increase the value of our purchase.

 

Land seems to be the only thing that increases in value, buildings, not so much.  All profits from 2 previous builds, were due to land price appreciation.  Subtract that from sales, and we simply got ROI for the building / house, which was fine and worked out nicely.

 

 

Architect for stress- free Design / Approvals / Build.  No need to tell anybody else anything. Never Buy or Build near Bad Neighbours.

or Physical  businesses like Karaoke, Farm, Ice,  vehicles, Dogs.

[jack71]

5 minutes ago, TropicalGuy said:

Never Buy or Build near Bad Neighbours.

or Physical  businesses like Karaoke, Farm, Ice,  vehicles, Dogs.

so true. Or the advice computer store that plays loud music outside their shop with big speakers. Drive me nuts

[jack71]

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

It can be a benefit to buy land within a gated community

no way would I ever do that. We rented a house for a yr in a gated village. Surrounded by middle class self entitled thais with their barking rats dogs in all directions. Nightmare. And VERY hard to sell a house in a gated village. Bad investment. 

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, jack71 said:

no way would I ever do that. We rented a house for a yr in a gated village. Surrounded by middle class self entitled thais with their barking rats dogs in all directions. Nightmare. And VERY hard to sell a house in a gated village. Bad investment. 

I wouldn't either, and I'm happy being on my own...????

[TropicalGuy]

Just Never live in or adjacent to any Thai Neighborhoods ….. from

my Thai lady no less….