Hello, I wanted to ask your opinion about two weird bookings that I made for condos in Jomtien, both bookings on well known booking sites for one week each, both confirmed by the booking sites with the usual confirmation messages, both still possible to cancel free of charge. 

I am not much interested in the legal or technical backgrounds. I just want to know how the stress-averse, mindless holiday maker should go about it. No hotel in the area is as interesting as a condo for me. 

 

Condo 1: 

Right after the usual booking confirmation, I got a private message from the condo owner saying the condo was not even available and if I could cancel my booking. I replied I will not cancel it and the condo owner said he would contact the booking platform to cancel it. That's the status quo. The condo owner had my contact from an older booking. What will happen next? 

 

Condo 2:

After the booking confirmation for 7 days, I got a message on the booking platform from the owner that by law only rentals for 29+ days are acceptable, so I should cancel my booking. Then immediately another message on the booking platform followed, that he will accept my booking anyway. I should send him my passport and my private email address. He also mentioned his private email address in the message on the booking platform, obviously wanting to get away from the booking platform message system. That's the status quo. Could I get into any trouble here? 

 

Do you smell any rats here or is it usual? I had another Jomtien holiday condo booking 2 months ago (for 1 week), which was completely smooth and had none of these weird ongoings. 

 

Thanks for your real life experience!

34 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

I just want to know how the stress-averse, mindless holiday maker should go about it.

Stay in a hotel.

If you insist on stepping outside of the normal tourist accommodations, you will get all the issues you mention, and have none of the normal protections, legislation, processes that hotel provide. 

If you have issues with bogus operators cancelling bookings, or not following standard procedures, dont use bogus operators for bogus accommodations.

    Condo rentals of less than 30 days are illegal in Thailand.  For good reason.  Stay legal at a hotel, instead.  Have some respect for owners living in their condos as their residence.   They don't want a parade of daily renters moving in and out all the time and often showing no respect or knowledge of condo rules and often demanding hotel services from condo staff, which is not their job.  

Both sound unreliable enough that were I you, I wouldn't take the risk of arriving here and finding I had no accommodations.

I know that some condo owners are quite hostile to other condos being let on short term rental though Air BnB.

Airbnb is illegal for rentals under 1 month in Thailand.

Sounds like a CYA from the owners that your booking Is AYOR as it's illegal. 

2 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

No hotel in the area is as interesting as a condo for me. 

What's the problem? Do the hotels not allow 10 visitors at the same time? Or do you want to make a lot of noise?

I hope you arrive and then they will tell you that you can't stay there. Go away and look for a hotel! 

1 hour ago, ozimoron said:

I know that some condo owners are quite hostile to other condos being let on short term rental though Air BnB.

And rightly so....it is generally illegal to rent for less than 30 days except hotels. 

 

Of course airbnb and other platforms don't give a <deleted> and list the units anyway. 

 

So suddenly your home condo is turned into a hotel with all kinds of people hanging around the lobby with suitcases, clogging elevators, swimming pools, coming home loud and drunk most every night, pestering the hotel security staff with various demands etc....if u get real lucky you may find that a unit just down the hall now has 10 people staying there in a unit that normally is two people.

 

All some ahole can make some extra $$ by breaking the law and enabled by clients and booking platforms who could not care less.

 

 

Condo #1:  The owner doesn't want you.  If you arrive, he won't give you the key.  Cancel.

 

Condo #2:  The owner wants you to cancel on the platform, but keep the booking, thereby saving him the booking fee.  If he's going to screw over XXX.com, he'll do the same to you.  Cancel.

 

Hotels are nice this time of year.  Best to book one and enjoy now before China opens the floodgates.

If you've booked through AirBnB, then the owner's stats are effected if they force the cancel, hence you'll always find owners will ask the guest to cancel.

Also as stated above, short term let's on AirBnB are illegal in Thailand, unless they have a Hotel license.

 

We have people staying in my condo for less than 1 month, but they all seem friends of the owners or are regulars.

 

 

condo owners in a thai friend's block rent out their condos on short term lets to holiday makers. when covid hit there were chinese holidaymakers staying, the thai residents took matters into their own hands are refused to let the chinese out of their condos until they were due to go home. i'd stay in a hotel if i were you...

6 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Right after the usual booking confirmation, I got a private message from the condo owner saying the condo was not even available and if I could cancel my booking. I replied I will not cancel it and the condo owner said he would contact the booking platform to cancel it

Are you crazy.

Ridiculous. 

The owner tells you it's unavailable and you dig your heels in 

Have you traveled previously as a tourist. 

 

Hi all, thanks for your opinions so far!

Btw, AirBnB wasn't used, but Agoda and Booking.com.

I had one previous rental with the owner of condo 1, which was totally smooth, and the owner was even helpful, allowed early check in, late check out, had a good area map, etc. Also the ground floor security seemed very used to holiday makers arriving with suitcases. Of course I am respectful to long-term renters there and will not make a party there or demand hotel style services. Several long-term renters there tried desperately to get into long talks with me, even though I was just a dreadful holiday maker.

On 12/25/2022 at 10:27 AM, henrik2000 said:

Do you smell any rats here

Yes - YOU.  Short term stays are illegal. YOU and and the owners are all trying to work around the law to your own benefit.

 

Under the law people that live in condos have a right not to be bothered by holiday partiers moving in and out every few days.  Most condos post notice of  fine to both tenant and landlord.

 

Respect the rights of others and stay in a HOTEL. That's exactly what they are for ????

 

 

I'm not hot at all - but you are a repeated offender at something that's forbidden for a very good reason. That's the definition of an <deleted> right?

 

Respect the rights of condo residents to quietly enjoy their homes - stay in a hotel. Nuf said ????  

No need to cool off. Renting less than 30 days is illegal in Thailand

 

Isn't promoting illegal activities also illegal on asean now so therefore OP stating he doesn't care about illegal requirements also breach that requirement ?

@henrik2000 Any rental shorter 30 days at a condo (or any place without hotel license) is illegal. Worst thing that can happen is any neighbour reporting you to juristic office, and since you cannot register there for less than 30 days (they'll ask for your rental contract), juristic officer calls the cops and accuse you of trespassing, which could land you in jail - like a bunch of Chinese at a (one letter) condo in lower Sukhumvit.

 

Stay in hotel.

1 hour ago, Wuvu2 said:

Respect the rights of others and stay in a HOTEL. That's exactly what they are for

That said, I betchya a lot of condos got rented out for a month over Christmas and New Year.....

21 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Hi all, thanks for your opinions so far!

Btw, AirBnB wasn't used, but Agoda and Booking.com.

I had one previous rental with the owner of condo 1, which was totally smooth, and the owner was even helpful, allowed early check in, late check out, had a good area map, etc. Also the ground floor security seemed very used to holiday makers arriving with suitcases. Of course I am respectful to long-term renters there and will not make a party there or demand hotel style services. Several long-term renters there tried desperately to get into long talks with me, even though I was just a dreadful holiday maker.

Take it from a Bangkok condo owner who doesn’t want holidaymakers encroaching on their living space. Nobody wants tourists no matter how perfect they think they are.

Baiting post and replies removed

I wonder why you all bash ME, the clueless potential renter. Why not bash the condo owners who rent out to holiday makers and know about laws and other condo owners' views onto short-term lets?

 

I have the contacts of the condo owners, and they stay not far from you. You want those contacts and go beat them up? Instead of bashing me who knows nothing and just accepted a seemingly harmless regular offer on a widely used booking site.

3 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

I wonder why you all bash ME, the clueless potential renter. Why not bash the condo owners who rent out to holiday makers and know about laws and other condo owners' views onto short-term lets?

 

I have the contacts of the condo owners, and they stay not far from you. You want those contacts and go beat them up? Instead of bashing me who knows nothing and just accepted a seemingly harmless regular offer on a widely used booking site.

    You're no longer 'clueless'.   We've clued you in.  Renting condos for less than a month is illegal in Thailand.   You're breaking the law.   Condo owners living in their condo residences don't want you--as you can see by all the responses you have gotten.   So, stay legal and book at a hotel.  

21 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

I wonder why you all bash ME, the clueless potential renter. Why not bash the condo owners who rent out to holiday makers and know about laws and other condo owners' views onto short-term lets?

 

I have the contacts of the condo owners, and they stay not far from you. You want those contacts and go beat them up? Instead of bashing me who knows nothing and just accepted a seemingly harmless regular offer on a widely used booking site.

Nonsense. You've bragged that you've done it before and lead with "I am not much interested in the legal or technical backgrounds."  In that you are saying you are not interested in the legal rights of the residents of the condo.

 

WE are those residents. You're not the victim - you are the crime ????

1 minute ago, Wuvu2 said:

Nonsense. You've bragged that you've done it before and lead with "I am not much interested in the legal or technical backgrounds."  You're not the victim - you are the crime ????

Chillax man, TIT. It's only wrong if you get caught.

Condo 1:  The owner says it’s unavailable.  So you still insist on keeping the booking?   It’s their personal property.  You cant demand them to rent it to you.  Now if the owner didn’t rent it to you but kept the money, different story. 
Condo 2:  it’s illegal to rent a condo in Thailand for less than 30 days.  You probably could find an owner that does less than 30.  But if the Juristic becomes aware of it they might contact the owner and say you have yo leave.  And if you refuse to leave. .  Well that might not turn out well for you. 

 

 

 

 

Forget about the condo rentals ,stay in a hotel/motel. 

Never let your Passport out of sight . Never send it Anywhere .

In May of 2018 a Hua Hin condo owner was convicted under that law.  Since then???  Maybe one other conviction that I know of and that was a short term party house rental in a mooban.   Everybody knows it is a law that is not enforced and that there is no legal danger, although it may be against condo regulations.  

 

And, by the way, there is no law against renting a condo for a short time.  The renter

of a short term condo has not broken the law no matter how long he rents for.  

 

That said, it is a no brainer.  Don't stay where you are not wanted.