Somros Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 I am bit confused about the distinction, if there is any - from a purchase lagality perspective. Can foreigners purchase apartments outright? When and when not? What's the difference from a "condo"? In Thai sites I can sometimes see "apartment" - what should be checked to determine if those can be bought or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msbkk Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 You might read this: Difference Between Condos vs Apartments for sale and rent (remax.co.th) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lacessit Posted August 1, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 1, 2023 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Somros said: I am bit confused about the distinction, if there is any - from a purchase lagality perspective. Can foreigners purchase apartments outright? When and when not? What's the difference from a "condo"? In Thai sites I can sometimes see "apartment" - what should be checked to determine if those can be bought or not? The condo is the total building, apartments make up the condo. The terms are interchangeable, when someone refers to their condo it means their apartment. A foreigner can purchase a condo outright, I have done so. However, the overall ownership of condo apartments by Thai law must be 51% Thai. The post by msbkk is a distinction I was not aware of. Edited August 1, 2023 by Lacessit 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somros Posted August 1, 2023 Author Share Posted August 1, 2023 2 minutes ago, Lacessit said: The condo is the total building, apartments make up the condo. The terms are interchangeable, when someone refers to their condo it means their apartment. A foreigner can purchase a condo outright, I have done so. However, the overall ownership of condo apartments by Thai law must be 51% Thai. When I wrote "condo" I meant a condominium unit, of course, not the whole building. @msbkk's reply indicates there is a difference. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somros Posted August 1, 2023 Author Share Posted August 1, 2023 26 minutes ago, msbkk said: You might read this: Difference Between Condos vs Apartments for sale and rent (remax.co.th) Thanks, that is helpful. So an "apartment" in an "Apartment building" can't be purchased at all. I'll try to find an example from a Thai site that confused me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacessit Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 10 minutes ago, Somros said: Thanks, that is helpful. So an "apartment" in an "Apartment building" can't be purchased at all. I'll try to find an example from a Thai site that confused me. I suppose the other distinction might be whether the building has a juristic person or a manager. AFAIK every condo has a juristic person, I don't know if they are employed in apartment buildings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4MyEgo Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 (edited) I learn something everyday. This sounds similar e.g. condominiums would be similar to the Strata Title units back in Oz which are bound by the Owners Corporation (Owners). Apartment here would be similar to the old Company Title units back in Oz which would be owning shares in the company. Lenders mostly wouldn't lend on such a title unless the buyer had a huge deposit which would reduce the lenders risk. Edited August 1, 2023 by 4MyEgo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post FriendlyFarang Posted August 3, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 3, 2023 On 8/1/2023 at 4:52 PM, Lacessit said: The condo is the total building, apartments make up the condo. The terms are interchangeable, when someone refers to their condo it means their apartment. A foreigner can purchase a condo outright, I have done so. However, the overall ownership of condo apartments by Thai law must be 51% Thai. The post by msbkk is a distinction I was not aware of. That's wrong. A condo consists of condo units, which can be owned by different people, the common area is owned partially by everybody who owns a unit. An apartment building is basically the same as a hotel, just for stays of 30 days or more (some "apartments" also hold a hotel license, allowing them to rent out on a daily basis), the whole building is owned by one person (or a company), who rents out the individual units. So if you plan to purchase, then you are looking exclusively at condos, not at apartments. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacessit Posted August 3, 2023 Share Posted August 3, 2023 7 hours ago, FriendlyFarang said: That's wrong. A condo consists of condo units, which can be owned by different people, the common area is owned partially by everybody who owns a unit. An apartment building is basically the same as a hotel, just for stays of 30 days or more (some "apartments" also hold a hotel license, allowing them to rent out on a daily basis), the whole building is owned by one person (or a company), who rents out the individual units. So if you plan to purchase, then you are looking exclusively at condos, not at apartments. I already said I was wrong, based on the post by msbkk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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