Illegal Condo Rentals Spark Concerns in Thailand

[webfact]

Photo via Drama-addict Facebook page

 

A growing issue over allegedly illegal condo rentals by Chinese owners has recently surfaced in Thailand, drawing significant attention and concerns from local residents and authorities. This trend sees Chinese nationals purchasing properties and renting them out as short-term accommodations, sidestepping the regulations normally required for hotel operations.

 

The problem was highlighted by a popular Facebook page, which has detailed the plight of residents in affected buildings. These residents have seen an increasing number of foreigners with luggage entering their buildings, giving the appearance of bustling hotels rather than peaceful homes.

 

The page reveals that these condo owners are predominantly Chinese, often owning numerous units within a single building—sometimes dominating entire floors. The consequence for other residents is an environment akin to living in a busy hotel, disrupting their peace and daily lives.

 

Furthermore, these short-term tenants, often arriving without understanding or caring for communal regulations, engage in activities such as indoor cannabis smoking, alcohol consumption in shared spaces, and even swimming in pools with shoes on. In some cases, parking areas have been used improperly, with reports of tourists driving against the flow of traffic.

 

These actions not only cause disconcerting disturbances but also leave the management of these buildings with few options, as tourists usually leave before any damages can be assessed or rectified.

In efforts to combat this issue, some buildings have turned to technology, installing face scan systems to restrict access and replace traditional keycard systems. However, these measures seem to fall short, as the scanning systems continue to register an alarming rate of around 70 to 100 new entries each month.

 

Attempts to engage the Department of Provincial Administration for inspections have proven problematic, as there appears to be no designated authority responsible for regulating daily rentals. Without decisive intervention from building managers or government bodies, the problem seems set to persist, as reported by KhaoSod.

 

In a related twist, former senator Rosana Tositrakul has recently called on the Bangkok governor to enforce a decade-old court order concerning the demolition of the Aetas condominium in Pathumwan district. The 21-storey building remains in defiance of the Building Control Act, continuing to stand despite the Supreme Administrative Court's directive for its removal.

 

The scale of illegal rentals and unresolved building violations presents an ongoing challenge, raising questions about the enforceability of regulations and the balance between property ownership and community welfare in Thailand's rapidly developing urban landscape, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-02-24

 

 

[flyingtlger]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

Furthermore, these short-term tenants, often arriving without understanding or caring for communal regulations, engage in activities such as indoor cannabis smoking, alcohol consumption in shared spaces, and even swimming in pools with shoes on. In some cases, parking areas have been used improperly, with reports of tourists driving against the flow of traffic.

Chinese are hated everywhere in the world because of things like this and their disregard and disrespect to locals and local laws....

[Geoffggi]

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

Attempts to engage the Department of Provincial Administration for inspections have proven problematic, as there appears to be no designated authority responsible for regulating daily rentals.

 

Further evidence of corruption within the administrative department

[Karma80]

I was in Bangkok last week on business and stayed at a 5* hotel. The lobby was full of Chinese who had checked out but were camping out, lying and sleeping across sofas and chairs with feet on the furniture. The staff were exasperated and repeatedly asked them not to do it, to no real impact. 

 

If Thailand doesn't clamp down on this rental behaviour now, the Chinese will continue to push boundaries.

I am curious which buildings are heavily impacted by this in Bangkok.

[ikke1959]

Again the mai pen rai attitude is ruining Thailand. If someone buys a condo they must register it on their name and are only allowed to buy one appartment for own living. If they want to rent out the others they should go to the chamber of Commerce and register their rental company and also the conditions for the business, such as max stay, how many people and rent etc. With accounts, and taxes. But here in Thailand everybody can as they like.. so you this kind of situations, just because a lack of rules and enforcements. Corruption and maffia although it is denied on all levels.. and this is the result. And Chinese... yeah if a guest in a hotel can't behave, the hotel has the right to refuse them.. So if they don't do as the management want it, send them away, with or without police

[Chivas]

They have completely stopped the short termers staying at Condo residence I have in Jomtien

They introduced a facial scan on main entrances and individual condo blocks

To be registered for the scan you have to produce contract of 30 days and longer

 

Of course many didnt or couldnt comply and were promptly denied entry when it went "live"

 

The pool areas decreased in numbers in excess of 50%

[lordgrinz]

2 hours ago, Karma80 said:

I was in Bangkok last week on business and stayed at a 5* hotel. The lobby was full of Chinese who had checked out but were camping out, lying and sleeping across sofas and chairs with feet on the furniture. The staff were exasperated and repeatedly asked them not to do it, to no real impact. 

 

 

[Robert_Smith]

Whoever is renting their condo's out to Russian drat dodgers and their noisy familes, could you please stop it at once!

 

Thanks.

 

regards,

Bob.

[MikeandDow]

Just now, Robert_Smith said:

Whoever is renting their condo's out to Russian drat dodgers and their noisy familes, could you please stop it at once!

 

Thanks.

 

regards,

Bob.

Whats,a drat dodger !! 

[marin]

2 hours ago, Karma80 said:

I am curious which buildings are heavily impacted by this in Bangkok.

I am curious what 5 star hotel here even rents rooms to Chinese tour groups. 

[Robert_Smith]

Just now, MikeandDow said:

Whats,a drat dodger !! 

....someone who dodges the draft.

 

regards,

Bob.

[MikeandDow]

9 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

 

 

Good vid !!

[Sandboxer]

45 minutes ago, Chivas said:

They have completely stopped the short termers staying at Condo residence I have in Jomtien

Excellent. Can you name (or PM) your condo please? 

[Woke to Sounds]

39 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

 

 

A brave woman, but much like the author of Wild Swans, and the artist Ai Wei Wei, she had better watch her back now.

 

Hopefully she is living outside of China - including HK and Taiwan.

 

The commies cannot stand criticism.

[Tony M]

21 minutes ago, Sandboxer said:

Excellent. Can you name (or PM) your condo please? 

I would be interested to know also. We have a similar problem, mainly with Russians but with individual condos now being purchased by Chinese.

[pomchop]

Thank airbnb who basically started the short term rental biz and has turned thousands of once tranquil condos and neighborhoods into hotels ....and does not give a crap about anything except how much $$ they make.  So of course the chinese and many others think hey we can do that and don't need to give airbnb a cut...People who buy a condo where the rules clearly forbid short term rentals suddenly find they are living in a hotel with people coming and going all hours, elevators crowded with luggage, pool areas packed with too many people, etc...hotels paying license and taxes and short term rental bunch no license no taxes...hotel alliance in many cities have put lot of pressure to stop it...some places they have done it...but the authorities ultimately have to deal with it and not just say mai pen rie.
 

 

Some buildings in BKK have done a decent job of putting big signs in lobby advising min stay is 30 or more days and asking owners to report any unit they suspect is in violation and then HOA actually fines them and will cut off their water and electric if they ignore the fines.  That stops it in it's tracks...of course if chinese or owners are bribing the hoa to look the other way then good luck.

 

 

[lordgrinz]

9 minutes ago, pomchop said:

of course if chinese or owners are bribing the hoa to look the other way then good luck.

 

If? 

[Chivas]

39 minutes ago, Sandboxer said:

Excellent. Can you name (or PM) your condo please? 

 

Laguna 3 Maldives

[Celsius]

I am sure all those Chinese condo owners will be reporting their rentals on their tax return this year.

 

Where is Mike Lister so I can $#&@#$$

[henryford1958]

25 minutes ago, pomchop said:

Thank airbnb who basically started the short term rental biz and has turned thousands of once tranquil condos and neighborhoods into hotels ....and does not give a crap about anything except how much $$ they make.  So of course the chinese and many others think hey we can do that and don't need to give airbnb a cut...People who buy a condo where the rules clearly forbid short term rentals suddenly find they are living in a hotel with people coming and going all hours, elevators crowded with luggage, pool areas packed with too many people, etc...hotels paying license and taxes and short term rental bunch no license no taxes...hotel alliance in many cities have put lot of pressure to stop it...some places they have done it...but the authorities ultimately have to deal with it and not just say mai pen rie.
 

 

Some buildings in BKK have done a decent job of putting big signs in lobby advising min stay is 30 or more days and asking owners to report any unit they suspect is in violation and then HOA actually fines them and will cut off their water and electric if they ignore the fines.  That stops it in it's tracks...of course if chinese or owners are bribing the hoa to look the other way then good luck.

 

 

 

Most condos have these signs but of course the Chinese owners will just ignore it. The only way to stop it is action like Chivas mentioned.  I doubt if there are ANY Chinese tourists who stay 30 days or more.

[HappyExpat57]

44 minutes ago, Tony M said:

I would be interested to know also. We have a similar problem, mainly with Russians but with individual condos now being purchased by Chinese.

I used to stay at La Royale in Na Jomtien. Nice place, but they were being taken over by Chinese and talk of making it a short term place was in the works. When I return to Jomtien, I'll be looking for a place that DOESN'T allow short stay renters.

[HappyExpat57]

https://www.hipflat.co.th/en/projects/laguna-beach-resort-3-the-maldives-msoszl

[pomchop]

25 minutes ago, henryford1958 said:

 

Most condos have these signs but of course the Chinese owners will just ignore it. The only way to stop it is action like Chivas mentioned.  I doubt if there are ANY Chinese tourists who stay 30 days or more.

action has to come from hoa/jurristic...if they do not enforce by turning off water/electric then good luck.....not just chinese who abuse it all but thais brits americans russsians etc...owners who do not give a crap about anything except $$....

[jaideedave]

2 hours ago, Chivas said:

They have completely stopped the short termers staying at Condo residence I have in Jomtien

They introduced a facial scan on main entrances and individual condo blocks

To be registered for the scan you have to produce contract of 30 days and longer

 

Of course many didnt or couldnt comply and were promptly denied entry when it went "live"

 

The pool areas decreased in numbers in excess of 50%

@ Chivas> I really like that idea of the scanner. I researched the Jomtien condo I'm renting and management told me short term rentals are not allowed. The buildings only use a key card sytsem.In over a year I've only noticed a few obvious short termers.

I won't hesitate to report any I see if they cause issues. The real problem here is the Boris and Svetlana people who love to slam doors and fight with each other. Juridic asks for a video clip which I'm sure would get me involved more than I care to. Hopefully they don't stay more than a month.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

This trend sees Chinese nationals purchasing properties and renting them out as short-term accommodations, sidestepping the regulations normally required for hotel operations.

Chinese buy a property and then rent it out to Chinese tourists... they don't give a fig for Thai law

[Nickcage49]

More and more this country seems to be discouraging people from visiting.

[pomchop]

5 minutes ago, Nickcage49 said:

More and more this country seems to be discouraging people from visiting.

so u love having  gangs of short time tourists move into a condo building that you bought that forbids short term rentals and turning it into a hotel....?  u might not feel that way if it was a condo you bought thinking that axsholes would not turn it into a hotel?  right.

[newnative]

5 hours ago, Karma80 said:

I was in Bangkok last week on business and stayed at a 5* hotel. The lobby was full of Chinese who had checked out but were camping out, lying and sleeping across sofas and chairs with feet on the furniture. The staff were exasperated and repeatedly asked them not to do it, to no real impact. 

 

If Thailand doesn't clamp down on this rental behaviour now, the Chinese will continue to push boundaries.

I am curious which buildings are heavily impacted by this in Bangkok.

    Whether it's Bangkok, Pattaya, or other tourist cities, I would say the condo projects most impacted are the newer, massive projects of 500 to 1000 units or more, with the majority of the units being small 25 to 35 sqm condos--which are ideal as illegal 'hotel' rooms.   The newer projects also allow a buyer to easily purchase multiple new units all at one time--rather than buying one by one resales from individual owners.  This allows these buyers to, in effect, run an illegal boutique hotel within the condo project, using condo staff, and bypassing any hotel regulations, taxes, etc.

     I've told this story before.  Spouse and I used to own at a then new condo project in Pattaya with over 1200 units, many small in size.  At one AGM, a Chinese owner stood up and  announced that he paid over 1 million baht in condo fees each year so why shouldn't he be allowed to rent his rooms daily, even if it was illegal?   

    Well, he answered his own question--it's illegal--but do the math.  Supposing his unit average is 35 sqm and the condo fee is 60 baht a sqm, that equates to about 25,000 baht a year in condo fees, per unit.  If he is paying 1MB a year in condo fees, that indicates he owns around 40 condos in the project--definitely a boutique hotel that he was--and maybe still is--illegally running.    He was not the only one doing illegal rentals in the project and management, at the time, did absolutely nothing.  

    We had to sell and move--living there was not enjoyable at all as a year-round resident.  We now own a house but if we ever buy another condo to live in we will look for an older, well-kept project, with a much smaller number of larger units.   For example, something like Northshore, with less than 200 units, with the smallest condo being around 64 sqm--which would be one of the largest in many of the new projects being built.  We would also look for a project aggressive against illegal rentals and one that embraces new technology--such as facial scanning--to help fight the problem.