My Thai wife of 35 years and I have a house in Surin. I am close to retirement and intended to settle in LOS but more and more I hear reports of domestic burglary aimed at Farangs.

Apart from heavy furniture, and fittings, there is nothing of value kept in our house yet, it has been broken into four times in the last ten years. Consequently we have done the usual modifications with steel grilles on the windows, steel gates on the doors all of which make living in like being in jail.

A farang friend of mine, already retired in LOS had secured` his fortress and left the country for a couple of weeks; left Number 1 son in charge. On his return found the place looted completely, everything except the walls gone. No 1 son decided to go away with illicit GF for the weekend and the opportunists moved in with a truck or trucks.

In all these cases the local police rarely nab the culprits, let alone recover the goods.

What problems have others had? What have you done to reduce the risk? Have you got household contents insurance and have the insurers paid out? Any tips for the unwary?

Peter

To protect our property properly we get elderly, healthy relative(s) to live in while we are away and pay them a small monthly sum.

2 advantages to this:

Old folks wont party or suddenly disappear leaving the house unattended, and

They are usually over th emoon to live in a better house tahn they are in even if it is for a short time...

Has worked for us so far !!

Meow Yai, I am that elderly active relative!

Our house allways has Thai relatives living in it at the moment mother-in-law (sister-in-law+son at the moment having a bust up with her husband) they live/use the ground floor.When in Thailand wife and i live on first floor. The whole family decends from the village to cook and eat their evening meal on our veranda. Never have to worry about locking doors windows at night or when going to town    

Morgan.