Hi all, been thinking of renting a condo but I’m concerned about the noise coming from neighbours…my experience of living in apartments in Europe wasn’t always good, there was always someone in the apartment above you stomping around and that made a dull thud every time they walked around, you could hear people hoovering and on occasions you could here the neighbours tv and or radio playing, are condos in Thailand like that or are they built with better soundproofing? Interested to hear from your experience

Generally, newer condos have poor soundproofing, but some older ones are better.

Although if you search hard enough, you can find some rooms with a stairway on one side and an external wall on the other, so noise transmission through the walls will be minimal. However, noise from above can be an issue, so top floor may be a good bet.

Also be aware that older condos often have noise from renovation works, which seems to include continuous use of a hammer drill until the cut-off time set by condo rules. Rooftop pools can also sound a submarine under attack from depth charges, so avoid rooms under pools.

Personally, I believe an effective condo management is the key factor, so there's some enforcement for noisy neighbors.

Oh, and avoid rooms next to the lift shaft, as the wooshing lift and clanking doors can be an issue.

'Pey friendly' condos should be avoided due to yapping dogs.

Or rent a detached house.

2 hours ago, essex boys said:

Hi all, been thinking of renting a condo but I’m concerned about the noise

What is the alternative?

I've got a house in a gated community, it can be horrendously noisy if your neighbour rents to Airbnb.

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

What is the alternative?

I've got a house in a gated community, it can be horrendously noisy if your neighbour rents to Airbnb.

As an apartment dweller in both Australia and Thailand, I’d prefer the neighbouring unit to be an Airbnb. If you’re unlucky enough to have a noisy neighbour who’s an owner or long term renter, there’s not a thing you can do about it. I know this from experience in Australia. In the case of an Airbnb, there are lots of avenues for complaints. I use Airbnb’s most of the time in Europe, I’m staying in one right now, and I’m paranoid about making any noise whatsoever. Just one complaint, and my record as a desirable tenant is wrecked, and I’d have problems renting Airbnb’s in the future.

the solution is to do your research and live in a well managed apartment block/complex, there are absolutely no noise or other issues with neighbours in my place, if anyone breaches the contract, with noise, cooking smell, anti-social behaviour, etc. and they're out.

2 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

If anyone breaches the contract, with noise, cooking smell, anti-social behaviour, etc. and they're out.

How do you kick someone out if they own the place?

My place night time very quiet, day time all kinds of noise from refurbs going on and construction and gardening outside

Spouse and I have lived in probably a dozen different condo projects in Pattaya, plus two in Bangkok and one in Rayong. Noise was never a problem in any of them. Occasional renovation noise when we were at the View Talays and sometimes we could hear people talking as they walked down the hallway. That was about it. I would steer clear of the low-rent projects and those overrun with illegal daily renters.

Not if they're empty purchased only for speculation by wealthy Thai buyers who don't even bother to take the paper off the windows like the ones I rented in Hua Hin.

Extremely quiet. 🫠

18 hours ago, Kinnock said:

. . . . . so top floor may be a good bet.

I've always been told to avoid the top floor, not for noise issues obviously, but for the fact that it gets more heat through the roof/ceiling and is the first affected by leaks or any other roofing problem.

OP. An end of corridor one limits the next door neighbours by 50% and usually offers double aspect outlook which is desirable. Other than that, an older, well managed complex will reduce but won't eliminate the noise as others have said, and as you say you will be renting, it's easy to walk away if problems persist anyway.

Lots of things to consider with a condo rental. Even if you pick a good standard condo building, it can depend on your apartment the location in the condo. We are in an ideal building around 6-7 years old with pools, gym’s, etc and well maintained.

Our apartment has no neighbouring apartments either side, so no noise there. Other people complain the walls are thin and neighbour noise disturbs them.

We could hear noise from above, usually starting around 7 in the morning, which disturbed my wife’s sleep in. They have moved out and we await new tenants.

The floor itself can be important. Our nearest neighbour said the previous floor he lived on was noisy and he was glad to have found a quieter floor. We also notice a bit of a garbage smell on the floor the gym is located on, but our Floor is OK. If you are located near the bin room, it can be a concern with both noise and smell.

One side of the building has horrendous road noise, we can’t hear a thing on our side.

We have rental properties close to us, but not AIRBNB. Generally neighbours have been ok, but it’s a constantly changing landscape. Your peace and quiet can be highly impacted by your neighbours.

On 7/14/2026 at 10:51 PM, essex boys said:

Hi all, been thinking of renting a condo but I’m concerned about the noise coming from neighbours…my experience of living in apartments in Europe wasn’t always good,

That's the beauty about renting, you can leave if unhappy. Your past experience implies you won't be happy in a condo, apartment, townhouse, so why not rent a single family detached home. Problem solved, maybe.

My advice as 12 year Landlord, Real Estate investor. Rent. Schedule to view a Condo at the busiest time to understand amount of people, type of people, families with children or mostly couples, Transient foreigners or local Thai's.

Even if you can only rent for a week it should answer most of your question about the Noise and environment in and around the building. Lastly the Juristic and how they manage the issue and other problems

Condominium's short (less than a year) renters (tourists) could be a problem and management usually can’t or won’t do anything about it. I’ve had several different problems with such. Mentally ill people who loved to drag a chair after midnight till morning (working on computer) and ignored warnings. Another case was a guy from the U.S. who assembled things in his room during nights till morning for 2 months. Every 30min dropped a tool on the fleer.

Not easy to find desirable place especially if you are a light sleeper like me. Some farang sleep like bears 🐻 after a few beer. 😂

There more stories about rental rooms. CM and Bangkok. Roof connection is another problem about Attached townhouses. Noise travels under one common roof. You can hear a few house away noise during nights.

It is just a matter of luck. In my case I wasn’t so lucky. And things always changes, today everything is beautiful tomorrow will be hell.

My condo is unearthly quiet.

It isn't a function of soundproofing because when my upstairs neighbor is around I can hear them moving around.

I do wonder if some of the other apartments are occupied on a regular basis.

Another reason I wonder is because I seldom encounter anyone on the elevator or in the hallway, where are they all the time?

Although I have been told I am paying too much for rent I am glad to pay rent that is high enough to exclude low life renters.

That may be as significant as anything, if you go low rent you get low rent neighbors which may mean noisy neighbors.

On 7/15/2026 at 3:16 AM, newnative said:

Noise was never a problem in any of them. Occasional renovation noise when we were at the View Talays and sometimes we could hear people talking as they walked down the hallway. That was about it. I would steer clear of the low-rent projects and those overrun with illegal daily renters.

I am surprised that you got the idea View Talays are not noisy. I rented in VT5 and 6. In both condos I could hear the neighbor talking, TV etc. But maybe my hearing is just too good, who knows.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer and also many thanks for your suggestions, looks like the condos here are as equally noisy as those I have rented in Europe before

2 hours ago, cdemundo said:

My condo is unearthly quiet.

It isn't a function of soundproofing because when my upstairs neighbor is around I can hear them moving around.

I do wonder if some of the other apartments are occupied on a regular basis.

Another reason I wonder is because I seldom encounter anyone on the elevator or in the hallway, where are they all the time?

Although I have been told I am paying too much for rent I am glad to pay rent that is high enough to exclude low life renters.

ResidentialRentals

That may be as significant as anything, if you go low rent you get low rent neighbors which may mean noisy neighbors.

So far, I've lived in three different condos in the Pattaya area, and I've never encountered a noise problem. Quite the opposite. I never hear a peep from any direction, probably because most of the condos are unoccupied or only occupied on occasion. In one condo, I never saw another human being on my floor. In the last two, maybe two of the six units on my floor ever had any occupants. In my current building, the condo next door is owned by a young couple from Russia. They seem to be here about once a year, and the rest of the time, that place is empty. I never hear any noise from any direction.

I think that every person has a different sensitivity level regarding noise. I am overly sensitive waking up from noises others do not hear. If in a neighboring room someone uses the toilet in the nighttime or plugs in a phone charger or drags a chair that is enough to wake me up. Of course these are normal things not to complain about.

I once was in a resort in Isaan with a friend, we slept in 2 bungalows just a few meters distance away from each other. I had a terrible and sleepless night. I woke up for at 1 am because the owner of the resort was talking on his phone outside. There were teenagers riding their motorcycles in the middle of the night back and forth while talking loudly together . Then finally a rooster started to crow at exactly 3.30 am, 4 am, 4.30 am, 5 am, 5.30 am and the final time at 6 am which is the time I usually get up anyway. I was really completely exhausted. And guess what? My friend did not hear anything having the best sleep until 10 am.

Edited July 16Jul 16 by msbkk

Some are quiet and some are not. I suggest you visit the condominium in the area you intend to rent in the evening. People will probably be in the adjoining apartments and you can see if the area is quiet or not.

1 hour ago, Cenovis said:

I am surprised that you got the idea View Talays are not noisy. I rented in VT5 and 6. In both condos I could hear the neighbor talking, TV etc. But maybe my hearing is just too good, who knows.

ResidentialRentals

We had a front corner unit at VT3 B and at that time--around 2011/2012--there were not many other residents on our floor and if anyone walked down to the end they were coming to see us--as the other corner unit wasn't sold at the time. At VT5C we had two side-by-side studio units so we were only dealing with neighbors on one side of each unit--and they were either quiet or not in residence. VT3 and 5C had not great quality entrance doors and we did hear people walking by at 5C now and then but it wasn't really a problem.

Perhaps because of some complaints to the VT Company about the VT3 and 5 door quality (including us), VT7 had expensive, vault-like steel entrance doors and our condo there was quiet--and all of the condos around us in the front wing had been sold by then.

If I bought a condo, I would at least soundproof the bedroom and make sure it had decent ventilation and a good air purifier.

If you are above 70, why bother buying? Renting is perfectly fine, especially considering that the average rental yield in Thailand is around 5% of a condo’s value. How many years of rent would equal the purchase price, plus common fees and other ownership costs?

If you plan to stay for more than 10 years, the right condo might be a good investment. But from my experience, many of the condos we looked at years ago are still selling for the same price or even less, while new developments keep appearing every year. It is a very tough market for most condos in Thailand.

I would most likely have bought one if they had let me rent it for three months before buying. Thank God they declined my offer.