The owners of the condo building where I have my unit are letting the general maintenance of the building deteriorate. The swimming pool is not available due to repairs not being done and the outside of the building looks very bad because it has not been repainted. Does anyone know if there is anything I can do?

If you are renting you can pressure the owner of the condo with threat to move elsewhere.

If you own the condo, you can approach other owners to form an association to take over the management

and then get the jobs done yourselves.

Taking over has got to be a process that's going to take years isn't it ?This is Thailand and such things move slower than a snail.

One important aspect of this matter is the insurance on the building.

In theory there should be a 'master' policy and the payment of the annual premium shared by all the owners, either as an annual lump sum or as a monthly payment.

If this is not happening then personally I would be starting to panic.

Perhaps my further comment is off the subject a bit, however before i purchased my condo (deliberately purchased second hand) I checked thoroughly that:

- There is a 'maintenance committee'

- It does have regular meetings

- There is some form of maintenance plan to keep the building in fairly good order, and there is a good track record of the maintenance activity

- That the insurance was being taken care of

- That farang owners were welcome to join the committee meetings and that their views were listened to

Luckily I found such a building and I purchased a nice size 2 bed condo.

One important aspect of this matter is the insurance on the building.

In theory there should be a 'master' policy and the payment of the annual premium shared by all the owners, either as an annual lump sum or as a monthly payment.

If this is not happening then personally I would be starting to panic.

Perhaps my further comment is off the subject a bit, however before i purchased my condo (deliberately purchased second hand) I checked thoroughly that:

- There is a 'maintenance committee'

- It does have regular meetings

- There is some form of maintenance plan to keep the building in fairly good order, and there is a good track record of the maintenance activity

- That the insurance was being taken care of

- That farang owners were welcome to join the committee meetings and that their views were listened to

Luckily I found such a building and I purchased a nice size 2 bed condo.

How much and where?

The owners of the condo building where I have my unit are letting the general maintenance of the building deteriorate. The swimming pool is not available due to repairs not being done and the outside of the building looks very bad because it has not been repainted. Does anyone know if there is anything I can do?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

These are the reasons that it is unwise to buy into a condo development. And even if you take the sensible precautions recommended by Alanw, there is absolutely no guarantee that things will not change for the worse down the track.

I personally would either rent in a condo development, or buy (through my wife) a free-standing house.

Have a look at FAQ: http://www.thaivisa.com/349.0.html

Q: What rights do I have, as a condominum owner, to have a say in the daily operations (maintenance, add new common facilities etc) of the condominium property (where my unit is located) in Thailand?

 

A: A condominium is managed by a co owners committee which comprises elected co owners and the juristic person (the co owner legally permitted to sign legal documents on behalf of the condominium).The co owners committee oversees all matters pertaining to the condominium and direct the building managers in the daily operations. A condominium must have an Annual General Meeting (AGM) where the co owners committee present the audited financial statements, new committee members are elected and any issue may be raised by any co owner. As a co owner you have voting rights usually based upon the condomium area or value. Votes are held. In this process a condominium owner has a say in the running and management of a condominium property. Naturally being elected to the co owners committee may provide more of an indirect say in the daily operations.

Hope this helps

Maybe there are some (or quite a few) owners who are not paying their CAM fees and there is simply not enough money to get the maintenence taken care of.

Now if you're talking about Yensabai Condo in Pattaya, it's because the owner is over-extended in his new developments. Only about 60% of the building is owned by tenants, the rest is rented out by the owner.

(I am moving out this weekend, after more than four years as a renting tenant)

It is being filled now with Russians and Arabs, where previously there were many Germans / French / Italians. I think this is a step on the downward path.

The OP applies to my condo in CMai. If they don't fix the pool before the hot season starts, I'll start complaining. After that, I'll just leave (I have rented now for 18 months). Sure, there's an Olympic pool at work that's well maintained and free, but I want a pool at home.

Can't beat 'em, so leave 'em. But I don't BUY real estate anymore, anywhere.