Landlord Has Building Turn Off Our Water, 5 Days Late On Rent

[mobiryder]

Background:

Our 12 month lease is up as of 6 days ago (not 5 as stated in the subject, edit). We were 6 days late paying rent but it was paid earlier today. We've been under 6 days late a couple of times over the past 12 months. He is from a prominent family in Thailand, very prominent, and our building is quite exclusive.

Other than the 3 late (less than a week) rent payments where he'd call us (always during a visa run, we'd be in another country and yes I understand I should have just paid before we departed but it just wasn't so), we've had a fine relationship, quite cordial in fact. One time he turned off our water and I went down to the building office in a rage and told them they had 2 minutes to turn my water back on or else. He called and told me it was a misunderstanding it was supposed to happen to another tenant of his in that same building who was late on rent and he was very apologetic.

Situation:

This guy wants to meet and make a new 6 month lease as I told him I wasn't sure if we would move to another country for my business or not. I told him I'll know more next week let's do it then. 1 hour later my wife tells me my 16 month old daughter can't take her bedtime shower because the water has been turned off. She called Mr Landlord and asked what's up and he said he'll have it switched back on right away and he apologized and noted he told them earlier to switch it off because of our 6 day late rental payment.

When I caught word of this I called him, told him not only is he unethical in ordering the cessation of a basic human necessity but he was also grossly unlawful and then I kind of blew my top and told him 'I am the wrong farang to <deleted> with' and did he understand that? He said he understood. Then I hung up.

Questions:

-What's the real deal?

-Can he legally tell the building to turn off my water (water bill was paid in full, and on time!)?

-What can he do now that I've obviously insulted him with my closing words?

Edited November 3, 2009 by mobiryder

[imaneggspurt]

Its no good asking about laws in Thailand, they are all made to be broken,.sounds like you want to get out fast after seeing this side to the creep,.

[angiud]

Try to pay your rent on time.

I have a house and 3 shops I rented from thai and, believe me, you cannot delay one day on the payment ( a fee of 1000 baht every day late!).

They can break the contract too I pay too late (one/two weeks)

TIT

[gotlost]

Their country their laws they can rules in midle of game you are screwed. Get out.

[thaibear1]

few days without water can be? believe house owners have a lot of people which are late with payments, farangs and Thai.

BE HAPPY, as greenhorn it happen me in a village in CNX and 2 years later here 200 km in the South of Bangkok. If you are 2 days late with bill for electrical power .... no warning and you are disconnected by the electric supplyer company and ..... with the effect all your food in deep-freezer and refrigerator is over!!! So I learn better leave money to your friend or neighbour if you go in the due period on travel.

[mobiryder]

the question is pretty straighforward.. is it legal for the landlord to DISCONNECT a tenant's water when he is 6 days late paying rent? or even any days paying rent for that matter?

what does a tenant's current water-charge have to do with his rent to the landlord?

[KhunOr]

Questions:

-What's the real deal?

A: You must pay on time

-Can he legally tell the building to turn off my water (water bill was paid in full, and on time!)?

A: There's no law to stop him doing that

-What can he do now that I've obviously insulted him with my closing words?

A: He can refuse to renew your lease and probably will

It may be annoying to you to have to follow your lease payment agreements and especially if you can get away with that in your own country, but many landlords just won't take the risks in Thailand. At the end of the day it is a matter of friendship and trust and i'm afraid you've well and truly blown any chance of that now.

[mobiryder]

Questions:

-What's the real deal?

A: You must pay on time

-Can he legally tell the building to turn off my water (water bill was paid in full, and on time!)?

A: There's no law to stop him doing that

-What can he do now that I've obviously insulted him with my closing words?

A: He can refuse to renew your lease and probably will

It may be annoying to you to have to follow your lease payment agreements and especially if you can get away with that in your own country, but many landlords just won't take the risks in Thailand. At the end of the day it is a matter of friendship and trust and i'm afraid you've well and truly blown any chance of that now.

thx for your answer... it seems you have a disain for ppl who slipped up a few days on rent before. although i'm certain it never happened to you of course, it happened to me. That makes it OK for him to have my water shut off?

[wolf5370]

Personally never been late with rent, but my agreement has a week grace period built in (12-18th each month - which I take as a pay date of the 12th with a grace period up to the 18th).

It would probably be costly and take a long time to legally get people out of your property once their agreement was up or if they just stopped paying - so I can understand something like turning the water off is a good prompter "contact your landlord!" - could be worse, could have turned of the electricity.

[KhunOr]

I was not being judgemental. Nothing personal. Simply answering your questions. That's the way is here in Thailand. And in particular note that to get away with paying late you need (first) to have mutual trust and friendship.

[yabaaaa]

Questions:

-What's the real deal?

A: You must pay on time

-Can he legally tell the building to turn off my water (water bill was paid in full, and on time!)?

A: There's no law to stop him doing that

-What can he do now that I've obviously insulted him with my closing words?

A: He can refuse to renew your lease and probably will

It may be annoying to you to have to follow your lease payment agreements and especially if you can get away with that in your own country, but many landlords just won't take the risks in Thailand. At the end of the day it is a matter of friendship and trust and i'm afraid you've well and truly blown any chance of that now.

thx for your answer... it seems you have a disain for ppl who slipped up a few days on rent before. although i'm certain it never happened to you of course, it happened to me. That makes it OK for him to have my water shut off?

Yes but maybe perhaps (I doubt it though) you wont pay late at your next condo??

[moe666]

I have been a land lord, nothing like a renter who wants to be late paying the rent.

[johnnyk]

From the OP it seems this is the 4th time he has been late.

Maybe the landlord is fed up with chasing him. Late once, ok things happen. Late twice, get it together buddy.

Four times? Time for the OP to take responsibility for his obligations.

Look at it this way: the landlord was late with the water.

[mobiryder]

It was my understanding that the landlord can't legally turn your water off. It's unrelated to the rent. This is what I'm looking for in a definitive answer. I'll let you know what I found out from my lawyer for the record here as nobody seems to know 100% here

[ericthai]

It was my understanding that the landlord can't legally turn your water off. It's unrelated to the rent. This is what I'm looking for in a definitive answer. I'll let you know what I found out from my lawyer for the record here as nobody seems to know 100% here

Legally the owner of the condo can have the the water turned off. It is his condo, if you are late paying he can do this.

[imaneggspurt]

Questions:

-What's the real deal?

A: You must pay on time

-Can he legally tell the building to turn off my water (water bill was paid in full, and on time!)?

A: There's no law to stop him doing that

-What can he do now that I've obviously insulted him with my closing words?

A: He can refuse to renew your lease and probably will

It may be annoying to you to have to follow your lease payment agreements and especially if you can get away with that in your own country, but many landlords just won't take the risks in Thailand. At the end of the day it is a matter of friendship and trust and i'm afraid you've well and truly blown any chance of that now.

thx for your answer... it seems you have a disain for ppl who slipped up a few days on rent before. although i'm certain it never happened to you of course, it happened to me. That makes it OK for him to have my water shut off?

Ive also been late paying in the past a few times, our landlord ( an indian businessman ) has never said a word, in fact i once called him from overseas to tell him id be a week late and he told me to relax, no problem,.someont taking these steps after a few days in my opinion is being unreasonable, all you lot shouting its the ops fault are almost as bad as his landlord it seems,. .i am also a landlord and if my tenant was to ask for a few days grace id grant it,. ,.no big deal,. Edited November 4, 2009 by imaneggspurt

[imaneggspurt]

Questions:

-What's the real deal?

A: You must pay on time

-Can he legally tell the building to turn off my water (water bill was paid in full, and on time!)?

A: There's no law to stop him doing that

-What can he do now that I've obviously insulted him with my closing words?

A: He can refuse to renew your lease and probably will

It may be annoying to you to have to follow your lease payment agreements and especially if you can get away with that in your own country, but many landlords just won't take the risks in Thailand. At the end of the day it is a matter of friendship and trust and i'm afraid you've well and truly blown any chance of that now.

Well id say he is well away from him and that he never was a friend, in fact if it was me id go 2 weeks late then move out and leave the tw@t with an empty house, hes being petty in my opinion turning off the water,and after seeing his true colors his aquantance/friendship was a farce anyway, typical thai behaviour id say, smile at the farang when hes shelling out, shit on him if something goes wrong,.

[dave111223]

Visa Runs + Late Rent + "Don't <deleted> with me" != "Exclusive" condo resident

I'm guessing that will be the equation when calculating whether your lease will be renewed.

[hhgz]

"it seems you have a disain for ppl who slipped up a few days on rent before."

Why do you think it's OK for you to breach your lease several times, and not be punished for any of your lapses? How did your landlord know that you weren't going to be 7 days, 10 days, 15 days late? Your responsibility is to pay your rent on time, and you simply refuse to do so. As you've mentioned, you frequently have more important things to do than to uphold your responsibilities. I'm not sure why you have such disdain for your landlord.

[longball53098]

I have been a renter many times and always had some sort of agreement as to the amount of the rent and the time frame when it must be paid and what if any late fees would be due if late on the payments.

I always pay my rent on time or within the due date just like my electric, water and internet invoices. Its all the same. You are subscribing to a service and you signed an agreement that said you would pay and when.

No the shoe is on another foot and I am a landlord and I rent out an apartment. I have a contract that is read and signed by both parties. It includes the amount, when its due and when its late and what the charges will be if late. After the late period elapses then there is a clause saying what I will do if past the late pay period.

Renting a house or apartment is a business and business owners usually have bills to pay. They expect a renter when they sign the agreement will live up to their responsibility.

You were late on several occasions. Now you are upset because the landlord took action to wake you up to the the fact that you are shirking your responsibility again.

Now you most likely peed him off.

Time to move and find another exclusive place to rent and be on time paying the rent

[mobiryder]

i don't think it's OK to be rate on rent.. i do, however, believe everyone has been late on rent more than once in their lives which makes this thread stink. Either way, the only thing I'd like to see debated is whether it's legal for him to do this. Obviously he's a dick and make no mistake that I intend to get the better of him one way or another. I'm just starting with the 'legalities' of what he did as I was advised by a very affluent friend and 'resident' of Thailand that it's grossly illegal for him to mess with the utilities for a multitude of reasons, one being they have no relation to 'rental fees' and it's definitely not stated in our lease agreement that 'Landord will cut your utilities if you're more than 5 days late paying rent'.

[Briggsy]

Its no good asking about laws in Thailand, they are all made to be broken,.sounds like you want to get out fast after seeing this side to the creep,.

Indeed, once again the informal legal system trumps the formal one.

[mobiryder]

I have been a renter many times and always had some sort of agreement as to the amount of the rent and the time frame when it must be paid and what if any late fees would be due if late on the payments.

I always pay my rent on time or within the due date just like my electric, water and internet invoices. Its all the same. You are subscribing to a service and you signed an agreement that said you would pay and when.

No the shoe is on another foot and I am a landlord and I rent out an apartment. I have a contract that is read and signed by both parties. It includes the amount, when its due and when its late and what the charges will be if late. After the late period elapses then there is a clause saying what I will do if past the late pay period.

Renting a house or apartment is a business and business owners usually have bills to pay. They expect a renter when they sign the agreement will live up to their responsibility.

You were late on several occasions. Now you are upset because the landlord took action to wake you up to the the fact that you are shirking your responsibility again.

Now you most likely peed him off.

Time to move and find another exclusive place to rent and be on time paying the rent

this is the best explanation yet, thanks... there's certainly no 'we turn off your water at 7pm' clause in the lease. more of a penalty charge after X days, that's it. that being said.. our lease is technically expired as of last week and he's been seeking renewal as i initially stated. perhaps he thought we were going to shirk out on the last month of rent because we know not to expect a deposit etc back... (now that i think of it we just paid the 13th month if im not mistaken) we just paid him for next month.. this seems to complicate matters as now i'm pretty sure i don't want to stay here any longer regardless of the kick-ass facilities, tennis courts, riverside park etc (this will detract from my children's quality of life more than ours)...

Edited November 4, 2009 by mobiryder

[katabeachbum]

i don't think it's OK to be rate on rent.. i do, however, believe everyone has been late on rent more than once in their lives which makes this thread stink. Either way, the only thing I'd like to see debated is whether it's legal for him to do this. Obviously he's a dick and make no mistake that I intend to get the better of him one way or another. I'm just starting with the 'legalities' of what he did as I was advised by a very affluent friend and 'resident' of Thailand that it's grossly illegal for him to mess with the utilities for a multitude of reasons, one being they have no relation to 'rental fees' and it's definitely not stated in our lease agreement that 'Landord will cut your utilities if you're more than 5 days late paying rent'.

If your lease doesnt describe what happens when you pay late, basicly he can close utilities and redecorate the apartment. You are in breach of agreement. You have no longer any right to remain in the apartment as you have not payed.

Does your lease say the landlord must supply utilities at all? If not, he can close them even if you had payed in time.

[klikster]

" .. we've had a fine relationship, quite cordial in fact. One time he turned off our water and I went down to the building office in a rage and told them they had 2 minutes to turn my water back on or else.

".. in a rage .."

That would pretty much do it for me. You screw up and then threaten?

" .. then I kind of blew my top and told him 'I am the wrong farang to <deleted> with' and did he understand that?

Maybe he doesn't want a wannabe wise guy on his property

[Max2000]

OP: you are late with rent, then you rude to him?

Also he's a "HiSo" and you disrespect him by you being rude, when you was at fault to begin with?

And you've been late with rent before? Visarun is no excuse. Pay before you go. Pay early.

Not so difficult is it? Then no problem.

If it's so hard to remember due date for bills - your bank do it for you for only B 30 per bill. I've done it for years and never ever been late.

You made this, now solve it yourself, and plan your life better in future.

Don't mean to be rude to you, but this problem would not happend - if - you had planned better.

Edit: this is his Business - would you like to loose money if this was your business?

Imagine that you have 10-30 apartments for rent, and 30-50% are late with rent = you loosing money. What You do ? Close water shure works. Make people pay.

Edited November 4, 2009 by Max2000

[toptuan]

OP: you are late with rent, then you rude to him?

Also he's a "HiSo" and you disrespect him by you being rude, when you was at fault to begin with?

And you've been late with rent before? Visarun is no excuse. Pay before you go. Pay early.

Not so difficult is it? Then no problem.

If it's so hard to remember due date for bills - your bank do it for you for only B 30 per bill. I've done it for years and never ever been late.

You made this, now solve it yourself, and plan your life better in future.

Don't mean to be rude to you, but this problem would not happend - if - you had planned better.

Edit: this is his Business - would you like to loose money if this was your business?

Imagine that you have 10-30 apartments for rent, and 30-50% are late with rent = you loosing money. What You do ? Close water shure works. Make people pay.

I have to agree.

The water turnoff isn't the primary issue here, and you shouldn't make it such. It's a diversion from the real problem which is yourself.

You precipitated the problem (late rent) and then exacerbated it by treating your landlord like $hit (your outrageous actions and words following your late payments and water problem).

If he does renew your lease (I wouldn't), then pay on time as you agreed, or pay early when you are away on the due date, and save everyone a hassle. And, I respectfully add, grow up.

[phetaroi]

Questions:

-What's the real deal?

A: You must pay on time

-Can he legally tell the building to turn off my water (water bill was paid in full, and on time!)?

A: There's no law to stop him doing that

-What can he do now that I've obviously insulted him with my closing words?

A: He can refuse to renew your lease and probably will

It may be annoying to you to have to follow your lease payment agreements and especially if you can get away with that in your own country, but many landlords just won't take the risks in Thailand. At the end of the day it is a matter of friendship and trust and i'm afraid you've well and truly blown any chance of that now.

thx for your answer... it seems you have a disain for ppl who slipped up a few days on rent before. although i'm certain it never happened to you of course, it happened to me. That makes it OK for him to have my water shut off?

Look, you posted a question. Khun Or posted a response. Now you're jumping all over him because he doesn't say what you want him to say.

I'm 60. I've been paying rent or mortgage every month for over 30 years. Never late once. You have admittedly been late several times. Why?

[phetaroi]

i don't think it's OK to be rate on rent.. i do, however, believe everyone has been late on rent more than once in their lives which makes this thread stink. Either way, the only thing I'd like to see debated is whether it's legal for him to do this. Obviously he's a dick and make no mistake that I intend to get the better of him one way or another. I'm just starting with the 'legalities' of what he did as I was advised by a very affluent friend and 'resident' of Thailand that it's grossly illegal for him to mess with the utilities for a multitude of reasons, one being they have no relation to 'rental fees' and it's definitely not stated in our lease agreement that 'Landord will cut your utilities if you're more than 5 days late paying rent'.

The further you go with this, the more I think the landlord is not the "dick" (as you put it).

[moe666]

He's late because that's what dead beats do. A land lord always figures at least 10% will be late with rent it is one of those annoying things about renting property. It usually is the same 10% month after month, but if you have a nice late fee it adds a bit of extra income and eventually some of them get it.

The OP is typical of the 10% it is always someone elses fault.