Long Term Rent Advice....

[BigDamo]

Hey guys, looking to come over for 6 - 12 months and instead of checking in a hotel I'm thinking of renting a pad.... I have found a few for as low as 10,000bht per month - 1 house looks good in "Raviporn Golden Hill" where is that and whats it like? or a Condo in Jomtien?

Anything else I should bear in mind?

Cheers

Big D

[Tarqin]

1. DO NOT rent anything before you get here, book yourself in to a hotel for a week or two.

2. Only EVER rent from a falang who lives locally. They understand the concept of customer service and will be around if things go wrong.

3. Tour Pattaya/Jomtien until you see something you like and then enter the complex and ask the staff about units to rent. They will give you contact details as they will be on a kickback from the owner and you avoid having to deal with rental agencies who are expensive and useless.

4. Only agree to rent for one month initially as you want to get a real feel for the place.

5. Understand that there is a humongous over supply of rented accommodation in the area so what ever he wants for the unit half it and negotiate from there.

6. Ensure that you will only pay utility bills as charged and not at some mark up and demand that you are shown the actual bills before paying.

Do all this and you won't go far wrong.

Edited February 8, 2010 by Tarqin

[bellagrego]

Been there, done that for 4 years in Pattaya.

Watch the lease, it's all in the favor of the landlord. You will see little or none of your deposit returned. Keep it as low and as short as possible, Don't pay two months rent deposit or walk away. Houses have security risk due to location and poor watch dogs. Transportation cost and time is a factor. Jomtien is Ok but out and away from the mainstream and a little pink for my taste. Those tiny little houses in the villages are way too close together and the noise factor is severe at times. If you don't know Pattaya, don't do a lease at all. Just do a month to month and survey the area to find your spot. Start out around Carrefor on Central look behind it , new condos, guest houses, etc. Try down on soi 9 off central as well. Nice folks , low rent. Down in Nakula very nice and reasonable off the beach near soi 12-18. good hunting

[BigDamo]

Thanks for the valued information guys - I think i'll book into the Cliff for a week and get a bike and ride around to find something - Sounds sensible......

Whats a decent deposit, 1 month? And you say I prob wont get that returned is that because they will find every excuse not to give it back - Damage etc?

[Tarqin]

Pay no more than one months rent as a deposit. If its a farang landlord then you probably won't get it back. If a Thai no way in hel_l. A lot of people do not pay the last month and recoup the deposit that way.

[Tarqin]

Pay no more than one months rent as a deposit. If its a farang landlord then you probably won't get it back. If a Thai no way in hel_l. A lot of people do not pay the last month and recoup the deposit that way.

[AbeSurd]

I rent in central Pattaya from Thais, in the price range the OP indicates.

Friendly people and the customer service is excellent.

And I've always got my deposit back - no quibble and on time.

[Basil B]

1. DO NOT rent anything before you get here, book yourself in to a hotel for a week or two.

2. Only EVER rent from a falang who lives locally. They understand the concept of customer service and will be around if things go wrong.

3. Tour Pattaya/Jomtien until you see something you like and then enter the complex and ask the staff about units to rent. They will give you contact details as they will be on a kickback from the owner and you avoid having to deal with rental agencies who are expensive and useless.

4. Only agree to rent for one month initially as you want to get a real feel for the place.

5. Understand that there is a humongous over supply of rented accommodation in the area so what ever he wants for the unit half it and negotiate from there.

6. Ensure that you will only pay utility bills as charged and not at some mark up and demand that you are shown the actual bills before paying.

Do all this and you won't go far wrong.

Hi Terqin,

I would agree with what you post even as a person who has a condo to let, but would just like to comment.

1. Good advice.
   
2. I would disagree, I do not live in Thailand so my condo is managed for me by a woman, (Thai) who owns a cafe on site, so if there are any issues they can be dealt with strightaway.
   
3. Also enquire at the shops ,Cafes, etc as most will be managing property, as pointed out if you enquire at the main office or the security gate you will be directed to the person who pays the best commission and those costs will be passed onto you indirectly.
   
4. Good idea again but you need to ask about the possibility of extending at the on set and remember that if you only negotiate a month the owner will be trying to rent it out to other people for when you tenancy was due to finish, you do not want to move in and find you have to move out at the end of the month when you like the place, also negotiate for a better rate if you do extend.
   
5. Yes, rental property does not real in the sort of rents that it should due to the over building and if you approach my manager she will try to let it for the most realistic price but also remember that sometimes if the rent offered is to low it's not worth the bother and she knows I would rather leave it empty.
   
6. Yes, it is not fair to honest landlords when someone is offering property at a lower price and then loading hidden charges and withholds deposits claiming property was damaged when more likely it was just "fair wear and tear".
   

Also see what facilities the site has to offer and what you can access for free, my Condo is at Jomtien Beach Condominium where we have, 2 pools, 2 gyms, clubhouse, 3 lifts in all buildings, car parking, security, worthy of a visit if you are looking for somewhere, as pointed out there are a lot shops, cafes, etc, who should be able to show you what's avilible to move straight into so best enquire at 2 or 3 let them show you a unit or two the go back to the one you liked best and negotiate.

Prices will also depend upon length of contract and whether utilities costs are included, also note that if you try to negotiate in advance a tenancy the landlord will have to take into account that he may have to have the property vacant for a few weeks beforehand, that's why if you book on my website for a holiday weeks in advance it is always more expensive than just turning up, downside if you do just turn up without booking you may not find anywhere decent.

[Tejas]

Thanks for the valued information guys - I think i'll book into the Cliff for a week and get a bike and ride around to find something - Sounds sensible......

Whats a decent deposit, 1 month? And you say I prob wont get that returned is that because they will find every excuse not to give it back - Damage etc?

Really good advice by Tarquin and others.

But do not pay any deposit or sign a lease. Just walk away.

Find a small place to rent (no deposit) and shop around the first month.

Then work out a month-to-month deal at some place.

Forget deposits and leases, that is one major way you get screwed.

The other is to walk down Walking Street (can I say that?)

[LennyW]

rental_contract.pdf

Arm yourself with a copy of this rental agreement in Thai and English, big help!

[thaimate]

I rent a house from a thai ,she is terrific cant do enough,have a problem its seen to straight away ,paid 2 months deposite ,in 4 years she has cut the rent twice ,baught us a new 3 piece suite last week and is going to enlarge the kitchen soon ,oh and paint the house(not her personally) .

you pay your money and take your choice ,some are good some are bad.

[Spoonman]

Ive had 2 thai landlord and one Farang (not including the current), Never had an issue getting the bond back, I as per my lease agreement give them 1 months notice that iam vacating, on the said date the landlords have come round to inspect proerty and have never hesitated in returning my deposit........guess im just lucky.

Pay no more than one months rent as a deposit. If its a farang landlord then you probably won't get it back. If a Thai no way in hel_l. A lot of people do not pay the last month and recoup the deposit that way.

[ericg1953]

Ive had 2 thai landlord and one Farang (not including the current), Never had an issue getting the bond back, I as per my lease agreement give them 1 months notice that iam vacating, on the said date the landlords have come round to inspect proerty and have never hesitated in returning my deposit........guess im just lucky.

Pay no more than one months rent as a deposit. If its a farang landlord then you probably won't get it back. If a Thai no way in hel_l. A lot of people do not pay the last month and recoup the deposit that way.

I have some condos for rent and I have ALWAYS given back the deposit. If you broke something then the cost of repair or replacement is deducted from the deposit. I have never had a tenant upset at me as I understand the market and try to treat people as I expect to be treated myself.

[yogi100]

When you rent be careful, pay your rent only one month at a time if you have a Thai landlord/lady. I have a friend who rented a house for 8000 baht a month. He was with a Thai girl and they had a baby but he has to keep going back to the UK regularly so he paid his rent up for a year in advance so he would not need to worry about it, or so he thought. He also signed up for cable TV and again paid up a year in advance. This was a big mistake!

One month after he paid the rent the roof starts leaking and and water enters the house. He reports it to his landlady and she immediately arranges for it to be repaired. He therefore thinks that his landlady is a gem and a decent, honest, conscientious person, that is until she presents him with a bill for 8000 baht to repair her roof! His immediate reaction was to refuse, demand his year's rent back and seek alternative accommodation. But he did not realise this is Thailand and the falang always pays. Obviously she refused his request and more or less told him where the door was if he was not happy with the situation. When he moved in he thought the sun shone out of her arsehol_e!

So he forks out the 8K. Then the kitchen sink starts leaking and gets another bill for 1000 baht to repair his landlady's kitchen plumbing. Now he's learned to keep his trap shut about any problems and is biding his time till the year is up and he can move out. Many Thais look at us as mugs and that's how they will treat you. And remember there is no consumer protection here in the LOS.

[raro]

When you rent be careful, pay your rent only one month at a time if you have a Thai landlord/lady. I have a friend who rented a house for 8000 baht a month. He was with a Thai girl and they had a baby but he has to keep going back to the UK regularly so he paid his rent up for a year in advance so he would not need to worry about it, or so he thought. He also signed up for cable TV and again paid up a year in advance. This was a big mistake!

One month after he paid the rent the roof starts leaking and and water enters the house. He reports it to his landlady and she immediately arranges for it to be repaired. He therefore thinks that his landlady is a gem and a decent, honest, conscientious person, that is until she presents him with a bill for 8000 baht to repair her roof! His immediate reaction was to refuse, demand his year's rent back and seek alternative accommodation. But he did not realise this is Thailand and the falang always pays. Obviously she refused his request and more or less told him where the door was if he was not happy with the situation. When he moved in he thought the sun shone out of her arsehol_e!

So he forks out the 8K. Then the kitchen sink starts leaking and gets another bill for 1000 baht to repair his landlady's kitchen plumbing. Now he's learned to keep his trap shut about any problems and is biding his time till the year is up and he can move out. Many Thais look at us as mugs and that's how they will treat you. And remember there is no consumer protection here in the LOS.

He can consider himself lucky that they fixed anything at all. I made the mistake in the past paying the rent every 6 months in advance, getting a discount out of it. Guess what, repairs were done every six months when my rent payment became overdue because of leaking roofs, pipes, etc. Will never do that again.

[ericg1953]

When you rent be careful, pay your rent only one month at a time if you have a Thai landlord/lady. I have a friend who rented a house for 8000 baht a month. He was with a Thai girl and they had a baby but he has to keep going back to the UK regularly so he paid his rent up for a year in advance so he would not need to worry about it, or so he thought. He also signed up for cable TV and again paid up a year in advance. This was a big mistake!

One month after he paid the rent the roof starts leaking and and water enters the house. He reports it to his landlady and she immediately arranges for it to be repaired. He therefore thinks that his landlady is a gem and a decent, honest, conscientious person, that is until she presents him with a bill for 8000 baht to repair her roof! His immediate reaction was to refuse, demand his year's rent back and seek alternative accommodation. But he did not realise this is Thailand and the falang always pays. Obviously she refused his request and more or less told him where the door was if he was not happy with the situation. When he moved in he thought the sun shone out of her arsehol_e!

So he forks out the 8K. Then the kitchen sink starts leaking and gets another bill for 1000 baht to repair his landlady's kitchen plumbing. Now he's learned to keep his trap shut about any problems and is biding his time till the year is up and he can move out. Many Thais look at us as mugs and that's how they will treat you. And remember there is no consumer protection here in the LOS.

This is a distinct advantage of renting a condo in a reputable building. The owners maintenance is paid 1 yr in advance so most repairs to your rented unit are included in the price. It is true that a major appliance like a fridge or aircon can blow out and then it is up to the owner to repair or replace. I try very hard to repair things immediately and give my tenants what they are paying for. I find it keeps people loyal and happy and they dont hesitate to refer me to their friends.

[yogi100]

When you rent be careful, pay your rent only one month at a time if you have a Thai landlord/lady. I have a friend who rented a house for 8000 baht a month. He was with a Thai girl and they had a baby but he has to keep going back to the UK regularly so he paid his rent up for a year in advance so he would not need to worry about it, or so he thought. He also signed up for cable TV and again paid up a year in advance. This was a big mistake!

One month after he paid the rent the roof starts leaking and and water enters the house. He reports it to his landlady and she immediately arranges for it to be repaired. He therefore thinks that his landlady is a gem and a decent, honest, conscientious person, that is until she presents him with a bill for 8000 baht to repair her roof! His immediate reaction was to refuse, demand his year's rent back and seek alternative accommodation. But he did not realise this is Thailand and the falang always pays. Obviously she refused his request and more or less told him where the door was if he was not happy with the situation. When he moved in he thought the sun shone out of her arsehol_e!

So he forks out the 8K. Then the kitchen sink starts leaking and gets another bill for 1000 baht to repair his landlady's kitchen plumbing. Now he's learned to keep his trap shut about any problems and is biding his time till the year is up and he can move out. Many Thais look at us as mugs and that's how they will treat you. And remember there is no consumer protection here in the LOS.

This is a distinct advantage of renting a condo in a reputable building. The owners maintenance is paid 1 yr in advance so most repairs to your rented unit are included in the price. It is true that a major appliance like a fridge or aircon can blow out and then it is up to the owner to repair or replace. I try very hard to repair things immediately and give my tenants what they are paying for. I find it keeps people loyal and happy and they dont hesitate to refer me to their friends.

Credit where credit's due. There is a Frenchman who rents out condos in the Soi Yensabai area. My friends who like condos for their hols always rent from him. Any problems and they are sorted out the same day, he is reasonably priced, most of his punters are regulars and have been for years and would only consider alternative accommodation if he's fully booked. As in your case his tenants are mainly from recommendations. Some even book their holiday dates around his condos' availability.