My wife wants to rent a unit at Chatuchak Weekend Market, but you have to 'buy' the rental contract. If you decide to move, then you have to sell the contract to get out of the rental obligation. Is this a scam?

This is what is often called "key money" and it is a fee paid to the landlord or current tenent to give up their lease and introduce you to their landlord before you can move into the property and is a normal practice for areas in high demand. Key money is non-refundable but can be recouped if you sell the space on to someone else. Be sure to get a receipt for the key money paid.

One way to look at it would be as if it were prime seats to a championship game, they are in high demand and low supply so a premium is charged, you could recoup that fee if you sold the tickets on to another fan.

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