Water & Electricity In Rental Condos

[thaisabai]

I hear

so many complaints from Farangs that they have been cheated with the water& electicity bill in a rental condo/apartment.

Is there an average amount that I should be prepared to pay? i.e. what is an average bill for moderate use (TV, AC at night only, normal twice a day shower and making coffee water).

I know the renters are asking different rates, like anything from 4baht to 10 baht per unit electric.

Anyone advice or experience?

thanks, thaisabai

[Darrel]

Something around 4B is the "real" price and is the price that I pay at 7/11. Anything higher has some profit added. In some cases, as you mention, this can amount to usury.

As for the number of units you use, that will depend greatly on your aircon settings. Other consumption will probably be minimal compared to that of aircon.

My bill last month was 1500B.

[gerry53]

As stated the actual cost is about 4 baht per unit, anything more is either being taken by the condo management for reading meters, management etc or by the condo owner. I am fortunate because I only pay the government rate. My 68 sq metre condo averages around 1500 baht per month for electricity using the A/C only at night and preset to 27C. We have 2 computers and TVs and the G/F likes to cook 1 meal a day at home so your usage will probably be similar.

My water is 28 baht a square metre and is usually about 200 baht per month with 2 people showering twice daily. I hope that takes some of the guess work out of things for you.

[gamini]

very simple solution. Buy a meter from Home pro. Install it with the help of an electrician. It is easy to do. Standard units cost bt4 per kilowatt. . At the end of each billing period. Check you meter. Multiply amount consumed (KWH) by Bt4. If there is a big difference in what you are charged. You are being ripped off. You can threaten to complain to the Fair Practices bureau.

[sotsira]

You can threaten to complain to the Fair Practices bureau.

Never heard of them, do they actually exist?

Or would it be just a threat with no consequences?

[RabC]

As stated the actual cost is about 4 baht per unit, anything more is either being taken by the condo management for reading meters, management etc or by the condo owner. I am fortunate because I only pay the government rate. My 68 sq metre condo averages around 1500 baht per month for electricity using the A/C only at night and preset to 27C. We have 2 computers and TVs and the G/F likes to cook 1 meal a day at home so your usage will probably be similar.

My water is 28 baht a square metre and is usually about 200 baht per month with 2 people showering twice daily. I hope that takes some of the guess work out of things for you.

I would certainly say you are being overcharged for your water. I live in a three bedroom house with garden and two occupants+washing machine and have never paid more than 110 baht, having said that the guy across the road in a similar situation does pay approx 200 baht. He told me it is because the house is in the name of a company so he pays business tariff for water.........

[gerry53]

I would certainly say you are being overcharged for your water. I live in a three bedroom house with garden and two occupants+washing machine and have never paid more than 110 baht, having said that the guy across the road in a similar situation does pay approx 200 baht. He told me it is because the house is in the name of a company so he pays business tariff for water.........

Rab - I tend to agree with you when I compare it with friends bills but it is still less than $7 a month and maybe only a $3 overcharge on average. It is easier for me just to write it off as the G\F spending long periods of time in the shower washing her hair!

Do you pay about 28 baht a square metre for water also, my condo management may be charging higher than regular rates ( I am unsure ) because I am billed by them?

[rmicheald]

I have a 48sqM condo that I have lived in for 5 years. I average about 1,600Baht for both water and electricity per month. That is with a washing machine, my wife and I taking 3 or 4 showers a day (each) and limited use of the A/C.

[smedly]

I would certainly say you are being overcharged for your water. I live in a three bedroom house with garden and two occupants+washing machine and have never paid more than 110 baht, having said that the guy across the road in a similar situation does pay approx 200 baht. He told me it is because the house is in the name of a company so he pays business tariff for water.........

Rab - I tend to agree with you when I compare it with friends bills but it is still less than $7 a month and maybe only a $3 overcharge on average. It is easier for me just to write it off as the G\F spending long periods of time in the shower washing her hair!

Do you pay about 28 baht a square metre for water also, my condo management may be charging higher than regular rates ( I am unsure ) because I am billed by them?

Gerry - of topic post here but I have to ask - why do you post costs in US dollars in a Thai forum where everyone is posting prices in Baht, for me personally US Dollar means absolutly nothing in this thread, not getting at you or having a dig - I just want to know why ?

Oh and 1000baht electricity and about 100baht water 60sqm condo - now what's that in US dollars ? well apart from I'd have to work it out on a daily basis I don't really want to know.

Edited January 14, 2012 by smedly

[RabC]

I would certainly say you are being overcharged for your water. I live in a three bedroom house with garden and two occupants+washing machine and have never paid more than 110 baht, having said that the guy across the road in a similar situation does pay approx 200 baht. He told me it is because the house is in the name of a company so he pays business tariff for water.........

Rab - I tend to agree with you when I compare it with friends bills but it is still less than $7 a month and maybe only a $3 overcharge on average. It is easier for me just to write it off as the G\F spending long periods of time in the shower washing her hair!

Do you pay about 28 baht a square metre for water also, my condo management may be charging higher than regular rates ( I am unsure ) because I am billed by them?

Jerry I am sorry, my water bill is all in Thai so I have no idea what the charge/m³ is. I believe that there is a level of usage that if you stay below as a private user then you only pay a standing fee and I think most months we are in this band. Sadly with my partners filing system all last years bills have been thrown away.

[tropo]

Do you pay about 28 baht a square metre for water also, my condo management may be charging higher than regular rates ( I am unsure ) because I am billed by them?

The Water Board rate in Pratumnak Hill area is 15 baht/m³. I couldn't imagine it would be more expensive anywhere else. They add a 30 baht service fee and VAT to your bill.

Edited January 14, 2012 by tropo

[Darrel]

Water pricing does vary a lot in condos. I have seen official building rates between 20 and 40B/m3, and some also have a monthly fee for the meter of 25-100B. This is all before any rip-off "supplement" that an owner or agent may be adding. I pay 24B per m3.

Actual water usage is normally quite low (perhaps a couple of m3 per person per month), unless you have a leaking pipe or a nice lawn or a pool, or indeed a weak bladder.

[gerry53]

Smedly - yes you are off topic and you must be very bored!!! I am not American but quoted dollars because the Oz, Canadian and US dollars are very close and others from outside of Thailand may relate more easily to the difference. It was never quoted as US $. Prozac is available ???

Thanks Rab - thanks for looking anyways, I hate keeping bills too.

Tropo - 15 to 28 baht is a hefty increase for someone, I will check into it as well as potential leaks.

[tropo]

Actual water usage is normally quite low (perhaps a couple of m3 per person per month), unless you have a leaking pipe or a nice lawn or a pool, or indeed a weak bladder.

Water usage that low is unlikely. A couple will probably use about 10 m3 per month at the low end.

[tropo]

Tropo - 15 to 28 baht is a hefty increase for someone, I will check into it as well as potential leaks.

Just to clarify, 15 baht per m3 is being billed directly by the Water Board to a townhouse. I'm not sure about pricing structure in condos.

[sotsira]

Tropo - 15 to 28 baht is a hefty increase for someone, I will check into it as well as potential leaks.

Just to clarify, 15 baht per m3 is being billed directly by the Water Board to a townhouse. I'm not sure about pricing structure in condos.

Condo's are rated higher due to the fact that the ground level units are business's therefore the whole building gets charged at the business rate which i believe is 21bt per cubic metre from the water board.

After that the condo management adds what they want on top.

[Darrel]

Water usage that low is unlikely. A couple will probably use about 10 m3 per month at the low end.

It depends. Our usage in Europe, for a house with an average of 2/3 people in it, was about 50m3 per year which included all drinking/cooking water.

Here, I use well under 2m3 per month (bathroom, cleaning, washing machine, dish-washing, toilet, no drinking water).

[RabC]

One tank @ 1m³ lasts two of us about 3.5 days so for two of us I guess about 8.5m³ /month. But we aint frugal freddies and do have a garden.

[thaisabai]

Hey, thank you all for your replies.

gives me a pretty good idea of what to expect to pay

thaisabai

[fred110]

I don't think anyone is being 'cheated'. Before renting or buying a condo, just ask what the rates are. If you buy, switch the meter to gov't electric.

[Darrel]

I don't think anyone is being 'cheated'.

Attempting to charge a large supplement for something to which you have added no value is indeed cheating in my book.

I doubt that anyone who isn't actually doing it themselves could possibly argue that it is honest.

[mamanoodle]

Our condo just put water up to 28bt per unit, but only because the previous(Thai) management never factored in the cost of the electricity needed for the pump to get the water to everyone's condos, and the water pressure here is way better than we had at a bungalow on nernplubwaan at a cost of 264baht per month even if we were away on holiday for a month or more(company registered house) at the condo you do not use you do not pay! The electric here is standard PEA charges, and need way less air con due to the breeze blowing through the 7th floor when the balcony door open.

[poanoi]

You can threaten to complain to the Fair Practices bureau.

I'd like to know where this is too.

I am charged the same fee now in this room as i had in my previous, (7 baht/unit)

and i live like i did before, that is computer, fridge, but no air con.

So to much of my surprise i now get charged over double, that is over 1500/month compare to just over 700 in my previous room, on an average

[tropo]

I don't think anyone is being 'cheated'.

Attempting to charge a large supplement for something to which you have added no value is indeed cheating in my book.

I doubt that anyone who isn't actually doing it themselves could possibly argue that it is honest.

My ex-landlord (British) justified the surcharge (about 2 baht kWh) by saying that we use his electrical appliances and aircon so the surcharge covers maintenance/replacement.

I wonder how he would have managed with a story like that in England.

[Darrel]

My ex-landlord (British) justified the surcharge (about 2 baht kWh) by saying that we use his electrical appliances and aircon so the surcharge covers maintenance/replacement.

That's a good one.

Is he married to a fat woman who runs a print shop near Soi Buakow?

[Darrel]

So to much of my surprise i now get charged over double, that is over 1500/month compare to just over 700 in my previous room, on an average

But are you using twice the number of units? Have you seen the meter yourself and checked the readings?

[lonewolf99]

Darrel - ref the "fat woman" Let it go...you have to learn to move on....

I am currently paying less for my elect/water than I have done in in 6 years of renting condos.

last bill for 74 sq mtr condo elect 900 baht and water 250...and the GF who has a surface area 1/3 rd of mine spends 5 times longer in the shower.

I am also on a high floor and have an electric pump to get better pressure.

I must admit I rarely use the air con.

[PattayaParent]

Water usage that low is unlikely. A couple will probably use about 10 m3 per month at the low end.

It depends. Our usage in Europe, for a house with an average of 2/3 people in it, was about 50m3 per year which included all drinking/cooking water.

Here, I use well under 2m3 per month (bathroom, cleaning, washing machine, dish-washing, toilet, no drinking water).

3~4m3 per month for a family of 3 in a condo with the same usage as you.

[PattayaParent]

I don't think anyone is being 'cheated'.

Attempting to charge a large supplement for something to which you have added no value is indeed cheating in my book.

I doubt that anyone who isn't actually doing it themselves could possibly argue that it is honest.

My condo charges a supplement (30 Baht water, 5 Baht electric) but the excess goes into the maintenance fees account so nobody is being cheated.

[saengsureeya]

very simple solution. Buy a meter from Home pro. Install it with the help of an electrician. It is easy to do. Standard units cost bt4 per kilowatt. . At the end of each billing period. Check you meter. Multiply amount consumed (KWH) by Bt4. If there is a big difference in what you are charged. You are being ripped off. You can threaten to complain to the Fair Practices bureau.

It's a bit harsh to say that someone is being ripped off:

- first of all: if you'd like to rent a condo, you need to inform yourself on the utility and other charges. Accept it and move in or don't accept and move on. It's not a scam.

- some condominium-managements do use the utility-charges for electricity used for common spaces, water used to take care of the garden, security and general maintenance. This should be paid by the owners of the condo's, but many owners just don't pay or are not available.