Pathetic, Really. House Hunting ....

[dantilley]

My experiences are different than some posting here it seems.

Every deposit I've paid I've got back in full. Never had more than a 2 months deposit. Also can usually negotiate and get some extras thrown in before you move in - e.g. new furniture, new aircon units, etc. The arrangement I've always known is that anything you break and its your fault, you pay, but breakages due to general wear and tear are paid by the owner. Never really known this be disputed or had any attempts to argue against. This is in Bangkok - not sure if it's different elsewhere.

[dantilley]

That said, I agree that there is a huge range in quality of houses you can find for the same price. I've seen some absolute dumps for the same price as the relative bargain I'm living in now.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

WRT to the deposit issue, I wouldn't say problems are in the majority, but certainly common, and unfortunately most people are not in a position where they have any recourse. Consider yourself lucky and be grateful.

WRT "extras" and such, I'm guessing your experiences aren't at the lower range of the market, which is the case here is in the 10K range for a multi-BR house, perhaps same relative band as 3-5K for a furnished flat.

I'm sure most posters here are paying well over double, in some cases ten times that, in which case it's a totally different game isn't it.

Edited November 1, 2012 by BigJohnnyBKK

[dantilley]

Where's "here" in your case? Bangkok? Anyway, yes I'm not what I'd call myself at the lower end of the market, probably low-to-average - I pay 23K / month, 3bed/3bath, part furnished, garden, maids room + bathroom, in a gated moo baan with pool, rent also including moo baan monthly fees and UBC subscription.

[IamNotaNumber]

Bit average about the curtains etc ... she's just a poker player and calling a bluff.

Sad really ...

I don't think "sad" is the word.

"Pathetic" is the word.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Where's "here" in your case? Bangkok? Anyway, yes I'm not what I'd call myself at the lower end of the market, probably low-to-average - I pay 23K / month, 3bed/3bath, part furnished, garden, maids room + bathroom, in a gated moo baan with pool, rent also including moo baan monthly fees and UBC subscription.

Yes BKK, close to downtown, which I understand to be more expensive than most other than the resort islands.

"Low to average" of what? Certainly not farang residents overall, lots more teachers making a total income less than your rent than there are comfortable expats.

But of course many many spending a lot more as well, all depends on your perspective, and not IMO worth arguing about.

[dantilley]

Low to average compared with other people I know and other house prices in the marketplace. And I assume that's exaggerated about teachers' salaries - no-one earns less than 23K / month, surely!

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Low to average compared with other people I know and other house prices in the marketplace. And I assume that's exaggerated about teachers' salaries - no-one earns less than 23K / month, surely!

True, for full-time, but I'd be very happy to average that at the moment myself.

WRT to full-time staff, outside of BKK few schools pay more than 35K, and most don't pay during the term breaks, some deduct one month per year so factor that in, plus the fact that you usually have to buy school supplies out of pocket if you want to do anything that wasn't budgeted for last year. Generally only the international schools ever pay more than 45K, and only full-qualified actual-school-teachers brought in from overseas make what you would consider a living wage.

And plenty of freelance part-timers make far less than that and have to run all over town, sometimes spending more time on travel between gigs than their paid hour or two of teaching.

[pattayadingo]

Some of these people seem to have no real idea on how to maintain a place or what standards ahould be.

IMO it's your standards that need adjusting at this lower end of the market, only in the IMO overpriced sector do you see anything approaching international standards.

To the extent you're staying long-term, just factor in the fact that you'll need to spend X amount to get it up to what you want to live with. Don't listen to the SF complaining that you're wasting money, just donating to the landlord, in your own head amortize it over the length of time you'll be there and make your own decision as to what's cost-effective.

For example - if the market rate for a beautifully maintained and furnished place with the location and space you want is B18,000, and you find a fixer-upper for 11K, and you plan to stay there for two years, you could spend well over B100K making it gorgeous exactly to your tastes so you really love living there, without having to worry about fixing it up toward the end of your stay, and still have plenty left over for the ongoing plumbing/electric etc maintenance differential as well.

That way you're motivated to find a place that is super-cheap in order to give you a greater spending budget, never mind that one place is more slovenly and run down than the next, that works to your advantage.

Plus the 3-month deposit becomes much less of an issue.

The fact that you're also making the landlord happy can also work to your advantage if/when you decide to stay on, don't let the teerak's jealousy turn it into a disadvantage.

That's how I look at it anyway, YMMV

In a larger town in central Thailand I paid 3K a month for a 2 bedroom house. That house was decorated from top to bottom before I moved in. The landlady was great and any problems were resolved as soon as possible.

In Cha-Am I paid 5K a month for a 2 bedroom house and most of those around me wer paying the same or near the same rent.

Here in Pattaya I struck lucky with this house originally. 3 beds, 3 bath and 3 air con all for 8K a month and in central Pattaya too. The main reason I need to move is because he is selling the house and I have limited time to find a new place.

So, yes it is all relative. IMHO too many people pay well above the normal going rates, especially foreigners. Myself, I do have some principles and refuse to live in a place that is dirty and like a tip. I also will not give 3 months as a deposit, especially as many do not refund that deposit. Over a year that adds an extra 30K to the rental price if it is not refunded.

[pattayadingo]

I have to say that, thanks to a TV member who PM'd me with some very good and pertinent information, we now have found a house (bungalow).

Newly decorated from top to bottom, 2 beds, 2 air con, 1 lounge, 1 bath, 1 kitchen, 1 rear yard and 1 small front garden plus parking. And a satellite dish already installed so I can set up the g/f's set top box with just a few metres of cable.

All for the grand sum of 7K per month.

Brilliant.

It shows there really are some good and very helpful members on here

I have thanked him in person too.

[Heng]

Depending on the furniture/curtains involved, I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Folks have a price target of what they are willing to pay or get paid.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I have to say that, thanks to a TV member who PM'd me with some very good and pertinent information, we now have found a house (bungalow).

Newly decorated from top to bottom, 2 beds, 2 air con, 1 lounge, 1 bath, 1 kitchen, 1 rear yard and 1 small front garden plus parking. And a satellite dish already installed so I can set up the g/f's set top box with just a few metres of cable.

All for the grand sum of 7K per month.

Brilliant.

It shows there really are some good and very helpful members on here

I have thanked him in person too.

Excellent, congratulations!

Just for perspective to help future googlers, where is this located?

[thenervoussurgeon]

When we were looking for a place years ago ,i could not believe the state of most of them and this was in the 30k range ,we have lived in our 3 bed 3 bath detached for years for 25k and its lovely ,any problem i am told get it fixed and knock it off the rent ,aircon in every room fully furnished with quality furniture ,and all mod cons ,there are nice places out there but i have found that they are few and far between.

[canadiangirl]

The thing to remember in Thailand is that contracts like leases are worth very little, so a lot comes down to how trustworthy the person you're dealing with is. I rented 3 different apartments in TH, 2 in Bangkok and 1 in rural Issan and in each case I went out of my way to find somewhere where I felt I could trust the landlord. In each case I had a very good experience, much better in fact than most of my rental experiences in Canada. But it took me a bit longer to find somewhere and I definitely had to eliminate landlords where I could just hear the cash register going off in their head when they saw me walk in. In two cases I had landlords that became a little bit like family, they would visit me and talk to me and bring me treats and help me with different things.

With deposits, you can ask if instead you can pay 2-3 months of rent ahead of time (so if they ask for a 3 months deposit, ask if you can give 1 month deposit, but pay 3 months rent ahead of time, let's say). A lot of times landlords will say yes, as it's partly just a way to verify that you have enough means to pay for the apartment for a year.

I don't know about Pattaya, but in Bangkok I had good experiences with condos, one of mine had maintenance staff in the building so if something broke you can just immediately get someone to come fix it.

Good luck in your search. Personally I feel if someone seems dishonest right off the bat, I wouldn't rent from them unless I was really desperate, as it rarely ends well. Before I found my nice apartment in Issan, I ignored my warning signs and rent a lovely house from an old Thai man who seemed a bit dubious. In the middle of Songkran he came into my house and told me that I had to padlock one of the bedrooms, as the rent only included one bedroom and if I want to use the entire house I would have to pay more! He figured I would probably pay instead of moving out, but I moved out. IN THE MIDDLE OF SONGKRAN. Coz I was so mad!

[canadiangirl]

Oops, haha, sorry I didn't see you already found a place. Congratulations!