I'm just in the process of moving into a new place and lo and behold there is a leak in the wall between the balcony tap and bedroom wall. Small puddle on both sides after 6 days. I asked for a technician to come see but he doesn't speak a word of english and my thai is pretty bad. He takes some photos, closes off the water to the unit and tells me he'll make a hole in the wall repair the pipe, fix it up, replace the wallpaper for 4-5000 baht (i think that's what he was saying anyway).

He's an older guy and doesn't look like a young punk but how do I know he's actually up for the job.

Should I use this guy or can someone recommend me a professional in sukhumvit?

Many thanks

If you are renting then contact your landlord and let him deal with it

If you are an owner then you had better let him take care of it, since he obviously knows the building and will be around if the fix doesn't work

He may have half assed this repair before, and is now ready to roll his sleeves up and get back in there. A Thai tradition - let one problem area plague you for decades, instead of just spending an extra hour on it the first time. If they had good vocabularies, they'd call it "job procurement" and then snicker.

You should have him come in. Right before he swings the hammer to put a hole in the wall, stop him. Make a hole where he was going to, and proceed accordingly.