Whats needed before purchasing a small patch of land?

[Kiniyeow]

Does it/should it be surveyed first to know exactly what your getting/where your property lines are at?

What is a ball park figure for getting a survey done?

Do you have to get t lawyer involved or does it just go thru the head of the mooban?

Is there a regulation stating you have to start building within so many years of purchasing property?

I have been married to a Thai for over twenty years and yea I am aware I am just purchasing the property, but it will be in my wife's name so no trolling is necessary please. I just need honest answers or at least pointed in the right direction, thanks.

[rawhod]

I can only help you with your first two points...

The Chanote for the land will show the markers which delineate the land. Each marker has a unique code stamped into it.

The Land Office will survey the land for between 1 to 2 thousand Baht.

[Langsuan Man]

No regulation on when you must start construction on the property. But you will need a building permit issued by your tessaban which will be good for a year but can be extended almost indefinitely. The tessaban will require the architectural drawing (blue prints) that must be signed off on by a licensed structural engineer

Once you start constructions you most likely will never see any government officials during construction or after the construction is finished, unless of course if your contractor is using imported labor, then you can count on numerous visits by Immigration officials

[oneday]

I can only help you with your first two points...

The Chanote for the land will show the markers which delineate the land. Each marker has a unique code stamped into it.

The Land Office will survey the land for between 1 to 2 thousand Baht.

If I'm right, that 1-2 thousand baht is essentially a bribe to get them to come out fairly quickly, as opposed to waiting for months.

If you want to make absolutely sure if you are buying one rai (example) then have the land surveyed or re-surveyed by the land office. The chanote will say how much land it is and sure it could be wrong, but probably not or not by much.

Edited December 30, 2013 by oneday

[Naroge]

What kind of land title deed does the land have? As you know there are many different levels, which are covered in other posts here of which I don't' remember the details.

For a Chanote the proper measurements should already have been done, but for "lower levels" of land papers this is normally not the case. In such case you can bring in your own surveyors (often the same surveyors from the land department that do the official measurements) for a few thousand Baht. But pls note that such measurement is not official and could therefore be "changed" when the official measurement is done in the future.

[tingtongteesood]

If you want to build yourself instead of paying others ( yes, slow but you can do it to your own standards ), I guess you need a work permit right ? Technically it is not work and nobody is getting paid, but I suppose the government would see it as you depriving locals of work....?

[BlueSkyCowboy]

I can only help you with your first two points...

The Chanote for the land will show the markers which delineate the land. Each marker has a unique code stamped into it.

The Land Office will survey the land for between 1 to 2 thousand Baht.

If I'm right, that 1-2 thousand baht is essentially a bribe to get them to come out fairly quickly, as opposed to waiting for months.

If you want to make absolutely sure if you are buying one rai (example) then have the land surveyed or re-surveyed by the land office. The chanote will say how much land it is and sure it could be wrong, but probably not or not by much.

(1-2 thousand baht is essentially a bribe.) I see it as a token of friendship and they are not employees of the government. I think all your neighbors have to be present also

[rawhod]

I can only help you with your first two points...

The Chanote for the land will show the markers which delineate the land. Each marker has a unique code stamped into it.

The Land Office will survey the land for between 1 to 2 thousand Baht.

If I'm right, that 1-2 thousand baht is essentially a bribe to get them to come out fairly quickly, as opposed to waiting for months.

If you want to make absolutely sure if you are buying one rai (example) then have the land surveyed or re-surveyed by the land office. The chanote will say how much land it is and sure it could be wrong, but probably not or not by much.

(1-2 thousand baht is essentially a bribe.) I see it as a token of friendship and they are not employees of the government. I think all your neighbors have to be present also

I have checked with my wife...the surveyors from the Land Office are government employees and charged 1000 baht for our survey, for which we have a receipt.

We did give them a little extra since our land was out in the country, not easily accessible and was sort of "minor jungle", and they were very accommodating.

They do inform the owners of the adjacent land that they are doing a survey, but they don't have to be present.

[Kiniyeow]

Thanks everyone for all the good info.

The reason I wanted to know about the surveying was that the owner only wants to sell half the land that he has and I was curious how difficult it would be and how much it was to get it done.

Again, thanks all.

[Naroge]

Thanks everyone for all the good info.

The reason I wanted to know about the surveying was that the owner only wants to sell half the land that he has and I was curious how difficult it would be and how much it was to get it done.

Again, thanks all.

Well, in this case you are not only talking about measuring an existing piece of land, but also to divide the property and make new boundaries. This will certainly involve some additional steps as some department needs to approve the new boarders.

Pls let us know how it goes.