susanschwaiger Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Hallo ! We are in the process of renting out our apt, through agents. But something really annoys me : 1. Never on time: Can be 30 min late or more; and can also give you a very "short notice", saying they will come in 15 min. Can't they be a bit considerate and show respect to others? I've told them we have a baby that sleeps at fixed time every day. 2. Not keep promise: They said they will come. Then hub cleaned and organised apt hard. Then in the last 30 min, they say they will not come. And give excuse that no idiots will believe, like the customer has run out of gasoline on the way. 3. Not precise and clear: I don't want to mention the details. Too long. I can only shake my head .... ... the last, one agent prepared contract already, which said: if tenant wants to renew lease, then we have to pay agent fee upon each new lease contract.....This is very unacceptable to us. Just want to seek some advice and tips on how to handle with agents here. We are not in a hurry to move out. Only rent to the ones we trust. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OMGImInPattaya Posted January 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted January 9, 2014 Advice..keep at least 50 meters between you and any of the useless property pimps in pattaya! Just market it yourself here, Craig's List, and the boards around town. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 You might have better luck advertising here in the Pattaya Classifieds or on http://www.bahtsold.com in the Pattaya section. I know you want someone to collect rent, take care of the renters etc but think you might have to many hasstles with the rental companies here. Hoefully someone else can help you more soon here. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaywardWind Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 The recurring commission is a standard clause here, but if you stand your ground, they will delete it and you pay only the first year. Also watch out for the sales commission clause, which basically locks you into paying them a sales commission if that tenant (or in some cases, anyone else) buys your property. Simply tell them you won't sign if that clause is in the agreement. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norrona Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 the old saying if you want a job doing properly then do it yourself springs to mind.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaoboi Bebobp Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Frankly, those shortcomings are pretty common in the west too, having rented out my condo back in Canada. My agent took the last month's rent upfront, then took I think 10% off the top for each month's rent. Craig's LIst might work but it's been ruined by compulsive posting and misleading pricing by property pushers. I found it useless when I was looking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaPhom Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) Only the 9th and already the first agent bashing thread of the year rears its ugly head. OP, if you dont want to deal with agents do it yourselfe, collect rent, do contracts, take calls at 4am when there is no electric etc etc etc...your choice Edited January 9, 2014 by PattayaPhom 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelaway Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Only the 9th and already the first agent bashing thread of the year rears its ugly head. OP, if you dont want to deal with agents do it yourselfe, collect rent, do contracts, take calls at 4am when there is no electric etc etc etc...your choice Spoken like a true pimp. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonseeker Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Pattaya attracts the worst "professionals". Once you have been here for some years and been active (not only in the bars), you hopefully have accumulated a good portfolio of reliable contractors and professionals. Otherwise pretty much every "project" turns into a nightmare and headache. MS> 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaywardWind Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Only the 9th and already the first agent bashing thread of the year rears its ugly head. OP, if you dont want to deal with agents do it yourselfe, collect rent, do contracts, take calls at 4am when there is no electric etc etc etc...your choice You are talking about something entirely different. The OP is questioning the recurring rental commission, where the agent takes one month's rent for that lease, or any renewal of it. It could could continue indefinitely with no activity on the part of the agent. What you are describing is a property management commission, where the agent deals with issues arising during the tenancy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaPhom Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Only the 9th and already the first agent bashing thread of the year rears its ugly head. OP, if you dont want to deal with agents do it yourselfe, collect rent, do contracts, take calls at 4am when there is no electric etc etc etc...your choice You are talking about something entirely different. The OP is questioning the recurring rental commission, where the agent takes one month's rent for that lease, or any renewal of it. It could could continue indefinitely with no activity on the part of the agent. What you are describing is a property management commission, where the agent deals with issues arising during the tenancy. The OP clearly states that they are annoyed with the unrealiabilty, so its the usual bash at the proffession. If the OP isnt happy, try advertising themselves and see what success they have. Tenants, vendors are unrealiable, change their mind, change the price at the last minute, unbelievable the amount of idiots there are out there. As for recurring commission, if the OP dosnt want to pay com on the second term thats fine but dont expect the agent to work for free so its up to them to supervise the property in that term. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanschwaiger Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) Thanks for all above info and opinions ! We decide to "filter" agents now. Did wrong when we listened to friend to register with more agents. ----only more harass ! We target only at customer who works in big international companies in Rayong. Now we focus more on Asian Tigers (mainly for US companies like GM, Ford ) and another big one in Bangkok (mainly for Japanese ones like mitsubishi). And I just asked some neighbours in our condo, their companies do sign contract for 2 years or 3 years at one time. Commission fee only paid for one time . Company HR and agent do the co-work. More professional. So from now one, ignore the petit agents. Home is not a museum Have 1 year time go to , no hurry at all ! PS：We only sign contract with companies, not individuals. So DIY won't help much. Edited January 9, 2014 by susanschwaiger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 In Thailand, being an estate agent is something you do between jobs, therefore, no skills needed, you work on your own time and whim, coupled with Thai being notoriously unreliable mob and you have a Thai estate agent... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post alex8912 Posted January 10, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted January 10, 2014 Am I missing something? Why would you put a property for rent up a year ahead of time? So even if someone wants it they have to wait until next year? Seems ridiculous. Also is 30 minutes late really that late? Do you ever think the people looking for the place are late and that is why or they took longer to look at a place before yours or traffic? I have done hundreds of rentals back home. People will cancel with a five minute notice and none at all. Other people just walk into an office and want to see something right away ( but not for a year from now). I know agents have a bad reputation here and elsewhere but often the general public are completely to blame. I screen potential renters very carefully before they ever get into my office/car. The people who find it annoying when I ask about their price range, why they are moving, who will live in the property, what they are doing for work, length of stay etc. I simply just put off and often won't bother to get back to. As others have said you don't have to pay a second fee at all. One last note. The fixed time of your sleeping baby sometimes has to be upset. Is the door of the bedroom being opened for a quick peek at the room really such a big deal? I also have known many a baby going to sleep often an hour later than the " fixed time" every once in awhile look at both sides. Yes many agents suck and many people looking for places suck. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Flint Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Only the 9th and already the first agent bashing thread of the year rears its ugly head. OP, if you dont want to deal with agents do it yourselfe, collect rent, do contracts, take calls at 4am when there is no electric etc etc etc...your choice You are talking about something entirely different. The OP is questioning the recurring rental commission, where the agent takes one month's rent for that lease, or any renewal of it. It could could continue indefinitely with no activity on the part of the agent. What you are describing is a property management commission, where the agent deals with issues arising during the tenancy. The OP clearly states that they are annoyed with the unrealiabilty, so its the usual bash at the proffession. If the OP isnt happy, try advertising themselves and see what success they have. Tenants, vendors are unrealiable, change their mind, change the price at the last minute, unbelievable the amount of idiots there are out there. As for recurring commission, if the OP dosnt want to pay com on the second term thats fine but dont expect the agent to work for free so its up to them to supervise the property in that term. SIR Which real estate agency do u work for/own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thailandbeachisland Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Where have your been ? Just arrived in the country ? Seem like you discover life <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I must say that most of these big companies that you talk about here that place their workers in accommodations normally do it in large expensive condos such as NorthPoint etc and they pay between 50-85k per month for the wrkers rent. Normally the new workers don't get much of a choice where they want to live. They do this for security and Insurance reasons the same way they provide them with personal drivers and do not allow them to drive themselves or even own their own bikes or cars here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanschwaiger Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 I must say that most of these big companies that you talk about here that place their workers in accommodations normally do it in large expensive condos such as NorthPoint etc and they pay between 50-85k per month for the wrkers rent. Normally the new workers don't get much of a choice where they want to live. They do this for security and Insurance reasons the same way they provide them with personal drivers and do not allow them to drive themselves or even own their own bikes or cars here. You are right! We are in North Point. My neighbour's company rents for them at 150K/per month, for 3 years. Just one more bed room than ours. And decades floor lower than ours. Now we only contact with international relocation companies.... Enough lessons learnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney R Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Only the 9th and already the first agent bashing thread of the year rears its ugly head. OP, if you dont want to deal with agents do it yourselfe, collect rent, do contracts, take calls at 4am when there is no electric etc etc etc...your choiceSpoken like a true pimp. Yep totally agree . Real estate agents and car salesmen a more dishonest mob of people you would not find . They are the same the world over . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeland Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 With regard to the OP's comment about having to pay a fee each subsequent year a Tenant renews their Tenancy Agreement, this is perfectly standard in my home country. If the owner gets the benefit of a rental income from a good tenant each year, then why shouldn't they pay a small commission for this benefit ? No one ever stops to think that an agent has expenses to pay and needs to make a living like everyone else. Whilst I cannot comment on the unprofessionalism of some agents, please don't bracket all agents under the same umbrella. Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taffythai Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hi, don't give up on agents altogether.Try a couple of those who are REBA members. They have a code of conduct to follow and I believe they do so. Find them listed in the Pattaya Trader and Real Estate Magazine. If a member of REBA doesn't fulfill the task required there is a complaints board who will properly look into genuine complaints. Cheers and good luck. PS, I am not an agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimmer Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Commercial post removed: In using Thai Visa I agree: 10) Not to post commercial spam or to post any promotional links, URLs or addresses to a member's own business or that would lead people to your site. Not to post URL links to other forums . Not to flood, post commercial or for-profit advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and similar solicitations. Any member who violates this prohibition will be banned from all forums on this website.Advertisers are the only members allowed to post links, URL's or addresses to their sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanschwaiger Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Am I missing something? Why would you put a property for rent up a year ahead of time? So even if someone wants it they have to wait until next year? Seems ridiculous. Also is 30 minutes late really that late? Do you ever think the people looking for the place are late and that is why or they took longer to look at a place before yours or traffic? I have done hundreds of rentals back home. People will cancel with a five minute notice and none at all. Other people just walk into an office and want to see something right away ( but not for a year from now). I know agents have a bad reputation here and elsewhere but often the general public are completely to blame. I screen potential renters very carefully before they ever get into my office/car. The people who find it annoying when I ask about their price range, why they are moving, who will live in the property, what they are doing for work, length of stay etc. I simply just put off and often won't bother to get back to. As others have said you don't have to pay a second fee at all. One last note. The fixed time of your sleeping baby sometimes has to be upset. Is the door of the bedroom being opened for a quick peek at the room really such a big deal? I also have known many a baby going to sleep often an hour later than the " fixed time" every once in awhile look at both sides. Yes many agents suck and many people looking for places suck. In international companies, for expat contract , normally the new assignment negotiation will start 6 months before the old contract terminates; and it's also common that the staff will start the new assignment before the old contract ends (as new offer normally is better than the old one). Plus everything takes longer in Thailand. We like to give us enough lead time to sort out someone we like to rent to. And we also need time to sell car, motorbike later on. Never too early. .......We already checked many condo/hotels near our home. Once we find the right tenant, we can move right away. We always do things in a organised way. Client may be unfamiliar with the road. But agents know it well. Being on time is politeness. For an apt that no one lives, sure client can come to look at/cancel at any time. But we live in the apt now and have our agenda. Some agents just drag in anyone they can get, although we've told them clearly what kine of tenant we want........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanschwaiger Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 With regard to the OP's comment about having to pay a fee each subsequent year a Tenant renews their Tenancy Agreement, this is perfectly standard in my home country. If the owner gets the benefit of a rental income from a good tenant each year, then why shouldn't they pay a small commission for this benefit ? No one ever stops to think that an agent has expenses to pay and needs to make a living like everyone else. Whilst I cannot comment on the unprofessionalism of some agents, please don't bracket all agents under the same umbrella. Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Sorry, I didn't mean to say all agents are bad. Just some. That agent I mentioned wants to sign a one year contract (before she said the client will stay long years, so we offered cheap price ). And she wanted to show her customer to our home to have a look tomorrow. (Did not even ask if we will have time). Of course, I rejected her firmly this time. Isn't this a waste of time on both sides? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanschwaiger Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Only the 9th and already the first agent bashing thread of the year rears its ugly head. OP, if you dont want to deal with agents do it yourselfe, collect rent, do contracts, take calls at 4am when there is no electric etc etc etc...your choice No, this will not happen in North Point. Management fee is high, but the service is also good. Plus the professional support form tenant's company HR/Admin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeland Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Sorry, I didn't mean to say all agents are bad. Just some. That agent I mentioned wants to sign a one year contract (before she said the client will stay long years, so we offered cheap price ). And she wanted to show her customer to our home to have a look tomorrow. (Did not even ask if we will have time). Of course, I rejected her firmly this time. Isn't this a waste of time on both sides? Sorry, but you are not giving the agent a chance and are just being negative towards her. Firstly, you contacted them in the first instance to find a Tenant for your home. Therefore, if she wishes to show a client your home, then that is a good thing isn't it ??!! Furthermore, by finding someone who wishes to view quickly, demonstrates that they are working to find a client ASAP. If they made no appointments, you would be the first to complain, saying they do nothing. You can always say, no sorry, tomorrow is not possible and try and negotiate a convenient day for viewings - hardly the end of the world, and certainly not worth writing about this as a negative issue towards an agent. Sadly, your attitude is so poor towards the agent, demonstrating the fact that it is always the agents fault for everything, when 99% of the time, any bad issue is down to either the property owner or the Tenant. It's about time that agent bashes started engaging their brains, look in the mirror and try and scratch below the service. Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanschwaiger Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 No, you wrong me. I always communicate with them precisely, clearly and politely. Even "I rejected her firmly", I did in a polite way. I myself hate arrogance and egoists. It's true that until now, 70% of the agents I met left me a bad impression. I know there are good ones too. We lived in rented apt for 7 years in the previous country before we moved to Thailand. I know what is a professional and efficient agent is, specially in the high end property market. If no improvement is done, cutomers will lose patience easily and change to other agents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaywardWind Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 With regard to the OP's comment about having to pay a fee each subsequent year a Tenant renews their Tenancy Agreement, this is perfectly standard in my home country. If the owner gets the benefit of a rental income from a good tenant each year, then why shouldn't they pay a small commission for this benefit ? No one ever stops to think that an agent has expenses to pay and needs to make a living like everyone else. Whilst I cannot comment on the unprofessionalism of some agents, please don't bracket all agents under the same umbrella. Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app A couple of points: First, the agent's work is completed once the initial contract is signed and the tenant takes possession. He/she has no further duties concerning the unit that year, and certainly none in subsequent years. One does not earn the right to a recurring source of income because of the initial activity which resulted in the lease. If the owner has asked the agent to continue dealing with issues that arise, such as repairs, etc., then that is a different matter and the agent should be compensated. Second, it is by no means a small commission. The accepted practice is one month's rent, which is 8.5% of the annual income. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanschwaiger Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 With regard to the OP's comment about having to pay a fee each subsequent year a Tenant renews their Tenancy Agreement, this is perfectly You are right. If problems occur, North Point management office can handle nicely. And we can also contact tenant & his company HR department directly. Agent has nothing do with these at all. (I've heard some people complain that their agent helps nothing since they moved in) Yup, if we rent at 100K/M, that is not a cheap commission to pay each year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeland Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 A couple of points: First, the agent's work is completed once the initial contract is signed and the tenant takes possession. He/she has no further duties concerning the unit that year, and certainly none in subsequent years. One does not earn the right to a recurring source of income because of the initial activity which resulted in the lease. If the owner has asked the agent to continue dealing with issues that arise, such as repairs, etc., then that is a different matter and the agent should be compensated. Second, it is by no means a small commission. The accepted practice is one month's rent, which is 8.5% of the annual income. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. As usual, another person missing the point. The commission for second and subsequent years is payable, because the property owner is getting benefit from the initial introduction of the tenant to the property. Forget management, we are just talking about the introduction commission. It is not a case of 'work', it is a case of the fact that the owner is receiving an income each month/year, solely down to the fact that the tenant has been introduced to the property by the agent. It's exactly the same basis that any financial product you purchase, ie. pension plan or investment plan, then the introducer will receive a small commission throughout the duration of the plan. Put another way, would you think it fair that an agent introduces a client to a property, the owner says they only want to do a 6 month contract (to get out of paying subsequent fees), and then the tenant remains at the property for 10 years ? The owner would have received benefit for 10 years, but agent just paid a small commission based on 6 months ? My problem is the attitude of some of the property owners. They resent paying a commission for introduction of a decent Tenant, yet they are happy to take the money and receive the benefit. I agree that the commission should be reduced for subsequent years, but certainly not cut, if the owner is still receiving 'value' for the introduction. In other countries there is lots of paper work involved each year when someone rents out their property and the agent certainly helps the owner cope with this. Any decent agent would also be aware of rent price trends and negotiate rent increases each year, if applicable. There is also the fact that in the UK for example, 10% of Tenants are in rent arrears, and if handled incorrectly (ie. the attitude of OP) any problem would escalate into serious rent arrears and the necessity to go to Court to evict Tenants. The agents certainly earn their money when problems arise, because property rental is not an exact science and some situations are delicate. Tenants need handling and talking to in the right way. It's funny, people are happy to hand out bundles of cash to lawyers, because they think they are professional, but in the reality there are more crooked than most professions, yet they command respect from the ignorant public, whilst agents are considered rubbish. Rant over ...... Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now