500 baht/month water utility bill in a condo..

[weegee]

Dont know where you are but...here we have a charge of 80baht per month, just for the connection, whether you use water or not...Then we get charged for what we use. Take heart, our bill runs in for water at around 700 to 1000 per month....and we also have a bore.

You could be paying the same connection charge each month, the same as me.

[Stan42]

I have to agree with the majority of posters here. You're being ripped off.

I pay a fixed 300thb/month for water, regardless of how much or how little I use. My electricity bill never exceeds 3k/month.

[smokie36]

Regards the electricity bill I suggest you stop using the aircon and switch to a couple of fans only turning the aircon on sparingly when its really hot.

Be surprised if you run over 1000 Baht a month doing this.

Edited July 1, 2015 by smokie36

[little mary sunshine]

Please get me a job in the office, I

Want a piece of this scam. Someone is

Making a bundle.

[dotpoom]

I moved into a Bungalow (resort) and signed a contract for a year. I just checked my hand written bill. They are charging me 35 Bt. per Unit. This month 17 units=595 Bt. (Last month 18 Units-630 Bt.) I have a house in Bang Saray with a garden and plants that I watered daily. Sometimes when we have a wet month I paid for no water at all,(collected it in the tanks) just the meter standing charge of 85 Bt. (Company Rate). On average though that bill was less than 400 Bt.

My electricity bill here is charged at 7 Bt. Unit 1,553 Bt. this month and 1281 Bt.last month (I don't use Air/Cons

[Dogbarker]

Phew expensive!

Can I susggest you do a few things ?

Water :Turn Off all water in the condo. Locate meter and read the number .. go out for a few hours ( most of day if possible) come back check meter reading .. No change then you have no leaks. If some difference then you know you have a toilet or something leaking . Please also check that your friendly neighbours do not use the same meter ( by accident of course) - look out for any pipes that come off from your main supply after the meter

Ask what the price would be of the local government supplied water and can they supply it ?

Electricty:

For PEA supply that is a lot, however aircons , especially older ones, running all night does not help. A tenant in one of my studios uses bht1700 a month .. and when I did a condo inspection I saw he was using a continental quilt I asked the tog rating - what I brought from Uk .. it was a 10.5 no wonder he was hot!!!!! try sleeping without a quilt .. almost halved his bill!

Try using a fan and aircon at higher temperature .. it can help circulate colder air in a big room ..

Hope some help ..

Pat

[nithisa78]

yes. Cry like a baby.

[Cylon]

2 adults, 2 toilets one shower. 1 month = 58 baht

[ray richards]

My Condo at Jomtien is 35 baht per unit water & elec at 3.8 baht per unit.

My wife & i shower,cook (electric) wash dishes etc.etc. every day & our water is 250-300 bht per month & elec with some a/c average 450 bht per month.

[Shiver]

I pay 85-86 baht for water (it's always 85.xx to keep it above their 85 limit for free water). When I wasn't single, it would never be more than about 120 baht.

For electricity I pay about 850-900. I rarely use aircon as I'm trying to get used to the weather and not be dependant on it, but if I have visitors then aircon is on flat out. When I was mining Bitcoin it was usually close to 5000 baht Lol, and that generated some serious heat.

When I stayed in a complex many years back, there were a bank of electricity meters that you could see, and the hand written bill was always double what the meter rate would be.

[johninbkk]

Impossible

My 3 bedroom villa with pool and spa 250 per month

you're being ripped.

[deepcell]

I have the same problem, my eletric bill this month was 3.863 baht --- the last place I used to live it was 4.300 baht but the landlord overcharge me 7 baht per unit, then I disagree and got out. Your landlord is over charging you, they all do in Thailand (motherfu***rs?). The best to do is ask to have the bill in your name, if the landlord refuse, then get out or just agree to be ripped off!

My eletric bill is high because we have and old and big aircon that we need to replace soon, and it is on at least 12h per day, also every month the guy come to fix this sh***

Edited July 1, 2015 by deepcell

[dotpoom]

As a famous man once said...."I didn't get to where I am today by not watching what I pay for water".

[mike324]

Check your meter readings on each cycle to see if the units used is reasonable. There is always a chance that it is broken or even rigged.

Not sure what type of condo you live in or if you are renting. If renting, you should ask your landlord how much is the water rate to see if it matches what the office tells you. Also ask your neighbors what they are paying. Most newer or medium size condos will have computer print out bills not hand written, it may be suspicious too if its hand written, unless you are renting a very old condo.

My wife and I live in a condo in Bangkok, our water bills is around 80-100 baht per month.

Electricity is around 3000 - 3800 baht, ac on whole night and some afternoons.

[bazza40]

I pay 50 baht per month for water ( yes, I shower daily ) and between 700 and 1500 baht a month for electricity ( use aircon reasonably often ) in Chiang Mai.

If you are renting, move. If you own the unit, sell. What you are paying is definitely a ripoff.

[gandalf12]

THat is very high. We have a house in Bangkok and I water the garden every day. Out bill is around Baht 570 a month

[lopburi3]

Got my water bill today here in Bangkok and charge is 508.04 baht for 47 units. This is a bit high but not much - lack of rain so more watering of shrubs. But we have 8 or 9 people here most nights. 20 units in a condo if only two people would seem very high. There units are cubic meters?

[akentryan]

I live in a 3br 3ba house in the dark side in Pattaya. One bed a/c is in use at night and fans in the day time. I do have 4 refrigerators running and a pool pump that runs 6 hours a day. Electricity averages about 3,500 a month, water about 350 baht that's with watering all the plants and the lawn daily.

[gonefish]

start by asking to see the water meter.write down the reading and check it again when the next bill comes.

25 a unit sounds ok and 2 people living normally should use only 5 or 6 units. going stupid crazy would use 8 !!

do the same with the elec. check the meter and write it down. when you check it turn all your elec off at the main breaker in the box. if the meter is still turning when you check it then someone is tapping in and you are paying for it.

[jackanapes]

I think you are being ripped off the most you should be paying is 200baht a month report the unit management for charging an extortion amount .I live in a apartment and I am charged 100 baht a month my electricity bill is usually round about 800,900 baht a month I do quite a lot of cooking I have aircon which I very rarely use.

[ggt]

Now you know what keeps the Thais smiling so much...

[Cheesekraft]

we have been talking with the management but they are very ... 'firm' in their obvious racket they are running. The other rooms are paying similar outrageous water bills. We had them show us the meter, and one meter was OBVIOUSLY not checked; it was covered in dust. We wrote down the numbers, but we will still have to be checking BOTH of the meters, and paying BOTH the government rate and the 25 baht/unit rate, as we have no options besides running from a rental contract, losing the deposit, going through a large hassle of find a new place to live and location, etc. It is preferrable to be ripped off; but out of principle I would fight this if I can. The management, the first time we confronted them, with our 475 baht water bill, said they made a mistake and we would actually have to pay 500 baht. The time we asked to see the meter, they said they had made a mistake, and that we had to pay 375. They do seem to be giving in to our resistance somewhat, but I do not like being ripped off for even a satang. Is there anything I can do to force them to have to act legally, or is what they are doing legal?

[Travelman868]

25 Baht for a unit of well water? Crazy ripoff.

20 (!) cubic meters (?) for a single person (?).

Do you shower for an hour per day?

Fill a pool?

You are ripped off/cheated by all means.

electricity; this is coming in at only about 3800/month

Government rate and "only" 3800?

Single person? How many aircons? Running 24/7 or what?

(I am just asking, I don't want to exclude that 3800 is possible)

My electric used to cost around 2000 baht per month, that's for a house with 1 air and 2 people. The water was 100 baht and that included water for the garden.

I can understand water in a condo costing more because they have to pump to water to the roof but 500 baht is too much. There are Government agencies you can complain too but what does your service charge agreement say??

[Bangkok Barry]

The OP says he is getting hand written bills but based on what - is there a meter he can check for the readings? If not they could charge him whatever they want irrespective of his usage. If a meter then that should be the start point. If no meter suggest moving........

Move over a couple of hundred baht a month?

[peterb17]

If the bill was 300baht a month- you would be happy.

You may be paying 200baht over the acceptable figure for a condo.

Are you really going to spend sleepless nights worrying about this- probably increasing your blood pressure etc.

I know- it's not the money- it's the injustice , another scam, someone ripping me off- live with it!

[topt]

we have been talking with the management but they are very ... 'firm' in their obvious racket they are running. The other rooms are paying similar outrageous water bills. We had them show us the meter, and one meter was OBVIOUSLY not checked; it was covered in dust. We wrote down the numbers, but we will still have to be checking BOTH of the meters, and paying BOTH the government rate and the 25 baht/unit rate, as we have no options besides running from a rental contract, losing the deposit, going through a large hassle of find a new place to live and location, etc. It is preferrable to be ripped off; but out of principle I would fight this if I can. The management, the first time we confronted them, with our 475 baht water bill, said they made a mistake and we would actually have to pay 500 baht. The time we asked to see the meter, they said they had made a mistake, and that we had to pay 375. They do seem to be giving in to our resistance somewhat, but I do not like being ripped off for even a satang. Is there anything I can do to force them to have to act legally, or is what they are doing legal?

I do not understand what you mean by 2 meters but was there not a rate for use of water written into the rental contract plus a note made of the reading when you moved in?

If not then it is a lesson to learn for when you move (depending on the economics) because it is just going to irritate you from now on.

And if there was no figure in the rental agreement and it just said pay the water bills or similar then personally I do not think you have a leg to stand on legally.

[ryanhull]

I was asking that question to Johnniey, who claims to have a monthly water bill of 2000 Baht

I did not say I have a water bill of 2000 Bhat? if I did that was an error probably but I cannot see where I said that?

[chicowoodduck]

Ouch!! My water and electric bill combined is never more than 600 for the month....I have access to the meters and tell my land lord I check them each month.....never a prob. Time to move on....?

[ableguy]

Lots of replies make sense, only one problem in rental condos they make up their own charges, you are being shafted every condo I rented in Bangkok charged way over the actual cost.

[blackcab]

we have been talking with the management but they are very ... 'firm' in their obvious racket they are running. The other rooms are paying similar outrageous water bills. We had them show us the meter, and one meter was OBVIOUSLY not checked; it was covered in dust. We wrote down the numbers, but we will still have to be checking BOTH of the meters, and paying BOTH the government rate and the 25 baht/unit rate, as we have no options besides running from a rental contract, losing the deposit, going through a large hassle of find a new place to live and location, etc. It is preferrable to be ripped off; but out of principle I would fight this if I can. The management, the first time we confronted them, with our 475 baht water bill, said they made a mistake and we would actually have to pay 500 baht. The time we asked to see the meter, they said they had made a mistake, and that we had to pay 375. They do seem to be giving in to our resistance somewhat, but I do not like being ripped off for even a satang. Is there anything I can do to force them to have to act legally, or is what they are doing legal?

My job is managing the managers of apartment buildings in Bangkok. From my direct experience, the company I work for pays 18 baht per cubic meter to the MWA. We charge 20 baht to our tenants.

25 baht per unit isn't outrageous. The quantity of water you are using is unrealistic however.

Ask your management what day of the month they read the meters. We read ours on the 25th of each month. Make sure you read your meter on the same day as them and take a time/date stamped picture. Our apartment managers photograph every meter every month using the free Open Camera app which has the time/date stamp facility. (This saves the managers a lot of time when tenants query their readings).

If your apartment has nothing to hide they will be very open with you.