House contract "oddity"

[Na Fan]

Hi all

So I went to look at a couple houses, and found one that I liked. It had a sign out front from a real estate company and we called that number. A kid showed up (or well, a very young adult male) to show us the inside of the house.

Little while later, we're now discussing the contract, and it's a badly translated and copied contract they took from what appears to be a random law firm, probably found online. Okay, fine. But what strikes me as odd is that the kid is listed as the lessor, and is signing the contract himself. Not the actual owner of the house, nor is there any mention whatsoever of the property company. Further, the bank account I was given to transfer the deposit is also his personal account.

I have previously rented a house through a "caretaker" and she has handled the deposit as well (in cash), but this time around it just strikes me as somewhat odd.

Any experiences with something like this?

[worgeordie]

Tell him you need to see the actual owner,then see what he says,

could save you a lot of hassle later on,it's been know for people

to rent houses out that are actually owned by the Bank.

regards Worgeordie

[KittenKong]

Edit.

Edited July 1, 2016 by KittenKong

[Halfaboy]

It's not clear to me if the OP refers to a rental or to buying an apartment.

[Na Fan]

Rental of a house.

[blackcab]

Is it even his to rent?

If it's strange, move on. Plenty more properties to rent.

[Buzzz]

After moving in , you don't want the owners showing up asking, who are you?

Pretty common scam on Craigslist I have noticed.

[Lamkyong]

is their a craigslist in Thailand ??

[Buzzz]

is their a craigslist in Thailand ??

Yes.

[Buzzz]

Verify the owner if possible.

I rented an apartment from "the sister" and as she handed me the keys, she tells me " don't ever give your rent to my brother."

"The brother" made my life miserable and compelled me to move me out eventually.

Thse siblings had inherited the building and were in competition to find renters and screw each other over.

A sinister brother sister combo that drew all the tenets, staff, police, lawyers, property surveyors, courts into their battles.

Middle of the night you would see furniture being moved, property markers relocated, vandalism...even voodoo.

Besides the security guards, they even hired personal bodyguards that sat around the property.

[Na Fan]

Yeah I haven't signed anything just yet. Also discussed this with some Thai friends of mine and did a bit of research.

The property company seems fairly new, and appears to be a startup of two young Thais (probably a couple). Perhaps they're just not that sophisticated in the business (yet). Combined with the "mai pen rai" attitude, I can see how that results in a seemingly unprofessional, copied contract.

However, I've spent a "test night" at the house, and the next morning, the real owner of the house showed up with a group of people and asked me how I'd like the house. So they're aware it's being rented out and by whom. But they also brought in a potential buyer to view the house at the same time.

I personally don't have any experiences what might happen if a house is being sold while someone is renting it. Perhaps the new owner has different plans? And that's where a clause in the contract that appears to be missing - I am not allowed to cancel the contract without loosing my 2-month deposit, but they are, and without notice, as per the contract. Now that's not a situation I'd want to find myself in.

I was also advised to ask for proof that they (the property company) have the rights over the house to rent it out. In what form would this be?

[blackcab]

It could be as simple as a hand written document that states the owner authorises the (named) agent to lease the stated property on their behalf, with a signed copy of the owner's ID card and the agent's ID card attached.

However, many owners like to rent out their property on the quiet, to avoid paying par see rong ruan tax. If this is the case they won't want to put too much on paper.

Equally the agent might be working for cash in hand, so they won't want to do that either.

[SOTIRIOS]

.....ask yourself....

....does it make sense.....

...you already answered....

[whatproblem]

Maybe you will need blue book for visa extension I want that when I sign and pay ,I will give back when I finished ,when a Thais got your money they become unhelpful

[12DrinkMore]

As pointed out above, you need to have a signed copies of the blue house book, signed copies of the owner's ID card and a rental contract to cover dealings with immigration, road transport guys, utilities.

The owner also has to inform immigration of your presence.

If you cannot get the above, then life becomes a pain.

[stgrhe]

If you are the buyer of a house make sure you, through a solicitor, draw up a draft purchase agreement. Hand over the draft to the seller and negotiate from there. Make sure that the seller is the actual owner and do only business with him/her or any representative of the seller authorised through a power of attorney.

[Maestro]

Removed a troll post and the reply to it.

[ggt]

This could be a scam...I would want to talk directly with the home owner before giving the enterprising youth any money...

[jacko45k]

What does your lawyer think?

You are not buying a house without one are you........

If the board you saw was one of an agent, then yes I would be asking for the real owner or confirming the agency has ownership.

[KittenKong]

What does your lawyer think?

You are not buying a house without one are you........

If the board you saw was one of an agent, then yes I would be asking for the real owner or confirming the agency has ownership.

It seems that he's renting, not buying. Several readers seem to have understood from the original post that he was buying, including me.

Either way, you need to be absolutely certain that you are dealing with the real owner or his official agent before handing over any money to anyone, regardless of whether you are buying or renting. No shortage of unauthorised people trying it on here.