Is it really that bad now for property owners in Phuket?

[lostinisaan]

     I just had a chat with a friend who seems to encounter some huge problems with his rooms in Patong. Is it true that the cops, army and co are trying to make it more and more difficult for honest foreigners to do a little business?

 

      Is it possible that the guy who did/does the job for him got blackmailed by somebody in the same business, or is it really a fact that they really check on almost all foreigners, of course not the Russian mafia, they pay too good.

 

    Thanks for any input. 

         

[mcfish]

Huh?

[swissie]

Newsflash: Foreigners without Work-Permit or appropriate "Business-Licences" are not allowed to engage in any "little Business" in the Kingdom of Thailand. Period.

 

Cheers.

[xvend]

I've had work permit/visa for over 8 years. I've never once been hassled or asked to produce those documents aside from re-entering the country.

 

The people that have "huge problems" as you put it, are usually the ones that stir the pot, are rude, or create enemies.

 

The lesson here is, never be a prick to Thai people and do not conduct business openly without the required permissions. Simple as that.

[KarenBravo]

9 hours ago, swissie said:

Newsflash: Foreigners without Work-Permit or appropriate "Business-Licences" are not allowed to engage in any "little Business" in the Kingdom of Thailand. Period.

 

Cheers.

 

Not true. A Thai official has stated that a foreigner does not need a work permit to rent out a property. They are supposed to pay tax, though.

[LivinginKata]

2 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Not true. A Thai official has stated that a foreigner does not need a work permit to rent out a property. They are supposed to pay tax, though.

 

You are quoting this article http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Condo-conundrum/64219

 

“To my knowledge, there is no such law requiring a work permit to own or let out condo units, as it doesn't qualify as 'working',” he said.

 

But this statement is quite resticted to a condo owner and is very unclear about any conditions.

 

The OP cleary says   "with his rooms in Patong. Is it true that the cops, army and co are trying to make it more and more difficult for honest foreigners to do a little business?"

 

No mention of condo rooms and it seems clear he is runing a business.

 

[lostinisaan]

11 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

You are quoting this article http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Condo-conundrum/64219

 

“To my knowledge, there is no such law requiring a work permit to own or let out condo units, as it doesn't qualify as 'working',” he said.

 

But this statement is quite resticted to a condo owner and is very unclear about any conditions.

 

The OP cleary says   "with his rooms in Patong. Is it true that the cops, army and co are trying to make it more and more difficult for honest foreigners to do a little business?"

 

No mention of condo rooms and it seems clear he is runing a business.

 

 

I think the whole problem accelerated because the guy who's doing the rentals for him also does day by day bookings. And that doesn't seem to be allowed by foreigners. Anyway, it's a business, if you rent out rooms for a day, or a month. 

 

   The problem somebody's facing is that he might be the victim of a liar who gave him such a weird story that they kept this "gentleman's" passport for a few months already.

 

    I'm sorry to make such a statement, but not too many foreigners in this business are trustworthy. 

 

      Thanks for your input, please continue with your own experiences. Khop Khun Maak Khrap. -

[lostinisaan]

11 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

You are quoting this article http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Condo-conundrum/64219

 

“To my knowledge, there is no such law requiring a work permit to own or let out condo units, as it doesn't qualify as 'working',” he said.

 

But this statement is quite resticted to a condo owner and is very unclear about any conditions.

 

The OP cleary says   "with his rooms in Patong. Is it true that the cops, army and co are trying to make it more and more difficult for honest foreigners to do a little business?"

 

No mention of condo rooms and it seems clear he is runing a business.

 

 

    Would it make a huge difference if it's actually about condo rooms? 

[Peterw42]

I think the OP is referring to a friend doing short term rentals. You cannot rent a room or "rooms" for under a month, unless you are a hotel, it's illegal for Thais and westerners. 

Lots of news about recent crackdowns on short term rentals. 

So the OPs "honest" friend can no longer "do a little business". 

Nothing to do with WPs etc.

Not even a new law, just an enforcing of the existing law.

[4MyEgo]

11 hours ago, lostinisaan said:

 

I think the whole problem accelerated because the guy who's doing the rentals for him also does day by day bookings. And that doesn't seem to be allowed by foreigners. Anyway, it's a business, if you rent out rooms for a day, or a month. 

 

   The problem somebody's facing is that he might be the victim of a liar who gave him such a weird story that they kept this "gentleman's" passport for a few months already.

 

    I'm sorry to make such a statement, but not too many foreigners in this business are trustworthy. 

 

      Thanks for your input, please continue with your own experiences. Khop Khun Maak Khrap. -

One has to think why the pressure is on, e.g. tourism is down, hotels are suffering, and then you have "others" renting out rooms, not good for the ones owning hotels who employ Thai's, solution, no renting of rooms, simple, that or pay taxes like the hotels do, but I would think that they would like to close these little room renters down so that the hotels do not lay off workers and or go bust, Thailand needs tourism as it employs their own, fair is fair.

[Pinot]

What is this guy on about?

 

You can't rent condos out for less than 30 days. The hotels have brought up a good point, in my opinion. A condo isn't a hotel. 

 

As discussed here on TV, this means that the value of condos goes down considerably if you can't rent them out (for less than 30 days). 

 

I hope this pricks the property market bubble here on Phuket and the insane condo construction development comes to an end. There are over 3000 condo units coming online in Kamala in the near future. This in a market where no one can sell anything. The utilities are already completely overwhelmed. Mountains of trash with no where to put it, untreated sewage into the ocean and not enough water for the existing housing. In any Western country there would be a building moratorium, but TIT. 

[mcfish]

What is this guy on about?

 

You can't rent condos out for less than 30 days. The hotels have brought up a good point, in my opinion. A condo isn't a hotel. 

 

As discussed here on TV, this means that the value of condos goes down considerably if you can't rent them out (for less than 30 days). 

 

I hope this pricks the property market bubble here on Phuket and the insane condo construction development comes to an end. There are over 3000 condo units coming online in Kamala in the near future. This in a market where no one can sell anything. The utilities are already completely overwhelmed. Mountains of trash with no where to put it, untreated sewage into the ocean and not enough water for the existing housing. In any Western country there would be a building moratorium, but TIT. 

Can't really make much sense of your post. The world's biggest agent for booking less than 30 days is air bnb.

On their website they show a grand total of 340 condo's for short term rentals. Are you saying that those 340 condo's will burst an imaginary bubble? Maybe I misread your post

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[NamKangMan]

On 08/08/2016 at 11:03 PM, mcfish said:

 

Can't really make much sense of your post. The world's biggest agent for booking less than 30 days is air bnb.

On their website they show a grand total of 340 condo's for short term rentals. Are you saying that those 340 condo's will burst an imaginary bubble? Maybe I misread your post

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk
 

 

 

If you have a look at Agoda, and other similar websites, you will see hundreds, if not thousands, of condo's / apartments for rent. 

[hawker9000]

On August 6, 2016 at 11:54 PM, xvend said:

I've had work permit/visa for over 8 years. I've never once been hassled or asked to produce those documents aside from re-entering the country.

 

The people that have "huge problems" as you put it, are usually the ones that stir the pot, are rude, or create enemies.

 

The lesson here is, never be a prick to Thai people and do not conduct business openly without the required permissions. Simple as that.

 

"The lesson here is, never be a prick to Thai people..."   Or, stated a bit differently, remember at all times that you must bow and scrape to the superior race and be grateful for any crumbs they wish to throw your way.  Equal treatment is simply off the table, and if one should for any reason take a disliking to you, your fault, their fault, or it's just a cloudy day, they have a thousand ways to stick a fork in you.  But by all means, enjoy your stay in the Land of Smiles!

[xvend]

12 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

 

stated a bit differently, "remember at all times that you must bow and scrape to the superior race and be grateful for any crumbs they wish to throw your way.  "

 

Someone's bitter LOL.

 

But I should probably correct my initial statement.

 

1. You should never be a prick to anyone that potentially has the means to hurt your livelihood VERY EASILY. (anywhere in the world)

 

And:

 

2. If you intend to conduct business illegally see #1 (anywhere in the world)

 

Now, if you come to Thailand or live here and develope your attitude, you are bound to FAIL.

 

Adapt or die comes to mind.

 

Have a pleasant morning