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What you need to know when renting a house or apartment

Finding somewhere to live in Bangkok, or anywhere in Thailand for that matter, can be a daunting and tedious process. Although there are plenty of good quality houses and apartments for rent finding the perfect one for your needs takes time and effort. These guidelines will help you understand what is involved:

First, identify what you are looking for: The type of residence - house or apartment; location; facilities; and the rent you are willing to pay. Write it all down in a list and give it to a property agent. A good property agent will provide you with a list of interesting properties that match your requirements, and help you with the entire leasing process from site inspections, negotiations with the landlord, contract preparation to handover supervision.

Of course, there's nothing to stop you doing it yourself. You'll find plenty of advertisements in the classified section of English newspapers and magazines. But you will have to do all the work yourself: Find suitable properties, go out and inspect them, and then negotiate with the landlord. This can obviously take a lot of time and effort with no guarantee of success.

Leasing Contracts

Terms and conditions in the leasing contracts vary greatly in Thailand, depending on the agreements that the tenants and landlords can reach. In general, landlords prefer contracts for at least one year. You can ask for a two-year leasing term if you are happy with the apartment or the house and you don't intend to move after the first year. A two-year lease may give you some bargaining power on the rental fee too.

A longer leasing term also limits the opportunity for the landlord to increase the rent, as it must stay the same for the length of the lease, unless specifically stated in the contract. In addition, even if the landlord receives a much more favorable offer from other tenants, he will not be able to force the existing tenant to move out unless the lease contract expires. Make sure you really like the place and that you will stay for the full length of the contract. If you move before it expires, you forfeit your deposit.

An agent will prepare the leasing contracts for you. Make sure you ask for an English version if required. If you find a place yourself, the landlord will prepare the leasing contracts for you. Make sure you read it through carefully and question him about any conditions you feel uneasy about. And don't pay any deposit or 'holding fee' until you are happy with the lease

Management Costs

The landlord is responsible for all apartment property management costs.

If you rent a house, all major maintenance is the landlord's responsibility. This includes the maintenance and repairs of the power supply, water supply, air-conditioning systems and structural damage not caused by the tenant. The tenant is responsible for minor repairs such as broken lights and windows. If the house has a garden or swimming pool, the tenant is also responsible for the maintenance cost (in some cases, the landlord will bear this cost).

Fire Insurance

In all cases, the landlord is responsible for the fire insurance premiums.

Late Payment

In general, the tenant will be asked to pay the rent of each month in the first week of the month (no later than the 5th) and pay a fine worth an average of 15% per annum of the monthly rent for every day the rent is late.

Tenant Privacy Rights

All tenancy leases must include a clause that states the landlord is not allowed to enter the house without prior notice or the tenant's consent.

Deposit

No deposit is required until a tenancy agreement has been agreed and signed by both parties.

In general, the tenant must pay a deposit worth 2 or 3 months rent at the same time the agreement is signed. The deposit will cover the entire lease life. However, the landlord may increase the value of the deposit if the rent rises in the following year. The tenant is entitled to receive the deposit back no later than 45 days after the lease contracts expire and the landlord makes sure that all expenses incurred by the tenant are cleared.

Agent Selection

These are the minimum services that you can expect from a professional agent:

Offering A Selected List Of Properties: The list should offer you enough choices based on the criteria you gave the Agent. The key point is the properties should be in line with your requirements.

Acting For The Tenant To Negotiate A Lease: The agent is there to negotiate for the benefit of the tenant, and this covers rental rates, payment terms, or the scope of the landlord's responsibilities. The tenant is not supposed to meet with the landlord, or if he needs to, an agent should be present at every meeting.

Preparing Leasing Contracts: It is one of the agent's major roles to prepare the leasing contracts based on what is agreed between the tenant and the landlord. It is also very important that the agent is able to prepare the contracts in English particularly when the tenant is not Thai.

Handover Supervision: The agent's final role is to make sure the house or the apartment is ready for the tenant to move in, or to start fit-out work (depending on the lease agreement) and to ensure that the landlord does all the things agreed to in the leasing contracts. You should make sure that the minimum services you get from your agent meet the above specifications. Of course, we supply all the above services and more.

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