living in bangkok, houses, condos, apartments, Thailand

A. Arrive in Bangkok , stay in one of the many home-from-home serviced apartments (of varying sizes) until you can find suitable accommodation. It is customary for the husband to be working whilst his wife can view suitable accommodation options. Bangkok Lettings offers that service.

A. In most cases residences for rent, that is apartments/condos/houses, are provided completely furnished with much emphasis on built-in furniture in the larger places. Should you wish to bring your own furniture, it is usual for arrangements to be made for landlords' furniture to be moved out and for rents to be reduced correspondingly. Condominium and house owners may not have the capability of being so flexible.

A. This rather depends, two weeks quickest to about two months, especially if you have your own furniture being shipped.

A. The local tongue is Thai (of course) although English is widely spoken to lesser or greater degrees.

Q6 Are Thai home - owners/landlords friendly and hospitable and are all nationalities welcome?

A. In general YES. Of course there are going to be exceptions but the most popular apartment complexes contain a mix of varying nationalities. For example, many apartments cater particularly for Japanese citizens as there are so many working here and it is only natural for certain countries' citizens to tend to congregate in the same sort of area(s).

Q7 Location; where should we live ?

A. You can choose to live near to the various International schools convenient for your children or near the husband's work place, convenient for him to travel to work or, say, mid-way between the two . In general we have found families with young children tend to live near the schools. However, most international schools operate 'bussing' services for older school children.

Another consideration is whether you would prefer to live in a wholly expatriate community or whether we would like to experience Thailand more and live in a mixed Thai / Expat. communities not necessarily close to any particular schools.

A. This is not an easy question to answer. However MOST expats. tend to live in the Sukhumvit area or the more expensive Sathorn business district area. Having said that, though, the areas near the more fashionable international schools are geared up to cater for foreign expatriate families.

A. The answer to the previous question applies here just as well. Americans tend to stay near the American International School Bangkok (ISB) which is near the airport but conveniently linked to central Bangkok by a network of expressways. The British and Australians tend to favour the British Bangkok Patana School area in south east Bangkok whereas other nationalities have their favourite areas, too, near their schools or embassies. The Japanese, by far the largest expat community in Thailand, tend to prefer the general upper Sukhumvit Road area since there is a Japanese school nearby and many Japanese men work in the various factories along the Bangna-Trat Road and within industrial Samut Prakan, an adjoining province to Greater Bangkok.

Q10 What is the present availability of apartments and houses in Bangkok ?

A. More apartments are usually available than private detached houses. In this connection, please allow Bangkok Lettings to assist with your search.

Q11 Is it a tenant's market at present ?

A. With the upturn in the Thai economy and global trading in general, there tend to be more potential tenants looking for accommodation that there are apartments/houses to satisfy them.

Q12 What is best time to look for accommodation - seasons/school terms permitting ?

A. Clearly families with children at school need to get their children settled before term times commence.

Apartments and houses can be viewed by appointment at any reasonable times although Sundays tend to be the day when apartment and condominium staff take their own leave, so can be more difficult.

Q13 Are guide books published about house renting in Bangkok and do they give accurate data ?

A. In general NO. The local English newspapers sometimes advertise individual houses / condo / apartments although most available accommodation can be found by using realtors or letting agents, of which there are many.

Q14 Should I contact as many agents as possible because there are no multiple listings in Bangkok?

A. The answer to this question is open ended. Since there are a number of agents now operating in Bangkok, the difficulty is finding one who will find what it is you are seeking. The greater majority tend to be staffed by willing young Thai people complete with mobile telephones and clipboards with their private motor cars. However, our experience is they don't know the full market and tend to steer incoming clients to their pet apartments to the exclusion of the greater majority of others AND try to over-sell which many potential tenants have told us in both infuriating and time consuming.

A. We have listings of a number of internationally capable movers here in Bangkok , on application.

Part B The residence itself.

Q21 How many bedrooms would I need?

A. Only you can answer this. You will become very popular once you move to Bangkok and will always have guests from home wishing to visit you. Some families allow for this by having a spare bedroom or study; others live near a convenient hotel !

Q22 How much does it cost to rent a house/apartment per month?

A. This question has no answer, rather like defining the length of a piece of string. Studio apartments can cost as little as Bt.10,000 per month, up to Bt 250,000 for a sumptuous five-bedroom apartment in the central areas or a large house in the suburbs. Property is available at all prices and bedroom numbers.

Q23 Should I rent an apartment or a house in Bangkok?

A. Very much an individual choice and what it is you are used to/comfortable with. In general terms we would recommend apartments or condominiums since they avoid the basic house disadvantages, namely break-in risk, flooding risk and the fact that house tenants have to maintain the properties.

Q24 If I rent an apartment are there service charges for using the swimming pool and common areas?

A. Generally speaking, NO as such allowances are included in the agreed rentals. Of course, it stands to reason that the costs of lighting and maintenance of common areas can only come from tenant rentals.

Q25 If I am moved by my company within a short period, how does that affect my Lease Agreement?

A. The lease agreement the incoming tenant signs will contain the normal 'diplomatic' clause whereby a tenant can break the lease as a result of circumstances beyond his control. However, it is normal for a partial forfeiture of the security deposit to be imposed, like 50% of the deposit if the tenant has to move within six months or a one year lease, say.

Q26 If I don't like my house or apartment or it proves unsuitable for comfortable / normal living conditions can I move on and find another house or apartment in Bangkok ?

A. A Lease Agreement is just that, a commitment. Generally speaking you cannot default although if you are willing to forego the return of your security deposit (more commonly two months rent) then of course you can do as you wish. However, it is far better to anticipate these possibilities before making a binding pledge.

Q27 Is it easy to find domestic help/drivers in Bangkok and can they speak English?

A. The answer to this question is basically YES. Most apartment /condominium management know of available staff locally. As to their English prowess, that can vary. However, as domestic staff and drivers tend to come from poorer, uneducated families in the provinces of Thailand, it is not fair to expect them to be proficient in English. In other words, if they were capable English speakers, they wouldn't necessarily be offering themselves for domestic positions at relatively low salaries. Some live-in maids become part of the family anyway although by far the more common trend nowadays is for maids to come in on a day-to-day basis.

A. Rather depends from area to area. Expect to pay anything up to Bt10,000 p.m. for a good maid.

A. Essentially by paying your rent on time, keeping a low profile and treating his property as though it were your own.

Part C - The Lease Agreement :

Q31 Once I have agreed on an apartment/condo/ house, which type of contract shall I use ?

A. This rather depends upon the location settled upon. Apartment buildings will normally have their own contract which they would hope to impose upon you. These may or may not be in your best interests.

Vet each and every contract / Lease Agreement with you BEFORE you sign. With houses and private condo units, it is uncommon for the individual owner to be completely familiar with all aspects of contract law.

In general they are in English, effectively the common business language here. We would suggest foreign tenants avoid those in the Thai vernacular only .

A. Not unless you really are pedantic - it is not necessary. Most Thai owners and landlords are pleasant and honourable people. Should we find them not to be so, we never take people near them again.

A. In general YES although we would like to vet ALL Lease Agreements for you before you sign.

A. Six months would be considered the absolute minimum, one year is the most common and two years often recommended to enable the rent to remain stable. People don't like moving every year.

Q36 Can I use US$ for renting my house initially and are US$ accepted generally in Bangkok ?

A. You could use USD for paying your rent; most landlords would welcome that although it is customary for Leases to be agreed in Thai Baht, the Thai currency.

Q37 Are V.A.T. and other rental taxes applicable in Bangkok ?

A. VAT is applicable on many goods in Thailand, rents included. However, these would not feature separately and it is often requested by apartment owning companies to split their Lease Contract into three or four elements, with varying ratios, because taxes are applicable on some and not others.

Q38 Are tenants responsible for Community taxes for utility services provided in Bangkok ?

A. Not as a rule as miscellaneous taxed to be paid by landlords would feature as part of the rents charged.

Q39 What is the normal deposit required by Thai landowners and is it refundable ?

A. The security deposit would be refundable in full at the end of the term or at the end of thirty (30) days thereafter. It is held by the landlord as security against default or damage incurred by the tenant and / or to be used to defer any costs incurred by the tenant that might materialise after the tenant has vacated or returned to his own country. An example would be the telephone. Landlords are very nervous about being left with large telephone bills, invoiced in their name, containing many unpaid international calls.

Q40 Are there proper western style kitchens and bathrooms in Bangkok houses/apartments ?

A In general YES although having said that, there is a propensity within the general designs of apartmentsand houses for the kitchens to be on the smaller, less glamorous side.

There is a predominance in Asian thinking that if / as an apartment can be rented out at a reasonably high rent (by Thai standards), then the tenant or owner can afford domestic staff. So, therefore kitchens will be used by maids and need not be too grandiose since 'Madam' is not likely to go in there very much. Many private houses have additional Thai style kitchens outside the back of the house to prevent cooking smells permeating the whole house.

Q41 Should I bring my own refrigerator and washing machine ?

A Probably NOT. As Thailand has a slightly different electrical phasing from other countries and as both refrigerators/washing machines are commonly included within furniture inventories in apartments/houses It is not really necessary. In any case such appliances are relatively inexpensive to buy outright.

Q42 Should I bring my own furniture ? Should I rent a house or apartment on a furnished, part-furnished or on an unfurnished basis ?

A This all depends upon what you want to do and how long you are planning upon staying. Considering the small amount of discount given for tenants bringing their own furniture, our advice would be for you to save the wear on your own furniture and rent accommodation fully-furnished.

A YES. Fully-furnished means the basic furniture is provided. You still need to bring/buy personal effects such as all bed linen, pots/pans for cooking, knives and forks, toweling and bathroom utensils, etc.

A Dish-washers are an uncommon feature in Thai kitchens since domestic staff to wash and clean your crockery and cutlery can be hired cheaply plus the incumbent warm climate facilitates quick drying.

A It is better to leave that kind of negotiation between Thai citizens - your shipping agent can make all the arrangements for you but be warned, a contribution towards a 'gift' for smooth passage will be expected.

A In general YES although having said that good furniture is very, very good and rubbish is, well, rubbish.

Part E - Utilities and Maintenance :

A Land-line telephones are widespread now in Thailand and getting new lines can be quick and reason-ably inexpensive. Most residences for rent come equipped with at least one dedicated, direct line phone.

Some lower priced apartment blocks use a PABX system whereby lines are shared and in some cases outgoing telephone calls are restricted to 15/30 minutes only making it very annoying for Internet connections. A local call within Bangkok is charged at Bt3 for an unlimited period with direct lines or Bt.5 when going though a switchboard. Mobile telephones and networks in Thailand are both cheap and plentiful with the services now very acceptable.

A Sometimes a private landlord might request a deposit on the instrument although it's unusual today.

Q52 What do I need to know after I move into my home re . payment of utilities and maintenance ?

A In a private house payment of the utilities (in time) is the responsibility of the occupier or tenant - in other words, you. More and more these days payments can be made at convenience stores like 7/11.

Otherwise, it is necessary to make payments at the area offices of the various utilities - you will need to find out where they are, get somebody to go and pay for you making sure you do so in good time or you will abruptly have the utility suspended (cut off until you DO pay). It is also wise to learn the opening times of such offices since they tend to close very early in the day, but open correspondingly early, too.

With apartment complexes and condominiums, the offices in the various blocks do all that for you and other tenants/owners collectively and for this convenience tend to load the bills to compensate.

A Piped water in Bangkok is reputed to be safe to drink. Famous last words! It is better to at least boil any water taken from the tap or rely solely on bottled water that is safe. The transparent plastic bottles found on supermarket shelves contain more pure water than the opaque bottles commonly found for just Bt5.

A Quite unusual in these modern times. Stoppages of a few minutes to about an hour at a time sometimes occur in outer Bangkok areas and more prevalently during the rainy season (June - October annually)

A There is NO piped gas available within Thailand. Any cooking by gas will be by means of steel gas containers or 'bottles' available commonly. You pay a deposit for the bottle initially, then just pay for replacement bottles full of gas as used/delivered. Your deposit is refunded when you stop the service.

Q56 Is there proper garbage collection service in Bangkok ? If so, how much does this cost ?

A Garbage collection takes place all over Bangkok at regular times. Property owners pay for the service, passed on to you (as tenants) as part of your rent or the separate service charge.