We know that you have many questions about
rental and lifestyles in Bangkok. This page contains the
answers to commonly asked questions.
Common Questions
Need more answers? Fill
in our On-line Question Form
and we will be glad to help.
Normally the lease terms
are 1 year. You can sometimes negotiate a lease for
more than a year to get a better rental rate or some other
concessions from the landlord. Leases for less than
a year are the exception, most landlords are reluctant to
enter shorter term agreements. If you do require shorter
term accommodations, serviced apartments are an ideal solution,
with monthly or weekly rates.
Normally the landlord will
ask for two months deposit and a month paid in advance. This
means that you pay 3 months rent by the time you move in,
and then at the beginning of each following month.
You may have heard of deals with only one month deposit, but
this is rare, and getting harder to find as the economy recovers
and building begin to fill.
Booking money is part of
your deposit that is paid when you want to reserve an
apartment and begin the contract process. It is usually
nonrefundable, but as we said it does go toward the deposit
money.
A serviced apartment is best
described as a cross between a hotel and an apartment.
You get a suite and a kitchenette. In a hotel-like building,
with all the amenities of a hotel including daily maid service.
You need only bring your own clothes, all linens, kitchenware
and appliances are provided. Serviced apartments tend
to cater to the singles and couples with studios, one and
two bedroom accommodations. Typically you can lease monthly
or any period you require.
Most apartments are fully
furnished and have major kitchen appliances. However,
they are not equipped with linens, or kitchenware. Although
some apartments may also provide kitchenware on a case by
case basis.
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Thailand does not charge
any resident taxes. Any property rented to a private
individual is free from VAT (Value Added Tax). Properties
rented to a company are subject to 7% VAT. Any apartment
building that charges service as a separate billing item must
collect 7% VAT, however this case rarely arises except for
serviced apartments.
Your major protection is
obtained through your contract agreement. Without a
solid contract, you are at some risk. The wheels of
justice turn very slowly in Thailand and any legal action
can take years to go to court and to resolve. This is where
we can help. Because we represent many tenants to the
landlord we have negotiating power with the landlord and can
help to resolve any disputes. Also we will never place
you with landlords that we know have not been able to deal
with disputes. You are our priority, not the landlord.
Bangkok is a very safe city
by international standards. But like any city, there
can be some areas that are less secure than others.
Generally, if you are in a "farang" (foreigner)
area, you are very safe. If you choose to rent in some
of the lower income areas, servicing local workers, you would
be wise to check with us or trusted locals to ensure that
area will provide you with a living environment that you are
comfortable with.
There is another consideration, in choosing a living location...
Traffic!! Bangkok is a maze of one way streets and dead
ends. Choosing a location that is poorly situated relative
to your work can cost dearly in travel time, cutting into
your valuable free time. We can help make sure that
we minimize your time spent in transit by locating properties
that are easily accessible to your work place.
Bangkok has several top quality
international schools servicing the families of visiting executives
and diplomats. These are located around the city and
each has its specialties in servicing different level of education
from Montessori and preschool to university. The
selection of a school school is an important choice that you
must make. We cannot recommend any particular institute
as it is really a choice you must make. We can however
tell you that most of our customers use the international
schools on Sukhumvit 49 , Soi Ruam Ridee and Sukhumvit 15
depending on your chosen school we can help located a living
location that is suitable.
Our services are free to
you. We earn a commision from the landlords for finding tenants
for them. We offer a valuable service in assisting the landlords
in finding new clients. Since commision rates are standardised
across the marketplace, our alliance is always with you. Years
of experience teaches us that referrals are our greatest marketing
tool. We know that our tommorow's customer comes from comes
from today's satisfied customer. Although we are paid by the
land owner, our sucess comes from your satisfaction with our
services.
To get to the airport you
will want to find accommodations situated close to access
to the expressways that pass through the city. Most
traffic congestion occurs on city streets not on the expressways.
You should consider locations such as the low numbered sois
(lanes) on Sukhumvit, or odd numbered sois between 23 and
55, additionally some locations near Rama 4 road are also
good. We remind you that due to the numerous one-way
streets and hidden shortcuts some locations only one soi apart
may be quite different in their accessibility to the expressways.
We can help you find the perfect spot that makes your life
getting to the airport easier and painless.
Yes, you can negotiate on
rents. As with everything in a free market economy, the final
price is a function of supply and demand. There are
a number of factors that influence how much you can negotiate,
including: the building management, the number of available
units, the term of the lease, your company profile in the
marketplace. Generally the longer the term of the lease
the more the landlord will make concessions. Moreover,
it is not just the rent that can be negotiated, often you
can have some other concessions such as televisions,
updated decor, kitchen appliances or even laundry services.
Exactly what one will ask for and be able to gain will be
a case by case basis. This is one important service
that we provide for you. We assist you in negotiations,
and ensure that you are not overcharged and that you get the
best deal for the property you want. We will represent
you to the landlord, we also have the added advantage of dealing
many times with the landlords and gaining concessions that
may not be otherwise obtainable. Likewise we can advise
you as to the flexibility and limits of each landlord.
We generally recommend
against bringing major appliances: Stoves, refrigerators,
washer/dryers and televisions. Most of these are already
provided or we can negotiate these for you in your rental
agreement. Certainly you can bring your electronics, but there
are several things you should note. The voltage in Thailand
is 220V if you are coming from a country that uses 110 volts
power such as North America, you will have to purchase transformers
in order to use your electronics. Some more sensitive
electronics such as computers may not operate correctly when
using a transformer, you should ensure that such devices are
compatible before paying to transport them to Thailand.
Normally apartments will come with major appliances thus there
is little reason to import your major appliances. Asia
video standard is PAL if your VCR is NTSC format, you will
not find compatible videos for rental except at specialty
stores. Multi-format VCRs are available for purchase
at very reasonable prices in Thailand. Also DVD players
usually have regional settings Asia is a distinct region and
your DVD player may or may not be usable here, check your
owners manual to avoid unpleasant surprises.
In Thailand the rent is usually
all inclusive. There are no hidden charges for maintenance,
security, parking, facilities or cleaning of common areas.
Things that you pay separately for are: Phone, electricity,
TV cable service, and water. A typical family in a two bedroom
apartment may expect pay an additional 2,000 to 3,000 baht
per month on these charges.
Yes, this type of arrangement
can be made. Understandably, the landlord will want
to ensure that they are not loosing in this arrangement, and
they may ask for a "safe" amount. Alternatively
some landlords may include an allowance in the rent and any
charges over this, you are asked to supplement. We can
help you negotiate the best arrangement for your case.
Yes, companies can enter
in rental agreements. However if an apartment is rented
to a company the landlord is obliged to collect 7% VAT on
the service portions of the rent. Also many rental units
are actually privately owned condominiums and the owners are
not setup to handle VAT or issue official tax receipts.
Thus the apartments available to companies may be more expensive
due to VAT and fewer in number due to the formalities required
to enter agreements with businesses versus individuals.
Generally, if you have to
leave before your first year is complete you will forfeit
your deposit. We can negotiate that after the first
year in an apartment you can leave with 60 day notice without
forfeiting your deposit.
Your deposit is returned
to you 1 month after the termination of your lease.
This allows the landlord to ensure that all the bills incurred
for phone and utilities are cleared before released the security
deposit. Under Thai law they are liable for any outstanding
bills on their premises. Sometimes your company will
handle the receipt of this money, or as our customer we will
ensure that the funds are wired to your overseas bank account.
Unfortunately, yes.
Traffic in Bangkok is a bears a serious impact on your lifestyle.
Some true "horror stories" tell of commuters spending
4 hours in commuting 2 kilometers in a heavy rainfall.
While this is not the norm, you will very rarely find yourself
zipping from one place to another in Bangkok. Happily,
Bangkok has opened a new sky-train mass transit system last
year. You can easily commute across the city on the
sky-train in 15 minutes. We often advise our customers
to consider properties close to the sky-train in order to
enjoy the freedom and ease of movement that this wonderful
transport offers.
I prefer to have
a shorter contract. What are
the chances of finding this?
A normal lease in Thailand
is 1 year. We can sometimes negotiate a six month lease,
but this is an exception and difficult to do. We can
certainly try for you, but you must be understand few landlords
are interested in such arrangements unless we can offer a
higher rent or they desperately in need of tenants.
A better solution for short term rentals is the serviced
apartment.
Where do you
place most of your customers?
We place the majority of
our customers in the Sukhumvit and Sathorn areas. These
are the prime locations for expatriates and they are both
serviced by the Sky-train mass transit system.
I heard everybody
has a maid, is this true? How much
does this cost?
We would not say that everyone
has a maid, but may people do have one. They can be
a great help in making your life in Bangkok more comfortable.
Performing such tasks as shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry
and childcare. A maid's pay will depend on her experience,
abilities and if you provide housing. Many larger apartments
have maids quarters. You should pay between 4,000 to
10,000 baht a month for a maid. Usually if they live
out they require the higher end of the salary scale to help
them with their living costs.
Yes. In Thailand there
are some excellent private hospitals. These hospitals
are world class. Don't be frightened by the word private,
the cost of medical services here are a fraction of the costs
in most European and North American hospitals. Of course a
good medical insurance policy is always advisable. You
should rest assured that the private hospitals such as Bumrungrad
and Somanjeiv offer excellent and immediate service at a reasonable
cost.
No. The landlord is
responsible for all bills such as phone and utilities should
you fails to pay. To protect against tenants leaving
behind large unpaid international telephone bills or other
bills, the landlord retains the deposit until the final bills
have cleared. This is why the landlord collects two
months rent, one for damage deposit and one for bills. If
they were to allow you to use this deposit as the last months
rent, then they would have no protection for bills and damages.
Yes. Bangkok has one
of the highest average temperatures in the world. The
relative humidity is always high. While one can live
with a fan, it would hardly be a comfortable existence.
All the properties that we place our customers in are equipped
with air conditioning units Only the most basic accommodations
would not be fitted with air conditioners. Of course,
you can always control your units as you please.
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