Buying, selling, renting, mortgages, law and tax, written so you can decide when you finish reading
Renting in Thailand carries no nationality restriction, because a lease is not an acquisition of ownership. A lease over three years must be registered and cannot exceed 30 years, deposit plus advance rent is capped at three months where the landlord lets three or more units, and the house master must file the TM30 within 24 hours.
A foreigner can own a condominium unit outright inside the 49% ceiling on foreign-held floor area in Section 19 bis of the Condominium Act, on evidence of an inward transfer of not less than the unit price. Land comes only through the 40-million-baht route in Section 96 bis, and the 0.01% transfer fee cut is for Thai nationals only.
MEA is replacing spinning-disc meters with smart meters free of charge, targeting 100% of homes in its Khlong Toei service area, 136,000 units, during 2026. The new meter shows your consumption in the MEA Smart Life app, but it does not change your tariff: moving to the TOU time-of-use rate is still a separate application you pay for.
Noise causing disturbance is a nuisance under Sections 25 and 26 of the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 and may also breach Criminal Code Sections 370 and 397. This guide covers the decibel standards the law actually uses, the six-step complaint sequence that works, what a juristic person can and cannot do, and how to test a unit for noise before signing.
Notification of a foreigner's accommodation must be filed within 24 hours of them taking up residence, by the house master under Section 38 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522, with a fine of up to THB 2,000 and a fresh filing required every time the tenant returns. This guide explains why the foreign tenant is the one who suffers, and how an owner should set the process up.
Rental paperwork comes in two sets: what the tenant brings to the owner, and what the tenant must ask to see from the owner. The second is what stops you paying money to somebody with no right to let the place. This guide covers both lists, the ten items a lease must contain, and what to record on handover day.
Rent is category 5 income with a 30% flat deduction for buildings, filed twice a year: PND 94 by 8 October and PND 90 by 8 April. Corporate tenants withhold 5%. Land and building tax is the unsettled one, where the classification between the residential rate and the commercial rate differs by around fifteen times and local practice varies.
Section 538 of the Civil and Commercial Code makes a lease of immovable property unenforceable without written evidence signed by the party liable, and a lease over three years enforceable for only three unless registered. This guide works out the 1% registration fee and 0.1% stamp duty at real lease lengths, and explains why the common 3+3+3 renewal structure does not protect a tenant the way it appears to.
The lessor is liable for defects arising during the lease and must carry out all necessary repairs under Section 550, while the lessee handles upkeep and minor repairs under Section 553. What most tenants do not know is that Section 547 lets them pay for a necessary repair and reclaim it, provided written notice comes first under Section 551.
An NPA is bought from a bank that can also finance it. An auction can be considerably cheaper but carries a deposit of 5 to 10% of appraised value and a 15-day deadline for the balance. This guide separates the two routes and sets out the three risks that turn a bargain expensive: the condition you cannot see, occupants who may not leave, and the months the property earns nothing.
A joint loan creates two separate bonds, debt and ownership, and a co-borrower off the title remains liable for the whole debt with no interest in the property. This guide sets out the four possible positions, the THB 100,000 interest deduction that belongs to the loan and is divided among borrowers, and why a co-borrower off the title can still buy their own home later at 100% LTV.
Structure is warranted for 5 years and non-structural fittings for 1 year on a house or 2 years on a condominium, counted from title transfer, while a claim must be filed within one year of seeing the defect. This guide includes the pre-expiry inspection checklist, how to report a fault so that it counts legally, and what the warranty does not cover.
