Housing

The standard contract is 12 months, with 2 months deposit + 1 month advance paid at signing. Six-month contracts exist at a premium; monthly is 20–40 % more expensive.

• Electricity is billed at the building's rate — check whether it is the government rate (~฿4/unit) or a marked-up private rate (฿7–8)
• Ask who pays the “common fee” and whether the deposit is returnable in cash or against damages only
• Get the landlord to file your TM30 before you unpack. Put it in the contract if you can
• Photograph everything on move-in day

Find places on Facebook groups (by far the best prices), DDproperty, Hipflat and Renthub. Agents cost you nothing — the landlord pays them — but they only show you what is on their books.

Foreigners can own a condominium freehold, as long as no more than 49 % of the units in that building are foreign-owned. Foreigners cannot own land.

Workarounds you will be offered — a Thai company holding the land, a 30-year lease, a Thai spouse's name — each carry real legal risk. Nominee company structures are explicitly illegal and are being enforced more than they used to be.

To buy a condo you must transfer the purchase money from abroad in foreign currency and get the FET form from the receiving bank. Without it the Land Office will not register the transfer.

Transfer costs run about 6–8 % of the price in total, usually split between buyer and seller by negotiation.