Need a Rental Less Than 30 Days? Good luck

[pinoyfriends]

1. The building security control the face scanners
2. You have to go down to collect visitors in most modern condo buildings as the lifts require identification by card/token/face scan etc

[Dodger]

The proposed solution involves establishing a system that links databases of licensed hotels and accommodation providers with online travel agencies (OTAs) that manage bookings. This would necessitate the entry of a legally valid license code for any property offering lodging services.

I'm sorry I just can't stop laughing...

They implemented the solution years ago, but like everything else in Thailand, the solution doesn't work because of a total lack of enforcement (incompetence), and most likely corruption as well.

The solution was the TM30 report that is already mandatory for hotels and anyone else renting a room to a foreigners to submit when renting a unit to a foreigner. One of the things entered on a TM30 is the duration of the guests stay. There's no restrictions on durations for hotels - but condo's can only rent units for a minimum of 30 days. That's already the law.

The law requires TM30's to be submitted to Immigration for all foreign visitors. If a hotel or condo owner fails to submit the TM30 for an arriving guest they are in violation of Immigration law. If a TM30 is submitted to Immigration for a condo rental showing the duration of the guests stay being less than 30 days - then they are in violation of Immigration law.

If Immigration maintains a database that shows TM30 status for all inbound tourists (like they should) it's then just a matter of monitoring the database to identify any hotels or condo owners who are not compliant. It's as simple as that.

if I was a hotel owner and found out that a local condo owner was renting units to foreigners on a short-term basis (less than 30 days), in theory, all I would have to do is report the infraction to Immigration. Immigration would then verify the claim on their database and follow-up on any legal actions if necessary.

The reason everything I just blabbered won't work in Thailand is because the Immigration databases are not capable of tracking these data accurately due to corrupt practices- mostly involving the Agent Network.

All roads in Thailand always lead back to the same place.

Like everything else, they'll try to shove the solution down to the hotels, condo owners, real estate companies, on-line booking agents, etc. - when in reality, it's Immigrations responsibly to 1) maintain accurate databases needed to monitor foreign visitors locations, 2) monitor compliance as needed, and 3) enforce any violations as needed.

All the hotels and condo owners should have to do is submit TM30's in compliance with the law.

TIT

[Jun]

1. The building security control the face scanners

So they presumably have the option of collecting tea money in exchange for registering tourists on the system.

Of course, if the software restricted the number of annual registrations per apartment, I suppose it could get more difficult.

[Gaybutton]

Depending on the hotel, maybe sometimes it's still less expensive to rent a condo for a month even if you're not planning to stay there that long.

Also, how does it work if you rent a condo for a month, really plan to stay there for a month, but after a few days you decide you don't want to stay there after all and wish to move to someplace else? Is the owner allowed to give a refund and then re-rent out the condo? Or do you just have to forfeit the money if you decide to move out, even if the owner is willing to refund you?

If it were me and planning a Christmas-New Year holiday, I'd prefer a condo over a hotel - especially if it's one of those hotels that force you to pay for their "gala" dinner whether you want to eat there or not.

[gerefan]

I have stayed in condos for 20 years.
They have always demanded one months rent in advance and it’s non refundable.
Sometimes they want two months if you are staying a longer time.
TiT…there is no such thing as refunds in Thailand!

[Gaybutton]

TiT…there is no such thing as refunds in Thailand!

If there are, it would be the first I've ever hear of any.

Also, if you loan any money to a Thai and expect to be paid back, WRONG! Maybe you considered it a loan, but what it turned out to be is a give . . .

[Dodger]

Below is a cut n' paste of comments I posted on Sawatdee on a similar topic:

I rented the same type of room (26 SQM studio) the boys rent and resided there while on holiday for nearly six years.

Once I found a room in the location I wanted (near Sunee) - I negotiated a one year lease at a reduced monthly rent with the building owner...had the room completed gutted and re-painted...and purchased my own furniture including new aircon, TV, ceiling fan, etc. to my liking...and was extremely happy with the end result.

I was paying 42,000 baht/year (which equates to 3,500 baht/month) and was able to leave all of my clothes and personal items there when returning to work in the U.S. And when I returned for holiday all I had to do is turn the key and everything was there waiting for me. All I ever needed for my flights to/from the U.S. was my backpack. Worked like a charm.

I visited Thailand twice a year for 3 month intervals...so was paying rent for the entire year (12 months) while only living in the room for 6 months. Do the math and it's easy to see that I was paying less for lodging than what some of the Thais were paying...let alone tourists.

I've been recommending this approach to farang for years...especially those who visit Thailand routinely for lengthy stays..

Another advantage to having a one year lease is that I qualified for a Thai Residents Certificate which I obtained from Immigration. With that certificate I was then able to open a Thai bank account and purchase my own motorbike.

[Jun]

I rented the same type of room (26 SQM studio) the boys rent and resided there while on holiday for nearly six years.

Once I found a room in the location I wanted (near Sunee) - I negotiated a one year lease at a reduced monthly rent with the building owner...had the room completed gutted and re-painted...and purchased my own furniture including new aircon, TV, ceiling fan, etc. to my liking...and was extremely happy with the end result.

I was paying 42,000 baht/year (which equates to 3,500 baht/month) and was able to leave all of my clothes and personal items there when returning to work in the U.S. And when I returned for holiday all I had to do is turn the key and everything was there waiting for me. All I ever needed for my flights to/from the U.S. was my backpack. Worked like a charm.

I see the sense in that, just as long as you're staying in Thailand for around 6 months per year or more.

These days, I would not want to be in budget accommodation anywhere near Sunee, as I imagine the building would be full of Indians or Taliban sympathisers. However, there is a range of price points for accommodation in Jomtien.

How does the room & contents fare whilst unoccupied ? I'm guessing you wouldn't have been in Thailand during the wet season, when temperatures & humidity are high. I've heard stories of mould and other problems when people are away for several months.
What other problems are there to look out for ?

[Gaybutton]

Anyone surprised? And it's a sure bet the same is true in Pattaya.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but why not just make these rentals legal again? Protectionist laws in favor of hotels are causing more problems and solving little, if any. If the hotels don't like it, I have two suggestions for them. 1 - lower your prices. 2 - do whatever it takes that will attract guests to your hotels rather than attracting them to condos.

I think condo owners ought to be as much entitled to a piece of the pie as hotels are. Why should these regulations favor hotels over individuals?

Why do I think tea money might be behind these regulations and maybe also behind some of the condos getting away with disobeying the laws.




___________________________________

Illegal condo rentals continue in Bangkok

Daily rentals remain an issue in tourist cities

by Molpasorn Shoowong

April 29, 2025

Despite authorities' efforts to crack down on illegal daily rentals in condos, major tourism cities are continuing to see the practice persist, including a condo building in Bangkok's Sukhumvit 11 developed by a SET-listed company which has avoided an investigation by just changing its name.

According to a source, who is a foreign resident and owned a condo unit in Sukhumvit 11, the situation has not yet been resolved, despite already having been recognised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

Wattana district office submitted a letter to the condo's juristic person in January, urging this person to report information regarding the owners who were renting out their units for daily usage in order to continue the legal process.

The source said over half of the building's 450 units are still being rented out illegally on a daily basis via online platforms.

The juristic person, operated by a new management firm which has assumed the role since February, has already received complaints from residents but no serious action has been taken.

The source said the guests would receive a key card to use the elevator and to access the room, not including the building's common facilities such as the swimming pool and gym, meaning that the juristic person and condo development must have recognised the issue.

Moreover, the condo name presented on the online booking platforms was recently changed by an agent to another name in order to avoid inspections, said the source.

He said the situation in Bangkok was different from Pattaya, where he also owns two units in Jomtien, as daily rentals in condos had largely fallen following a change in the building management company -- the key factor in cracking down on this form of illicit activity.

Morrakot Kuldilok, president of the eastern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, said there are still many condo rooms sold via online travel platforms in Pattaya and other major cities.

In many cases, she said officers could only catch guests who booked the unit, not the actual owner or agent who ran the business, who tend to mainly be foreigners.

Ms Morrakot said it was worrying for hotel businesses if the problem persists, as hotels face higher expenses than condo rentals, such as the tax burden.

Structural requirements for hotels are also different from condos to ensure safety for tourists.

She said some real estate management companies had been set up specifically for the purpose of operating daily rentals in condos.

However, in some cases the developer builds a separate building for a condo and hotel within the same mixed-use project, which is acceptable.

Ms Morrakot said the number of registered hotel rooms in Pattaya and Chonburi is sufficient to cater to tourist demand.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ge ... in-bangkok

[Dodger]

Why is it so difficult to catch the violators when in fact many of them advertise daily rentals openly on the internet using Thai real estate company's, Thai tour company's, etc. They're literally sitting there screaming..."come and catch us"

If they REALY wanted to address this problem one would expect to be reading more about real estate company's, tour company's, etc. getting busted for advertising illegal rentals. Then of course the condo owners who placed the advertisements would be getting busted.

Last-but-not-least is the condominium developments (buildings) themselves. If its a juristic condominium (which most are) then they are bound by laws outlined in the Thai Condominium Act which requires building management, and the co-owner juristic committee, to ensure that all laws are being followed by all co-owners - or possibly face penalties. So they would be busting condominium developments as well.

This is the ONY WAY to stop the problem...if they REALLY wanted to stop it.

Does anyone hear that monster "Tea Money Express" chugging down the tracks right now.