Menu
Expat.com

Being a Landlord in Thailand?

Last activity 19 September 2023 by smartoil1419

Post new topic

crump238

For years I have rented condos out in the US. After the covid  eviction moratorium I'm done in the US. My plans are to buy some condos and rent them in Thailand. I would love some feedback from anybody who's done this or warnings.


Thank you.

GuestPoster0923

@crump238 Dear Sir, The Possibility for foreigners to own property in Thailand is to establish a Thai company. The owner of the company can then purchase property under the company name. I have not tried this myself, but I know several people who have done so. I also have personal experience with setting up a Thai company, which is a relatively straightforward process.

smartoil1419

There's another angle on the condo business, which some expats use successfully ... and "quietly".

Buy a condo in an older building: 15-20 years old, but a premium building with large rooms and high ceilings.

Live in it yourself -- or pretend to live in it -- while you remodel:

new kitchen, new bathroom, new floors, new built-in lighting, etc.

Do the work to "Western" standards.

Then sell it to a new-comer expat.

And then buy another condo, perhaps in the same building, and do it again.

.

Benefit to you is your profits are mostly out of sight of government tax collectors.

And out of sight of envious locals who might be tempted to "report" you for

making money in Thailand.

.

Biggest problem will be finding competent tradesmen to do the work.

Competence is very, very rate in the construction trades in Thailand.

If you are handy with tools, doing the work yourself is best, by far.

.

Another problem is the language gap.

They won't understand you and you won't understand them.

Best solution to that problem is to hire a local woman who understands English to act as your "foreman".

There are plenty of such women available here, who would love to have a job giving orders to the men who actually do the work.

I know one such woman in Chiang Mai, with several decades of experience, so if you are thinking about locating there, perhaps I can make a referral.

Articles to help you in your expat project in Thailand

All of Thailand's guide articles