I'm currently in the process of looking for a new place to rent. Now I know by posting this that those people that have bought places will be secretly chuckling as I have made my opinion known about buying property here.
Anyway the problem, apart from finding a well priced house in a decent area, is now deposits. After all the years I've lived here and all the places I've lived in I have never got one back and have spoken to several other people in the same position (just last week a work colleage lost her 20,000 baht deposit as she had to leave in a hurry and the owners wouldnt return it despite the fact that she had spent over 100k on improving THEIR house).
Thais just do not seem to be capable of giving the deposits back and will do anything they can to worm out of it, its as if they consider it THEIR money. Now I'm asking this as I'm wondering if there is any legal way to protect your deposit, would a written contract be worth anything?
I have offered to pay six months rent in advance just to save myself paying a deopsit, this can have variable results. The money doesnt bother me its just the high likelihood of not getting it back. For those that are renting tell us your house deposit stories.
Renting a house ... deposits
Renting a house ... deposits
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Hehehehehe...
Ahhh, Buksi - 
There is a basic form lease that you can get from a lawyer in town that does offer some level of enforcement, and can be used to guarantee a deposit - at some level.
My experience of using such forms is to make sure that they are filled out in full - possibly using Englsih and Thai for senstive areas like deposits. Make sure that the form designates how much is deemed as deposit and how that is to be paid back (e.g. - I had one where when I gave my 30+ day notice that the last month would be paid by the deposit and the remaining amount of one month would be repaid by the landloard in cash).
Now the full breadth of my experience taught me than when you DO have such a document that Thai still enjoy taking the piss on any remaining amounts.. Such as the nutter who said, "Okay 1 month 8,000 THB remains for deposit; less 2,000 THB for any unpaid electric bills, 500 THb for unpaid water bills, 1,000 THB for cleaning expenses..." Ultimately I laughed at this nut job, was able to negotiage those rates down slightly and got back a decent amount of my deposit (5,500)... I am sure I would have gotten f*@$ all if I had not had those written leases...
As far as enforcement, that would be a matter for police - who will refer you to the courts after they have a beer and good laugh about it with your landlord. However, the basic threat to a Thai that you will go to the police and that you WILL enforce the agreement 'might' make a few Thais weary and decide it is not worth it and at least give you a better deal to go away...
I would be weary of verbal deals with Thais...
Good luck!
There is a basic form lease that you can get from a lawyer in town that does offer some level of enforcement, and can be used to guarantee a deposit - at some level.
My experience of using such forms is to make sure that they are filled out in full - possibly using Englsih and Thai for senstive areas like deposits. Make sure that the form designates how much is deemed as deposit and how that is to be paid back (e.g. - I had one where when I gave my 30+ day notice that the last month would be paid by the deposit and the remaining amount of one month would be repaid by the landloard in cash).
Now the full breadth of my experience taught me than when you DO have such a document that Thai still enjoy taking the piss on any remaining amounts.. Such as the nutter who said, "Okay 1 month 8,000 THB remains for deposit; less 2,000 THB for any unpaid electric bills, 500 THb for unpaid water bills, 1,000 THB for cleaning expenses..." Ultimately I laughed at this nut job, was able to negotiage those rates down slightly and got back a decent amount of my deposit (5,500)... I am sure I would have gotten f*@$ all if I had not had those written leases...
As far as enforcement, that would be a matter for police - who will refer you to the courts after they have a beer and good laugh about it with your landlord. However, the basic threat to a Thai that you will go to the police and that you WILL enforce the agreement 'might' make a few Thais weary and decide it is not worth it and at least give you a better deal to go away...
I would be weary of verbal deals with Thais...
Good luck!
ATAdmin (TWJ)
http://www.atimes.com, http://www.thestandard.com.hk
http://www.atimes.com, http://www.thestandard.com.hk
I've lost a deposit here before. OK, not a huge amount, but it was the principle.
My current contract, supplied by the owners, clearly states what the deposit is. The tricky area is then what, if anything, a landlord tries to deduct when you leave.
I rent property in the UK and so go through this periodically with my tenants and it isn't easy. They put down a deposit of over 130,000 and we always have to come to a negotiated settlement over what's retained for damage, cleaning etc and what is genuinely wear and tear, which is footed by me.
Agree with ATAdmin. You can get a legal document drawn up to cover the deposit. I've known people here who've got their's back when the owner was causing problems and they threatened to go to the police.
My current contract, supplied by the owners, clearly states what the deposit is. The tricky area is then what, if anything, a landlord tries to deduct when you leave.
I rent property in the UK and so go through this periodically with my tenants and it isn't easy. They put down a deposit of over 130,000 and we always have to come to a negotiated settlement over what's retained for damage, cleaning etc and what is genuinely wear and tear, which is footed by me.
Agree with ATAdmin. You can get a legal document drawn up to cover the deposit. I've known people here who've got their's back when the owner was causing problems and they threatened to go to the police.