Pre moving to Hua Hin questions.

[maybenot]

After a second trip out to LOS earlier this year (stayed for a month this time) we are thinking of moving out there but we have some questions to ask that is difficult to find the answers to anywhere else – hope you guys can help.

1. In the UK we have to pay council tax to pay for services (rubbish collection, policing, etc.). What is the arrangement and costs involved in Hua Hin?

2. If we were to buy a new house on one of the new developments (not sure if this is what we will do yet – may initially rent for a couple of years to get the feel of the situation) do they generally come with any sort of guarantee against defective workmanship (like the NHBC that new houses come with in the UK)?

3. When buying an older house is it normal practice out there to have deed searches, surveys, etc. carried out?

4. A bit of a strange question perhaps but, we intend to purchase a second hand car out there and were wondering if any of you guys had any experience of having a road accident with another Thai owned vehicle and any problems peculiar to that situation, i.e. Thai owners, police attitudes, apportioning blame, etc?

5. Anyone know of roughly how frequent incidents of food poisoning in Hua Hin are. Any places best avoided for eating out? And regarding tap water, we have been using bottled water for brushing our teeth out there – is this generally thought necessary or do most people get on fine with tap water?

6. We have begun to look into medical health insurance for when we are out there. BUPA Thailand seems a good option but we was wondering what is the general level of cover that foreigners have out there. BUPA, for instance, does four levels – highest Diamond? And any ideas on costs and/or problems experienced.

Many thanks in anticipation. We have found this forum to be not only well run but very informative. Long may it carry on…

[lomuamart]

Bloody hell, that's some shopping list! A lot of your questions will be answered in other threads. Try a search. However, I'll give some of them a go.

1. I don't pay tax. Rubbish is collected daily from near my house. It only involves a short walk to leave it in the right place.
2. Consult a lawyer.
3. As above.
4. Get good insurance. My own experience of accidents hasn't been all bad. But then again I look back and remember that I was lucky that the Thai who caused it was insured. Experience on board already. Search.
5. If you've got a weak stomach, you'll get mild complaints from time to time. In my experience, it's been due to food that's too chilli hot, the climate or overdoing it for a while on the beer. HH is safe for food.
I do not use tap water to brush my teeth. Just don't drink it.
The longer you're here, the more accustomed your body will become to mild stomach problems.
6. As previously stated, I don't have insurance, but it's something I must look into.

Hope that helps.
Others will post on specific issues. Again, try the search function. There's loads of info on this site.

[Guess]

1. Stick it all in the back of your truck and dump it up somewhere near the end of Soi 102 close to the by-pass.
2. A guarantee is not worth the paper it’s written on in Thailand so forget it.
3. Not at all. Just buy it and when it falls down move.
4. Absolutely. A second hand car has probably already had a serious accident. If you are involved in an accident it is your fault (depending of course on the colour of you skin). You will have to pay for all damage to all vehicles involved. My advice is if you have an accident do not make any phone calls to anybody because you will then be liable for any accidents that they have been involved in the last twenty years.
5. Now this is a serious reply. Do not get tap water any where any open wound, this obviously means do not clean your teeth in tap water. Further information available if required.
6. Can not comment on this.

Sorry for the facetious reply. I think I have lived here too long. Western ways here are very difficult to translate to Thai Ways.

And BTW do not listen to Lomu he has not brushed his teeth for six years.

[maybenot]

Thanks for your prompt replies guys (lomuamart/Guess).

We really appreciate your input.

We are still in the early stages of deciding whether to move to LOS or not so we may well be picking your brains some more.

[lomuamart]

Err,
With reference to point 5, I did mean to say that I DO use tap water to brush my teeth - honest.

[niceday]

I use tap water to wash my teeth but i make sure not to swallow and use mouth wash after or else wash out with filtered water.

I have a nice guy come three times a week to pick up the rubbish on one of the old motorbikes with cart in front. 100baht a month.
I put plastic bottles,cans and glass into a separate bag to help him out a little.

[Wanderlust]

I will have a go at your questions but with some of them there is no definitive answer I'm afraid.

1. In the UK we have to pay council tax to pay for services (rubbish collection, policing, etc.). What is the arrangement and costs involved in Hua Hin?

As far as i am aware there is no local tax for municipal services. However if you live on a new development there might be an annual charge payable - you would have to ask at the development in question, but the one I lived on in Bangkok before levied a relatively small charge.

2. If we were to buy a new house on one of the new developments (not sure if this is what we will do yet – may initially rent for a couple of years to get the feel of the situation) do they generally come with any sort of guarantee against defective workmanship (like the NHBC that new houses come with in the UK)?

I would thoroughly recommend that you rent a place initially, or possibly permanently. Foreigners have to jump through many hoops to buy land and houses, including getting a company set up in Thailand which legally has to be 51% Thai shareholding so you don't own the property outright even then. You can legally buy condominiums in your name however. As far as I know some developers will give you some kind of guarantee to fix things while the development is still being built, but once it is finished and they have gone you would be on your own, although if a serious problem arose from poor building standards you might have some legal recourse but it would be a frustrating and difficult process. You would do better to buy land and oversee the building of the house yourself, literally being there when they are working, or at the very least using a company that has a good reputation. There are many such companies in Hua Hin.

3. When buying an older house is it normal practice out there to have deed searches, surveys, etc. carried out?

A good lawyer would carry out the equivalent of the search and you would have to arrange the survey yourself I think, although there may be some real estate agents who would arrange this for you. Whether it is 'normal practice' I would very much doubt however. Finding a good lawyer is not difficult, but finding one who can also communicate with you in English is not so easy in Hua Hin, and from the sound of it you would want to know what is going on every step of the way.

4. A bit of a strange question perhaps but, we intend to purchase a second hand car out there and were wondering if any of you guys had any experience of having a road accident with another Thai owned vehicle and any problems peculiar to that situation, i.e. Thai owners, police attitudes, apportioning blame, etc?

Some of the answers to this may have seemed facetious but most of them are spot on! As with second hand car buying in the UK it can be a risk, and my experience is that you would do better to buy new as the prices here don't drop as much for second hand cars here, plus most of the major manufacturers offer very good after sales service and guarantees. As far as accidents go, you will always be to blame, regardless of the situation. And if you have insurance, it will only be valid with a Thai driving licence (and possibly an International one but not sure). However you can only obtain a Thai licence if you have a non-immigrant visa, through business, marriage to a Thai or retirement as far as I know.

5. Anyone know of roughly how frequent incidents of food poisoning in Hua Hin are. Any places best avoided for eating out? And regarding tap water, we have been using bottled water for brushing our teeth out there – is this generally thought necessary or do most people get on fine with tap water?

I brush my teeth with the tap water but don't swallow it. I find that I may get a few mild stomach upsets throughout the year, generally caused by eating too spicy food or too much whisky. AS a previous reply said, you tend to get used to the food after a while, but I haven't heard about any particular places to avoid (except read the 'Baked Bean On Toast' thread).

6. We have begun to look into medical health insurance for when we are out there. BUPA Thailand seems a good option but we was wondering what is the general level of cover that foreigners have out there. BUPA, for instance, does four levels – highest Diamond? And any ideas on costs and/or problems experienced.

I don't have any medical insurance but am also thinking of getting some, but have not done any research into it. There are two major hospitals in Hua Hin - a private one, San Paolo, and a government one, Hua Hin Hospital, but neither of them get very good reports particularly, although after I had an accident a couple of years ago I had very good treatment at the latter, and it is much cheaper than San Paolo. There are also many clinics around town which can deal with minor illnesses and injuries. When you get your insurance check carefully the small print about any existing conditions, or exclusions etc - many people get caught out by this.

You are doing the right thing in finding out this information now, but Thailand is often a place where many situations are not cut and dried - you do need to be flexible and relaxed about situations you come across because it is a very easy place to get frustrated in. Making an effort to learn the language (which I have failed miserably at) will help, and having Thai friends you can trust will too. Getting angry never works here - but a smile works wonders. Good luck and I hope I have helped some.

[maybenot]

Many thanks to Wanderlust. A very comprehensive and helpful answer. If we do move out there, which seems likely, I owe you a beer.

[Guess]

Many thanks to Wanderlust. If we do move out there, which seems likely, I owe you a beer.

Absolutely unnecassary. Beer brings him out in blotches and causes a mild stomach complaint. A carton of Dorset carrot juice would go down well.

[Wanderlust]

No problem with the info. And if you hadn't already noticed, Guess is a bit of a comedian!

[maybenot]

"Absolutely unnecassary. Beer brings him out in blotches and causes a mild stomach complaint. A carton of Dorset carrot juice would go down well."

I'll bear that in mind!