Long term rental on Soi 80 or 86/87 ...

[smiles]

Last April we breezed into Hua Hin (after numerous previous visits over the years) with the intention of some serious condo / house hunting.

As I retire next year in November we have decided to make Hua Hin our home base for yearly stays from anywhere from 6 months to a year at a time. Love Hua Hin & environs ... it's beaches, it's central-ness, it's general cleanliness yada yada: so many reasons.

One of the small neighbourhoods we wandered around was the many attached homes (we call then 'townhouses' here at home, some I guess call them 'condos') on Soi 80 . . . and I believe there was a similar style neighbourhood behind a large hotel on Soi 86/87.

The townhouses on both seemed very well kept in general, and the areas had a laid back 'feel' and what appeared to be a rather peaceful & quiet ambience.
I spoke for awhile to an English gentleman who was washing his car there and he said that he believed the townhouses there (Soi 80 this is) were renting long term for about 10000-12000 baht + utilities. As far as I am aware, reasonable discounts to those figures might be forthcoming if pay rent upfront for 6 months (or even a year).

This guy said he has owned his place there for nearly 10 years, so we assumed he knew his way around.

Taking all things into consideration I would say I liked Soi 80 slightly more than 86/87 ... places there a bit more mature, more greenery, more shade etc etc

• Does anyone on the Board have anything to say regarding these two areas?
• Are my (rather vague) first impressions above reasonable?
• Do you believe this guy was on the mark regarding rental prices ... or not?

We are not newbies to Thailand. My (long time) partner is Thai and I have been coming to Thailand for 10 years now at least once (sometimes twice) every year for reasonable lengths of time.

Our intention is to rent a place in Hua Hin for a year of 'experimentation' . . . who knows, I may not even like the experience outside of "holiday" mode.


Cheers ...

[Big Boy]

smiles,

I have had short term rentals in these 2 areas on many occasions, and have been very happy each time. On each occasion we found the neighbours (multi-national) to be very friendly, and still visit old neighbours from previous visits.

There wasn't much to choose between the 2, but the advantages were:

Soi 80 - A lot closer to the town centre.

Grand Hotel - Has its own 24 hour security, and is enclosed ie only one way in/out. Very close to the night market by San Paulo Hospital.

Of the 2, my preference is Soi 80. Even though my wife has grand plans for when we retire to Hua Hin in a couple of years, I would be very content with a Soi 80 townhouse.

As for rent, I think you are probably a little high for long term rental. However, I always let my Thai daughter arrange things, so if they know you are Farang, it could put the price a little higher. As your partner is Thai, she should be able to negotiate a lower price. If you are serious, PM me, and I will get the phone number of the lady my daughter arranges all of our rentals through.

[smiles]

The denouement to this quite old topic may be of interest to anyone thinking of renting (or buying) an attached townhouse (some might call it a 'condo', but we'd use the 'townhouse' label in Canada) in Hua Hin very close to beach and downtown ~ i.e. walking distance.

Arrived in early this December and had already booked a full month at the Chaba Hotel with the intention of giving ourselves a good long time to search out the place which pleased us both the most. We had already looked over the Soi 80 neighbourhood as well as the equivalent group of homes behind night market and the Grand Hotel.

Bottom line is that we lucked out on Soi 80 itself by simply cruising around, noting rental signs (lots) and phone numbers ... mobile phone in hand. The range of prices was 10000 baht to 15000 baht a month with reasonable discounts for a year's 'lease' . . . 'lease' being pretty well equivalent to "pay 12 months up front". Some places wanted a minumum of 4 or 5 months rental, some were OK with 1 month.

We ended up viewing a place which did not have everything we wanted (i.e. a covered parking area, or better, a covering balcony), but it had most . . . 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, furniture & TV (already connected), small balcony. It was very clean, some minor decorating work needed, and the owner a most accomodating Thai lady who runs a beach consession in the Soi 77 vicinity. Luckily my partner is Thai and this helps no end ... myself speaking just the basics.

Original price was 10,000 a month which we snagged very soon after discussing it in private. A day or so later the Thai lady phoned back and offered the place at 8000 baht a month for a year's rental. Another round of discussion and we took that deal. Deposit money was a month's rent and she is considering putting up a proper cover over the parking spot ... after some conversation with my partner, which I stayed out of

Anyway, the point here is that good rental deals (we hope!) can be had in Hua Hin if one looks hard enough. But best to be here on the ground, rather than try doing it long distance . . . a method we nixed right off the bat.
Having a Thai friend or acquaintence is also extremely helpful, as is trying one's best to 'gauge' a feel for the owner . . . given the horror stories one reads about on this subject on these message boards.

Just hope this story does not become on of those, but right now we feel pretty good about this one.

Cheers ...

[dtaai-maai]

Smiles, at first I thought your last posting was pretty obvious. Then I had a little chat with myself (Mrs D-M is already abed) and realised that it was only obvious because I agreed with it, and that I agreed with it because I have been renting in Thailand for 4 years and come to much the same conclusions myself.

All of which makes it pretty good advice for anyone new to the game and looking for a long term rental. So... and well said.

The problem I've had in this area (twice in 18 months) is that I've been verbally assured that a 3-4 year rental will not be a problem, but on both occasions the landlord has sold the house from under me. Although I was quite sure I'd want the house for that period, I wasn't in a position to sign a 3 year contract.


P.S. Terminology as I understand it:

1. A townhouse (same word in Thai, but pronounced 'taowhow') is what in the UK would be called a terraced house and is usually (but not always) 2-3 storeys.

2. Condo = condominium = small apartment, often in a tower block with services.

3. Bungalow = erm... bungalow.