Job Discussion Forums

[Marmalade]

Hey,

I shall be arriving in Bangkok at the beginning of November for a CELTA course.

A Thai friend of mine has put me in contact with another friend who has details of an appartment/s I may be able to rent.

Appealing as this is, I was wondering if anyone had any info or experiences as regards renting in Bangkok/Thailand.

i.e Is it hard to do?
What sort of credentials do you need?
I will initially be on a tourist visa for my course, would this be a problem?
What are deposits etc. like?

I am very interested in the idea, as it would mean being able to save a fair amount, rather than forking out for a hotel/hostel room.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone with any inside info.

Ta

M

[hagakuri]

Concerning your rent questions:

Is it hard to do?
Renting an apartment in Bangkok is very easy to do. The hardest part is finding one, and your friend has already taken care of that for you.

What sort of credentials do you need?
Basically none unless you are moving into a serviced apartment, and then MAYBE you will need to show your passport. If the apartment is not rented month by month - meaning that you have to sign a contract, they could very well ask to see a work permit. In your case just show them your registration papers from your course.

I will initially be on a tourist visa for my course, would this be a problem?
Should not be a problem.

What are deposits etc. like?
Deposits can run anywhere from 1 to 3 months rent. Anymore than that is unlikely.

As with any information on BB forums - you are advised to investigate and do your own research as information can very widely depending on your particular circumstances.

Hope this helps.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Dear Marmalade:

Good advice from Hagakuri.

Generally, there's no problem. I did the same thing --- and saved a bundle by not staying in a hotel. Went straight from the airport to the apartment I'm currently living in.

1. You'll probably need your passport. As Hagakuri mentioned, the top-shelf, serviced apartments might want to see a little more, but I wouldn't worry about that. Since you're coming as a student, and you'll have some kind of documents to confirm that, you'll breeze straight through.

2. one and a half or 2 month's rental deposit, plus your first month's rent --- is fairly standard here these days.

If you have something already lined up, GREAT. If that falls through, for whatever reason, you can try the link below. It can be searched by location and/or rental price. There are currently 399 apartments in the database under *5,000 Baht per month, along with contact info, and in some cases, an e-mail address, so you could actually make some arrangements or schedule an appointment to view a flat --- before you arrive:

http://www.thaiapartment.com/ (reposted from The Master Index located at the top of this forum)

Happy hunting!


*5,000 Baht = 68 GBP at today's exchange rate

[Marmalade]

Thanks you guys, thats really helpfull.

I think I shall definetly be persuing the appartment idea then, esp as my friends seems to have picked 1 for me already

Could be a stupid question, but do you reckon an aircon room is worth the extra expense? Or can you do with fans?

I have been to Thailand before, so am reasonably aware of how hot and humid it is.

M

[AsiaTraveller]

Another source for apartment hunters:

www.thaipropertyonline.com

[Sheep-Goats]

Wait until you're here. Thais have an odd idea of what "near" means. And if you get an apartment without aircon you're insane -- you'll be having sex in there, remember -- Thai girls don't care to pig it up that much.

Once you're here, hole up in a motel or guest house for a week. Soemtime during this week take a taxi to whever your school or business will be and find a motorcycle taxi driver who speaks okay English (not too hard) and explain to him what you need, and your price range. Those guys will know every apartment in the area and their approximate costs, and within an hour you'll know every hidden little complex and its price. You'll also have the advantage of getting your taxi man to ask the costs for you in Thai, instead of trying to get the desk girl to understand your questions at every apartment you show up in. 300B for an hour or two of work will put the motorcycle taxi driver in all smiles, give him 500B if you've used his time up for the day.

In most areas of the city you should pay about 4500 for a okay sized studio with cold water, give or take 1000 B. In some areas (Silom, Tong Lor) places this cheap are hard to find. If you want two bedrooms or such, expect to drop about 9,000 a month at least. If you want a gym and a pool and and and then add one or two thousand more. Hot water in the shower is usually an extra 500 or so (on average, they either have it or they don't -- though they'll probably happily install a unit for you if you buy it).

Fortunatly most Thais don't scalp foreigners the way the Chinese do -- your prices will be very close (or identical) to what a Thai pays (or, a Thai with your bargaining skills, at least). They'll want a copy of the first page of your passport and two month's deposit, and that's it. The other terms of your contract beyond its cost and the deposit are quite fluid (I talked a one year contract down to a three month one, for example, and have stayed past my three months on a month by month basis with no problem -- very convenient as now I'm looking for a new job and may have to move).

[Marmalade]

All this info has been really helpfull.

I have looked at a couple of the websites, and them seem quite useful, if not rather slow.

When they say an appartment, I am assuming that this is just a bedroom and a bathroom?

What do they mean by studio?

Also, are appartments furnished with the basics, eg. bed and stuff. I guess things like linen etc is your own responsibility.

Marm

[AsiaTraveller]

All apartments (in Bangkok and around the world) spell themselves in English with only one letter p:

apartment

[Sheep-Goats]

[NipponPoke]

Important question.....

the standard thing to do is pay 2 months deposit (I'm assuming) when getting an apartment.

I'm curious to know, do you get that back when you leave?

In Japan, you can pay up to 5 months deposit and never see a lick of it when you go home.

[anton]

I hope to see some of my 7000b 1 month deposit...but i believe they subtract from that the cost of water and electricity, also the 200b to the cleaner, and 700b for 1 months unlimited laundry, plus 1000b for the broken window, (forgot the security swipe card thing in the room and had to throw a coin at someones window to let me in!)

[Sheep-Goats]