Deciding where to live in Thailand

Deciding where to live The following are some for the decision points which, in addition to your budget, may determine where you live and the type of accommodation you choose:

- Who in the family will do the majority of the traveling?

- Distance from workplace/s?

- Do you have children? What are their ages?

- Do you prefer to have a garden or outdoor play area?

- Distance form pre-schools, schools and other children’s activities?

- What is the mix of tenants in a building? E.g. families, long-or short-tem tenants, nationalities.

- Distance form facilities such as clubs, gyms?

- Will you have a car and/or driver?

- Level of security in the apartment or housing complex?

- Level of access to shops and services?

- Access to expressway, sky train or subway?

- Traffic considerations, e.g. major intersections, and volume of traffic on weekdays and weekends.

- Does the soi have more than one point of exit/entry?

- Does any of the furniture need re-upholstery, replacement or repair? Does the apartment need re- painting or repair?

- Will the landlord fulfill special requests? E.g. installation of additional phone lines.

Tax structures allow for the division of rental into two components: rental of premises and rental of furnishing and fixtures, the latter being exempt form tax. This explains why most landlords prefer to provide furnished or semi-furnished accommodation. Landlords will remove unwanted items of free standing furniture; however, there is unlikely to be a reduction in the rent.

The usual lease is for one year, the rent payable on month in advance. There may also be a two or three month deposit. If possible, attempt to have a termination clause (know as a diplomatic clause) included in your lease agreement, in case of unexpected moves overseas. This allows early termination of a lease provided that at lease two month’s written notice is given.

Suchai_w is a representative of Rentthaihome.com. The best place on the Internet focused entirely on listing variety of home available for rent around Thailand: Phuket, Bangkok, Samui, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai. At Rentthaihome.com, we connect vacationers and property owners/managers together online by Thai people who know the place best in Thailand.