Choosing a Safe Dorm or Apartment in Thailand: Key Cards, CCTV, Fire Exits and What to Check Before You Book

When you view a dorm or an apartment in Thailand, it is easy to look only at the room and the rent. The safety of the building is much harder to change once you have signed, so check it on the same visit. This checklist works for dormitories, apartments and condos for rent, and follows the route you would actually walk: the way home, the main entrance, the corridors and fire stairs, and finally the room itself. If you are a student looking near a campus, also read Dorms Near Universities in Bangkok: What to Check Besides Distance.

The way home, the entrance, key cards and CCTV

If you view the room in daytime, walk back from the bus stop or station once more in the early evening and check:

• Street and parking: is there lighting all the way, and are there dark stretches or blind corners you would have to pass?
• Main door: does it open by key card, fingerprint or key? Does it lock by itself, or is it propped open?
• Lift and room floors: do you tap a card to use the lift or enter a floor, and does a tenant's card open every floor or only their own?
• Guard and staff: when is someone on duty, and who do you call late at night?
• Visitors: do outsiders leave an ID card or sign in? Are overnight guests allowed? Ask for these rules in writing.
• CCTV: does it cover the entrance, lifts, corridors and parking? Who can view the recordings, how long are they kept, and how can a tenant ask to see them if something is stolen?

Fire stairs, extinguishers and fire alarms

Walk once from the door of the room you want to the nearest fire stairs. If the power goes out one night and the corridor is full of smoke, this is the route you will need to find.

• Fire stairs: how far are they from the room, is there more than one, does the door open, is it unlocked, and is the way down to the ground floor clear of stored items?
• Exit signs and emergency lights: can you see them from the corridor, and are the signs lit?
• Escape plan: is a fire escape plan posted on each floor or on the back of the room door?
• Alarm: is there a manual alarm button in the corridor, are there smoke detectors, and has the building ever held a fire drill?

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says it checks these items in high-rise buildings: alarm systems, fire protection systems, firefighting equipment, exit doors, direction signs, escape routes and emergency backup power. The same list works for any building you view.

Fire extinguishers

There should be an extinguisher in the corridor on your floor, where you can see it and reach it quickly. The basic visual check recommended by Bangkok's city administration:

• the safety pin is in place;
• the needle of the pressure gauge is in the green zone;
• the cylinder is not swollen, cracked or rusty, and the hose is not brittle or torn.

Ask when it was last inspected and whether it has an inspection tag. If anything looks wrong, ask for a replacement before you move in.

Inside the room: door, keys, windows and electrics

• The door closes fully and locks properly. Is there an inside bolt, a peephole or a door chain?
• Ask directly: have the locks been changed, or the previous tenant's key cards cancelled? Who holds the spare key?
• If you lose your key card, who do you tell, is there a fee for a new one, and is the old card cancelled straight away?
• Windows and balcony doors lock, and ground-floor rooms have window bars or strong latches.

If you want an extra lock or a new door handle, get the landlord's permission in writing first. On move-in day, count the keys and cards you receive and note them in the condition report, as explained in Move-In Day in a Thai Rental.

Electrical safety

• Look at sockets, plugs and cables for cracks, brittleness or burn marks. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority advises repairing or replacing damaged items right away.
• Power strips should carry the TIS (Thai Industrial Standards) mark, and you should not run several appliances at once from one power strip.
• Ask whether the water heater has a ground wire and a standard leakage cut-off (residual current device). The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand recommends both.
• Ask where the room's breaker is, and whether there are rules on cooking appliances in the room.

After you move in, a breaker that trips often for no clear reason, or a tingling shock when you touch the metal part of an appliance, are signs of current leakage according to the Provincial Electricity Authority. Tell the landlord and ask for an electrician. Who pays for which repair: Repairs in a Thai Rental.

Licensed dormitories: what they must have

Thailand's Dormitory Act B.E. 2558 (2015) covers dormitories for residents who are studying at a level no higher than a bachelor's degree and are no older than 25 (Section 4), and a private dormitory needs a licence from the registrar (Section 33). Not every place called a "dorm" falls under this law, so ask whether the place holds a dormitory licence. If it does, the Act requires:

In a women's dormitory, the manager or acting manager must be a woman (Section 48), and so must the staff who look after the rooms (Section 61). For places outside the Act, use the table as a list of questions for the landlord. If you do not read Thai, ask the manager to go through the posted rules with you, especially entry hours and visiting rules.

If you are a woman, or living alone

• View rooms with a friend, or send the address and appointment time to someone you trust.
• Ask whether there is a women-only floor or zone, and whose cards can open it.
• Do not hold the building door open for strangers, and ask maintenance staff to book a time before they enter your room.
• Avoid posting photos that show your room number or the building's name sign.

In a fire or other emergency

A summary of advice from Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration:

1. Stay calm. Shout, or press the fire alarm.
2. If the fire is still small, use an extinguisher. If it spreads, leave the area and call 199.
3. Before opening a door, touch the door or the handle. If it is hot, do not open it.
4. Cover your nose and mouth with a cloth and stay low, crawling if needed, to avoid the smoke.
5. Never use the lift. Go down by the fire escape, and do not hide in a bathroom or go up to the roof.
6. If you cannot get down, call and say exactly where you are, then signal by waving a cloth, using a torch or blowing a whistle.
7. If your clothes catch fire, do not run: drop to the ground and roll.

Save these numbers and the building manager's number on your phone. Keep the building's name and full address in Thai on your phone too, so you can read it out or show it when you call: give the building name, address, floor and how many people are still inside.

Find a place on RentKrub and check safety before you visit

• Filter the results: on the results page for a rail station or a university, open "Filters" and tick "Keycard access", "Fingerprint access", "CCTV" or "Security guard" under "Building amenities", then tap "Show results".
• Read the listing: the "Amenities" section shows the same items ("Faded = not available"). Fire stairs and extinguishers are not on that list, so check them in person. "Open in Google Maps" shows the route from the station to the building.
• Look for badges: listings whose owners sent documents for the RentKrub team to check carry a "Verified listing" badge, and some also show "Building structure inspected" or "Licensed accommodation business". What each badge means: Listing verification and The RentKrub Verified Badge.

Start with rooms near rail stations, rooms near universities or map search: drop a pin at your office or campus and pick a radius of 1–5 km. Station and university names on these pages are shown in Thai.