A tenant who stays to the end of the lease and signs again is a room that never sits empty: no deep clean, no new photos, no viewings one by one. This guide is for owners and managers of apartments, dormitories and condos in Thailand, including foreigners who let out their own condo unit. It covers the small things you control every day (quick replies, fast repairs, notice before you enter) and how to raise renewal early, with the Thai rules behind them. Information as of 05/11/2026.
One renewal is worth more than it looks
Hypothetical example: a condo let at 12,000 THB a month. The tenant leaves, the unit stays empty for one month, and cleaning and touch-up painting before the next tenant cost 2,400 THB. That is 14,400 THB, the same as giving the old tenant 1,200 THB off every month for a whole year, before you count the time spent updating the listing, answering questions and showing the room.
Put your own numbers in and treat the result as a budget: if what keeps a tenant (faster repairs, an air-conditioner service before renewal, new curtains) costs less than that, keeping the tenant is cheaper than finding a new one. More on the cost of an empty month: Pricing a rental room in Thailand.
If your tenants are foreigners, every new tenant also means a new residence report. Thailand's Immigration Bureau requires the house master, owner or occupier of the residence to report a foreigner staying there within 24 hours on form TM30. Apartments and rented houses are covered, and the report can be made in person, by registered mail or online. Details: TM30 in Thailand.
Tenants may not wait for the end of the lease either. Thailand's Contract Committee notification on residential leasing as a contract-controlled business, B.E. 2568 (2025), has applied since 04/09/2025 to landlords with 3 or more residential units; dormitories and hotels, which have their own laws, are excluded. Under it, a tenant who has stayed at least half of the lease term may end the lease early with at least 30 days' written notice, provided nothing is unpaid. Good service matters for the whole lease, not just the last month.
Reply fast: one channel and a response time
From signing day, tell tenants where to report problems, who handles them and when you reply. One page in a welcome pack is enough, for example:
- Repairs and questions: one chat or phone channel run by the manager, acknowledged the same day during working hours.
- Out-of-hours emergencies such as a leak, a possibly dangerous electrical fault or a door that will not lock: a number that is always answered.
- Common questions: rent due date and how to pay, meter reading day, rubbish, parcels and parking.
When a report comes in, acknowledge it even if you cannot fix it at once: say you have it, and on which day and at what time someone will come. If the visit moves, say so, and the tenant does not have to chase you.
Section 557 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code requires a tenant to inform the landlord promptly when the property needs repairs that are the landlord's to make; a tenant who fails to do so is liable for damage caused by the delay. A clear channel helps both sides: the tenant can report at once, you hear early, and there is a record of when it was reported.
Keep one log
A simple log on paper or in a spreadsheet shows what is still open, which rooms keep breaking down and need a replacement rather than another repair, and gives you facts for the renewal talk and the deposit refund. Hypothetical example:
| Reported | Room | Problem | Visit | Done | Result and cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/11/2026 | 302 | Toilet keeps running | 03/11/2026 17:00 | 04/11/2026 | Part in the cistern replaced; note the amount and who paid, as agreed |
| 04/11/2026 | 415 | Air conditioner not cooling | 05/11/2026 10:00 | Waiting for a part | Tenant told when the technician will come back |
Repair quickly: urgent, soon, and the tenant's own upkeep
Under Section 550, the landlord is liable for defects that arise during the lease and must make all necessary repairs, except those that law or custom leaves to the tenant. Section 553 requires the tenant to take as much care of the property as a prudent person would of their own, and to do ordinary maintenance and minor repairs.
Slow repairs can cost you the tenant. Under Section 551, if a defect does not make the room unusable and can be fixed, the tenant must first ask the landlord to fix it; if it is not put right within a reasonable time and the defect is serious enough, the tenant may terminate the lease.
| Level | Examples | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Urgent | A leak or burst pipe, a door that will not lock, and the warning signs of electrical leakage listed by the Provincial Electricity Authority: a breaker that trips often for no clear reason, a shock-like feeling when touching the metal of an appliance, or a wall or socket that is unusually hot | Reply at once, ask the tenant to stop using that point, and call the right technician; for electrical faults, have a qualified electrician check and fix it immediately |
| Soon | Air conditioner not cooling, water heater not heating, toilet that keeps running | Acknowledge the same day and visit as soon as you can, for example within 1–2 days |
| Can be grouped | Loose cupboard hinge, torn insect screen, scuffed paint | Agree a time with the tenant and do several jobs in one visit |
The response times are suggestions, not law; adjust them to the technicians and parts available where you are. What helps you repair faster:
- a list of electricians, plumbers and air-conditioner technicians you can call, with back-up numbers
- spare parts that are often replaced, such as bulbs, shower heads and bidet sprays
- a clear note in the lease or welcome pack on what the tenant looks after and what they should report to you, so there is no argument later about what counts as a minor repair
- a quick check with the tenant after each repair, then the finish date in your log
Who fixes what, seen from the tenant's side: Repairs in a Thai rental.
Give notice before you enter, before building work and before you bill
The rented room is the tenant's home. Section 555 requires the tenant to let the landlord or the landlord's agent inspect the property from time to time, at reasonable times and intervals: you may go in, but at a sensible time and not too often. For landlords with 3 or more units, the 2025 notification adds:
- a lease may not let the landlord inspect the room without prior notice, except in an emergency
- written invoices for rent, utilities and service charges must reach the tenant at least 3 days before the due date
- a lease may not let the landlord change the rent or service charges before the lease ends
The same notification requires these leases to be written in clearly legible Thai. If your tenant does not read Thai, give them a translation to read as well, so they know what they are signing.
Even with fewer than 3 units, the same habits put tenants at ease. For example:
- Before entering: give the day, time, reason, who is coming and how long it will take, and let the tenant pick the slot. If they will be out, get their consent in a message.
- Emergencies such as water leaking into the room below: try to reach the tenant first, enter only as far as needed, take photos before and after, and tell them what was done.
- Building work such as a water shut-off to clean the tank, pest spraying or lift repairs: post it in the building's chat group and at the entrance in good time.
- Invoices: list rent, water, electricity and service charges separately with the previous and current meter readings, and send them before the due date every month.
Billing water and electricity at the real rate, and the other rules in the notification: Thailand's 2025 lease rules for landlords.
Talk about renewal before the lease ends
Do not wait for the tenant to ask in the last week. Start 30–60 days before the end: ask whether they want to stay and what they would like improved, then set out the terms of the new lease.
- Rent for the new lease: if it changes, give the figure and the reason when you first talk, so the tenant has time to decide. For landlords with 3 or more units, the old rent runs until the old lease ends, and a new rent starts with the new lease.
- No renewal fee: the 2025 notification bans lease clauses that let the landlord charge a renewal fee.
- Small upgrades before signing: an air-conditioner service, new curtains or bulbs where they are worn, and every open item in your log closed.
- Deposit: if you agree to carry the existing deposit over to the new lease, write the amount in the new lease.
What if the lease ends and nobody signs anything?
Under Section 570, if the tenant stays on after the agreed term and the landlord, knowing this, does not object, the parties are deemed to have renewed the lease for an indefinite period. Under Section 566, such a lease can be ended by either side at the end of any rent period with at least one rent period's notice, and no more than two months' notice is ever needed. Neither of you then knows how long the arrangement will last, so a new written lease with start and end dates and the rent is the better choice.
If the tenant decides to leave, ask why without pressure, note it for the next tenant, and arrange the move-out inspection and the deposit refund on time: Rental deposits in Thailand.
Checklist, then list empty rooms free on RentKrub
- Tenants know where to report problems, the emergency number and when you reply.
- Every report is acknowledged the same day, with the day and time of the visit.
- Everything goes into one log, sorted into urgent, soon and can be grouped.
- You give notice before every entry, except in emergencies, and announce building work in advance.
- Itemised invoices go out before the due date.
- Renewal talks start 30–60 days before the end, with no renewal fee and a new written lease.
When a room does become free, tap "List free" on RentKrub to reach tenants searching in your area; owners manage details, prices and promotions themselves. You can also ask for the "Verified" badge on the verified listings page by sending two documents for the team to check: the property's house registration or a recent water or electricity bill with the same address as the listing, and a clear photo of the house-number plate or the property's name sign. Results come within 1–2 business days. Read next: Writing a rental listing in Thailand.
This article is a general summary. For your own case, rely on your lease and the law itself. The notification and the standard contract (in Thai) are on the OCPB website, and the OCPB hotline is 1166.
