Rental Deposits in Thailand: How Much, How Fast It Comes Back, What Can Be Deducted

The security deposit is money you hand over when you sign a lease and expect to get back when you move out. Thailand has clear rules on how much a landlord may ask for, how fast the deposit must come back and what may be taken from it. This guide sums them up for foreigners renting a room, apartment or condo in Thailand, with a checklist you can use from signing day to move-out day.

Which rules apply, and to whom

The rules come from a notification of Thailand's Contract Committee, enforced by the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB, known in Thai as สคบ.): the Notification on residential building leasing as a contract-controlled business, B.E. 2568 (2025). It was issued on 30/05/2025, has been in force since 04/09/2025 and replaced the earlier notification.

• Who is covered: landlords who rent out 3 or more residential units (the earlier rule started at 5).
• Not covered: dormitories under Thailand's Dormitory Act, and hotels. Both have their own laws.
• Two standard contracts: short-term (a lease of up to 3 years) and long-term (more than 3 years).
• Language: the lease must be written in clear Thai. If you do not read Thai, ask for a translation or a bilingual copy and go through the deposit and move-out clauses before you sign.

If your landlord rents out fewer than 3 units, for example a condo owner letting a single unit, this notification does not apply. Then the contract you sign and the general lease rules of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code decide, so write the deposit amount, the refund deadline and what may be deducted into the contract. Not sure which case you are in? Ask the landlord, or call the OCPB hotline 1166.

How much can a landlord ask for?

For short-term leases, and for long-term leases paid monthly, advance rent and the security deposit together may not exceed three months' rent. For long-term leases paid yearly, the total may not exceed one year's rent.

Hypothetical example: the rent is 20,000 baht a month, so the cap is 60,000 baht.

• 1 month in advance (20,000 baht) + a 2-month deposit (40,000 baht) = 60,000 baht: within the cap.
• 2 months in advance (40,000 baht) + a 2-month deposit (40,000 baht) = 80,000 baht: over the cap.

Ask for a receipt that states what each payment is for. You can then check the cap and know exactly how much deposit you should get back.

When must the deposit come back?

When the lease ends, the deposit must be returned straight away. If the landlord needs to inspect the room first, these deadlines apply:

If there is no damage, no unpaid rent or bills and no other breach of the contract, you are entitled to the full deposit. Leaving Thailand when your lease ends? Agree in writing how the refund will reach you, for example which bank account, before you hand back the keys, because the landlord may take up to 7 or 14 days.

What may and may not be deducted

• May be deducted: the cost of repairing damage caused by your fault or by people living with you. Section 562 of the Civil and Commercial Code makes the tenant liable for such loss or damage, and under the 2025 rules only the actual repair cost may be taken.
• May not be deducted: normal wear and tear. Section 562 says a tenant is not liable for loss or damage that comes from proper use, and the 2025 notification bans clauses that make tenants pay for normal wear and tear. Keeping the deposit when the tenant is not at fault is also a banned term.

That is why a record of the room's condition matters. Under Section 561, if no written record of the room's condition is signed by both sides, the tenant is presumed to have received the room in good repair and must return it that way, unless the tenant can prove otherwise. The 2025 notification also requires a condition report signed by both parties to be attached to the lease.

Checklist for tenants

Signing and move-in day

• Check the advance rent and deposit against the three-month cap.
• Sign the condition report with the landlord: existing marks, anything broken, and the furniture and appliances provided.
• Take dated photos and videos of every corner, and keep them until your deposit is back.
• Pay by bank transfer into an account in the landlord's name and keep the receipts.

While you live there

• Report anything that breaks by message, with photos, so there is a record of when you told the landlord.

Moving out

• Give notice as the contract requires and keep proof that you did.
• Pay the last rent and utility bills and keep the receipts.
• Inspect the room together with the landlord and photograph the same angles as on move-in day.
• Return keys and key cards and ask for written confirmation.
• Send your refund account details in writing.
• If anything is deducted, ask for an itemised list with photos or repair receipts.

If the deposit is late

Send the landlord a written message with the lease end date, the deposit amount and the deadline above. If you still cannot agree, you can complain to the OCPB: hotline 1166, LINE @ocpbconnect, or the OCPB online complaint channel. Keep the contract, the condition report, your photos and payment records ready.

This article is a plain-language summary; for your own case, the text of the notification and your contract are what count. The notification and the sample standard contract (in Thai) are on the OCPB website.

Find a room with clear costs on RentKrub

Listing pages on RentKrub have a "Costs" section that shows the deposit and the advance payment. If it says "Ask the owner", ask for the exact figures before you go to view the room, and compare them with the cap above.

RentKrub never collects payments or deposits on behalf of a property. For listings that are not verified, view the room in person, ask for ID and ownership papers, sign a written contract and transfer only to an account in the landlord's name. More: how verified listings work.

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