Renting a condo in Thailand is different from renting a room in a dormitory or an apartment building run by one landlord: there are two parties to deal with. The person who rents you the room is the owner of that unit, while the lifts, pool, car park and main door are run by the condominium juristic person, the owners' legal body, through its manager and building office. If you do not know who handles what, problems can start on move-in day: a key card that does not work, or confusion over whether the rent already includes the common fees. This guide covers what first-time condo tenants, including foreigners, should know and ask before signing. Information as of 07/11/2026.
The unit owner and the juristic person: who looks after what
Under Thailand's Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979), each unit is the personal property of its owner. The parts of the building that are not units, the land the building stands on, and things provided for common use, such as lifts, corridors or a swimming pool, are common property, which the condominium juristic person manages and maintains. A manager and the building office (often called the juristic office) handle the day-to-day work.
Your lease is with the unit owner, or with an agent holding the owner's power of attorney, not with the juristic person. Matters inside the room go to the owner; matters in the common areas go to the building office. Use this table to report things to the right person:
| Matter | Who to contact |
|---|---|
| Rent, deposit, renewal, moving out | The unit owner, or an agent with a power of attorney |
| Broken air conditioner, water heater, fridge or furniture supplied with the room | The unit owner, under the lease and the legal rules on repairs |
| Lifts, corridor lights, pool, gym, main door, car park | The building office |
| Water seeping from the ceiling or walls | Both the owner and the building office, with photos: the cause may be in another unit or in a common pipe |
| Key cards, parking stickers, resident registration | Ask the owner first, then follow the building office's procedure |
| Moving in and out, parcels, visitors, noise | The building's rules |
Who must fix what in a rented room under Thai law: Repairs in a Thai rental: who fixes the air-con, leaks and power cuts.
Who pays the common fees, and why it matters to you
Section 18 of the Condominium Act makes the co-owners, meaning the owners of the units, share the common expenses in proportion to their share of the common property or to the benefit their unit receives. In practice the fee is charged per square metre of the unit, from a budget approved by the owners' general meeting, and collected monthly or yearly as the building's regulations set.
So the duty to pay the juristic person lies with the unit owner. You pay the common fee only if your lease says so. Before you sign, ask whether the rent already includes it, and put the answer in the lease, for example: "The monthly rent includes the common fees, which the lessor pays for the whole term of the lease."
Hypothetical example: a 30 sq m unit in a building that charges 50 baht per sq m per month has a common fee of 1,500 baht a month, or 18,000 baht a year. If the lease makes you pay it, add it to the rent when you compare rooms.
If the owner falls behind, you can feel it too
Under Section 18/1, an owner who is six months or more behind on common fees may have common services or the use of common property suspended, as the building's regulations allow, and loses the right to vote at general meetings. Whoever lives in that unit, tenants included, may then find that the pool, the gym or the parking sticker no longer works, even with the rent fully paid.
Before signing, ask the owner to show the latest common-fee receipt, and state in the lease who pays the common fees. If your key card suddenly stops opening the facilities, ask the building office why and tell the owner in writing.
Building regulations and house rules: read them before you move in
Section 32 of the Act requires the juristic person's regulations to cover the use of personal and common property and the common expenses. The rules therefore reach inside the units as well as the common areas, and they can only be changed by a resolution of the owners' general meeting. A permission the owner writes into your lease does not cancel a building rule. On top of the regulations, a building may have house rules with more detail.
Ask the owner or the building office for a copy of the regulations or house rules. If they are only in Thai, ask the office or the owner to explain the points that affect you, or use a translation. Check:
- Pets: allowed or not, and whether they must be registered with the building. More: Pet-friendly rentals in Thailand.
- Moving in and out: how many days' notice is needed, when the service lift can be used, and whether a letter of consent from the owner is required.
- Repairs and installations: drilling, shelves or new cables need the owner's permission first; ask whether the office must be told and on which days and hours work is allowed.
- Facilities: pool and gym hours, whether tenants have the same access as owners, and whether you can bring guests.
- Visitors and their cars: where visitors exchange an ID card or sign in, and whether they may park.
- Rubbish, balconies and noise: where rubbish goes, whether laundry may be dried on the balcony, and whether there are quiet hours.
Key cards, parking and move-in day
In a condo, key cards and parking stickers involve both the owner and the building office. Ask before move-in day:
- How many cards come with the unit, and which lifts, floors and facilities they open.
- Who to contact if a card is lost or you need another one, whether there is a charge, and who pays it.
- How many cars the unit may park, whether there is a fixed bay or first-come parking, whether a sticker or parking card is needed, and where motorbikes go.
- Whether tenants must register with the building office, and which documents it needs (ask whether a passport copy or a copy of the lease is required).
- Where parcels are delivered, who may sign for them, and how many days you have to collect them.
On key day, check the room point by point, take photos, note the electricity and water meter readings, and make a condition report signed by both sides, with a list of the furniture, appliances and cards you received (how to do it: Move-in day in a Thai rental). Ask whose name the electricity and water meters are in, and whether you pay the utility bills directly or through the owner or the building office; if through someone else, ask to see the actual bill each time. When you move out, return every card and remote.
If you are a foreigner, Thailand's Immigration Bureau requires the house master, owner or occupier of the residence to report your stay within 24 hours on form TM30, in person, by registered mail or online. Agree with the owner who files it, and keep a copy. Details: TM30 in Thailand for tenants.
Renting from an individual owner: put everything in the lease
Thailand's Contract Committee notification on residential leasing as a contract-controlled business, B.E. 2568 (2025), in force since 04/09/2025, applies to landlords who offer 3 or more residential units (dormitories and hotels, which have their own laws, are excluded). An owner who rents out only one or two condo units is generally outside it, so its caps on deposits and its deadlines for returning them (summarised in Rental deposits in Thailand) may not apply; the lease and the Civil and Commercial Code govern instead.
So write everything you agree into the lease:
- The parties: ask to see a copy of the condominium unit title deed (Or.Chor.2) and the ID card of the person signing, and check that the names match. If an agent signs, ask for the owner's power of attorney.
- Money: the deposit, any advance rent, and how many days after move-out the deposit comes back.
- What the rent includes: common fees, parking, internet and which furniture.
- Electricity and water: how they are charged and who you pay.
- Repairs: who fixes what, and how to report it.
Checklist, then find a condo on RentKrub
- Check that the person signing is the unit owner or holds a power of attorney.
- Ask whether the rent includes the common fees, and see the latest common-fee receipt.
- Get a copy of the building's regulations or house rules, especially on pets, moving and repairs.
- Ask about key cards, parking rights and tenant registration with the building office.
- Ask how electricity and water are paid.
- Put the deposit, its return deadline and who repairs what into the lease.
- On move-in day, make a condition report and a list of what you received, signed by both sides.
- If you are a foreigner, agree who files your TM30 within 24 hours.
On RentKrub, start with the map search: type your workplace or school into "Search a place" and choose a radius of 1–5 km. Or open rooms near rail stations, pick a station and filter the results by building amenities such as Swimming pool, Gym/fitness, Car parking, Elevator and Keycard access.
On each listing, check the costs box (Monthly, Deposit, Advance payment, Water, Electricity, Other fees) to see whether it mentions the common fees, and read the "Building & common areas" list (faded = not available). To compare several rooms, tap the scale button and open Compare properties, which takes up to 4. Then ask the owner about anything the listing does not say before you pay a booking deposit.
