The air-con stops cooling, water drips from the ceiling, or the power goes off in your room while the neighbours still have lights. Who has to fix it, and who pays? This guide explains the general lease rules of Thai law, the 2025 standard lease contract, how to report a defect so that you have proof, and what to do safely in an emergency. It is written for foreigners renting a room, apartment or condo in Thailand.
The basic rule: who looks after what
The lease rules of Thailand's Civil and Commercial Code split the work like this (the Thai text is the official version; this is a plain-language summary):
- Section 546: the landlord must hand over the property in good repair.
- Section 550: the landlord is liable for defects that arise during the lease and must make all necessary repairs, except the kind of repairs that law or custom leaves to the tenant.
- Section 553: the tenant must take care of the property as a reasonable person takes care of their own, maintain it and make small repairs.
- Section 562: the tenant is liable for loss or damage caused by their own fault, by people living with them or by a sub-tenant, but not for loss or damage that results from proper use.
- Section 558: the tenant may not alter or add to the property without the landlord's permission; if they do, the landlord can demand that it be put back as it was.
In short: when something supplied with the room wears out or breaks through normal use, fixing it is generally the landlord's job. Upkeep and small fixes are yours, and so is damage you or the people living with you cause. If your lease has a repairs clause, read it as well.
Landlords with three or more units: the 2025 standard contract
The Notification of the Contract Committee on residential building leasing as a contract-controlled business, B.E. 2568 (2025), enforced by the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), has applied since September 2025 to landlords who rent out 3 or more residential units. Dormitories under the Dormitory Act and hotels are not covered. Its standard short-term lease (Form A) says:
- Clause 11: the tenant takes care of and maintains the building, property and appliances and makes small repairs, but is not liable for damage or defects from normal use or normal wear and tear, from causes that are not the tenant's fault, or from force majeure.
- Clause 12: the landlord must make all necessary repairs of defects in the building, property and appliances that arise during the lease, other than the small repairs that are the tenant's job.
The notification also bans lease terms that let the landlord inspect your room without telling you in advance, except in an emergency, and terms that make tenants pay for defects from normal use. Banned terms cannot be enforced, and the standard terms count as part of your lease even if it leaves them out. The lease must be written in Thai, so ask for a translation of the repairs clauses before you sign.
Examples: who usually fixes what
The law has no list of "small repairs". These examples only illustrate the rules above; the real answer depends on the cause, your lease and the condition report.
| Problem | Usually handled by |
|---|---|
| Air-con or water heater supplied with the room breaks down with age | Landlord |
| Air-con damaged because the tenant dropped or misused it | Tenant (Section 562) |
| A light bulb burns out | Usually the tenant (a small repair) |
| Water seeping from the ceiling, a wall or pipes inside the wall | Landlord; tell them quickly |
| Drain blocked because things were flushed down the toilet | Tenant |
| Power cut in the whole street or area | The electricity authority |
Who pays for routine air-con cleaning is not spelled out in the law, so agree on it in the lease.
How to report a repair so you have proof
Section 557 requires the tenant to tell the landlord promptly when the property has a defect the landlord should repair, or when something must be done to protect it from harm, unless the landlord already knows. A tenant who neglects this is liable for the landlord's loss caused by the delay, for example a leak left for days that ruins the floor.
- Take photos and a short video of the problem and of the room around it.
- Report it in writing by the chat app or e-mail your landlord actually uses: room number, what is wrong, since when, and how it affects you. If you discuss it by phone, send a short written summary afterwards.
- Agree on a time for the technician. Under Section 555 the tenant must let the landlord inspect the room from time to time at reasonable times, and under Section 556 a tenant cannot refuse urgent repairs that the landlord needs to make, even if they are inconvenient.
- After the repair, take photos and note the date. If the problem comes back, report it in the same chat.
- Keep receipts for anything you pay. If the landlord asks you to call a technician and promises to pay you back, agree the amount and how you will be repaid in writing first.
- Do not alter things yourself, such as replacing the water heater or adding wiring, without permission (Section 558).
Sample message:
Hello, this is Room 305. I'd like to report a repair: the air-con has stopped blowing cold air since about 8 pm last night. I switched it off and on again but nothing changed. Two photos and a video are attached. Could you let me know when the technician can come? I'm home after 6 pm. Thank you.
Keep the message short and add photos; if your landlord prefers Thai, a translation app can help. Keep the chat until you have moved out and your deposit is back: it shows when you reported the problem.
Emergencies: leaks, electrical faults and power cuts
- Water reaching the floor or sockets: the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) and the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) both warn never to touch switches, sockets or appliances while you are wet or standing in water. If you are dry, standing on a dry floor and the breaker box is away from the water, switch the power off at the breaker. If you are not sure, step away and call the building staff. Close the room's water valve if you know where it is, then tell the landlord straight away. Do not use sockets or appliances that got wet until a qualified electrician has checked them.
- Renting a condo? If the water comes from a common pipe or another unit, tell both the unit owner and the condominium juristic person (the building's management office).
- Electrical warning signs: PEA lists signs of current leakage such as a breaker that trips often for no clear reason, a tingling shock when you touch the metal part of an appliance, and walls or sockets that feel unusually hot. Stop using it and ask the landlord to send an electrician. If there is smoke or fire, get out and call 199.
- Power cut: if only your room or building is affected, tell the landlord or building staff. If the whole area is dark, call MEA on 1130 in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan, or PEA on 1129 in other provinces. Both lines take reports 24 hours a day.
Other emergency numbers in Thailand: 1669 for a medical emergency and 191 for the police.
If the landlord does not fix it
- Follow up in writing in the same chat, mention the date of your first report and ask for a repair date.
- Serious defects: under Section 551, if you have asked the landlord to fix a defect and it is not put right within a reasonable time, you may terminate the lease when the defect is serious enough. Clause 12 of the standard contract also allows termination when the defect is so serious that you cannot use and benefit from the room. The law sets no number of days. If you decide to terminate, do it in writing.
- Complain to the OCPB if your landlord is covered by the notification and you cannot agree: hotline 1166, LINE @ocpbconnect or the OCPB online complaint channel. Have your lease, your messages and photos ready.
This article is a plain-language summary; for your own case, the text of the law, the notification and your lease are what count. The notification and the sample standard contract (in Thai) are on the OCPB website.
Before your next lease: check what comes with the room
Listing pages on RentKrub have an "Amenities" section split into "In the room" (for example air conditioning, water heater, refrigerator) and "Building & common areas"; faded items are not available. Use it to ask the landlord which appliances belong to the room, who looks after them and how to report repairs.
- Rooms near BTS, MRT and ARL stations
- Rooms near universities and schools
- Map search: drop a pin at your office or campus and pick a radius of 1–5 km
