# Phuket - house rentals



## AnyGivenDay

Question 1: my husband and I are searching the online rental sites and we know they are developed and managed by Realtors. Some of the places are very nice, yet we want to know how to find a long term rental from a private party.

Question 2: is renting a home the same as in the U.S.? We must fill out an Application, have our Credit Report pulled, place a first and last months deposit.

Question 3: what are the negatives when renting? I have read that sometimes expats pay upfront for the rentals and some owners boot them out before the end the lease and keep the money.

Thanks for any information!


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## Song_Si

Hi

Do you have a definite area in mind? Travel/transport around Phuket can be slow at times, eg if you want to be near western-style shopping, or a particular beach, or a place of work, school etc . . . 

There are three online newspapers on Phuket that I'm aware of:

Phuket Gazette
Phuketwan
Phuket News

The Gazette, and News, both have private property listings in their classified sections. Also the news sections may give you an idea on areas you'd prefer to live.

I can only speak from my own exp in renting, incl one year in Phuket.

Firstly - rent is often negotiable, especially if for 6 months or more. The last place I had there - 8mths - they dropped 20% on basis I'd stay over 6mths. I paid two months rent when I moved in so was always one month in credit, when i gave them a month's notice the owners didn't require me to pay the last month's rent, and they arranged for a final electric meter reading. But this was a situation where they lived on the same main property with six rental villas, will vary.

Where we are now - a long way from Phuket - owners had a lease agreement (all in Thai) they asked for the first three months rent in advance, but then didn't want another payment for 2 months so again we are just one month in advance.

All the places I've lived here I've found by driving around an area and looking for rental signs; often attached to the house or a post outside. Pays to have a Thai person with you to explain what you're signing/agreeing to. 

Ensure you're clear on what is/isn't included eg our long-term place on Phuket rental was inclusive of water, cable tv and internet but not electricity; where we are now those 4 items are all above the cost of rental. 

Security is something to consider with any property you look at. Burglaries are common, the southern part of the island has a particularly bad record - Rawai/Nai Harn especially, and the area between Nai Harn and Chalong. But can happen anywhere. 

Have never been asked for credit report or references from previous landlords. Neither have I heard of tenants being 'booted out'. Not saying it couldn't happen, in any country maybe, but have no personal knowledge of it.

I initially lived in an apartment near Karon beach, then move across the hills to a bungalow/villa near Chalong as I had work in that area. Positives and negatives, 1.5 km to a small hopping centre and Villa Mart (western-style supermarket), but no swimming beaches on that side of the island and 20-25km round trip to the beach, hellish traffic at busy times over the hill to Karon/Kata. Can't have everything!


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## Song_Si

*A map of Phuket*










and this site has more local maps


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## cnx_bruce

AnyGivenDay said:


> Question 1: we want to know how to find a long term rental from a private party.
> Question 2: is renting a home the same as in the U.S.?
> Question 3: what are the negatives when renting?


hi there, first and foremost, drop all assumptions and expectations based on how things work in the US ... you are less likely to get upset that way

for example, yes the web sites are maintained by "realtors", but anyone can be a "realtor" here - it means nothing really. forget about training, licensing etc etc

if you want to get value for money then you will need a thai speaker to help ... but you can safely assume they will pocket a commission regardless of whether you pay them or not, or whether they tell you or not

I would say getting "booted out" is uncommon, more common is being expected to repair or install things that would be the responsibility of the owner in the US. It's quite common for the bond money to be retained by the owner when you move out, regardless of how you leave the place ... sometimes on the basis of claimed damage.

I would suggest reading some of the experiences that other expats have when renting here as detailed in gory detail in this and many other Thai expat forums. That way you will be prepared for the worst and hopefully be pleasantly surprised rather than let down


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## AnyGivenDay

I appreciate the information, truly. The areas we are considering are:
Surin to Patong

Crime is always an issue everywhere you travel and live. We would want to have at the minimum a 'safe' in the apartment/villa. Our goal is to learn the language, meet expats and locals and make friends. Golf, dive, swim, read, etc. Anything that is not our life right now! Particularly, we want to get to know locals and learn more about Buddhism and the Thai culture.





Song_Si said:


> Hi
> 
> Do you have a definite area in mind? Travel/transport around Phuket can be slow at times, eg if you want to be near western-style shopping, or a particular beach, or a place of work, school etc . . .
> 
> There are three online newspapers on Phuket that I'm aware of:
> 
> Phuket Gazette
> Phuketwan
> Phuket News
> 
> The Gazette, and News, both have private property listings in their classified sections. Also the news sections may give you an idea on areas you'd prefer to live.
> 
> I can only speak from my own exp in renting, incl one year in Phuket.
> 
> Firstly - rent is often negotiable, especially if for 6 months or more. The last place I had there - 8mths - they dropped 20% on basis I'd stay over 6mths. I paid two months rent when I moved in so was always one month in credit, when i gave them a month's notice the owners didn't require me to pay the last month's rent, and they arranged for a final electric meter reading. But this was a situation where they lived on the same main property with six rental villas, will vary.
> 
> Where we are now - a long way from Phuket - owners had a lease agreement (all in Thai) they asked for the first three months rent in advance, but then didn't want another payment for 2 months so again we are just one month in advance.
> 
> All the places I've lived here I've found by driving around an area and looking for rental signs; often attached to the house or a post outside. Pays to have a Thai person with you to explain what you're signing/agreeing to.
> 
> Ensure you're clear on what is/isn't included eg our long-term place on Phuket rental was inclusive of water, cable tv and internet but not electricity; where we are now those 4 items are all above the cost of rental.
> 
> Security is something to consider with any property you look at. Burglaries are common, the southern part of the island has a particularly bad record - Rawai/Nai Harn especially, and the area between Nai Harn and Chalong. But can happen anywhere.
> 
> Have never been asked for credit report or references from previous landlords. Neither have I heard of tenants being 'booted out'. Not saying it couldn't happen, in any country maybe, but have no personal knowledge of it.
> 
> I initially lived in an apartment near Karon beach, then move across the hills to a bungalow/villa near Chalong as I had work in that area. Positives and negatives, 1.5 km to a small hopping centre and Villa Mart (western-style supermarket), but no swimming beaches on that side of the island and 20-25km round trip to the beach, hellish traffic at busy times over the hill to Karon/Kata. Can't have everything!


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## AnyGivenDay

Bruce,

You are right. I need to drop the assumptions and expectations! I do not want life to be like our life here and do not expect it to be. Keeping that in mind will help the transition to be smooth.

That you for the information. Possibly I will work as a Realtor in Phuket. It could be interesting! 

As far as the gory details other expats discuss in forums, I believe that comes back to dropping the assumptions. We all hopefully move to another country to learn the culture and how things run. I do not expect the service, rentals, traffic, shopping, etc. to be anything like the States.




cnx_bruce said:


> hi there, first and foremost, drop all assumptions and expectations based on how things work in the US ... you are less likely to get upset that way
> 
> for example, yes the web sites are maintained by "realtors", but anyone can be a "realtor" here - it means nothing really. forget about training, licensing etc etc
> 
> if you want to get value for money then you will need a thai speaker to help ... but you can safely assume they will pocket a commission regardless of whether you pay them or not, or whether they tell you or not
> 
> I would say getting "booted out" is uncommon, more common is being expected to repair or install things that would be the responsibility of the owner in the US. It's quite common for the bond money to be retained by the owner when you move out, regardless of how you leave the place ... sometimes on the basis of claimed damage.
> 
> I would suggest reading some of the experiences that other expats have when renting here as detailed in gory detail in this and many other Thai expat forums. That way you will be prepared for the worst and hopefully be pleasantly surprised rather than let down


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