Rent a house in Bangkok

Rent a house in Bangkokreally nice ones are located way out in whoop
When I first moved to Bangkok, I rented anwhoop district.
apartment like most newcomers to Bangkok do,I don't care as long as rent is cheap. Where do I
but as I became more familiar with my newlook?
home town, I decided to be a little moreAgain, you won't find any agents to help you
adventurous and rented a house. Having lived inthere and finding that perfect yet cheap and nice
houses over the past five years now, I've foundhouse is undoubtedly the hardest step. It usually
that renting a house in Bangkok not only offerstakes months of driving around moo baan after
more space and privacy, often it is also muchmoo baan, which would mean having your own
better value compared to apartment living. Moretransport and knowing your way around.
often than not, it is also a cheaper option (perThe word "Moo Baan" translates to "village" in
square metre) compared to renting an apartmentThai, but the term "housing estate" would be far
or condo, which are getting smaller in size thesemore accurate. These usually have a guard
days! If you enjoy wide open spaces, appreciateposted at the entrance and are situated all over
some green in your life - a garden perhaps, haveBangkok. These houses usually offer much better
pets, a large family or simply want to maximizevalue than stand alone houses, and are a good
your budget, consider renting a house instead.place for the house hunter to start his/her search.
Another advantage in renting a house is,Try areas like On Nut between Sukhumvit 77 -
apartments tend to put a high surcharge on your103, Bangna, Rangsit, Ramintra, Phayathai, Mo chit
electricity and water bills. Many apartments have aetc.
minimum charge of 1000 bht for water alone.Concerns and other issues
That is a significant amount considering my water1) Security
bill never cost me over 500 bht living in a houseHonestly, I know of many farangs, including
with a family of 5, and we do A LOT of washing!myself who have lived in single houses and
Electricity can be anything between 5 - 7 baht perexisted peacefully without any disturbances or
unit compared to the actual 3.75 baht charged bytrouble for years. I also do not know anyone who
the MEA. Living in a house can save you up tohas been burgled personally because they were
half your utility bills compared to living in anliving in a house. Do you?
apartment, and believe me it is A LOT ofIf you are considering renting a house and
difference!security is a main concern, rent a house in popular
Thailand is cheap!areas like Sukhumvit, Silom and Sathorn where
As you may already know, Thailand (morethere are many nearby apartments and condos
accurately, "Bangkok") is not the cheap havenwith security. That way, you can benefit from
many foreigners once thought it to be, especiallythe dense security in the neighbourhood.
when it comes to housing. Property prices andAnother option would be to opt for houses or
rental have gone up considerably and that's thetownhouse within a "moo baan." There are plenty
way it goes everywhere around the world. Thearound and majority of them have tight 24 hour
very same 2 bedroom unit I rented 5 years agosecurity. Common sense would also tell me to
(in Silom) has gone up by 30% in rental and hardlyexplore the neighbourhood a little and have a chat
any refurbishment has been done to it since!with shopkeepers and a neighbour who might be
"That's ridiculous" you say and believe it or not, Iwilling to share some information with you. I'm
agree! But hey, I don't make the prices and if yousure you'll have no problems getting a friendly
think agents benefit from that higher commission,neighbour to spill the beans on the house, its
that's only true when clients actually think theseprevious tenants and probably things you don't
houses are worth the price and that isn't alwaysneed to know about your landlord. Welcome to
the case.Thailand!
Renting a house in Sukhumvit, Silom or Sathorn.2) Air conditioners
If you are looking to rent a house in the theCheck to see how many rooms have
Sukhumvit, Silom or Sathorn area, then the veryair-conditioning; and how old the air-conditioners
minimum rental you are looking at is 30,000 bhtare. If you are looking at an older house, chances
for a BASIC 3 bedroom house. Even then, theyare it will have those big, old blocks that rumble
are few and far between in that range, and moreevery time you turn them on. These old
often than not are above 15 years old, with darkair-conditioners consume a lot more energy than a
parquet flooring and lots of wooden built-ins whichnew one, and would greatly increase your
many people find dark and depressing.electricity bills. It is also unlikely that the landlord
Most people prefer something a little brighter andwill install new air-conditioners for you unless they
contemporary. That would mean newer housesare completely dead (even then they will always
between 1 - 5 years old and these start aroundtry to revive the monster before even
45,000 bht. Depending on the location, size,considering replacing it), so make sure that they
décor, facilities etc. these can go up toare serviced and cleaned before you move in or
anything from 150,000 - 250,000 baht per month.if you got a good deal on the rent, invest in some
For that price, please do not accept anything lessnew airconditioners!
than a spectacular, resort-like villa with a private3) Water Pressure
pool!Now this is important. Always check that there is
No, but seriously, you do get what you pay fora water pump. Then check the water pressure
so be realistic when it comes to expectations andon the upper floors to make sure the pump has
budget. If you want something new and modernenough power to deliver a decent jet of shower.
but lack the budget, then move further awayI've learnt from experience that size does not
from the city centre. Which also means furthernecessarily mean power when it comes to a
away from the BTS line. Unfortunately, wewater pump, and sometimes a 2nd pump needs
cannot have it all and something's gotta give.to be installed to ensure constant deliverance of
Generally, if you go further towards the end ofwater into the house.
the BTS line and beyond i.e. Mo Chit, Phayathai,4) Telephone lines
Phrakanong, On Nut, Bangna, Srinakarin, RangsitAgain, from experience it is in your best interest
etc. prices drop significantly and you get muchto check the phone lines to make sure that 1)
better deals which are sometimes worth theyou have one and 2) it is working, because some
extra time commuting.areas (and this includes many areas in the
Is it possible to find a house for 15,000 bht?Sukhumvit, Silom and Sathorn) do not have
Not many agencies deal with houses below 25,000anymore available numbers and you will have to
bht. Just search the various property website injoin a looong waiting list to apply for a new one.
Thailand and you will see that the minimum rangeAlso, older houses above 10 years old tend to be
for houses are 25,000 - 30,000 bht, where theon the old, analog system which when faulty,
search usually returns 0 - 5 results. Severalcannot be replaced unless the whole area is
reasons for that:re-cabled. No telephone lines = no internet. You
1) There are a lot less decent and rentabledon't ever want to be caught in that situation!
houses at < 25,000 bht than there are at say,5) Maintenance
50,000 bht.Houses within a secured compound will have what
2) If there is, it is usually way out of town, farthey call "moo baan fee" or "community fee"
from any BTS/MRT station.which goes into the maintenance of the estate i.e.
3) Most people want to live in town, close to thesecurity, pool and garden maintenance etc. This is
city centre, CBD or near a BTS/MRT station.usually included in the asking rent. However, if you
4) Apart from location, houses below 25,000 bhttry negotiating on the rent, then more often than
are usually older (thus old fashioned) and not verynot, the landlord will exclude this from the rent
well-maintained, which makes it very hard to rent.and make you pay for it, so check to see what
5) If a house is nice and decent with an askingyour rent includes when you are signing the
rent of 25,000 bht or less, some agents mark itcontract. This ranges between 20 - 45 bht per
up!square metre. Thus, the larger your house the
Thus, it's hard to find nice, decent houses atmore you pay! I currently pay 3,500 baht per
25,000 bht or less...month for my "moo baan fee" (I got a 5000 bht
Regardless, there are plenty of cheap houses asreduction in rent, so it works out) and we have
low as 12,000 bht for rent, but remember, and I24 hour security, a well-maintained common
stress again - you get what you pay for! Andgarden and a superb pool that is regularly cleaned,
most 12,000 bht houses I've seen are usually inso I am happy.
serious need of repair and maintenance, and the