How pumps work


Rent a house in Bangkok

Rent  a  house  in  Bangkokand I stress again - you get what you pay
for! And most 12,000 bht houses I've seen are
When I first moved to Bangkok, I rented anusually in serious need of repair and
apartment like most newcomers to Bangkok do,maintenance, and the really nice ones are
but as I became more familiar with my newlocated  way  out  in  whoop  whoop district.
home town, I decided to be a little more
adventurous and rented a house. Having livedI don't care as long as rent is cheap. Where
in houses over the past five years now, I'vedo  I  look?
found that renting a house in Bangkok not
only offers more space and privacy, often itAgain, you won't find any agents to help you
is also much better value compared tothere and finding that perfect yet cheap and
apartment living. More often than not, it isnice house is undoubtedly the hardest step.
also a cheaper option (per square metre)It usually takes months of driving around moo
compared to renting an apartment or condo,baan after moo baan, which would mean having
which are getting smaller in size these days!your own transport and knowing your way
If you enjoy wide open spaces, appreciatearound.
some green in your life - a garden perhaps,
have pets, a large family or simply want toThe word "Moo Baan" translates to "village"
maximize your budget, consider renting ain Thai, but the term "housing estate" would
house  instead.be far more accurate. These usually have a
guard posted at the entrance and are situated
Another advantage in renting a house is,all over Bangkok. These houses usually offer
apartments tend to put a high surcharge onmuch better value than stand alone houses,
your electricity and water bills. Manyand are a good place for the house hunter to
apartments have a minimum charge of 1000 bhtstart his/her search. Try areas like On Nut
for water alone. That is a significant amountbetween Sukhumvit 77 - 103, Bangna, Rangsit,
considering my water bill never cost me overRamintra,  Phayathai,  Mo  chit  etc.
500 bht living in a house with a family of 5,
and we do A LOT of washing! Electricity canConcerns  and  other  issues
be anything between 5 - 7 baht per unit
compared to the actual 3.75 baht charged by1)  Security
the MEA. Living in a house can save you up to
half your utility bills compared to living inHonestly, I know of many farangs, including
an apartment, and believe me it is A LOT ofmyself who have lived in single houses and
difference!existed peacefully without any disturbances
or trouble for years. I also do not know
Thailand  is  cheap!anyone who has been burgled personally
because  they were living in a house. Do you?
As you may already know, Thailand (more
accurately, "Bangkok") is not the cheap havenIf you are considering renting a house and
many foreigners once thought it to be,security is a main concern, rent a house in
especially when it comes to housing. Propertypopular areas like Sukhumvit, Silom and
prices and rental have gone up considerablySathorn where there are many nearby
and that's the way it goes everywhere aroundapartments and condos with security. That
the world. The very same 2 bedroom unit Iway, you can benefit from the dense security
rented 5 years ago (in Silom) has gone up byin  the  neighbourhood.
30% in rental and hardly any refurbishment
has been done to it since! "That'sAnother option would be to opt for houses or
ridiculous" you say and believe it or not, Itownhouse within a "moo baan." There are
agree! But hey, I don't make the prices andplenty around and majority of them have tight
if you think agents benefit from that higher24 hour security. Common sense would also
commission, that's only true when clientstell me to explore the neighbourhood a little
actually think these houses are worth theand have a chat with shopkeepers and a
price  and  that  isn't  always  the  case.neighbour who might be willing to share some
information with you. I'm sure you'll have no
Renting a house in Sukhumvit, Silom orproblems getting a friendly neighbour to
Sathorn.spill the beans on the house, its previous
tenants and probably things you don't need to
If you are looking to rent a house in the theknow about your landlord. Welcome to
Sukhumvit, Silom or Sathorn area, then theThailand!
very minimum rental you are looking at is
30,000 bht for a BASIC 3 bedroom house. Even2)  Air  conditioners
then, they are few and far between in that
range, and more often than not are above 15Check to see how many rooms have
years old, with dark parquet flooring andair-conditioning; and how old the
lots of wooden built-ins which many peopleair-conditioners are. If you are looking at
find  dark  and  depressing.an older house, chances are it will have
those big, old blocks that rumble every time
Most people prefer something a littleyou turn them on. These old air-conditioners
brighter and contemporary. That would meanconsume a lot more energy than a new one, and
newer houses between 1 - 5 years old andwould greatly increase your electricity
these start around 45,000 bht. Depending onbills. It is also unlikely that the landlord
the location, size, décor, facilities etc.will install new air-conditioners for you
these can go up to anything from 150,000 -unless they are completely dead (even then
250,000 baht per month. For that price,they will always try to revive the monster
please do not accept anything less than abefore even considering replacing it), so
spectacular, resort-like villa with a privatemake sure that they are serviced and cleaned
pool!before you move in or if you got a good deal
on the rent, invest in some new
No, but seriously, you do get what you payairconditioners!
for so be realistic when it comes to
expectations and budget. If you want3)  Water  Pressure
something new and modern but lack the budget,
then move further away from the city centre.Now this is important. Always check that
Which also means further away from the BTSthere is a water pump. Then check the water
line. Unfortunately, we cannot have it allpressure on the upper floors to make sure the
and  something's  gotta  give.pump has enough power to deliver a decent jet
of shower. I've learnt from experience that
Generally, if you go further towards the endsize does not necessarily mean power when it
of the BTS line and beyond i.e. Mo Chit,comes to a water pump, and sometimes a 2nd
Phayathai, Phrakanong, On Nut, Bangna,pump needs to be installed to ensure constant
Srinakarin, Rangsit etc. prices dropdeliverance  of  water  into  the  house.
significantly and you get much better deals
which are sometimes worth the extra time4)  Telephone  lines
commuting.
Again, from experience it is in your best
Is it possible to find a house for 15,000interest to check the phone lines to make
bht?sure that 1) you have one and 2) it is
working, because some areas (and this
Not many agencies deal with houses belowincludes many areas in the Sukhumvit, Silom
25,000 bht. Just search the various propertyand Sathorn) do not have anymore available
website in Thailand and you will see that thenumbers and you will have to join a looong
minimum range for houses are 25,000 - 30,000waiting list to apply for a new one. Also,
bht, where the search usually returns 0 - 5older houses above 10 years old tend to be on
results.  Several  reasons  for  that:the old, analog system which when faulty,
cannot be replaced unless the whole area is
1) There are a lot less decent and rentablere-cabled. No telephone lines = no internet.
houses at < 25,000 bht than there are at say,You don't ever want to be caught in that
50,000  bht.situation!
2) If there is, it is usually way out of5)  Maintenance
town,  far  from  any  BTS/MRT  station.
Houses within a secured compound will have
3) Most people want to live in town, close towhat they call "moo baan fee" or "community
the city centre, CBD or near a BTS/MRTfee" which goes into the maintenance of the
station.estate i.e. security, pool and garden
maintenance etc. This is usually included in
4) Apart from location, houses below 25,000the asking rent. However, if you try
bht are usually older (thus old fashioned)negotiating on the rent, then more often than
and not very well-maintained, which makes itnot, the landlord will exclude this from the
very  hard  to  rent.rent and make you pay for it, so check to see
what your rent includes when you are signing
5) If a house is nice and decent with anthe contract. This ranges between 20 - 45 bht
asking rent of 25,000 bht or less, someper square metre. Thus, the larger your house
agents  mark  it  up!the more you pay! I currently pay 3,500 baht
per month for my "moo baan fee" (I got a 5000
Thus, it's hard to find nice, decent housesbht reduction in rent, so it works out) and
at  25,000  bht  or  less...we have 24 hour security, a well-maintained
common garden and a superb pool that is
Regardless, there are plenty of cheap housesregularly cleaned, so I am happy.
as low as 12,000 bht for rent, but remember,



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