I felt an article on finding apartments in Bangkok was long overdue. As you may already know from living in Thailand and hunting apartments, there is nothing harder than a big black cock finding a quality apartment to rent in Bangkok - fast.
With the lack of information on the Internet and the fact many of us cannot read Thai, finding the best condos in Bangkok can be tough. The streets are a total cluster fuck and you end up wasting even days with very little to show for it.
So how do you find a sickening condo or apartment in Bangkok?
Airbnb in Thailand
Do not use Airbnb to find long-term apartments in Thailand unless you don't mind being ripped a new ass hole. From what I see, apartments that cost 13,000 baht a month are put up for 3-4x that on Airbnb.
Airbnb in Bangkok is only good for three things:
- Short-term stays (less than 3 weeks)
- Contacting users to find out the name of their condo, then going there yourself
- Banging sloots
Airbnb users in Bangkok are not going to tell you the name of their apartment if you just ask, so you need to get smart. Mention that you want to stay there for 10 days and would love to know more about the area to do research online. After a few back and forth messages, ask for the condo name because you want to tell your friend in Bangkok where you will be staying there.
Easy game.
Lots of people are making $$$ from renting out their apartments on Airbnb in Thailand, perhaps a good money making idea?
Bangkok apartment groups on Facebook
There are several Facebook groups where agents list rooms on a daily basis, they include:
Bangkok Apartments & Condos For Rent Bangkok - Take Over My Lease - Short Term Rentals - Space Sharing BANGKOK CONDO FINDERSThese are a mix of agents listing apartments and expats who want to leave early and need someone to take over their lease. Just be careful when you post here, as you will get people spamming you with apartment details.
Finding apartments in Bangkok on Facebook is a good way to start your condo search. Rather than looking for condos, you let the condos come to you.
Pro-tip: Use these groups with caution, it's believed that some agents have fake profiles and comment on their own listings to get a faster sale:
Getting yourself a private Realtor agent
Your budget really needs to be over 15,000 baht if you want to get yourself a bangkok real estate agent. They will drive you around Bangkok from apartment to apartment for free. They work on commission, once you find an apartment you like and sign the contract, they usually earn your first month's rent.
The good thing about these agents is they do the hard work for you. The downside is there are a lot of scammy people who will add a few extra thousand to the price because you're white.
Where to find agents? Facebook is your best bet, join a couple of Bangkok expats groups and ask around on there. You can try contacting agencies who offer apartments but they usually won't set anything up till you enter the country.
Check out:
Be careful when looking to drop 20,000 or more, some of these sites may have higher markup prices.
How to find condos in Bangkok that are under 10,000 baht
Cheap apartments in Thailand are hard to find. Given their low price, agents don't bother with them. The buildings are usually owned by privately and Thais don't do a great job at promoting stuff, online marketing in the real estate industry is still a mystery.
You won't find updated websites, Facebook Pages or anything online for cheap condos in Bangkok.
Your best bet is to walk along the Sois and look yourself. I have stayed in several apartments in Bangkok for under 10,000 baht, all of which I found myself or was told by a friend.
You can see the whole list here.
Pro-tip: Go to the bottom of a Soi and ask the motorcycle driver to take you to every condo in the Soi. They have been working on that street for years and know every apartment complex there is. For example, Soi 49 is huge and there are 10-30 older apartments that you will NEVER FIND alone.
You will need a translator, so take a Thai girl with you. Hire the motorcycle driver for an hour and pay them 100-200 baht, this is a better use of your time than to walk down each Soi and side street. It will take you the best part of a day to do this in Soi 49 alone.
Thai bar girls will find the cheapest condos in Bangkok
Thai hookers have an awesome knack for finding the cheapest Bangkok apartments in the best locations. As they all work near Soi Cowboy and Nana, most live in Thai style apartments between Asoke and On-nut.
Seriously, go and have a word on your next mongering trip to Soi 23 and ask about.
Hire someone to do the research for you
It's a pain in the ass finding Bangkok condos online. Even the newest apartments don't have websites, and when they do, there's no option to choose English. Websites I like to use are:
Most of them are in Thai, so there is little point in going on there yourself. Jump on Elance and pay some Thai $10-$20 to do the work for you. Tell them your requirements and for them to find 10 apartments that match your needs. Else jump on Thai Friendly and find a good Thai girl to do it for you.
You want the address, contact number and pictures. Be careful when on Craiglist, a lot of shady people on there who want your money before you see the room.
You can also find a list of apartments and telephone numbers at the following websites:
Finding short-time rentals is hard in Bangkok
A lot of you savages will only be here for a few months, and finding good quality apartments in Bangkok for 1-3 months without paying a premium is hard. Nobody wants to give you a room because that's double the paperwork, cleaning and hassle for when you leave and they have to find someone else.
You can contact hotels or hostels and ask for 2-6 month discounts but they usually won't give you anything work taking advantage of. There's a few places like Aravinda Bangkok and iPremium that offer good short-term rates, but as I said, they are few and far between.
Aravinda Bangkok website states a 1 month stay is 12,000 baht a month, but you can get that down to 10,000 baht if you email them and stay longer than 2 months.
Serviced apartments in Bangkok
Serviced apartments in Bangkok are not cheap. Anything half decent is going to cost you at least 25,000 baht a month. Here are some serviced apartments and condos in Bangkok I know about:
To find more, click here. I never advise people to stay in serviced apartments in Bangkok because they are expensive, but if money is not an issue - this is where I would stay.
How you pay utilities
In most places, you will pay your water, electronic and Internet bill separately. If you rent directly from the landlord you will be playing government rates for electricity which is 4.6 baht or something like that per unit. Renting a room from a hotel or a private owned building will usually be between 6-9 baht.
Water is 16-20 units.
You also need to pay for Internet. If you rent from a landlord you will need to take out a 6 or 12 month contract. This will usually be around 750 baht a month for good WiFi. Hotels may give you free WiFi but private owned buildings will usually charge a fee. Expect to pay anywhere between 300-700 baht and some will let you install your own Internet line.
Expect to spend the following each month:
- Internet - 600 baht per month
- Water - 200 baht per month
- Electric - 700-2,000 baht per month (depends on aircon use age)
That is based on a 35 sq meter room. Internet speed in Thailand is very good, most condos I've stayed in have great speeds (20mb).
Pro-tip: If Internet is important to you, ask the people in the building who they use and whether it's any good. Most condos have great Internet but there are a select few that provide a constant drop in connection.
How does the deposit work?
You usually play the 2+1 method. This means you pay two months deposit up front as security, and the first month's rent to move in. So if your monthly rent is 10,000 baht per month, you will pay 30,000 baht on the move in date.
You will be returned the two month's deposit when you leave. There have been stories in the past where people have not been given their deposit (friends of mine), but I've never had a problem. If you break your contract early they will most likely keep your cash.
Pro-tip: Make sure to put a clause in your contract allowing you to sub-let your room, so if you have to leave you can find someone else to take over your room to get your deposit back. Also check your room and take photos of anything that is already damaged to ensure they don't take it out of your deposit.
Don't pay for anything that needs fixing
Back in Farangland, when sometimes goes wrong the landlord will come and fix it. In Thailand this is not always the case. For example, if your fridge or washing machine stops working through no fault of your own, the Thai landlord may ask you to pay for a new one.
uw0tm8?
Why do this they do this? I think it's because they think we are pushovers, as we don't really have a leg to stand on (they will take out security deposit), but you should never pay for anything that breaks. If there's a leak or busted pipe, get them to fix it.
I've never faced this problem. Once my balcony door came off when I opened it because I underestimated the strength of my biceps. The landlord sent someone over to fix it - no dramas. On the flip side, if you're moving into a condo that has no or very little furniture, some landlords will let you buy desks, chairs and reimburse you later from the deposit.
Cliffs: don't do a deal with a shitty landlord. It's kind of hard to know if a landlord is good or not, finding one from word of mouth is best. I also find privately owned buildings have great landlords that will fix everything.
What can you get for 10,000 baht in Bangkok these days?
Personally, I think the price of apartments in Bangkok are way too expensive. Compared to the average salary in Thailand, the price of a meal or Bangkok taxi, Bangkok condo prices in a good area are super expensive. Don't expect to find anything close to a BTS stop for under 10,000 baht.
To completely contradict myself, here's where I was staying earlier in the year, this cost me 10,500 baht per month:
While the room is small (30 sq meter studio), everything was brand spanking new, and I had a proper stove (2 in fact), balcony, gym and laundry room. I could see BTS Thong Lo from my balcony, and it took me 3 minutes to walk there.
Obviously you want to know the name of this condo but I cannot tell you because there is a 50% chance I will be back here later in the year. Don't want the Internet trolls to get me (sorry guys!)
There is still a lot of value to be had if you bother to make an effort in finding a good bangkok condo. What do you guys think? What is your process into finding an apartment when you move to Bangkok, and did you lol at the punch line in the first paragraph? Leave a comment or go fuck yourself as always.
