Glossary · Ownership and rights
Title deed
Also called: Chanote, Nor Sor 4 Jor
In short
The Land Office's document of ownership. For land the full title is the Chanote; a condominium unit has its own unit title deed. Ownership changes only when the deed is updated at the Land Office.
What it means
Ownership of property in Thailand is recorded at the Land Office, and the title deed is the owner's copy of that record. The back of the deed lists every registered transaction: sales, mortgages, leases. A sale takes effect when it is registered there, not when a contract is signed.
The kinds you will meet
- Chanote (Nor Sor 4 Jor): the full title deed for land, with boundaries surveyed and fixed by markers. This is the one to ask for.
- Nor Sor 3 Gor and Nor Sor 3: documents confirming the right to possess land, with less exact boundaries. Transfers can be registered on them, but they give less certainty.
- Condominium unit title deed: issued for each unit once the condominium is registered. It shows the unit, its floor area and its share of the common property.
What to check
- That the seller named on the deed is the party you are contracting with.
- What is registered against it. A developer's project mortgage is normal, and must be released for your unit at transfer.
- That the area on the deed matches the contract.
- Off-plan there is no unit title yet. Check the title of the land the project stands on instead.