Buyer guides
Guides to buying property in Thailand
Plain-English explanations of ownership rules, the off-plan buying process, taxes and company structures — written for foreign buyers and kept current by our advisors.
Tips for each stage of an off-plan purchase
What to think about before, during and after buying a new development. Each stage opens the checklist at that point.
- 1Before you reserveBudget, purpose, the project and the unit.
- 2Reserving and signingThe reservation form, the contract and its annexes.
- 3During constructionInstalments, bank documents and following the build.
- 4At handoverInspecting the unit and the day of transfer.
- 5After the purchasePapers to keep, running costs, letting and a will.
Buying off-plan and new developments
How a purchase before completion works, what to check and how the price is paid.
Buying off-plan
How buying before completion works in Thailand: what you sign, how you pay, what protects you and what to check about the developer and the project.
Read the guideBefore, during and after
What to think about at each point of an off-plan purchase: before you reserve, before you sign, while the project is built, at handover and as an owner.
Read the guideDeposits and instalments
How the reservation fee, the contract payment, instalments and the balance at transfer work when you buy off-plan, with a calculator to try the numbers.
Read the guideBuying Process
Reservation, contract, staged payments and handover — what happens at each step of an off-plan purchase.
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By type of home
What to look at before you buy a condominium unit or a villa.
Buying a condominium
What to look at before you buy a condominium unit: ownership and the foreign quota, the building, the unit, the running costs, how it is managed and the rules on letting.
Read the guideBuying a villa
A villa stands on land, and a foreign buyer cannot own land in Thailand. How villa purchases are structured, what a lease really gives you, and what to check about the title, the estate and the build.
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Ownership and structures
What a foreign buyer can own in Thailand, and through what.
Foreign Ownership
How the 49% condominium freehold quota, leasehold and land ownership rules apply to foreign buyers.
Read the guideBuying via a Foreign Company
When a foreign-registered company can hold Thai property, and the reporting that comes with it.
Read the guideBuying via a Thai Company
How Thai company ownership works in practice, and the nominee-shareholder risks to avoid.
Read the guideSetting Up a Thai Company
Incorporating a Thai company as a foreigner: shareholders, capital, banking, VAT and annual filings.
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Money, costs and tax
Getting the money to Thailand, what a purchase costs on top of the price and what letting involves.
Taxes & Fees
Transfer fees, specific business tax, stamp duty, withholding tax and the annual costs of holding property.
Read the guidePaying from abroad
How to send purchase money to Thailand so that a freehold condominium can be registered in your name, which bank documents to keep, and what to expect of financing.
Read the guideRenting out
What Thai law allows when you let a home, how managed rental programmes work, what comes off the rent before it reaches you, and how rental income is taxed in general terms.
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Living in Thailand
The right to stay is a separate matter from owning a home.
Area guides
Where new developments are being built, region by region.
Where to buy in Thailand: Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket
Compare Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket: popular areas, entry prices and every imported project side by side.
Read the guidePhuket area guide
The areas of Phuket with new developments, what each is like and the projects for sale in them.
Read the guideBangkok area guide
The areas of Bangkok with new developments, what each is like and the projects for sale in them.
Read the guidePattaya area guide
The areas of Pattaya with new developments, what each is like and the projects for sale in them.
Read the guideHua Hin area guide
The areas of Hua Hin with new developments, what each is like and the projects for sale in them.
Read the guideKoh Samui area guide
The areas of Koh Samui with new developments, what each is like and the projects for sale in them.
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Glossary
Condominium or apartment, freehold or leasehold, low-rise or high-rise: the words of a Thai property purchase, each with its own in-depth explanation.