Your money goes considerably further in a house than in a condo here. A three bedroom home with a private pool and a garden in East Pattaya costs what a modest two bedroom apartment costs near the beach.
The complication is ownership. Foreigners cannot own land in Thailand, so the question is never whether you can buy the house, it is how the land underneath it is held, and that is where advice ranges from careful to reckless.
How foreigners hold houses, and what each really means
- Long lease of the land, with the building owned separately in your name. Transparent and legal, and the length and renewal terms are what you should be negotiating hardest.
- A Thai company holding the land. Common, and only legitimate where the company is a genuine operating business with real Thai shareholders. Where it is not, the arrangement is unlawful and the risk is yours.
- Land held by a Thai spouse. Straightforward legally, but it needs to be paired with a will, a lease or a usufruct so that you are not left without rights if the relationship or the person is lost.
What we will tell you that a pure sales agency might not
We register companies and we draft wills, so we see what happens to these structures years later when something goes wrong. That perspective changes the advice.
If a structure being offered to you is one we would not use ourselves, we will say so, even when it costs us the sale.
Frequently asked questions
Is a company structure safe?
It is safe when the company is real. A company formed purely to hold land, with Thai shareholders who have no genuine involvement, is contrary to Thai law and the exposure falls on you. We will tell you honestly which category a proposed structure falls into.
What is a usufruct?
A registered right to use and benefit from a property for life or for a fixed term, recorded at the land office. Paired with land held by a Thai spouse it is one of the more solid protections available, and it is registered rather than promised.
Considering a house rather than a condo?
Talk to us before you sign anything. Fifteen minutes on the ownership structure now can save the whole purchase later.
Related services
- Real estateCondos for sale in PattayaForeign freehold units across Pattaya and Jomtien, with the quota, the title and the transfer costs verified before you pay a deposit.
- Real estateHouses for rent in PattayaFamily homes and pool villas with space, parking and a garden, on a proper written lease.
- Real estateProperty investment in PattayaWhat a Pattaya rental actually yields once the costs nobody mentions are subtracted, and which areas hold their value.
- Legal servicesCompany registration in PattayaA Thai limited company set up properly the first time, structured from day one around the work permit you will need.