Lease, deposit and red flags
The rules behind a rental in Pattaya, from the Consumer Protection Board's 2025 notification, the Civil and Commercial Code and the Immigration Act.
Short answer
If your landlord rents out 3 or more units, the contract must follow the standard form: deposit plus advance rent no more than 3 months' rent, the deposit back within 7 days (14 after deductions for damage), utilities at the utility's own rate, and no rent rise mid-lease. A lease over 3 years must be registered at the Land Office to be enforceable beyond 3 years.
The 2025 rental notification
The Contract Committee's notification making residential rental a contract-controlled business, B.E. 2568, was published in the Royal Gazette on 6 June 2025 and took effect 90 days later, on 4 September 2025. It repealed the 2019 notification. Contracts made under the old rules continue until they end.
| Topic | The rule |
|---|---|
| Who it covers | Anyone renting out 3 or more units for living in, in one building or several, including condo units and online lettings. Not dormitories or licensed hotels. |
| Short and long term | Up to 3 years is short-term (form ก); more than 3 and up to 30 years, or for life, is long-term (form ข). |
| Deposit and advance rent | Together no more than 3 months' rent; on a long-term lease with yearly rent, no more than one year's rent. |
| The contract | In clear Thai, letters at least 2 mm high; two identical copies, one given to the tenant at signing. |
| Bills | An invoice at least 7 days before the due date. Electricity and water no higher than the utility charges the landlord. |
| During the lease | No rent or service-charge rise before the contract ends. No entry without notice except in an emergency. No lock-out or seizure without lawful termination. No renewal fee for a sitting tenant. |
| Deposit back | Within 7 days of the end of the lease and handing back the unit; within 14 days, minus the cost of damage, if there is damage. The landlord pays the transfer cost. |
| Tenant leaves early | After at least half the term, with 30 days' written notice and nothing owed. Prepaid rent back within 7 days. |
| Landlord ends the lease | Written notice giving at least 30 days to put things right; 7 days where the tenant disturbs other residents; none for breaches of public order or good morals. |
Whether the notification covers someone letting only one or two units, or an agent managing units for several owners, is not stated in its text.
The Civil and Commercial Code
- Section 538: a lease of property needs written evidence to be enforced in court. A lease over 3 years, or for life, that isn't in writing and registered with the Land Office is enforceable for 3 years only.
- Section 540: no lease longer than 30 years; a longer term is cut to 30.
- Section 544: no subletting or transfer of the lease unless the lease allows it.
- Section 560: for unpaid monthly rent, the landlord must first give at least 15 days' notice to pay before ending the lease.
- Section 566: with no fixed term, either side may end the lease at the end of a rent period with one period's notice, never more than 2 months.
TM30: reporting where you live
Under section 38 of the Immigration Act, the house master, owner or occupier who takes in a foreigner must report it to immigration within 24 hours, on form TM30, in person, by registered post or online. The fine for not reporting is up to 2,000 baht (section 77). The duty is the owner's or landlord's, not the tenant's.
Who owns the unit
A condo unit's owner holds a หนังสือกรรมสิทธิ์ห้องชุด (condominium unit title certificate), issued by the Land Office. A lost one is replaced by the Land Office on the owner's application.
Red flags
- A deposit to a personal account for a place found online. The Technology Crime Suppression police warned of fake accommodation pages and advised paying only to an account in the property's or a company's name (Thai Post, June 2023).
- Money up front, then no landlord. In March 2026 a woman paid 8,380 baht for a South Pattaya room advertised on Facebook and could not reach the "landlord" or get in (Khaosod English).
- More than 3 months' rent in deposit and advance rent. Barred for a landlord with 3 or more units.
- Utilities above the utility's rate, or a rent rise during the lease. Both are barred for a landlord with 3 or more units.
- A lease over 3 years that isn't registered. It is enforceable for 3 years only.
Sources
- Contract Committee notification: residential rental as a contract-controlled business, B.E. 2568 (Royal Gazette, 6 June 2025), Office of the Consumer Protection Board. Checked 14 October 2026.
- Residential leases must use the standard contract, Office of the Consumer Protection Board. Checked 14 October 2026.
- The new rental rules in force from 4 September 2025, Thansettakij. Checked 14 October 2026.
- Civil and Commercial Code section 538, Thai Law Online (statute text). Checked 14 October 2026.
- Civil and Commercial Code section 540, Thai Law Online (statute text). Checked 14 October 2026.
- Civil and Commercial Code section 544, Thai Law Online (statute text). Checked 14 October 2026.
- Civil and Commercial Code section 560, Thai Law Online (statute text). Checked 14 October 2026.
- Civil and Commercial Code section 566, Thai Law Online (statute text). Checked 14 October 2026.
- Notification of residence (TM30), section 38, Immigration Bureau. Checked 14 October 2026.
- TM30 online system, Immigration Bureau. Checked 14 October 2026.
- Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (section 77), Immigration Bureau. Checked 14 October 2026.
- Condominium unit title certificate: replacement copies, Department of Lands. Checked 14 October 2026.
- Fake accommodation pages and deposit transfers (police warning), Thai Post. Checked 14 October 2026.
- Woman loses 8,000 baht in Pattaya rental scam, Khaosod English. Checked 14 October 2026.