Real estate in Chiang Mai - property guide
One of the great advantages of staying in Chiang Mai is the low cost of housing. You can spoil yourself here with a nice luxurious apartment near the city centre or a multi-bedroomed house with garden out in the suburbs.
There are several agents in town who are quite familiar with dealing with demanding foreigners, though they do tend to go about business in their own Thai way. Since many foreigners arrive without a realistic idea of rent rates here they sometimes get duped into paying more than they should, or find themselves in dispute over contracts, returning of deposits and upkeep of the property. Our guide below will hopefully help you avoid problems. We've also listed a number of agents whom we recommend.
Real estate Chiang Mai - renting
For as little as $100/£50 a monthy ou can have a basic unfurnished studio apartment near the city centre, or you can splash out on a three-bedroomed house and garden within a complex, complete with leisure facilities for $500, and still only be a 15 minute drive from the city.
Featured property
Listing Type: Real Estate - For Rent - Condominiums
City: Chiang Mai
Listing Size: 46 Sqm
Monthly rent: B12,000
Asking price: B12,000
Facing east, this 46 square meter unit is fully furnished. All new renovations, western style kitchen, lowered ceiling with halogen downlights. Hot water in kitchen and bathroom. LG 16,000 BTU aircon, ceramic stove, hood, Siemens fridge, microwave oven, 29",TV, DVD player. Granite on all floors and bathroom walls. Tempered glass shower door.
The area west of the city, nearer the mountain is most popular with foreigners for its convenient location, near to Nimminhemin avenue and Huay Kaew road as well as Central Mall. The further you are from the city, the less likely you are to find "farang-friendly" facilities and services. But you are more likely to enjoy a peaceful tropical existence.
Many prefer condos, though we can't think why in this lovely tropical city, where gardens can be had for very little extra rent. Older places will have "Thai bathrooms", which aren't terribly comfortable and may have a squat toilet. Condos are also less insulated to noisy neighbours, but often have great views of the mountains. Some, such as the ever popular Hillside 4, come with facilities such as a gym, pool and cable TV.
Another option is the increasingly popular moo baan (housing village) and some of these are very modern, comfortable and well kept, but not very private. They also tend to be further out of the city.
Below is an introduction to renting, buying and building, we have also given you a page of tips on buying and renting. For details of property services, we recommend you look under the appropriate section of our Directory of services.
Renting This is easy, and there are plenty of good-value options to choose from because Chiang Mai simply has too many apartments and houses. Despite all the space, gardens are a luxury but still very affordable to a foreigner's pocket. Some landlords demand three months rent in deposit, which is unreasonable. We advise you not to accept this term (we'll explain why in a minute). Typically in Thailand two months' rent is expected as a deposit. In reality, many landlords/ladies then see this as theirs to keep and when the contract is over will be very reluctant to return any of it, citing all sorts of absurd reasons to deduct expenses from you. Getting it back is like drawing water from a stone. Property advertising is quite vague and unstructured here. The expensive places (10,000 baht and up) will be advertised in the all the local ex-pat magazines, but a good method is to pick an area that appeals to you, enlist a Thai friend's help (for translating) and then drive around looking out for house with 'For Rent' signs outside. Often this is the only way they advertise and can be a good way of finding a gem. The same can be said of houses for sale. Services and property agents.
Buying Foreigners aren't permitted to own land in Thailand, however you can own an apartment provided less than 50 per cent of the building is foreign owned. This is a safe and popular option and the property prices here increase steadily by about 10 per cent per year. However it's important to do diligent research on the management and 'prestige' of the building as some become neglected or lose their appeal, affecting the value of your investment.
Lovely houses are advertised all the time in the ex-pat magazines such as Citylife, Guidelines and Chiangmai Mail. These tend to be from a million baht ($30,000/£14,000) up. The agents who advertise in these can provide you with plenty of options.
Featured property
Listing Type: Real Estate - For Sale - Condominiums
City: Chiang Mai
Listing Size: 40 Sqm
Asking price: B700,000
A contemporary studio condo unit only 3 minutes drive from the Night Bazaar is for sale! The property has just been refurbished and is in excellent condition. Furniture and some appliances are included in the sale. Total living space is 40 square meters. Management and maintenance fee is 5,000 Baht per year (paid annually).
Those wishing to buy a house or build have two solutions. One is to place it in the name of your Thai partner. Previously a Thai woman married to a non-Thai citizen automatically relinquished her right to buy any further property, but this law was repealed in 1999. Be warned, however, that you will have a difficult time in a Thai court to recover any property in your wife's name should you separate or she dies. The family may likely claim the house as compensation for a lost daughter who is no longer able to take care of them as per Thai tradition. A lawyer can advise you on the best means to avoid this. In any event, the property would have to be sold as you cannot have ownership. There are numerous stories of lovestruck (or foolish) men who have put their life savings into a house owned by their new girlfriend, only to have her run off with it. For some it was planned all along. Ensure that you also vet your lawyer properly to ensure he or she has your best interests at heart.
Another solution is to form a company which then owns the house. You can only own 49 per cent of the company, and there is quite a rigmarole in setting one up, with minimum capital stipulations and a need for Thai partners. Since the middle of 2006 the government has become much stricter in vetting companies that have foreign ownership and wish to buy land, therefore this option is no longer very viable. Some companies specialise in setting up businesses with silent Thai partners (for a fee), however, you do run the risk of being swindled and although you can insist they sign their ownership over to you, it remains technically illegal because the company and house are then majority foreign owned. Nowadays, the most realistic option used by those in the property industry selling to foreigners, is to arrange leaseholds of 30 years, which are renewable. Property agents and services.
Building This is very cheap in Thailand and the Thai are good craftsmen and have developed a very stylish and wide range of options for decorating homes. They also display a very commendable legacy of architecture with distinctive styles that look decidedly regal. An adept skill in developing tropical gardens adds a nice touch. However, emphasis is more on appearance than quality and you will do well to make regular checks on the workmanship and use of materials, as regrettable shortcuts are frequently taken and inferior materials used. Furthermore, the building codes here aren't too strict or can be easily subverted, leading to structural dangers.
HomePro (in Carrefour centre), Index Living Mall (adjacent to Carrefour) and Global House (southern 1st ring road) are all large resources for building materials and furnishings, with an excellent range of local and imported goods. Additionally there are numerous independent suppliers outside of the city specialising in everything from tiles to curtains. Baan Tawai handicraft village in Hang Dong is one of the best places in Thailand to shop for décor and furnishings.
A dependable method is to ask other foreigners who have built here for advice and recommendations, obviously a foreman and archictect who speaks English is essential so you can clearly express your preferences. They may be doing their best to produce something pleasing to the eye, but because they have perhaps lived in Thailand all their life, they may be unfamiliar with anything other than mainstream Thai tastes and popular styles. These may be quite different from your expectations. There are plenty of very competent developers in Chiang Mai; you'll soon see that Thais have some great ideas for producing some extraordinary tropical homes; the key is adjusting these to suit your priorities.
Utilities Water and electricity are cheap here, costing no more than 1,000 baht per month for a modest sized house, though heavy use of airconditioners will increase this substantially. Apartment blocks, however, tend to load these expenses as an informal tenant's fee. Getting a phone installed shouldn't be difficult, as the landline services have improved in the face of competition. However the network is old and poorly maintained so reliability (especially for internet) depends on the area you are in. Check first before renting or buying. Some apartment blocks control the line and will cut you off after 15 minutes. They also charge an additional two baht on top of the usual three baht for a call. You can apply for your own line (about 2,000 baht) but they may charge you a monthly levy (of up to 500 baht) for this. Most just rely on their mobile phone, and satellite internet connections are a luxurious way to bypass the local, over-subscribed, network.
Chiang Mai hotels
Chiang Mai tours
Rent condos in Bangkok