Looking for a condo in Pattaya

So, you decided to take a trip to Thailand. Now, what do you know about housing rentals in Pattaya and Thailand? I mean, you will buy tickets, fly in and then what?
I’ll give you a step-by-step manual so it’s clear what to do and how to look. Let me start with the fact that back in Ukraine I don’t have my own housing and since 2001 I have been living in rented apartments. Therefore, I do have an experience renting apartments as I have changed dozens in the last 12 years.

What should I look for in Thailand?

Firstly, there is a lot of housing in Pattaya so don’t worry, you will find one. At the same time note that there is a pronounced low season in Thailand (summer) and a high one (winter). Normally, prices rise by 30% during the high season and housing is booked in advance, so if you want a good condo try to book one couple of months before the start of the high season.
Also, note that in Thailand, apartments are called condos but there is a difference. As a rule they do not have a kitchen, so they are more like studios. If you want a full kitchen  you have to search more and the prices for these are higher.
Now, the first thing you should do when you arrive is rent a guesthouse or a room in a condominium (condo).

Are you looking for a date? Check this out.

How much is the room in a guesthouse?

Typically, the price starts from 200 baht and comes to 800 baht. What’s the difference? As you can imagine, it’s all about conditions. Typically, the room for 200 baht (7 dollars) is a small room with a fan, often with no hot water.
An example of a room for 200 baht which is located on 2nd street:

The more expensive rooms usually have air conditioning and hot water. What to choose is up to you and depends on your budget. Sometimes the owner requires a small deposit at check-in which is returned to you when you leave.
Here is an example of a  700 baht room:

Note, I would recommend you refuse the mini-bar if possible. I was once charged for its use even when I did not have anything from it.
Usually there is no sense to rent a room for more than 3 days because you will easily find accommodation during that time.

Long-term condo or apartment rental in Pattaya

Here is a list of inexpensive condos with long-term rentals. https://mytravelring.com/rent/samye-deshevye-kondo-v-pattaje-na-dlitelnyj-srok
So, you have temporary housing, what’s next? For the start, you need to decide where you want to live. All Pattaya can be divided into sectors:

• Northern (to Naklua)
• South
• Central
• Pratumnak
• Jomtien

As you can imagine, the price depends very much on location.

• North is usually cheaper, especially beyond Sukhumvit. Cons – far from nightlife.
• Central is an ideal place for festivals, bars and so on.
• Pratumnak is an elite place where many Russians live. Housing is expensive and I did not really understand why, and there is a big downside which is difficulties in using tuk-tuks.
• Jomtien is a good option for families and for those who want to stay long-term. Cons – distance from Walkign Street (40to 60 min drive). The Jomtien beach is pretty clean so you can swim.

So, once the area is determined, let’s go hunting. Let’s dive in that area and stroll through the streets going into side alleys. You will see everywhere signs “Room For Rent”, often with photos, description, phones. Let’s visit and ask if there are rooms available. Always say you want long-term as this affects the price greatly. I advise you say at least 1-2 months. And if you are told that they have rooms available then ask an additional series of questions:

1. How much is the room (apartment)
2. Is there a deposit and what are conditions for its return
3. Features – is there a safe, internet, air conditioning, hot water
4. The cost of 1 cube of water and 1 kilowatt of electricity
5. Cleaning? If they have it is it free or for a fee
6. Any minimal set of things (in cheap rooms and condo often there are no plates, forks, linen, etc.)
7. How about having girls overnight (some will charge you for that)
8. What about the swimming pool and the gym (often such things are free and are already included in the price)

If we like what we hear let’s go look at the room.
When inspecting the room, you should pay special attention to:

1. If the appliences are in a working condition, such as TV, air conditioning. Check also the shower and the toilet.
   

   Why I focus on this: in case you did not notice and then it turned out that TV does not work – you will pay for repair!
2. Ask to show how the safe works (in my experience, in 2 out of 5 condos the safe did not work).
3. Find out if you are allowed to take the room key with you (in one condo they wanted it to be left on the reception always).

Now about one more thing that surprised me a lot.
In Ukraine, rent through real estate agencies is not good. They overcharge you 50-100% for the first month and also you can ran into scammers. In Thailand, this is very different.

Often, condominiums are bought out by foreigners who rent it out while they are away. Real estate agencies work for 10% of the rent and help them rent it out to a farang. That’s why often you can find a condo cheaper in the agency than taking a room directly at the reception desk.

• Cleaning fee (from 300 baht to 1000 baht). The cost of housing may be low  but as a result this is an additional 1-2K baht.
• The cost of housing is small but utilities cast is high. This is the most frequent hook for farangs. In the end, you get an invoice for 5-10 thsn baht for the light.
• 

  Attention, when filling out the contract, check the meter counts for the room. They may be in the corridor or in the room, in order not get a pre-written excessive numbers of the meters.

Those are just possible situations. Generally, everything is fine. In half a year I faced the fraud when renting an apartment only once. In this post I spoke about this in more detail.

How much is it to rent a condo in Pattaya?

Typically, the cost is around 10,000 baht (330 dollars) excluding the cost of utilities. At the same time, normal housing can be found from 8000 baht per month. For 12-15 thousand, you can rent real nice large condos.

In case you want to rent for a week or a day only the price may increase by 2-3 times if calculated per night.

How much are utilities?

The normal price for water is up to 30 baht per cubic meter, electricity is within 4-7 baht per kWt.
Normally it’s from 600 baht to 5000 per person per month. Remember, some places are equipped with outdated,conditioners which eat electricity as a pump.

What is the minimal cost of housing in Pattaya?

With the air conditioning, the lowest I’ve seen is 3000 baht ($ 100). There exist some cheaper ones but they are without hot water and air conditioning. This is the so-called “Thai Style”. This is. in fact, where only Thais live. Most of the girls in Pattaya hire such rooms.

Also, the cheapest options are beyond Sukhumvit only. To make it more clear: if you need to go to the center of Pattaya  you will need a bike. And this is about extra 2000 per month.
The housing cost depends also on high or low season. During the high season, it’s more difficult to find low prices because everything is packed and many start renting out accommodation by nights. Daily rent of guesthouses also increases.