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Free guide · Updated July 2026
55 red flags to catch before you buy an apartment.
Buying an apartment in Thailand fails for predictable reasons. Listing photos hide too much, everyone advising you earns a commission from the sale, and Thai-specific things (foreign quota, Hotel Act rental bans, the fiber lottery) catch out even seasoned expats. This is the actual 55-point methodology our scouts use on the ground when they check a property before a customer commits. Use it yourself, or send us the listing and we'll do the on-site work for you.
By Jan Metzler, founder of truspot.io · Updated July 2026
In a Thai property purchase, almost everyone at the table is paid by the seller. The agent earns 3–5% when you sign. The developer's sales office earns when you sign. Even the "free" buyer's consultant usually takes a commission from the other side. Nobody in that room is paid to find the construction site behind the building or the short-term-rental ban in the bylaws.
We've been on the ground in Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Phuket since launch. This list is what our scouts actually carry when they walk into a property: every red flag worth checking before you transfer a deposit. Self-serve version — fully usable without us.
If you read this and decide you'd rather have a vetted local on the ground for your specific listing, that's exactly what we do. Otherwise: take this checklist with you.
There are five stages where things break down:
55 items total. Most apply to most listings. Don't expect to tick all of them perfectly — flag any four or more in a single listing as a hard pass.
Section 1 · 15 items
What you can verify from screenshots and a careful read, before any conversation.
If a 1-bedroom in central Sukhumvit is listed at ฿2.5M when comparable units trade at ฿4.5M+, the price is bait. Either the unit isn't real, the photos aren't of that unit, or there's a hidden problem (unpaid common fees, a title issue, a building dispute) the listing doesn't mention.
Most modern listings have year-recent photos. If photos look 2018-era (older décor, low resolution, dated color treatment), the unit may have been on the market for years — or the photos are of a different unit entirely. Reverse-image search them via TinEye or Google Lens.
Real-estate photographers use 14–16mm lenses to make rooms look 30% larger than they are. If furniture looks cartoonishly stretched at the edges, mentally subtract a third of the apparent space — and remember you're paying per square metre.
No charger cables, no kitchen utensils, no signs of life — that's either the developer's model unit (the unit you'd buy looks different) or photoshopped staging. Off-plan and resale listings alike routinely recycle showroom photography. Insist on photos of the specific unit number you're buying.
If the listing claims renovation but only shows finished shots, ask for one undated photo of the bathroom or kitchen with daylight visible. If they refuse, the renovation is older than claimed — and cosmetic renovation is the classic way to mask water damage before a sale.
"Near BTS Asok" can mean a 3-minute walk or a 25-minute soi trek. Specific street name matters; specific building name matters more — you can't research the juristic person, common fees, or building disputes without it. Vague addresses are a control mechanism so you can't pre-research.
Even rough hand-drawn plans cost the agent nothing. Their absence usually means the agent has never been to the unit. For a purchase you also want the official plan with the registered size — the square metres on the title deed are what you're actually buying.
A "queen-size" bed in a photo where it touches both walls means the room is much smaller than advertised. Always check whether the claimed square metres are consistent with visible furniture — advertised and registered sizes differ surprisingly often.
Reverse-image search every photo. Stock photos repurposed across multiple Facebook, FazWaz, or DDproperty listings = scam aggregator account, or an agent who has never seen the unit.
If the agent shows you only the inside, you have no idea whether the building is well-maintained, what the neighborhood smells like, or whether construction is happening 30 metres away. When you buy, the building's condition is your investment as much as the unit's.
The same unit on FazWaz, Hipflat, Facebook Marketplace, and a Thai-language site with three different asking prices is a sign the agent is fishing — they'll quote whichever price the inquirer seems willing to pay. It also means there's real negotiating room.
Color-graded photos with crushed shadows hide everything in dark areas. Mold around the windows? Cracks above the door frames? Cables running across the floor? You can't see them — and after the transfer, they're yours.
"Owner leaving country, must sell this month" is the purchase-market version of artificial scarcity. Sometimes it's true — often it masks a problem the seller wants transferred before you find it: a special assessment coming, a construction project next door, unpaid building fees.
A common trick to hide lack of natural light or unflattering window views. Always ask for one daylight photo with curtains open before you go further.
Easy to fake an interior; harder to fake the lobby. Ask for a 30-second walk-in video from the lift to the unit door — if they refuse, walk away. Common areas tell you how well the juristic person maintains the building you're buying into.
Section 2 · 8 items
How a seller or agent communicates before money moves is the strongest predictor of how the transaction will go.
Anyone with a real listing and a phone can do a quick FaceTime/WhatsApp video walkthrough. Refusal means either (a) the unit doesn't match the photos, (b) the agent isn't actually the agent, or (c) the seller doesn't have access — for example, because the unit is tenanted or disputed.
Some demand is real, but if every conversation includes urgency tactics ("the buyer from Switzerland is flying in tomorrow"), it's a scarcity script designed to make you skip due diligence. Real agents on a six-figure sale expect weeks of checks, not a same-day decision.
Modern Thai property transactions run through bank transfer with a written receipt. A demand for cash, especially USD or EUR, is straightforward fraud insurance: if you're never given a receipt, you can never prove you paid.
"Transfer the booking fee to hold the unit, then we'll show it to you" is a recurring scam template. Never pay anything before you, or someone you trust, has been inside the actual unit.
If the listing is by "Sarah at SamuiLife" and the WhatsApp account is "Niwat" with a profile pic that doesn't match, the listing has been re-syndicated by a third party who may have no mandate from the owner at all.
Asking price, what furniture is included, common-fee amount, who pays which transfer fees and taxes — these should all be confirmable in a WhatsApp message before any money moves. A seller who only confirms by phone is creating deniability.
Some agents prefer their office for paperwork. Fine. But if they refuse a meeting at the unit itself, ask why. Often the answer is that they don't actually have keys, the unit is occupied by a tenant, or the person selling isn't the registered owner.
Ask the price twice, three days apart. Ask "is the furniture included?" twice in different ways. Ask who pays the transfer fee. Honest counterparts give the same answer; dishonest ones drift.
Section 3 · 17 items
What to check when you (or your scout) is physically inside the unit. Covers structure, kitchen, bedroom, pests, parking, and building services.
Look up — yellow/red Thai construction permit boards (with the building diagram and dates) are visible from 100m+. A construction site within earshot means years of 7am–5pm pile-driving, six days a week — and a new tower can permanently block your view and cap your resale value.
Mosques perform the call to prayer 5×/day, the first one (Fajr) before dawn. Buddhist temples chant in early morning. Schools have outdoor PA systems. None are deal-breakers per se — but you must know before you buy, because you can't move away afterwards without selling.
Check ceilings under bathrooms one floor up; check windowsills facing south or southwest (heaviest rain exposure). Before the transfer it's the seller's problem to disclose — after the transfer, remediation and its cost are entirely yours.
Step into the room, close the door, turn the AC on, stand still for 60 seconds. If it rattles, hisses, or smells musty, it'll cost you sleep. AC units older than 8 years are also energy-inefficient and near replacement — budget ฿20,000–40,000 per unit into your offer.
Most Thai apartment buildings are not sound-rated. A loose window seal lets in traffic noise, neighbors' AC condensers, and (if you're high up) construction noise from blocks away. Test by putting your ear close to the closed window — should be near-silent.
Run the shower at full blast for 90 seconds. Pressure should not drop. Hot water should arrive within 20 seconds. Fill the bathroom and kitchen sinks — drains that bubble or smell are a building-plumbing problem no renovation of your own unit will fix.
Count working outlets per room. If the breaker box is still old-style (toggles, no labels in English/Thai), wiring is likely 30+ years old. Loose-feeling outlets with browning around the holes have had heat events — a fire risk and a rewiring cost you should price into your offer.
Many Thai kitchens use gas stoves connected to a portable LPG cylinder, often stored under the sink. Check the rubber hose between cylinder and stove for cracks or stiffness, look for the cylinder's age stamp (replace every 10 years), and confirm the cabinet is ventilated. Light each burner — yellow flames or slow ignition signal a partial blockage.
If appliances are included in the sale, test them like you're paying for them — because you are. Open the fridge for a full 30 seconds. If the door seal doesn't suck back when released, expect 30–50% higher electricity bills. Heavy ice buildup in the freezer means failed defrost cycles; a compressor clicking on/off in short cycles is a death warning.
Many Thai kitchens have a range hood or an open window over the stove — neither works in monsoon when windows stay closed. Test the hood: it should pull a piece of tissue paper firmly upward when set to high. Without working ventilation, cooking smells linger in the apartment for days.
Tap water in Thailand is generally not safe to drink. Check whether the unit has (a) a filter installed at the kitchen tap, (b) a separate water dispenser, or (c) nothing — in which case you'll buy 5L bottled water every 3–4 days at ฿20–30 each. Small point on a purchase, but it tells you how the unit was actually lived in.
Thai units are often sold "fully furnished" with the furniture priced in. Pull back any decorative throw to see the actual mattress surface: stains, deep center dips (5+ years old), or foam that compresses fully under your hand. A tired furniture package is worth far less than the asking price assumes — use it in the negotiation or ask for the unit unfurnished.
Lift the mattress and inspect the seams, especially at the head and corners — bed-bugs leave tiny dark dots (excrement) and shed skins along seams. Check the headboard back. An infestation doesn't leave with the seller's furniture; it lives in the unit, and professional eradication takes months.
Look under the kitchen sink: roach traps already deployed indicate an active problem. Check behind the fridge for droppings or a faint sweet smell (cockroach pheromone). In the bathroom, examine floor drains — black spots around the drain edge often mean drain flies. Ask whether the building runs central pest control through the common fee.
In many Thai buildings, parking is not deeded to the unit — it's first-come or allocated by the building management, and "1 parking space" in a listing can be marketing rather than a registered right. Confirm in writing what parking right transfers with the unit, whether it's covered against monsoon, and whether the garage is gated, lit, and CCTV-covered.
Walk to the emergency stairwell and try the door — if it's locked or chained shut, that's both a fire-code violation and means a single lift failure traps you on your floor. Note the main door access (key, card, code, or 24-h guard). Check whether visible CCTV cameras look real (not dummies) and whether the guard, if present, actually pays attention.
Visit at 11pm if you can. Is the main door secured? Is there a 24-hour guard, or a code lock? Are the lifts working? Many older Bangkok buildings have one lift, which fails monthly — your 8th-floor unit becomes a daily climb, and a lift replacement means a special assessment on every owner.
Section 4 · 7 items
Paperwork problems that make a Thai property purchase expensive — or impossible to resell.
Reservation agreements in Thailand routinely declare the booking fee non-refundable — even if due diligence later reveals a title problem or unpaid building debt. Insist on a written clause that the deposit returns in full if due diligence fails. A seller who refuses is telling you what due diligence would find.
Foreigners can own an apartment unit freehold only within the building's 49% foreign quota. If the quota is full, you cannot register ownership in your name — no matter what the contract says. Require a current quota confirmation letter from the building's juristic person before signing anything. Verbal assurance from the agent is worthless.
Only a registered condominium unit title deed gives a foreigner clean freehold ownership. Apartment buildings without condominium registration can only be leased, not owned — and a 30-year lease is worth far less than the sales pitch implies. Ask to see the actual title deed, and have an independent lawyer read it, not the seller's translation.
Unpaid common fees stick to the unit, not the seller — the Land Office requires a debt-free letter from the juristic person before transfer, and you want to see it early, not on transfer day. Also ask about the sinking-fund balance and any planned special assessments: a building full of non-paying owners is a building where lifts and pools quietly die.
A Thai property transfer involves a 2% transfer fee, withholding tax, and either stamp duty or specific business tax depending on how long the seller has owned. Who pays what is negotiable — and if the contract doesn't say, you'll find out at the Land Office counter. Get the split in writing before you sign.
Buying off-plan means paying installments against a promise. Check the developer's track record (completed buildings, not renders), whether payments are protected by any escrow arrangement, and what the contract says happens if completion is delayed by years — because in Thailand, some projects pause for a decade. Never judge an off-plan purchase by the showroom.
The Thai-language version prevails in a Thai court. If the English translation is labeled non-binding — or quietly differs from the Thai text — you're signing something you haven't read. Budget for an independent bilingual lawyer; on a multi-million-baht purchase, their fee is a rounding error.
Section 5 · 8 items
Things you can't Google because the relevant context is local and unwritten.
There are ~4,000 mosques in Thailand, many in central Bangkok neighborhoods (Pratunam, Ramkhamhaeng) and most beach destinations. The first call (Fajr at ~5am) is loud and consistent. Search "mosque near {address}" within a 500m radius before you buy — unlike a renter, you can't simply move out.
Sukhumvit Soi 31–55, parts of Sathorn, and most of the western canal districts flood in monsoon (June–October). Ground-floor units and basement parking may take on water annually — which hits both daily life and resale value. Ask the seller directly: "Has this unit or the building's ground floor ever flooded?" — and watch the answer carefully.
Some older buildings run all units through a single shared internet line with building-controlled IPs — peak-hour speeds collapse and remote work becomes unreliable. As an owner you'll usually want your own AIS Fibre/3BB/True line: confirm before buying that the building allows individual fiber installation to your unit. In a few buildings, it isn't physically possible.
Indoor coverage varies dramatically by carrier and neighborhood. AIS dominates in central Bangkok, True in Phuket and Samui, DTAC in older Bangkok suburbs. If you're a remote worker — or plan to rent the unit out to remote workers — test the signal inside the actual unit, not in the lobby.
A property on a Soi (small side street, e.g. "Sukhumvit Soi 21") is typically 10–15 dB quieter than the same property on a Thanon (main road, e.g. "Sukhumvit Road"). A Soi 21 unit at the entrance is loud; one at the dead-end is silent. The market prices this in — make sure you do too.
Thai law requires construction sites to post a yellow board with permit number, contractor name, and start/end dates. Walk a 200m radius around your prospective building. Boards with end dates more than 12 months out = years of noise — and possibly a new tower between your window and the view you paid for.
Planning to run the unit on Airbnb? Renting out for less than 30 days without a hotel license is illegal under the Thai Hotel Act, and many buildings additionally ban short-term rentals in their own bylaws — with fines enforced by the building's juristic person. If the seller's yield projection assumes nightly rates, verify both the law and the building rules before you buy. Most "guaranteed Airbnb income" pitches collapse on this single check.
Thailand has many "newly built" buildings whose construction was paused 5–8 years ago and only recently completed. The unit is genuinely new, but the structure is older — meaning settling cracks, dated electrical, and aging waterproofing are already in play. Look at the building's overall age, not the unit's.
You should always view a property in person before you buy — no report replaces that. The question is how many flights it takes to get there. For the visit-stage items (24–40), you have three options before booking a plane ticket:
If you've already found a listing and want it checked, submit it here. Three pricing tiers from $49 to $199. We earn the same whether the property passes or fails — which is the point.
Already have 2–3 listings shortlisted?
Our free Property Pre-Flight Check researches the desk-checkable items on this list for you — price plausibility, location risks, what residents say online — and emails you a traffic-light report in ~15 minutes.
Run the free Pre-Flight Check →A scout visit takes 60–90 minutes. The structured report is delivered within 48 hours of the visit. The bottleneck is usually the seller's or agent's availability for the viewing — not the verification itself.
No — and it shouldn't. Our report is your first viewing, done by an independent local, so you only fly out for properties that survive it. For a purchase you should always see the final candidate in person and engage a lawyer for the legal due diligence.
We're currently launching in Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Phuket. Other cities and islands on request — email hello@truspot.io.
No. We're independent by design and earn the same fee whether we recommend proceeding or walking away. No commissions, no kickbacks — unlike almost everyone else you'll meet in a Thai property transaction.
Yes — drop your email in the form on this page and we'll send you a link to a clean print-friendly version you can save as PDF.
Disclaimers. This guide reflects practices observed in Thai property markets as of July 2026 and is for general informational purposes. It does not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice, and truspot.io is not a licensed building surveyor or real-estate broker. For a purchase, always engage an independent lawyer for the legal due diligence and view the property in person before you commit.
— Jan Metzler, founder of truspot.io