Buying an 'off the plan' condominium in Thailand

Buying a condominium in Thailand that is not yetA qualified English speaking Thai lawyer will advice
completed or based on the plans of a buildingin detail on the contract and suggest required
requires a different approach than buying in aamendments (if any) and advices on the risks and
completed building or a resale unit.  In case of anon compliance with the law.
off the plan purchase the pre-contract phase,In the majority of the cases we do an online
before handing over any deposit, should include areview of a condominium purchase contract this is
check on the background and track record of theprofitable for the buyer (you will save on lawyer
developer, including verification with governmentfees and travel time).  
departments if various development licenses haveThe unit price in the contract is based on the
been granted or applied for.'sale-able' area of the unit and the final price on
The pre-contract due diligence phase is aimed atthe 'registrable' area of the unit. Sale-able area
discovering existing legal issues regarding themeans the area on which the contract price is
construction and assesses the chance ofbased, and registrable area means the price based
completion of the condominium project andon the final exact floor area measured by the
possible default by the developer and minimizingLand Department, and which will be shown in the
the risks of loosing your deposits.condominium unit title deed. The final price is in
An off the plan purchase for foreigners could90% of the cases higher than the contract price.
involve a freehold or leasehold purchase contract,The registrable area on which the final price is
depending if the 49% foreign quota in the projectbased is measured by the Land Department
has been sold out or not. The contract shouldcondo surveyor from the center of the walls
clearly stated if it is a freehold or leaseholdbetween the units and is not the exact use-able
purchase. The condominium purchase contractfloor area from the innerside of the walls.
must comply with minimum standards as requiredBuying a condominium in Thailand involves many
by law for the purpose of consumer protection.legal issues making the help of a Thai property
In 90% of the contracts we see provisionslawyer with knowlegde of condominium law and
included in the contract that are not according toproficient in Thai and English necessary. We offer
consumer protection laws (e.g. warranties andan convenient, cost-effective and efficient online
assigment fees) and costs are passed on to thecondo legal service via our bangkoklawonline and
buyer that are by law the responsibility of thethailandlawonline websites in English as an
developer. We review condominium purchase andalternative to traditional lawyer services in
leasehold contracts online for a mere 4,800 THB.Thailand.