“Relocating to Bangkok for the first time?”
“Moving to the city for an internship or short course?”
“Frequently shuttle between your home country and Bangkok?”
Or simply, “Unsure of your professional or personal situation?”

Depending on your personal circumstances, flexible rental terms such as “month-by-month” or short-term leases (1-3 Months) are often a preferred rental option. However, despite this large demand for flexible accommodation in Bangkok, the city can be notoriously unwelcoming with limited options available to potential residents who are unable to guarantee a 6-12 Months Lease. Note that most property portals (I.e., HipFlat, DD Property and Dot Property) advertise rental listings of property agents and landlords on the basis of 12-months rental contracts.

Popular Property Portal Advertise Condos on a 12 Months Basis

On top of this, most property agencies in the Capital tend to only cater for renters looking for a minimum of 6-months lease. While some agencies may assist, this is usually done on an ad hoc-basis. Moreover, landlords have rented out properties at significantly discounted prices for even shorter terms amidst the pandemic. However, due to the economic and political situations as well as steadily increasing demands, prices have since risen simultaneously.

So, what short-term rental options are available?

1. Accommodation Websites (I.e. Airbnb)

Monthly Rentals Advertised on Airbnb

By far the easiest way to find a good-quality and well-located accommodation is by browsing and booking monthly stays via a vacation rental website (I.e., Airbnb, Agoda or even Booking.com).

The advantages of using these websites are the rental payments, security deposits, and rental agreements are usually handled by the website/service provider, thus offering greater security to potential renters. This accessibility, convenience, and safety obviously comes at a premium; condos and apartments offered are often priced above the standard rental rate (1 year rental) of an equivalent property in the same building.

2. Apartments

Gardina Asoke Apartment in Central Bangkok

While overseas, the word “apartment”, “condo“, or “flat” may often be used interchangeably, in Thailand apartments refer specifically to a building owned and managed by a company.

Apartments in Bangkok, are therefore professional accommodation providers and are able to cater for renters with varying rental terms. This means they are able to offer flexible lease terms such as month-by-month contracts, short leases (Under 3 months) and long leases (12 Months or more). Apartments usually offer fully furnished, fully equipped, and ready-to-move-in units. In the case of serviced apartments, the properties may even come equipped with kitchenware, beddings and towels. Apartments sometimes also offer a range of extra services such as housekeeping, pre-installed internet and even cable TV.

3. Hotels

Traditionally, hotels in Bangkok have focused on servicing nightly and weekly guests. Since hotel rooms usually charge on a nightly rate, it made little financial sense and was expensive for long-stay renters to rent a hotel room.

However, the current COVID-19 situation has forced some hotel establishments to re-evaluate their marketing strategies. Some hotels now offer monthly rates to guests looking for rental terms of several months. In some cases, these hotels also offer complimentary services such as housekeeping or even breakfast. These rental deals are offered on an ad hoc-basis and potential renters need to inquire directly with the hotels to see if they have monthly packages.

4. Private Landlords, Room Shares and Lease Takeovers

Several Rental Groups Can be Found on Facebook

It is getting easier to connect and find accommodations on Facebook, with several expat and property groups, directly or indirectly, dedicated to accommodation-seeking in Bangkok.

Some groups to check out include:

• Bangkok- Takeover my Lease- Short Term Rentals- Space Sharing
• Bangkok Expats
• Bangkok Expats Classifieds Forum

There are 3 main options available to renters:

• Tenants looking to find a replacement to cover the remaining term on their rental contract via a lease takeover.
• Private Landlords, happy to accommodate a month-by-month or short-term renter.
• People looking for roommates to share a large condo or house.

Browsing and posting on Facebook Groups is usually the best way to find good rental deals. However, in most cases, property advertisers on Facebook are private individuals (Landlords, freelance agents, tenants etc.) rather than real estate companies. Therefore, property seekers should be cautious of potential scammers, especially when making payments or signing any agreements.

Final Tips for Short Term Renters

In the rush to find a new rental home, it is important not to let “common sense” go out the window and to keep a cool head.

Options 1, 2 and 3 (Accommodation websites, apartments, and hotels), generally tend to be safer options; they have a clearly defined security deposit policy, payments are made to a company and there is an official check-in/check-out process. However, with option 4, rental arrangements are agreed through private individuals that, in many cases, are not direct landlords of the rental property. This situation can give rise to miscommunication and disagreements, or in worse case scenario, the property advertiser could even be a scammer.

Therefore, renters should ensure that ID cards/ passport copies, receipts, and a corresponding lease agreement are provided, before handing over any rental or deposit payment. Be cautious and ensure every payment and agreement is recorded and in writing.

Conclusion

If you already made it this far in the article, we hope you are now well-informed about available short-term rental options as well as cautionary measures to ensure your transactions are safe. Just make sure your chosen property advertiser has a credible background, find past experiences and reviews from older customers as proof if possible, and you should be able to rent out the short term property you want easier than you imagined. In the meantime, let us know what you think in the comments below.

Got any further questions? Contact us!

Do you still have any further questions and concerns? Don’t worry, our property consultant team will be happy to assist you. Don’t hesitate to speak up, contact us today!

Fresh Property is an established Bangkok real estate agency offering sales, rental and property management services. If you are a property seeker looking for a long term rental, feel free to browse our extensive collection of properties for rent or alternatively feel free to contact us!