Renting and landlord in Thai

ค่าเช่าเดือนละเท่าไหร่ครับ

khâa-châo deuan lá thâo-rài khráp

How much is the rent per month?

Male speaker

Ask this before anything else at a viewing. เดือนละ (deuan lá) means per month, and the answer comes back as a number plus บาท (bàat): หกพันบาท (hòk phan bàat) is six thousand baht. If the numbers fly past you, hand over your phone calculator and let the agent type it.

รวมค่าน้ำค่าไฟไหมครับ

ruam khâa-náam khâa-fai mǎi khráp

Is water and electricity included?

Male speaker

In Thai condos water and electricity are almost never included, and many landlords bill electricity at 7 or 8 baht per unit, roughly double the government rate. Listen for หน่วยละ (nùai lá), per unit, in the reply. Ask this before you sign, not after the first bill arrives.

ขอดูห้องหน่อยครับ

khǎw duu hâwng nàwy khráp

Could I have a look at the room?

Male speaker

Say this at the gate, at the office window of an apartment block, or on the phone before you go. Before she shows you anything she screens you: ห้องแอร์หรือห้องพัดลมคะ (hâwng ae rěu hâwng phát-lom khá), air con room or fan room, which are different price tiers, and อยู่กี่คนคะ (yùu gìi khon khá), how many people. Answer อยู่คนเดียวครับ รายเดือนครับ (yùu khon diaw khráp, raai-deuan khráp). If something is free you get ห้องว่างชั้นสามค่ะ (hâwng wâang chán sǎam khâ) and she walks you up.

ค่ามัดจำเท่าไหร่ครับ

khâa-mát-jam thâo-rài khráp

How much is the deposit?

Male speaker

Ask this before you look at anything else. She answers in months, not in baht: สองเดือนค่ะ (sǎwng deuan khâ). Expect one or two months deposit plus the first month up front, so day one costs two to three times the rent; a landlord letting five or more units is capped at one month deposit and one month advance under the 2018 rental contract rules, so two months in a large block is worth questioning. ค่าประกันห้องเท่าไหร่ครับ (khâa-bprà-gan hâwng thâo-rài khráp) asks exactly the same thing and is just as normal at the desk.

ทำสัญญากี่เดือนครับ

tham sǎn-yaa gìi deuan khráp

How many months is the contract?

Male speaker

Ask at the viewing, before any money moves. Most rooms are หนึ่งปี (nèung bpii), a one year contract; six months is often available at slightly higher rent. Leaving before the term usually forfeits the deposit, so if your plans are not fixed, try ขอหกเดือนได้ไหมครับ (khǎw hòk deuan dâi mǎi khráp).

ต้องใช้เอกสารอะไรบ้างครับ

dtâwng chái èek-gà-sǎan à-rai bâang khráp

What documents do you need?

Male speaker

Ask it at the viewing so you can arrive at the signing with copies already made instead of hunting for a photocopy shop with her waiting. For a foreigner the answer is almost always passport photo page, current visa or entry stamp, and sometimes the departure card and a work permit. Make four copies of each; every rental office in Thailand runs on paper.

ย้ายเข้าได้เมื่อไหร่ครับ จองไว้ให้ได้ไหมครับ

yáai khâo dâi mêua-rài khráp jawng wái hâi dâi mǎi khráp

When can I move in? Could you hold it for me?

Male speaker

The step between liking a room and signing for it, and the one where the first money moves. Holding a room is rarely free: expect ต้องวางเงินจองห้าพันก่อนค่ะ (dtâwng waang ngoen-jawng hâa phan gàwn khâ), you have to leave a five thousand booking deposit first. Ask whether it counts towards the deposit, หักจากค่ามัดจำไหมครับ (hàk jàak khâa-mát-jam mǎi khráp), and get it written on a receipt, because a booking deposit is normally lost if you change your mind.

ลดได้อีกไหมครับ ถ้าทำสัญญาหนึ่งปี

lót dâi ìik mǎi khráp thâa tham sǎn-yaa nèung bpii

Could it be a bit less if I sign for a year?

Male speaker

Rent is mildly negotiable in small blocks and almost never in managed condos, but the length of the contract is the lever that works. Offer the year before you ask for the discount, in that order. If the rent will not move, try the deposit instead: ลดมัดจำได้ไหมครับ (lót mát-jam dâi mǎi khráp). Expect ลดให้ห้าร้อยค่ะ (lót hâi hâa ráwy khâ), five hundred off, or a flat ราคานี้ดีที่สุดแล้วค่ะ (raa-khaa níi dii thîi-sùt láew khâ).

ค่าน้ำค่าไฟคิดยังไงครับ

khâa-náam khâa-fai khít yang-ngai khráp

How are the water and electricity charged?

Male speaker

Ask before you sign, because this is where a cheap room stops being cheap. Two answers come back: ตามมิเตอร์ (dtaam mí-dtôe), by the meter, or เหมา (mǎo), a flat monthly rate. Many buildings resell electricity above the government rate, so follow up with หน่วยละเท่าไหร่ครับ (nùai-lá thâo-rài khráp), how much per unit.

มีค่าส่วนกลางกับค่าขยะไหมครับ ค่าเน็ตรวมหรือเปล่าครับ

mii khâa-sùan-glaang gàp khâa-khà-yà mǎi khráp khâa-nét ruam rěu bplào khráp

Is there a common fee and a rubbish fee? Is internet included?

Male speaker

Water and power are not the whole bill. These three plus parking are what turn an advertised rent into the real one, and they are usually monthly and non-negotiable. Ask ค่าที่จอดรถเดือนละเท่าไหร่ครับ (khâa thîi-jàwt-rót deuan-lá thâo-rài khráp) if you have a car or a big bike, and มีเฟอร์นิเจอร์ครบไหมครับ (mii foe-ní-jôe khróp mǎi khráp), is it fully furnished, because an unfurnished room means buying a fridge and a bed in week one.

จ่ายค่าเช่าวันที่เท่าไหร่ครับ โอนเข้าบัญชีได้ไหมครับ

jàai khâa-châo wan-thîi thâo-rài khráp oon khâo ban-chii dâi mǎi khráp

Which day of the month is the rent due? Can I transfer it to your account?

Male speaker

This turn comes round twelve times a year, more often than anything else in the tenancy, and it is where late fees and lost payments happen. Rent day is a date, not a period: วันที่ห้า (wan-thîi hâa), the fifth. Bank transfer is now the default, so ask for the account there and then, ขอเลขบัญชีด้วยครับ (khǎw lêek ban-chii dûay khráp), and check the name on the account matches the name on the contract.

ขอใบเสร็จด้วยครับ

khǎw bai-sèt dûay khráp

Could I have a receipt as well?

Male speaker

Ask every time you pay cash, and once a year even if you transfer. A rent receipt with the address on it is evidence for a visa extension, for an employer, and for the argument about the deposit. In a small block she writes it in a carbon book on the spot; in a managed building it comes at the end of the month. If nothing exists on paper, the LINE slip is what you fall back on.

ขอไลน์หน่อยได้ไหมครับ มีอะไรจะได้ทักไป

khǎw lai nàwy dâi mǎi khráp mii à-rai jà dâi thák bpai

Could I have your LINE? So I can message you if anything comes up.

Male speaker

Do this at the signing, because every later conversation in this set happens on LINE: reporting a fault, chasing the repairman, sending the rent slip, giving notice, arguing about a bill. ทัก (thák) is the verb for messaging someone on chat. Without it you are reduced to knocking on the office door during opening hours, and you lose the written record that settles disputes.

เจ้าของห้องแจ้ง ตม. ให้หรือเปล่าครับ ผมต้องใช้ตอนต่อวีซ่าครับ

jâo-khǎwng hâwng jâeng dtaw-maw hâi rěu bplào khráp phǒm dtâwng chái dtawn dtàw wii-sâa khráp

Does the owner file the immigration notification for me? I need it for my visa extension.

Male speaker

The TM30 is the landlord's legal duty, not yours, but the paper it produces is yours to keep. Managed buildings file it automatically; a private owner often has never heard of it, which is why you ask on day one rather than the week your extension is due. Follow with ขอใบแจ้งที่พักด้วยครับ (khǎw bai-jâeng thîi-phák dûay khráp), the residence notification slip please. You will be asked for it at immigration, for a driving licence and sometimes at a bank.

เพื่อนมาค้างได้ไหมครับ เลี้ยงแมวได้ไหมครับ

phêuan maa kháang dâi mǎi khráp líang maew dâi mǎi khráp

Can a friend stay over? Can I keep a cat?

Male speaker

Ask before signing, because both are eviction grounds in a lot of buildings and neither is negotiable afterwards. Some blocks charge for a second occupant, อยู่สองคนบวกเดือนละห้าร้อยค่ะ (yùu sǎwng khon bùak deuan-lá hâa ráwy khâ). Others take the guest's name at the desk. Getting a yes in the LINE thread is worth more than a yes at the gate.

ขอคิดดูก่อนนะครับ เดี๋ยวโทรมา

khǎw khít duu gàwn ná khráp dǐao thoo maa

Let me think about it first. I will call you.

Male speaker

The polite exit, and the phrase that saves you from paying a holding deposit on a room you have not compared with anything. It is a complete answer in Thai and nobody takes offence; ขอคิดดูก่อน is the standard soft no as well as a genuine maybe. Take her number as you leave so the sentence is true: ขอเบอร์ด้วยครับ (khǎw boe dûay khráp).

แอร์เสียครับ เปิดแล้วไม่เย็น

ae sǐia khráp bpòet láew mâi yen

The air conditioner is broken. I switch it on and it does not get cold.

Male speaker

Report the fault plainly, then say what it actually does; that second half is what gets the right tradesman sent. Swap the noun for your problem: น้ำไม่ไหล (náam mâi lǎi) the water is not running, ชักโครกตัน (chák-khrôok dtan) the toilet is blocked, with ส้วมตัน (sûam dtan) as the blunter everyday version, หลอดไฟเสีย (làwt-fai sǐia) a dead bulb. Do not report your own room's power loss as ไฟดับ (fai dàp): that means a blackout, and the answer is ทั้งซอยดับค่ะ (tháng sawy dàp khâ) and nothing happens. Expect เดี๋ยวให้ช่างไปดูนะคะ (dǐao hâi châang bpai duu ná khá).

ให้ช่างมาดูหน่อยได้ไหมครับ

hâi châang maa duu nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

Could you have the repairman come and take a look?

Male speaker

The follow up to reporting a fault, and the sentence that turns a complaint into an appointment. Ask for a visit, not a repair: ดู (duu) leaves the diagnosis to him, and ซ่อม (sâwm) is for the follow up once it is known, เมื่อไหร่จะมาซ่อมครับ (mêua-rài jà maa sâwm khráp). ช่าง (châang) is any tradesman, so this covers the air con man, the plumber and the electrician alike. Expect a day rather than a time: พรุ่งนี้ (phrûng-níi) or มะรืนนี้ (má-reun-níi). The written question particle ไหม is usually said มั้ย (mái) in speech.

ต่อสัญญาราคาเดิมได้ไหมครับ

dtàw sǎn-yaa raa-khaa doem dâi mǎi khráp

Can we renew the contract at the same rent?

Male speaker

Raise it a month before the year is up, not on the last day, when you have no time and no leverage. ราคาเดิม (raa-khaa doem) means the existing price, and a quiet tenant who pays on time has a decent claim to it, since an empty month costs her more than the increase earns. Ask whether a fresh deposit is wanted, ต้องวางมัดจำใหม่ไหมครับ (dtâwng waang mát-jam mài mǎi khráp); it should not be.

ผมจะย้ายออกสิ้นเดือนหน้าครับ

phǒm jà yáai àwk sîn deuan-nâa khráp

I am going to move out at the end of next month.

Male speaker

Say it in person at the start of a month, not in the week you leave. Almost every contract wants thirty days, and short notice is one of the two most common reasons a deposit vanishes. Confirm with ต้องบอกล่วงหน้ากี่วันครับ (dtâwng bàwk lûang-nâa gìi wan khráp), how many days notice is required, then repeat it in writing; a LINE message is a record.

ห้องนี้มีอะไรบ้างครับ มีเครื่องทำน้ำอุ่นไหมครับ

hâwng níi mii à-rai bâang khráp mii khrêuang tham náam-ùn mǎi khráp

What does this room come with? Is there a water heater?

Male speaker

Thai rooms are let bare or semi furnished, so ask this while you are standing in the room rather than after you sign. The water heater is the one to name out loud: many rooms have only a cold tap, and a unit you install yourself costs a few thousand baht plus an electrician. Check the bathroom before she answers, because a bare wall with a capped pipe and a socket means the last tenant took theirs with them.

มีไวไฟไหมครับ ค่าเน็ตเดือนละเท่าไหร่ครับ

mii wai-fai mǎi khráp khâa-nét deuan-lá thâo-rài khráp

Is there wifi? How much is the internet per month?

Male speaker

In most buildings the internet is a separate monthly line of two to four hundred baht, shared across the floor, and it is never included in the advertised rent. Ask the two halves together, because มีไวไฟไหมครับ alone gets a yes that means there is a router somewhere. If the building line is slow, you can usually put a private fibre line in your own name; ติดเน็ตเองได้ไหมครับ (dtìt nét eeng dâi mǎi khráp) asks whether that is allowed.

อยู่สองคนคิดเพิ่มไหมครับ เลี้ยงสัตว์ได้ไหมครับ

yùu sǎwng khon khít phôem mǎi khráp liiang sàt dâi mǎi khráp

Is there an extra charge for two people? Are pets allowed?

Male speaker

Ask both at the viewing, not after your partner moves in. Thai apartments routinely add a flat monthly supplement for a second occupant and count anyone staying regularly, not just names on the contract; an unannounced extra person is a standard reason for a deduction or a notice to leave. Pets are usually a flat no in blocks and negotiable in owner let houses.

ค่ามัดจำเท่าไหร่คะ

khâa-mát-jam thâo-rài khá

How much is the deposit?

Female speaker

The same question from a woman. Nothing changes except the particle: a question takes คะ (khá, high tone) and a statement takes ค่ะ (khâ, falling tone), where a man uses ครับ for both. ผม is simply dropped rather than swapped for a female pronoun, since ดิฉัน (dì-chǎn) is too formal for a rental office.

ค่าน้ำค่าไฟคิดยังไงคะ

khâa-náam khâa-fai khít yang-ngai khá

How are the water and electricity charged?

Female speaker

The female version of the utilities question, and the one worth drilling because two women in a rental office produce a stream of คะ and ค่ะ at each other. Hers come back the same way: ตามมิเตอร์ค่ะ is a statement so it is ค่ะ, while ห้องแอร์หรือคะ is a question so it is คะ. Getting the pair the wrong way round is the single most audible mistake a foreign woman makes here.

ขอจองห้องนี้ไว้ก่อนได้ไหมครับ วางมัดจำเท่าไหร่ครับ

khǎw jawng hâwng níi wái gàwn dâi mǎi khráp waang mát-jam thâo-rài khráp

Could I put a hold on this room? How much to reserve it?

Male speaker

Use it when you want the room but cannot sign today. A holding deposit of one to two thousand baht is normal and it is almost never refundable, so only pay it once you have decided; ask หักจากค่าเช่าไหมครับ (hàk jàak khâa-châo mǎi khráp), does it come off the rent. Take a photo of the receipt with the room number on it, and get a date by which you will come back.

จ่ายค่าเช่าวันที่เท่าไหร่ครับ โอนหรือเงินสดครับ

jàai khâa-châo wan-thîi thâo-rài khráp oon rěu ngoen-sòt khráp

What date is the rent paid? By transfer or cash?

Male speaker

The most repeated landlord interaction there is, and the set that follows it depends on getting this right on day one. Rent is due on a fixed date of the month, commonly the first or the fifth, not on the anniversary of your move in. Most landlords prefer โอน (oon), a bank transfer, and expect the slip; วันที่ (wan-thîi) here means date of the month, so the answer is a number.

โอนเข้าบัญชีไหนครับ ขอเลขบัญชีด้วยครับ

oon khâo ban-chii nǎi khráp khǎw lêek ban-chii dûay khráp

Which account do I transfer to? Could I have the account number?

Male speaker

Ask for it in writing or on LINE, never by ear, and check the account name matches the person or company on the contract before the first transfer. Most landlords use PromptPay, so you may be given a phone number or a national ID number instead of a ten digit account. Save it as a favourite in your banking app on day one and the whole year of rent becomes two taps.

โอนแล้วนะครับ เดี๋ยวส่งสลิปให้

oon láew ná khráp dǐao sòng sà-líp hâi

I have transferred it. I will send you the slip.

Male speaker

The monthly message, sent on LINE with a screenshot of the transfer confirmation attached. The สลิป (sà-líp) is the proof, and a tenant who sends it unprompted every month is never chased. Expect ได้รับแล้วค่ะ ขอบคุณค่ะ (dâi ráp láew khâ, khàwp-khun khâ), received, thank you; if that does not come back within a day, ask, because a mistyped account number is recoverable only quickly.

ฝากแจ้ง ตม. ให้หน่อยได้ไหมครับ ผมต้องใช้ใบ ตม.30

fàak jâeng dtaw-maw hâi nàwy dâi mǎi khráp phǒm dtâwng chái bai dtaw-maw sǎam-sìp

Could you file the immigration notification for me? I need the TM30 slip.

Male speaker

The highest stakes landlord conversation for anyone living here. The report of a foreigner staying at an address is filed by the owner or possessor of the dwelling, using their own ID and house registration book, within twenty four hours of you moving in; it is not something you can do in their place. Ask on the day you move in and again after any trip abroad. What you need back is the receipt, which immigration asks for at the ninety day report, at an extension of stay, and for a residence certificate. Big blocks file it as routine; small owners often have never heard of it.

ขอสำเนาทะเบียนบ้านกับบัตรประชาชนเจ้าของห้องหน่อยได้ไหมครับ

khǎw sǎm-nao thá-biian-bâan gàp bàt bprà-chaa-chon jâo-khǎwng hâwng nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

Could I have copies of the house registration and the owner's ID card?

Male speaker

Say what it is for, or the request sounds alarming: ผมต้องใช้ทำใบขับขี่ครับ (phǒm dtâwng chái tham bai khàp-khìi khráp), I need it for a driving licence. Immigration will not issue a residence certificate without the owner's house book and ID copies signed by them, and without that certificate there is no licence, and often no bank account. Ask early, since an absentee owner in another province can take two weeks to post the pages back.

ห้องผมไฟไม่มาครับ ห้องอื่นมีไฟ

hâwng phǒm fai mâi maa khráp hâwng èun mii fai

There is no power in my room. The other rooms have power.

Male speaker

The second half is what makes this actionable: it rules out a street blackout and points at your breaker or your meter. Common variants are เบรกเกอร์ตัดบ่อยครับ (brèk-gôe dtàt bàwy khráp), the breaker keeps tripping, and ปลั๊กห้องนอนไม่มีไฟครับ (bplák hâwng-nawn mâi mii fai khráp), the bedroom sockets are dead. If the whole room went dark the moment you switched something on, say so; a tripping breaker under load is a different job from dead sockets.

จะย้ายออกสิ้นเดือนหน้าค่ะ

jà yáai àwk sîn deuan-nâa khâ

I am going to move out at the end of next month.

Female speaker

The female version of the notice, and it shows the usual solution to the pronoun: ผม is dropped and nothing takes its place, because Thai is happy without a subject and ดิฉัน would sound like a lawyer. This is a statement, so it ends in ค่ะ; the question that should follow it, ต้องบอกล่วงหน้ากี่วันคะ (dtâwng bàwk lûang-nâa gìi wan khá), ends in คะ.

ขอนัดตรวจห้องก่อนย้ายออกได้ไหมครับ วันไหนสะดวกครับ

khǎw nát dtrùat hâwng gàwn yáai àwk dâi mǎi khráp wan-nǎi sà-dùak khráp

Could we arrange a room inspection before I move out? Which day suits you?

Male speaker

Ask for the inspection yourself, with your things still in the room and a few days in hand, so anything she flags can be fixed or cleaned before you hand back the key. Walk it with her, photograph everything again, and get the final meter reading in the same visit. A room inspected in front of you is a deposit that cannot quietly acquire scratches after you have gone.

ขอสำเนาพาสปอร์ตกับวีซ่า แล้วเซ็นชื่อทุกใบด้วยค่ะ

khǎw sǎm-nao phâat-sà-bpàwt gàp wii-sâa láew sen chêu thúk bai dûay khâ

Passport and visa copies please, and sign every sheet.

Female speaker

This arrives at the table with the contract in front of you. Signing across every page is normal Thai practice, not a trick: it stops pages being swapped later. Sign your copies too, and before you sign, ask ต้องมีใบอนุญาตทำงานไหมครับ (dtâwng mii bai-à-nú-yâat tham-ngaan mǎi khráp), is a work permit required, if nobody has raised it.

อยู่กี่คนคะ ทำงานอะไรคะ

yùu gìi khon khá tham-ngaan à-rai khá

How many of you will be living there? What work do you do?

Female speaker

Not nosiness. She is checking the room will not hold four people and that the rent will arrive, and a foreigner gets asked every time. Answer plainly: อยู่คนเดียวครับ (yùu khon diao khráp), just me, or อยู่สองคนครับ (yùu sǎwng khon khráp), and เป็นครูสอนภาษาครับ (bpen khruu sǎwn phaa-sǎa khráp), I am a language teacher. A vague answer here is what turns into ห้องนี้ไม่ว่างแล้วค่ะ an hour later.

เต็มแล้วค่ะ ห้องว่างเดือนหน้าค่ะ

dtem láew khâ hâwng wâang deuan-nâa khâ

We are full. A room comes free next month.

Female speaker

The most common answer to turning up at a good building without calling, and it is a real answer, not a brush off. Take the offer: ฝากเบอร์ไว้ได้ไหมครับ (fàak boe wái dâi mǎi khráp), can I leave my number, or ขอไลน์ไว้ครับ เดือนหน้าจะติดต่อมาใหม่ (khǎw laai wái khráp deuan nâa jà dtìt-dtàw maa mài). Rooms in a full block turn over on the first of the month, so ask วันที่เท่าไหร่ว่างครับ (wan-thîi thâo-rài wâang khráp).

มัดจำสองเดือน ค่าเช่าล่วงหน้าหนึ่งเดือนค่ะ

mát-jam sǎwng deuan khâa-châo lûang-nâa nèung deuan khâ

Two months deposit, plus one month rent in advance.

Female speaker

Common terms, delivered fast as a single block because she says them ten times a month. Do not hear it as a fixed law: in a building letting five or more units the legal maximum is one month deposit and one month in advance, and one plus one is now ordinary in apartment blocks. Accept with ตกลงครับ (dtòk-long khráp), or push back with ลดมัดจำได้ไหมครับ (lót mát-jam dâi mǎi khráp), which sometimes works if you offer a longer contract.

ตอนย้ายออกจะได้เงินมัดจำคืนไหมครับ

dtawn yáai àwk jà dâi ngoen mát-jam kheun mǎi khráp

When I move out, will I get the deposit back?

Male speaker

Ask it at signing, while she still wants you as a tenant, not on the day you leave. The honest answer is ได้ถ้าไม่มีอะไรเสียหาย (dâi thâa mâi mii à-rai sǐia-hǎai), yes if nothing is damaged. Then make her name a date and a method: คืนมัดจำกี่วันครับ โอนหรือเงินสดครับ (kheun mát-jam gìi wan khráp, oon rěu ngoen-sòt khráp). Small owner run buildings often pay within days of the inspection; large blocks take a month. Put whatever she says into the LINE thread the same day so there is a record.

ถ้าห้องเสียหาย หักจากมัดจำนะคะ

thâa hâwng sǐia-hǎai hàk jàak mát-jam ná khá

If the room is damaged, we deduct it from the deposit.

Female speaker

What comes back when you ask about the deposit, and the line to take seriously. Deductions are usually damage, the last unpaid water and power bill, and cleaning. Answer with ขอถ่ายรูปห้องก่อนย้ายเข้านะครับ (khǎw thàai rûup hâwng gàwn yáai khâo ná khráp), let me photograph the room before I move in. Nobody objects, and the photos settle the argument a year later.

ค่าน้ำค่าไฟคิดตามมิเตอร์ จ่ายพร้อมค่าเช่าค่ะ

khâa-náam khâa-fai khít dtaam mí-dtôe jàai phráwm khâa-châo khâ

Water and electricity are charged by the meter and paid together with the rent.

Female speaker

The good answer to the utilities question: metered, and billed with the rent on rent day. Reply by asking to see the meter yourself. If instead she says เหมาเดือนละ (mǎo deuan-lá), it is a flat rate, which is a bargain if you run the air con all night and a poor deal if you barely use it.

ขอดูมิเตอร์หน่อยได้ไหมครับ

khǎw duu mí-dtôe nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

Could I take a look at the meter?

Male speaker

Say it once at the viewing and again on the day you move in. What you want is a photograph of the reading with the date on it, so the first bill can be checked against something. Expect อยู่ตรงนี้ค่ะ (yùu dtrong-níi khâ), usually a bank of meters by the stairs with the room numbers written on them. The tone on mí-dtôe is not predictable from the spelling: loanwords ending in เ-อร์ often take a falling tone in speech.

โอนแล้วส่งสลิปมาทางไลน์นะคะ จ่ายเกินวันที่ห้าปรับวันละร้อยค่ะ

oon láew sòng sà-líp maa thaang laai ná khá jàai goen wan-thîi hâa bpràp wan-lá ráwy khâ

Transfer it and send me the slip on LINE. After the fifth there is a hundred a day late fee.

Female speaker

The standard payment ritual, and the สลิป is the whole point: the transfer screenshot is your receipt and your proof of the date. Send it the same minute you transfer, every month, and never delete the thread. ปรับ (bpràp) is the late fee; it is charged more often than foreigners expect, and paying on the fourth costs nothing while paying on the sixth costs a hundred.

ไม่ได้ค่ะ ห้ามเลี้ยงสัตว์ ห้ามสูบบุหรี่ในห้องค่ะ

mâi dâi khâ hâam líang sàt hâam sùup bù-rìi nai hâwng khâ

No. No pets, and no smoking in the room.

Female speaker

Learn to hear ห้าม (hâam), forbidden. It marks a house rule, not an opening position, and pushing back on it reads as badly as arguing with a sign. ไม่ได้ค่ะ said flat and short is a real no; there is no softening particle on it and none is coming. The rules are usually on the wall by the lift as well, each line starting ห้าม.

พรุ่งนี้ช่างจะไปดูให้นะคะ อยู่บ้านกี่โมงคะ

phrûng-níi châang jà bpai duu hâi ná khá yùu bâan gìi moong khá

The repairman will come and look tomorrow. What time are you home?

Female speaker

The normal answer to a repair request, and it ends in a question you must answer or nobody comes. Note the two คะ: นะคะ softens the statement and takes the falling written form only in ค่ะ, while the sentence final question particle is คะ with a high tone. Give a window: อยู่บ้านหลังหกโมงเย็นครับ (yùu bâan lǎng hòk moong yen khráp). If you would rather not wait in, ฝากกุญแจไว้ได้ครับ (fàak gun-jae wái dâi khráp), I can leave a key.

ปีหน้าขึ้นค่าเช่าห้าร้อยนะคะ

bpii-nâa khêun khâa-châo hâa ráwy ná khá

Next year the rent goes up by five hundred.

Female speaker

The usual answer to a renewal question, and นะคะ on the end makes it sound like a favour being explained rather than a demand. Small increases are normal and rarely worth fighting. If it is steep, counter with the length of stay: อยู่มาสองปีแล้ว ขอราคาเดิมได้ไหมครับ (yùu maa sǎwng bpii láew khǎw raa-khaa doem dâi mǎi khráp). Check the increase is per month and not per year, เดือนละห้าร้อยใช่ไหมครับ (deuan-lá hâa ráwy châi mǎi khráp).

หักค่าทำความสะอาดสองพัน ที่เหลือโอนสิ้นเดือนค่ะ

hàk khâa tham-khwaam-sà-àat sǎwng phan thîi lěua oon sîn deuan khâ

Two thousand deducted for cleaning, the rest transferred at the end of the month.

Female speaker

The standard settlement, and a cleaning charge of one to two thousand is close to routine whatever state you leave the room in. Waiting to the end of the month is normal too, because she waits for the final electricity bill. Get both numbers in writing before you hand back the key, and ask ค่าไฟเดือนสุดท้ายเท่าไหร่ครับ (khâa-fai deuan sùt-tháai thâo-rài khráp), how much is the last power bill.

มีแอร์ เตียง ตู้เย็นค่ะ เครื่องทำน้ำอุ่นต้องติดเอง

mii ae dtiiang dtûu-yen khâ khrêuang tham náam-ùn dtâwng dtìt eeng

There is air con, a bed and a fridge. You have to install the water heater yourself.

Female speaker

The standard semi furnished list, and the standard exclusion. ต้องติดเอง (dtâwng dtìt eeng) means at your cost, and anything you screw to the wall usually stays when you leave. Worth asking straight back: ติดเองได้ไหมครับ (dtìt eeng dâi mǎi khráp), am I allowed to install one, because some buildings forbid it on the wiring.

อยู่สองคนเพิ่มเดือนละห้าร้อยค่ะ ไม่ให้เลี้ยงสัตว์นะคะ

yùu sǎwng khon phôem deuan-lá hâa-ráwy khâ mâi hâi liiang sàt ná khá

Two people is five hundred more a month. Pets are not allowed.

Female speaker

The usual answer, and both halves of it are firm rather than an opening bid. Three to five hundred baht a month is the normal second occupant supplement, and it is charged whether or not the second person is on the contract. Get the figure written into the contract rather than agreed at the desk, so it cannot become a larger number later.

ขอสำเนาพาสปอร์ตกับวีซ่าด้วยค่ะ เซ็นชื่อทุกใบนะคะ

khǎw sǎm-nao phâat-sà-bpàwt gàp wii-sâa dûay khâ sen chêu thúk bai ná khá

I need copies of your passport and visa. Please sign every sheet.

Female speaker

The first thing she says once you agree to take the room. เซ็นชื่อทุกใบ means signing across each photocopy, usually with the words สำเนาถูกต้อง (sǎm-nao thùuk-dtâwng), certified true copy, written beside your signature; she will show you where. She keeps these for the contract and for the immigration report she has to file on you, so refusing is not really an option, but write the purpose on the copy if you want to be careful.

ห้องเต็มแล้วค่ะ ตอนนี้ไม่มีว่างเลย

hâwng dtem láew khâ dtawn-níi mâi mii wâang loei

The rooms are full. There is nothing free right now.

Female speaker

The most common answer to a cold call or a walk in, especially in a good building near a university or a hospital. It is not a brush off; occupancy really does run at a hundred percent in some blocks and turnover is monthly. Do not hang up on it, because the room that comes free in three weeks is usually given to whoever asked last.

จ่ายทุกวันที่ห้าค่ะ เกินวันที่ห้ามีค่าปรับวันละร้อยค่ะ

jàai thúk wan-thîi hâa khâ goen wan-thîi hâa mii khâa-bpràp wan-lá ráwy khâ

Pay by the fifth of every month. After the fifth there is a hundred baht a day penalty.

Female speaker

A real answer, and the late fee is not a threat but a printed clause. ค่าปรับ (khâa-bpràp) runs from fifty to two hundred baht a day in most contracts and is charged from the day after the due date, so a week of forgetting costs more than a nice dinner. Set a phone reminder for two days before, since a transfer between banks on a public holiday can land late.

แอดมาเลยค่ะ มีอะไรทักได้ตลอด

àet maa loei khâ mii à-rai thák dâi dtà-làwt

Add me right away. Message me any time if anything comes up.

Female speaker

The standard yes. แอด (àet) is the English add, used as a Thai verb for adding a LINE contact, and she will either show you a QR code or hand you her phone. Set her display name to the building and room number, because a year later your chat list is thirty identical Thai nicknames. Photos count as messages: sending a picture of the fault gets a faster answer than describing it.

ช่างไม่ว่างค่ะ วันศุกร์ได้ไหมคะ

châang mâi wâang khâ wan-sùk dâi mǎi khá

The repairman is busy. Would Friday be all right?

Female speaker

The other normal answer, and a genuine question rather than a decision. Most buildings use one freelance ช่าง across several blocks, so a wait of a few days is real. If the fault makes the room unusable, say so and it usually moves: ร้อนมากนอนไม่ได้เลยครับ (ráwn mâak nawn mâi dâi loei khráp), it is too hot to sleep. Otherwise accept and pin the day down in the LINE thread.

ต้องจ่ายค่าซ่อมเองนะคะ

dtâwng jàai khâa-sâwm eeng ná khá

You have to pay for the repair yourself.

Female speaker

A money argument you cannot enter without language, and it arrives casually, softened with นะคะ. The usual dividing line is that the landlord covers what came with the room and fails on its own, while the tenant covers what they broke and small consumables like bulbs; air con cleaning is often split or charged to the tenant twice a year. Ask for the number before you agree: เท่าไหร่ครับ ขอดูใบเสร็จด้วยครับ (thâo-rài khráp, khǎw duu bai-sèt dûay khráp).

โอนคืนบัญชีไหนคะ ขอเลขบัญชีด้วยค่ะ

oon kheun ban-chii nǎi khá khǎw lêek ban-chii dûay khâ

Which account should I transfer the refund to? Send me the account number.

Female speaker

The question that means the deposit is genuinely coming back, so answer it in the LINE thread rather than out loud, with the account name spelled as your bank has it. Do not close your Thai account until the money lands; a refund to a dead account takes months to unwind. Ask in the same message when it will go out: จะโอนวันไหนคะ.

พี่ครับ ช่างยังไม่มาเลยครับ สามวันแล้ว วันนี้มาได้ไหมครับ

phîi khráp châang yang mâi maa loei khráp sǎam wan láew wan-níi maa dâi mǎi khráp

The repairman still has not come. It has been three days. Could he come today?

Male speaker

พรุ่งนี้ turns into next week more often than not, so this is the turn you will use most. Open with พี่ครับ (phîi khráp): พี่ is how you address a landlady, a manager or anyone modestly older, and after the first week speaking to them in bare unaddressed polite Thai keeps the whole relationship transactional. State the number of days, then pin the answer down with ประมาณกี่โมงครับ (bprà-maan gìi moong khráp), roughly what time, because เดี๋ยวไปนะคะ (dǐao bpai ná khá) with no time in it means nothing. In practice the แม่บ้าน (mâe-bâan), the caretaker, hears about faults before the owner does and holds the spare key; หอ (hǎw) is what everyone calls the building itself.

กุญแจหายครับ เข้าห้องไม่ได้ ช่วยเปิดให้หน่อยได้ไหมครับ

gun-jae hǎai khráp khâo hâwng mâi dâi chûay bpòet hâi nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

I have lost my key and cannot get into my room. Could you open it for me?

Male speaker

Say it to whoever is at the desk at that hour, usually the security guard, ยาม (yaam), or the caretaker. Expect to be asked for ID and your room number before anything opens, and expect a charge for a replacement key, ทำกุญแจใหม่ค่าอะไรบ้างครับ (tham gun-jae mài khâa à-rai bâang khráp). If the key is not lost but left inside, say ลืมกุญแจไว้ในห้องครับ (leum gun-jae wái nai hâwng khráp), which gets a faster answer than หาย.

ห้องข้างๆ เสียงดังมากตอนกลางคืนครับ

hâwng khâang-khâang sǐiang dang mâak dtawn glaang-kheun khráp

The room next door is very loud at night.

Male speaker

Take it to the landlord or the desk, never to the neighbour's door, which is how a noise problem becomes a personal one. Give the room number and the hours rather than an opinion: ตีสองยังไม่เลิกครับ (dtii sǎwng yang mâi lôek khráp), still going at two in the morning. Ask her to speak to them, ช่วยบอกเขาหน่อยได้ไหมครับ (chûay bàwk khǎo nàwy dâi mǎi khráp). Complaints passed on by the หอ carry weight because the noisy tenant has a deposit too.

พูดช้าๆ หน่อยได้ไหมครับ ผมฟังไม่ทัน

phûut cháa-cháa nàwy dâi mǎi khráp phǒm fang mâi than

Could you say that slowly? I could not keep up.

Male speaker

Use it the second a number or a date goes past you, not three sentences later. ฟังไม่ทัน (fang mâi than), I could not keep up, is softer and usually truer than ไม่เข้าใจ (mâi khâo-jai), I do not understand. She will repeat it slower and louder, which only fixes half the problem, so pair it with a request to write the figure down.

พูดช้าๆ หน่อยได้ไหมคะ ฟังไม่ทันค่ะ

phûut cháa-cháa nàwy dâi mǎi khá fang mâi than khâ

Could you say that slowly? I could not keep up.

Female speaker

The same sentence from a woman, and it shows both female particles in one breath: the question takes คะ (khá, high tone) and the statement after it takes ค่ะ (khâ, falling tone). A man uses ครับ for both. ผม is simply dropped rather than replaced, because ดิฉัน (dì-chǎn) sounds formal to the point of odd in a stairwell.

ช่วยเขียนตัวเลขให้หน่อยได้ไหมครับ

chûay khǐian dtua-lêek hâi nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

Could you write the figure down for me?

Male speaker

The repair for numbers, which is exactly where renting goes wrong: rent, deposit, unit rate, the day of the month rent is due. Hand over your phone or a scrap of paper as you say it. She will write Arabic numerals. Asking costs you nothing, while confusing สี่ (sìi) four with สิบ (sìp) ten costs real money.

ยอดค่าไฟไม่ตรงกับมิเตอร์ครับ ขอดูบิลหน่อยครับ

yâwt khâa-fai mâi dtrong gàp mí-dtôe khráp khǎw duu bin nàwy khráp

The electricity total does not match the meter. Could I see the bill?

Male speaker

For the month the bill jumps. Say it flatly and ask for the paperwork; framed as a request for information rather than an accusation, it stays workable and she keeps face. Expect the meter book or a photo of the reading. If the rate rather than the reading is the problem, ask หน่วยละเท่าไหร่ครับ (nùai-lá thâo-rài khráp), how much per unit.

ยังไม่ได้สัญญาเลยครับ ขอสำเนาหน่อยได้ไหมครับ

yang mâi dâi sǎn-yaa loei khráp khǎw sǎm-nao nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

I still have not received the contract. Could I have a copy?

Male speaker

Use it when the contract was signed and only her copy exists, which happens often and is not usually malice. Thai rental contracts are made in two copies, one for each side, and you need yours for a bank account, a residence certificate, and, alongside the TM30 receipt your landlord has to file, an extension of stay. Expect เดี๋ยวถ่ายเอกสารให้ค่ะ (dǐao thàai èek-gà-sǎan hâi khâ), I will photocopy it for you.

หักค่าอะไรบ้างครับ ขอรายละเอียดหน่อยครับ

hàk khâa à-rai bâang khráp khǎw raai-lá-ìat nàwy khráp

What was deducted? Could I have the details?

Male speaker

The turn the whole deposit thread exists for: the money comes back short and you have to ask what for, without turning it into a fight. Ask for the itemised list, then ask when the rest arrives, ได้เงินคืนเมื่อไหร่ครับ (dâi ngoen kheun mêua-rài khráp). This is where the photographs you took on move in day do the work; ถ่ายรูปไว้ตอนย้ายเข้าครับ (thàai rûup wái dtawn yáai khâo khráp), I photographed it when I moved in, ends most of these conversations quickly.

ค่าประกันกับมัดจำอันเดียวกันไหมครับ

khâa-bprà-gan gàp mát-jam an-diaw-gan mǎi khráp

Are the guarantee and the deposit the same thing?

Male speaker

Ask it the moment two different words for deposit appear in one conversation, which happens often. ค่าประกันห้อง or เงินประกัน (ngoen bprà-gan) is the security deposit held against damage; มัดจำ can mean the same money, but in some offices it means the booking deposit you leave to hold the room before you sign. If they are two payments, make sure the booking money is deducted from the first month: หักจากค่าเช่าเดือนแรกไหมครับ (hàk jàak khâa-châo deuan râek mǎi khráp).

มีห้องว่างเมื่อไหร่ครับ ฝากเบอร์ไว้ได้ไหมครับ

mii hâwng wâang mêua-rài khráp fàak boe wái dâi mǎi khráp

When will a room come free? Can I leave my number?

Male speaker

The answer to being told the building is full, and the reason it is filed under recovery rather than opening: without it the conversation is over. ฝากเบอร์ไว้ (fàak boe wái) is the fixed expression for leaving your number with someone. Better still, give her your LINE and message her once a week; the room goes to whoever is in front of her when the notice comes in.

ช่างยังไม่มาเลยครับ บอกไว้ตั้งแต่วันจันทร์

châang yang mâi maa loei khráp bàwk wái dtâng-dtàe wan-jan

The repairman still has not come. I told you back on Monday.

Male speaker

Routine, and worth having ready because the polite version of this gets acted on while silence does not. Naming the day does the work: ตั้งแต่วันจันทร์ (dtâng-dtàe wan-jan) is a fact, not an accusation, and it is why you reported the fault on LINE in the first place. Close with a request for a date rather than an apology: วันไหนได้ครับ (wan nǎi dâi khráp).

ผมไม่ได้ทำพังนะครับ มันเสียเอง

phǒm mâi dâi tham phang ná khráp man sǐia eeng

I did not break it. It failed on its own.

Male speaker

The answer to being told the repair is yours. Keep the voice flat and let มันเสียเอง (man sǐia eeng) carry it; raising your voice loses the argument in Thailand even when the facts are with you. ไม่ได้ + verb is the past negative, so ไม่ได้ทำพัง is specifically I did not break it, as opposed to ไม่พัง, it is not broken. This is where the photographs you took on move in day earn their place.

ยอดค่าไฟไม่ตรงกับมิเตอร์ค่ะ ขอดูบิลหน่อยค่ะ

yâwt khâa-fai mâi dtrong gàp mí-dtôe khâ khǎw duu bin nàwy khâ

The electricity total does not match the meter. Could I see the bill?

Female speaker

The female voice on the one turn that costs money every month. Both halves here are statements and requests rather than yes or no questions, so both take ค่ะ with a falling tone; only ขอดูบิลหน่อยได้ไหมคะ, with ไหม on the end, would flip the last particle to คะ. Keep ผม out of it and the sentence works unchanged.

ครบเดือนแล้ว ยังไม่ได้เงินมัดจำคืนเลยครับ จะโอนคืนวันไหนครับ

khróp deuan láew yang mâi dâi ngoen mát-jam kheun loei khráp jà oon kheun wan-nǎi khráp

It has been a full month and I still have not had the deposit back. What day will you transfer it?

Male speaker

The most common foreigner and landlord dispute in Thailand, and the reason every earlier phrase in this set told you to keep it on LINE. State the elapsed time, then ask for a date; do not ask whether she is going to pay, which invites a yes and no money. If two of these go unanswered, the next step is the provincial office of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, and saying ไปแจ้ง สคบ. (bpai jâeng saw-khaw-baw) often produces a transfer the same week.