Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing issues for foreigners looking to rent in Thailand. I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from The Phuket News that is thephuketnews.com, the article is titled: Officials warn of bad landlords as Phuket rental market grows. 

Quoting directly: "Phuket officials, private sector operators and the Phuket Real Estate Association have urged tenants to protect themselves against unscrupulous landlords, warning that the island’s booming rental market is opening the door to more disputes and scams." Quoting further: "Patong Municipality posted warnings as a precautionary measure, reflecting concerns about rental disputes nationwide and the potential for disagreements over deposits and contracts to affect Phuket’s reputation as a safe destination for tourists and long-term residents. Patong Mayor Lalita Maneesri told The Phuket News that while no formal tenant complaints have been filed this year, passed incidents have highlighted the need for vigilance." Yeah, and a good idea to be proactive on this actually on the part of the Phuket City Government down there. Quoting directly: "The warning is a reminder that anyone who has an experience can report the landlord to Patong Municipality or Patong Police Station, and it is also a general caution to be careful." Patong, Phuket’s busiest tourism hub, attracts both short-stay visitors and long-term residents, Mayor Lalita explained. With demand for rental properties rising sharply in recent years, the warning is meant to encourage tenants to stay informed and verify landlords, not to suggest that bad landlords are currently widespread in Patong, she added." Yeah, and I think that's worth pointing out; I don't think that that's the case either. 

Now my sort of take on all of this is look, if you're coming to rent especially long-term in Thailand, it's probably not a terrible idea to at least have some kind of legal professional review the terms of your lease and I think it is also generally a good rule of thumb to do this before putting down any type of deposit. Now I do understand that certain letting agencies, rental agencies, real estate agents may not necessarily let you do that; they may not let you see terms of the contract until you put down a deposit. One thing I would say for that is to begin with that is a little bit concerning where they are not going to show you the terms without putting down some kind of money. That said, if it's something rather nominal, just sort of a token against whatever the future possible rent could be in order to see what the terms are and the full contract, it may be worth it. 

Again you have to make your own determination there, but again I don't think it's a terrible idea to contact a legal professional on these things, gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed.