What a condo rental agreement must include, with a downloadable form

Key Highlights

• A condo rental agreement is only enforceable in court if there is written evidence signed by the party against whom it is being enforced, under Section 538 of the Civil and Commercial Code, so a verbal deal or a chat thread alone leaves you exposed
• A lease longer than 3 years must be registered with the competent official, otherwise it is enforceable for the first 3 years only, and Section 540 caps property leases at 30 years
• The Contract Committee notification of B.E. 2568, dated 30 May 2025 on the Office of the Consumer Protection Board site, regulates leases offered by business landlords, and several sources report it took effect on 4 September 2025
• The 12-point checklist below covers rent, deposit, repairs, early termination, pets, and subletting, which is where most move-out disputes start
• A standard contract form and supporting documents can be downloaded free from the Office of the Consumer Protection Board at ocpb.go.th and used as your starting draft

Why do tenants read the rental agreement least?

For most foreign residents in Thailand, the condo rental agreement is signed on a good day. The unit works, the landlord seems reasonable, and the priority is getting the keys before the current lease ends or the relocation allowance runs out. The two or three pages on the table get skimmed. That same document then gets read line by line months later, usually when the air conditioner fails and nobody agreed in writing who pays, or when the deposit does not come back.

What puts tenants at a disadvantage is rarely a clause written badly. It is a subject the contract never mentions at all. When the agreement is silent, the rule becomes whatever each side remembers, and memories never match. This guide runs through what the law requires, then what you should add, then where to get a form you can actually build from.

How many parts does a workable rental agreement need?

A functioning condo rental agreement has four parts, and each answers a different question. Leave one out and the contract still stands, but you have created a gap that has to be negotiated at the worst possible moment, which is after something has gone wrong.

Part of the agreement	What it sets out
Part one, the parties and the unit	Who the landlord is, who the tenant is, and which unit, which settles who holds the rights and obligations under this contract
Part two, the money	Rent, payment date, payment method, deposit, and how water and electricity are calculated
Part three, use and upkeep	Who repairs what, what is permitted, and when the landlord may enter
Part four, the exit	The term, renewal, early termination on both sides, and how the deposit comes back

In practice, most contracts circulating in the Bangkok rental market handle parts one and two thoroughly and treat parts three and four in a sentence each. Those last two parts are exactly the ones that get used when there is a dispute.

Which elements does Thai law require in a rental agreement?

How detailed must the party and property information be

Section 538 of the Civil and Commercial Code provides that a lease of immovable property is enforceable in court only where there is written evidence signed by the party liable. If you agreed terms verbally or over a messaging app, proving what was agreed becomes considerably harder once there is a disagreement.

Practically, list the full name and identification number of each party, using the passport number and visa page for a foreign tenant, an address for serving notices, the project name, unit number, floor, size, and an inventory of everything handed over with the unit, including air conditioners, water heater, built-in furniture, and how many keys or access cards.

The step most often skipped is verifying that the person signing actually owns the unit. Ask to see the condominium title document alongside their identification and check the names match. If an agent signs on the owner's behalf, there should be a power of attorney with a clearly defined scope. The full document set is covered in the PropertyScout guide to condo rental documents.

When does a lease need to be registered and what is the term limit

Section 538 also provides that where a lease runs longer than 3 years, or for the life of either party, it must be made in writing and registered with the competent official. Without registration, it is enforceable for the first 3 years only. This is why almost every condo lease offered to expats is written as a one-year term with renewals, since that avoids the Land Office step and the fees attached to it.

That convenience has a cost worth weighing if you are relocating a family or enrolling children in school nearby. A one-year term means the rent is reopened every twelve months, and you carry the risk of a renewal offer you do not like. If continuity matters more than flexibility, a registered longer lease is the tool for it, and the registration cost is worth pricing before you decide.

The other ceiling to know is Section 540, which limits leases of immovable property to 30 years. Anything agreed beyond that is reduced to 30 years by operation of law.

The 12-point checklist your rental agreement should contain

Work through these twelve points before you sign. Where something is missing, ask for it to be added in writing rather than accepting a verbal assurance, because a verbal assurance is exactly the thing you cannot rely on later.

Rent, deposit, and payment date

• Point 1 is the monthly rent as a figure, stating clearly whether it includes the common area fee, water, electricity, and internet
• Point 2 is the payment due date each month, the payment channel, and a receiving account in the same name as the landlord
• Point 3 is the deposit and advance rent amounts, with the conditions and the deadline for returning the deposit after move-out
• Point 4 is how water and electricity are calculated, stating whether billing follows the state utility meter or goes through the juristic person, with the per-unit rate written as a number

Point 4 produces more disputes than almost anything else, because electricity billed through a building's juristic person often exceeds the authority rate. If the contract does not state a rate, you have no baseline to check against. The PropertyScout guide to condo utility bills explains how the calculation works and how to spot overcharging.

Who pays for repairs and common area fees

• Point 5 is how repair costs are split, expressed as a baht threshold so that repairs below the figure are on the tenant and anything above it is on the landlord
• Point 6 is who pays the annual common area fee and the land and building tax, which by convention sit with the unit owner
• Point 7 is the inventory handed over with the unit, with photographs of its condition on the move-in date attached to the contract
• Point 8 is the definition of fair wear and tear that the tenant is not liable for, such as paint fading with age

Writing point 5 with an actual number prevents far more argument than writing that minor repairs are the tenant's and major repairs are the landlord's, because minor and major have no agreed definition. Point 7 is the only evidence that works at move-out, so photograph every existing mark on handover day and get the landlord to confirm it in writing the same day.

Early termination rights on both sides

• Point 9 is the tenant's right to end the lease early, with the notice period and what it means for the deposit
• Point 10 is the landlord's right to terminate and the grounds for it, such as rent unpaid beyond a stated number of days

Check the balance between these two carefully. A common pattern gives the landlord a clean 30-day notice right while stating that a tenant who leaves early forfeits the entire deposit with no alternative. If you see that shape, ask for equal notice on both sides, or for compensation expressed as a stated number of months rather than forfeiture of the whole sum. Employment-linked relocations make this clause more relevant for expat tenants than for most local ones, since a posting can end on short notice.

Pet conditions and subletting

• Point 11 is the pet policy, stating species, number, weight limit, and any additional pet deposit, with a reference to the current condominium regulations
• Point 12 is whether subletting or letting someone else occupy the unit is permitted, including short-stay letting, which most buildings prohibit

For point 11, permission from the owner alone is not enough. The condominium regulations can be stricter, and they bind everyone in the building. The safer approach is to have the contract state that the owner confirms the building permits pets on the stated terms, with the relevant part of the regulations attached.

Point 12 matters more than it looks for anyone who travels. Letting a visiting relative stay while you are away is usually fine, but listing the unit on a short-stay platform is a different matter and is prohibited in most Bangkok buildings, with the tenant carrying the consequence.

Which clauses put tenants at a disadvantage?

These five patterns turn up regularly in contracts circulating in the market. Each is easier to fix before signing than to argue about afterwards.

• A clause letting the landlord keep the entire deposit whenever the tenant leaves early, regardless of the reason and without deducting against actual damage
• A clause letting the landlord enter the unit at any time without notice, which cuts against the tenant's right to privacy
• A clause allowing rent or other charges to rise during the term without stating a rate or a condition in advance
• A clause pushing every repair onto the tenant, including work on the building's structure or systems
• A clause allowing the landlord to cut water or electricity to force payment, which the tenant protection notification prohibits

The negotiation that works is the one where you bring replacement wording with you. Instead of saying you would rather not forfeit the whole deposit, propose that early termination on at least 30 days written notice allows the landlord to retain compensation of no more than one month's rent, with the balance returned within a stated number of days.

What does the tenant protection notification actually cover?

Residential building rental is a contract-controlled business under the Contract Committee, which sits under the Office of the Consumer Protection Board. The current notification is the B.E. 2568 edition, published by the board together with a standard contract form and supporting material, with the announcement page dated 30 May 2025.

Four points are reported consistently across sources. Water and electricity must be charged at the rates set by the state utilities, with the calculation shown in the contract. Rent and other charges cannot be raised during the term unless agreed in advance. The landlord cannot enter the unit without permission except in an emergency. And the tenant is not liable for deterioration arising from normal use.

Three points are reported inconsistently, so confirm them against the notification itself before relying on them. The first is scope. Thansettakij, dated 5 February 2026, and Horizon Homes, updated 11 June 2026, both state that the rules apply to landlords operating three or more rental units, while the earlier notification summarised by the Faculty of Law at Suratthani Rajabhat University used a threshold of five units.

The second is the cap on deposit and advance rent. Sources tracking the earlier notification, and Horizon Homes, state one month's rent for each. The Thailand Consumer Council, published 5 November 2025, and an analysis by Propholic both state that deposit and advance rent together are limited to three months.

The third is the deposit return deadline. Most sources say within 7 days of the lease ending and the unit being handed back. Horizon Homes states 7 days where there is no damage and 14 days where damage is documented. RoomNaHub states a 30-day window.

If you want certainty without waiting for that to settle, write the deposit return deadline into the contract as a specific number of days. A term agreed between the parties binds the parties, so you do not need the scope debate resolved to hold your landlord to a date.

On enforcement, the Propholic analysis notes that breaches carry criminal liability with imprisonment or a fine of up to 100,000 baht, and argues that a penalty that heavy is part of why the rules are rarely invoked in practice. Tenants who run into problems can raise a complaint with the Office of the Consumer Protection Board on its 1166 hotline.

Where can you download a condo rental agreement form?

The source worth starting from

Start from the publication page of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board at ocpb.go.th, which offers the notification itself, a standard short-term residential lease form, infographics summarising the required terms, and an explanatory leaflet. Starting from a government form has two advantages. The wording already tracks the notification, and the other side finds it harder to dispute where the document came from.

The official form is in Thai. If you are signing a bilingual contract, have the Thai and English columns sit side by side in the same document and add a clause stating which language governs if the two versions diverge. Signing an English-only translation of a Thai original is the arrangement most likely to cause trouble later.

How to adapt the form to the unit you are renting

A standard form is written for the general case, so four groups of detail always need filling in. First, the inventory and unit condition with photographs from handover day. Second, the utility calculation method with the per-unit rate. Third, the building's own rules, covering pets, moving hours, and service lift bookings. Fourth, the early termination terms for both sides.

Once complete, print two copies, have both parties sign every page, and keep one copy each plus a scanned set. Sign the annexes too, including the photographs and the inventory, since those are the pages most likely to be pulled out when the unit is handed back.

Frequently asked questions about a condo rental agreement

What must a condo rental agreement include

Four groups. The parties and the unit. The money, meaning rent, payment date, deposit, and how utilities are calculated. Use and upkeep, meaning repair responsibility, pets, and the landlord's right of entry. And the exit, meaning the term, renewal, early termination, and deposit return. All of it belongs in a document signed by both sides.

Is an unregistered lease still valid

Yes, where the term does not exceed 3 years, provided there is written evidence signed by the party liable under Section 538. A lease longer than 3 years must be registered with the competent official, and without registration it is enforceable for the first 3 years only.

How much deposit can a landlord take and when must it come back

For landlords who qualify as business operators under the Contract Committee notification, most sources state one month's rent as deposit and one month as advance rent, with the deposit returned within 7 days of the lease ending and the unit being handed back. Other sources give different figures, including a combined three-month cap and return windows of 14 or 30 days. The clearest route for a tenant is to write the amount and the return date into the contract as numbers.

Can the landlord raise the rent during the term

Not where the contract does not set out an increase mechanism in advance, according to the summaries of the notification that sources agree on. Check on signing day whether the contract contains an open-ended right to increase charges. If it does, ask for a stated maximum and for the increase to apply only at renewal.

Will I lose the whole deposit if I leave before the term ends

That depends on what the contract says. Many are drafted for full forfeiture, which is worth renegotiating before signing. Propose at least 30 days written notice with compensation set at a stated number of months instead of forfeiture of the whole amount. If you have already signed and the clause looks unfair, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board takes queries on 1166.

What extra applies to foreign tenants

Identification runs off your passport and visa page rather than a Thai identification card. Separately, a landlord accommodating a foreign national has a duty to report the stay to the Immigration Bureau. That obligation sits with the owner, not with you, but it affects you directly because the filing receipt is often needed for visa extensions and other administration. Agree in the contract that the landlord will file it and send you the evidence within a stated number of days after move-in.

Summary

A good condo rental agreement is not the longest one. It is the one that answers four questions completely. Who are the parties, what is paid and when, who looks after what, and how does this end. Run the 12-point checklist against the document in front of you, and where a point is missing, ask for it in writing before you sign. Fixing wording before signature takes minutes. Arguing about it afterwards takes months.

When you are ready to look, start with the PropertyScout page for condos for rent in Bangkok and the one-bedroom page. Our team can review the contract terms with you and deal with the owner before signing day, in English or in your own language.

Work with an agent who speaks your language

Sources and disclaimer

Principal sources for this article are Sections 538 and 540 of the Civil and Commercial Code, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board publication page for the Contract Committee notification on residential building rental as a contract-controlled business, B.E. 2568, dated 30 May 2025, the summary of the earlier notification by the Faculty of Law at Suratthani Rajabhat University, Thansettakij dated 5 February 2026, the Thailand Consumer Council dated 5 November 2025, an analysis by Propholic, Horizon Homes updated 11 June 2026, RoomNaHub, and Issa Compass updated 14 August 2026.

Prices and availability change and are not guaranteed. Property information is general guidance only. This content is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Please check the actual contract wording and the relevant condominium regulations before you decide.