Deciding where to live The following are some for the decision points which, in addition to your budget, may determine where you live and the type of accommodation you choose:

- Who in the family will do the majority of the traveling?

- Distance from workplace/s?

- Do you have children? What are their ages?

- Do you prefer to have a garden or outdoor play area?

- Distance form pre-schools, schools and other children’s activities?

- What is the mix of tenants in a building? E.g. families, long-or short-tem tenants, nationalities.

- Distance form facilities such as clubs, gyms?

- Will you have a car and/or driver?

- Level of security in the apartment or housing complex?

- Level of access to shops and services?

- Access to expressway, sky train or subway?

- Traffic considerations, e.g. major intersections, and volume of traffic on weekdays and weekends.

- Does the soi have more than one point of exit/entry?

- Does any of the furniture need re-upholstery, replacement or repair? Does the apartment need re- painting or repair?

- Will the landlord fulfill special requests? E.g. installation of additional phone lines.

Tax structures allow for the division of rental into two components: rental of premises and rental of furnishing and fixtures, the latter being exempt form tax. This explains why most landlords prefer to provide furnished or semi-furnished accommodation. Landlords will remove unwanted items of free standing furniture; however, there is unlikely to be a reduction in the rent.

The usual lease is for one year, the rent payable on month in advance. There may also be a two or three month deposit. If possible, attempt to have a termination clause (know as a diplomatic clause) included in your lease agreement, in case of unexpected moves overseas. This allows early termination of a lease provided that at lease two month’s written notice is given.

Suchai_w is a representative of Rentthaihome.com. The best place on the Internet focused entirely on listing variety of home available for rent around Thailand: Phuket, Bangkok, Samui, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai. At Rentthaihome.com, we connect vacationers and property owners/managers together online by Thai people who know the place best in Thailand.