Here in Thailand, properties, especially houses go under different names than they do in western countries, and for those of us from Europe, we are not as au fait with what exactly is a condominium. Here are all the residential property types.

Single House – in the west, we would normally call this a detached house. Always standing on its own lot of land, and generally walled or separated off from its neighbors in some way, these house types are usually the most expensive for rental purposes and purchase. Higher end houses may come with private swimming pools and other luxuries but you will pay a premium for these. Additionally, houses of this type, especially new or modern in style are very difficult to find in downtown Bangkok where the norm is an older Thai style house.

Townhouse – in the west we would normally call a semi-detached, or terrace. Usually these types of houses are found in “moo baan’s”, or gated communities though it is not always the case. If they are found in gated communities there is generally a full time security guard on site and there may or may not be a communal swimming pool. Houses of this type are more frequent in the downtown area of Bangkok, though there are only a few new developments of this type, and many older, more tired looking units.

Shop house – in the west we don’t have an equivalent! These are the types of units that you see both sides of the roads and soi everywhere in Asia. Originally the idea is Chinese, but it is basically a ‘terrace’ type of unit with 6 or 8 or more shop houses all in a row. The shop is on the ground floor, or street level with the owners living quarters generally being on the floors above. Many Thais live in this type of accommodation, and use the ground floor as their parking garage while again, living above. Generally speaking, units of this type are not very suitable for a foreign family dwelling due to the single skin walls, and plenty of traffic noise from the streets outside, though there are obviously exceptions to this rule.

Apartments – These are generally units built in a block, generally low rise, but there are some high-rise examples available and the whole block is owned by one entity, be it a company or a family. Being owned by 1 entitiy, the utilities are therefore paid for by one entity so there is usually a surcharge on utilities i.e. water and electricity. Normally, in apartment buildings the Common Area Maintenance fee is not applicable as this has already been factored into the rent, and all repair and maintenance is free-of-charge. Generally a swimming pool and full security are provided on the site, with a fitness room being available at some (actually, majority of the) buildings.

Serviced Apartments – Very similar to the regular apartments but with hotel like amenities and services, this type of accommodation will offer restaurants on site, maid service to your room, linen changes, a small cooking area in your kitchen with utensils, and towels and other disposables will be provided. Again, there will generally be a swimming pool and full security on site, and nine times out of ten a fitness room but you will pay a big premium for those extra services. Occasionally, utility bills may be included in the rental package, but that is dependent on the individual building.

Condominiums – in the west, called Condominiums! Very similar to an apartment block, these units are generally in a large building, but with each one of the units being individually owned. There are a vast majority of condominium buildings in Bangkok with an equally vast range of pricing, but this is the only type of property available for freehold acquisition to foreigners and many are targeted at that market. Unlike apartment buildings, the utilities do not carry a surcharge and the bill generally goes direct to the tenant from the relevant issuer, however, there may be a Common Area Maintenance fee to pay monthly on top of your rent payment. This is something that should be negotiated at the beginning of your lease contract. Don’t let it come as a surprise later on! These buildings again generally have a swimming pool on site, sometimes along with a fitness room and certainly are well guarded by security. Some of the new, Grade A developments on line now in town are very luxurious, with facilities akin to a 5 star hotel! Do take a look at the management of the building though as Management Companies are generally employed to take care of the building and its facilities. These companies range from excellent to less than adequate, and if they don’t keep up to the maintenance, the building will start to look very tired, very soon.