Owner guides
Phuket property owner guides
Guides for owners of villas and condos in Phuket, written by the two directors, Silvain and Pattama, from what we deal with every week. They cover the rules (the Hotel Act, the 30-day rule, TM30), tax and ownership, what a property really costs and returns, choosing a manager, and keeping a tropical house in working order.
Rules, tax and ownership
What the law expects of you as an owner.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Each guide names its sources and its date.
Short-term rental rules in Phuket
The Hotel Act, why thirty days keeps coming up, and what owners actually do.
The 30-day rule for condos
The Hotel Act, the 2023 exemption thresholds, the Condominium Act and your building’s regulations.
TM30 guest reporting
Who must report foreign guests, the 24-hour deadline, and how to file online.
Rental income tax for foreign owners
Withholding, the 30 percent deduction, filing, and how Airbnb income is treated.
Can foreigners own property in Phuket?
Condo freehold within the 49 percent quota, 30-year leases, and the structures to avoid.
Guide for foreign owners
Running a Phuket property from abroad, and where a manager’s role stops.
Money
What a property costs, earns and pays a manager.
Property management fees
How managers are paid, on what base, and what appears on a statement later.
The true cost of running a villa
Every recurring cost, and what makes each one move.
Investment returns, honestly
Gross versus net, villa versus condo, and how areas differ.
When a rental guarantee ends
How to read what you were really earning, and what to decide next.
Choosing a manager
Hiring, comparing and changing property manager.
How to choose a manager
The questions to ask and the answers that should worry you.
Self-managing or not
What running it yourself costs in hours, and when handing over pays.
Switching manager
Changing company without losing your listing, reviews or a season.
Running the house
Keeping a tropical villa in working order.
Mould and humidity
Why a closed villa grows mould, and how to shut a house properly.
Water supply
Tanks, pumps, cuts and leaks.
Salt corrosion
What sea air attacks first, and which repairs become replacements.
Air conditioning
Servicing, faults and who pays.
Pools in the rainy season
The first 48 hours after heavy rain, and visiting frequency.
Villa staff
Hiring and employing housekeepers and gardeners under Thai law.
Off-plan handover
The snagging inspection, and why the first monsoon is the real test.
Where to go next
Our services, and the older articles.
When a guide has answered the question, these pages explain what we would actually do for your property. The older blog articles are shorter and more general than these guides.
Reviewed . We update these pages when the practice on the ground changes, not on a schedule.
Talk to the person who would look after your property.
No call centre, no sales team. We keep the portfolio small on purpose.