The Provincial Administration Department has been ordered, by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, to investigate complaints received from condominium owners about Chinese investors renting their units to tourists on a daily basis, in violation of the Hotels Act.
People’s party MP Rangsiman Rome, meanwhile, urges the government to enforce the Condominium Act strictly, which prohibits owners of condominium units to rent out their rooms on a daily basis, otherwise this illegal practice will affect the hotel sector.
For condominiums still under construction, or which are not yet available for purchase, he suggested that authorities discuss, with the condo project owners, what appropriate measures should be used to prevent buyers from exploiting legal loopholes to rent out their units for short term stays.
A number of mysterious key boxes, which have appeared in public locations in the Sukhumvit and Makkasan areas in Bangkok, have been found to be linked to the daily rental of condo units, mostly owned by Chinese investors.
An official of a company responsible for managing condominiums has admitted that it is difficult to prevent condo units from being renting out on daily basis by their owners, because they do not cooperate with the company and have employed various tricks to evade detection.
Thanapat Yimsoo, a real estate developer and the owner of the “Crazy Condo Owner” website
Thanapat Yimsoo, a real estate developer and the owner of the “Crazy Condo Owner” website, claimed that about 90% of the condominium buildings located close to the metro system, such as in the Sukhumvit, Makkasan and Huai Khwang areas, are believed to be being rented out by their owners to tourists for short stays.
He said that condominium units have become increasingly popular among tourists, because they are cheaper than hotel rooms and many have easy access to metro system.
Thanapat also said that the police cannot do much to help, due to a lack of evidence available from the companies contracted to manage condominiums.
