Renting Furnished
Property in Thailand

by Amy
(Thailand)

For Expats on Their Way to Thailand, What to Expect When Moving into a Furnished Rental

You've been searching for a place to live and you've finally found your townhome/apartment/condo/house. There are many places offering pre-furnished rentals, which is great when you've moved to Thailand with only a few suitcases. You also won't have to spend a small fortune up front for furniture.

Now that you've found a place to call home, what is typically included in your furnished apartment? My condo unit had:

• A queen size bed
• Large wardrobe/armoire with mirror
• Hot water heater in the bathroom shower
• Built‐in chrome shower caddy
• Clothing rack for drying clothes on the balcony
• A kitchen with cupboards, counter & sink (some Thai apartments and condos do not have kitchens, believe it or not!)
• Dining table with four chairs
• Sofa
• Entertainment center
• Air conditioner

Indeed, the condo came with almost all the basics, but when you think about it, you need much more to live. Plan on doing some serious shopping! Two major items missing from the list are a TV and a refrigerator. In America, it’s a given that your rental unit will come with a stove and a refrigerator. Not so in Thailand. In addition to possibly having to get a TV
and fridge, plan on purchasing the following things for your home:

• DVD player if you choose to buy or rent movies. You can rent at Blockbuster or there are limitless places to buy cheap DVDs
• Hot water pot for coffee and tea
• Bedside lamp and bedside table (you don't want to have to get up out of bed to turn the main light off when you're almost asleep!)
• Fan
• Microwave
• Garbage cans for kitchen & bathroom
• Bath towels, washcloths & dish towels
• Clock (wall and alarm)
• Stovetop if you plan to cook
• Pots and pans
• Silverware and a few knives
• Dishes, bowls, glasses and mugs
• Clothes rack for drying if apartment does not provide one
• Bedding, including pillows. Most sheets and duvets that look decent are extremely expensive. All the rest are cheap and ugly. You might consider purchasing yours before coming to Thailand.
• Shower curtain, rings & rod
• Dust pan, broom & mop
• Ice cube trays
• Small stereo or iPod docking station for your music

Now this is not the standard for all dwellings. In many cases, especially when a tenant is paying a rather large sum every month in rent, all the amenities and necessities will be present in the apartment. Shannon, a UK expat, has stated that she doesn’t know one person who has had missing appliances in their accommodations and all had washing machines as well. As a general rule of thumb throughout Thailand: you will get what you pay for.

Find more advice for Thailand expats at The Expat Woman's Guide to Living in Thailand (That Men Find Useful, Too!)