Buying Land & Property in Thailand

General Information

Title Deeds

Land Measurements

Taxes on land / property purchases

Foreign ownership of land

Leases, Usufructs & Superficies

How to buy land/property (Koh Chang specific)

How to rent land/property (Koh Chang specific)

Koh Chang Beginning to Shine - article from Thailand Property Report, July 2006

Useful links

Thaivisa Discussion Forum  - Information and news from Thailand's largest online expat community.

Sunbeltasia Legal - Visit the site or email Sunbelt's legal team direct with questions regarding setting up a company in Thailand.

Real Estate on Koh Chang

Koh Chang is still extremely undeveloped when compared to other large islands such as Samui or Phuket. Phuket's development began 30 years ago, Samui's 20 years ago but Koh Chang's only began in earnest in 2002 following the government’s declaration that Koh Chang would become a world class, kick-ass tourist destination developed to cater to the needs of adventurous eco-friendly package tourists.    

One reason for the lack of development in the past was the island's lack of essential infrastructure, e.g. paved roads.  Indeed, mains water is still a pipe dream however, phone lines are now aplenty - a pleasant change from only a couple of years ago when land lines were a rarity on the west coast.  The road situation still hasn’t properly been resolved with construction of the final 11 kilometres of ring road in ‘stop/start’ mode.  The basic  infrastructure, relatively low level of development and lack of expat friendly services means that the days of multi-million dollar villas on Koh Chang are still some way off.  However, things are improving at a steady pace.

Koh Chang will never attract the number of visitors Phuket or Samui do simply because of the lack of land that's available for building, 90% of the island is mountainous National Park.  However, its location is excellent and, entrepreneurs having woken up to this conveniently located but forgotten island, have ensured that the number of new resorts, restaurants and bars has been growing exponentially over the past few years. 

If some constraints can be put on what is constructed then the island will definitely become a highlight for holidaymakers who are looking for a safe, convenient, alternative to the islands in the south of Thailand.

This means that for anyone looking to open up a small resort, tourist related business or simply trying to find a nice place to live Koh Chang has a lot to offer. 

If you've made the decision to do something on Koh Chang, other than spending a week by the beach, you need to consider your options and weigh up the pros and cons of buying or renting land and/or property. 

Renting is by far the simplest and most common option and the one requiring least initial outlay.  However, if you are thinking long term then buying is always best . . . especially as the island is still at a comparatively early stage in it's tourist development and therefore land and property can only increase in value. 

Before looking at any real estate for rent or purchase, there are a few basics that you should know.  These are the way land is measured in Thailand and the types of title deeds that are used.