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6) APARTMENT FACILITIES - WHAT TO EXPECT? |
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 Being a non-swimmer and hardly God's gift to keep-fit, the availability of swimming pools, gyms and saunas never really bothers me (they're often neglected anyway) but I do like to have an accessible mini-mart (that's open when I need it), a laundry shop (that doesn't take forever to iron two shirts and a pair of pants) and some kind of a restaurant/cafe area. Some apartments provide a small restaurant service for residents and non-residents alike but I've noticed over the years that only foreigners tend to sit down and eat in such places (possibly to escape the confines of the bed-sit) whereas Thais prefer to have food delivered to their rooms. I'm yet to see anyone make a real success of running an apartment-building restaurant and many close down after a year or two.
Apartment laundries are a law unto themselves. Anyone who's lived in a Thailand apartment building has their own laundry horror story, whether it's a white shirt that suddenly became pink or a pair of shorts that were handed in and never seen again. Apartment laundries have a captive market and don't they know it. They know you're hardly going to walk to some laundry in the next street and carry back ten shirts on ten coat-hangers. So they can take as much time as they want washing your clothes and hell, who's bothered if they lose an item or two along the way. I don't want to give the impression that all apartment laundries are crap but the negative experiences do seem to far outnumber the positive ones.
Security / Security Guards: Security is obviously a major concern for anyone living in an apartment building. Thailand is one of the safest countries to live in I'm sure - but petty theft has always been a problem. I had someone come in to my apartment at three in the morning - while I was asleep! - and steal my wallet from the dressing table. Totally my fault for leaving the door unlocked but it's not what you expect - someone lifting your valuables while you're snoozing literally six feet away.
What about the different security methods? Hi-Tech Tower, the apartment I mentioned earlier, has an automatic keycard 'swiping' system, which is a system deployed in many apartment buildings. Every bona fide resident has a plastic entry card that they swipe through a card-reader every time they want access. I have my reservations about the keycard system. It works in establishments where you don't have too much residential traffic and there are security staff to keep a vigilant eye on things. But at busy apartment buildings, where there is no security guard, a non-resident can easily 'slip in' behind a resident. How many residents would stop you? Hell, I've slipped in many times and in most cases the resident will even hold the door for you.
The traditional method of employing a full-time security guard/guards is also still quite common. I've heard several horrific stories of teachers having things stolen from their apartment and the security guard being the actual perpetrator. Who is in a better position to know about the times you keep? Don't be scared off though - for the most part, security guards do their job reasonably well. That said. here's a little tip for you - get the security guard on your side. Make friends with him, engage in small-talk about football and illegal betting, perhaps slip him twenty cigarettes now and again. It'll make all the difference. |
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7) Deposits |
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I've checked out of four different apartments in Bangkok and had a problem with getting back the deposit money every single time. I'm certainly not the only one, because I've overheard many foreigners complaining about the same. I'll put two instances down to simple misunderstandings, but on two occasions the apartment owner was clearly trying to cheat me. In none of these places was I ever a problem tenant. I paid my bills on time, rarely/never complained unless I had to, and came and went with a minimum of fuss (I tend not to mix with fellow residents). With deposits usually being two, or sometimes three months rent in advance, you're looking at a substantial amount of money. There's no way I would give up 30-40,000 baht without a fight, but clearly some residents do.
One apartment owner refused to return my key money because I'd lost the tenant's agreement. I was left with no option but to go to the police. The police, it must be said, were helpful to the extreme. They wrote out a piece of paper (heaven knows what it said) and told me to present it to the apartment owner. The key money was given back to me without as much as a shrug of the shoulders. Checking out of another apartment, the owner claimed (and this is a little embarrassing) that I'd stained the bed-sheets that were provided by the apartment. The stains were just general everyday 'grubbiness' - nothing else, but she deducted a thousand baht for a sheet I could have picked up in a local market for less than a hundred. Quite a slanging match developed in the reception area, and when pushed I'm not proud to say that I can shout louder than most. Fortunately, with crowds gathering to witness the brouhaha, it all became too much for the apartment owner and she gave me the one thousand baht (actually she threw it at me, but you get the gist)
The saddest part of all was that I'd always enjoyed an excellent relationship with this particular apartment owner, and it all got soured for a thousand measly baht. Here's some more advice - let the reception staff know well in advance that you are checking out. Don't leave it to the final day and run the risk of last-minute misunderstandings. |
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8) The Initial Inspection and What to Look For? |
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Khoo duu hong noy khrap? (May I see a room?) When you present yourself in the reception as a potential tenant, what typically happens is that a bored-looking member of staff appears jangling an obscenely large bunch of keys. Yes, it's room inspection time. Ask to see several rooms on different floors - not just one. Ask if there are any corner rooms (they are often larger for the same price).
From the moment in reception when the girl with the key appears, my antennae are twitching. I'm taking everything in and missing nothing. The elevator itself can tell you a million things. Is it looked after? Or are there buttons missing and graffiti on the walls. If they can't be bothered to take care of the elevator, then the rooms are going to be like shit. As you walk down the corridor take it all in. Look in any open doors and get a feel for the kind of residents that live there. If I see three Thais all asleep on one bed or piles of shoes and cooking utensils outside a door, then it's thanks but no thanks.
Is anyone playing the radio loudly? Can I hear screaming babies? What are the corridors themselves like? Do they look clean? Is there the unmistakable whiff of disinfectant? Any sign of a garbage chute or do residents just put a black garbage bag outside the door and hope for the best? I've formed an opinion on the place before even before my host has got her key in the door.
First impressions are everything. When the door to the apartment swings open, if your first reaction is anything less than Wow! - walk out there and then. "Well it's OK I suppose" just doesn't cut it. Go to town. Step out onto the balcony. Are you going to enjoy sitting out there? (presuming you want to) Turn on the water in the shower - how's the water pressure? Do the lights work? One of the first things I do is check for electrical sockets. How many are there? If I've got a computer, a fan, a fridge, a Hi-fi and other oddments, the last thing I want is trails of spaghetti all plugged into those naff multi-sockets. If you're going to inspect a room, do the job properly.
Tip: Get MrRoomfinder's Home Hunter's Check List here |
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9) Go there Twice! |
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You've been to look at the apartment in daylight - now go back again at night. Places have a habit of undergoing change when darkness falls. Perhaps the group of friendly-looking motorbike taxi drivers, who were snoozing and playing checkers when you first came in the middle of a hot afternoon have now turned into booze-fuelled sex animals, wolf-whistling at everything that passes in a skirt? And funny how you didn't notice the snooker hall/karoake lounge/hostess joint next door when its neon facade was not apparent. Try to catch one or two of the foreign residents as they leave and enter the building - farangs love to talk and share information. "I'm thinking of moving in. How do you enjoy living here?" |
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10) If you're a 'Long-termer' - Accumulate! |
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If you're thinking of staying in Thailand for longer than a couple of years, start investing in things like fridges, TVs and nice basic furniture. You can always take it with you when you move. Apartments will usually rent you fridges and TVs, etc but you don't have to be a genius to work out that it's a completely false economy. Most owners will charge in the region of 500 baht a month for a TV and about the same or slightly less for a fridge. You can pick up great TVs and fridges for about 7,000 baht in any department store AND get free delivery. Do the maths! Within 14 months you've made your money back - the TV and Fridge are still almost brand new AND what's more - they belong to you. |
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11) Stand your Ground - Get Mad. Or Maddish! |
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Numerous annoying little things can go wrong when living in an apartment - the neighbor who constantly plays his radio at two in the morning, the kids who use the corridor as a playground, the weak water pressure that you reported six days ago and still comes out in a dribble, and the operator who is constantly failing to record your important messages while you're at work. I refer to them as 'little things' but they can definitely get you down depending on your personality and level of tolerance. I think it's imperative that you stay on good terms with the Thai staff even if sometimes you want to boil them alive. Whenever I had a problem, I developed a technique which brought me a lot of success. I didn't actually shout and lose my rag but used to stand there with arms outstretched (a bit like the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio) and adopt a look of total exasperation. I would say nothing but just turn on my heels and go back to my room. It worked every time.
There are other times when you don't give a toss about your relationship with the staff - on the day you check out for starters. Once you've left it's unlikely you'll ever drop in and shoot the shit over tea and biscuits. I've never felt that way inclined anyway. |
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12) Cable TV |
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Cable TV deserves its own section because Bangkok apartments with cable TV go together like salt and pepper. And although you might not be an avid TV watcher, its nice to crack open a can of lager and sit down for the big match, or kick off your shoes after a hard day in the classroom and let Ally McBeal or Sex in the City wash over you.
If the TV is important to you - get EXACT details of what package the apartment building has installed. For me the premier league football (ESPN channel) is a must, and possibly BBC news. If your apartment has subscribed to the cheapest possible cable TV package then you'll have a choice of the Discovery channel, HBO, and an obscure sports channel featuring cliff-diving from Acapulco and shove ha'penny from the hill-tribes of Northern Laos. That and fifty channels of Bollywood superstars.
I lived for three years at an apartment on Petchburi Road (I won't mention the name because Petchsiam Mansion won't like it). When I moved in everything was fine and dandy in the TV department. I could flick from one channel to another as happy as a lark. Then UBC announced a substantial increase in annual fees and the service in the apartment went rapidly downhill. In one of my very rare elevator conversations with a fellow farang, he told me that the apartment was now using an illegal satellite dish (rumours that it was a dustbin lid were never confirmed) and it was only possible to pipe one channel into one particular room at any given time. I laugh it at now but you had this ridiculous situation where I'd watch the English football on Saturday night, and literally the moment the final whistle blew, one of the staff downstairs would have to twiddle with the main unit because the bloke in room 237 wanted to watch Forrest Gump on HBO. I checked out very shortly after so it never became a major issue. As I say, be absolutely sure what UBC package the building has. And if they lie about it, at least you'll become fluent in Hindi. |
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13) The Neighborhood |
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My time at Petchsiam Mansion really brought it home to me the importance of neighborhood. Although the apartment itself was fine. the surrounding area was the pits. Those who know the stretch of road between the Klongtan Prakanong intersection and Foodland opposite Charn Issara Tower 2 will sympathize. Ugly is not the word. I literally hated setting foot outside the door. I would have loved to have strolled out to some nice street-food restaurants or hopped on a bus to a nearby shopping mall but there was nothing for miles around in any direction. Sometimes there were overwhelming feelings of isolation. It's nice to have that peace and quiet in your apartment but sometimes you do get the urge to go out and connect with other people. Not often but sometimes.
Happy apartment hunting!
Bangkok Phil Ajarn dot com
Thailand's most popular teaching website
Thanks Phil, i'm sure a lot of folks will find that a great help.
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