Buying property in Thailand while you stay abroad.
Off-plan condos paid in instalments during construction, and resale units bought on seller financing: we review the contract, check progress before each payment and complete the transfer for you by power of attorney.
Start your matterYou are paying for a Thai property you can’t see.
An off-plan sale agreement can require most of the price before title is transferred, with no escrow or other protection for the buyer’s payments. Until transfer, the buyer holds a contractual claim, not the property, and if the developer stalls the buyer becomes its creditor.
- You have reserved an off-plan condo and have been sent the sale agreement to sign.
- You are paying instalments during construction and can’t visit the site yourself.
- You are buying a resale unit on seller financing, paid over several years.
- You can come to Thailand once, and need everything else handled remotely.
- You want to know which points to negotiate before you sign, not after.
- The developer is late, asking for extensions or not answering.
Five stages, from contract to keys.
Each stage is a separate package with its own scope and a fixed fee agreed in advance. Most buyers start with the contract review and add stages as the purchase moves forward.
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Contract review
A written review of the reservation and sale agreement.
- Includes
- A clause-by-clause issues table with risk ratings, recommendations, and a clear statement of what was and was not reviewed. See a sample.
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Negotiation and addendum pack
What to change before you sign.
- Includes
- Advice on which points should be conditions before signing, short addendum wording, and an enforceability opinion.
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Payment-milestone protection
A go / no-go note before each instalment.
- Includes
- Documentary evidence (approvals such as the EIA, construction milestones and the developer’s updates) checked by our legal team, and a site visit with dated photos by our property inspection team. Title and encumbrance checks are offered at the stage where they matter most.
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Completion and transfer from abroad
One visit, or none, for the final steps.
- Includes
- If you visit once, the inspection and signing meetings are fixed inside that visit. Everything else runs by limited power of attorney: handover inspection and snag list, transfer at the Land Office, foreign-exchange transaction (FET) documents, and payment against registration where possible.
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Escalation
If the developer stalls.
- Includes
- Delay notices, extension disputes and refund claims move into Recover & Enforce, with the history already on file.
How the stages are quoted, and what the legal fee covers compared with our service fee, is set out on Fees & process.
Legal checks and eyes on site, through one contact.
- Your case managerYour single point of contact: scheduling each check before your payment dates, and sending every report.
- Our legal teamLicensed Thai lawyers: contract review, addendum wording, opinions, document and title checks, and the transfer.
- Our property inspection teamSite visits with dated photos, the handover inspection and the snag list.
For each matter we assign the lawyer or specialist best suited to your needs. The responsible lawyer and their firm are named in your engagement letter. Who you work with
Buying from abroad: what to know before you pay.
- When does the buyer own the unit?
- When the transfer is registered at the Land Office. Before that, an off-plan buyer holds a contractual claim against the developer, and is unsecured unless the contract provides otherwise.
- What if the developer stalls?
- The buyer becomes the developer’s creditor. Thai class actions have been available since December 2015, including for contract and consumer claims, which can matter to buyers of the same development.
- Can a foreigner own a condo unit?
- Foreign ownership of condominium units is limited to a foreign quota in each building, subject to applicable rules and regulations. Your contract should say what happens if the unit cannot be registered in your name.
- Do I need to be at the Land Office?
- Not necessarily. The transfer can be completed by limited power of attorney, subject to the Land Office’s requirements.
- What paperwork does money from abroad need?
- Completion for a buyer abroad includes foreign-exchange transaction (FET) documents for the purchase funds, subject to applicable rules and regulations.
- What does a contract review not cover?
- Only what is listed in its scope. A review of the sale agreement is not a title search or an approvals check unless those are added; every report states its exclusions.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be in Thailand to buy?
Not for most of it. If you can visit once, we fix the inspection and signing meetings inside that visit. Everything after it can run by limited power of attorney, including the transfer at the Land Office.
What do I receive from a contract review?
A written report with its scope and exclusions, a summary, a clause-by-clause issues table with risk ratings, recommendations and next steps. The sample report shows the format, using a fictional contract.
How do you check progress before I pay an instalment?
Our legal team checks the documentary evidence for that milestone, and our property inspection team visits the site and takes dated photos. You receive a short go / no-go note before your payment date.
The developer is already late. Can you still help?
Yes. Delay notices, extension disputes and refund claims are handled through Recover & Enforce. If we already act on your purchase, the history is on file.
Related services
Tell us about the purchase.
Start with the names of the developer or seller and any agent, for our conflict check. Please don’t send the contract until we confirm we can act. If a reservation, signing or payment date is close, include it in your message.