Rent an Apartment in Chiang Mai: Deposit, Contract, TM30
The Gazette notification covers an operator who lets three or more units to an individual tenant. For those operators it bans a lease term letting the landlord collect advance rent and deposit above three months of monthly rent. It also bans utility rates above the utility's own and forfeiting the deposit without tenant fault. The TM30 duty is the landlord's.
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Before you pay a baht at the viewing, check five things: the deposit total, the utility rates, forfeiture, entry without notice, and two matching copies of the lease. Each comes from the Royal Gazette notification on residential building rental.
Does the notification cover your landlord?
The Contract Committee notification makes residential building rental a contract-controlled business. It appears in the Royal Gazette of 6 June 2025. It takes effect after ninety days from Gazette publication. The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) says it has been in force since 4 September 2025.
Clause 4 sets two tests. The tenant must be an individual, and the operator must let three or more units, whether in one building or several. The clause names no company or registration test. “Building” means a room, house, condominium unit, apartment or other residence let for living in, not a dormitory under the dormitory law or a hotel under the hotel law.
A private owner with one or two units falls outside that definition as read. Ask the landlord how many units they let, because the clause gives a tenant no way to check. A lease signed in a company’s name is outside the clause too, because the tenant must be an individual.
What rent to expect
A one-bedroom averages THB 15,580 per month in the city centre and THB 10,184.62 outside it on Numbeo. It rests on 740 entries by 54 contributors, last updated 7 October 2026.
Area-by-area rent is in where to live in Chiang Mai.
Deposit and advance rent
The standard short-term lease bans a term that lets the operator collect advance rent and deposit together above three months of the monthly rent.
ข้อสัญญาที่กำหนดให้ผู้ประกอบธุรกิจมีสิทธิเรียกเก็บค่าเช่าล่วงหน้าและเงินประกัน เมื่อรวมกันแล้วมีจำนวนเกินกว่าสามเดือนของอัตราค่าเช่าที่คิดเป็นรายเดือน
Editor’s translation: A contract term that lets the operator collect advance rent and deposit which together exceed three months of the monthly rent rate.
Royal Gazette vol. 142, special part 211 ง, 6 June 2025, clause 6.1(2) (ข้อ ๖.๑ (๒))
A long lease paid by the year has its own cap: advance rent plus deposit above one year of the yearly rent is banned.
Two months plus one month in advance adds up to three months, exactly the cap. Ask for the receipt to name the deposit and the advance rent separately.
The standard form says the operator returns the deposit immediately when the lease ends, unless the operator wants to check for damage. If the tenant caused no damage, it comes back within seven days after the lease ends and the operator has retaken possession.
If the tenant damaged the building, the operator may deduct the repair cost. No deduction is allowed for damage from normal use, wear from normal use or causes that are not the tenant’s fault. The rest is returned within fourteen days, and the operator bears the cost of sending it back.
A tenant on a fixed-term lease may leave early after living there at least half the term, with at least thirty days’ written notice and no arrears. Prepaid rent is returned within seven days of the notice. The full rules are in the deposit guide.
Forfeiture and entry without notice
The same list bans a term letting the operator forfeit the deposit or advance rent when the tenant is not at fault. It also bans a term letting the operator or an agent inspect the building without telling the tenant first. The exception is an emergency where failing to act would cause damage or affect others.
If the draft contract has either term, ask for it to be struck out before you sign.
The contract itself
Building and apartment leases must be drawn up on the standard-form contract. A short-term lease is one with a rental period of no more than three years. A long-term lease runs more than three years, up to thirty years.
A lease with an operator must carry Thai text that can be seen and read clearly. The lease is drawn up in two matching copies. Ask for an English copy of the same terms for your own reading, and keep the Thai one signed.
The standard form has a clause on utility rates at the time of signing, with a line for the electricity rate.
Utilities
A lease term that sets electricity and water rates above the rates the utilities charge the operator is banned. Operators may charge no more than the rate the state charges and may not add a service fee or margin.
PEA’s residential rate applies from the September 2026 bill. It is THB 3.0000 per unit for units 26 to 200 and THB 4.1584 for units 201 to 400, before Ft, the monthly service charge and VAT. The cut extends to rental homes, dormitories and apartments.
The minister said rented-room water and electricity must be charged at actual cost with no markup. Whether a landlord’s own meter gets that rate is not stated, so ask what rate your landlord applies. The tiers are in landlord electricity and water prices.
Basic utilities for an 85 m2 apartment average THB 2,094.75 per month on Numbeo. Compare your bill with the contract rate, not with that average.
Tenants charged above the permitted rate can seek advice from the OCPB hotline, 1166.
The landlord’s TM30
The house-master, owner or possessor of the residence, or the hotel manager, must notify immigration within 24 hours of the foreigner taking up residence. The duty sits with the landlord, not the tenant.
The notification can be made in person, by registered post, or online after registering for a username and password. Chiang Mai Immigration links an online TM30 service for house-masters, owners or possessors. The full procedure is in the TM30 guide.
Related guides
Rent ranges by area: where to live in Chiang Mai. If you are new to the city, the first-week checklist lists what to sort out first.
Step by step
- Ask for the standard-form leaseBuilding and apartment leases must be drawn up on the standard-form contract. The short-term form is for leases of no more than three years.
- Add up deposit and advance rentFor operators with three or more units, a term allowing advance rent plus deposit above three months of monthly rent is prohibited.
- Check the utility ratesA term setting electricity and water rates above the utility's own rates is prohibited.
- Read the forfeiture and inspection termsA term allowing forfeiture without tenant fault is prohibited. So is entry for inspection without notice, except in an emergency.
- Keep a matching copyThe lease is drawn up in two matching copies. A lease with an operator must carry Thai text that can be read clearly.
- Ask who files the TM30The duty to notify immigration within 24 hours is the owner's or house-master's. Ask whether it has been filed.
Not confirmed: Ask for the same terms in writing. Whether a landlord's own meter gets the lower PEA rate is not stated in the pages read, so ask to see the utility bill.
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Common questions
How much deposit can a landlord ask in Chiang Mai?
For operators with three or more units, a standard-lease term allowing advance rent plus deposit above three months of monthly rent is prohibited.
Is a deposit of two months plus one month in advance legal?
It adds up to three months, the same as the cap in the standard short-term lease.
Can my landlord charge more for electricity than the power company does?
A lease term setting electricity and water rates above the utility's own rates is prohibited. PEA's residential rate is THB 3.0000 per unit for units 26 to 200 from the September 2026 bill. The cut extends to rental homes, dormitories and apartments.
Does the notification apply to every lease?
No. Clause 4 covers an operator who lets to an individual tenant and has three or more units, in one building or several. Dormitories and hotels are excluded.
How fast must the landlord return the deposit?
If the tenant caused no damage, within seven days after the lease ends and the operator has retaken possession. After a repair deduction, the rest follows within fourteen days.
Can the landlord keep my deposit if I did nothing wrong?
A lease term letting the operator forfeit the deposit or advance rent when the tenant is not at fault is prohibited.
Can the landlord walk in without telling me?
A term allowing inspection without notice is prohibited, except in an emergency.
Who files the TM30?
The house-master, owner or possessor of the residence, or the hotel manager, must notify immigration within 24 hours. The duty is not the foreigner's.
Where do I complain about an overcharge?
The OCPB points tenants charged excess water or electricity to its hotline, 1166.
Does the notification cover a hotel or dormitory?
No. The definition of a building leaves out dormitories under the dormitory law and hotels under the hotel law.
Read next
General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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