The difference between an Apartment and Condo in Pattaya.

Which one will best suit your needs?

Some Expats Favour the Pattaya Condo over the Pattaya Apartment. Why?

If like myself and your are from England or the EU, then the distinction between a Condominium or Apartment can be complicated.

Back home In England we tend to describe such properties as Flats, as they are usually on just a single level, although you can get multi-level, duplex or double-decker versions of course.

Other parts of the globe have similar expressions for these types of properties, but universally they are known as Condo’s, Condominiums or Apartments.

Why does Pattaya distinguish between the two?

Pattaya is a Developing City and as such has decided to adopt many ideas from the Developed World to organise its growing economy and nation, and also to help it expand towards its latest goal of being classed as ‘Developed’.

Thai Government and legal structure of Thai Law, Thailand has adopted concepts and methods from the England and the US.

You can easily observe this on a daily basis in all parts of Thailand, and one odd example is the use of Red Post Boxes with black base supports, as is traditional of the Great Britain Royal Mail.

The Theory of a Thai Apartment

When people started moving to cities both in the Developed world and in the Developing countries, they needed accommodation fast. So enterprising wealthy entrepreneurs begun to build mass housing.

This was done in the forms of both Apartments and Town-Houses (I will explain that later).

So as it was in London and New York, it was very alike in Bangkok. People moved to the major towns looking for work and a better life.

Of course, as many of these newly arrived citizens had little or no money, but wanted to be near their employment, they demanded cheap accommodation.

Pattaya and Bangkok city certainly have a responsibility on its hands. At the same time, urbanisation and congregation towards the city centres, new facilities and offices meant that land prices increased, and so the local landlords decided that Thai Apartments were, and often still are, the greatest class of real estate to build.

Numerous people living in one big building separated by internal walls and partitions.

Apparently, the origin of the Pattaya Apartment has moved on in leaps and bounds in most cities, including Pattaya & Bangkok, since those early days. As the market has become more wealthy and advanced as so have the Thai Apartments that people are living in it.

Many of the Pattaya real estates we work with at My Pattaya Condo are the Thai and Foreign condominium projects. Many have fantastic amenities such as Swimming Pools, Fitness Centers, 24/7 guarded security, Car Parking, Jacuzzis, Saunas, Steam Rooms, Basketball Courts, Tennis Courts and Restaurants.

Pattaya apartments are primarily owned by one titleholder. Their business owns the entire building and therefore ALL the units inside that building. These units are for Rent Only! “You can not under any circumstances buy a single unit in a Thai Apartment block.”

Landlords set their rules which must be followed by all residents or else the landlord can terminate the contract and ask you to leave. The rules they can impose can stretch to the price of Electricity per unit, Water, Telephone or any other amenity or facility they offer. And often there is a premium placed on Utility bills.

So why are Thai apartments still accessible? Well for starts, numerous Thai apartments are cheaper per square meter to Rent than Condos.

Concept of the Pattaya Condo (condominiums)

A traditional Thai Condominium is also part of a large (or colossal) building. Similar to a Thai Apartment, it is one unit inside a building which will house many units, perhaps many hundreds of units. However, the big difference is all these units are owned by individual owners.

Condo’s were not built by a person wishing to rent out all the units, and it was constructed by a developer wanting to Sell all the units to individuals. It’s up to people what they do with the freehold condominium they purchase.

Many Pattaya condo owners opt to live in their property as they can have access to excellent facilities such as Swimming Pools, Fitness Studios, Security, Car Parking, Jacuzzis, Saunas, Steam Rooms, Golf Driving Ranges, Tennis Courts and restaurants. Many of the condos Pattaya has to offer are often in superb locations such as The Base Pattaya Condominium, which is situated in the heart of town making it ideal for rental Investments in future.

The benefits associated with a Pattaya condominium over the Pattaya Apartment, are mainly the cost of the utility bills.

A condo developer or Juristic is not allowed to place any extras on utility bills, which indicates all the bills will be paid straight to the utility company and therefore the lowest rate available.

We frequently see that our clients who wish to rent on a long term basis find that the condos Pattaya has to offer are far better value for money than the Thai apartments.