Legal Information

Under Thai law a foreigner may not own the freehold to land, however, a freehold title for a building which sits on the land can be purchased. There are a number of different purchase options available to the overseas buyer and most property developers will offer buyers both freehold and leasehold alternatives:

Purchasing the land leasehold and the property freehold

The land on which the property sits can be purchased by a foreigner as leasehold. The developer will lease the land to the purchaser for a period of 30 years with an option to extend, at minimum cost, for a further two 30 year periods to give effectively a 90 year lease.

A good leasehold contract should include a clause which states that if the land law in Thailand changes, making a freehold option available, and the title may be converted from leasehold to freehold at the leaseholders request.