Every Thai condominium runs on two charges most foreigners don’t see coming: the ongoing common-area maintenance (CAM) fee, billed by the square metre of your unit, and the one-off sinking fund paid at the first transfer. This guide explains what each one covers, the typical ranges by segment, who pays — owner versus tenant, how the juristic person sets and raises them, what happens when fees fall into arrears, and the fee-related costs that land on transfer day. Unbiased, never paid placement.
A Thai condo has two fees: the CAM fee — an ongoing charge billed per square metre that pays to run the building — and the sinking fund, a one-off reserve paid at first transfer for big future repairs. In a rental the owner pays both; the tenant pays rent and their own utilities. A healthy sinking fund and a realistic CAM fee are signs of a well-run building.
Editorial analysis compiled and periodically refreshed by BAANLYY’s research team — not a live data feed.
Analysis last reviewed 2026-07-05.
When you live in a Thai condominium you are part-funding a building, not just occupying a box. Two charges do that funding, and they work nothing alike. The common-area maintenance fee is the building’s ongoing running cost — paid regularly, forever, for as long as the building stands. The sinking fund is a capital reserve — paid once, banked, and drawn down only for big infrequent works. Confusing the two is the single most common mistake foreigners make when they read a building’s paperwork.
Both are collected and managed by the juristic person — the legal entity that runs the building under the Condominium Act — and both are almost always charged per square metre of your unit, so the bigger your unit, the more you pay.
The common-area maintenance fee (also called the common fee, common-area fee or service charge) is billed on a simple formula: the building’s per-sqm rate × the registered area of your unit. It is collected by the juristic person in advance — monthly, quarterly or annually depending on the building.
Worked example. A tower charges 50 baht per sqm per month. Your unit is 45 sqm. Monthly CAM fee = 45 × 50 = 2,250 baht (about 27,000 baht a year). Confirm the exact registered area on the title and the current rate from the latest AGM — both can differ from the sales brochure.
Because it is per-sqm and set building-wide, the CAM fee is not something you can negotiate for your own unit. It is proposed in the annual budget and approved by owners at the general meeting (see section 06).
The common fee pays for everything in the shared parts of the building — the things no single owner is responsible for but everyone uses:
What it does not cover is anything inside your own unit or your own metered consumption — your electricity, water and internet are billed to you separately on top of the rent or, if you own, directly by the providers.
The sinking fund is the building’s capital reserve for the expensive, occasional works that the monthly fee can’t absorb — repainting the facade, replacing lifts, overhauling plumbing, pumps, generators or the roof. It is funded two ways:
A well-funded sinking fund is one of the strongest signals of a healthy building: it means a major repair won’t trigger a surprise levy. A building boasting a suspiciously low common fee with an empty reserve is not a bargain — it’s a deferred bill.
This is where renters and buyers diverge:
Watch the lease: a clause that tries to charge the tenant the building’s common fee on top of rent is unusual for a standard residential let — query it before signing (our renting guide and tenant-rights guide cover what’s normal). What a tenant does pay the juristic office are occupant charges: replacement keycards, parking transponders and move-in or renovation deposits.
Rates vary widely with the age, location and amenity level of the building. As a rough guide for monthly CAM fees:
Sinking-fund contributions typically sit around 350–700 baht/sqm as a one-off. None of these are fixed in law — each building’s rate is proposed in its annual budget and approved by owners at the AGM, with votes weighted by unit size. Fees rise over time as costs climb and buildings age, so a rate frozen unrealistically low for years often hides an underfunded reserve.
The Condominium Act gives the juristic person real teeth on unpaid common fees:
For tenants this rarely bites directly, but a building with widespread arrears is a warning sign of weak finances and deferred maintenance. If you’re buying, confirm the seller’s common-fee account is clean as part of due diligence.
If you’re buying, two condo-fee items settle at the Land Office on transfer day, on top of government transfer fees and taxes:
The juristic person issues the debt-free certificate the Land Office requires before it will register the transfer. Foreign buyers should also keep the 49% foreign-ownership quota and the FET (foreign-exchange) paperwork in view — the fee items are one line in a larger transfer-day budget. Confirm every figure with the juristic office in writing before completion.
The CAM fee and the sinking fund tell you how well a building is run. Learn the area, the building and the going rate — then read the budget and the accounts before you commit.
General information only — not legal or financial advice. Fee rates, sinking-fund amounts, arrears penalties, transfer-day costs and the Condominium Act vary by building and case and change over time. The ranges given are indicative, not quotes. Confirm current figures and your specific building’s rules with the juristic office, official Thai authorities and a licensed Thai lawyer where needed. BAANLYY never takes paid placement.