Thailand's rental market runs on two layers of law that often surprise first-time tenants: the Civil and Commercial Code, which governs the underlying lease contract, and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board's (OCPB) controlled-contract rules, which govern how landlords in the business of renting must treat tenants. On June 6, 2025, the Royal Thai Government Gazette published a new OCPB Notification — the Notification of the Contract Committee Re: The Stipulation of Residential Property Leasing as a Contract-Controlled Business B.E. 2568 (2025) — which took effect September 4, 2025 and replaced the prior 2018 framework. For expats, DTV and LTR visa holders, and corporate relocations who rent rather than buy, this update changes what a compliant lease is required to say.
The 2025 notification widened its reach. It now applies to any landlord leasing three or more residential units — down from the five-unit threshold under the old rules — including units marketed through digital platforms. It splits leases into two categories: short-term (up to three years) and long-term (more than three years, up to 30 years or for the tenant's lifetime). That three-year line is not arbitrary — it tracks Section 538 of the Civil and Commercial Code, which requires any lease longer than three years to be in writing and registered with the Land Department to be enforceable beyond the initial three years. An unregistered "long-term" lease is only enforceable for three years regardless of what the contract states, and Thai law caps any lease at 30 years.
Several terms are now mandatory even if a contract stays silent on them, because the law implies them automatically. Landlords must issue written rent and utility invoices at least three days before payment is due. A signed move-in condition report, ideally with photos, must be attached to the lease. Security deposits must be returned immediately at the end of the tenancy, or, if an inspection is genuinely needed, within seven days if no damage is found and within 14 days if repair costs are deducted. Tenants in a fixed-term lease can terminate early, without penalty for breach, once they have lived in the unit for at least half the lease term, by giving 30 days' written notice and settling outstanding payments. Landlords, in turn, must give at least 30 days' written notice to end a tenancy, or seven days in cases of serious tenant misconduct.
The notification also blacklists specific clauses outright. A landlord cannot demand a security deposit or advance rent exceeding three months' rent on a short-term or monthly-paid long-term lease, or more than one year's rent on an annually-paid long-term lease. Clauses letting a landlord raise rent or fees mid-term, forfeit a deposit without cause, charge utilities above official government rates, lock out a tenant, confiscate belongings, inspect without notice, or bill a tenant for normal wear and tear are all unenforceable, even if the tenant signed them. Landlords who use noncompliant contracts risk criminal penalties under the Consumer Protection Act B.E. 2522 (1979): up to one year in prison, a fine of up to THB 200,000, or both.
One cost tenants frequently overlook is stamp duty. Under the Revenue Department's Stamp Duty Schedule (Instrument 1), a lease of land, a building, or other construction is subject to duty of 1 baht for every 1,000 baht (0.1%) of the total rent or key money over the full lease term. If a lease doesn't state a term, the Revenue Code deems it a three-year lease for duty purposes. The schedule names the person providing the rent — the landlord — as legally liable for the duty, while the tenant is designated to affix and cancel the stamp; in practice, many contracts allocate this cost by negotiation, so it is worth reading that clause specifically rather than assuming who pays.
Before signing, it is worth asking a few direct questions: does the landlord lease three or more units, which would trigger the 2025 controlled-contract rules; does the deposit exceed the legal cap; is there a signed, photographed condition report; and, for anything longer than three years, has the lease been registered at the Land Department in the tenant's name. Registering a long-term lease carries its own cost: the Department of Lands' published fee schedule sets the lease registration fee at 1% of the total lease value across the full term -- separate from the 0.1% stamp duty above -- payable at the local Land Office, and registration requires the lessor's cooperation to complete.