Concerns rise over illegal rentals by Chinese condo owners
A popular Facebook page has highlighted concerns over Chinese property owners purchasing and illegally renting out condos as daily accommodations, bypassing hotel registration processes.
The page reported issues faced by residents in buildings where units are rented out on platforms like Airbnb. Residents have observed a constant influx of foreigners with luggage, likening it to a nearby large hotel.
The reported condo owners leasing out units are predominantly Chinese, owning multiple rooms spread across various floors, sometimes comprising more than half of a floor.
Locals are frustrated as these rented units effectively turn into illegal hotels, causing considerable disturbance.
These tourists, often unaware or indifferent to building regulations, are reported to engage in inappropriate activities such as smoking cannabis indoors, drinking alcohol in communal areas, and causing damage. Incidents also include tourists swimming with shoes on and driving against traffic in parking areas.
These actions leave the building’s management with little recourse, as the tourists usually depart before any reparations can be enforced.
Despite attempts to curb daily rentals by implementing face scan entry systems to replace keycards, an effort to prevent easy room leasing, the measures have been largely ineffective. New face scans still average between 70 to 100 monthly.
Efforts to involve the Department of Provincial Administration for inspections have been inconclusive, as no specific agency oversees daily rental regulation. Without firm action from building management or government intervention, the problem persists, reported KhaoSod.
In other news, Rosana Tositrakul, a former senator, is urging the Bangkok governor to enforce a 10 year old court order for the demolition of the Aetas condominium in Pathumwan district due to a breach of the Building Control Act.
Through a Facebook post on January 26, Rosana called on Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to act on the Supreme Administrative Court’s directive to dismantle the 21-storey structure on Soi Ruamrudee. The condominium still stands a decade after the court’s decision.
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