ThaiLawForums latest video with green building consultant and engineer Armelle Le Bihan is a must-see.

Anyone looking to invest in green projects, or to live and work in more sustainable environments will want to learn more about green buildings, and why they are so important.

Watch it here:

Business lawyers in Bangkok Chaninat and Leeds may not be sustainability experts, but they are many people’s first choice in terms of Thai business law.

New finance minister Apisak Tantivorawong announced yesterday that the land and building tax may see further changes, even though it was on its way to the Cabinet for approval, The Nation reports.

He said “many processes and details” could be revised.

Image Credit: Alan Cleaver (Flickr)

The Finance Ministry and the restructured Council of Economic Ministers will now re-review the land and business tax.

If there are no significant changes to the draft bill, agricultural land will be subject to a maximum 0.25% tax, commercial property 2% and residential 0.5%.

This will replace the existing municipal and land and household tax.

Real estate attorneys in Thailand Chaninat and Leeds are experts in handling Thai real estate and land law, for both Thai and foreign clients.

Mr Apisak also explained that new measures would be implemented to help the grassroots economy, and will also be sent for Cabinet approval shortly. He said: “Farmers are not the only group that is suffering from the economic slowdown, as there are low-income earners in the capital that are suffering also.”

He went on to say that the measure “should be able to support the economy from slowing down any further”.

For the full story see here.

The Bangkok Post reports that several property management firms have expressed concerns over a new Condo Law amendment that would eliminate the requirement of common area fees debt settlement on a condo unit before the transfer of ownership.

Some opponents to the proposed amendment point out, according to the Bangkok Post, that the amendment would only serve to increase the long term costs incurred by juristic condominium complex owner due to increased legal expenses to settle legal disputes over unpaid common area debts.

Chaninat and Leeds’ Thailand condominium lawyers are experts on Thailand real estate, property, and land laws.  

Under the current Thailand condo law, common area expenses have to be settled before a condo unit can be transferred to a new owner.

The proposed amendment is still under review by the Legal Execution Department.

Read the full story here.

Learn the some of risks of buying a condo in Thailand in the video below:

Related Thailand Law Documents:
Thailand Condo Act
Thailand Land Code

The Thailand Department of National Parks initiated a plan to take back national park land in Phuket that has been illegally developed through decades of abuse of Sor Kor 1 land title documents, reports the Bangkok Post.

Real estate law in Thailand prohibits the issuance of private deeds on public lands. The DNP estimates that 370 land plots, making up 2,700 rai (about 1,092 acres) of the Sirinat National Park, are being unlawfully encroached upon.

The DNP intends to take legal action against these plots’ landowners. According to the Bangkok Post, potential suspects in this growing effort include high-ranking officials, real estate tycoons, and hoteliers.

This misuse of public lands is abetted by corruption in the issuance of Phuket land deeds. The Bangkok Post stated that the Sirinat Park Office and Provincial Land are two of the local Phuket offices alleged to be at fault.

Although the DNP is pursing legal action against landowners, currently no statements have been made about investigating government offices for issuance of the forged title deeds.

Read the full story here.

Dr Andrew M Goodman wrote this article for thailawforum “Thailand’s Condominium Bubble a Reality or Myth” and it makes interesting reading for every potential investor in Bangkok’s condominium market.

Goodman reminds us that historically real estate has been considered to be one of the best investments to make.

Chaninat & Leeds attorneys have been helping foreigners with condominium laws in Thailand since 1997

According to some reports, In the real estate market in Bangkok, condominium prices have significantly increased recently, and that this has happened in an otherwise tough economic climate.  New investors should also note that advertising for condos in the city are becoming increasingly hyped in an attempt to justify higher prices.

Further, the real estate market in general regularly falls victim to unpredictable short-term fluctuations in price; caused by political factors, demand factors, demographic factors involving the movement of people, as well as the building of shopping or school facilities or transport services along with a myriad of other price impacting factors.

Read the full article here