Buying property in Thailand carries costs beyond the price itself, and they differ for freehold and leasehold. This is a plain breakdown of the main ones, as they stand in mid-2026: the lease registration fee, the transfer fee, maintenance fees, and the sinking fund. Treat the figures as a guide and confirm the current position with qualified counsel before you budget on them.
- 1.1%
- lease registration feeof total rent over the term, commonly
- 2%
- transfer fee, freeholdof the appraised value, commonly
- 50 / 50
- the usual splitbetween the two sides, by practice not law
Lease registration fee (leasehold)
Leases differ by length. A short lease of up to three years does not need to be registered to be enforceable in court. A long lease, over three years and registrable up to thirty, must be registered at the Land Office to be enforceable. The registration fee has commonly been about 1.1% of the total rental over the lease term, and it is typically shared equally between the lessor and the lessee.
A lease is one of two things
Up to 3 years
Enforceable in court without registration
Over 3, up to 30
Must be registered at the Land Office
Transfer fee (freehold)
On a freehold purchase, the transfer fee has commonly been about 2% of the property’s official appraised value. It is paid at the Department of Lands on the day ownership transfers, and while it can be paid by either side, it is common practice to split it equally between buyer and seller. One point to watch: the government periodically introduces temporary reductions to this fee, so the rate that applies to your purchase is worth confirming rather than assuming. The current measure, running from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, cuts the transfer fee to 0.01 percent, but only for Thai nationals buying a home priced at or below THB 7 million. It does not reach foreign buyers or the luxury price band, so a foreign purchaser at this end of the market should budget for the standard rate.
Maintenance fees and the sinking fund
Two further costs apply to condominiums:
- Maintenance, or common-area (CAM) fees. Recurring charges that cover staffing, security, cleaning, and the upkeep of shared facilities such as gyms, pools, and gardens. On a new development the first year is usually paid upfront; on a resale, the buyer typically pays a proportional amount for the remaining months of the year.
- The sinking fund. A one-time payment made when buying a new property from a developer, set aside for future repairs and major maintenance of common areas. The amount varies by project and is usually calculated on the size of the unit.
Other costs to ask about
Depending on the seller and how long they have owned the property, other transaction taxes can apply, such as specific business tax, withholding tax, and stamp duty. These vary with the circumstances of the sale, so the practical step is to ask for a full, itemised cost breakdown for the specific property before committing, rather than relying on headline rates.
The price is the headline. The fees are where a budget is actually made or broken.
These are the costs of the purchase itself. The costs of arriving, the deposit and the advance on a lease, the school fees, the health cover and the shipping, sit in our guide to moving to Thailand.