Feeling ripped off by the condo owner, anything I can do?

[ryanhull]

Hello all,

 

3 weeks ago I moved into a small condo in Maha Sarakham in isaan,

 

The rent is only 4000 a month and its not a bad little place for the price,

All was good until yesterday, I got my first electric bill slipped under the door, the bill was 4500 bhat, I only have the one air con unit and I do not leave it on 24/7, I have a pc/tv/fridge/microwave also... 

 

Now when we moved in we took a picture of the meter and the amount of units we have used is correct. Looking further into things, it seems we are paying 8 bhat per unit on power, I have obviously stupidly signed the contract as it was in Thai and didn't think it would be much different from the other contracts ive signed over the years, to be honest the highest bill I have ever had was 2800 and that was in the hottest month and in a 4 bedroom house with aircons pretty much on 24/7, now I know I was paying direct to the government then so I cant expect that in a condo and I know condos make up there own prices but I am bit stuck here, the owner of the block of condos just gives me the blank when asked about it and basically said you have until the 5th of next month to pay it, I feel like I am being ripped off here and cant fathom how I could use 4500b in electric in a one bedroom apartment? even if I left the ac on 24/7 with the doors wide open I don't think I would even hit that? 

 

Anyway, the deposit for the condo is only 4000 bhat, (less than the electric bill) and its not I cant afford to pay it just don't like being ripped off,

 

Reading into laws etc on what landlords can and cant do it seems she is going against the law charging 8bhat a unit as she rents more than 5 places out, but a. I get the feeling reading the law to her will get me no where

b. My own mrs says I signed it so I have to pay it end of (not very helpful)

c. If pay 4500 electric a month moving forward, plus the rent, I could be living in a large house for the same price? and whos to say next month she wont put it up to 20 bhat a unit?

 

To be blunt, I am writing this post to ask what would you do in this situation? 

 

I could just pack up and leave and tell her to take me to court for the electric, I could pay it and stay and give in, I could I am told by a Thai friend report her (that's only going to bring trouble to my door), really I do not have a lot of options I guess but to pay it and continue to be scammed moving forward? 

 

I have been told the normal rate for living in a condo even with the owner hiking the price up should be 4 bhat a unit max?

 

Any advise would be much appreciated as I am in a bit of a pickle here wether to just up and leave or wether to give in and pay?

 

Cheers all 

[Olmate]

Are you sure your not paying for common area or some other usage.I am paying for water pump for the block ,wifi router and lighting to common areas but owner re imburses me. Try turning off your appliances etc and check meter

[ryanhull]

Hi Olmate, your question kind of confuses me, why would I be paying for anyone else's power but my own usage? but no is the answer, cheers

[Olmate]

3 minutes ago, ryanhull said:

Hi Olmate, your question kind of confuses me, why would I be paying for anyone else's power but my own usage? but no is the answer, cheers

That’s just the way this block is wired

[ukrules]

40 minutes ago, ryanhull said:

whos to say next month she wont put it up to 20 bhat a unit?

You said it says 8 Baht in the 'contract'

 

Get the electric bills in writing, gather as much evidence as you can then report her to whoever investigates these things or just move out and tell her to go ***k herself.

 

5 Baht is a standard rate in many condos, I have seen it as high as 8 or 9 Baht in the past - like 10 plus years ago so it's not that unusual but it is a rip off.

[Swiss1960]

She is cheating you, so pack up and move out. I pay 4500 for my house, 3 rooms of which 2 rooms with 10h aircon, pool pump, 3 fridge, TV's, lights, CCTV boiler, water pump etc etc

Sent from my SM-A730F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[ryanhull]

thanks guys, the mrs is kind of annoying me about it 'oh I told you, you signed it' what you told me we was going to be paying double the most expensive rate? and you was ok with that? 'you knew' 

Don't get it sometimes, clearly being scammed and I am told I signed it so whatever,

 

What a mess about having to move all my stuff to a new place now,

 

Lesson learnt though I guess,

 

Would you guys just up and leave without paying the bill? or pay it then leave? 

 

Thanks,

 

[potless]

I thought that overcharging on the meter rate was made illegal some time back. Around the time that upfront deposits were supposed to be pegged at one month only. Others on here will know

[madmen]

You said it says 8 Baht in the 'contract'
 
Get the electric bills in writing, gather as much evidence as you can then report her to whoever investigates these things or just move out and tell her to go ***k herself.
 
5 Baht is a standard rate in many condos, I have seen it as high as 8 or 9 Baht in the past - like 10 plus years ago so it's not that unusual but it is a rip off.

"you can then report her to whoever investigates these things"

Surely you jest. A contract is a contract

[madmen]

I thought that overcharging on the meter rate was made illegal some time back. Around the time that upfront deposits were supposed to be pegged at one month only. Others on here will know

Only if the landlord had 5 condos or more. Crazy law but TIT

[Salerno]

10 minutes ago, madmen said:

Only if the landlord had 5 condos or more. Crazy law but TIT

 

1 hour ago, ryanhull said:

Reading into laws etc on what landlords can and cant do it seems she is going against the law charging 8bhat a unit as she rents more than 5 places out,

 

[KittenKong]

The new law says that landlords may not charge much more than the electricity actually costs them.

 

Anyone with a domestic supply should be paying just over 4B/unit.

 

Anyone with a commercial supply may be paying much more than that.

[KittenKong]

1 hour ago, ryanhull said:

I feel like I am being ripped off here and cant fathom how I could use 4500b in electric in a one bedroom apartment? even if I left the ac on 24/7 with the doors wide open I don't think I would even hit that? 

Before I replaced it with a new inverter my old air-con would regularly cost me 4000+B per month in my condo, including other things like lighting, TV, oven, water heater. With the new one my bills dropped to around 1500B, including other things.

[ianezy0]

Bite the bullet now, otherwise its will gnaw at you until you do eventually move.

Count your losses, learn and move on.

Best of luck.

[Destiny1990]

What ur neighbors paying?

[Los Luver]

1 hour ago, ryanhull said:

To be blunt, I am writing this post to ask what would you do in this situation?  

I, personally, wouldn't be in this situation. Cause, I always ask about such things before signing anything,

In this case, I think you have to pay the bill......

[khunpa]

If it was me, I would begin to look for something else to live in.

 

It never leads anywhere good to start trouble here as a foreigner.

[Puchaiyank]

Yes, landlord is taking advantage of you!  I live in a large 3 bedroom home with many electric appliances plus air conditioners and during the hottest month my bill was a little over 2,800 baht...normally around 1800...

 

 

[madmen]

. Keep in mind that Thais will often discount the front end and make it up on the back end

 

 

You said the rent was a good deal

Doesnt matter how you break it up your paying 8500k with electricity..is it worth it to you?

[wisperone]

So you don't read Thai, you have a Thai wife, and you signed a contract without her reading it. Ok.

[Briggsy]

How did you manage to use 562 units?

 

Either you use your air con every day for several hours or

your air con is highly inefficient or

your meter is overstating the electricity used or

you are paying for some other electrical output such as the air con in the condo office (he he).

 

Try to eliminate the factors above and the one remaining will be the truth.

 

p.s. next time always ask about electricity cost, water cost, building charge along with the rent. And ask to see a sample bill.

[mike787]

Give her a choice:  stop the BS or you move out.  end of story.  If she won't do the right thing then you do it.  Don't wait around.  Drop the hammer on her hard and fast.  Problem fixed for good.

[madmen]

3 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Either you use your air con every day for several hours

Several hours is not much for a farang struggling with humidity, that would be the bottom end IMO

[ryanhull]

Quote

"you can then report her to whoever investigates these things"

Surely you jest. A contract is a contract

Thing is, if a contract goes against the law, then it cannot stand up where I am from and should be amended immediately? The news laws that came into place regarding renting from what I have read is up to the landlord to change contracts and its up the landlord to abide by not the tenant? thanks all the same for the response.

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, ryanhull said:

3 weeks ago I moved into a small condo in Maha Sarakham in isaan,

 

The rent is only 4000 a month and its not a bad little place for the price,

All was good until yesterday, I got my first electric bill slipped under the door, the bill was 4500 bhat, I only have the one air con unit and I do not leave it on 24/7, I have a pc/tv/fridge/microwave also... 

A falangie rip off move.

[ryanhull]

Quote

So you don't read Thai, you have a Thai wife, and you signed a contract without her reading it. Ok.

To be honest, I completely get your point and see my mistake, having lived here for 6 years and signed so many, I just assumed it would be within the law and fairly standardised but your correct,... when your moving car loads of stuff into a new place and you just want to get settled, I guess you can overlook these things, but its my bad for not getting it in English and studying such '8bhat per unit', lesson learnt though, cheers

[ryanhull]

Thanks for all your replies anyway peeps, appreciated and I appreciate I have been a bit of a plonker signing it, I think im pretty  much set on moving out as if the air unit is faulty, she isn't the type to help nor fix it and I don't see why I should stay here given the next bill will probably be 4-5k.... may aswell use that money and move into a bigger place right? question I have for you guys is... would you pay the bill before you leave or leave? knowing her if she see`s me moving my stuff out shes going to get cranky and start demanding cash etc, but then again I have until the 5th to pay it so she has no right to do that.... Ill stop blabbering on, to be blunt, pay it and move on or don't pay and just go? cheers all

[Psimbo]

2 hours ago, ryanhull said:

thanks guys, the mrs is kind of annoying me about it 'oh I told you, you signed it' what you told me we was going to be paying double the most expensive rate? and you was ok with that? 'you knew' 

Don't get it sometimes, clearly being scammed and I am told I signed it so whatever,

 

What a mess about having to move all my stuff to a new place now,

 

Lesson learnt though I guess,

 

Would you guys just up and leave without paying the bill? or pay it then leave? 

 

Thanks,

 

Let me get this straight- the Mrs warned you, you signed it but now you feel ripped off?

 

Exactly how have you been 'scammed'? You are paying over the going rate but in your own words YOU KNEW.

 

You cannot be serious.

[brokenbone]

i pay 8 baht a unit too, i dont like it but i like other stuff here,

8 baht is standard in condos, accept it or move to a place

where you pay government rate. in any case it would be very bad manner to run from the bill, that is actually technically right, even if it sux ass to not have a more transparent cost, i.e it would be more straight up 

if it was enforced government rate and condo owners would simply have to adjust rent to make it up.

come to think of it it would also be a crime to run from the bill, this is not a case where a condo owner rip you off the deposit,

this is a criminal act on your behalf,

and i sure hope it will get you consequences, just as i think the scam the other way around should get condo owners to pay for their tricks, when they keep deposit

 

[Seth1a2a]

7 minutes ago, ryanhull said:

pay it and move on or don't pay and just go?

Regardless of what you pay you do owe her something.

Pay it and move on or pay what you owe (4*units used) and just go.  if she tries to come after you she would then be challenged to prove that you are wrong by not overpaying the legally allowed 

amount.

 

Or  "Lesson learned" tell her to keep the 4000 deposit (how had you planned on getting it back anyway?} and explain that it is not wise to pay more for utilities than you pay for your accommodation.

.  I know it's your money but the real amount up for discussion is the 2000 to 2500 

you're being overcharged.  Short term this amount is not going to overwhelm your budget.

As someone else pointed out, isolate the power drain and eliminate it by observing the meter closely.

 

If you see it as 6000-6500 for a months rent plus utilities, it looks better on paper should it take you a little longer to find a comparably priced unit somewhere else. Don't jump into another fiasco by being too eager to set the record straight......