Foreign accused of breaking the Hotel Act
According to Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, regulators are looking into claims that Chinese citizens have been allegedly renting out their apartments in contravention of the Hotel Act.
He stated on Wednesday that the Department of Provincial Administration was looking into allegations that Chinese residents purchased condominium buildings and rented them out to other foreigners, especially in Sukhumvit Road.
” Those who rent out motel rooms or condominium units must have licences and work in line with the Interior Ministry’s laws”, he said.
He added that no more than 49 % of condos are owned by foreigners.
Former prime minister Srettha Thavisin gave the Interior Ministry an instruction to raise the foreign ownership quota for condos from 49 % to no more than 75 %, according to Mr. Anutin, who referred to a “matter that is under study” in the matter.
The Drama Addict Facebook page recently made the claim that Chinese owners had purchased villas and rented them out to other immigrants. They give their clients a code to open the wallet and get the keycards to get the condo by locking the boxes and using keycards.
According to the website, the customers leave the tips or keycards in the rooms when they check them out.
A package containing secrets was discovered close to a somtam channel, which made the problem known. A foreign visitor had gotten the keys to a condominium when police were called and arrived at the scene, so they took action against the condo unit’s owner, according to Drama Addict.
According to sources, Soi Sukhumvit 42 has many condos that are rented out for short-term using the Airbnb program. Additionally, people who rent the condos have complained about troubling other residents.
For accommodations violated the Hotel Act, options said. Up to a fine of up to 20, 000 baht plus a daily fine of 10,000 baht is imposed on those who do not possess permits to run hotels and rent out rooms until for improper behavior is stopped.
Residents are also prohibited from renting out their units monthly at most condos because it will destroy other people’s protection and pose security risks.
A similar incident, according to solutions, even happened on Soi Sukhumvit 48/2 in the Klong Toey region, where several boxes containing apartments keycards were placed in two big lockboxes close to a bike repair shop about two months ago, and foreign tourists showed up to take the keycards.
The owner of a motorcycle repair shop, who declined to be identified, claimed he was approached by a man who wanted to install the lockboxes close to his shop and offered him$ 10,000 in exchange. He claimed that since then, nearly every foreigner has vanished to retrieve the keycards. He continued, saying that he was aware that this was illegitimate and that he was prepared to assist in the investigation.
Best Wongpairojkul, a lieutenant spokesman for the Thai Sang Thai Party, called on the state, the Interior Ministry in special, and the Immigration Bureau to deal with the problem of improper condo rentals, saying such techniques allow criminals access to properties and put people at risk.
According to Mr. Best, these actions also interfere with condo management in the interests of profit. ” Inaction on the part of the government could lead to suspicions about a lack of transparency, and the government could be deemed to favour foreign investors, which could affect the country’s economy and security”, he said.
Rangsiman Rome, a list MP of the opposition People’s Party, also said he has received complaints about illegal condo rentals. Mr Rangsiman said that it has been found that, in some cases, 80 % of condo units are owned by Chinese nationals. He added that the government must collaborate with condo developers to find solutions right away.