Évalué par Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., titulaire de la licence de l’Ordre des avocats thaïlandais 3149/2556, pour ThaiLawOnline, un cabinet d’avocats thaïlandais œuvrant pour des étrangers depuis 2006.
Dernière mise à jour :
If your landlord in Thailand has kept your lease deposit, a formal demand letter from a Thai lawyer is usually the first step to get it back. This page explains what a landlord may and may not deduct, the time limits that apply, and what happens if the landlord still refuses to pay.
- Who it is for: tenants of a house, apartment or condominium in Thailand whose deposit has not been returned, or has been cut without reason.
- Frais : mise en demeure 5 000 THB forfaitaire. La procédure judiciaire fait l'objet d'un devis après examen du dossier.
- Calendrier : we send the letter within five working days of payment and complete documents.
- Order the demand letter and send us your lease, proof of the deposit and the check-out details.
- We check the deductions against the lease and the law.
- We send the letter to the landlord with a deadline to pay.
- If the landlord does not pay, we quote the court stage in writing.
Table des matières
Ce que dit la loi sur le dépôt de garantie
Le Civil and Commercial Code section 537 defines a lease (hire of property) as a contract to let another person use a property for a limited time in return for rent. A lease of immovable property cannot be enforced in court without written evidence signed by the party liable (article 538). The Code has no section that fixes the amount of a deposit or when it must be returned, so for most landlords the lease itself governs the deposit.
Two rules of the Code limit what the landlord can keep. The tenant must look after the property with ordinary care and carry out petty repairs (section 553). The tenant is liable for loss or damage caused by the tenant’s fault, by people living with the tenant or by a sub-tenant, but not for loss or damage that results from proper use (section 562). Faded paint, worn floors and ageing appliances are the result of proper use.
Bailleurs de 3 logements ou plus : les règles de protection du consommateur
En vertu de la Consumer Protection Act B.E. 2522 section 35 bis, the Contract Committee can make a type of business a contract-controlled business and fix terms the business must use. Residential leasing is one. The Contract Committee notification on residential leasing B.E. 2568 came into force on 4 September 2025. It applies to a landlord who lets 3 or more residential units (houses, rooms, apartments or condominium units, in one building or several) to individuals. It replaced the 2019 notification, which applied from 5 units. Hotels and dormitories are outside it.
- Deposit and advance rent together may not exceed 3 months’ rent.
- The deposit must be returned at once, or within 7 days if the landlord inspects and finds no damage, or within 14 days when repair costs are deducted, counted from the end of the lease and the return of the property.
- A tenant may leave after half of the lease term with 30 days’ notice.
- The landlord may not keep the deposit unless the tenant is at fault, and may not charge a fee to renew.
If your landlord falls within this rule, a term that lets the landlord keep the whole deposit for any reason is likely to be unenforceable against you. Our guide du contrat de location sets out the rest of the notification.
Retenues normales et retenues que vous pouvez refuser
| Retenue | Licite ? |
|---|---|
| Unpaid rent up to the date you returned the keys | Oui |
| Unpaid electricity and water, from the meter readings | Oui |
| Repair of damage you or your occupants caused | Yes, at a reasonable cost, ideally with invoices |
| Small repairs you left undone (bulbs, taps, filters) | Yes, at a reasonable cost |
| Normal wear and tear: paint, worn floors, ageing appliances | No (section 562) |
| Defects recorded in the check-in report | Non |
| A cleaning or admin fee not in the lease | Non |
Ask the landlord for a written list of deductions with photos and invoices. A landlord who will not explain a deduction in writing usually has trouble proving it in court.
Départ anticipé
Many leases say the tenant loses the deposit if they leave before the end of the term. That clause is a penalty. En vertu de l' section 383, a court may reduce a penalty that is disproportionately high to a reasonable amount, taking into account every legitimate interest of the landlord. If the landlord let the property again quickly, the loss is small, and so is a reasonable penalty. For landlords with 3 or more units, the tenant may in any case leave after half of the term with 30 days’ notice.
Where the lease has no fixed term, either party may end it at the end of a rent period with notice of at least one rent period, and no more than two months is required (section 566).
Lorsque le bailleur a vendu le bien
A sale does not end the lease. The buyer takes over the rights and duties of the seller towards the tenant (article 569). Whether that includes the duty to return your deposit depends on what the deposit secured. In Supreme Court decision 44/2553 the buyer was entitled to the tenant’s security deposit and the seller had to hand it over. In Supreme Court decision 1990/2552 an advance paid to the former owner as security for utilities and taxes was a side term, not a duty of the lease, so it did not pass to the buyer. Before you sue, we work out from which landlord to claim.
La lettre de mise en demeure
A letter from a lawyer changes the conversation. It sets out the lease, the deposit paid, the date you returned the property, the deductions you accept and the amount due, and it fixes a deadline to pay before court action. Many landlords pay at this stage. The letter also proves that you made a clear demand, which matters later in court. Our tenant deposit demand letter coûte 5 000 THB.
La voie judiciaire
If the landlord does not pay, the claim goes to the civil court. A small claims case under the Civil Procedure Code is one where the amount claimed does not exceed 40,000 baht or a higher amount fixed by Royal Decree. The claim may be filed in writing or stated orally to the court (section 191), the court tries to settle the case at the first hearing (article 193), and court fees in a small claim are capped at 1,000 baht (section 190 quater).
If the landlord lets property as a business, the claim may be a consumer case under the Consumer Case Procedure Act B.E. 2551, which covers a civil dispute between a consumer and a business operator (section 3). A consumer filing a consumer case is exempt from court fees, subject to the court’s power to order otherwise (section 18). Either way, we quote the court stage in writing before any work starts.
Time limits run against the landlord too. A landlord’s claims against the tenant under the lease must be brought within six months of the return of the property (section 563). A landlord who keeps your deposit and says you owe more must sue within that time.
Que nous envoyer
- The lease and any renewal or addendum
- Proof of the deposit paid
- The check-in report and photos, if any
- The date you returned the keys, and photos of the property on that day
- Every message from the landlord about the deposit
Commander ou poser une question
Commander la mise en demeure pour 5 000 THB, ou interrogez-nous ci-dessous sur la phase judiciaire.
Demander un devis forfaitaire
Dites-nous ce dont vous avez besoin. Un avocat thaïlandais agréé le lit et répond avec un tarif fixe, et non une estimation horaire.
Liens connexes : Contrats de location en Thaïlande, Evicting a tenant, Recouvrement de créances.
Foire aux questions
De combien de temps dispose un bailleur thaïlandais pour rendre le dépôt ?
For a landlord who lets 3 or more residential units to individuals, the 2025 notification requires return at once, or within 7 days after inspection, or within 14 days when repair costs are deducted. For other landlords, the lease decides; if it is silent, ask for return promptly after you hand back the keys.
Le bailleur peut-il retenir l'usure normale ?
No. Under Civil and Commercial Code section 562, the tenant is not liable for loss or damage that results from proper use of the property.
Je suis parti avant la fin du bail. Je perds tout le dépôt ?
Not necessarily. A clause that forfeits the deposit is a penalty, and a court may reduce a disproportionately high penalty under section 383. Landlords with 3 or more units must also let a tenant leave after half the term with 30 days’ notice.
Combien coûte la mise en demeure ?
5,000 THB fixed. We send it within five working days of payment and complete documents.
Et si le bailleur ignore la lettre ?
We review the file and quote the court stage in writing. Small claims and, where it applies, the consumer case procedure keep costs and court fees low.
Le bien a été vendu. Qui rend mon dépôt ?
Under section 569 the buyer takes over the seller’s duties under the lease. Whether that includes the deposit depends on what it secured, as the Supreme Court decisions 44/2553 and 1990/2552 show. We check which landlord to claim from.
Le bailleur peut-il me poursuivre plus tard pour des dégâts ?
A landlord’s claims against the tenant under the lease must be brought within six months of the return of the property, under section 563.
Actualités juridiques thaïlandaises, gratuites par courriel
Des mises à jour en anglais simple sur les changements législatifs thaïlandais concernant les étrangers : propriété, visas, mariage, affaires et testaments. Un court courriel par mois, envoyé par un cabinet d’avocats établi depuis 2006. Zéro spam, désabonnement possible à tout moment.