Where to Stay in Phuket for Your First Month
A room provided for a monthly paid service charge or upward falls outside the Hotel Act definition of a hotel. By contrast, one sold for temporary stays in exchange for compensation is a hotel. Either way, your host or the hotel manager files your TM.30 within 24 hours, not you.
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Three ways to spend the first month
Look at how your stay is charged rather than how long you plan to stay, since that is how the law sorts it. A place sold as temporary accommodation for compensation counts as a hotel, while one provided for a monthly paid service charge or upward does not.
| Stay type | Hotel Act category | Who files the address notice |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel or guesthouse with a licence | Hotel | Hotel manager |
| Unit sold by the night or week | Temporary accommodation for compensation | Hotel manager or owner |
| Room or unit charged monthly | Outside the definition | Owner or possessor of the residence |
What the Hotel Act says about a monthly room
The line that matters for a first-month renter is the second exclusion in section 4, which defines a hotel and then lists what falls outside it. Here it is in full.
an accommodation established for the purpose of providing accommodation service for monthly paid service charge or upward only
Hotel Act B.E. 2547 (2004), section 4(2), Office of the Council of State unofficial translation
A hotel needs a licence, but a monthly room sits outside the hotel definition, so the hotel licence is not the test for it. Before you agree to anything, ask the owner what the charge is and how often it is billed.
Who files the address notice (TM.30)
You do not file the TM.30 yourself: the duty sits on the house-master, owner or possessor of the residence, or the hotel manager, not on the foreigner. They notify immigration within 24 hours of your taking up residence.
In a hotel, the manager files the notice and also records you on the lodger registration card at check-in. In a monthly room or condo, the owner or possessor files it instead. The online system serves owners of establishments, hotels, guesthouses, mansions, apartments or rental houses.
A missed notice carries a fine of up to THB 2,000, while a hotel manager faces THB 2,000 to THB 10,000. On day one, ask your host to confirm the TM.30 is filed. The TM.30 guide walks through the full process.
Before you pay a monthly landlord
First check whether your place falls under the residential rental rules: a room, house, condominium unit or apartment let for living in does. Dormitories under the dormitory law and hotels under the hotel law do not. A short-term lease, for its part, runs for no more than three years.
When the landlord lets three or more units, the standard short-term lease applies. A term letting the operator collect advance rent and deposit that together exceed three months of the monthly rent is prohibited. So ask how many units the landlord lets before you hand over any money. For leasing rules, deposit return and utilities, read Renting an apartment in Phuket and rental contract in Phuket.
Which area to base yourself in for viewings
For the cheapest accommodation, start your viewings in Phuket Town. The Smart Bus network has three routes, with fares from free to 100 baht. Its airport route runs from the airport through Patong, Karon and Kata to Rawai.
To choose by your own situation, use Where to live in Phuket. For hospitals, schools and fares side by side, see Phuket areas compared.
Next in this journey
This step follows your first week in Phuket. Go on to renting an apartment next, and after that to where to live.
Photo credits
- Longtail boats off Rawai Beach: Wikimedia Commons, Phuket - Rawai Beach 11 (ADwarf, Public domain) (opens in a new tab) (Public domain (ADwarf))
Step by step
- Choose the stay type by how it is chargedA hotel sells temporary stays for compensation. A room charged monthly or upward is outside the Hotel Act definition.
- Ask who files your address noticeThe hotel manager, owner or possessor of the residence notifies immigration within 24 hours.
- Check the money terms before you pay a monthly landlordOn a short-term lease from a landlord with three or more units, deposit plus advance rent may not exceed three months of rent.
- Pick the area for your viewing tripsThe Smart Bus airport route runs through Patong, Karon and Kata to Rawai.
Not confirmed: Monthly prices: no operator rate page with a dated THB price is held, so none are quoted; ask for the monthly rate in writing. Whether a unit let by the day needs a hotel licence: the ministerial exemptions to the Hotel Act are not confirmed, so ask the host for the licence.
Common questions
Can I rent a room in Phuket for just one month?
A room billed at a monthly paid service charge or upward sits outside the Hotel Act definition of a hotel. Before you pay, ask the owner what that monthly charge covers.
Does a hotel need a licence?
Yes. A hotel business needs a licence issued by the Registrar, and nobody may operate one without it.
Who files the TM.30 in a hotel?
Within 24 hours, the hotel manager notifies immigration. At check-in, the hotel also records each lodger on a registration card.
Who files the TM.30 in a monthly room?
It is the owner or possessor of the residence who files, within 24 hours of your taking up residence. That duty rests with your host rather than with you as the foreigner.
What is the fine for a missed TM.30?
The fine is up to THB 2,000, while a hotel manager faces THB 2,000 to THB 10,000.
How much deposit can a monthly landlord ask?
On a short-term lease, a landlord with three or more units may not take deposit plus advance rent above three months of rent.
Read next
General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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