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Yes, Today We Took Ownership Of Our Retirement Land In Thailand

I’m writing this a few days after we took possession of the land (on Tuesday May 4th, 2010) upon which we are going to build our retirement house  in Thailand.

Actually on Tuesday 4th May 2010 we went first to see the land and check that the marker posts had been replaced in the correct position and then we went to the Land Office, completed the land transfer transaction, paid the balance of the money for the land and took possession of the land as recorded on the Chanote (Legal Land Title deed). Here is a picture of the actual  Chanote with the name of ownership changed to my wife’s name:-

Above, the Front Page of of the Chanote (Land Title Deed) for the Land We Have Just Bought in Thailand.

In this post and a few more plus on the website proper, I am going to share with you all the details about how we found and bought our retirement land in Thailand. First I’d like to tell you where the land we bought is located…

The Location Of The Land Is In Pakchong, Nakhon Ratchasima

Our retirement land is located near to Kirirom Resort just on the outskirts of Pakchong ( Amphur), Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) province.

Pakchong is a beautiful area 2 hours drive northeast of Bangkok, close to the Khao Yai National Park. The area is hilly – almost mountainous – and much cooler than the blistering heat of Bangkok.

The Process Of Buying The Retirement Land In Thailand

The first step was to go to the land we were buying and check that the marker posts ahd been replaced correctly. The vendor (person selling the land) arrived together with two people with a measuring tape and a plan of the land showing the positions and numbers of the marker posts.

We checked the land and the positions of the marker posts against a copy of the previous Land Title Deed (Chanote) that I already had a copy of.

Having inspected the land to make sure that the marker posts were in the correct position, the next step was to visit the Land Office with the land vendor.

We arrived at the Land Office 1040 and the whole process was completed by 1230, less than two hours. There was much printing and signing of papers and then the land was registered in my wife’s name. We were handed the Chanote (Land Title Deed) in my wifes name showing the transfer from the vendor to my wife’s name.

Only then did we have to hand over the balance of the money for the land purchase. Now I think that shows a great deal of trust on behalf of the land seller.

How We Paid The Balance Of the Money For The Land Purchase In Thailand

On a previous post “Buying Land – The Land Office Procedure”I explained the problems we had when transferring large funds to my wife’s bank account tin Thailand from the U.K.

That was resolved and we opted to take the balance of the money to pay for the land in cash.

It was very scary carrying so much cash around in Thailand. Anyway, before we went into the land Office, we asked the land vendor if she preferred a Cashire’s Cheque (Banker’s Cheque) or cash. She replied that either would do . My wife wanted to pay cash because we would save the fee on the Cashire’s Cheque (which she later told me amounted to 30 Bht (about $1.00). As it transpired, we also saved a lot of time by not having to go to the bank to get the Cashire’s Cheque because the bank was about 1 1/2 hours drive (round trip) from the Land Office.

I was also a bit embarrassed at handing over such vast sums of money in front of everyone in the land Office. but the vendor appeared not to mind and happily set to counting the notes I haneded over. Nine packets with one hunderd X 1,000 BHT notes in each packet!

That’s the financial side of the transaction explained, now what was the legal processs and what documents were needed?

The Legal Process Of Transferring Land Ownership In Thailand

Bearing in mind that I can only read a little Thai and then very slowly and that there was no one to explain the land transfer process to me, this can only be a rudimentary explanation for the land purchase process in Thailand. Nevertheless, I am sure that if you have not done this yourself before, you will find some value in my explanation.

Step 1. Check The Land Title Deed (Chanote)

The evndor did not have a copy of the Land Title Deed (Chanote), she said that sha had lost it, so the Land Office produced a duplicate (marked as such) and also produced the original which is always kept in the land Office itself.

The plan of the land and the Land Title Deed number matched the copy of the previous copy I had, and everything appeared OK.

Step 2. Print And Sign The Forms

The lady in the land Office printed of approximately 20 sheets of paper on a dot-matrix printer. Some of these were then stamped with a variety of stamps (ink-pad type) and the vendor and my wife set to signing them where indicated by the Land Office lady.

I had to sign one of them. Unfortunately, in the turmoil of the signing process I forgot to ask what it was and to take a photo copy.

The next (and last) paper I had to sign was a declaration (in Thai and English) that the money paid for the land is for the personal onwership of the land by my wife. In other words I have no claim over the ownereship of the land.

Step 3. Pay The Tax And Transfer Fees

The total I had to pay for land transfer fee, stamp duty (land tax) and other charges  started out at 45,750 Bht (about 914 GBP 0r $1,525 dependent upon exchange rates) but after some negotiation about the taxable value of the land the total payable dropped to 32,000 Bht.

I paid this in cash and when counting it out from a 100,000 wedge of 1,000 notes I did feel a little uncomfortable and nervous.

Finalising The Deal

After all the papers were signed by my with and the vendor, and i had paid the taxes and fees, the pepaers were taken to the ‘manager’ to get the new Chanote signed.

Myself and my wife checked that the new Chanote was properly made out in her name and that the land title Deed number was correct.

After that I handed the balance of the money over and when the counting had finished, we (our party and the vendor’s party said ‘sawatdee’ and went our separate ways.

It was interesting to note that as soon as the Chanote had been signed by the ‘manager’ and it was time for the cash to be handed over that the lady from the Land Office (the person conducting the transfer of name) disappeared. Apparently she has no part in verifying that the money paid was correct and I don’t think that the amount paid appeared on any documents. (Don’t hold me to that though because I didn’t read all of them)

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