Who pays for repairs in a Thai rental? Tenant vs landlord, explained.

The legal default — the Civil and Commercial Code

Strip away the contract and Thai law has a starting point. Under the Civil and Commercial Code, a landlord (lessor) must deliver the property in a condition fit for its intended use and keep it in that condition for the duration of the lease — carrying out the repairs needed for normal occupation. The tenant (lessee) is responsible only for minor, ordinary upkeep that comes with day-to-day occupation, and for damage they cause.

• Landlord’s default duty: repairs necessary to keep the property usable — the substantial, structural and systems work.
• Tenant’s default duty: small everyday maintenance and care of the property, plus anything damaged through their fault or negligence.
• It can be varied by contract: these are default rules. A lease can lawfully shift more onto the tenant — which is exactly why the written clause matters more than the headline.

So the honest answer to “who pays?” is: the landlord, unless your lease says otherwise — and it usually says something.

The small-repairs / structural split most leases use

Almost every Thai residential lease translates the Code into a practical split. It is rarely a surprise once you see the pattern:

A useful rule of thumb: if it screws in, clips on, or runs out, it is probably yours; if it is plumbed in, wired in, or part of the building, it is probably the landlord’s. The lease may also set a small-repair threshold — e.g. the tenant covers repairs under ฿1,000–฿2,000 each — so check for a number.

Air conditioning — the classic grey area

In a hot climate the aircon runs hard, and it is the single most-disputed repair item in Thai rentals. A good lease names exactly who does what. The most common arrangement:

• Tenant: routine cleaning. Filter and coil cleaning every 3–6 months is treated as use-and-maintenance and usually falls to the tenant — typically ฿300–฿600 per unit through a local aircon service. Neglecting it can also make a later breakdown “your fault.”
• Landlord: mechanical repair and replacement. When a unit fails through age — compressor, gas recharge, control board, a dead motor — that is normally the owner’s cost.
• But it varies: some leases make the landlord responsible for servicing too; others push all aircon costs onto the tenant. A few cap the landlord’s liability or exclude it after a set period.

Because the default is genuinely ambiguous, get the aircon split in writing — who services, who repairs, who replaces — and keep receipts for every cleaning so a landlord can’t later claim you neglected the unit. See understanding your Thai lease agreement for the clauses to look for.

Appliances, furnishings and what 'furnished' really means

Most BAANLYY-style condos are let furnished, which raises a follow-on question: if the provided fridge, washing machine, microwave or TV dies, who replaces it?

• Provided appliances that fail through normal wear: generally the landlord’s to repair or replace, since they came with the unit as part of what you’re paying for.
• Appliances you broke through misuse: yours — e.g. burning out a washing machine by overloading it, or damaging a fridge you moved.
• Items you brought yourself: always your responsibility, and not the landlord’s problem if they fail.
• Furniture wear: a sofa that has softened or a mattress that has aged over a year is wear and tear, not damage.

The practical protection is the move-in inventory: photograph every provided appliance and note its working condition on day one. If the fridge was already noisy when you arrived, you don’t want to be blamed for it at move-out.

Repair vs fair wear and tear — the line that decides disputes

As with deposits, most repair arguments collapse into one distinction:

• Fair wear and tear (landlord’s cost): the gradual ageing of the unit through ordinary careful use — faded paint, a loosened tap, worn flooring, a tired sofa, a water heater that simply reaches end of life.
• Damage or misuse (tenant’s cost): something broken beyond ordinary use — a cracked basin, a hole from an unauthorised fitting, an appliance killed by neglect or overload.

You owe damage, never wear and tear, and a landlord cannot use the repairs obligation to return an old unit to new condition at your expense. The proof is the same decisive pair: dated photos from move-in compared with move-out. Our deposit-return guide covers how that evidence wins arguments.

What to read in your lease before you sign

If a clause is vague (“tenant responsible for all repairs”) or one-sided, negotiate it before signing — it is far easier than arguing after a breakdown. A clear, balanced repairs clause is one of the marks of a well-run rental. You can compare your draft against our free EN/Thai lease template.

How repair disputes tie back to your deposit

Repairs and your deposit are the same fight at two different moments. A landlord who under-maintains during the tenancy often tries to recover it as a deduction at move-out — charging you for ageing dressed up as damage. Protect yourself:

• Report every fault in writing as it happens, so there’s a record the landlord was on notice — and that it pre-dated your move-out.
• Keep receipts for aircon servicing and any repairs you paid for, to rebut a “you neglected it” claim.
• Insist on itemised, evidenced deductions — a vague “repairs ฿X” is exactly what you push back on.
• Distinguish wear from damage with your move-in and move-out photos.

For the full move-out playbook, see getting your rental deposit back, and know your baseline protections in our tenant rights guide.

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