Legal & ownership

Due diligence before you pay a deposit

The documents to see, the searches to make and the questions that save buyers from expensive surprises.

6 min read · Reviewed October 2026

In short

Title deed type and the names on it come first.
Check the foreign quota for a condominium, and the land conditions for a house.
Deposits are usually non-refundable, so make your conditions part of the contract before you pay.

Title and ownership

The deed type. Chanote, Nor Sor 3 Gor and Nor Sor 3 carry different rights, and the differences matter for building, selling and borrowing.
The name or names on the title, and identification that matches. If the owner is a company, ask for its registration and evidence of authority to sell.
The back of the title: mortgages, registered leases and other encumbrances are recorded there.
For land or a house, a plan and boundary check against what is on the ground.

For a condominium: the foreign quota position, the juristic person’s rules, common-area fees and any special assessments due.
For a house in a project: common-area arrangements, management fees and any restrictions attached to the title.
For off-plan purchases: the payment schedule against construction milestones, completion guarantees and the remedy if delivery slips.

What is permitted on the land, under zoning and local authority rules, and how that affects what you may build or run there.
Access roads: who owns them, who maintains them and whether the right of way is registered.
Flood history, drainage and the direction of neighbouring development.

Who receives the money, in what currency, and how it will be recorded.
The split of transfer fees, withholding tax and stamp duty between buyer and seller.
The timeline from deposit to transfer at the land office, and a written agreement on what happens if completion fails.
One independent lawyer, and a translator you trust working on the documents you actually sign.