Bang Tao or Kata:
where to buy property in Phuket

1. Bang Tao’s backstory

Forty years ago, the site of today’s Laguna Phuket resort complex was an abandoned tin mine. Tin was Phuket’s main source of wealth: it was smelted right here on the island and sold abroad.

By 1984 mining here had stopped, leaving behind a “moonscape” of sand and water-filled pits. A United Nations expert team assessing the island for tourism reportedly wrote this land off as too damaged to develop at all.

A year later the whole tin market collapsed. In October 1985 the international scheme that propped up tin prices went bankrupt, and prices fell by more than half. Mining stopped paying, and mines closed one after another: between 1983 and 1988 their number in Thailand fell from 735 to 171. By then Phuket was already gradually turning to tourism, and the tin crash only sped up that shift.

In 1984 the Singaporean entrepreneur Ho Kwon Ping bought this plot and decided to build a resort on 222 hectares of former mine — the future Laguna Phuket. His Banyan Tree hotel group grew out of this project.

The land was cleaned up over several years, more than 7,000 trees were planted, and the pits left by mining were turned into a chain of lagoons that gave the complex its name. The project later won an international environmental award for rehabilitating a toxic site.

The first hotel, Dusit Laguna, opened in 1987; two more hotels and a golf course followed in 1991–1992, and Banyan Tree’s own first resort opened in 1994. Today Laguna has six hotels, residential neighbourhoods and a golf course, all developed as a single estate under shared management.

Interestingly, Bang Tao also has its own original village — the Muslim settlement of Ban Bang Tao between Surin and Bang Tao beaches. People here used to fish; now many work in tourism.

On 26 December 2004 one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history struck off the coast of Sumatra. It sent a wave crashing onto the shores of the Indian Ocean: about 230,000 people died in 14 countries, and in Thailand Khao Lak and Phuket’s beaches were hit hardest. Bang Tao was affected less than its neighbours: a month later, fewer than a fifth of the 1,854 hotel rooms along the six-kilometre beach were out of service.

Many link it to the fact that, after the tsunami, the whole world heard about Phuket: within a few years a property boom began on the island. In Bang Tao more and more people bought homes of their own: villas and residential complexes went up next to the hotels, followed by shops, restaurants and shopping centres. Since 2004, land near Bang Tao Beach has risen in price roughly tenfold — more than almost any other stretch of the island’s coast. That is how the resort gradually became an area where people not only holiday but live, and Bang Tao remains that way today.

2. Kata’s backstory

Kata is an old village. Officially it is Ban Kata, village No. 2 of Karon subdistrict. Nobody knows exactly where the name comes from; locals tell two legends. In one, the guardian spirit of the area dried rice on the plain by the hill, and “to dry” sounds like “ta” in the local dialect. In the other, the word comes from “Krata”, a “rice bay”.

Rice fields, pastures and forested hills used to cover this land. The main temple, Wat Kata, was built around 1832 according to the temple’s own history.

The first visitors stayed right in the village: local families rented them rooms, as there were no guesthouses yet. Large hotels arrived in the 1980s. The first, in November 1984, was Katathani in Kata Noi bay — 44 bungalows. Around the same time Club Med appeared on Kata Beach: it was the first project of local entrepreneur Mom Tri. He built his own house on the hill between Kata and Kata Noi, and over time the house grew into the Villa Royale hotel. And on 9 February 1989 the Boathouse hotel opened on the beach.

The 2004 tsunami flooded the 300-room Club Med and the ground floors of the beachfront hotels; Kata Noi was hit too. But buildings behind the first line were barely touched, and no hotel closed for more than a few weeks.

Today Kata is also known for surfing: the rainy season brings good waves. In 2009 Kata hosted the final of Thailand’s first international Quiksilver series, and in 2022 an international surfing festival.

As all along the west coast, new homes in Kata are climbing the hills. In August 2024, after a night of heavy rain, a landslide came down from the hill near the Big Buddha onto Soi Patak 2 in Kata village. Thirteen people died.

3. Bang Tao on the map: what is where

Bang Tao is not a town or a village with a single centre, but a long strip along a bay on Phuket’s west coast. The easiest way to picture it is a rectangle of roughly 6 by 10 kilometres: the sea to the west, hills to the east, Surin Beach to the south and Layan Beach to the north. Officially this is the subdistrict of Choeng Thale, and Bang Tao is only the name of the beach, but listings use it for any part of the subdistrict.

The beach itself runs for about 6 kilometres — one of the longest on the island — and you can walk it from end to end. Moving inland from the sea, the area is laid out in bands:

By the water — hotels along almost the whole length of the beach.

Behind the hotels, in the middle of the bay — Laguna: lagoons, a golf course and residential neighbourhoods with villas and apartments. The sea is 1–2 kilometres away from here.

In the south, towards Surin — the village of Ban Bang Tao: narrow lanes, guesthouses, cafés and a night market.

Along the main road, 1–2 kilometres from the sea — everything for daily life: Boat Avenue, a shopping street with restaurants and a supermarket at the entrance to Laguna; 800 metres from it, the Porto de Phuket shopping centre (opened in 2019); and nearby, a school, a fruit market and supermarkets.

Further inland, by the hills — the Blue Tree water park and new residential projects, about 3 kilometres from the sea.

In the north — Layan, a separate, quiet beach 5 kilometres from the shopping centres.

Everything that matters — the beach, Laguna and the shops — fits within 2–3 kilometres, but it is spread out, so people usually drive or ride a scooter between them and walk on the beach. There was plenty of free land here, so a lot is being built: Choeng Thale now accounts for almost half of all new apartments for sale on the island and a significant share of Phuket’s new hotels under construction.

Glossary

What the names in listings mean

Name	What it actually is
Choeng Thale, Cherngtalay, Cherng Talay	The same place: the official subdistrict (tambon) that Bang Tao Beach belongs to.
Laguna	A private resort complex with lagoons in the north of the bay. Not a synonym for Bang Tao.
Layan	A separate beach by the northern headland. Listings sometimes count it as Bang Tao.
Pasak	A residential area inland. “Bang Tao” in a listing may mean this too.
Ban Bang Tao	A Muslim village in the south of the bay, towards Surin.

4. Kata on the map: what is where

Kata is a small bay south of Karon: the beach is about 1.4 kilometres long, and beyond the headland to the south is the little Kata Noi bay, about 0.7 kilometres. Officially Kata is part of Karon subdistrict. From here it is about 3 kilometres to Karon, about 5 to Chalong, about 8 to Patong and about 20 to Bang Tao in a straight line.

From the sea inland, the area is laid out like this:

By the water — Kata Beach. Club Med takes up the middle of it, closer to the north end, with other hotels and cafés at the edges. Opposite the beach lies Koh Pu island.

The centre — around the roundabout, about 400 metres from the sea: two markets, a night market, Kata Night Plaza, a Lotus’s supermarket, mini-marts and clinics. All within a kilometre of the beach.

A little further from the sea, about a kilometre away, are the Wat Kata temple and the Thai school Baan Kata.

The slopes — villas and apartments with sea views on the hills around the bay. Highest of all, about 2 kilometres from the beach, stands the Big Buddha.

To the south — beyond the headland, the quiet Kata Noi bay with the Katathani hotel, and further along the road the Karon Viewpoint.

Kata is small, and its low-lying part is easy to walk: from the beach to the markets is about ten minutes. Walking down from the hills is easy, but climbing back up is hard — there you need a scooter or a taxi.

Glossary

What the names in listings mean

Name	What it actually is
Kata	The beach and the village. Listings often give the address as “Karon”, because Kata is part of Karon subdistrict.
Kata Noi	A separate small bay beyond the headland south of Kata.
Kata Palm	The Phuket Smart Bus stop in Kata.
Big Buddha	The Buddha statue on the hill above Kata and Karon; the slopes next to it have villas.

5. A day in Bang Tao and in Kata

Maps show where things are. But living somewhere means repeating the same routines every day. Let’s walk through an ordinary day in both areas and see where it happens and what it is made of.

Morning: getting to the sea

Bang Tao. If you live right by the beach or in a hotel, you walk to the sea. From Laguna’s residential neighbourhoods the water is already 1–2 kilometres away, and from the new projects by the hills about three, so the day usually starts with a car or scooter. People mostly swim in the southern part of the bay: in the north there is a coral reef close to shore.

Kata. From the centre to the beach is about 400 metres, a 5-minute walk. From the hills people come down by scooter or car. From May to October Kata has big waves: surfers come then, and you should only swim where the lifeguards allow it.

Children: kindergarten and school

Bang Tao. HeadStart International School has a campus in Choeng Thale, about 4 kilometres from the beach, taking children from preschool up to Year 9 (age 13–14). A year costs from 347,000 to 540,000 baht depending on age; the school bus is extra.

Kata. For children there is the British school BCIS in neighbouring Chalong, which takes children from 2 to 18. The school itself says Kata Beach is 15–30 minutes away. A year of schooling in 2026/27 costs from 302,000 baht for children aged 2–5 to 403,500 baht in the junior years.

Errands: shops, market, doctor

Bang Tao. Everything for daily life is along the main road, 1–2 kilometres from the sea: Boat Avenue with restaurants and a supermarket, the Porto de Phuket shopping centre, a fruit market, Villa Market. The clinic in Laguna is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00. From most homes people drive here rather than walk.

Kata. Everything for daily life is around the central roundabout: two markets, a night market, Lotus’s, mini-marts and clinics, within a kilometre of the sea. The big supermarket and DIY stores are in Chalong, about 5 kilometres away. The road to the big hospitals also runs through Chalong: they are in Phuket Town, the island’s main town, about 12 kilometres away in a straight line.

Getting around the island

Bang Tao. The Phuket Smart Bus runs from the airport through Choeng Thale to the south, and a ticket costs 100 baht. But it stops only on the main roads and does not reach the residential complexes inland — without your own transport, life here is hard.

Kata. The same bus continues south and stops in Kata at Kata Palm. To go beyond the bay, people usually take a scooter or a taxi: Chalong is about five kilometres away, Patong about eight.

Evening

Bang Tao. In the evening people drive to dinner on Boat Avenue or at Porto de Phuket, or go to the beach venues by the sea. The sun sets right over the bay.

Kata. In the evening — the night market and Kata Night Plaza near the centre, restaurants by the beach and sunset over the sea with Koh Pu island.

Night and quiet

Bang Tao. Quiet here depends on the street. The main source of noise is construction: almost half of all new apartments on the island are currently for sale in Choeng Thale, and another one may well be going up next to your home.

Kata. It is quietest on the hills and away from the centre, noisier near the night market and the beach bars. There is construction on the slopes.

And in the rainy season

Bang Tao. From May to October there are downpours, waves at sea and red flags on the beaches. In heavy rain the roads near Boat Avenue and at the Ban Don junctions flood, causing traffic jams.

Kata. From May to October the beach has big waves and red flags, but this is the surfing season. In heavy downpours the low-lying areas flood. And the main risk is the slopes: the 2024 landslide came down in Kata itself.

In short

A day: comparison

	Bang Tao	Kata
To the sea	On foot only from the beachfront and hotels; 1–2 km from Laguna, about 3 km from the hills	About 400 m on foot from the centre; from the hills — by transport
Children	HeadStart International School up to age 13–14, 347,000–540,000 baht a year	BCIS in Chalong — 15–30 minutes
Shops and doctor	Along the main road, 1–2 km from the sea; usually by car	Markets, Lotus’s and clinics in the centre; big stores in Chalong
Transport	Bus only along the main roads; hard without a car or scooter	Bus stop at Kata Palm; Chalong about 5 km away
Evening	Restaurants at Boat Avenue and Porto de Phuket, beach venues	Night market, Kata Night Plaza, beach restaurants
Noise	Mainly construction	Near the centre and bars; construction on the slopes
Rainy season	Flooding near Boat Avenue and Ban Don, waves	Waves and surfing season, low-lying flooding, landslides on the slopes

6. Where the areas are heading

If you remember where both areas came from, it becomes clear how they are growing now. Bang Tao is being built up in whole neighbourhoods, while Kata is getting complexes on the slopes around the bay.

Bang Tao is growing outwards

Bang Tao grew around Laguna, which a large developer built on the site of a mine, and it is still growing the same way — through big projects, only on a different scale. According to C9 Hotelworks analysts, as of November 2025 the wider Choeng Thale area had 21,625 new apartments and houses for sale — 48% of all new housing in Phuket. A significant share of the island’s hotels under construction is coming here too: Phuket has 41 hotels with more than 8,000 rooms in the pipeline, and analysts name Bang Tao and Choeng Thale as one of the main places where they are concentrated. The Banyan group, with which Laguna began, keeps releasing new phases: in 2026, a new Bellaguna building and eight Varuna villas.

In effect, the resort is turning into a self-contained small town with everything in it: homes, hotels, shops, a school. For a buyer this has two sides. The choice is huge and the area keeps developing. But there will be construction next to your home for years, and you will be renting out and later selling among thousands of similar apartments.

Kata is growing on the hills

Kata’s biggest new project is SO Origin Kata: according to the developer’s brochure, 686 apartments in four eight-storey buildings, with completion planned for 2027. Phenomenon Residence is being built nearby — 293 apartments, according to the developer. On the beach, Club Med has been renewed: it reopened in 2022 after a major renovation.

Building on hillsides has become easier: Phuket used to ban construction more than 80 metres above sea level, and since 14 December 2024 building up to 140 metres has been allowed in designated zones — with limits on the plot and the size of the building. How many new hillside projects appear depends on the zone and the plot. But a hillside apartment always needs stricter checks than usual: drainage, retaining walls, permits — both your own and those of neighbouring sites further up the hill.

7. What is for sale here

In both areas, essentially two things are sold: apartments and villas. The difference between them is not just size, but what exactly you end up owning.

Apartment

Apartments are sold in residential complexes — in Thailand such a building is called a condominium. A complex usually has a shared pool, gym and security, and a management company keeps things in order.

A foreigner can register an apartment in their own name outright and permanently — this is called freehold. There are usually two main conditions. First, foreigners may own no more than 49% of the total floor area of all units in a building, so before buying you check whether the foreign quota is still available. Second, the money for the purchase comes from abroad, and the bank issues a certificate confirming this. There are other legal routes — for example, Thai permanent residence — but most buyers go this way.

Villa

A villa is a detached house with its own plot, usually with a private pool. This is more complicated: as a rule, a foreigner cannot buy land in Thailand in their own name. So the land is most often taken on a long-term lease, usually 30 years — this is called leasehold — and the house itself is registered separately. The law does not guarantee renewal of the lease after 30 years; it is written into the contract.

In short: a foreigner usually buys an apartment freehold, sometimes on a long lease; a villa comes as a freehold house plus a long land lease. That is neither better nor worse, but a villa’s documents need closer checking.

What is sold where

In Bang Tao, apartments are mostly built in new complexes along the main road and closer to the hills, while Laguna itself sells both apartments and villas. Villas are found throughout the subdistrict. In Kata, apartments are sold in complexes near the centre and on the hills — for example Kata Ocean View, SO Origin Kata and The Beach Condotel — while villas stand on the slopes around the bay and near Kata Noi. Some apartments and villas are sold as leasehold, that is, a long-term lease rather than ownership — check this before buying.

Prices

Below are real listings: for Bang Tao as of early October and for Kata as of early November 2026. These are sellers’ asking prices, not transaction prices, and the sample is small, so look at the order of magnitude rather than the exact amounts.

Prices

Sample listings for sale

	Bang Tao	Kata
One-bedroom apartment	4.75–10.5 million baht for 35–57 m²: from 131,000 to 214,000 baht per m²	2.7–6.55 million baht for 26–53 m²: from 75,000 to 170,000 baht per m²
Larger apartment	2 bedrooms, 62–99 m² — 7.2–18.5 million baht (116,000–187,000 baht per m²)	2 bedrooms, 65–154 m² — 5.5–19.8 million baht (73,000–162,000 baht per m²)
Villa	3 bedrooms, 285–412 m² — 27.7–29.2 million baht	3 bedrooms, 550 m², 900 m² plot — 59 million baht, land on lease

Price depends heavily on how new the building is, the view and how far it is to the sea. So the areas cannot be compared directly on these figures: they only show the range to look in.

8. Money: costs, renting, living and resale

Buy to rent, live here yourself or do both. First, let’s look at what you will pay either way.

What you will pay

An apartment comes with a mandatory monthly fee for the upkeep of the complex: the pool, cleaning, security. For example, in the new The Title complexes in Bang Tao it is 75 baht per m² a month — about 4,000 baht for a 50 m² apartment. In Kata, listings for Kata Ocean View and VIP Kata give a fee of about 60 baht per m² — 2,400–3,000 baht a month for a 40–50 m² apartment. On top of that, when you get the keys in a new building you make a one-off payment into the building’s sinking fund. A villa may also have shared fees, and you will have to maintain the pool and garden and pay for repairs.

Long-term rental

A one-year contract: the tenant pays monthly and covers electricity and water. Income is lower, but it is calmer: you do not have to find new guests every few days.

For example, listings from October–November 2026. In Bang Tao: a 35 m² one-bedroom apartment — 35,000 baht a month, a 300 m² three-bedroom villa — 85,000 baht. In Kata: a 30 m² one-bedroom apartment — 18,000 baht a month, a one-bedroom apartment at Kata Top View — 30,000 baht, a three-bedroom villa — about 98,000 baht, with cleaning, garden and pool already included. The rate depends heavily on the complex and the season, so it is best to judge the real price by 5–10 similar listings in the chosen spot.

Short-term rental

Guests come for a few days, as in a hotel. They pay more per night, but the property often stands empty, especially in the rainy season. According to AirROI, a service that collects Airbnb data, over the past year listings in both Choeng Thale and Kata were booked for about 40% of the nights open for booking (the service counts Kata together with Karon). This is an estimate based on Airbnb listings, not the income of a specific apartment.

Something else matters too: under Thai law, renting an apartment out by the night counts as running a hotel, and it is not allowed everywhere without a licence. On top of that, every complex has its own rules — some ban short-term rentals. This is checked before buying.

If you rent through a management company rather than yourself, it takes a share of the income: usually 20–30% for short-term rentals and 10–20% for annual leases. The booking platform takes its own commission too, usually up to 15%. So the owner receives noticeably less of the nightly rate than the listings suggest — before buying, ask the management company for a net-income calculation.

Live here yourself

In Bang Tao life runs on a car or scooter, but the HeadStart school, the Boat Avenue restaurants and a shopping centre are close by. In Kata you can walk to the beach, the markets and the supermarket; from the slopes people drive, and the BCIS school in Chalong is 15–30 minutes away.

Beyond the complex fee, the main cost is electricity, mostly air-conditioning. And while you are away, someone has to look after the apartment: in the rainy season it needs airing and checking for leaks. A management company usually takes care of this.

Live here part of the year and rent it out

What matters is which months you come. Homes rent best from November to April; in the rainy season, from May to October, there are fewer guests. If you live here in winter, you will be renting out in the weak months, and income will be well below the annual figure. If you come in summer and rent out in winter, it works out better.

While you are away, you can let the apartment for a few months at a time or by the night. For nightly rentals, check the licence and the complex’s rules in advance; check-ins are usually handed to a management company.

Resale

In Bang Tao you will be selling among thousands of new apartments from developers, and in Kata next to new hillside projects, including the large SO Origin.

9. Which to choose for your goal

Choice

Where you win with different goals

Goal	Leans towards	Why
Living with school-age children	Bang Tao	HeadStart International School is right in the subdistrict. From Kata, the BCIS school in Chalong is 15–30 minutes away.
Living with young children	Bang Tao, more likely	HeadStart takes children from preschool age. From Kata the nearest option is BCIS in Chalong, from age 2.
Living as a couple or alone, without children	Depends on your lifestyle	Kata — if you want to live near the beach and shops without a car, ideally near the centre rather than on a slope. Bang Tao — if you are ready to drive and new complexes, restaurants and golf matter more.
Living without a car	Kata	Beach, markets, supermarket and clinics close by, plus a bus to the airport. In Bang Tao, without a car, only the area right by the beach is convenient.
Living with a car or scooter	Both areas	With transport, Bang Tao’s sprawl stops being a problem, and in Kata sea-view apartments on the slopes open up.
Wintering for a few months	Kata, more likely	Everything you need is near the beach, and a seasonal resident manages more easily without their own transport.
Quiet	Depends on the street	In Bang Tao the main noise is construction. In Kata it is noisier near the night market and bars, and there is building on the slopes too.
Golf and resort life	Bang Tao	Laguna with its golf course, Boat Avenue, Porto de Phuket shopping centre.
Surfing	Kata	From May to October there are waves here, and Kata hosts competitions.
Long-term rental	No clear winner	Families with school-age children look in Bang Tao, near HeadStart. For those who want everything within walking distance, Kata is the better fit.
Short-term rental	No clear winner	According to AirROI, occupancy is almost the same, around 40% of nights; the service counts Kata together with Karon. In both areas, first check the licence and the complex’s rules.
Sea-view apartment	Kata, more likely	New complexes on the slopes around the bay. Check drainage, retaining walls and permits.
Smallest budget	Kata	In listings, one-bedroom apartments start from 2.7 million baht in Kata and from 4.75 million baht in Bang Tao.

10. How a purchase works and what to check

Buying in Thailand is simpler than it seems, but several parties are involved: the agent, the lawyer, the bank and the land office. Here is how it usually goes, step by step.

1. Search: developer or agent

A new apartment is bought from the developer — directly or through an agent. In that case the developer usually pays the agent’s commission, but it is still worth comparing the price and promotions with the developer’s direct offer before reserving. A resale home from a private owner is almost always sold through an agency. Here too the seller usually pays the commission, most often 3–5% of the price, but terms vary, so ask about it straight away.

2. Viewing

Many people first view properties by video, but it is better to see the chosen home yourself or send someone you trust: the walk to the sea, noise and nearby construction do not show up on video. What exactly to check on site is in the list below.

3. Your own lawyer

This is the key step, and it starts before any money changes hands. You hire the lawyer yourself; they must not work for the seller or the agent. First they read the reservation terms: who receives the money and when it is refunded. Then, at the land office, they check the title deed, debts and encumbrances, the building permit and whether the building still has foreign quota available, and they read the contract. For a villa, they also check the land lease: its term, the renewal conditions and what happens to the house.

4. Reservation

Once the lawyer has seen the terms, you pay a small reservation deposit — the seller takes the property off the market while the full check is done. The amount and the refund terms are set out in the reservation agreement.

5. Contract and payment

Next, the sale and purchase agreement is signed. A new build is usually paid for in instalments as construction progresses; a finished home with a deposit at signing and the balance at registration. The money is transferred from abroad to a Thai account, stating property purchase as the purpose of payment. The bank issues a transfer certificate — if the apartment is registered on this basis, it cannot be done without it.

6. Registration

The transaction is registered at the provincial land office, after which you are the owner. You do not have to attend in person: a lawyer can do it under a power of attorney. Fees are paid here too: 2% of the appraised value for the transfer (the contract decides who pays, often split in half), while the seller pays income tax plus either a 3.3% specific business tax, if they have owned the property for less than five years, or 0.5% stamp duty. If you are leasing land for a villa, the lease agreement is registered, with a fee of about 1% of the total rent for the whole term.

7. Keys

After registration, the handover certificate is signed, you receive the keys and start paying the complex’s maintenance fees. If you plan to rent the property out, this is also when you choose a management company.

In short: the agent searches, the lawyer checks, the bank confirms the transfer, and the land office registers. Buying a finished home usually takes a few weeks; with a new build, you wait until construction is complete.

Checklist

Before paying a deposit

• The exact address and the route to the sea — on foot, not on a map.
• The plot in the rain: drainage, elevation, and on Kata’s slopes also the gradient and retaining walls.
• For a hillside: is there construction or a steep cut further up the hill?
• Noise at different times of day: construction nearby in Bang Tao; the night market, bars and hillside construction in Kata.
• Whether short-term rental is allowed in this particular building.
• Title to the land and the building, the foreign quota, payment history; for leasehold — how many years of the lease remain.

How to choose

Three steps

1. 01

   Define your goal

   Living there yourself, renting out, or both: this decides which area wins.

2. 02

   Check the address

   Not the area name, but the point on the map: the route to the beach, the terrain, nearby construction.

3. 03

   Ask for the numbers

   A year of rental and cost reports for the specific property, not area averages.

11. Risks and how we can help

You can choose an area yourself: everything discussed above can be checked on a map, in listings and in conversation with the seller. It gets harder with a specific property and its documents. These are the problems buyers in Phuket run into most often:

• Land “held through a Thai company”. So that a foreigner can own the land under a villa, sellers sometimes offer to register it to a Thai company whose Thai co-owners exist only on paper. The law prohibits this, and such property can be lost.
• Land with an incomplete title. Land documents in Thailand come in different kinds, and not all of them give full ownership. On the hills there are plots where building should never have been allowed at all.
• An apartment beyond the quota. If a building’s foreign quota is already used up, the apartment cannot be registered to you as freehold — you may be offered a lease instead, without always being told so plainly.
• A deposit paid to the wrong person. Money is transferred only under a signed contract and only to an account whose owner your lawyer has verified.
• Promised returns. A “guaranteed income” from a developer is a promise by one particular company, not by the market. If the company runs into trouble, the payments stop.
• Construction delays. A new build is paid for in instalments, and if the developer misses deadlines, your money is tied up. That is why people look at how the developer delivered its previous projects.
• Short-term rental without a licence. Renting an apartment by the night where it is not allowed can bring fines, and the complex may ban the rentals.

Almost all of this is solved by one thing: checking before you pay. That is why the key step in buying is having your own lawyer.

At the same time, Phuket is one of the liveliest resort property markets in Asia: people come here on holiday and move here to live, and developers are bringing thousands of new apartments to market. There are many opportunities here, but also many nuances that are easy to get lost in from the outside.

Need help choosing an area in Phuket?

Leave your email and get a free consultation.