Property Contract Review for Phuket Buyers

Property contracts in Thailand are frequently presented as standard documents that everyone signs. They are not standard, they are drafted by the seller, and the version handed to a buyer generally protects the seller rather admirably. At Anan Property Group, we arrange independent contract review by licensed Thai property lawyers before anything is signed.

What a Proper Review Looks For

The starting point is whether the person selling can actually sell. The contract should identify the property precisely against the title deed, name the registered owner correctly, and address marital consent and corporate authority where those apply. It should confirm that the property is being transferred free of encumbrances, and set out what happens if it turns out not to be.

Then the commercial terms. Deposit and payment schedule, exactly what triggers each payment, the transfer date, and how the transfer fees and taxes are divided — a point frequently left vague in draft contracts and expensive to resolve on the day. What is included in the sale should be listed: furniture, fittings, appliances, air-conditioning units, pool equipment, and anything the seller has verbally promised to leave behind.

Most importantly, the review looks at what happens when things go wrong. Are your conditions — satisfactory due diligence, confirmation of foreign freehold availability, a clear title search — written into the contract with a right to withdraw and recover your deposit? Is the seller’s liability for delay real, or capped at nothing? Is the penalty regime symmetrical, or does it apply to you alone? These clauses cost nothing to negotiate before signature and are impossible to change afterwards.

Off-Plan Contracts Deserve Particular Attention

Development contracts carry additional risk because you are paying for something that does not yet exist. A review should establish that payments are tied to verified construction milestones rather than dates, that the specification and finishing schedule are annexed and binding, and that the completion date carries a meaningful consequence if it is missed. It should examine the defects liability period, the developer’s obligations during it, and what security — escrow, a bank guarantee, or a charge over the land — protects your money if the project stalls.

Contracts should also be reviewed in both languages. Where a document exists in Thai and English, the two versions can differ, and the contract will normally specify which prevails. A buyer who has read only the English translation of a contract governed by its Thai text is not in the position they believe they are in.

These services are arranged and facilitated by Anan Property Group and provided by our trusted network of licensed Thai legal associates. They review, mark up and negotiate the documentation on your behalf and advise you directly; we coordinate the timetable so that the review happens before a deposit is committed rather than after.

Contract review is the least glamorous money you will spend on a Phuket purchase and reliably the best value. Anan Property Group makes sure it is done by a qualified lawyer acting for you.