Looking for a room in Sathorn

Looking for a room in Sathorn

My previous room in Lak Si was fine because it was close to work (less than 15 minutes by foot) and cheap (3500 Baht per month). But now it’s too far away, and it takes me 15 minutes to get to the next bus stop, and if I take a taxi it can only leave northwards, but I want to go south most of the time.

Therefore, I was looking for a new room in Sathorn. Aircon, double bed (so I can have guests over night) and wardrobe is a must. I have my own refrigerator and computer desk and bookshelf.

Internet is crucial, I spend more than 2 hours per day on the internet and slow connection or weak WiFi signal would be a major annoyance, every day. In my previous place I had internet installed (one year rent contract, one year work contract, one year internet contract), but now I don’t want to spend the money because I don’t know how long I will stay (I might find work elsewhere).

Room size between 20 and 30 sqm. Under 20 sqm, moving furniture or even walking around with two in the room becomes like a 15 puzzle or Tower of Hanoi. Over 30 sqm, I can get lost on the way to the refrigerator and aircon consumes too much energy.

Stickman had an article about his search for a new place “Condo Hunting in Bangkok and the Thai Real Estate Agent Headache” , and ended with “I should have listened to the advice I have long given those who have asked. Pound the pavement!”

See on migrationology as well "How to Rent Cheap Apartments in Bangkok, Thailand"  with links to websites about rooms for rent.

update 20jan2017:
https://www.thailandstarterkit.com/accommodation/bangkok-apartments/

http://www.ajarn.com/ajarn-street/articles/the-ajarn.com-guide-to-renting-an-apartment

I was looking for low end accommodation (less than 8000 Baht per month), so I didn’t even search the internet in English. But when I discussed this matter with a friend and he sent me a link to a Thai website http://www.renthub.in.th/, I had a look. You can choose by proximity to ARL, BTS or MRT stations on a map. It looks promising (pictures of rooms, map, details), but there are several unanswered questions to each entry, and one entry had a promotion from the year 2554/2011.

I printed out details for several places and went to look at them. The addresses were not detailed enough to find the place and the location on the map was plain wrong for some of them. Nonetheless, I found all I was looking for, half of them had no vacancies. As this website covers less than half of places that rent out rooms (my estimation), physically looking for room seemed the better option, and that’s what I did.

Some general observations: minimum rent time usually 6 months, for 1 year you can get a cheaper rater, less than 6 months usually a higher rate. Look out for water and electricity fees and cost for WiFi. In my last place, I paid around 4 Baht per kWh (maybe this was susidised?) and 12 Baht per m3. In Sathorn, 7 Baht and 17 Baht seem to be fair prices. Deposit usually two monthly rents. Furniture varies, bed with mattress and wardrobe seem to be standard, table and fridge not.

Places I went to (all first week of May 2014):

1. Water Place

(Soi Ngamduplee near Sathorn Soi 1, next to S1 hostel)

Small room without window, bathroom, aircon, water 200 per month, WiFi 300 per month.

2. Sribampen Apartment full

Soi Sribampen, I stayed there 3 years ago for 3 months in a spacious room with aircon for 4000 Baht per month. However the compressor and heat exchanger from the aircon of the office below was in front of my window, making noise all day.

3. Lee guesthouse full

Soi Sribampen / Soi Saphan Khu

4. P.S. guesthouse

(Saphan Khu near Rama 4) rooms with aircon 4500 per month, rooms small and old furniture

Room 127 3^rd floor no window, aircon, hot water, bed 1.5 (larger than single, smaller than double bed)

Room 136 (pictures) 4^th floor no widow, aircon, no hot water, double bed

5. J House Office & Room for rent

(on Rama 4, right at the south side of the pedestrian overpass near Soi Ngamduplee)

Room 304 large room, furniture, aircon, sink, hot water, double bed, no telephone line

6 months 5900 per month, 4 months 6200 per month, 5 Baht / kWh, 30 Baht / m3

Small office and small stairway (might cause problems moving furniture), but room and stairway in higher floor spacious, good English

I went with a Thai friend and while I could not put my finger on it, he later told me that the lady who showed me the rooms gives off bad vibes. He is right. When I asked for internet she told me that’s not her problem, I can get internet via mobile phone or in other ways. She told my friend that I ask too much and why do I want to know these details and why do write it down (my friend told me later, I was busy looking at the room and writing down information).

The room was still inhabited, but a similar room would be free in two days.

  

6. Rama 4 City Court

(north side of Rama 4, two large building with 14 floors)

Large room, double bed, new mattress, new aircon, Wifi 500 / month, balcony, sink, good view from 13^th floor, no hot water, telephone line and cable TV, lift; in the floor tiles are lose making sound when walking on them, rooms for rent 1-3-6 months are on floors 11 to 14 (there is a lift). Furnished and air-conditioned room 1 month 7600, 3 months 7400 per month, 6 months 7600 per month. Unfurnished and furnished cheaper (no aircon). A friend once lived on 9th floor elsewhere and had good wind conditions, so he rarely used aircon.

This is the only of the places mentioned here that has an information sheet:

(my notes, the deposit is 7600+7600+2500+1600+450=19750)

7. Home sweet home

(Sribampen quiet side Soi about 100 after Ibis hotel)

Room 6 no window, 5000 / month, aircon, double bed, furniture, small but new, shared bathroom on floor, no hot water, WiFi 500, 7 Baht / kWh, water 200 / month, large public balcony, door lintel in entrance low (I hit my head)

8. Moo Baan Yen Agat

(corner of Sribamben and Yen Agat, near 7/11 and Tivoli hotel) Room 4 (pictures) new furniture 8000 / month, room 5 old furniture 7000 per month, aircon, double bed, hot water, 7 Baht / kWh, 18 Baht / m3, TV, WiFi included in rent, fridge

9. 88 rooms full

(corner of Sribamben and Yen Agat, near second 7/11 and Tivoli)

10. unnamed place next to Sod@ Bar (further down Sribampen towards The Blooms)

No furniture, no window, fan (no aircon), no wash basin in bathroom, 2800 per month

11. The Blooms hotel and long time rent

(Soi Sribampen at the end towards the tollway)

Room 1319 no fridge, not shower, 5500 per month including water and electricity, old aircon, balcony, internet 780 per month, cleaning fee for check-out 500 Baht, small room with old furniture, bed size 1.5

I love these tiled tables that you usually find in hotels, enough space to store all your toiletries. Usually there is just the wash basin and the lid of the flushing tank, both small and convex. Sometimes an extra board usually above the sink under the mirror.

12. 39 Place

(small quiet side soi near Soi Suksawat)

Room 504 size 20 sqm, 6200 per month, minimum 6 months, aircon, double bed, hot water, 7 Baht / kWh, water 125 Baht / month up to 5 m3 consumption, balcony with sink, no fridge, luxurious entrance

13. Baan Suan Bai Plu Apartment full

(behind Suan Plu Market)

14. Best Living House full

(Near Lido in small side Soi of Sribampen)

15. Ken Place

(opposite Lido in small side Soi of Sribampen)

No fridge, no sink, wide stairway, 21 sqm (? appeared smaller), single bed, 1 month 7000, 2-3 5500, WiFi included

Tiny room, but spacious stairway

16. ST Food full

(Soi Saphan Khu near Rama 4)

That's enough to choose from, once your normalize prices by level of comfort and size, it's all similar. 

Copyright 2014 ChristianPFC