Knowledge
What you actually need to know before buying on Phangan.
Short, plain-language explainers on the legal and practical questions that decide a purchase — ownership structures, building zones, and the rules behind them. We keep these current; due diligence on every deal is part of how we work, not an add-on.
Ownership
How foreigners legally own a villa on Koh Phangan
A foreigner can't own land in Thailand — but can own the building. The compliant structure is a 30-year registered land lease, ownership of the house itself, and a registered superficies.
Zoning & construction
Building zones on Koh Phangan: the 2025 environmental rules
Since May 2025, Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao fall under seven environmental protection zones that govern what you can build — beachfront setbacks, hillside limits, height caps.
Ownership
Leasehold vs freehold on Koh Phangan: what foreign buyers should know in 2026
Foreigners can't hold land freehold in their own name, and the company workaround turned risky after the 2025–2026 nominee enforcement. For most foreign buyers on Phangan today the clean, durable route is leasehold: a registered long lease on the land plus outright ownership of the building.
Documents
Land titles on Koh Phangan: Chanote vs Nor Sor 3, and how to verify one
The title class decides what you're actually buying. A Chanote is the full ownership deed and the one to aim for; Nor Sor 3 Gor is usually fine with care. Por Bor Tor 5 and Sor Por Kor land are not real titles — common island traps. Verify every deed at the Land Office before you commit.
Market
How land is priced on Koh Phangan: the rai, and what moves the price
Land here is sold by the rai (1,600 m²), but the price per rai on its own tells you very little. Sea view, road access, title class and whether you can actually build under the 2025 zoning move the number far more than the headline figure. Live medians by district are on our market page.
Costs
The full cost of buying on Koh Phangan: taxes, fees and the FET form
Beyond the price, a buyer budgets roughly 1–2% for legal, survey and registration. Most transfer taxes fall on the seller by law and local practice. The detail that catches people out isn't a tax at all — it's keeping the FET form you'll need to take your money back out when you sell.
Process
How to buy property on Koh Phangan: the step-by-step process
From brief to registration, a clean purchase runs through nine steps — and the two that actually protect you are independent legal due diligence and registering the lease at the Land Office. With a clear title, expect roughly 4–8 weeks from reservation to completion.
Process
Buying off-plan on Koh Phangan: the upside, the risks, and how to vet a developer
Off-plan can mean a lower entry price, staged payments and a choice of unit — but you're buying a promise, not a finished building. The protection is in the details: a developer with a real track record, the land title under the project, the permits, staged payments tied to construction, and a contract your own lawyer has read.
Renting out
Renting out your Koh Phangan villa: the 30-day rule, taxes and realistic yield
Renting out for under 30 days is treated as running a hotel and needs a licence — without one, daily lettings are technically illegal. Monthly lets are generally fine. Rental income is taxed, and the only honest way to model yield is from real nightly rates and occupancy, not a brochure number.
Costs
Financing a Koh Phangan purchase as a foreigner: mortgages, payment plans and cash
For a foreign buyer, Thailand is largely a cash market. Thai banks generally don't lend to foreigners for a home — and never for land, which you can't own anyway. Plan around your own funds, finance at home if you need to, and use a developer's staged payments on off-plan.
Structures
Inheritance on Koh Phangan: what happens to your leasehold and villa when you die
What your heirs receive depends on how the asset is held. A land lease, the villa building and company shares all pass on differently — and a Thai lease does not pass on automatically unless the contract says so. The fix is to plan it in advance: a succession clause in the lease, the company structure, and a Thai will.
Structures
Nominee-ownership enforcement spreads to Krabi: what island buyers need to know in 2026
A June 2026 raid on luxury villas in Krabi Province — linked to Spanish nationals — marks the geographic expansion of the enforcement campaign that began on Koh Phangan and Samui. With 401 businesses under investigation in Krabi and roughly 21,000 cases targeted nationwide, the crackdown is no longer an island story. Nominee structures now carry real criminal risk across all of Thailand's main tourist areas.
Market
Koh Phangan property market in 2026: what the data shows and what to watch
Koh Phangan is part of a 61-billion-baht investment hub with Koh Samui, house prices have risen roughly 5–10% annually since 2016, and Colliers sees the market at a comparable stage to Phuket five years ago. The genuine signals are real — but they don't override the basics: title quality, the 2025 zoning, and buying through a clean structure are preconditions, not afterthoughts.
Process
Due diligence before buying on Koh Phangan: the complete checklist
The due diligence stage is where you confirm you're buying what's advertised — and that it will hold up. The core check is the Land Office record on the back of the deed; from there: seller identity, encumbrances, boundaries, road access, buildability and utilities.
Ownership
Selling your leasehold villa on Koh Phangan: assignment, taxes and exit planning
A registered leasehold can be sold — but only if the lease contract explicitly permits assignment. Taxes at exit are moderate and mostly drop after five years. The harder practical challenge is liquidity: leasehold villas on Phangan can take several months to sell, and a shorter remaining term directly compresses what a buyer will pay.
Process
A day at the Land Office: what happens when a deal is registered in Thailand
The Land Office is where a deal becomes legally real. Both buyer and seller appear in person, documents are verified, taxes are paid at the cashier window, and the transfer is endorsed on the back of the title deed — all on the same day. Knowing what to bring and what to expect takes the uncertainty out of it.
Structures
Superficies, usufruct and lease: three ways to anchor a building on Thai land
Three registered rights under Thailand's Civil and Commercial Code each give a foreigner different security, transferability and inheritance outcomes. For a villa, the standard is lease plus superficies — the lease covers occupancy, the superficies separately titles the building. Usufruct suits a different situation: protecting a foreign spouse on land the Thai partner owns.
Costs
Bringing money into Thailand correctly: the FET form, step by step
The Foreign Exchange Transaction form is issued by your Thai bank when foreign currency arrives and converts to baht. For a condo it is mandatory at the Land Office; for a leasehold villa you will need it to repatriate proceeds when you sell. The process is straightforward — but the form must be requested correctly and kept for the life of the investment.
Structures
Renewing a 30-year lease in Thailand: what actually happens and the real risks
After the March 2025 Supreme Court ruling, there is no ambiguity: pre-agreed automatic renewals beyond 30 years are void. Renewal requires the then-current landowner to agree at the time. That makes planning around the exit critical from day one — along with the right protective clauses within the initial term.
Structures
A Thai company for property (49/51): when it makes sense, when it's toxic
For decades, foreign buyers used a Thai-majority company to access land they couldn't own in their own name. The 49/51 structure was always legally fragile; since 2025 the nominee-enforcement campaign has made it actively dangerous for a private villa purchase. For a genuine operating business with real Thai partners, a different analysis applies.
Phangan
Building a villa on Koh Phangan: permits, zones, timelines and budget
A foreign lessee can legally build on Koh Phangan — the construction permit titles the building in the builder's name, and a registered superficies separates that ownership from the land. The 2025 environmental zones constrain what you can build where, plans must be signed by licensed Thai professionals, and island logistics add 8–15% to mainland construction cost. Budget ฿18,000–60,000+/m² depending on finish, and 4–6 months for permit approval.
Documents
The lease contract on Koh Phangan: clauses a foreign buyer must check
A registered lease is only as strong as the clauses it contains. The default developer draft almost never includes the four provisions that protect you most: succession, assignment, sublease rights and a right of first refusal on the land. Here is what to look for — and why each one matters.
Phangan
Buying property in Sri Thanu, Koh Phangan: who it suits, prices and what to expect
Sri Thanu is Koh Phangan's wellness and long-stay community hub — the densest concentration of foreign residents on the island. It suits buyers who want to be part of an established expat community and whose rental model relies on monthly stays rather than nightly bookings. It is not the optimal choice for pure short-stay yield maximisation.
Phangan
Buying property in Thong Sala, Koh Phangan: the island's practical hub
Thong Sala is Koh Phangan's main town, ferry port and commercial centre — the right choice for buyers who prioritise year-round rental demand and service infrastructure over beachfront lifestyle. Lower entry prices than the west coast, stable demand, and the island's best transport links trade against an urban rather than resort character.
Phangan
Utilities on Koh Phangan: water, electricity, internet and road access
Island utilities are more variable than on the mainland, and two adjacent plots can have entirely different supply sources, reliability and running costs. Verify every utility against documentary evidence during due diligence — not after signing.
Costs
Owner's taxes on Koh Phangan: Land & Building Tax and rental income tax
Two taxes run alongside owning property on Koh Phangan: the annual Land and Building Tax (assessed by the local authority on the official appraised value) and personal income tax on any rental income. For most foreign leasehold holders the Land and Building Tax is legally the landowner's liability, not yours — but rental income is taxed in your hands regardless of residency status.
Phangan
Visa and residency for property owners on Koh Phangan: what a purchase gives you
Buying a leasehold villa or land on Koh Phangan does not come with any visa or right to stay in Thailand. The four main long-stay routes — Thailand Elite, Retirement (O-A), LTR and DTV — each suit a different buyer profile. The one program that ties residency directly to property ownership (the THB 3M investment visa) only accepts freehold condominiums, not leaseholds.
Phangan
Buying property in Chaloklum, Koh Phangan: the island's northern fishing village
Chaloklum is Koh Phangan's northern fishing capital — a quiet bay village that has built a second identity as the island's diving hub. It suits buyers who value authenticity, water-sports access and a slower pace over resort amenities or short-stay yield, and who accept a longer drive to the island's main services.
Phangan
Buying property in Haad Yao and Haad Salad, Koh Phangan: sunset views and the sea-view premium
Haad Yao and Haad Salad form the northwest coast's premier sea-view corridor — two bays separated by a headland, both facing west for full-front sunsets and views across Ang Thong Marine Park. They attract mid-to-high net worth buyers seeking elevated hillside villas with snorkelling access and strong vacation-rental potential, at the island's top price tier.
Phangan
Buying property in Ban Tai and Ban Khai, Koh Phangan: the south coast's value tier
Ban Tai and Ban Khai form Koh Phangan's south coast — a 4 km arc directly south of the ferry port at Thong Sala. The area offers a rare combination of beach access and urban convenience at the island's most accessible price point, with sunset views across the southern bay toward Koh Samui.
Phangan
Buying property in Thong Nai Pan, Koh Phangan: premium twin bays on the remote northeast coast
Thong Nai Pan Noi and Yai — two sheltered white-sand bays on Koh Phangan's northeast coast — are the island's most celebrated beach destination. Remote, quiet and substantially within national park territory, the area attracts buyers who prioritise natural beauty and seclusion over rental yield or urban convenience. Environmental restrictions and infrastructure limitations are the principal constraints.
Market
Koh Phangan vs Koh Samui vs Koh Tao for property investment: an honest comparison
Three islands, three distinct markets. Samui is mature, liquid and expensive. Phangan is the growth story with real data behind it but smaller and less liquid. Tao is a dive-community island with a tiny property market and strong environmental constraints — not a conventional investment destination. The right choice depends on your goals, not the island's reputation.
Process
Land plot, finished villa or off-plan: choosing the right Koh Phangan purchase for your goal
Three entry points, three different risk and reward profiles. A land plot gives maximum design control at the cost of an 18–36-month process and full construction risk. A finished villa gives certainty and immediate income at a higher entry price. Off-plan sits between them: lower price than finished, staged payments, but the same builder risk as a self-build with less control. The right choice depends on your timeline, capital, tolerance for uncertainty and what you need the asset to do.
Ownership
Freehold condo vs leasehold villa for a foreigner: the real difference
A foreigner in Thailand can own a condominium unit with a permanent title — no expiry, full resale rights. A villa sits on leased land with a 30-year registered term. The choice turns on budget, time horizon, lifestyle and how much legal complexity you want to carry.
Costs
Koh Phangan property market seasonality: when to buy and when to sell
Koh Phangan has a pronounced tourist high season (December–April) and a wet-season low (May–October). Short-term rental revenue varies by 2–3× between peak and trough months. Understanding the rhythm helps you time a purchase, set rental expectations and negotiate correctly.
Phangan
Buying in Madeau Wan: the island's quiet inland residential district
Madeau Wan is an inland village 5–10 minutes from Thong Sala — jungle-set villas and plots at a fraction of west-coast beachfront prices. Flat terrain, government electricity nearby, and less coastal-zone exposure than its beach neighbours.
Phangan
Buying in Haad Rin: Full Moon Party peninsula — investor guide
Haad Rin occupies the south-eastern tip of Koh Phangan and is synonymous with the monthly Full Moon Party. It suits short-term rental investors who understand a party economy; it is not suited to families, quiet-lifestyle buyers, or anyone relying on easy road access.
Phangan
Buying in Wok Tum: quiet sunset strip minutes from Thong Sala
Wok Tum occupies the south-western shore of Koh Phangan, a ten-minute drive from the island's main port town. It offers mangrove-fringed sunset views, the lowest land prices on the west coast, and a genuinely quiet atmosphere — at the cost of a non-swimming shoreline and some infrastructure gaps that buyers should verify before committing.
Phangan
Buying in Hin Kong: Koh Phangan's longest west-coast beach
Hin Kong stretches for approximately 2.4 km along the west coast between Thong Sala and Sri Thanu — the island's longest continuous west-coast beach. It combines family-friendly shallow water, a well-established international community, and direct access to the Sri Thanu wellness corridor, with mid-range west-coast land prices and straightforward road connections.
Phangan
Buying in Mae Haad: Koh Ma sandbar and Koh Phangan's top snorkelling bay
Mae Haad sits on Koh Phangan's north-west coast and is anchored by an 800-metre white sand beach and the famous Koh Ma sandbar — a natural tidal causeway to a small rocky island and designated marine park. The area has evolved from a quiet fishing community into an active luxury villa market, but strict hillside zoning limits density and keeps supply permanently constrained.
Phangan
Buying in Bottle Beach (Haad Khuat): Koh Phangan's most remote north-coast bay
Bottle Beach — officially Haad Khuat — is Koh Phangan's most isolated bay, reachable only by longtail boat from Chaloklum or a one-to-two-hour jungle hike. Real estate transactions here are extremely rare; the area suits buyers seeking genuine off-grid seclusion or niche eco-tourism development, not conventional investment.
Phangan
Buying near Than Sadet, Koh Phangan: national park land, a royal waterfall, and a near-absent market
Than Sadet, on the island's east coast between Thong Nai Pan and Haad Rin, takes its name from a stream visited repeatedly by King Rama V and later monarchs. More than half the surrounding land sits inside Than Sadet–Koh Phangan National Park, and the handful of titled plots nearby see almost no transaction history — this is land for buyers who want genuine seclusion, not a comparable investment market.
Phangan
Buying near Haad Yuan and Haad Tien, Koh Phangan: secluded wellness coves with no road and almost no market
Haad Yuan and Haad Tien (Haad Thian) are boat-or-trail-only coves on the southeast coast, just north of Haad Rin, known for The Sanctuary wellness retreat and a cluster of yoga-focused bungalow operations. Both run on leased land and self-generated power, with essentially no land or villa resale market — this is a retreat-operator location, not a conventional property investment.
Phangan
Buying in Khao Khao Haeng: inland hilltop views above Ban Tai
Khao Khao Haeng is an elevated hill district in the interior of Ban Tai sub-district, known for panoramic island-and-sea views and as the site of Wat Khao Tham, Koh Phangan's long-running Vipassana meditation centre. It suits view-driven buyers and wellness-oriented builders willing to work with slope and a drive to the coast, on land that stays cheaper than beachfront but comes with steeper access and the island's strictest hillside building rules.
Phangan
Buying in Ban Nai Suan: central inland land for space and value
Ban Nai Suan is a quiet inland village near the geographic centre of Koh Phangan, historically orchard and garden land now gradually turning residential. Flat terrain, paved-road and grid-power access, and prices well below coastal benchmarks make it a practical choice for buyers who want more land and a permanent, local base rather than a beachfront address.
Structures
Thailand's 99-year leasehold bill: why it was shelved and what the law allows in 2026
The headline plan to let foreigners lease Thai land for up to 99 years was shelved by the government in September 2025 and has no active path through parliament. The statutory ceiling remains 30 years under Section 540 — reinforced, not loosened, by the March 2025 Supreme Court ruling on stacked leases.
Process
The Land Office's May 2026 source-of-funds checks: what changed at registration
Between 15 and 25 May 2026 the Department of Lands issued three 'Most Urgent' circulars standardising nominee-detection checks at every Provincial Land Office. For a compliant lease-and-superficies buyer, the underlying law hasn't changed — but expect more paperwork proving where your money came from.
Phangan
Illegal construction crackdown in Koh Phangan's forest reserves and hillsides: what a buyer needs to know
In September 2025, Surat Thani authorities found at least five buildings standing inside Koh Phangan's national forest reserve, plus cleared hillside land prepared for more. GPS-mapped enforcement and a parallel nominee-ownership crackdown mean a title deed alone no longer proves a plot is clean — boundary verification against the forest reserve is now essential due diligence.
Phangan
Forged building permits on Koh Phangan: how to verify a permit is genuine
On 25 March 2026, Surat Thani authorities confirmed 40 forged building permits tied to the Koh Phangan district, including at least nine completed luxury villas owned by foreign buyers. A parallel scandal on Koh Samui shows the same fraud pattern — which means a permit document alone is no longer proof of anything without checking it against the issuing office's own records.
Structures
The Land Department's 2026 audit of existing landholding companies: what owners must have ready
Since 2025-2026, Thailand's Department of Business Development and Department of Lands have run an AI-driven audit (IBAS) of company registry and land records nationwide, feeding a running database that every Provincial Land Office must now review monthly. A company already holding land isn't exempt — if it's flagged as a nominee structure, Land Code Section 96 gives officials the power to force a sale within 180 days to a year.
Costs
Vacant-land tax step-up in 2026 and the agricultural-use loophole crackdown
2026 (B.E. 2569) is the first year Thailand's Land and Building Tax adds its automatic step-up penalty — an extra 0.3% on top of the standard rate for land left idle three years running. At the same time, regulators have tightened the planting-density rules that let owners reclassify vacant land as 'agricultural' to dodge that rate altogether, so a few token banana trees no longer guarantee the lower bracket.
Documents
Thailand's new Will registration rules (24 March 2026): what property owners need to update
A Ministerial Regulation that took effect on 24 March 2026 standardises how public wills are prepared, witnessed and registered at Thai district offices — the first overhaul of the process in over 60 years. It doesn't change who inherits what under Thai law, but it tightens the paperwork, and every foreign owner of Thai property should check their existing will still fits.
Phangan
Healthcare and schools on Koh Phangan: what a relocating family actually gets
Koh Phangan has private hospitals for day-to-day and emergency care and a small but real set of international schools and kindergartens — but both systems are smaller than Koh Samui's, and serious medical cases or older secondary-school kids are often referred off-island. Buying here with a family means planning around that ceiling, not assuming it doesn't exist.
Ownership
Thailand's 49% condo foreign-ownership quota in 2026: why the real fight is to raise it, not cut it
Online chatter claims tourist provinces like Phuket and Koh Samui could see the foreign condo quota shrink to 25-39%. Mainstream Thai reporting as of mid-2026 shows the opposite live debate: officials and developers are pushing to raise the national 49% cap to 70-75%, and nothing has changed in law either direction.
Costs
OCPB's 2025 deposit-confiscation ban only covers condos — what protects a villa or land reservation deposit on Phangan?
Since 31 January 2025, Thailand's consumer protection regulator has barred condo developers from keeping a reservation deposit when the buyer isn't at fault. The rule is written narrowly for condominium-unit reservations — villa and land reservations, which dominate Phangan's market, fall back to ordinary contract law, where a non-refundable clause is enforceable unless you negotiate otherwise.
Costs
PEA's 2026 rooftop solar buyback scheme: what it means for a Koh Phangan villa's running costs
From 1 July 2026 the Provincial Electricity Authority is buying surplus rooftop solar power from households at 2.20 baht per unit on a 10-year contract. Koh Phangan sits in PEA's territory, so villa owners can apply — but the real payback comes from offsetting your own daytime electricity bill, not from the sell-back rate itself.
Process
Flood and drainage risk on Koh Phangan: how to check a specific plot before you buy
Flood exposure on Koh Phangan varies sharply from one plot to the next, driven by steep hillside runoff rather than river overflow. After the island's December 2024 disaster-area declaration and repeated monsoon flooding since, checking a specific plot's drainage and elevation is a due-diligence step you can and should do before you commit.
Structures
The 'Samui Model' hillside-enforcement playbook reaches Koh Phangan: retroactive risk for villas built years ago
Since late 2024, a coalition of ISOC, the Royal Forest Department and local municipalities on Koh Samui — nicknamed the 'Samui Model' — has used aerial photography and GPS mapping to find hillside villas that exceed slope, height or forest-boundary limits, including ones built years earlier. The same aerial/GPS method reached Koh Phangan in September 2025, which means an existing hillside villa's safety now depends on what a fresh survey finds, not on how long it has stood.
Structures
The THB 40 million investment route: how a foreigner can legally hold up to 1,600 sqm of land in their own name
Section 96 bis of Thailand's Land Code lets a foreigner who invests at least ฿40 million in approved categories apply for Ministry of Interior approval to hold up to 1 rai (1,600 sqm) of land in their own name, for residence only. It is real law, but a narrow, discretionary and rarely used one — not a practical alternative to the standard lease-and-superficies structure for most Koh Phangan buyers.
Ownership
Buying a villa that's already held by a Thai company on Koh Phangan: why 2026 due diligence has to go further
The Department of Business Development has flagged roughly 11,426 companies on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan — nearly 68% of all registered firms on the two islands — as showing foreign-shareholding patterns typical of nominee arrangements. If the villa you're looking at is held through an existing Thai company, the odds that company sits inside this flagged pool are high, and buying the wrong one transfers someone else's legal risk onto you.
Documents
DBD's 2026 source-of-funds rules: what Orders 2/2568 and 1/2569 require when you set up or change a Thai property-holding company
Since 1 January 2026, Thai shareholders in any company with foreign minority ownership or a foreign signatory director must produce three months of bank statements proving they personally funded their shares. Since 1 April 2026, amendments that increase foreign control trigger a signed Investment Confirmation Letter. Both orders target the exact paperwork a 49/51 villa-holding company relies on.
Structures
Section 94 may soon mean forfeiture, not a forced sale: the amendment under study in 2026
Today, land a foreigner acquires unlawfully must be sold off within 180 days to a year — but the (former) owner keeps the money. The Land Department is studying a change that would remove that entitlement entirely, so the land is forfeited to the State instead. It isn't law yet, but owners in questionable structures gain nothing by waiting to see.
Documents
"Untitled sea-view land" on Koh Phangan: why a PBT5 or Sor Por Kor plot can never become a chanote
Cheap hillside or sea-view plots sold as PBT5 or Sor Por Kor documents aren't title deeds at all — they're tax receipts or agricultural-use permits, and the Land Department will not register a sale, lease, mortgage or upgrade on them. When the plot overlaps a national park or forest reserve boundary, as much of Phangan's hill and coastal land does, that upgrade is not just unlikely — it's legally impossible.
Costs
Insuring a villa on Koh Phangan: what flood and storm coverage actually costs, and where standard policies fall short
A standard Thai fire policy does not cover flood, storm or landslide by default — those come bundled as an optional rider, and that rider is often capped at a fraction of the building's real value. Premiums are trending upward nationwide after the November 2025 Hat Yai floods, and while no Koh Phangan-specific pricing exists, the World Bank rates the island's flood and landslide exposure as high.
Structures
Selling a Thai company that holds your villa: is a share sale really a tax shortcut, and where does the Revenue Department draw the line?
Selling the shares of the Thai company that holds your villa, instead of transferring the land itself, does legally sidestep the Land Department's transfer fee, Specific Business Tax and land withholding tax — but it is not a settled loophole. It carries real anti-avoidance exposure, transfers the company's entire liability history (including any nominee-compliance defect) to the buyer, and sits directly inside Thailand's intensifying 2026 crackdown on foreign-controlled landholding companies.
Phangan
The 74-billion-baht Samui sea bridge: what a 20-minute mainland crossing would mean for Phangan and Koh Tao property demand
EXAT's ฿74-billion, 37.41km Samui Expressway would replace the two-hour Don Sak–Samui ferry with a roughly 20-minute drive, but it is still at the feasibility/public-hearing stage as of February 2026 — cabinet approval isn't targeted until 2027, with construction starting 2028–2029 and opening projected 2033–2034. It connects only to Koh Samui; any effect on Phangan and Koh Tao demand would arrive indirectly, and only once it's actually built.
Phangan
Electric air-taxi drones for Samui–Phangan–Tao: real project or vaporware, and what it means for buyer accessibility
Thai regulators and a private operator, Tao AAM Co., Ltd., have floated electric EH216-S passenger drones connecting Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao by late 2026. The aircraft and demo flights are real, but Thailand's Drone Act and CAAT type-certification are still being drafted — as of mid-2026 there is no approved commercial route, no Thai airworthiness certificate for the aircraft, and no fixed launch date beyond the operator's own target.
Costs
Withholding tax on a property sale: how the individual calculation differs from a company's flat 1%
A Thai company selling a villa or land pays a flat 1% withholding tax on the higher of appraised value or sale price. An individual seller's withholding tax is not a simple percentage at all — it runs the appraised value through a years-owned deduction table and Thailand's progressive income-tax rates, and can land well above or below 1% depending on how long the property was held.
Structures
Coastal setback rules on Koh Phangan in practice: height, floor-area and green-space limits by distance from the beach
Under the environmental protection zoning that has covered Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao since 22 May 2025, how close a plot sits to the high-tide line decides what can legally be built on it — down to specific height caps, floor-area limits and single-storey rules within the first 50 metres. This guide sets out the practical tiers behind the general zoning map covered in [Island eco-zoning: where you can and can't build](/knowledge/koh-phangan-building-zones).
Ownership
The LTR visa's property route: how a $500,000 Thai real estate purchase counts toward 10-year residency
Thailand's Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa lets a Wealthy Global Citizen count Thai real estate toward the $500,000 Thailand-investment requirement, and as of February 2025 there is no personal income threshold to meet. But the property must be registered in the applicant's own name — a villa held through a Thai company does not qualify, which rules out the most common Phangan ownership structure unless the purchase is restructured around it from the outset.
Process
Managing a rental villa on Koh Phangan remotely: how to vet a property-management company
Full-service rental management on Phangan and Samui typically runs 15-25% of gross rental income, and the fee schedule is the least important thing to check. The clauses that actually protect an absentee owner cover exit and handover, maintenance spending limits, financial reporting, and whether the manager can confirm your villa's short-let is properly licensed at all.
Structures
Hillside building limits on Koh Phangan: the slope-percentage tiers that decide what you can build
Elevation isn't the only test a hillside plot has to pass — its gradient is a separate one. Under 35% slope carries no extra restriction; 35–50% caps you at a single home, 6 m height and roughly 80–90 m² footprint with 70–75% of the land left green; above 50% construction is prohibited outright. Get the slope certified before you design, not after.
Costs
Off-grid solar and battery storage for a Koh Phangan villa: 2026 costs and when it actually pays off
A grid-tied solar system with no battery pays back in about 4-6 years but does nothing during an outage. Adding battery storage roughly doubles the upfront cost and stretches payback to 8-12 years, but buys outage independence on an island where the PEA grid is genuinely intermittent. Full off-grid — no PEA connection at all — is a different, more expensive proposition reserved for plots the grid doesn't reach.
Process
What a Koh Phangan property lawyer's fee actually buys: due diligence, conveyancing and title-search costs
A genuine due-diligence and conveyancing engagement on Koh Phangan runs roughly THB 30,000-120,000 depending on scope, with a realistic floor around THB 20,000-25,000 — quotes well below that usually mean a stage has been quietly dropped. The fee schedule matters less than what's actually included: pulling the original chanote at the Land Office, checking for forest-reserve overlap, and a physical site visit are the parts a cut-rate package skips first.
Costs
Thailand's 2025 OCPB residential-lease rules: deposit caps for landlords renting out 3+ units
Since 4 September 2025, any landlord renting out three or more residential units — down from the previous five-unit threshold — falls under Thailand's controlled-contract regime, capping deposits and advance rent at three months (or one year for annually-paid long-term leases) and setting refund deadlines and disclosure rules. It applies to month-to-month and multi-year residential leasing, not to nightly Airbnb-style lets, which remain a Hotel Act licensing question.
Phangan
Water supply and shortage risk on Koh Phangan: what it means for a villa's running costs
Koh Phangan's Provincial Waterworks Authority branch was still rationing mains water on parts of the island through mid-2026 — the same dry-season pattern that has repeated for over a decade. The state's 500-million-baht reservoir meant to fix it missed its own completion target, so a buyer should treat water as a cost and due-diligence item, not an afterthought.
Phangan
Koh Phangan's 2025–2026 villa development pipeline: named projects, where they cluster, and what it signals
Koh Phangan counted 41 active residential projects and 438 units worth a combined ฿7.94 billion by Q1 2026, with holiday villas making up the large majority of new supply. This guide looks at the supply side specifically — where new construction is concentrated, a few named projects moving through it, and what the pattern means for a buyer weighing a resale plot against something new.
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Thailand's 0.01% transfer fee discount (through June 2027): why it doesn't reach a foreign buyer
Thailand cut the transfer fee from 2% to 0.01% and the mortgage fee from 1% to 0.01%, extended through 30 June 2027 — but only for a Thai national buying a home for their own use, priced at ฿7 million or under. A foreign buyer, a Thai company, and a leasehold villa structure all sit outside it and keep paying the standard rates.
Structures
Sap-Ing-Sith: Thailand's fifth registered property right, and why '30+30' claims for it aren't binding either
A 2019 law created Sap-Ing-Sith ('ทรัพย์อิงสิทธิ'), a registrable right to use land or a building for up to 30 years that a foreigner can hold directly on the title deed. It sits between a lease and a superficies — but shares the same 30-year hard cap and the same problem: no statutory renewal, so a marketed '30+30' term is only ever a personal promise from today's landowner.
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Inheritance tax on Thai property: the 100-million-baht threshold most villa owners' estates never reach
Thailand has had a real inheritance tax since 2016 — but it only applies to what a single heir receives from a single deceased person above ฿100 million, valued at the Land Department's appraised value rather than market price. For most Phangan villa owners, that means the tax itself is a non-event; the real risk is an unplanned estate, not the tax bill.
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Disputing your Land and Building Tax bill: the appeal process, deadlines and what actually moves an assessment
If a Koh Phangan villa's Land and Building Tax notice looks wrong — the wrong use category, the wrong area, an inflated appraised value — the law gives you a real, three-stage right of appeal. It starts with a 30-day window to object to the local OrBorTor, and paying the disputed amount isn't automatically required while you do.
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Buying next to undeveloped land: how to check what can legally be built beside your plot
An empty lot next door isn't a guarantee of a permanent view — it's a plot governed by the same zoning, setback and title rules as yours, and it can be filled in later. Before committing, check the neighbouring plot's title class, its zone under the 2025 eco-zoning rules, the setback law that governs how close a structure can rise to your boundary, and whether it's subject to a public-hearing threshold if a larger project ever files there.
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Specific Business Tax's 5-year exemption: how the clock is counted and which sales qualify
Specific Business Tax (3.3%) applies to a Thai property sale unless the seller has held title for more than five years, or has been on the house registration (tabien baan) at that address for at least one year. Both exemptions turn on precise dates, not round numbers — and getting the count wrong is the difference between owing 3.3% and owing 0.5% stamp duty instead.
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Protecting a foreign spouse's interest when property is bought during a Thai marriage
A foreigner can't be on the title, so land bought during a Thai marriage is registered in the Thai spouse's name alone, backed by a Land Office declaration that the funds are the Thai spouse's separate property. The real protection for the foreign spouse comes afterwards — a registered lifetime usufruct and a superficies over the building, put in place at the time of purchase, not promised for later.
Phangan
Avani and KAIA: what two branded resort openings signal for Koh Phangan buyers in 2026
Minor Hotels is rebranding the existing 63-key Buri Rasa Village in Thong Nai Pan Noi into Avani Koh Phangan, while Bound and Beyond — the group behind Four Seasons Bangkok and Capella Bangkok — is building KAIA, a new tented resort on the island's north-east coast, both opening through 2026-2027. Neither is proof of a broader building boom, but both mark the first time global-tier hospitality groups have put their own brand and reputation behind property on Phangan.
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Airbnb and short-term rentals in Thailand's 2026 crackdown: what's actually illegal, what's exempt
Any paid stay under 30 days is legally a hotel business under the Hotel Act — that applies to a standalone villa exactly as it does to a condo. But a 2023 exemption already lets most small villas register locally instead of getting a full hotel licence, and 2025-2026 enforcement is now data-driven: tax, immigration and district-office records are cross-checked against booking platforms.
Ownership
A foreigner inherits Thai land directly: why Section 93's ministerial permission is effectively unobtainable
A foreigner can legally be a statutory or will-named heir to Thai land — but registering ownership needs Ministry of Interior permission under Land Code Section 93, and that permission has had no legal basis since Thailand's last land-ownership treaty ended in 1970. In practice, an heir who can't register ownership must sell the land within a set window, the same as someone who acquired it unlawfully.
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Thailand's 2027 land appraisal reset: what the Treasury's Big Data valuation cycle means for your tax bill
From 1 January 2027, Thailand's Treasury Department starts a new four-year land and building appraisal cycle built on a Big Data system that pulls in real bank-loan and transaction prices — aimed at closing a gap that today runs 20–40% below actual market values. Appraised value is the base for transfer fees, Specific Business Tax, stamp duty and annual Land and Building Tax, so a higher appraisal raises what you pay even if no rate changes.
Phangan
Koh Samui's ฿12-billion cruise terminal: a real project, still years off, and a Samui story before it's a Phangan one
The Marine Department has a feasibility study finished for a deep-water cruise terminal at Koh Samui, designed to end today's small-boat tender system for cruise passengers. It's a credible, advancing project — but the environmental study was sent back for revision in 2025, Cabinet approval isn't targeted until late 2027/early 2028, and nothing in its published scope reaches Koh Phangan directly.
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The right of habitation in Thailand: the overlooked fourth registered property right
Habitation (สิทธิอาศัย, Sections 1402-1409 of the Civil and Commercial Code) gives someone a registered right to live in a building rent-free, for up to 30 years or for life. It is narrower than a usufruct — no income rights, no subletting — which is exactly why it fits a specific situation: giving a foreign spouse, relative or dependant secure housing without handing over any right to earn from the property.
Phangan
Is a Koh Phangan airport actually coming? The abandoned Kan Air project and what it means for buyers in 2026
Koh Phangan does not have an airport, and as of 2026 there is no active project to build one. Kan Air began construction in 2012, was ordered to stop in 2015 after clearing part of a national park, and has reported no progress since 2017 — buyers should plan around today's ferry access, not a runway that may never be finished.
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VAT or Specific Business Tax on a new-build purchase? What actually applies, and where the confusion comes from
The land-and-building transfer on a new-build purchase is Specific Business Tax (3.3%), not VAT — real estate sales are carved out of the VAT system by law. Where 7% VAT genuinely shows up is on the pieces that aren't the land transfer itself: a separate construction-service contract, furniture and movable fittings, and professional fees. Reading an off-plan quote without knowing which line is which is how buyers end up thinking they've been double-charged.
Structures
DBD Order 2/2569: the August 2026 order that replaces the source-of-funds rules — and why 'in-person shareholder verification' never became law
From 1 August 2026, a single consolidated DBD order — 2/2569 — replaces the two separate incorporation and amendment rules issued earlier in the year, folding bank-statement checks and the amendment-stage declaration into one filing standard. A widely reported in-person interview requirement was only ever a draft proposal; the enacted rules require paperwork, not an appearance before the registrar.
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Condo sinking fund and CAM fees on Koh Phangan and Koh Samui: the recurring cost freehold buyers forget to budget
A Thai condo purchase carries two ownership costs beyond the transfer taxes: a one-time sinking fund (roughly ฿500–1,000 per sqm, paid once and never refunded) and a monthly common-area-maintenance (CAM) charge that can run ฿25–180 per sqm depending on the building's tier. Both are set by the building's juristic person under the Condominium Act, and unpaid balances can block your eventual resale.
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Why an offshore family trust can't hold your Thai villa or land
Thailand's Civil and Commercial Code has voided trusts created by will or by any other legal act since 1935 — there is no exception for a foreign settlor's home-country trust. A trustee cannot be registered as titleholder at the Land Office, so routing Thai property through an offshore family trust creates an unenforceable arrangement, not an estate-planning shortcut.
Phangan
Land price benchmarks 2026: Thong Sala vs Sri Thanu vs Haad Yao, per square metre and per rai
Sampling live asking-price listings across Koh Phangan's three most-referenced districts shows a clear spread: Thong Sala's flat, in-town land is the island's cheapest per square metre; Sri Thanu splits into an affordable inland tier and an increasingly scarce sea-view tier; and Haad Yao's small prime sea-view plots carry the strongest per-square-metre premium on the island.
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The PND.94 mid-year tax return: the rental-income filing deadline landlords miss
Thailand taxes rental income under two separate filings each year, not one. Most owners know about the annual return due 31 March. Fewer know about PND.94, a mid-year advance return covering January–June rental income, due by 30 September (8 October if filed online) — and the 1.5%-per-month surcharge for missing it.
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Septic tanks and wastewater systems for a Koh Phangan villa: the 2024 rule change
Since 25 March 2024, a national building-control regulation requires new or renovated houses to install a two-part grease-separation-and-treatment septic system, not the informal single-chamber soakaway many older Koh Phangan properties still rely on. Here's what the rule actually covers, and what it doesn't.
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36,277 foreign-linked companies, 8 priority provinces: how Thailand's 2026 nominee-monitoring network actually works
On 18 August 2026 the Department of Business Development disclosed its first hard national count from the ongoing nominee-shareholding review: 36,277 foreign-linked companies screened, 4,761 of them facing stricter action. Surat Thani — the mother province for Koh Phangan and Koh Samui — sits on both that hotspot list and a separate Land Department framework prioritising monthly checks in 8 provinces.
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Long-term leases now under nominee scrutiny too: what the August 2026 Koh Samui raid signals for Phangan buyers
A 15 August 2026 raid reviewed all 12,906 registered companies on Koh Samui and opened 60 nominee cases — and officials say the same enforcement push is now examining whether long-term leases, not just companies, are being used to give foreigners disguised control of land. Here's what's confirmed, what's still an emerging signal, and what it means for the standard lease-plus-superficies structure.
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D-Value: how to check a Koh Phangan property's official government appraised value online
Thailand's Treasury Department launched D-Value in June 2026 — a free service that issues a certified, e-signed copy of a plot or condo's official appraised value by email in about 10 minutes, with no title deed number required. Here's what the certificate actually proves, and where it fits in a Koh Phangan purchase, tax dispute or loan application.
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The 21-agency anti-nominee pact: what Thailand's April 2026 data-sharing MOU changes for company-held property
On 29 April 2026, 21 Thai government agencies — from the Department of Lands and DBD to AMLO, the Bank of Thailand, Immigration and the Revenue Department — signed a formal cooperation pact to share data and jointly pursue nominee arrangements. It's a step beyond the DBD-Land Department link already covered elsewhere: a standing, cross-ministry mechanism, not a two-agency handshake.
Ownership
The THB 3 million property investment visa: how the Non-Immigrant B route actually works in 2026
Since 1 October 2025, a THB 3 million property purchase can convert into a renewable Non-Immigrant 'B' (Investment) stay under Immigration Orders 237/2568 and 238/2568 — a lower threshold than the LTR visa's $500,000 test. The first 12-month renewals are now processing in 2026, but which property structures actually qualify is stricter, and less settled, than most marketing copy suggests.
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BOI-promoted land ownership in 2026: the e-Land rules for offices and worker housing under Notification Por. 9/2568
A foreign-majority company holding Board of Investment promotion can own land for its own office and for operational-level worker housing — but not for guest rooms, villas or any other part of a resort's paying business. Notification Por. 9/2568, effective for applications since 18 July 2025 and gazetted 6 January 2026, moved the whole process online through BOI's e-Land system and tightened what counts as qualifying worker housing.
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Phuket raised its hillside building ceiling from 80m to 140m in 2024 — could Koh Phangan's rules loosen the same way?
A December 2024 Cabinet decision let Phuket landowners build, for the first time since 2017, on hillside land between 80 and 140 metres above sea level — under a tight set of conditions. It's a real precedent worth knowing, but Koh Phangan's own hillside rules are built on a different legal instrument that was never structured as an outright ban, so the comparison doesn't transfer as directly as it might seem.
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112 Koh Pha Ngan companies flagged, 8 already ordered to sell: what a live disposal order actually means
Surat Thani land officials have found 112 of Koh Pha Ngan's 1,832 registered landholding companies with foreign shareholdings above the legal limit, covering 124 plots. As of late August 2026 this has moved past investigation into action — 8 entities already have disposal orders on 9 plots, with 28 more under active consideration and 76 still being reviewed.
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Thailand's Marriage Equality Act and property: what changed for same-sex couples buying on Phangan
Thailand's Marriage Equality Act, in force since 23 January 2025, rewrote the Civil and Commercial Code's marital-property, consent and inheritance provisions in gender-neutral terms — extending the same legal toolkit opposite-sex couples already used to same-sex spouses. It doesn't open any new door to land ownership for foreigners; it makes the existing usufruct-and-superficies strategy, and spousal inheritance rights, apply equally regardless of the couple's sex.
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Thailand joins the Apostille Convention: what actually changes for a Power of Attorney used to buy on Koh Phangan
Thailand deposited its instrument of accession to the 1961 Apostille Convention on 30 June 2026; it takes effect on 28 February 2027. Until that date, a Power of Attorney signed abroad to buy or sell Phangan property still needs full Thai embassy or consulate legalisation — a one-step apostille is not yet accepted.
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Can you still open a Thai bank account to buy a Koh Phangan property in 2026?
Thai banks tightened foreign-customer rules through 2025-2026 in response to a wave of scam-linked 'mule' accounts: tourist visas, visa exemptions and even the 5-year DTV are no longer enough at most branches. A property purchase itself doesn't require you personally to hold a Thai account — but knowing the current rules avoids a wasted trip before you sign.
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TM30: the 24-hour foreign-guest notification every Koh Phangan landlord — and owner-occupier — must file
Section 38 of Thailand's Immigration Act requires whoever owns, possesses or manages a residence to notify Immigration within 24 hours whenever a foreign national stays there — including a foreign owner living in their own villa. It's a separate obligation from Hotel Act licensing, and skipping it quietly blocks visa extensions and 90-day reporting later, not just risks a fine.
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The yellow house-registration book (Tabien Baan): what it gives a foreign owner on Koh Phangan — and what it doesn't
The yellow Tabien Baan (ทะเบียนบ้าน ท.ร.13) records that a foreigner lives at a specific Thai address — nothing more. It isn't a title deed, a visa, or a residence permit, and applying for one is a district-office process that varies by amphoe, not an automatic entitlement.
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Can a foreigner be your real estate agent on Koh Phangan? What Thai law actually allows
No — hands-on brokerage (listing, negotiating and closing a deal for commission) is reserved for Thai nationals under the Foreign Business Act, and a wave of enforcement since 2024 has closed the informal grey market that once let foreigners do it anyway. A foreigner can work in marketing, business development or investor relations for an agency, but the substantive transaction work has to run through a Thai national or a properly structured, Thai-majority company.
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AML checks your Phangan agent or lawyer must run: AMLO's customer due diligence rules explained
Since being designated reporting entities under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, real estate brokers, agents and developers must verify your identity and the beneficial owner behind any buying company, and must report cash payments of ฿2 million or more and property transactions of ฿5 million or more to Thailand's Anti-Money Laundering Office. This runs alongside, not instead of, the Land Office's own source-of-funds checks.
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Landlocked land on Koh Phangan: the statutory way of necessity vs. a registered servitude
A plot with no direct road frontage — common on Phangan's hillsides and interior — can reach a public road in two legally different ways: a compensated 'way of necessity' that Thai law grants automatically, or a registered servitude created by agreement or long use. They aren't interchangeable, and confusing them is a common due-diligence mistake.
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Does renting out your own Phangan villa require a Foreign Business License?
Separate from Hotel Act licensing for short-term stays, the Foreign Business Act's catch-all restriction on 'other service businesses' technically covers rental services — but the Act only restricts activity carried out 'for the purpose of trade,' and no regulator guidance directly addresses where a single owner's rental income crosses that line. Treat it as an unresolved compliance question to raise with a lawyer, not a settled rule.
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Buying a subdivided plot on Koh Phangan: the Land Allocation Act's 10-plot rule
Selling 10 or more sub-lots cut from one larger parcel legally requires a Land Allocation Committee licence under the Land Development Act — a rule some sellers dodge by dividing into smaller batches. It doesn't block your title transfer, but it does affect whether your access road and shared infrastructure are anyone's legal obligation to maintain.
Ownership
Thai prenuptial agreements and property: what they can and can't protect for a foreign spouse
A prenup can't let a foreign spouse own Thai land or opt out of Thai property law — any clause applying foreign law to a Thailand-based asset is void by statute. What it can do is put pre-marital savings, inheritances and their future income on the record as separate property, in writing, before the wedding.
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Thailand's Escrow Act: why almost no villa developer on Koh Phangan uses it
Thailand has had a legal framework for licensed escrow agents to hold off-plan buyer deposits since 2008 — but using it is entirely voluntary, and most developers refuse because they rely on buyer deposits to fund construction. Here's what the Escrow Act actually requires, and what to ask for instead.
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What happens if you default on a Thai property mortgage: the foreclosure process
Thai law doesn't let a bank simply seize a mortgaged property after a missed payment — foreclosure requires either a court judgment or, since a 2015 reform, a mortgagor-consented public auction. And unlike many Western jurisdictions, if the sale doesn't cover the debt, Thai law says you don't owe the difference.
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Buying land or a condo at a Thai government auction: what foreign bidders can actually complete
Thailand's Legal Execution Department auctions off seized real estate to the public, and foreigners can register and bid alongside Thai nationals. But winning the hammer doesn't override the Land Code — what you can actually register in your own name still depends entirely on the property type.
Ownership
When co-owners fall out: partition rights for jointly-held condos and structures on Koh Phangan
Thai law never lets co-ownership be a permanent lock-in — any co-owner can demand partition, and a contract can only waive that right for up to 10 years at a time. Where a condo unit or villa structure can't physically be split, a court can order it sold and the proceeds divided instead.
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Drilling a private well on Koh Phangan: the groundwater permit you legally need
A well deep enough to be a reliable dry-season backup almost always counts as "groundwater" under Thai law — which means a drilling license before the rig arrives and a separate use license before you pump, regardless of who owns the land above it. Skipping either is a real, prosecutable offence, not a formality.
Structures
Does your Koh Phangan project need an EIA? The room-count and area thresholds that trigger it
Nationwide, a hotel or condominium needs a full Environmental Impact Assessment once it reaches 80 rooms or 4,000 m². Because Koh Phangan sits inside a government-designated Environmentally Protected Area, the bar is lower here — hotels above 49 rooms already need the lighter Initial Environmental Examination before a building permit can be issued.
Ownership
Adverse possession on Koh Phangan: how a squatter can legally acquire your unused land
Thai law lets someone else acquire full ownership of Chanote-titled land you leave unfenced, unvisited and undeveloped for ten straight years — a genuine risk for absentee buyers holding raw plots in Phangan's outlying districts. Fencing, dated records and an annual site visit are the cheap fix; finding out after year ten usually isn't.
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Hidden defects after closing: what Thai law gives a villa buyer, and why 'as-is' usually wins
Thai law does give buyers a default right to sue over defects discovered after closing — but it's narrow, barred one year after discovery, and almost always signed away by the 'as-is' clause standard in Thai sale-purchase agreements. A pre-purchase structural survey protects you; a lawsuit after the fact rarely does.
Structures
Sale with right of redemption (khai fak): the Thai land contract that isn't a mortgage
Khai fak looks like informal seller financing, but it's legally a sale: full ownership passes to the buyer immediately, and if the seller misses the fixed redemption deadline, the land is forfeited automatically — no court process, no foreclosure notice. It sometimes shows up as an annotation on a Phangan title deed, and it is not a way around the foreign land-ownership ban.
Ownership
Dying without a will in Thailand: who actually inherits your property
Without a Thai will, the Civil and Commercial Code's statutory succession rules — not the surviving spouse automatically — decide who inherits a villa, land lease or company shares. A spouse's share ranges from equal-with-the-children down to just one-half or two-thirds when the deceased's parents, siblings or other blood relatives survive, and Thai land can end up co-owned with in-laws.
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Gift tax on Thai property: what a parent-to-child or spouse-to-spouse transfer actually costs
Transferring a Koh Phangan villa or land to a spouse, child or parent while you're alive isn't automatically tax-free just because no price changes hands. Revenue Code exemptions cover gifts up to ฿20 million a year for immediate family, with a flat 5% on anything above that — but the Land Office's own transfer fee, and sometimes Specific Business Tax, still apply on top.
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Five legal forms of a Thai will — and which one actually fits a property owner
Thai law recognises five distinct ways to make a valid will, not just the district-office 'public will' that got a 2026 paperwork overhaul. Each form has its own formal requirements, and picking the wrong one — or getting a witness disqualified — is one of the most common ways a foreign owner's estate plan quietly fails.
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Multiple mortgages on one Thai title deed: how priority ranking actually works
Thai law lets a property carry more than one registered mortgage at once, and it happens more often than buyers expect. Priority between them isn't decided by loan size or interest rate — it's fixed by the exact date and hour each mortgage was registered at the Land Office.
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Land Code Section 83: what a caveat (อายัด) on a Koh Phangan title deed actually does
Finding the word 'อายัด' on a title deed during due diligence looks alarming, but a Land Code caveat is a narrow, 30-day hold that only a person with a direct claim to the land can request — it is not a court seizure, and it expires automatically if no lawsuit follows.