How to Buy a Villa in Phuket: Step by Step, With the Checks That Matter

The right villa for a family moving to Phuket is different from the right villa for six weeks a year and rental income. Decide this first, because it drives every later choice.

Then be honest about how often you will be there. A villa empty for ten months a year needs a caretaker or a rental plan; see our property management guide. If you are unsure between a villa and a condo, our condo vs villa guide compares them side by side.

Example only: a completed villa at 25 m THB (≈ USD 746,000) bought on a registered lease, where the lease is valued at 18 m THB and the house at 7 m THB.

Land Office fees are calculated on appraised values, which are often below the contract price, so treat these as upper bounds. Seller-side taxes (specific business tax or stamp duty and withholding tax) are normally paid by the seller; make sure the contract says so. Full detail in our taxes and fees guide.

If you will pay from abroad, plan the money route now: our money transfer guide explains why it matters even for a leasehold villa.

Most buyers now shortlist from abroad. A drone flyover shows what photos hide: the neighbours, the road, the slope, the distance to the sea and any construction next door. A 360° room tour shows layout and finish quality. Use them to cut a long list to three or four villas, then see those in person if you can.

What to check on a viewing

• Access: the road surface, the gradient, and whether it is a public road or a private track.
• Water: drainage around the house, signs of damp or mould, the condition of the pool equipment.
• Build quality: roof and terraces, window frames, timber, electrical board, air conditioning age.
• Noise and light: main roads, bars, construction, the sun on the pool through the day.
• The neighbourhood at night and on a weekday morning: traffic toward schools and town.

Our listings include drone footage and a 3D tour so you can do the first two rounds from home: browse the catalogue.

1. Reservation: a short agreement and a deposit, typically a small percentage of the price or a fixed sum. Make it refundable if due diligence fails, and take the villa off the market.
2. Due diligence by your independent lawyer: title and encumbrances at the Land Office, access, permits, the seller, and the lease and house documents. Our due diligence guide lists the checks.
3. Sale and lease contracts: price, what is included, payment schedule, who pays which fee, lease term, registration, succession to heirs, assignment and renewal wording.
4. Payments: by traceable bank transfer; keep every document.
5. Land Office: the lease (and superficies or house transfer) is registered and fees are paid. Same day, by appointment.
6. Handover: keys, inventory, utility accounts moved to your name, manuals and warranties, and the estate or caretaker contacts.

For a completed villa with clean paperwork this usually takes four to ten weeks. Off-plan villas follow a different rhythm; see our off-plan guide.

You do not have to be in Phuket for every step. Many buyers view by video and 3D tour, visit once to see the final choice, and complete through their lawyer.

• Power of attorney: signed in front of a notary at home and legalised (apostille or consular legalisation), with a Thai translation. The Land Office has its own form; your lawyer will send it.
• Video call viewings of the actual villa, walking the boundaries and the access road live.
• Independent inspection: a building inspector can report on structure, damp, electrics and pool equipment with photos.
• Payments from your own account abroad, with documents kept for each transfer.

For buyers from Russia and the CIS, plan two to four weeks for the power of attorney with apostille and translation, and confirm in advance which bank route will work for your payments.

When you are ready to start, tell us what you are looking for. We shortlist, film what you need to see, and introduce an independent lawyer for the checks.