Due diligence checklist before you buy in Phuket

Why does due diligence matter? Most problems are avoidable with a few standard checks done before any non-refundable payment. Experienced buyers treat this as routine; it is the single biggest protection you have.

Check the title. Verify the title deed — a Chanote is the strongest form — and confirm the seller or developer genuinely owns it, with no mortgages or encumbrances. Your independent lawyer runs a title search at the Land Office.

Check the ownership route. For a condo, confirm in writing that your specific unit sits within the building's 49% foreign freehold quota. For a villa, confirm the structure (leasehold terms, or a properly constituted Thai company) and that it is lawful — never a nominee arrangement.

Check the developer. Inspect delivered projects, review the track record and financial standing, and read owners' experiences. For off-plan, this is where most of your risk sits, so weight it heavily.

Check the contract and payments. Have an independent lawyer (not the seller's) review the sale and purchase agreement: payment schedule, completion date and delay penalties, specification, and your remedies. For off-plan, insist on escrow or a bank guarantee and payments weighted toward completion.

Check the money trail. For condo freehold, ensure funds arrive from abroad in foreign currency and keep the FET documentation the Land Office requires.

The bottom line. Title, quota/structure, developer, contract, payment security and the currency trail — six checks, done before you commit, that turn a leap of faith into an informed decision.