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Housing and condos

Condo off-plan buyers can't tell if a booking contract is fair and struggle to get money back when a project stalls

No builders or owners yet

Bangkok residents October 16, 2026 at 11:07 PM

In December 2024 the OCPB received 99 condo complaints, 34% of its housing cases, and the top reason was refund requests (50), followed by requests to check the project (21). Thai PBS reported more than 400 buyers in one LINE group who signed in 2019 for a condo that was delayed, with the company unreachable and losses over 100 million baht. In July 2024 the OCPB published a draft standard booking contract that would force a refund of booking money when the loan is rejected, and the Thai Condominium Association objected. Buyers still sign long booking papers at sales offices with little time to read them.

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5 ways to tackle it

  • AI agent

    Contract Reader: photograph each page at the sales office, get red flags in two minutes

    While the sales agent talks, the buyer snaps the booking pages. The agent flags a missing refund when the loan is rejected, unfair forfeiture, vague delivery dates and penalty clauses, and compares them with the OCPB draft standard.

    Build with Claude vision, OCPB draft booking contract, Thai legal clause list

  • Data and maps

    Developer Check: one card with the company's past projects, finances and court cases

    Type a project name. The tool pulls the developer's registered financials, other projects and their delivery record, and any public lawsuits into a one-page card with a plain verdict, so buyers check before paying instead of after.

    Build with DBD open data, court record sites, Google Maps, Claude summary

  • Hardware and sensors

    Deal Card: a wallet card of 10 questions and 3 clauses to demand before you pay

    A printed card with the ten questions to ask and the three sentences to ask the agent to write into the booking: refund if the loan fails, a dated handover and a written cancel route. A QR leads to the contract reader.

    Build with Printed card, PDF template, QR, laminate

  • Camera and vision

    Site Check: compare a site's satellite and street photos with the promised progress

    Enter the project and the promised schedule. The tool pulls dated satellite and street images of the site and shows whether the ground looks like piling, structure or an empty lot, so a stalled build shows up before the second installment.

    Build with Satellite imagery APIs, Claude vision, project timeline

  • Voice and phone

    Pressure Role-play: practice saying no to 'last unit, pay today' with an AI salesperson

    The buyer practices with an AI sales agent who pushes urgency, discounts and 'someone else is looking'. It scores how well the buyer asked for the contract, a day to read it and the refund line, building the habit before the real visit.

    Build with Claude, Thai realtime speech, scoring rubric

What people reported

  • OCPB Dec 2024: 99 condo complaints (34.02% of housing); 50 refund requests, 21 asking to check the project

    ocpb.go.th

  • Buyers of one delayed condo (signed 2019): 400+ in a LINE group, 100 million baht lost, company unreachable, complaint filed with OCPB

    thaipbs.or.th

  • Jul 2024 OCPB draft booking contract: refund booking money if loan rejected; Thai Condominium Association objects

    thansettakij.com

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