Short stay or long stay: which price applies
Every home on the site has two prices: by the night for a short stay, by the month for a long one. The length of the stay decides which applies — and with it the deposit, the utilities, the cleaning and the way you pay.
Every home on the site has two prices: by the night for a short stay, by the month for a long one. The length of the stay decides which price applies, and with it the deposit, the utilities, the cleaning and the way you pay. Here is where the line is and what changes on each side of it.
Where the line is
A short stay runs from 5 nights to 5 months. A long stay is 6 months at least and 12 months per contract, renewable; a stay under 6 months is priced as a short stay1. The property page shows both prices, and its term switch shows the terms of each1.
What changes with the term
| What | Short stay | Long stay |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 5 nights to 5 months | 6 months minimum, 12 months per contract, renewable |
| How you pay | Up to a month, the whole stay at booking; on a longer stay, the first month at booking and each further month on the 1st of that month | The first month plus the deposit on signing, then monthly in advance on the same date; the dates are held without payment for 3 days, longer by agreement |
| Deposit | Stated on the home's page: its own amount, or the company's for its kind and bedrooms; returned on the day of check-out, deducted only for damage or a missing key | Set for each home and stated on its page, returned on the day of check-out less any damage, unpaid utilities or the final cleaning |
| Electricity | Metered and billed from the official bill; none is included | Metered and billed from the official bill, invoiced with the rent |
| Water | Metered and billed from the official bill; none is included | Metered and billed from the official bill, invoiced with the rent |
| In the price | Internet and pest control; pool cleaning and the gardener where the home has a pool or a garden of its own; the cleaning | Internet and pest control; pool cleaning and the gardener where the home has a pool or a garden of its own |
| Cleaning | Included, as often as the home sets — usually once a week — with fresh linen and towels; an extra clean can be ordered at the home's price, else from ฿1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, villas ฿2,000–3,000 | Who pays and how often depends on the home; the terms are confirmed for each home before signing; an end-of-tenancy clean is compulsory |
| Check-in | From 15:00, check-out by 11:00; early or late free if the home is free, otherwise half a night's rate | Handover by appointment on the day the contract starts, 09:00–18:00 |
| Children and extra beds | An extra bed or a cot on request; children under 6 do not count towards the guest limit when they sleep with their parents and need no extra bed | A cot on request for the whole term; an extra permanent occupant named on the contract |
| Airport transfer | Arranged on request, booked with the stay | Arranged on request, booked separately |
| TM-30 | Filed by us within 24 hours of arrival | Filed by us within 24 hours of arrival |
| Commission | None | None |
Every term in the table is ours, and electricity and water are metered and billed from the official bill on both kinds of stay1. The payment method is agreed with you1.
Why a month is also the legal line
Thailand's Hotel Act defines a hotel as accommodation provided, as a business, to travellers or anyone else temporarily and against payment — and it takes lodging charged by the month or longer out of that definition2. A stay of a month or more is therefore outside the hotel rules and is treated as a hire of property, which the Civil and Commercial Code asks to see in writing, signed by the party to be held to it4. Since 4 September 2025 a landlord who lets three or more residential units may not take a deposit above three months' rent on a contract paid monthly3.
Which one to choose
- Staying six months or longer: the long-stay price, a written contract, internet and pest control in the price, electricity and water metered and billed from the official bill, and the cleaning terms confirmed for each home before signing1.
- Staying from five nights to five months: the short-stay price, with the cleaning in it — usually once a week — and internet and pest control; electricity and water are metered and billed from the official bill, as on a long stay; and a deposit returned on the day of check-out1.
- Between five and six months the stay is priced as a short one1. If you may extend past six months, say so when you enquire — write to your agent on any channel beside the booking1.
What electricity costs on each kind of stay, in units and in baht, is in What electricity actually costs; the paperwork that is the same on both is in TM-30 explained.
Sources
- Phkt.Rent's terms on a short stay and a long stay — the property page's “The stay, in full” and the FAQ; utilities from the official bill, what the price includes, the cleaning (12 October 2026) — Phkt.Rent, published 12 October 2026.
- Hotel Act B.E. 2547 (2004), section 4 — what a hotel is, and what is not one (opens in a new window) — samuiforsale.com (translation), read 9 October 2026.
- Thailand Strengthens Controls on Residential Lease Contracts — the Contract Committee's notification B.E. 2568 (2025) (opens in a new window) — Tilleke & Gibbins, published 26 August 2025.
- Civil and Commercial Code, section 538 — a hire of immovable property in writing (opens in a new window) — ThaiLawOnline (translation), read 9 October 2026.