Somewhere to live

Anyone know of any good sites/agencies etc to find an apartment in Bangkok?

I'd prefer to find something direct from the owner. What are the advantages/disadvantages of doing it that way rather than going through an agency? I'm assuming it'll be a bit cheaper?

So far I only know of craisgslist and thaivisa.

Any other suggestions?

Ta

What are you looking for? Studio, 1 or 2 bedrooms, short term, long term, furnished or unfurnished, what section of Bangkok, price range?

It's just for me so studio or 1 bedroom for 6 months, furnished or part furnished (just need a bed mostly) Looking for something around 15000b a month. Not sure yet which part of Bangkok but it probably won't be central BKK.

[Beachlover]

Six months in Bangkok - lucky you!

You may be better off doing the research before you go but sorting it out when you're on the ground and staying in a hotel for your first week or so.

Makes sense to get it fully furnished... bed, couch, TV, little dining table/desk etc.

Be very wary of any randoms on sites like craigslist or Thaivisa who request an upfront deposit... lots of people have been ripped off this way (deposit was for a non-existent place) all over the world.

Thanks. I'm planning to sort it out when I get there because I'm staying in Chiang Mai for a month first, plus I wouldn't hand over any money without seeing the apartment and making sure everything was legit.

Also, how do you pay bills (water, electric, internet etc) if you don't have a Thai bank account? I'm hoping to get a 1 year non immigrant visa so should be able to open a bank account without much trouble, but just in case I can't, are there other ways of paying bills?

Thailand may have as many 7/11 stores as people! They all except bills with cash payments.

[cdnmatt]

Also, how do you pay bills (water, electric, internet etc) if you don't have a Thai bank account?

No idea about Bangkok, but here, for water & electric you'll just get these little 4x6 inch slips of paper in your mailbox, which are the bills. You have one week to pay them at any 7/11, then another week to pay it directly at the utility company. If you don't pay electric within two weeks, they'll just come by your house and rip your meter out. Costs I think 2000 baht for them to come back, and put it back in.

Internet -- probably not the same in Bangkok, but for us, we have to go down to the office every 2 months to pay. For cable, some lady just shows up on her motorbike every month, and collects her 350 baht. It's just some shit cable company that steals channels though, hence why the channels are constantly changing all the time.

Then of course, in typical Thai fashion, she's showing up about 3 days earlier every month. When we first moved in, she showed up around the 26th, and now she's showing up around the 15th. So after a year, the cable company will get an extra months payment. Typical of Thailand...

[Wesley]

Six months in Bangkok - lucky you!

You may be better off doing the research before you go but sorting it out when you're on the ground and staying in a hotel for your first week or so.

Makes sense to get it fully furnished... bed, couch, TV, little dining table/desk etc.

Be very wary of any randoms on sites like craigslist or Thaivisa who request an upfront deposit... lots of people have been ripped off this way (deposit was for a non-existent place) all over the world.

I recommend the Pinnacle in Bangkok for location and relatively good breakfast while you look. Only five minutes from pat-pong by Taxi. and only a short walk, to BABYLON BATHS