Land in Thailand is classified according to how is has been surveyed and recorded at the land office. There are four basic types of land available, however only the first two offer clear ownership and transferability.
Chanote Ti Din
Land with this designation or simply “Chanote” has been accurately surveyed and recorded at the land office and after being registered cannot be contested for accuracy. The Chanote document itself is normally a few pages on parchment type paper and shows a surveyed plan of the land, various registration numbers, previous owners and mortgage history. This is similar to a title deed in the Western world. Only one original is issued which bears the official chops, notations and the Garuda (the official Government authority crest) at the top. This is an extremely valuable document – if the property is mortgaged, a notation is made on the document by the land office and the original is held as collateral by the lending institution until the mortgage is satisfied.
Nor Sor Sam
Land with this designation has also been surveyed and recorded at the land office. It is a similar document to the Chanote in that it bears records of ownership and mortgages. The difference lies in the accuracy of the survey. Buyers will typically find this type of land within developed property subdivisions in which the developer sub-divided a large track of land to build many houses in the development and the developer built walls at the property lines for each lot.
Nor Sor Sam
Land is still quite acceptable to purchase and if the owner wishes, they can usually upgrade the title deed to Chanote over time through legal procedures and paying for an independent survey.
Sor Bor Kor
This type of land has been surveyed and the ownership recorded, however there are restrictions on transfer of ownership. Typically the property can only be bequeathed in a will to another family member. Avoid this type of property. If you build a house on this type of land held within a family, it can never be sold.
Sor Kor Nung or Tor Bor Tor
This is land which was gained by adverse possession or squatters rights and was duly recorded after the statutory period of adverse possession was satisfied. Avoid this type of land.
Ownership can be contested and there is very limited legal recourse to the unwary Buyer.
Author: Pavlos Paul Georgakis
Managing Director / CEO of P.G. Thai Enterprises Co., Ltd (Thailand)
P.G. Thai Real Estates in Thailand
