My Parliamentary Statement on Nominees, Short-Term Rentals, and Agent Law Reform

What I Presented at the Parliamentary Committee Meeting the Other Day

.

1. Tackling corruption and bribery among officials in the Land Department who allow nominees to transfer ownership illegally.
   .

2. Requesting the Department of Business Development to inspect assets of shareholders (nominees) who suspiciously withdraw from companies after property transfers.
   .

3. Requiring short-term rental operators to officially register their business with the government for proper tracking.
   .

4. Operators must declare the number of rooms and guests to the Revenue Department annually.
   .

5. Authorizing the Revenue Department to request data from foreign platforms to collect taxes from daily rental hosts in Thailand (tourist tax).
   .

6. Classifying illegal short-term rental cases as “special cases” like mule accounts — offenders should face non-suspended sentences and higher fines up to hundreds of thousands of baht.
   .

7. For repeated offenses, confiscate properties used for daily rentals as state assets and auction them off.
   .

8. Thais who receive money on behalf of foreign hosts are considered mule account holders.
   .

9. A Real Estate Agent Act must be established — requiring licensed agents with proper qualifications to handle million-baht assets and to act as intermediaries for verifying foreign tenants before stay-in, ensuring building security.
   .

10. Foreign Quota (FQ) ownership ratio should remain unchanged. It’s irrelevant. Currently, most projects have FQ below 20%.
    .

11. Co-owners and juristic persons should have easier complaint channels to relevant authorities. Apps like “Fong-Doo” are good models but should include AI chatbots to guide people where to report since 90% of citizens don’t know agency jurisdictions.
    .

12. Set up a dedicated task force to handle such issues directly — no need for four overlapping parties (local police, district office, DOPA, immigration).
    .

13. Simplify the legal criteria for offenses — seeing a short-term rental listing and customer reviews online should be enough evidence, no need for proof of transaction.
    .

14. Ease off on Free Visa policy — if we’re not yet equipped to handle law violations effectively, we should focus on quality tourists, not quantity.
    .

15. Define zoning areas or specific buildings for short-term rentals only, separated from residential zones, and require proper hotel business registration under the declared proportion.
    .

16. Penalize property owners who allow key-drop operations for illegal rentals — you can’t claim ignorance.
    .

17. Publicize that daily condo rentals violate Thai law — not just by signage but through real penalties (lighter than hosts but still enforceable).
    .

18. Developer representatives must attend co-owner meetings and have at least two voting rights to counter motions that could risk legal breaches and protect brand image, even after all units are sold.
    .

19. The real short-term rental offenders are mostly Thais, not foreign investors.
    .

20. Airbnb is just a platform — legality depends on users. The app itself isn’t the culprit and shouldn’t be banned. Moreover, Chinese users can’t even access Airbnb.
    .
    .
    This is the part I presented
    for future legal revisions and implementation
    at the Committee meeting.
    .
    I’ve done my homework.
    Thank you sincerely
    for truly listening and showing commitment to solving this issue.
    .
    If you’d like more uncovered data,
    I’m happy to help coordinate.
    .
    P.S. My manager said, “After hearing your speech today, you might as well go into politics.” 😆
    .
    Join the discussion at
    https://www.facebook.com/Ex.MatchingProperty/posts/pfbid02PSq6hZHiazsybPqWXGF45Ystv6gn2P4uEEFLQo53o2kk69h9CnVBp9xaR2BELDuvl