u/lucky_LT

Hey everybody,

I'd love some advice on how to maximize my deposit return - or at least defend myself properly in this situation :(

I rented the same condo for 6 YEARS in Bangkok. The rent was only 10k/month, so it's not some luxury unit with premium materials or furniture. Despite that, I genuinely took good care of the room and kept it clean the entire time.

My deposit was 20k.

Now that I've moved out, I expected some deductions here and there. That's fair. But instead, the landlord/agent are basically trying to keep the full deposit AND ask me to pay more on top for “repairs.”

What frustrates me is that most of these “damages” are clearly just normal wear and tear after SIX YEARS of use.

Some examples:

- Agent already charged me 3k cleaning fee, which I already paid.
- But in the repair bill, they tried to charge me for cleaning AGAIN.
- They want another 3k for fixing a chair that honestly isn't even badly damaged. The chair back was just a bit loose, but you can still put your back against it!
- They took photos of “damage” that are basically:
- rust
- cabinet aging
- pan bottom getting dark after years of cooking
- normal deterioration from long-term use

I mean… after 6 years, of course things won't look brand new anymore.

If I actually damaged something through negligence, I'd happily pay for it. But this feels excessive and honestly like daylight robbery.

I rent through an agent, but the agent completely sides with the owner. I've already asked them to put EVERY repair bill and quotation into the group chat with the owner present because I don't want vague charges or random deductions.

I also specifically told them I should not be paying for normal wear and tear.

I don't want to go the legal route over this amount, and I won't die without the money. But at the same time, I don't want to just roll over and let them take advantage of me.

Has anybody here dealt with something similar in Thailand?

- Were you able to negotiate?
- What arguments worked best?
- Is there any official guideline on wear-and-tear vs actual damage?
- Any strategy that helped you recover at least part of the deposit?
- If I refuse to pay any more money, could this affect my work visa here?
- I am signing a contract on another condo soon, how do I prevent something like this from happening?

Would really appreciate any advice or experiences.

Sudah hampir 10 tahun tinggal dan kerja di Bangkok, tapi comfort food saya tetap masakan Indonesia 🇮🇩

Di sini makanan enak banyak banget, tapi entah kenapa saya tetap paling nyaman makan masakan rumahan buatan sendiri. Hampir setiap hari saya masak. Bukan cuma karena lebih hemat fan sehat, tapi juga karena ada rasa puas dan happy yang susah dijelaskan kalau makan makanan sendiri.

Hari ini menu bekal saya sederhana banget, tapi honestly bikin happy:

Orak-Arik Wortel Kubis + Tempe Goreng Airfryer

Tempe Goreng Praktis
Bahan:
- Setengah papan tempe
- 1 bungkus bumbu marinasi instan Desaku

Cara masak:
Tempe direbus dulu dengan bumbu marinasi sampai bumbunya meresap. Setelah dingin, saya oles tipis minyak kelapa lalu masuk airfryer suhu 180°C selama 15 menit.

Hasilnya garing, wangi, dan nggak bikin enek karena minim minyak 🤍

Orak-Arik Wortel Kubis
Bahan:
- 1 wortel
- 1/2 kubis kecil
- Bumbu halus:
- 5 bawang merah
- 3 bawang putih
- 2 kemiri kecil (ini rahasia gurihnya 😌)

Cara masak:
Bumbunya saya blender tanpa air, lalu ditumis pakai minyak kelapa sampai harum banget. Setelah itu tinggal masukin wortel parut dan kubis iris tipis.

Tambahkan garam dan sedikit MSG sesuai selera, lalu masak sampai sayurnya layu dan manis alami dari kubisnya keluar 🥺

Porsinya pas buat 2x makan.

Breakdown biaya masak di Bangkok 🇹🇭

Tempe
- Tempe Indonesia 300 gram: 60 THB (~Rp32k)
- Dipakai setengah → sekitar 30 THB / Rp16k

Bumbu marinasi Desaku
- 15 THB (~Rp8k)

Wortel
- Paket isi 5: 32 THB (~Rp17k)
- Dipakai 1 buah → sekitar 6 THB / Rp3.5k

Kubis
- Promo 3 buah: 15 THB (~Rp8k)
- Dipakai setengah → sekitar 2.5 THB / Rp1.3k

Bumbu lain + minyak + gas
- Estimasi sekitar 9 THB / Rp5k

Total biaya:
- Sekitar 62.5 THB
- atau sekitar Rp33.800
- untuk 2 porsi

Jadi jatuhnya cuma 31 THB / Rp16.900 per meal

Oh ya, saya membeli bawang merah kupas 500 gram seharga 89 THB/48k dan bawang outih kupas 500 gram seharga 26.5k.

Semua bahan masakan, kecuali tempe tentunya, dibeli di supermarket.

Kalau beli lunch di food court Bangkok biasanya sekitar 50–70 THB (37-47k Rupiah). Masih reasonable sebenarnya, tapi masakan rumahan tetap punya tempat spesial di hati saya 🥹

- Sayurnya bisa sebanyak yang saya mau
- Bisa kontrol minyak dan garam sendiri
- Dan yang paling penting… lidah Indo saya tetap bahagia 😂

Kadang saya suka penasaran juga, menu begini kalau dimasak di Indonesia habis berapa ya?

Setiap selesai makan masakan sendiri selalu ada rasa yang bikin bersyukur. Saya happy saja karena masakan yang cocok buat lidah saya ini bisa saya buat sendiri di rumah dengan bahan-bahan yang mudah didapat.

Pokoknya hidup homemade meal!