Has this ever happened to you? You live in a condo for a year or two, take good care of the place, and then when you move out you still get money deducted from your deposit over small things you never prepared for. Condo security deposits in Bangkok are usually two months, so if your rent is 15,000 baht a month, that is 30,000 baht at stake. That is not pocket change. This article is a friend-to-friend checklist. Follow it point by point and you should get your full deposit back without having to argue with the owner.

1. Give proper advance notice, do not just go quiet

The very first thing many people get wrong is forgetting to give move-out notice as stated in the contract. Most condo lease agreements in Bangkok require 30 to 60 days of advance notice. If you do not give notice, or give it late, the owner has every right to deduct from your deposit.

Open your lease and read the clause about move-out notice, then put it in writing and send it by LINE or email. State clearly which date you will be moving out and keep the evidence. Some contracts state that failing to give 30 days notice counts as a breach of terms and the entire deposit is forfeited. That really hurts if you rent a condo around Thonglor or Asoke, where the deposit can be as high as 50,000 to 60,000 baht.

The tip here is that if you already know your move-out date, giving notice earlier than required is even better. The owner gets more time to find a new tenant, the relationship stays good, and your chances of a full refund go up.

2. Clean the unit back to its original condition

The simple rule is to hand the unit back in the same condition you received it. You do not have to hire professionals in every case, but there is more to do than you might think.

Start with a thorough bathroom clean: limescale stains in the sink, black mould along the tile grout, and hair clogging the drain. The owner will definitely spot these things. Next, wipe down the walls and ceiling. If there are stains from oil or smoke from cooking, those need to come off. Many condo kitchens, such as those at Lumpini Suite Sukhumvit 41 or The Base Park West Saphan Khwai, have an open kitchen counter connected to the living room, so oil splatter ends up everywhere.

Clean the air conditioners too. An air conditioner cleaning costs about 400 to 600 baht per unit. If you skip it, the owner may charge 800 to 1,200 baht per unit and deduct it from your deposit. If the unit has two air conditioners, that is money thrown away for nothing.

If you want to be completely safe, hire a housekeeper to deep clean the whole place. For a one-bedroom condo the price is around 1,500 to 2,500 baht, which is very worthwhile compared with the deposit you get back.

3. Check for damage and fix it before handover

Before you schedule the owner's inspection, walk through the unit yourself. Switch on every light, test every power outlet, flush the toilet, open and close the windows, and slide the sliding doors. If there are scratches on laminate or vinyl flooring, rub them lightly with a furniture wax crayon to cover them up.

Nail holes in the wall from hanging pictures? Buy white wall putty at Boonthavorn or Thai Watsadu for just 30 to 50 baht a tube. Fill the holes, sand them smooth, and the owner will barely notice. What you need to watch out for is the difference between damage from "use" and "normal wear and tear". Small hairline cracks in the wall corners are normal, but a dent in gypsum board from an impact will definitely be deducted.

For condos that come with furniture, such as Ideo Mobi Sukhumvit or Life Asoke Hype, check every piece: bed, wardrobe, sofa, dining table. If there is damage you can repair, repair it. If it cannot be repaired, take photos and talk to the owner directly. That is better than letting them discover it themselves.

4. Photograph and video every corner before handover

This point is very important but few people do it. On the day you finish cleaning, before you schedule the owner's inspection, photograph every corner of the unit and shoot a video walking around the whole place. Make sure the file dates are clearly visible, because if a dispute comes up later, these images are your best evidence.

Photograph the water meter and electricity meter and record the numbers so you cannot be billed for excess water and electricity after you move out. This has happened often to tenants around Ratchada and Rama 9, where first-time condo owners did not record the meter readings and then billed the tenant afterwards.

5. Return the keys and settle every bill

On handover day, prepare every key, the building key card, the air conditioner remote and the TV remote, and return them all. A single lost key means a 500 to 2,000 baht deduction for replacement, and a lost key card costs 300 to 500 baht each depending on the juristic person.

Settle your common area fees, water, electricity and internet in full. If you signed up for internet with TRUE or AIS yourself, do not forget to call and cancel in advance, otherwise the billing continues. Most home internet contracts require 30 days notice, and if you are still within the contract term there is a penalty fee as well.

On inspection day, walk through the unit point by point together with the owner. If the owner says they will deduct for something, ask for the details and request a quotation first. Do not rush to sign anything. Once you reach an agreement, write a note stating that the inspection is complete with no issues, and have both parties sign it.

Summary: prepare well, get the full deposit back, waste no money

Let us run through it one more time. Give move-out notice in advance as required by the contract, clean the entire unit including the air conditioners, repair small damage, take photos and video as evidence, return all keys and key cards, and settle every bill. Do all of these and your chances of getting the full two-month deposit back are very high.

And once you have moved out and are looking for a new condo, give Superagent a try. Just tell the AI which area you want, your budget, and which BTS station you want to be near, and the system will help find and filter units that match what you want. No agents pressuring you, no scrolling through hundreds of listings, and a lot of time saved. Head over to superagent.co and give it a go.