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Category - Utilities
and Maintenance:
1. Utility payments and maintenance procedures:
You
need to know how and where to pay your utility bills. You need to know
the contact numbers of your landlord or his representative in case
some urgent repairs need doing. You will need to know how to call the
emergency services if you need them. You also will need to know where
the nearest hospital is (in case of an emergency for snake bites and
other urgent matters).
You will also need to know what to do when the electricity is cut off
without your own fault - blackouts and brownouts, - also, what to do
when the water is disconnected and you have to recognize the sounds on
your telephone when it is not working.
2. The
Thai telephone service:
Lines ordered from True, T.O.T. and or Telecom Asia seem to be better managed than older
lines. If payment is not made after two full months, the line will be
disconnected. Lines might have problems in during heavy rains due to
temporary flooding of the area or top of the soi (lane) or road where
you live.
There has been talk about altering the make-up of the billing service
in Bangkok from a Baht3.- charge for unlimited time use to a metered
charge of Baht 1 per minute this has been going on for years -
but is still not yet confirmed or in force.
There is no separate deposit for telephone use; all this should be
included in your two - three months security deposit. Immediately after
you move into a house or agree on a house, you should check that the
house has an IDD Line (International Direct Line). If it does not, the
service can be opened and or closed at the local exchange at the request of the line's
owner.
Telephone bills will always be received in the name of the owner of
the line and you cannot change this system to your own name while in
Thailand as only Thai citizens or foreigners with the proper paperwork
can own a telephone line.
3. Bottled and piped
water in Thailand:
Bottled water is safe to drink, there are low-priced to more
expensive of course according to the quality, taste and personal
preference.
If you buy Polaris brand, it can be considered as
safe, no guarantees. There will always be an
adjustment period when people first arrive in Bangkok, while your
digestive systems get used to a new environment and different brands
of locally-made products.
It is not advisable to drink the tap water, although we have been
informed by high authorities that in North Bangkok, directly adjacent
to the Metropolitan Water Authority of Thailand, it is drinkable.
All
Thai houses have to have an electric pump of sufficient power to push
the water upstairs, as the government-supplied water pressure is not
sufficient to get it there.
Apartment buildings have their own system, which should also include
much larger pumps.
In addition, most houses should have a spare water tank containing at
least 2,000 litres of water for washing/toilet flushing in the event
of a temporary disconnection. Disconnection, if it happens, will
normally be announced beforehand so that you have time to prepare to
keep sufficient stocks of water.
Water is usually not cut off for days at a time, but the spare water
tank is very handy in times of the yearly drought, which is announced
nearly every March or April and can last until the start of the rainy
season.
4.
The electric power in Thailand:
Electrical
power in Thailand is 220 volts x 50 cycles/sec.
Generally, only two-pinned plugs are used in Bangkok; if you want
something earthed or grounded, you will have to arrange to have this
done especially for you.
5.
Thai power blackouts or brownout periods in Bangkok:
Are not so often nowadays. they occur, especially during the rainy season from
May through to November each year. Blackouts do not go on for days,
unless there is a power pole downed in a storm; otherwise the power is
back on within hours. Brownouts do occur; then you will have some
power, but maybe not enough to run the air-conditioning.
Private apartment buildings usually have their own stand-by generators.
6. Cooking with gas:
Is entirely possible. The gas comes in steel bottles (small to large), bought
from a local shop and delivered in a special truck or van. The cost is
not high and a deposit is required for the gas bottle. It pays off to know
the phone number of the shop and keep it handy for when you need more gas
delivered.
Let the shop do the changeover of bottles, as gas valves are involved
and they need to be secured properly.
7. Special security deposits for Utility services:
These are included in your security deposit of two to three months
rent and are not kept separate.
Thai house owners might, however, charge additionally for
utility deposits for IDD telephone use. This should be negotiated
beforehand and, if paid, included in the Lease Agreement.
8. Garbage collection:
There is an efficient and inexpensive service to all households at
least twice a week; it costs only about Baht20 to Baht30 per month.
Just leave your plastic rubbish bags outside your home, when you are
aware on which days the garbage collectors come - watch out for the
stray dogs, though. The garbage collectors will knock on your door
once a month for their money.
Be sure to give a good Christmas/New Year bonus; otherwise you could
discover that no garbage will be collected for the whole of January in
the following year! But that could happen just about anywhere in
the world.
Any questions
re content to: enquiry@bangkok-homes.com
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