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Tourist Police raid Bangkok condo

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BANGKOK, 27 May 2019: A tourist police raid on a luxury condominium at the weekend where owners were renting rooms on a daily basis sends a warning to owners who rent accommodation to tourists through Airbnb and Booking.com.

According to the Tourist Police Facebook post, 40 officers including immigration officials raided a luxury Bangkok condominium after complaints that some ‘C Ekkamai’ owners were renting units to foreigners on a daily basis.

The activity contravenes the country’s hotel act that rules condominium owners are not allowed to engage in daily rentals.

Owners were also found guilty of not reporting the presence of foreigners to immigration a regulation that hotels and guesthouses must comply with by physically completing a registration form or using the bureau’s webpage open to properties that have pre-registered.

The raid was in response to complaints from unit owners that some owners were renting rooms on a daily basis, and not reporting the presence of foreigners. They claimed the latter constituted a security risk.

One person was arrested for operating a hotel without a licence and the owners of a cluster of rooms were charged with not reporting foreigners staying in the rooms.

Renting rooms on AirBnB and Booking.com on a daily basis contravenes the hotel act if the rooms are not registered as a hotel or guesthouse.

The legality of Airbnb home-sharing options have been challenged and apparently, they are more likely to be apprehended for not reporting the presence of foreigners who stay overnight than for not complying with the minimum one-month booking stipulated in the hotel act.

It is understood that residents at condominiums are increasingly upset when tourists using facilities such as the fitness centre or swimming pool and are contacting the Tourist Police to take action.

(Source: Tourist Police Facebook page)

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