In a Thai condo, any insurance the building holds protects the building and its common areas, not your furniture, laptop or liability to the neighbors. Renters and owners who want those covered need their own home contents policy, ideally with personal liability, bought from an insurer licensed by Thailand's insurance regulator, the OIC.
Most long-stay foreigners never think about this until water comes through the ceiling or a laptop disappears. By then the questions are urgent: whose policy pays, for what, and who pays the neighbor downstairs? This page sorts out the layers of cover so you can ask the right questions before you buy a policy, not after a claim.
Policies in Thailand differ from insurer to insurer, and we could not read a standard home-insurance wording from the regulator. So this page gives the questions to ask and the legal background, not product advice or prices. Read your own policy, and ask the insurer or a licensed broker to confirm anything that matters in writing.
Home insurance in Thailand: who covers what
- Building and common areas
- The juristic person's or landlord's matter, if insured at all
- Your belongings
- Only your own contents policy
- Damage you cause others
- Your own liability cover, if the policy includes it
- Legal basis for liability
- Civil and Commercial Code s.420 (wrongful acts) and s.434 (buildings)
- Regulator
- Office of Insurance Commission (OIC), hotline 1186
- Flood
- Check the policy wording; see our flooding guide
What the building's policy does not cover
In a condominium, the juristic person (the management body run for the owners) looks after the common property, and any building insurance it takes out is for that property. Our guide to buying a condo explains the juristic person and the fees owners pay; if you are buying, ask it in writing what the building policy covers.
Whatever that policy says, assume it does not pay for:
- your furniture, electronics, clothes and other belongings;
- improvements you made inside the unit, such as a new kitchen or built-in wardrobes, unless the policy says otherwise;
- damage your unit causes to a neighbor's unit or belongings;
- temporary accommodation if your unit cannot be lived in.
In a rented house the position is similar. The owner may insure the building, but that protects the owner's property. A landlord's policy does not cover the tenant's belongings.
Contents cover for renters
A tenant's contents policy covers the tenant's own things against the risks listed in the policy, typically fire, certain water damage and theft, and may add personal liability. Before you buy, match the sum insured to what you would actually need to replace, list high-value items (cameras, laptops, jewelry, bicycles) separately if the policy asks for that, and check whether items are covered when you take them out of the home.
Your lease matters too. Our guide to renting a condo or house explains the inventory you sign at the start; that list, with photos, is also the best evidence for a contents claim. Keep receipts for expensive items, or at least photos of them and their serial numbers.
Photograph everything on the day you move in. The same photos protect your deposit and support an insurance claim. Save them somewhere other than your phone, so a theft does not take the evidence with it.
Contents and fittings for owners
An owner who lives in the unit needs cover for the inside of the unit as well as the contents: flooring, fittings, built-in furniture and appliances that belong to the unit. Ask the juristic person exactly where the building policy stops, so your own policy can start there without a gap.
An owner who lets the unit out has different needs: cover for the furnishings provided to tenants and for loss of rent if the unit cannot be used, plus liability. Tell the insurer the unit is rented, because a policy written for an owner-occupier may not cover a tenancy.
Water leaks and your liability to the neighbors
Water is a frequent cause of trouble between neighbors in a condo: a burst hose on a washing machine, a blocked air-conditioner drain, a cracked pipe behind the shower. Our guide to air conditioner cleaning explains how clogged drains cause drips and leaks.
Thai civil law sets the background. Section 420 of the Civil and Commercial Code makes a person who willfully or negligently damages another's property liable to pay compensation. Section 434 makes the possessor of a building liable for damage caused by defective construction or poor maintenance, and the owner liable if the possessor took proper care. Claims for wrongful acts must generally be made within one year of the injured person knowing of the damage and who caused it, and never later than ten years after it happened (section 448).
A leak can make the occupant pay, not only the owner. Under section 434 the person in possession of the unit answers first for damage from poor maintenance. A tenant who ignores a dripping pipe can face the neighbor's claim. Liability cover in a contents policy is what pays such claims; check that yours includes it and how much it covers.
When a leak happens, stop the water if you can, tell the building office and your landlord at once, photograph the damage on both sides, and tell your insurer before you agree to pay anything. Who was at fault, the tenant, the owner or the building, is often disputed, so keep messages in writing.
Theft and burglary
Theft cover usually has conditions. Ask whether the policy requires signs of forced entry, whether cash and jewelry have lower limits, and whether theft from a balcony, a car or a shared storage room is covered. Report a burglary to the police on 191 and keep the report reference; our page on emergency numbers lists the other services. Then contact your insurer as soon as possible, because policies set time limits for notice.
A visitor on a short trip is usually better served by travel insurance, which can cover belongings while traveling. It is not home insurance, and it does not cover a household you have set up in Thailand.
Exclusions to read before you sign
We could not confirm a standard list of exclusions for Thai home policies, so read the exclusion section of the policy you are offered, and ask about each of these:
- Flood and storm. Whether they are covered, and with what limit. Our guide to flooding at home lists the questions to ask before the wet season.
- Earthquake. Whether it is included or an add-on.
- Gradual damage. Mould, damp and slow leaks are often treated differently from sudden damage; our page on mould and humidity explains how to prevent them.
- Power surges. Whether electrical damage to appliances is covered; our page on power cuts explains complaints to the electricity provider.
- Unoccupied homes. Whether cover is reduced if you are away for months, a common situation for snowbirds.
- Language. Whether the binding policy is the Thai or the English version.
Checking an insurer and making a complaint
Insurance in Thailand is supervised by the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC). Buy only from a licensed insurer or through a licensed agent or broker, and ask for the license details before paying. The OIC website is mostly in Thai and built in a way we could not search automatically, so ask the OIC's hotline, 1186, to confirm a company or an agent if you have any doubt.
If a claim is refused and the insurer will not explain why in writing, contact the OIC, which supervises insurers, and ask how to file a complaint. Keep the policy, every message and the claim documents. For other consumer disputes, our page on complaints and refunds explains the consumer protection office. More guides for running a home are on our living in Thailand hub.
Frequently asked questions
Does the condo's insurance cover my belongings?
No. Any policy held by the juristic person is for the building and common property. Your furniture, electronics and other belongings, and damage you cause to neighbors, need your own contents and liability cover.
Do renters in Thailand need contents insurance?
It is not required by law, and the landlord's insurance does not cover a tenant's things. A tenant with valuable belongings, or a unit above other apartments, has good reasons to buy contents cover with personal liability.
Who pays if water from my condo damages the unit below?
Under the Civil and Commercial Code, the person whose negligence caused the damage must compensate, and section 434 makes the possessor of a building answer first for poor maintenance. Liability cover in a contents policy is what pays such claims.
How do I check that a Thai insurer is licensed?
Ask the company or agent for its license details and confirm them with the Office of Insurance Commission, whose hotline is 1186. As the regulator, the OIC is also the body to contact if a claim is refused without a clear written reason.
Sources
- Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) – Home page and 1186 hotline (checked October 2026)
- Thailand Law Online – Civil and Commercial Code, wrongful acts (ss. 420–452) (checked October 2026)
- Thailand Law Online – Civil and Commercial Code, insurance contracts (s. 861) (checked October 2026)