OFF-PLAN & NEW-BUILD SUPPORT
Off-Plan & New-Build Purchase Checks
Pay with the evidence in hand.
When much of the price is paid before you hold title, the evidence behind each payment matters. We help you gather it, arrange our technical specialists to verify construction progress where agreed, and prepare the right questions for our lawyer, who advises on the contract.
Start Your ConsultationBEFORE EACH PAYMENT
Know what you are relying on before you pay.
When much of the price is paid before title is transferred, the contract and the evidence behind each payment matter. We help you gather that evidence and prepare the right questions for our lawyer, who advises on the contract. We cannot guarantee that a developer will perform or repay.
Questions to settle before each payment
- 01
What objective evidence will confirm each construction or approval milestone before an instalment falls due?
- 02
Whether any escrow, bank guarantee or other security protects payments made before transfer.
- 03
Which approvals are already in place and which are still outstanding.
- 04
What happens to your payments if approvals, completion or foreign-ownership registration cannot be achieved.
- 05
How the completion date can be extended, and for what reasons.
How we help
- 01
Obtain the documents and milestone evidence the developer agrees to provide, and record what has and has not been supplied.
- 02
Where agreed, our technical specialists confirm construction progress against the payment schedule.
- 03
Relay the amendment requests you approve and track the developer’s replies, within an agreed mandate.
- 04
Return the revised contract to our lawyer to check that the agreed protections were included before you sign.
- 05
Keep your payment instructions and transfer records organised.
Our lawyer advises on the contract wording, your remedies and which amendments are worth requesting. A refund right is only as useful as the seller’s ability to meet it, so we also help you gather the available information about the project, the seller and its approvals.
VERIFYING PROGRESS
Match what you pay with what is built.
A payment schedule tied to construction stages is only as reliable as the evidence behind each stage. Where you agree it, our technical specialists record the visible progress, so you can compare it with the developer’s payment request before you approve a payment.
Milestone verification at each stage
- 01
Agree the milestones: we list each construction or approval milestone in your payment schedule and the evidence the developer has agreed to provide.
- 02
Visit and record: where agreed, our technical specialist visits the site and records visible progress against that milestone with dated photographs.
- 03
Compare with the payment request: we set the dated record beside the developer’s request, so you can see what is complete before you decide.
- 04
Keep a dated file: photographs, reports and developer replies are kept in one dated file you can share with our lawyer if a question arises.
A site visit records visible progress. It is not an engineering certificate or a legal opinion, and it cannot guarantee that a developer will complete the project or repay. Our lawyer advises on your contract rights.
WARNING SIGNS
Signs worth raising early.
Projects rarely fail without some warning. These are the signals we help you record, so that you can decide what to do next with advice from our lawyer.
What to watch for
- 01
Repeated postponement of the construction start or completion date.
- 02
Payment requests that are not linked to a milestone you can see.
- 03
Approvals or permits that are promised but not shown.
- 04
Site activity that has slowed or stopped for several weeks.
- 05
Slow or unclear answers about the land, approvals or financing of the project.
If you notice these signs, we record the current status and the developer’s explanation and share them with our lawyer. We cannot make a developer perform or refund. Where a dispute needs legal action, our lawyer advises under a separate legal engagement.
IF A PROJECT RUNS LATE
Keep your record complete and in order.
When completion slips or the developer sends payment demands, your contract and Thai law decide what happens next, and our lawyer advises on that. What helps most, and what we can do now, is organise the evidence.
Build your file
- 01
Index your documents: list every version of the contract, addendum, reservation form and payment schedule, with the date signed and who holds the signed copy.
- 02
Reconcile your payments: for each payment, record the date, the amount, how the contract describes it, such as deposit or instalment, and how the receipt describes it.
- 03
Build a timeline: set each promised completion date, extension notice and developer message beside the dated record of site progress.
- 04
Find the notice and deadline clauses: note any clause on written notice, cure periods, forfeiture or refunds, including who must be notified, how and in which language, and take them to our lawyer promptly.
Do not ignore a written demand. Keep it with its date, reply in writing and ask our lawyer before you withhold a payment or agree to a new schedule. We organise the file and verify progress. Claims, negotiation and court action are for our lawyer under a separate legal engagement, and we cannot make a developer perform or refund.
TAKING OVER A CONTRACT
Taking over another buyer’s contract.
Some buyers take over a unit from someone who has already paid instalments. Three parties are involved, the current buyer, you and the developer, so the documents need to line up before any money changes hands.
- 01
The current contract
Ask for the contract and every amendment, and for the developer’s written confirmation of the unit, the buyer on record and the account status.
- 02
What has been paid
Ask for a ledger of the instalments paid, with receipts, and for how those payments will be credited to you.
- 03
How the transfer works
Ask for the developer’s written consent and its transfer procedure. Our lawyer decides how the takeover is structured and reviews it before you pay.
- 04
Foreign ownership
Our lawyer confirms whether the unit can be registered to you, how your own funds must arrive and whether earlier instalments count for your purchase. Do not assume they do.
We track the documents, the three parties, the payment credits and the appointments, and keep a dated record of who confirmed what. Our lawyer advises on the structure and on any payment.
TITLE OR APPROVALS STILL PENDING
When the plot’s title or a permit is not issued yet.
In some house and villa projects the plot does not yet have its own title, or a permit is still in process. That is not always a problem, but you need to know exactly what exists today.
- 01
The parent title or your plot
A copy of the parent title shows the whole site. Ask which plot is yours, how it will be identified and when its own title is expected.
- 02
Applied for or granted
An application or a receipt is not the approval itself. Ask for the document that shows the current status of any subdivision, land allocation or building permit.
- 03
Access and shared services
Confirm road access, utilities and any shared areas, and who will own and maintain them.
Before a deposit or milestone payment, ask our lawyer which conditions should be met first and what happens to your payment if a title or approval is not issued. Requirements differ by project, so a missing document is a question to resolve, not a conclusion.
WHEN THE CONTRACT DIFFERS
Make the contract match what you were promised.
Brochures, messages and the contract can describe different units, areas or layouts. Changes promised along the way, such as an extra bedroom, are easy to lose.
- 01
One schedule per unit
List each unit’s number, floor plan, area, room layout, furniture and any agreed alteration, and note which document each item comes from.
- 02
Versions and signatures
Record the date, version and signatures of each contract, plan and specification, so everyone works from the same documents.
- 03
Promised changes
Where an alteration was promised, our technical specialist checks whether it is feasible and needs an approval, and our lawyer puts the agreed amendment into the contract.
At handover, the same schedule is used to check what was delivered.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
A dated file you can act on.
You receive the documents the developer provided, a list of what is still outstanding and, where included, dated site photographs and our technical specialist’s findings for each milestone.
We share the file with our lawyer, so the contract advice rests on evidence rather than assumption.
See how we report and follow upWHAT TO KNOW
Clear about what we can and cannot do.
We gather evidence, record progress and follow up. Our lawyer advises on the contract, your remedies and which amendments are worth requesting, under a separate legal engagement. Our technical specialists provide the agreed inspections.
We cannot make a developer perform or refund. Availability, access and any travel costs are confirmed before work begins.
PREPARE YOUR ENQUIRY
Share what you already have.
- Project name, developer and the unit or house number
- Your reservation or sale and purchase agreement, or the relevant clauses
- The payment schedule and which instalments are already paid
- Any construction updates, photographs or notices from the developer
A short description is enough to begin. We confirm the documents needed and how to share them after discussing your scope.
Discuss your purchase ↗SCOPE AND COSTS
Agree the work before it begins.
Your total quote includes Baanward’s fee and all legal and technical specialist fees for the agreed work. We confirm access, visits, specialist availability, reports, timing and any travel costs. Extra work or spending outside that scope requires your approval.
When should I contact you?
Before you sign a reservation or booking agreement or pay a non-refundable deposit, and in any case before the next instalment falls due. Earlier contact leaves time to review the documents.
Is a title check worth it if the contract already promises clear title?
A check shows the position on the day it is made and cannot stop a later change by itself. It still tells you what you are relying on today and gives our lawyer a dated starting point for comparing the position before your final payment. Our lawyer advises whether a further check is worthwhile before you pay the last instalment.
What evidence can I ask for before an instalment?
Typically the developer’s written confirmation of the milestone, the relevant approval documents and, where agreed, a dated site visit by our technical specialist. Our lawyer advises what your contract entitles you to request.
Can you tell me whether my payments are protected?
We ask the developer whether any escrow, bank guarantee or other security applies and record the answer. Our lawyer advises what it means under your contract.
How reliable are off-plan completion dates in Phuket and the rest of Thailand?
A completion date in an off-plan contract is the developer’s target, and the contract may allow the developer to extend it for stated reasons. We cannot predict whether a project will finish on time. We can compare dated site progress with the construction and payment schedule, record when work slows or stops, and share that record with our lawyer, who advises how the extension and delay terms in your contract apply.
What should I do if my project is delayed again?
Ask us to record the current status and the developer’s written explanation, and we share them with our lawyer. The contract decides whether the delay can be extended and which remedies you have.
What should I do if the developer demands payment or threatens forfeiture?
Do not ignore it. Keep the demand with its date, reply in writing and ask our lawyer how the payment and forfeiture terms apply before you withhold or agree to anything. We put the demand beside your payment record and site progress, so our lawyer sees the full picture. We cannot make a developer withdraw a demand or refund you.
Can I take over another buyer’s off-plan contract?
Often, with the developer’s written consent. Before you pay anything, our lawyer reviews how the takeover is structured and whether the earlier instalments count for your purchase. We gather the documents and keep the three parties in step.
Should I pay a deposit before the villa has its own title?
Only after our lawyer has reviewed what has been issued, what is still pending and what happens to your deposit if it is not issued. We collect the documents and confirm which plot is yours.
What if the contract does not match what I was promised?
Raise it before you sign or pay. We set out the differences in one schedule, our technical specialist checks any promised alteration and our lawyer prepares the amendment.
Can someone visit the site if I am abroad?
Yes, where agreed and where the developer allows access. We arrange the visit, our technical specialist records visible progress and you receive dated photographs and notes.
Explore handover inspection support or where we work.
New to buying as a foreigner? Read our foreign ownership guide and what you pay at transfer.
Not sure what to check? Build your personalised purchase checklist or see who you need.
Buying from a developer? Read how to check a developer or villa operator.
YOUR THAILAND PROPERTY PARTNER