CHON BURI — A Swiss man and his Thai wife reported being deceived in a villa house sale by a Thai seller. They had already paid a 1 million baht down payment but later discovered the house was mortgaged to a bank. Furthermore, the seller later sent a letter from a law office requesting to cancel the contract, claiming the couple had breached the agreement and would forfeit the down payment.
On October 19, Ms. Naruemon, 31, and her Swiss husband, Mr. Jean Peter, disclosed their story to the media. They had already filed a complaint at Nong Prue Police Station in Chonburi Province, stating they were treated unfairly and taken advantage of when trying to buy a house directly from the owner with installment payments.
They recounted that in May, they signed a contract to buy the house, with Mr. Jean Peter paying a deposit of 1,000,000 baht. On the day of signing, there was only one document. Shortly after, the seller asked for the first installment payment of 60,000 baht, which they paid. However, upon checking the title deed, they found that the house was mortgaged, contrary to what the seller had offered. This made them no longer want the house.
They contacted the seller, saying they no longer wanted to buy the house because it didn’t match what was discussed. The agent and homeowner said they would return only 500,000 baht of the down payment, claiming the buyers had promoted the house as a pool villa and advertised it for sale, causing damage to the property.
Ms. Naruemon said she and her husband accepted only 500,000 baht in return, considering the other 500,000 baht retained by the homeowner as a loss due to their own naivety. Throughout the negotiations to return the house, there were chat conversations, but afterwards, the agent and homeowner went silent.
On September 3, 2024, they received a letter canceling the contract. It stated that the contract stipulated a down payment of 1,000,000 baht, with the remaining 6,490,000 baht to be paid directly to the homeowner in installments over 24 months, with an interest rate of 6.5% per year on the balance. The remaining amount was to be paid in full on the day of the property transfer.
Mr. Jean Peter made a payment on June 1, 2024. However, from July to September, he did not make payments as specified in the contract. He has outstanding payments totaling 180,000 baht. The seller requests that the buyer contact them within 15 days; otherwise, they will terminate the sale contract, and the buyer must compensate the original homeowner for all damages incurred.
The couple has now filed a daily report to proceed with legal action and has engaged a lawyer to follow legal procedures.
Ms. Naruemon hopes her interview will serve as a cautionary tale for others. When buying a house directly from the owner with installment payments, she advises thoroughly checking all contracts, documents, and land titles to ensure they match what was advertised.
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