If there’s one thing I wish someone had warned me about before I moved to Thailand, it’s this: don’t ever expect to get your apartment deposit back without a fight - or at all. In the past two years, I’ve moved apartments three times. Not because I enjoy it (I don’t), but because the reasons always pile up: noisy neighbours, water problems, or the classic “Oh, we’re renovating for the next six months.” But each move came with the same bitter ending - losing my deposit for the most ridiculous reasons imaginable.

The first landlord claimed I “scratched the floor” — I lived there alone and wore socks indoors. The second deducted nearly the full deposit because of a “stained” curtain that was already stained when I moved in. The third was the best one yet: they took 4,000 baht out of my 10,000 baht deposit to replace a remote control that I never even saw. It’s exhausting. I’ve started photographing every corner of my apartments before I even unpack. But even then, you’re up against a wall when it’s their word against yours. Contracts help sometimes, but let’s be honest: once they’ve got your money, it’s near impossible to get it back without a lot of stress.

To any new teachers moving here: be careful. Document everything. Read the fine print. And don’t be surprised if your “fully refundable deposit” turns into an expensive goodbye gift to your landlord. I still love Thailand and still love teaching. But I’d really love to stop paying for other people’s curtains.

Tom