What Happens When the Land Lease and Superficies Have Different Expiry Dates?

Concise answer

When a Phuket villa’s registered land lease and superficies expire on different dates, the foreign buyer may temporarily hold one important right without the other.

The two main mismatches are:

1. The land lease expires first, but the superficies continues.
   The foreign buyer may retain the registered right supporting ownership of the villa, but the contractual right to occupy and use the land under the lease has ended. Continued possession, access, utilities, maintenance and rental use may become uncertain unless another valid land-use right exists.
2. The superficies expires first, but the land lease continues.
   The buyer may retain the right to occupy the land under the lease, but the registered right specifically supporting separate ownership of the villa has ended. Section 1416 and the transaction documents then become important in determining removal, purchase, compensation and continued building ownership.

Neither mismatch should be treated casually.

A foreign buyer could theoretically:

• Own the villa without a complete right to occupy the land, or
• Continue leasing the land after the registered building-ownership right has ended

The lease and superficies should therefore be coordinated for:

• Commencement
• Expiry
• Renewal
• Transfer
• Inheritance
• Early termination
• Mortgage priority
• Treatment of the villa
• Access
• Utilities

Matching dates do not solve every end-of-term issue, but inconsistent dates can create avoidable uncertainty.

Detailed explanation

1. The lease and superficies are separate legal rights

A land lease and a superficies do not perform the same function.

The expiry of one does not necessarily mean that every other document expires simultaneously.

Each right must be reviewed independently.

2. The registered dates—not the marketing description—control

A sales presentation may describe the structure as:

• 30-year lease plus superficies
• Matching 30-year rights
• Renewable ownership
• Lifetime protection
• 30+30+30 ownership
• Permanent building ownership

The buyer should instead examine:

• Exact lease commencement date
• Exact lease expiry date
• Exact superficies commencement date
• Exact superficies expiry date
• Whether either right is for life
• Whether either right is indefinite
• Registration endorsements
• Land Office memorandum
• Private agreements
• Renewal provisions

A difference of several months or years may materially affect the end-of-term outcome.

3. The dates may differ unintentionally

Mismatches can arise because:

• Lease was registered before construction
• Superficies was registered later
• Developer postponed the superficies
• One right was amended
• Lease was assigned
• Superficies was transferred separately
• One document was renewed and the other was not
• Registration dates were calculated differently
• Rights refer to different commencement events
• One right is fixed-term and the other is lifetime
• Land Office wording differs from the private contract

The buyer should not assume that documents signed on the same day necessarily expire together.

4. A fixed lease normally ends automatically

Section 564 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code provides that a fixed-term lease ends at the expiration of the agreed period without separate notice.

For example, if the registered lease expires on 30 June 2056, the buyer should not assume that:

• The landowner must issue another notice
• The superficies automatically extends the lease
• Continued villa ownership automatically creates a new tenancy
• A renewal promise has already registered another term
• Payment of the original purchase price extends possession

The buyer must establish a lawful basis for continuing to occupy the land after lease expiry.

5. A fixed-term superficies has its own duration

Section 1412 allows a superficies to be created:

• For a fixed period
• For the life of the landowner
• For the life of the superficiary

Where it is created for a fixed period, Section 1412 applies Section 1403 paragraph three correspondingly. The fixed period generally cannot exceed 30 years per term.

The superficies may therefore have:

• Same term as lease
• Shorter term
• Longer effective remaining term
• Lifetime duration
• Indefinite duration subject to termination rules

The registration must be examined directly.

6. Scenario One: the lease expires before the superficies

Suppose the documents provide:

For approximately two and a half years, the foreign buyer may retain the registered superficies after the lease has expired.

The buyer may continue to have a registered right supporting ownership of the villa. However, the lease-based right to possess and use the land has ended.

This creates questions involving:

• Continued occupation
• Entry and exit
• Parking
• Gardens
• Swimming pool
• Utility access
• Repairs
• Rental use
• Guests
• Estate facilities
• Payment for land use
• Removal of the villa
• Negotiation of a new lease

A continuing superficies should not automatically be assumed to reproduce every right previously provided by the lease.

7. Continued villa ownership does not answer land possession

Owning a villa and possessing the land are not identical.

The foreign buyer may need separate legal authority to:

• Live in the villa
• Enter the land
• Use the garden
• Use the swimming pool
• Park vehicles
• Permit guests
• Operate rentals
• Maintain the building
• Employ contractors
• Connect utilities
• Reach the villa over estate roads

The superficies instrument may provide some supporting rights, but its exact scope must be reviewed.

A superficies focused only on building ownership may not clearly replace the detailed possession and operational provisions of the expired lease.

8. A new lease may be required

If the superficies continues after lease expiry, the parties may negotiate a new land lease.

This may require:

• Agreement with current landowner
• New rent
• New lease term
• Land Office registration
• Taxes and registration fees
• Mortgagee consent
• Updated estate-management agreement
• Confirmation of access
• Utility arrangements
• Coordination with remaining superficies term

The foreign buyer should not surrender the existing superficies merely because the landowner offers a new lease.

Both rights should be coordinated at completion.

9. The new lease should not outlast the remaining superficies unintentionally

If the foreign buyer receives a new 30-year lease while the existing superficies has only two years remaining, another mismatch is created.

The lawyer should consider:

• Renewal or replacement of superficies
• New superficies term
• Building ownership after old superficies expires
• Mortgage priority
• Whether existing villa transfer must be documented
• End-of-term removal or purchase
• Whether the new lease independently recognises building ownership

A new lease alone may not recreate the expired or expiring registered building right.

10. The landowner cannot automatically treat the villa as unowned

The expiration of the lease before the superficies does not automatically make the villa ownerless.

The continuing superficies may preserve the foreign buyer’s registered building right according to its terms.

The landowner should not assume immediate entitlement to:

• Enter the villa without authority
• Rent it to another person
• Demolish it
• Sell it as part of the land
• Mortgage it as the landowner’s building
• Remove the foreign owner’s possessions
• Exclude the superficiary completely

Any attempt to control the villa must be evaluated against the registered superficies and other documents.

11. Access can become the decisive practical issue

The superficies may cover the villa plot while access crosses:

• Private estate road
• Neighbouring title
• Developer-owned land
• Landowner’s retained parcel
• Common facility
• Public-access route

Access may arise through:

• Registered servitude
• Lease
• Estate-management agreement
• Contractual licence
• Co-ownership
• Public road

If the land lease expires, lease-based access may also end. The superficiary could own the villa but be unable to reach it conveniently without another continuing access right.

12. Utilities may depend on the expired lease

Utility rights may be found in:

• Land lease
• Servitude
• Estate-management agreement
• Direct government account
• Private supply agreement
• Infrastructure licence

After lease expiry, the buyer should establish continued rights to:

• Electricity
• Water
• Drainage
• Wastewater treatment
• Internet
• Refuse collection
• Maintenance access
• Emergency services

Continued superficies does not automatically guarantee every private service arrangement.

13. Rental rights may end with the lease

The foreign buyer may have been permitted to rent the villa under:

• Land lease
• Estate rules
• Rental-management agreement
• Hotel operating structure
• Landowner consent

If the land lease expires, the right to occupy or commercially exploit the land may also become uncertain.

The buyer should not assume that continued ownership of the building alone permits:

• Short-term rentals
• Long-term rentals
• Hotel operation
• Guest occupation
• Transfer of possession
• Continued management program

The legal and licensing basis for rental use must remain valid.

14. Scenario Two: the superficies expires before the lease

Suppose the documents provide:

The foreign buyer may retain approximately two and a half years of land possession after the superficies expires.

The buyer may still have the contractual right to occupy the land under the lease. However, the registered right specifically supporting separate ownership of the villa has ended.

This raises questions involving:

• Whether the villa must be removed
• Whether landowner may purchase it
• Whether the lease independently preserves building ownership
• Whether compensation is payable
• Whether buyer can continue occupying the villa
• Whether the superficies can be renewed
• Whether the building transfers to the landowner
• Whether the lease should terminate simultaneously

15. Section 1416 becomes especially important

Section 1416 addresses the outcome when a superficies is extinguished.

It generally provides that the superficiary may remove the buildings, structures or plantations, provided the land is restored to its former condition.

The landowner may instead notify the superficiary of an intention to purchase the property at market value. The superficiary may refuse only on reasonable grounds, subject to the statutory framework.

The documents should therefore address:

• Notice period
• Removal deadline
• Demolition permits
• Contractor access
• Restoration standard
• Foundations
• Utility disconnection
• Debris removal
• Market value
• Valuation method
• Payment deadline
• Possession pending payment
• Dispute resolution

For a concrete Phuket villa, physical removal may have little commercial value.

16. Continued lease rights may affect the Section 1416 outcome

If the lease continues after the superficies ends, the parties should determine how the remaining lease term interacts with:

• Removal
• Land restoration
• Landowner purchase
• Continued occupation
• Villa maintenance
• Insurance
• Rent
• Possession

It may be commercially irrational to require immediate demolition while the buyer retains a valid lease over the land.

The private documents may attempt to coordinate the outcome, but their enforceability must be reviewed against the registered rights and Thai law.

17. The lease may independently recognise villa ownership

The lease may state that the foreign lessee owns the villa throughout the lease term.

Section 146 may also be relevant where the villa was constructed under a right over another person’s land.

Therefore, expiry of the superficies should not automatically be described as proof that the landowner instantly owns the villa in every case.

The lawyer should examine:

• Lease wording
• Building permit
• Construction agreement
• Building transfer
• Section 146
• Superficies terms
• Section 1416
• End-of-term clauses
• Registration history

The outcome is document-specific.

18. A building-transfer clause may conflict with continuing occupation

Some leases state that the villa becomes the landowner’s property:

• Upon completion
• Upon lease expiry
• Upon superficies expiry
• Upon early termination
• Upon default
• Without compensation
• At market value

If superficies expires before the lease, a transfer clause could produce an unusual result:

• Landowner owns the villa
• Foreign buyer continues leasing the land
• Buyer may or may not have the right to live in the landowner’s villa
• Repair and insurance obligations become unclear
• Rental income ownership may be disputed

The documents should avoid this internal contradiction.

19. Matching expiry dates are usually clearer

A coordinated structure may provide:

• Lease and superficies begin on same date
• Both expire on same date
• Renewal of one requires renewal of the other
• Transfer of one requires transfer of the other
• Default under one is coordinated with the other
• End-of-term procedure applies simultaneously

This does not guarantee renewal or remove all risk.

It does make the intended ownership and possession structure easier to understand.

20. Similar terms are not necessarily identical dates

A lease and superficies may both be described as “30 years” but still expire differently.

For example:

• Lease registered 1 March 2026
• Superficies registered 1 September 2026
• Both described as 30-year rights

The superficies may expire approximately six months after the lease if calculated from its own registration date.

The Land Office endorsement should be checked rather than relying on the stated number of years.

21. Lifetime superficies can create a major mismatch

A superficies may last for:

• Life of landowner
• Life of superficiary

A fixed 30-year lease combined with lifetime superficies requires careful analysis.

If the lease expires while the measuring person remains alive:

• Superficies may continue
• Lease-based occupation ends
• New land-use arrangement may be required

If the measuring person dies while the lease continues:

• Lifetime superficies may end
• Lease may remain
• Villa-ownership outcome must be determined

The buyer should know exactly whose life controls the duration.

22. A lifetime superficies tied to the landowner can be unpredictable

If the superficies lasts for the landowner’s life, its actual duration depends on that person’s lifespan.

The right could end:

• After several decades
• Shortly after registration
• Before construction finishes
• Before the land lease expires

The buyer should consider:

• Landowner’s age
• Health cannot be guaranteed
• Estate planning
• Lease term
• Construction schedule
• Inheritance
• Building transfer
• Compensation
• Replacement superficies

A right lasting for the life of an elderly landowner may be shorter than the buyer expects.

23. A lifetime superficies tied to the foreign buyer limits succession

If the superficies lasts for the foreign buyer’s life, it may end when that buyer dies.

The land lease may still have time remaining, particularly if:

• Lease is jointly held
• Lease includes estate arrangements
• Buyer dies early in the term
• Another family member is lessee
• Lease has contractual succession language

The beneficiary could inherit or claim the villa and lease interests while the registered superficies has ended.

The Thai will, lease and superficies should therefore be coordinated.

24. An indefinite superficies can be terminated

Section 1413 addresses a superficies for which no period has been fixed.

It may be terminated by either party upon reasonable notice. Where rent is payable, the provision generally requires:

• One year’s prior notice, or
• Payment of one year’s rent

An indefinite superficies should not be interpreted as permanent.

Combining a fixed 30-year lease with an indefinite and terminable superficies may give the buyer less certainty than expected.

25. Early termination can create a mismatch even when expiry dates match

The documents might show the same scheduled expiry date but still end at different times because of:

• Lease default
• Superficies default
• Unpaid rent
• Breach of essential conditions
• Mutual surrender
• Court order
• Contractual termination
• Destruction-related provisions
• Insolvency
• Invalid registration
• Partial cancellation

Section 1414 permits termination of a superficies for failure to comply with essential conditions or failure to pay agreed rent for two consecutive years.

The default provisions of both documents should be coordinated.

26. A lease default should not automatically destroy the superficies without review

The lease may contain a cross-default clause stating that termination of the lease also terminates the superficies.

The buyer should examine whether:

• Cross-default is registered
• Breach is material
• Notice is required
• Cure period exists
• Early termination is proportionate
• Landowner breach is treated differently
• Building compensation applies
• Mortgagee or beneficiary has cure rights

A minor lease breach should not unexpectedly destroy a valuable building right without appropriate procedure.

27. Superficies default should not leave an unusable lease

If the superficies terminates early but the lease continues, the buyer may retain land possession while losing the registered building right.

The lease should address:

• Whether it also terminates
• Whether building ownership continues contractually
• Whether compensation is payable
• Whether rent is adjusted
• Whether buyer may remove the villa
• Whether landowner may purchase it
• Whether the buyer can renew the superficies
• Whether the lease can be assigned

The buyer should understand the consequences before accepting cross-default wording.

28. Renewal of the lease does not automatically renew the superficies

A replacement lease and a replacement superficies are separate registrations.

If the lease is renewed but the superficies is not:

• Possession may continue
• Registered building right may end
• Resale and inheritance may become more difficult
• Landowner may obtain leverage
• Mortgage priority may change

The renewal process should list both rights separately.

29. Renewal of the superficies does not automatically renew the lease

Similarly, extending or replacing the superficies does not automatically provide another land lease.

The foreign buyer might retain building ownership while lacking:

• Contractual possession
• Agreed rent
• Estate rules
• Rental rights
• Utility arrangements
• Full access provisions

Both documents should be ready for coordinated registration.

30. Recent renewal jurisprudence increases the importance of current terms

Thai Supreme Court Decision No. 4655/2566 has been publicly analysed as invalidating the disputed long-term renewal provisions used to circumvent the 30-year lease limitation under Section 540.

The exact effect depends on the transaction and wording. Nevertheless, buyers should not assume:

• Future lease renewals are guaranteed
• Future superficies renewals are already registered
• Two matching renewal promises create present rights
• Prepayment guarantees future registration

The current registered lease and current registered superficies should be valued according to their actual dates.

31. Sale of the land does not synchronise the rights

If the land is sold:

• Current qualifying lease may continue under Section 569
• Registered superficies may continue according to its terms
• Different expiry dates remain different
• Renewal promises may not bind purchaser
• New owner may refuse future cooperation
• End-of-term negotiations may become harder

The purchaser of the land should receive a clear schedule of all registered rights and expiry dates.

32. A mortgage may affect renewal and priority

The land may be mortgaged before or after the lease and superficies.

The lawyer should record:

• Mortgage registration date
• Lease registration date
• Superficies registration date
• Lender consent
• Mortgage discharge requirements
• Renewal priority
• Foreclosure outcome

If one right is renewed later, the replacement right may rank after the existing mortgage even though the original right ranked before it.

Renewal can therefore change the priority structure.

33. Resale value can be reduced by mismatched terms

A resale buyer may acquire:

• 15 years remaining on lease
• 8 years remaining on superficies

or:

• 8 years remaining on lease
• 15 years remaining on superficies

Neither structure is as straightforward as matching 15-year rights.

The resale buyer will consider:

• Shorter of the two useful terms
• Cost of extension
• Landowner cooperation
• Building value
• Removal rights
• Compensation
• Mortgage
• Access
• Rental income
• Exit date

The property may be valued according to the weakest essential right.

34. Insurance should recognise the mismatch

Insurance arrangements should address what happens when:

• Lease ends
• Superficies continues
• Superficies ends
• Lease continues
• Villa transfers to landowner
• Villa must be removed
• Landowner purchases villa
• Buyer remains in possession
• Total loss occurs near expiry

The insurer should know:

• Landowner
• Villa owner
• Lessee
• Superficiary
• Mortgagee
• Remaining terms

A policy should not assume that the same person owns both land and building.

35. Independent legal review is essential

The buyer’s independent Thai property lawyer should confirm:

• Lease commencement
• Lease expiry
• Superficies commencement
• Superficies expiry
• Whether either right is lifetime
• Measuring person
• Whether either right is indefinite
• Termination provisions
• Cross-default
• Notice and cure periods
• Building ownership
• Removal
• Landowner purchase
• Market-value procedure
• Continued occupation
• Access
• Utilities
• Estate-management duration
• Rental-management duration
• Transferability
• Inheritance
• Renewal
• Mortgage priority
• Resale procedure
• Insurance
• Thai wills
• Early-termination compensation

The lawyer should explain separately what happens if:

• Lease ends first
• Superficies ends first
• Both end together
• Either terminates early
• Landowner dies
• Superficiary dies
• Land is sold
• Land is foreclosed
• Only one right is renewed
• Building is destroyed

Expiry-mismatch comparison

Practical buyer checklist

A foreign buyer using both a land lease and superficies should:

1. Record the lease registration date.
2. Record the lease commencement date.
3. Record the lease expiry date.
4. Record the superficies registration date.
5. Record the superficies commencement date.
6. Record the superficies expiry date.
7. Calculate any difference between the dates.
8. Confirm whether either right is lifetime.
9. Identify whose life controls the duration.
10. Confirm whether either right is indefinite.
11. Review Section 1413 termination risk.
12. Confirm all registered terms.
13. Compare private contracts with Land Office records.
14. Confirm ownership of the villa.
15. Identify every structure covered by the superficies.
16. Confirm lease rights to occupy the villa.
17. Confirm legal access.
18. Confirm utility rights.
19. Confirm estate-management duration.
20. Confirm rental-management duration.
21. Review transferability of both rights.
22. Review inheritance of both rights.
23. Coordinate the Thai will.
24. Review renewal provisions separately.
25. Do not assume renewal of one renews the other.
26. Review cross-default clauses.
27. Require notice and cure periods.
28. Define what happens if the lease ends first.
29. Define what happens if the superficies ends first.
30. Define continued occupation.
31. Define building removal.
32. Define land restoration.
33. Define landowner purchase rights.
34. Define market value.
35. Set the valuation procedure.
36. Set the payment deadline.
37. Address possession pending payment.
38. Review mortgage priority.
39. Check whether renewals require lender consent.
40. Review insurance.
41. Consider resale according to the shorter remaining right.
42. Avoid surrendering either right before replacement registration.
43. Preserve certified registered documents.
44. Schedule review well before the earliest expiry date.
45. Obtain independent Thai legal advice before completion.

Greg’s professional perspective

The lease and superficies are designed to work together, but they do not automatically move together.

The simplest explanation is:

The lease protects the buyer’s use of the land. The superficies protects the buyer’s right to own the villa built upon it.

If one ends before the other, the buyer may be left with only half of the intended structure.

Before recommending this arrangement, I want clear answers to six questions:

1. Do the lease and superficies begin on the same date?
2. Do they legally expire on the same date?
3. What happens if the lease ends first?
4. What happens if the superficies ends first?
5. Must both rights be transferred, inherited and renewed together?
6. What happens to the villa when the first essential right ends?

A difference of a few months may be manageable if the documents provide a clear transition. A difference of several years can materially affect occupation, resale and building ownership.

I would also be cautious with lifetime rights. A superficies linked to the life of the landowner may sound generous, but its duration cannot be predicted. A right linked to the buyer’s life may not support the intended inheritance plan.

The safest structure is not merely two documents described as “30 years.” It is a coordinated legal arrangement in which the registered dates, default provisions, transfer rights and end-of-term treatment all work together.

Phuket Realtor helps international buyers compare every registered date and understand what remains if either right ends unexpectedly. That is how buyers Invest with Confidence.

Applicable date

Current as reviewed on: 19 August 2026

Thai property law, Land Office procedures and judicial interpretations may change. This entry should be reviewed following relevant legislation, Department of Lands guidance or significant Thai court decisions involving lease duration, superficies, renewal, expiry, mortgage priority or building ownership.

Location and property types

Location: Phuket, Thailand
Primary property types: Private pool villas, houses, resort villas and separately owned buildings on leased land
Ownership types: Registered land lease, registered superficies and separate villa-building ownership
Buyer type: Foreign buyers, investors, retirees, holiday-home purchasers, beneficiaries and resale buyers

Verified legal and authoritative sources

• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 538 — leases of immovable property exceeding three years generally require written evidence and registration to be enforceable beyond three years.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 540 — an ordinary immovable-property lease generally cannot exceed 30 years per term.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 564 — a fixed-term lease ends automatically at the agreed expiry date without separate notice.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 569 — provides that an immovable-property lease is not extinguished merely by transfer of ownership.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 570 — addresses continued possession after lease expiry with the lessor’s knowledge and without objection.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 1403 paragraph three — applied to fixed-term superficies through Section 1412 and generally limits each fixed term to 30 years.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 1410 — allows a landowner to create a superficies permitting another person to own buildings or structures on the land.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 1411 — provides that a superficies is transferable and inheritable unless the creating instrument states otherwise.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 1412 — permits a superficies for a fixed period or for the life of the landowner or superficiary.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 1413 — addresses termination where no duration has been fixed.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 1414 — addresses termination for breach of essential conditions or two consecutive years of unpaid rent.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 1415 — provides that destruction of the building does not automatically extinguish the superficies.
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code, Section 1416 — addresses removal and the landowner’s potential purchase of the building when the superficies ends.
• Civil and Commercial Code: Superficies, Sections 1410–1416 — English reference reproduction of the statutory superficies provisions.
• FAOLEX reproduction of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code — legal reference containing the relevant lease, property and superficies provisions.
• Phuket Realtor: What Happens When a Property Lease Expires in Thailand? — related Phuket-focused explanation of lease expiry, villa ownership and superficies.
• Department of Lands — official authority responsible for registering leases, superficies, mortgages and related land rights.
• Department of Lands: official Land Code publication — official publication of Thailand’s principal land legislation.
• Phuket Provincial Land Office — responsible for registering Phuket leases, superficies, renewals, transfers and releases.
• Thai Courts of Justice — responsible for resolving lease, superficies, possession, ownership and registration disputes.

Related questions

• What is the difference between a land lease and a superficies?
• Should the lease and superficies have the same expiry date?
• What happens if the lease expires before the superficies?
• Can a foreigner own a villa after the land lease expires?
• Can a foreigner occupy the villa with only a superficies?
• Is a new lease required when the old lease expires?
• What happens if the superficies expires before the lease?
• Does the landowner own the villa when the superficies ends?
• Can the villa be removed when the superficies expires?
• Must the landowner purchase the villa at market value?
• How is market value calculated?
• Can the lease independently protect villa ownership?
• Does renewal of the lease renew the superficies?
• Does renewal of the superficies renew the lease?
• Can a superficies be registered for life?
• What happens when the landowner named in a lifetime superficies dies?
• What happens when the foreign superficiary dies?
• Can an indefinite superficies be terminated?
• Does lease default terminate the superficies?
• Does superficies default terminate the lease?
• What happens if the land is sold?
• What happens if the land is foreclosed?
• How do mismatched dates affect villa resale value?
• Can both rights be inherited?
• What is the safest lease-and-superficies structure?

Knowledge-catalog administration

Disclaimer

This entry provides general educational information and does not constitute legal, property, succession, mortgage, tax, investment or financial advice. The consequences of mismatched lease and superficies terms depend on Thai law, registration, title, building ownership, contractual wording, mortgages, access, possession and the facts of the transaction. Buyers should obtain case-specific advice from a qualified independent Thai property lawyer before signing agreements, renewing rights or transferring substantial funds.