This really pisses me off

[jp1]

The Manageress insisted on quizzing me who the place was for and what were their martial arrangements. I turns out that they will not rent a place to a Westerner with a Thai wife or girlfriend. So the place is now occupied by a "whites only" contingent of rather naïve tenants employed by the UK embassy paying 55,000 a month for an the same apartment I rented for 5 years up until a years ago, for 17,500 Baht per month.

 

FB,

 

what's so unusual about the decision of the landlord (landlady). All he/she does is to choose the best, most affluent and reliable tenant. Normally diplomatic missions and big corporations are the first choice. Maybe -in the past- the landlord had some bad experience with tenants who stayed there with their gfs. This behavior is not limited to Bangkok but can be found in many cities all over East Asia. Just put yourself into the landlord's shoes. Would you give your premises to somebody you know and who has a certain good reputation, who pays high rent, pays regularily and gives you no problems or would you give it to somebody completely unknown to you?

[jasmine]

Hi,

 

[color:"red"] Maybe -in the past- the landlord had some bad experience with tenants who stayed there with their gfs. This behavior is not limited to Bangkok but can be found in many cities all over East Asia. [/color]

 

This is a true statement. A Thai friend in Bangkok whose parents have rental property, mentioned that they would not rent out to "farangs" with Thai women. There were many ugly reasons that I will not list, mostly it was the behaviour of the Thai women in question.

 

I do admit that many of these rich Thais can be prejudice and I also see their viewpoints as landlords.

 

Cheers!

[jp1]

Jasmine,

 

I also believe that this has nothing to do with racism but just with common sense. It's a commercial decision which I can fully understand.

 

 

[lopburi3]

It's amazing what some diplomatic missions will pay to keep their wives happy (and maybe married). Don't let the temptations get too close!

 

I would put the racist tag on the foreigners living there rather than the building owner myself.

[Guest]

The owner sets the rules and standards and passes them onto the manager of the property...simple if you dont like his/her rules go elsewhere, plenty of places in Thailand unoccupied.

[Guest]

you got all sorts of apartments here.

i lived in one which specialised in farang with thai wifes, when they changed their policy in having newly arrived backpackers on their first english teaching jobs who were partying all night i moved out after having to threaten more than a few of 'em.

i definately don't want to live in an apartment block populated with single males who bring every night another woman home. up to them, but that would not be the environment i would like o live.

neither would i want to live in an apartment block populated with diplomats and their families.

for everyone there is some space here. to keep a certain amount of peace the landlord has to have a closer look at the tenents. that happens in the west as well.

[think_too_mut]

>There were many ugly reasons that I will not list, mostly it was the behaviour of the Thai women in question.

 

Very true, in my experience. With my beloved gf, I had a few fights and everybody in the building knew about that. She was yelling while I was whispering.

 

One morning, the receptionist asked me if I wanted my gf thrown out.

 

Case by case but, avoiding the mixture of falang/tg keeps the building calm in a long run. I don't see any racism in that.

[Guest]

In the U.S., it would be illegal, but then in Thailand, the classified ads actually specify sex, age ranges, etc. And at those rates, there is not much risk, particularly since Thai landlords request at least a two month deposit? And aren't single guys without girlfriends more likely to bring home 'undesirable' types. I not only agree with Fat Bastard on his issue, but I also don't think the decision making is very sound on the part of the mangeress. But I don't want to get into that debate; instead, a question: what happens when one of her tenants gets a Thai girlfriend?

 

We all know it will happen. One of these guys will meet a girl - maybe at the Emporium or maybe at Angelwitch - and she'll move in. If you have enough guys living there, it is bound to happen, and there is not much the mangeress can do once it does happen.

[Mentors]

Maybe -in the past- the landlord had some bad experience with tenants who stayed there with their gfs.

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Yes i think thats the point for shure!

[harlequinbkk]

Some people on this thread have expressed the opinion that it is not racist for a landlord to refuse to rent to a Farang male/Thai female couple. Perhaps such a couple has a higher probability of causing trouble for the landlord, but it [color:"red"]IS[/color] nonetheless racist - a judgement is being made about the couple's desirability as tenants based on their race. This is the same as denying non-Japanese customers entry into a Jap bar or charging higher entry fees to farangs for attractions (to take the two examples given by Fatbastard).

 

Is it reasonable for businesses to have racist policies? You could make arguments for and against this. I think a person's opinion on this would depend a lot on the culture they were raised in. I for one am quite happy to live in a place where racist practices are generally not tolerated. It feels good to be accepted for what I am inside as a person, not what I look like. Perhaps Thais in Thailand feel good being judged for what they look like, not for what they are? If so, I reckon that this their perogrative inside their own country.

 

Harlequin