20 questions to ask every Phuket property management company before you sign.
A printable interview script to put to any Phuket property management company on your shortlist. The answers will tell you, in an hour, whether the operator belongs anywhere near your property. Watch for stalls, vagueness and anyone who won't put answers in writing.
How to use this list
Print it. Take it to every meeting. Write the answers down.
Every Phuket property management company will say the right things in a sales meeting. The questions below force specifics. The operator who can answer all twenty clearly and in writing is rare; the one who will happily do so is rarer still. That is the one you want.
Group your interviews together if you can. Ask the same questions to three or four operators back-to-back in a single week. Patterns jump out fast. The weaker Phuket property management companies repeat marketing phrases; the stronger ones give you specific numbers, real examples, and the names of people who will actually handle your property.
Pricing
Questions 1–5: the money.
What is your rental commission, and is it calculated on gross or net revenue? The right answer is a specific number in writing and a clear definition of what "gross" or "net" means in your contract. Vague answers are a red flag.
Do you mark up maintenance invoices, and if so by how much? Expect either "we don’t mark up, we charge a flat coordination fee" or "we add X%, fully disclosed on every invoice." Anything evasive means yes, they mark up, and they’d rather you didn’t know.
Are there set-up fees, and what do they cover? For a property in good condition, expect zero. Any set-up fee should map to specific deliverables (photography, listing build, etc.) with a fixed quote.
Will you send me a sample monthly statement from a comparable property? A reputable operator will send one within 48 hours with identifying details redacted. A weak one will cite "confidentiality." That is a hard no.
How and when do you transfer net rental income to me? Expect THB transfers on a fixed day each month (often the 5th or 10th), with the full statement sent alongside. Ask about FX conversion spreads if they offer to convert for you.
Operations
Questions 6–10: how they actually work.
Who is my named account manager, and how many properties do they carry? A named person. Their specific property count. Ideally 8–15 properties per manager. More than 20 means they are stretched.
Where is your team physically based in Phuket? For a Kamala villa, you want people in Kamala. For a Rawai condo, people in Rawai. Fly-in-fly-out is a no.
What is your response time on a guest emergency at 2am? Answer should be a specific commitment (e.g., "30 minutes WhatsApp response, on-site in 2–4 hours if required") plus an explanation of the on-call rota.
Which booking channels will my property be listed on? Airbnb, Booking.com, Agoda, Vrbo, Expedia plus a direct-booking page on a branded URL is the full scope. Airbnb-only is a red flag.
Do you use dynamic pricing, and can I see rate history on a comparable property? Dynamic pricing updated at least daily. Rate history that moves in response to calendar events. Flat or lightly-seasonal rates mean flat or lightly-seasonal yield.
Reporting & compliance
Questions 11–15: what you’ll see each month.
What does your monthly statement include, line by line? Revenue by channel with gross/commission/net, expense ledger with photo receipts, occupancy and ADR vs. prior year, maintenance log with before/after photos, upcoming bookings, net transfer.
How do you handle TM30 tenant notifications? Filed on every booking. Confirmation receipts available on request. If the operator has no answer, they are not filing them.
Do you coordinate rental income tax filings? Expect a yes — either directly or through a named Thai accountant. If taxes are "your problem," the operator is incomplete.
Who holds my chanote and property documents? Should always be available to the owner on demand. Operators who refuse to release documents are using them as leverage — that is a contractual red flag.
How do you handle insurance renewals? Annual review of fire, content, and liability policies, with renewal reminders and policy comparison. Worth asking even if you handle insurance yourself.
Contract
Questions 16–20: the contract terms.
What is the minimum contract term and notice period? Healthy: 12 months initial, 60-day exit from month four. Unhealthy: 24-month lock-ins, 6-month notice, auto-renewal for further years.
Is there a non-compete clause preventing me from switching to another operator? Any non-compete is a red flag. You own the property; you decide who runs it.
Who owns the booking channel accounts and guest data? The owner should own both. Operators who keep accounts and guest databases in their name are protecting themselves from switching — at your expense.
What happens to outstanding bookings if I terminate the contract? Transfer to the new operator, honour as-is. Operators who cancel bookings on exit are punishing the owner for leaving.
Can you give me three owner references for comparable properties? Yes, delivered within 48 hours. Call every single one. A good Phuket property management company will make this trivial; a bad one will stall or evade.
After the interview. Send every operator the same written follow-up confirming the answers they gave verbally. Their willingness to confirm in writing tells you more than the answers themselves. Operators who backpedal in writing will backpedal on the contract.
Twenty minutes of questions. Ten years of peace of mind.
If you use nothing else from this guide, use this list. It will save you from 90 percent of the problems owners face with Phuket property management companies.
