View Talay 5

View Talay 5 was completed in 2007 and has two buildings: Building C with 22 floors and Building D with 21. Each building has its own lobby, reception and juristic office, so tell us which building a unit is in when you ask about it. Together they hold 1,968 units.

Buyers could purchase neighbouring studios and combine them into one unit, so today you will find studios of about 40 to 49 sqm next to one- and two-bedroom units of about 86 to 145 sqm.

Facilities on the site:

• a ground-floor communal swimming pool with a pool restaurant and bar
• ground-floor shops, including convenience stores, laundries, salons and massage
• lifts and landscaped gardens
• open-air and covered car parking
• 24-hour security with key-card access and CCTV
• a private key-card gate to Dongtan Beach

Before you rent, ask:

• whether the unit is in 5C or 5D, which floor it is on and which way it faces
• whether you will be given a key card for the beach gate as well as the building
• whether a parking space comes with the unit, and whether it is covered or open-air
• how electricity and water are billed, and whether internet is included
• the deposit, the rent paid in advance and the minimum term set by the owner

Before you buy, look closely at combined units: ask whether the unit sits on one title deed or on two, because that affects the transfer and how common fees are charged. The building dates from 2007, so check the condition of the air conditioning, plumbing and windows in the unit, and read the juristic office's recent meeting minutes for planned works. Foreign buyers can own freehold only within the building's foreign quota (49 percent of the total unit floor area), with the purchase money sent from abroad. Our guide to buying a condo in Pattaya and transfer fees and taxes cover the steps and costs.