Housing problem if your Thai wife dies before you
Some time ago an interesting posting on Thaivisa in which someone asks what happens in Thailand with his living situation if his Thai wife dies before he does.
He is writing:
“My Thai wife has been seriously ill. It was touch and go, but luckily she made a full recovery. During her illness, the thought came to me of what will happen to my living situation if she dies before me?
I trust my Thai family more than a hundred percent, but greed and a house worth 15 million baht could change that.
We have a mortgage that must be paid off when she dies, but then what? I understand that as long as the mortgage exists, no leases or usufruct arrangements can be made. If my wife dies, of course she can no longer arrange anything.
I just want to protect my right to continue to live in our house whatever the family's plans, then I don't worry anymore. I don't worry anymore if I die before my wife!
What are others doing (if anything is possible at all)? Any thought, suggestion or idea is welcome”
Reactions
His story gets a lot of reactions. All kinds of topics such as wills, usufruct, rental contract, setting up a company are discussed. You can read those comments at: forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1153613-protecting-my-right-to-live-in-our-house-should-my-wife-die
Whether the person asking the question has enough to “protect his right” remains to be seen, because it all sounds nice, but requires a lot of arranging and paperwork.
Reader question
Are there blog readers who are familiar with this situation and perhaps have experience with it?
About this blogger
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Bert Gringhuis (1945), born and raised in Almelo in the beautiful Twente. Later lived for many years in Amsterdam and Alkmaar, working in export for various companies. I first came to Thailand in 1980 and immediately fell in love with the country. Been back many times since then and moved to Thailand after my (early) retirement as a widower. I have been living there for 22 years now with my somewhat younger Thai lady Poopae.
My first experiences in Thailand as a kind of newsletter sent to family, friends and acquaintances, which later appeared under the name Gringo on Thailandblog. Many, many articles followed those first stories and that has grown into an almost daily hobby.
In the Netherlands still an avid footballer and football referee, but the years are starting to tell and in Thailand still avid, but the pool billiards is really of inferior quality, ha ha!
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2nd line: Every inch of Thailand belongs to the Thais.
Once learned: provide a "poison pill".
A friend of mine once took over a dilapidated house from his physically and mentally handicapped aunt (then 40) and set up a house there - self-constructed. A clause in the sale was: "As long as aunt lives, there is always a free room for aunt".
Married years later and divorced years later. Value of the house; “nil”, because ... who buys a house with such a clause in it?
And in Thailand: the right to use the land. Especially seen being bullied by “surroundings”.
Arrange it when you have time, then it is arranged when you run out of time. And assume the very worst in people.
As a Farang in Thailand, you have no right to protect your home against your in-laws in such a situation.
They just come to live with you.
Your in-laws can make life quite difficult for you, partly with the help of their friends.
But you can also make it quite difficult for them.
If only you know how to do it.
Thais are terrified of ghosts, they call it PEE here.
Jan Beute.
Experienced my friend, beautiful house in her name and she passed away. Rented it for 20 years and paid 20 years rent in advance with receipt. Recorded with lawyer and he could just sit there while her family wanted to sell the house. He's still there.
If you had read everything, you would have seen that it was possible to arrange this in a will. There was a man who could live where he was until his death. This was included in a clause in her will.
Not arranged regularly results in departure and one has a year to sell everything.
My wife and I have made a will for this with the assistance of a lawyer.
If I became a widower here, my extension of the Non Imm O based on marriage would also expire and then I would have to switch to 400.000 THB instead of 800.000 THB per year in the bank
We are looking for a lawyer and what are the costs of this lawyer to arrange a good will.
We want to transfer the house to a person from the in-laws if my wife dies and from that moment on I have the right to continue living in the house for another 30 years, without my sister-in-law using the house.
I must also have the option of taking in another woman to care for me after her death. This woman will continue to live in the house until after my death.
Sounds antisocial, but you have to put it on paper now to avoid problems.
If you live in Bangkok or the surrounding area I can recommend the services of Khun Orajith Srisuwanno / she is a friend of my Thai wife since more than 20 years and very reasonable in price and she is fluent in English.
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