For Foreign Buyers

The rights of a local owner

A 30-year registered lease backed by a secure Option Agreement. This ensures you can sell your property interests, renew your lease at year 30, or receive a refund of your deposit. Enjoy long-term security, easy inheritance for your family, and professional financing options that truly protect your investment.

Modern luxury villa with infinity pool at dusk

Next Step

Ready to evaluate and secure your future

Ready to see how Better-than-Freehold® works for your investment? Register now to access clear cost examples, professional financing terms, and our comprehensive investor guides.

Why Now

Why traditional methods are no longer safe

Demand for Thai property remains high, but the old ways of holding it are being phased out. If you are considering how to secure your property interests, it is vital to understand the risks of traditional methods and where they stand today.

01 / Thai company

The end of the “Nominee” era

Using a Thai company with local shareholders to hide foreign control is no longer a safe option. What has changed is how strictly the law is now enforced. Authorities now use advanced tools to spot suspicious ownership, leading to over 110,000 companies being investigated across the country. New 2025 laws have made the consequences much more serious, including the risk of losing your property entirely. For a modern investor, this “grey area” has become a major legal danger.

02 / 30+30+30 lease

Why lease renewal promises are not enough

A standard 30-year lease relies on a future owner choosing to honour a promise to renew. But owners change, they pass away, or they sell the property. When this happens, those renewal promises often disappear. This pattern of failed renewals is now well-documented across Thailand’s islands and coastal areas. Because Thai courts usually side with the property owner, these “promises” offer no real security for your long-term investment.

03 / Spouse name

Reliant on relationships, not contracts

Holding property in a Thai spouse’s name depends entirely on your marriage lasting and your spouse outliving you. It also creates complex inheritance problems under Thai law that can leave your family unprotected. As a long-term investment, this method relies on personal assumptions that most investors would never accept for any other major financial decision. It lacks the professional, contract-based security needed to truly protect your future.

For Foreign Buyers

What Better-than-Freehold® delivers to you. Four ways we protect your future.

Long-term security

A secure 30-year lease with guaranteed rights to renew, sell or receive a refund. It is a professional setup designed to protect your investment for a lifetime.

Easy inheritance

Your investment passes automatically to your family. No complex legal battles, no expensive court processes, and no need for permission from the property owner. Your legacy is safe.

Secure Financing

Financing made easy. Our bank-standard structure allows us to offer international funding for up to half the property’s value, making your investment more affordable.

Total asset protection

Your investment is legally shielded from outside claims or business failures, ensuring your property interests remain safe and secure under any circumstances.

How It Works

Professional security for every investor

Diagram of the Better-than-Freehold® four-entity structure: Thailand Investor Network (TIN) as Thai asset holder, Clear Blue Security Agents (CBSA) as security and enforcement agent, SPH Trustees as Labuan FSA-regulated trustee, and Siam Venture Capital (SVC) providing financing, combining into a securitised lease.

Don't rely on a handshake. Traditional leases are only as strong as the person who signs them. Better-than-Freehold® adds an independent security agent to enforce your rights against any future owner, giving you a level of protection that a simple contract cannot provide.

Your investment is held by a permanent, regulated trust company. This removes the personal risks of traditional ownership, ensuring your rights stay secure for decades and pass easily to your family. It's the smart and safe way to enjoy your home in Thailand.

TIN: holds legal title to the property in Thailand.
SPH Trustees: protects your property rights in a secure, regulated Trust.
CBSA: your independent protector and enforcement expert.
SVC: provides secure international funding for your property interests.

Structural legal opinion

Nishimura & Asahi, Tokyo

Tax compliance review

Forvis Mazars

Trustee regulation

Labuan Financial Services Authority

Why It Stands Up

Why Better-than-Freehold® is legally strong

Most foreign property structures in Thailand fail because they aren't transparent. Better-than-Freehold® is built on the principle of full disclosure, ensuring it passes the toughest legal tests. It works because it follows the law, not loopholes. Our model has been professionally reviewed by the international law firm Nishimura & Asahi to give every investor total confidence.

100% Transparency

No secret deals or risky workarounds. Everything is disclosed to the authorities, making your investment 100% legal and transparent.

Fair contracts

Our agreements are built to stay legal for the long term, using professional standards that Thai courts recognise and respect.

Expert enforcement

You don’t need the property owner’s cooperation to protect your rights. BtF’s independent security agent has the power to enforce your agreements and solve any issues quickly through experts, avoiding long court battles.

Guaranteed protection

We use professional legal “locks”, like mortgages and share pledges, to secure your investment. These are held by your trustee to ensure your rights are safe, even if another party runs into trouble.

Compare

How Better-than-Freehold® compares to the old ways

A bank-standard structure that delivers more than traditional ownership, fully backed by Thai law. Here are the eleven essential benefits every property investor should look for, and how the different solutions measure up against each other.

Benefit	Better-than-Freehold®	Freehold	Standard lease
Legal for foreigners in Thailand	Yes	No	Yes
30-year time-limited security	Yes	n/a	Yes
Mortgage and share-pledge security beyond 30 years	Yes	n/a	No
Multi-term lease guarantees	Yes	n/a	No
Freehold sale onshore in Thailand	Yes	Yes	No
Tax-free lease assignment offshore	Yes	No	No
Asset protection on the property	Yes	No	No
Asset protection for the investor	Yes	No	No
Automatic transfer to your heirs	Yes	No	No
Confidentiality through offshore trust	Yes	No	No
Financing available	Yes	No	No
Total benefits delivered	11 / 11	3 / 11	2 / 11

Every row reflects a specific legal, contractual, or commercial position, not a marketing claim.

What it costs

We provide a custom approach for every investor, whether you are starting fresh or securing an existing property. Our model is built for long-term savings, reducing your total cost of ownership across decades and removing the risk of losing your property altogether. A worked example showing fees, taxes, and year-on-year costs can be found in your personal dashboard. Register now to view these details or get a personal quotation.

Surpassing freehold security

You get all the rewards of owning your home without the legal uncertainty. Although foreigners cannot hold land titles directly, our model delivers the same security, inheritance rights, and financial gains you would expect from owning, all within a structure that works perfectly with Thai law.

What You Get

The benefits of Owning, made fully legal

For decades, property investors in Thailand were given promises that failed in court or used company structures that are and always were illegal. Better-than-Freehold® is the safe third path. It provides the same benefits as owning, while following every Thai law perfectly.

Security for life and beyond

Our structure is built to protect you and your family forever. You have a guaranteed right of future lease offers on predefined commercial terms or to sell your interests whenever you choose.

Automatic inheritance

Your property rights are held through a trust that pass automatically to your heirs. We remove the risk of losing your lease, ensuring your family’s future is always secure without any legal battles.

Legal profit sharing

You have the legal right to sell your property interests and keep the gains, just like a local owner.

Tax-free assignment of the lease package

The trustee enables the lease package to be assigned offshore without re-registration at the Thai Land Office, removing the friction and the cost that come with traditional re-registration on transfer.

Financing where you need it

Our bank-standard security allows us to offer international financing for up to half the property’s value, making your investment more affordable (mortgage style lending launch is scheduled for Q1 2027).

Total privacy and protection

Both the property and your investment are protected from creditors, counterparty failure, and third-party claims and kept private, giving you total peace of mind.

Next Step

Ready for the full details?

Register to access our step-by-step investor guide, clear answers to your tax and inheritance questions, and full details on our secure financing options. Start your journey to secure property ownership today.

Your Situation

Which path is right for you?

I'm looking to secure a new property

Start your journey with total confidence. Better-than-Freehold® ensures your property interests are legally protected from day one, in a structure that any professional lawyer will approve.

I currently hold a property in a Thai company

If you are worried about the growing risks of company ownership, we can help. We offer a clean, secure way to move your home into a professional trust without changing your lifestyle, and with fully funded options available to make the transition easy.

My property is in my Thai spouse's name

You don’t need to rely on personal relationships for your financial security. We provide a contract-based solution that protects your rights and your whole family’s future, regardless of what happens in the years ahead.

I'm focused on the financial return

Better-than-Freehold® is built for professional investors. It is legal, secure, and tax-efficient, ensuring you maximise your gains and have a clear, profitable exit strategy when the time is right.

Next step

Register to start your secure investment journey

Our Secure Model - a written guide to how our professional structure works in practice to safeguard your property interests.
Expert Legal Advice - simple summaries of the legal and tax protections that underpin your investment.
Process Roadmap - a clear, step-by-step guide through the process, including a worked example of all fees and taxes.
Investor Resource Centre - downloadable guides and articles covering everything an investor needs to know about the Thai property market today.
Your Journey Walkthrough - a clear explanation of what to expect at each stage, including fund transfers and Land Office steps.
Secure Funding Options - how to qualify for international financing covering up to half the property’s value.