Bangkok: "Supamas" has accepted the NBTC's resolution, signaling that the Consumer Protection Board will begin piloting the control of electricity rates in apartments. Supamas stated that the Consumer Protection Board (CPB) is pioneering the control of apartment electricity rates and is prepared to follow the National Energy Policy Council's (NEPC) resolution. She emphasized that discounts must reach tenants and warned that any entities adding profit margins will face imprisonment and fines.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office and supervisor of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), revealed that the National Energy Policy Committee (NEPC) approved seven electricity-related measures aimed at reducing the electricity cost burden for the general public. These measures align with the consumer protection efforts that the OCPB has been pursuing, particularly concerning the control of water and electricity charges by residential rental businesses, which directly impact working people, students, and low-income earners nationwide.
The government, under Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, prioritizes reducing living costs for citizens in all aspects. The NEPC's resolution directly impacts tenants by reducing the electricity rate for the first 200 units of residential use to 3 baht per unit. Moreover, the definition of residential electricity users now includes rental houses, dormitories, apartments, and houses without registered addresses, allowing them to use the same rate as regular residential properties, replacing the higher temporary rate. The beneficiaries of this measure are the same groups that the CPB has consistently protected through measures regulating residential rental contracts.
Ms. Supamas stated that before the NEPC's resolution, the CPB had already established mechanisms to protect tenants through the Announcement of the Committee on Contracts, which declared the residential building rental business as a controlled contract business, effective B.E. 2568 (2025). This regulation stipulates that businesses can only charge for water and electricity at rates not exceeding those charged by service providers, prohibits adding profit margins, and requires the calculation method to be clearly stated in the contract.
Furthermore, Ms. Supamas, along with her team, including Mr. Pradermchai Boonchuaylue, Advisor to the Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, Ms. Patcharin Samsiripong, Secretary to the Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, and Mr. Ronnarong Poolpipat, Secretary-General of the Consumer Protection Committee, inspected rental businesses in the Ramkhamhaeng area of Bangkok and in Udon Thani Province earlier this year to ensure compliance.
"The government prioritizes measures to reduce the cost of living for the public at the source, but the price reduction will be meaningless if tenants are still charged profit margins on electricity bills at the end. The CPB has already established regulations on this matter; water and electricity charges for rental properties must be based on actual consumption, and no profit margins should be added. Today, when the government lowers prices, businesses must pass that discount on to tenants in full," Ms. Supamas said.
Ms. Supamas also mentioned that, in addition to water and electricity charges, the announcement prohibits collecting advance rent and security deposits totaling more than three months' rent. Upon contract termination, provided no property damage, the business operator must return the security deposit within seven days. Violations of this regulation can result in imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both. She has instructed Mr. Ronnarong Poolpipat to expand the inspection of rental businesses nationwide and to closely monitor the implementation of new electricity rates. Additionally, she has tasked the Minister's advisors and secretary with reporting progress and integrating information with relevant authorities to ensure tenants benefit from the electricity rate reduction policy.
'Electricity costs have been reduced at the source, so the reduction must also reach the tenants. I urge all tenants to check their water and electricity bills every month and compare them to the actual rates charged by the Electricity Authority and the Water Authority. If they find that they have been overcharged, their security deposit has been unfairly forfeited, or they have been taken advantage of according to the rental agreement, they can file a complaint immediately via the OCPB hotline 1166, the OCPB Connect application, the website www.ocpb.go.th, or the Damrongtham Center in every province. The OCPB will take decisive legal action against businesses that take advantage of consumers,' Ms. Supamas said.