Ownership term
Usufruct
A usufruct is a registered right under the Civil and Commercial Code to use and derive income from another person's land for a fixed period, typically for the life of the grantee, and is one alternative to a leasehold for a foreign villa buyer.
Last updated 2026-07-26
Thai scriptสิทธิเก็บกินครอง
In full
A usufruct, registered on the chanote at the Land Office, gives the grantee the right to use the land and take its produce, including rent, for a fixed term or for life. It is distinct from a leasehold because it is tied to the grantee personally and cannot exceed the grantee's lifetime. On the grantee's death the right ends; it does not pass under a will.
A usufruct suits a foreign buyer who wants a right of use for life without the diminishing-term resale logic of a 30-year lease, and who does not need the right to pass to heirs. As of Q3 2026 it is used less often than the leasehold because the non-transferability limits resale value.
Common misunderstanding
A usufruct is not a leasehold. It is personal to the grantee and ends at death; a leasehold is a contractual term that can be assigned. A usufruct for life is longer than 30 years for a younger grantee, but it has no resale value because it cannot be sold on.