When Building Owners No Longer Want to Manage: The Tipping Point for Property Management in Bangkok
- Chakrapan Pawangkarat
- Aug 2
- 3 min read
Chakrapan Pawangkarat
Head of Property and Asset Management, JLL Thailand
Secretary-General, Property Management Association of Thailand
2 August 2025
Bangkok’s Property Management Business Is Changing—Quietly, But Profoundly
Over the past few years, Bangkok’s real estate landscape has evolved rapidly. Hybrid work models have reshaped tenant expectations. ESG requirements are growing stronger. Smart buildings are becoming the norm. And behind the scenes, a silent but powerful shift is taking place:
More and more building owners no longer want to manage their properties themselves.
Whereas some landlords previously opted to run internal operations teams, today, many are turning to full-scope external property management partners. This isn’t just about reducing costs—it’s a reflection of structural inefficiencies and growing operational complexity that make in-house management increasingly unsustainable.
Why Are Landlords Walking Away from In-House Management?
Talent Shortages and Training Gaps Skilled technicians and engineers—especially those experienced in HVAC, BMS, and critical building systems—are extremely difficult to recruit and retain. Even when hired, many owners lack the training infrastructure to develop them effectively.
Labor Law Constraints In-house staffing comes with rigid obligations under Thai labor law, making it difficult to scale teams up or down in response to business conditions.
Internal Control Issues and Risk of Misconduct Without proper audit and governance mechanisms, small but repeated incidents of procurement fraud, asset misuse, or service negligence can slip through undetected.
High Fixed Costs and Poor Scalability Maintaining a full in-house operations team creates significant fixed costs. This limits the owner’s ability to adapt operations during economic downturns or occupancy fluctuations.
Lack of Flexibility During Business Shifts When space needs to be reconfigured—from office to shared space, for instance—in-house teams may lack the agility, expertise, or external vendor network to execute the change efficiently.
The Skilled Labor Gap: A Silent Emergency
At the core of every building is a team of people who keep it running. But today, that human backbone is under pressure:
Technicians capable of handling electrical, mechanical, and HVAC systems are in short supply.
Building Services Engineers with expertise in complex systems (e.g., HVAC, fire alarms, ELV, BMS) are hard to find.
Young professionals are less attracted to property operations careers, seeing them as outdated or lacking prestige.
Career path planning and upskilling are underdeveloped in many organizations.
This leads to:
Overworked teams
Deteriorating service quality
Rising reactive maintenance costs
Lower tenant satisfaction
Adaptability: The New Core Competency in Property Management
In this evolving environment, property management firms that can adapt quickly and intelligently are the ones that will thrive.
What do adaptable companies do differently?
✅ Leverage Technology to Amplify Human Capability
CMMS, IoT, and remote monitoring to reduce on-site load
Predictive maintenance analytics to get ahead of issues
✅ Design Flexible, Hybrid Teams
Multi-skilled technicians and rotational engineers
Strategic use of outsourced vendors to ensure flexibility and cost control
✅ Invest in Long-Term Talent Development
Clear career paths for technicians and engineers
Structured mentorship to retain institutional knowledge
Continuous training, including digital tools and green building technologies
✅ Truly Understand the Owner’s Pain Points
Offer full-scope, transparent services
Implement audit-friendly processes to build trust
Scale services up or down with the business—without disruption
From Managing Buildings to Managing Change
Property management in Bangkok is undergoing a quiet transformation—not just in tools and technologies, but in mindset and value proposition.
We are no longer just facility operators. We are becoming strategic partners who can:
Bridge labor market gaps
Integrate ESG and digital goals
Deliver consistency and transparency
And help building owners regain control without taking on operational risk
In a future shaped by smart buildings and shrinking workforces, the winning firms won’t be those with the largest teams…
They’ll be the ones with the clearest vision, strongest partnerships, and most adaptable systems.
