‘Homes for Thais’ lottery starts April

With registration for phase 1 of the scheme due to end soon, project is to offer 5,700 units of affordable housing through a lottery system

The lottery drawing for a chance to buy affordable houses and condos under the government’s “Homes for Thais” campaign will start in April, with the registration for phase 1 scheduled to end by mid-March, the Transport Ministry announced on Tuesday.

“Homes for Thais” offers quality housing with good transport links, affordable payment terms and no down payment required, built on land owned by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).

Mortgage payments start at about 4,000 baht per month and leaseholds are capped at 99 years.

Phase 1 of the project offers 5,700 units of houses and condominiums in Bangkok, Thonburi, Pathum Thani and Chiang Mai provinces.



Since the registration opened on January 17, a total of 350,000 people have registered interest, and 140,000 have successfully passed the initial screening (pre-approval) for housing loans through the Government Housing Bank (GH Bank), Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachot said.

The lottery draw will be conducted next month by the Government Lottery Office to ensure transparency, with results expected within three months, he said.

Surapong added that phase 2, which will offer about 10,000 units, is set to open soon. Phases 3 and 4 will follow, with the goal of reaching 100,000 units by the end of 2025.

He said the ministry is studying SRT land in major provinces as the potential locations for the project in later phases, including in Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Chonburi and Kanchanaburi.



Surapong added that more condominium units will be considered for later phases, to respond to the high number of interested persons during the first phase.

The deputy minister said studies have shown that “Homes for Thais” would generate profits in the form of rents to the SRT higher than any commercial development projects. It would serve as a major contributor in paying back debt of over 100 billion baht faced by the railway agency, he said.

(2025/03/05-00:00)