TRANG - A rubber farmer and her husband have been picked among some 100 applicants by the owner of a house to live there for free.
Nanthana Patchakhiew posted on Facebook on June 20 with the pictures of a one-storey house in Sikao district that she was looking for a family to stay at the place for free.
"Any family looking for a house to stay? This one is free for you on conditions you have to keep it clean," she wrote.
The message was quickly shared in social media and Miss Nanthana said on Monday that more than 100 people, including Wanna Rodcharoen, had contacted her only hours after she posted.
In fact, Mrs Wanna said she did not know about it until one of her friends shared it and told her to give it a try.
Her contact with the owner went well and she was selected as the house caretaker.
"The couple are perfect to stay at my house. I'm confident that they will take a good care of it," she talked about Mrs Wanna and her husband.
Mrs Wanna works in a rubber plantation near the house but she has to go there from her home in neighbouring Nayong district every morning.
"The house is closer to the rubber plantation where I work," Mrs Wanna said on Monday, when she met the house owner.
"I will fix some rundown spots in the house and grow flowers around the area," Mrs Wanna added. "I will stay until she wants me to leave."
The house was the first Miss Nanthana bought about 10 years ago before she left to live in another house in Muang district because her mother did not like it.
She rented it to others for about 2,000 baht a month but Miss Nanthana said she gave up the idea five years ago after she could not stand some bad tenants who did not pay the rent on time and even stole some items when they left.
It was left vacant for five years before she decided to write on Facebook. She said she was concerned that the house condition would quickly deteriorate with no occupants.
The owner, who is a trader in Trang, confirmed that the couple could stay as long as they want. "They need not pay anything," she said.
Miss Nanthana said doing so was like making merit and reminded her of the bitter old days.
"My family suffered when I was little. We had no place to go and had to live in a temple," she recalled. But people around the temple and a temple committee forced her and her parents to leave, she said of the moment that inspired her to start saving to buy her own house one day.
She later bought the first house and another one in town.