About the company
Universal Group Thailand is the Thai arm of the international Universal Group of Companies. According to public listings, the group was established in 1972 and develops residential property in Thailand and India; in a 2019 Pattaya Mail interview it was described as a diversified business with interests in manufacturing, trade, overseas development and property management. The company entered the Pattaya market in 2012. As of 2019, the Thai business was led by managing director Raj Punjabi and CEO Sonia Punjabi.
All of Universal Group’s known projects in Thailand carry the Seven Seas name and are located in Jomtien and Na Jomtien. Little is published about its legal entities, finances or pipeline, so the completed buildings are the best guide to the developer.
What their projects are like
Universal Group’s trademark is the large, themed, resort-style complex on generous grounds. At Seven Seas Jomtien the buildings are named after islands, a big lagoon pool sits at the centre, and the common areas feature pirate ships and moai statues. Seven Seas Côte d’Azur takes its cue from the French Riviera, with buildings named Nice, Cannes, Monaco, Marseille, Monte Carlo and Montpellier. Both are eight-storey low-rise developments with well over a thousand units each.
The third project, Seven Seas Le Carnival, breaks the pattern: it is a high-rise complex of four buildings of up to 28 floors. What the three share is scale, at around 1,300 to 1,500 units each, and facilities geared more to holidays and seasonal living than to a quiet residential setting.
Projects in Thailand
- Seven Seas Condo Resort Jomtien, the group’s first Thai project: 1,520 units in eight-storey buildings on Soi Chaiyapruek 3, about 700 m from Jomtien Beach, completed in 2016. Units range from 27 sq m studios to two-bedroom apartments of up to 104 sq m.
- Seven Seas Côte d’Azur: 1,308 units in low-rise buildings on 15.5 rai on Na Jomtien 4 Road, about 600 m from Na Jomtien Beach. According to Pattaya Mail, handovers were scheduled to begin in January 2020.
- Seven Seas Le Carnival: around 1,500 units in four buildings off Soi Bunkanjana.
What buyers should check
- Competition within the complex. With 1,300 to 1,500 units per project, many similar apartments are on the resale and rental market at any time. That gives buyers room to negotiate, but when you sell or let, your unit has to stand out on view, floor, building or condition.
- Running costs. Lagoons, themed features and large gardens need constant spending. Ask the juristic person for the budget, common fee rate, sinking fund balance and recent meeting minutes. Seven Seas Jomtien is now ten years old, so inspect the pools and decorative features.
- Building and outlook. In low-rise complexes most units face pools and gardens. For full-time living, choose a block away from the busiest areas; for rentals, closer is usually better.
- Quota and paperwork. Check the unit title deed (Or.Chor.2) to confirm it is held under the foreign quota, and make sure the seller has no outstanding common fees.
