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Timeshare Laws by State

Timeshare laws are state specific, so in every state your rights regarding your timeshare, or your purchase of one will vary greatly. Some states like Florida, Nevada, South Carolina, and California see a lot of timeshare usage and thus have more extensive timeshare laws. While other states like Michigan, Missouri and Wyoming do not have any timeshare specific rules and instead refer to real property, condominium, or consumer protection law. It is important to look at where the state chooses to address timeshare law. Depending on the area it is covered in you can get a clear idea of what your rights may be regarding your timeshare. If it is in consumer protection likely your rights are based on fraudulent activity by the managers, if it is in contract your rights probably have more options available for pursuing your case. You rights matter and it is important to know going in what your rights are and what remedies may be available to you and your family. This state list is designed to give you just a snapshot of how your state deals with timeshare laws and where to find it. Importantly most states give you a couple days to outright cancel a timeshare after signing on for it. If you are wanting out now and you just bought check out the cancellation list to see if you are within your rights. If you have any questions or concerns about how these laws might affect you, please reach out to us and we can review your case with a free consultation (360) 918-8196.

Alabama Timeshare law is codified in this statute but is generally regulated through the Alabama Real Estate Commission. Because it is done by the commission most of the timeshare law is governed by the professional standards placed on real estate agents, rather than timeshares as parts of real property. It is also designed to be focused on punishing agents who violate the rules, rather than just governing the sale of timeshares.

          Required Licensure and Registration

         In Alabama to sell vacation or timeshare plans the seller is required to be specifically licensed for it. Unlike a general real estate license Alabama imposes a separate ‘vacation time-share sales exam’ to be able to sell, lease, or convey timeshares. Failure to be licensed constitutes a violation of the rule and is could cost licensure ability plus fines.

Alaskan timeshare law is governed under their real property statute, more specifically in their common interest ownership act . Which governs not only timeshares but condominiums and any sort of shared development. Since the law is not specific to just timeshares its often more difficult to know how the rules will look at it. In situations like this it is invaluable to have a lawyer who specializes in timeshare law to review your unique case.

          Extended Recission Period

         A rather rare thing about Alaska’s timeshare law is that it gives an unusually long ‘cool off’ or rescission period to get out of your contract. In Alaska, the right to cancel your contract extends for 15 days from receiving your statutory required disclosure documents. In many states it can be as short as 72 hours, but Alaska gives you a full two weeks to decide if you want to get out.

Arizona timeshare law is governed under the timeshare owners’ association and management act. Which is enumerated in AZ Rev Stat § 33-2201-2211 (2020). The statute has specific authority over any other laws in Arizona for timeshare property and associations but focuses on the responsibility of the managing entity as opposed to the owners use.

          Duties of the Managers

          The timeshares owner’s association laws in Arizona are set up to give the owners some favor. It specifically lays out the obligations and responsibilities that managers of timeshares are required to give to their owners. While many of these relate to the duties of the manage, some like 33-2206 (5) encourage managers to extend an owner’s benefits if they are unable to use their timeshare for any reason. It also puts the responsibility on the mangers to disclose the relevant information to owners even prior to purchase.

Arkansas timeshare law falls under the Arkansas Time-share Act which explains each part of creation, administration, and financing protections of timeshares. It also states that timeshares in Arkansas will be governed under general real property law in anything that may exceed the statute. This differs from many states who treat timeshares as a special type of property, or simply as an expansion of camping or condominiums.

          How Long to Sue

          Arkansas provides a short right to address any major issues in your timeshare contract. You have four years after the date of the purchase to bring any cases against your developer for issues that arose in violation of the statute. This includes any of the areas specific to the statute: terms of the contract, required disclosures, administration of the managers duties, or how it was advertised to you.

California California timeshare law is generally applied through the California Vacation Ownership and Time-Share Act of 2004 . It governs general management of timeshares as well as sale, creation, and enforcement of timeshare laws. Unlike many states California restricts timeshare management to the state as the enforcer rather than delegating it to a real estate agency acting on behalf of the state. CA Bus & Prof Code § 11280 (2019).

          Public Reporting

          In California you are required to be given a public report that discloses many elements of the timeshare when you contract for a timeshare. Those timeshare reports are only valid for 5 years. Importantly the original report you may have been given during your initial signing has to be updated with any material changes to the complex. Make sure you know what is going on with your timeshare and the changes to it, they are required to inform you.

In Colorado timeshare law is scarce, there are no statutes that speak to specifically to timeshares. Usually in instances where there is nothing that directly speaks to timeshare it will be governed by property, real estate and contract law depending on how the timeshare interest was made. Because it is such a difficult state to determine your timeshare rights it is important to have a lawyer who has looked at this before to review your case.

Connecticut

Connecticut treats timeshare law a bit differently. Rather than governing the property or contract itself Connecticut looks at potential damage that might occur to consumers. Naturally, they codify their timeshare laws under consumer protection .

          Protecting Consumers

         With Connecticut’s focus on consumer protection for its timeshare law it makes sense that it puts most of the burden on the organization to provide and disclose anything to the owners. Timeshares are required to create a yearly report for the annual expenses of the timeshare fees and expenses. It is required by law timeshare owners have a right to get these annual expense reports provided to them to see how your timeshare is being managed.

Timeshare law in Delaware is governed under the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act , while it does speak specifically to timeshares it generally governs any shared property such as condominiums.

         

Cool off Period

          There is an unusually long ‘cool off period’ in Delaware, in fact one of the longest in the United States. A buyer of a timeshare has 15 days from the date of purchase to cancel the contract after receiving the required disclosure documents. This gives owners an entire two weeks to read over the documents and decide if they really want to stick with their timeshare purchase.

Orlando Florida is home to one of the largest number of timeshares in the US and houses some the biggest timeshare corporations. As you can expect from an industry that is largely built on timeshares the law is detailed. Florida timeshare law is housed in the Vacation and Timeshare Plan statute under Title XL real and personal property.

          Timeshare Games

          Florida speaks specifically to advertisement restrictions for timeshares. It has become somewhat common for advertisements to lure potential owners with the potential winning of a timeshare in a sweepstakes, or promotion that then will latter need to be upgraded. The law requires that in Florida promotional offers be honest and limited to the number of winners when dealing with timeshares. It forces timeshare companies to follow through on their promised sweepstakes. While you personally may not be the winner, someone must be.

Georgia timeshare law falls under title 44 of their property statute in the Regulation of Specialized Land Transactions, specifically article 5 governs timeshares.

          Criminal Offense

          Georgia rather uniquely treats violations of their time statute as a criminal offense up to a felony. Most states use civil law when it comes to the management and punishment of timeshares, mostly through fines, or contract cancellations. Georgia takes a much stricter approach and any violation of its timeshare statute under $5000 is a misdemeanor and any over $5000 is a felony with an up to three-year sentence. It can act as a good deterrence for scamming activity when companies can get slammed with more than just some fines, but someone can go to prison.

As you could imagine Hawaii is a premier spot for timeshares to be located. Hawaii reflects this in having one of the most comprehensive timeshare laws. Hawaii timeshare law falls into their property law in article 514E .

          Required Disclosures

         Most states require that certain things be discussed before purchasing a timeshare. In most states these disclosures are stated in their public offering statement. Hawaii however uses a different term and document more directly to its point. In Hawaii purchasers are usually given a document in the form of a ‘ disclosure statement ’ that summarizes the relevant changes and facts about the timeshare purchase contract.

Timeshare law in Idaho falls under property in general title 55. Weirdly the title of the statute is ‘ land located outside the state ’ but has previously been known as the subdivided land act. It essentially governs any land that has a division of property rights, which includes timeshares. Idaho’s timeshare is also further extended by their Consumer Protection act. It states specifically that violations of the Land Act will also be punishable under consumer protection law, as well as a felony under the statute.

Indiana timeshare law is governed under their property statute 32-32 . The statute is set up to govern both timeshares and campground memberships. The use of timeshares in Indiana is limited but campgrounds reflect a similar division of owner’s interest.

Unavailable Bookings

          Timeshare, or campground managers in Indiana have a responsibility to owners to maintain their rights in scheduling and booking their reservations. If the managers are unable to meet the reservation of an owner and they are responsible for it, they are entitled to correct the mistake by giving the owner a similar site for the period or paying for the loss.

Iowa timeshares law is under a state specific statute real property code XIV . While Iowa does not have a huge share of timeshares property, they do have large share of timeshare law. The Iowa code is specific to some of the more important timeshare rights, such as disclosures, liens, sale, development, and management.

Exchange Program Disclosures

          While in most states developers are required to disclose certain facts about the timeshare rental property itself Iowa takes it a step further by requiring additional disclosures if the program is a part of an exchange program . While not always called exchange programs, generally they are like point systems where instead of getting a contract to use a specific property you are instead put into a program with a company that makes you bargain for the use of property. Iowa raises the bar on what a potential owner is required to know when getting into not just a timeshare but an exchange program as well. It is important to know your rights before you give them away.

There is no timeshare specific law in Kansas. Instead, timeshares would likely be held under their real property , condominium and consumer protection law. Kansas specifically protects materially false statements about the nature of property and would protect consumers from getting scammed into timeshares. However, since there is no law on point for timeshares it would be a difficult case to make. In these cases, it is important to have a timeshare attorney who can thoroughly review your case to see your rights.

Kentucky timeshare specific laws are codified under their consumer protection . As you could expect from this most of these laws are targeted at the misuse of timeshares and vacation clubs by developers.

Must Disclose

          Consumer protection law in Kentucky focuses on a few burdens that are placed on developers. Notably that they are required to disclose certain facts to purchasers. These include but are not limited to, the right to rescind a contract, the amount of time given to rescind and the duty of a refund for goods provided in the contract.

Louisiana timeshare law is assumed under Title XX of the Louisiana Civil Code Part II-A. The statute falls as a subpart of the Louisiana condominium act.

          Fraudulent Representation

          In Louisiana they have strict restrictions on what can be said when it comes to advertising timeshares. For most material misrepresentations it is considered a violation of the statute and punishable by law. This includes solicitations via radio, telephone, or just a pamphlet they may give out to you on vacation.

Maine timeshare law is carved out in a section of property law for timeshares it is a subpart of their unit ownership law. The statute is fairly limited in what it covers about timeshares, mostly just disclosure, finances, and foreclosure.

          Foreclosure

         In Main timeshare owners are given a 30-day period from the date of receiving notice to fix a default before the owner is permitted to open a foreclosure on the timeshare. Foreclosure generally applies to real property though. So, if your timeshare contract is for a point system as opposed to a share of time at a specific location foreclosure can get a lot trickier, since there is no property to foreclose on. If you are not sure of your companies’ rights regarding your inability to pay for your timeshare it is important to reach out to a timeshare lawyer to learn your rights.

Maryland timeshare law falls into their real property statute and is a subpart of their condominium law MD Real Prop Code § 11A . Maryland puts stricter requirements on the sale of timeshare estates than most other states. Particularly focusing on the licensing requirements of brokers.

          Licensing Requirements

          Maryland requires two separate forms of licensing to conduct timeshare sales in their state. First the person selling the timeshare is required to be a licensed real estate broker. Second, the timeshare sale is required to be overseen by a ‘project broker’. Which is essentially someone who oversees the specific sales of timeshares as a separate feature from standard real estate. If you think that you may have been sold a timeshare but someone who was unlicensed, or who did not disclose their licensure you should talk to a lawyer who specializes in timeshare law to review your case.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts timeshare laws are governed under the General Laws in real property referred to as the “ Real Estate Time-Share Act ”. The act falls into a subpart of 183 the alienation act and includes governance of condominiums as well as predatory lending practices (imposing unfair, or abusive lending like an obscene interest rate).

Owner Protections

Massachusetts timeshare law is set up to favor owners when it comes to a case. They included among more common fraud defenses to timeshares unconscionable and good-faith obligations to the sellers of timeshares. If you were intentionally ripped off you may have an unconscionable contract, or the seller was trying to scam you in its execution the probably acted in bad faith. In any case Massachusetts laws are set up to protect you if you think your case could be brought in Massachusetts its likely one a lawyer could help you with.

Michigan law does no speak specifically to timeshares. They have one major statute that governs the use of condominiums , but even this is somewhat limited in its ability to be applied to a timeshare because it does not specifically reference them. It would ultimately be up to a court to what kind of law they wanted to apply to your timeshare to decide your case. Because it is so sparing in the realm of timeshares it is recommended that you seek legal council to review your case for a timeshare in Michigan.

Timeshare law in Minnesota is administered under Minnesota Subdivided Land Sales Practice Act . It governs any type of land that divides shares over a series of people, think condominiums and timeshares. Because it is not specific to timeshares most of the law is more generalized to any concerns over shares of property interest, but it is administered through their real estate statute so is more focused on the creation and division of land.

Licensing Requirement

In the state of Minnesota anyone who wants to sell a share of subdivided land is required to be licensed as a real estate broker, or salesperson in the state. They also must have a current registration for the sale of the land. Generally, this means that before anything is shown to you it must be registered with the state first and they were required to be licensed in the state to be showing it or selling it you in the first place.

Mississippi

Mississippi governs its timeshare law through the real estate commission. It is enumerated in Chapter 8 of the commissions created rules. Since the statute is originally put forth by the real estate commission it naturally has a focus on the creation and management of timeshare interest.

Advertising

Mississippi law directly targets misleading information that can be given through advertisements for timeshares. It specifically states that no advertisement should state that the timeshare will increase in price during the timeshare period. This distinction is important because timeshares are not assets, they are simply use contracts. While many salespeople try to sell them as an asset like a house, this is directly misleading and illegal under Mississippi code. Miss Code R.§ 1601.8.11 (A)(2) (2019)

Missouri law does not spell out much regulation regarding timeshares specifically. There is some mention of it in their trade regulations. Title XXVI of their trade and commerce statute chapter 407.600 has a short 3-page statute for Time-sharing Regulation . The statute has not been updated in sometime, but it focuses on the notice requirements to both consumers and the state for timeshares.

Exchange Rights

Importantly as a consumer with a timeshare in Missouri the law favors your position. Often the purchase of a timeshare is coupled with entry into an exchange program. These programs allow you to exchange your timeshare in Missouri for another location, or time period you may like to see other than the one you purchased. Exchange companies are required to disclose limitations that they may impose on exchanges to you prior to the purchase. Notable ones include: if exchanges are subject to available space limitations, seasonal limits for locations, fees for certain exchanges, and many more. It is important to know that these must have been disclosed to you prior to obtaining the contract and should you be attempting to exchange you are required to have been given this info. If you need help understanding your rights regarding changing your timeshare or wish to get out of it contact our office at (360) 918-8196.

Montana centralizes its timeshare law around licensing and requirements of brokers/salespersons. The statute was heavily amended in 2009 to expand the scope and clarity of it. Since the statute is under an occupational rule of law it focuses heavily on requirements of the brokers who sell the timeshares and the documents that they submit to do so.

In Montana salesperson who sell or offer the sale of a timeshare are required to meet two things . First that they are currently registered with a timeshare project. This means there must be an overall real estate entity that is overlooking their attempted sale of timeshares and that overlooker is required to follow other valid real estate statutes. Second, they must be licensed as a timeshare salesperson. Licensure is simple in Montana and primarily just requires that they complete a course on the timeshare industry approved by the board.

The Nebraska Time-Share Act governs timeshare law in Nebraska, and it falls under their real property chapter 76 . Nebraska treats timeshares like it generally would real property, except it constitutes a separate estate or interest apart from other real property (like your home).

Timeshare Enforcement

Nebraska is specific about how an issue with a timeshare contract can be enforced in the state. Owners have four years to bring a claim in Nebraska from most issues relating to their timeshare contract, including its rescission period, or disclosure. Unfortunately, the Nebraska statute here is strict and your time starts ticking from when you purchase your timeshare. However, in many instances signing a separate contract, or a new one for your timeshare can reignite your claim. If you are afraid your time has ticked, or you want to be sure about your rights contact a lawyer to review your case (360)918-8196.

Nevada timeshare law has some of the most inclusive statutes in the US. It falls under their property statute under a subpart of the subdivide land section 119A . While the statute is expansive it focuses primarily on the licensing requirements of sellers with a few parts carved out for sale, resale, rights, management, and litigation. One big area to its credit is that it has several sections spelled out specifically for bringing cases and how that can be done.

 Scam Protection

While many states address the sale of timeshares as real property, not many are interested in resale as a place that gets statutory protection. Nevada is the exception and has four parts that are spelled out just for the attempted resale of a timeshare. Resale is especially important because it is where most of the fraud occurs. Timeshares are notoriously difficult to get out of, so many companies come along claiming to be able to resell them and just take an advance fee from owners and disappear into the ether. Nevada has a specific protection for this. Under their law resellers if they take an advance fee are required to keep 80% of that fee in an escrow account until they can sell the timeshare. If they are unable to sell it the owners are entitled to get that money back.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire does not have a timeshare statute. It instead combines laws that govern timeshares with laws that govern condominiums. It also supplements these laws with some areas of consumer protection. All of it can be found in chapter 356 of title XXXI. Since the statute is set in a trade statute (Trade and Commerce) many of the laws focus around protecting consumers and guarding their rights. While the law might want to help you in New Hampshire it is important to have an attorney who knows timeshare law to make sure they can get those consumer protections extended to your timeshare. Call for a free consultation at (360)918-8196.

Interestingly New Jersey timeshare law is governed under their professions and occupations section. While most of the statute speaks to how to practice in a business the timeshare section is called the New Jersey Real Estate Timeshare Act and focuses mostly on property type law.

Burden on the Developer

Many timeshares are built and subsequently purchased, or rented by a major timeshare company like Hilton, or Wyndham. In New Jersey, the law is set out so that the primary burden falls on the developer of the timeshare units regardless of who does the wrong act. If the sales agent, marketing entity, or manager of the timeshare does something in violation of the statute the developer will also be on the hook for that behavior. This builds in an incentive on developers when they are building up to sell the timeshares to make sure that who they are handing it off to is not going to misuse it, or more likely scam people because they could be on the hook.

New Mexico timeshare law statute is under its property laws NM Stat § 47-11 (2019) . While the timeshare statute alone is not expansive it does deem that all timeshare interest in real estate will be treated as real estate. Essentially that all of the real estate law applies to timeshares as well even outside of the specific timeshare statute.

License to Sell

Timeshare salespersons in New Mexico are all required to either be a real estate broker, or to have a specific salesperson license under New Mexico law . They also require that developers must certify the registration of the project with the state. Generally, New Mexico law is more focused on timeshares as pieces of property and their proper certification and sale. If you are trying to bring a case in New Mexico, you should have an attorney review your case to make sure that you are also getting those property protections extended to your timeshare. Call now for a free consultation (360)918-8196 and see if you case qualifies.

North Carolina

North Carolina’s timeshare law is housed in their real estate and licensing section 93A article 4. The statute also specifically allows the use of security law and real estate law for any sections that might not be included in the timeshare statute. It is generally trying to expand the scope of timeshares so that it gets the same kind of protections regular real estate would. It also specifically states that timeshares are to be considered real estate.

Statute of Limitations

Unfortunately, in North Carolina the timeshare statute gives a short window in which you can bring a case under its statute. Owners only get one year from the date of execution of the contract to bring actions for violation of the timeshare statute. However, because in North Carolina timeshare is specifically considered real estate even if you are outside your time to bring a claim under timeshare law you may likely still have options in the area of real estate law. In cases like this where your rights may be up to a court to interpret it is important to have an attorney who specializes in timeshare law to give you the best chance at getting out of your timeshare. Call now at 360-918-8196 for a free consultation to see if your case qualifies.

North Dakota

North Dakota has some of the weakest timeshare law in the US. It does not have a statute that specifically speaks to timeshare and in addition timeshare is not even included as a sub term under their subdivided land, or condominium law. However, the real estate commission is responsible for the Subdivided Lands Disposition Act and would likely extend it to apply to timeshares along with other real property law, but it is the act that most closely mirrors a timeshare interest.

Ohio has a unique way of dealing with timeshare law. For timeshares purchased where the property is in Ohio it falls under standard real estate law and there are standard restrictions on real estate agents, the property itself and consumer protection. There is condominium law in Ohio under their real property statute chapter 5311 , condominium law is often insightful, but not absolute when looking at timeshare properties. It is important to have a lawyer review your case who knows how to find and apply the right laws to your situation and if needed argue on your behalf for why you should get the benefit of the most favorable Ohio property laws. 

‘Foreign’ Real Estate

Ohio has a unique statute for dealing with property the foreign real estate statute. While it might sound like it applies to purchases outside of the US, it actually means any interest purchased outside of Ohio itself. This is valuable for timeshares because often the place where the timeshare is purchased is not the place where the timeshare is located. People in Ohio could purchase a sunny timeshare in Florida, or Hawaii and in these instances, it would fall under the foreign real estate statute.

Oklahoma is one of the few states that governs its timeshare laws under its securities statute. A security for purposes of the statute is basically just an investment and the laws that surround securities usually deal with making sure that they are fair and honest to the public. While the security statute does not reference timeshares by name, it is where land that is subdivided is handled and is aptly called the Oklahoma Subdivided Land Sales Code .

Complete Cancellation

Oklahoma has one huge protection to purchasers of subdivided land. That is that if the purchaser never received a public offering statement in compliance with § 71-626 the purchase is voidable by the purchaser (you). Voidable does not mean void it just means that you may have a good case for getting out of your timeshare. Oklahoma gives purchasers a huge protection with this as timeshare companies often try to hide the ball with public offering statement disclosure. If you think you may have a good case in a timeshare purchase in Oklahoma, please reach out to our firm at 360-918-8196 to confirm.

Timeshare law in Oregon was set up with the specific intent of protecting purchasers of timeshares while still providing regulations enough to allow the timeshare industry to grow. They do this through their real property statute with a portion [OR Rev Stat § 94.800 (2019)] designated for ‘ timeshare estates ’ as it calls them.

You Cannot Waive Your Rights

Oregon has an express provision to protect purchasers from unfair sales practices. Often sellers of timeshare interest due to their inherently fraudulent nature will try to get buyers to ‘contract out’ of any sort of defense. Basically, signing away their right to come back at the seller for scamming them. In Oregon sellers cannot waive or stipulate to waive any legal right that a purchaser has in the contract. If you are required to have 5 days to rescind the purchase and they do not give it, your contract is void.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania does not have a on point timeshare statute. They instead govern timeshares through the real estate commission and laws on condominium and planned community management. It is generally all held in their real and personal property title 68 . Their property laws are sub divided into the different types of interest you might expect in shared land ownership, creation, management and then protection. The statute reads easily as each one of these areas of law is set into its own chapter, but all housed inside the same real and personal property title.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s timeshare law falls under chapter 34-41 the Rhode Island Real Estate Time Share Act . The act hits on all the major elements of timeshare law, creation, management, coverage, report and perhaps most importantly remedies. Timeshare law in Rhode Island closely resembles standard contracts law. Instead of timeshares being treated like real estate as in most states, Rhode Island looks at them like contracts and gives many more contract defenses that are not always easy to get in real estate. A major portion of the Road Island timeshare statute is dedicated to spelling out what these defenses are and actions you may have to get out of your contract. If you think that you have a bad timeshare contract, or just want to get out of one reach out to our firm at 360-918-8196 for a free consultation.

Defense to Contracts

There are two big defenses to timeshares in Rhode Island that are not easily brought in other states. First is the defense of unconscionability of the contract. It basically means that the contract is just blatantly unfair to you in some way. This can be because the terms of the contract are obscene (like a crazy high interest rate), or because when you signed you were under too much pressure (think high pressure sales presentations). Second is a breach of warranty . There are certain promises that if they are implied to be a part of the timeshare or expressly said by the purchaser a person would believe them, they will be considered a part of it even if not in writing. If they then subsequently come back and say those promises are not real, or that they were never supposed to be a part of the contract you may have an action against them for a breach of warranty. 

South Carolina

South Carolina timeshare law falls under their property and conveyance statute Title 27 chapter 32 . It is primarily focused on the creation of timeshare plans, with subparts dedicated to foreclosure of timeshares and transactions for timeshares. Uniquely South Carolina had a history of old timeshares. Timeshares that the person actually owned a deed to a property for a specific time each year. The laws of the South Carolina statute are designed in part to transition those old-style timeshares into the newer system which is often more based on contract point plans than real property.

          Unfair Sales Tactics

          It is extremely common for timeshares to use harsh tactics to get people into buying timeshares. These often involve getting vacationers, or prior owners into meetings at the offer of some free stuff and then hold them there for hours until they are worn down enough to commit to buying a timeshare. South Carolina offers some timeshare protection law for this under SC Code § 27-32-110 (2019) . It mostly protects users from deception, sellers are not allowed to lie about how the timeshare would work, or what types of accommodations the purchaser would get.

South Dakota

South Dakota timeshare law is focused in a mini statute Title 43 of Chapter 15B . Since it is short it focuses on just the general property elements of a timeshare. Like creation of a plan, how the state requires it to be inspected and generally closing on one. As such there are not a lot of protections that naturally fall in timeshare law in South Dakota. As a consumer or purchaser here, it is important to have a lawyer skilled in timeshare law to be able to support your case here where there is not much law in your favor. Contact us at 360-918-8196 for a free consultation.

Tennessee timeshare law falls under the Time-Share Act of 1981 , the statute is in Tennessee property law title. Much of the statute is dedicated to consumer protection laws in the form of advertising and resale restrictions. Generally making it harder for a seller, or reseller to get money out of owners without violating at least some laws.

Resale Protection

It has become a common practice to scam timeshare owners in alleged ‘resale’. Timeshares have a virtually non-existent resale value, so resellers will contact owners about having a buyer ‘lined up’, or just require you to pay the ‘listing fees’ in advance of the actual sale. Then they vanish without a trace and your money is gone. Tennessee has gotten wise to this type of scam along with some other states. In its statute it is illegal to require an advance fee to be paid for a timeshare resale and the contract must be in writing and tell the user that there are no guarantees for timeshare resale. Probably because they are nearly impossible to actually resell.

Texas timeshare law falls under the Texas Timeshare Act , it is under Texas property law in their Miscellaneous Shared Real Property Interest. Timeshares are just another form of shared property in the eyes of the law like condominiums or subdivided lands. Texas being no exception. Texas law focuses on the property interest of the timeshare and mostly governs its creation, cancellation, and management, with a minor carve out for consumer protection.

          

Deceptive Trade Practices

One segment of the timeshare statute in Texas is dedicated towards protecting consumers specifically from as it states, “Deceptive Trade Practices”. What this means in the timeshare market is mostly lies about what a timeshare is and what its interest represents. Where this is most often seen is about where they can book, what that booking includes accommodation wise and about the relative value of their timeshare. Texas hits all of these with their statute and if you feel you have been lied to about your timeshare you may have a case. Contact us at 360-918-8196 to have an attorney freely review your potential case.

Utah timeshare law is governed under the Timeshare and Camp Resort Act . Since the law extends to more than just timeshares it reads more broadly than many other state timeshare laws. It has a focus on consumer protection with some strict and harsh penalties for sellers if they violate the statute.

  Penalties

  Under Utah law if a seller violates section 4 (selling unregistered land), or section 14 (unregistered salesperson) the purchaser can not only void the agreement but can also recover all the money they paid for it, with interest and attorneys fees. Basically, Utah’s way of saying they do not take violations here lightly. Beyond just that strict rule Utah also specifically expands its timeshare laws, so that violations of it are also considered under consumer protection law and it is possible to bring in more action against them.

Vermont does not have a timeshare law statute. However, it does have a condominium act and Vermont has generally taken a more liberal approach when applying laws to timeshares. They tend to favor consumer protection and can use various sources of law to draw from when protecting consumer interest in timeshare purchases. Because there is no law directly on point it is important to have a qualified lawyer who understands timeshare law to be able to make your strongest case. Call now at 360-918-8196 and schedule an appointment to speak to one of our timeshare attorneys 1-on-1.

Washington timeshare law is governed by The Timeshare Act and stated in Chapter 64.36 of the real property interest and conveyance title of Washington’s code. The laws read a bit complex, but they are primarily focused on what disclosures are required in timeshare purchases and what a seller cannot do.

  Cannot Escape Washington Law

  A unique feature of Washington’s timeshare law is that it will apply to all timeshare cases that could be brought in Washington. Regardless of how the contract reads, or where the location of the contract is for (you bought a timeshare in Cancun, but purchased it in Washington) Washington law will govern. This provision is to stop sellers from trying to get cases moved to a jurisdiction (like Florida) where the laws would be more favorable to them and easier to litigate. If you have a Washington timeshare case, it is important to have a Washington timeshare lawyer because we know how these laws will work.

West Virginia

West Virginia timeshare law is governed in their estates and property Article 9, under the West Virginia time-sharing act . The laws in West Virginia for timeshares are straightforward and hold a lot of what you would expect. Protections for purchasers, obtaining timeshares, selling timeshares, and generally managing the interesting.

  License Requirement

 West Virginia has a licensing requirement for all timeshare sellers. A salesperson or broker must be licensed under the Real Estate Commission to make sales of timeshares.

Wisconsin timeshare law falls under statute 707 in their property section Time-share ownership . Right from the start of the statute Wisconsin law protects consumers. It treats timeshares not only as property, but also and more likely as a contract. Expanding timeshares to include contracts give the consumer much more protection than and rights than just real property.

  Consumer Protections

  While there are several defenses to contracts that are not available in property law. Wisconsin focuses on some of these defenses in its statute, but likely most all contract defenses would be available. Most notably is the unconscionable defense that they list right in opening section of the law. Wisconsin creates an unconscionable contract defense. If the contract is so unreasonable that it could not possibly be enforced (which timeshares often are considering their negative value) the court can essentially void the contract. Making it unenforceable. They can also do this for specific provisions of the contract, like if an interest rate on a mortgage is obscene the courts can choose to remove that provision while keeping the contract intact.

Wyoming does not have a specific timeshare statute. There is however a statute that governs condominiums . While it is an extremely short statute it does give some insight into where Wyoming’s focus is regarding subdivided land: property. The act treats condos as real property and would likely see timeshares the same way. In states where the law is unclear it is important to have an attorney skilled in timeshare law who knows how to make your case relevant. Call today to set up a free consultation with one of our attorneys 361-918-8196.

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Amy Tung

Timeshare Presentations: How to Get Cheap & Free Vacations

If you’re planning to visit some of the world’s most popular destinations, you can run into some hurdles if award availability is scarce and cash prices are high.

Sure, points can help offset the cost, but that means it will cost you a lot of points. What if I told you there’s a way to save those points and snag an awesome deal on your accommodation?

Well, there is – welcome to the world of timeshare presentation packages.  

What Is a Timeshare?

In a nutshell, a timeshare is a shared ownership program in which you may use a vacation property for a set time period every year.

Timeshare properties can range from resorts to condominiums to campsites. They can be a good option for travellers who have a favourite destination they like to vacation at every year.

With timeshares, these travellers will  have familiar accommodations to return to each time without the hassle of having to manage a fully-owned property while they are away. 

Most of the big hotel brands that we’re familiar with have their own affiliated timeshare division. A few well-known examples include the Marriott Vacation Club, Hilton Grand Vacations, Holiday Inn Vacation Club, Hyatt Residence Club, and even Disney has their own Disney Vacation Club.

Generally speaking, there are two types of timeshares: those that are points-based and those that give you deeded weeks.

  • In a points-based program, you have a certain number of points each year that can be redeemed against nights at your timeshare.
  • In a deeded-week program, every year, you have a “week” of the year that you can use your timeshare.

You do not necessarily need to stick with your timeshare property either. Usually, there is a system or program for owners to swap their property for another destination or property for any given year, building some flexibility into the program.

Despite the perks of timeshares, many people choose not invest in one, as they can be a money drain if you don’t make good use of them.

There are annual maintenance fees for the upkeep of the property that have to be paid, the process of swapping properties can be quite complicated, and it can be a pain to get rid of them or resell them as they don’t hold much value in the reseller’s market.  

What Is a Timeshare Presentation?

Whether you feel like timeshares may be a good fit for your travel patterns or not, you should consider attending a timeshare preview presentation.

The timeshare market is a competitive one, and most timeshare vacation clubs will offer some form of incentive for an opportunity to introduce you to their program in the hopes of enticing you to purchase one. 

What is offered as part of the package varies by the club and even the property, and it can be anywhere from tickets to a theme park or a show, to accommodations at one of their properties for several days at a huge discount, plus maybe even some bonus points for their respective hotel award programs.

If it’s the accommodation you’re after, keep in mind that usually the package will cover a “standard” room; however, there is a possibility for upgrading, as we’ll discuss later.

What’s the Catch with Timeshare Presentations? 

To take advantage of these fantastic offers, you (and your spouse, if you’re married) need to attend a 1.5- to two-hour sales pitch about the timeshare program while you’re vacationing on your timeshare package.

During that time, they’ll introduce you to their program, how easy it is to use the timeshare, the flexibility it provides, the years of enjoyment you will get out of it, and even give you a tour of a potential timeshare unit. 

Easy enough, right? Most of the time, yes.

Some sales representatives can be pushy and will pull out all the stops to get you to sign on, because that’s how they earn their commission. You may feel pressured to buy, and they may spend a lot of time negotiating a better offer for you.

Most sales reps, however, are quite reasonable. If you’ve put in your time and made it clear you’re not ready to buy, they’ll send you along your merry way. And if you do happen to cave under the pressure and buy the timeshare, it’s not the end of the world (more on this later).

During the pandemic, some timeshares like the Marriott Vacation Club opted to do virtual sales presentations, and in lieu of a vacation deal, you’d earn Bonvoy points instead.

There have been recent offers of up to 20,000–25,000 Bonvoy points; however, you have to be a US resident to take advantage. For the in-person presentation packages, there are no US residency requirements. 

How to Book a Timeshare Presentation

Now that you might be considering taking advantage of a timeshare presentation, let’s go over how you find these offers and sign up for them.

The easiest way is through each respective club’s website. Usually, there is a phone number or online form to complete for additional information. 

Hyatt even allows you to book the package online if you reside in the USA.

Once you purchase the package, there is quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to booking. Although the terms specifically say that the timeshare has to be booked within 12 months of purchase, it is not uncommon for them to extend this deadline. I have done this on a couple of occasions myself, even prior to the pandemic.

Once you book your package, you can still change the dates, although some programs will charge a change fee. During the pandemic, there was even more leniency (I rescheduled a Marriott preview package no less than four times), although this may tighten up a bit as travel opens up.

Unfortunately, once you purchase a preview package, they are generally considered non-refundable. There have been scattered reports of people receiving refunds if they no longer fulfill the eligibility for the package, but as always, your mileage may vary and this should not be the expectation.

My Experiences with Hilton Grand Vacations

Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) has over 50 properties spread across the United States. Their properties differ from the regular Hilton-branded hotels in that they generally offer accommodations with more space, larger and a greater number of bedrooms, and ensuite kitchen and laundry amenities.

Note that not all HGV properties are bookable through timeshare presentations, and some properties are only made available at certain times. 

Thus far, I’ve done a couple of packages with Hilton Grand Vacations in Orlando , and another in Honolulu . Here’s a recap of my experiences so far with HGV. 

Parc Soleil by Hilton Grand Vacations

View on the Hilton Grand Vacations website.

2017 Package Deal: Three nights / four days for US$199 and a US$200 “Stay a Night On Us” rebate voucher; upgraded to a two-bedroom suite for an additional US$50

A few years back, I had to call Hilton reservations to change an existing hotel booking I had. At the end of the call, they thanked me for being a loyal Hilton Honors member and asked if I would be interested in hearing about a “great offer” they currently had. I accepted, and so began my journey down the rabbit hole of timeshare packages. 

I was forwarded to another agent, who offered me the above timeshare package. I was considering a trip to Disney for my son’s fifth birthday anyway, and this would definitely help bring down the trip’s cost, so I bought the package.

When we decided on our dates, I called back, and they confirmed availability and booked our accommodation and the timeshare presentation to be done during our stay – and that was it! 

At the time of booking, my youngest was only a few months old and wasn’t the greatest sleeper, and so extra space to accommodate her sleeping situation was desirable. When I inquired whether our one-bedroom suite could be upgraded to a two-bedroom suite, the agent advised that we could do that for an additional US$50, which seemed more than reasonable to me, bringing our grand total to US$249 plus tax. 

We stayed at the HGV Parc Soleil, which is a 15-minute drive into Disney. Other than being a bit further out from Disney, it was a fantastic accommodation option for families.

It had two beautiful outdoor pools, one that was zero-entry with a water slide and another for adults only. They had a kids activity centre and some organized activities throughout the day. There was also a basketball court, tennis court, and outdoor playground for the kids.

The suite itself was spacious, modern and clean with a full kitchen and an in-suite washer and dryer. There was also a paid shuttle service ($10 round trip per person) to the surrounding amusement parks, but times were rather limited. 

We attended the timeshare presentation on the second day. It was located at the Parc Soleil, which made it convenient.

At check-in, they ask for your ID and credit card, then invite you to enjoy snacks and non-alcoholic drinks while you wait for your sales representative. You can also drop off your kids at a small, supervised children’s room (with toys, colouring, and a TV) while you attend the presentation. 

Since it was our first timeshare presentation experience, we did not know what to expect. We were also genuinely interested in learning more about timeshares, which didn’t work in our favour.

They started off with some general questions about our travel habits and destinations we wanted to visit, and then went onto discuss how HGV could make it all happen at a fraction of the cost. 

Once the sales representative realized we actually had some interest, he turned the pressure on. He would show us how he had booked various destinations at fantastic rates and began negotiating on the amount of initial investment required to purchase, while offering additional Hilton Honors points to sweeten the deal.

Each time we declined, he would go back to his manager and come back with a better deal.

This went on for a bit until he finally came back with what seemed to be a decent offer at the time, and we actually signed the papers and walked out with a timeshare after the two and half hours.

The agent offered to refund our US$199 package cost, probably as a kind gesture given that we had just bought a timeshare with him, and then sent us to the front desk to obtain our US$200 “Stay a Night On Us” rebate voucher.

Suffice to say, purchasing a time share was not our initial game plan. Luckily for us, there is a cooling-off period built into the contracts, whereby you have 10 days to rescind a timeshare purchase agreement.

With some time and space to actually think about our impulsive decision, we decided it really wasn’t for us and the next day, we rescinded.

The staff were very kind about it and it was an easy enough process, but lesson learned: do not show any interest in a timeshare if you are in it only for the cheap accommodations.

Hilton Grand Vacations at Tuscany Village

2019 Package Deal: Four nights / five days in a one bedroom suite for US$299, refunded after presentation, one $200 “Stay A Night On Us” rebate voucher OR 10,000 Hilton Honors points

A year later, my husband had a conference in Chicago at the Hilton. HGV had set up a booth in the lobby, where they offered everyone 1,000 Hilton Honors points just for listening to what they had to offer.

Jon took them up on the offer, and this time he was offered packages to either New York City, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, or Orlando. They were two- to four-night packages ranging from US$199 to US$399.

Now, you might be wondering: how often you can purchase a timeshare presentation package? As per HGV’s terms, as long as you have not attended another presentation in the last 12 months, you are eligible to purchase another. 

We were just over a year since our first package, so we bought another, back to Orlando. This time around, the offer was four nights for US$299 plus tax, so we were a little hesitant as our previous offer was better.

The sales agent, sensing the hesitancy, sweetened the package by offering either a US$200 “Stay a Night On Us” rebate voucher or 10,000 Hilton Honors points, and to refund the US$299 after the presentation. That sealed the deal for us. 

This time, we chose to stay at the Tuscany Village, located about 15 minutes from Disney once again. The décor was a bit more dated, but it still had an outdoor playground and a few pools that would satisfy most young kids.

There were also complimentary DVD rentals and a children’s activity centre, albeit a bit smaller than the one at Parc Soleil.

I enjoyed the fact that it was right beside the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets, which meant some retail therapy for me between theme park days. They also had a paid shuttle going to the amusement parks, but once again, the times were limited. 

Our presentation was back at the Parc Soleil. This time, my husband and I had a different game plan: we would tell them that we weren’t ready to buy a timeshare and to let them know early on.

This was working well for us initially, and at the one-hour mark the agent was pretty much finishing up. As we were just about to leave, he advised us that his manager had one last offer for us, which got us our third package… 

The Grand Islander by Hilton Grand Vacations

The manager came out and offered us a trial membership to the HGV program. Now this was different.

There was no set destination for the package; instead, for $1,599 (USD), we would be given enough points to redeem for seven nights in up to a two-bedroom suite at any of the HGV properties in North America, including Hawaii.

We did the math and worked out that it would be less than $230 (USD) a night. If it were any other destination, we would have left it. After looking at the current rates for Hawaii for a Hilton property in Honolulu for March Break, we came to see that it was a great deal.

Keep in mind that these are rates for two adults and two children. If you have more than four in your family, like myself, either you’re paying more, or you’ll find that most hotels won’t even be able to accommodate. The fact that we could book a two-bedroom suite was a big selling point for us.

HGV has quite a few properties in Hawaii, with the Grand Islander by HGV being one of the newer ones. We booked at the Grand Islander for four nights in Honolulu over March Break . 

That leaves us with three nights remaining, which we could have used to extend reservation to seven nights… 

…or book three nights at their New York property, West 57th Street by Hilton Club at the south end of Central Park, another otherwise pricey accommodation option. 

Either way, you can see that our $230 (USD) per night beats the above rates by a long shot. 

An Even Better Offer…

Sticking with Hawaii as our theme destination, HGV currently has an offer on their website for five nights in Honolulu or Waikoloa for $799 (USD) in a standard room, which brings the nightly rate to $160 (USD) – an incredible deal for a night in Hawaii.

Granted, it’s for a standard room, but I’m pretty sure you can request an upgrade offer to a bigger suite at a decent cost when you call in. 

My Experience with Marriott Vacation Club

We originally purchased our Marriott Vacation Club Preview Package back in 2019. This package offered a five nights at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club for $799 (USD).

After numerous delays and postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we finally enjoyed our stay in March 2022 . 

We rescheduled our timeshare presentation after our arrival, and there were no issues with moving it to a different day. When it came time for the actual presentation, it took place in a cubicle in their outdoor Sales Centre.

We wound up going over the 90-minute allotment, and spent closer to two hours there. I was genuinely interested in the program, so it was more my fault than theirs.

Marriott Vacation Club uses a points-based system. Our sales agent offered us the base-level 1,500 points at $15.84 (USD) per point, totalling $23,760 (USD).

As a signup bonus, they were willing to throw in another 3,000 points for the first year.

To put things into perspective, a one-bedroom villa in Maui at peak season could cost up to 4,500 points per week.

We didn’t show much interest in this, and they tried to sweeten the deal with some more offers, but we kindly declined. As we had an exit interview, another sales agent came in to offer us yet another timeshare presentation package.

The first offer, which was good for the next two years, was five nights at the same property for $1,295 (USD). We weren’t sure when we would be back to Maui again, so, again, we declined.  

They approached us with one last offer: $995 (USD) for four nights at any of their North American properties, including another property in Hawaii for a $300 (USD) add-on fee.

Our family wanted to visit Kauai in the near future, and after a quick check for a four-night stay in the winter revealed prices at around $2,600 (USD) for four nights, we accepted this last offer.

It goes to show that sticking around for more offers can result in some pretty great rates!

If you’re not familiar with timeshare presentation packages, now’s the time to take a look at them as a means to very cheap accommodations in many popular vacation spots.

Timeshare presentations are a great option in areas where points redemptions are either not worth it (e.g., Orlando, where hotels are generally quite cheap to begin with), or in places where redemptions are difficult to make (e.g., Hawaii where the cost of redemptions are high).

It does require a small time commitment and perhaps a bit of finesse in talking down a sales representative, but in my mind, the savings are definitely worth it. 

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  • Earn 80,000 MR points upon spending $15,000 in the first three months
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  • And, earn 1.25x MR points on all purchases
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30 Comments

Amy, please clarify — you said “no” to buying the timeshare BUT they offered you another timeshare presentation elsewhere?

timeshare presentation laws

That’s correct!

Thanks for the great information!! Do any of them ask for income verification?

No, they didn’t.

Thank you VERY much, not even the fancier ones like Wyndham or Marriott presentations?

As a previous owner of timeshares and an attendee at multiple presentations I’ll add some comments which may be helpful: -if you buy, it is difficult to recover your purchase price because of the heavy marketing costs built into the price -I have sold my timeshares and currently have some fractional ownership properties to which I have title, which may not be subject to the same haircut on sale -my trading options (including my Hyatt property) are through Interval International which has a network of thousands of properties around the world -Resorts Condominiums International is another trading network, so you are not stuck with a specific hotel program -if you go to a place like Puerto Vallarta or Cabo San Lucas, you are swarmed at the airport, sometimes car rental places or Walmart, by sellers of these packages -I have a friend who used to fill her PV trips with different presentations, and she was often able to negotiate improved perks for the presentations themselves; she did this for a fair number of years, without buying, before they caught on to her -If you decide to buy, wait, wait, wait; I’ve seen people buy in the initial large presentation with cheers and champagne, only to see deals offered that were a fraction of the cost in later iterations -often you have to see multiple people before you escape, the deals keep getting better, but the original 90 minutes is substantially exceeded -the last one I went to took about 4 hours and I finally walked away abandoning my promised perks

Thanks for the article Amy. I was attempting to book an Orlando offer in my Hilton App yesterday but they only permit USA addresses. When I went to the International website the offers weren’t as good. Do you know of a way to get the same offers advertised on the App?

I’m not sure but you can try calling in and requesting.

Amy, do they ask to see both adult’s ID or license? We are common law marriage different last names. Can we just show 1 ID card?

When you sign up for the package they will usually ask if you are married, etc. If so, they will ask for your partners name. It doesn’t matter if the last names are different. At Hilton, they checked both ID’s but Marriott only checked my husbands (not sure if that was intentional though).

Hi Amy, thanks for the article (and love the family-geared content!). When I click through the link for the current HGV Hawaii offer and put in my zip code, I get a message basically telling me this offer is not available to me. Any idea why?

Hmm that’s interesting. I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps certain states have different offers/restrictions.

My family has an Embarc timeshare bought maybe 20 years ago… from our experience… currently there is not enough money and points in the world to suffer the presentation. Long story but about 8 years ago, had to lawyer up to deal with them.

I have reached on Marriott Vacation Club for further information and was told there is no timeshare deal for canadian résidents at the moment but if I visit à proporty I can ask over there… not really convenient

Hi Amy, great article and tips! Just a question: is there a limitation on the number of times you can book (the rules seem to say once per year but is this per individual or per family (so a family of 2 adults could do this twice per year))? Thank you!

Hi Amy, Thank you for the great information. You mentioned you were given a trial membership of HGV. Is the $1599 USD a yearly fee? Are there any other fees associated with owning HGV timeshare? Do you plan on continuing with the HGV membership or will you likely cancel. Thanks!

It was $1599 one time fee for 7 nights. Once you use up the 7 nights, the trial is done.

I have used this strategy successfully. As a family of four, we will only stay in a one bedroom or two bedroom if it’s for any stretch of time. Having a kitchen to cook your own meals is a cost savings and easier than having to coordinate eating out all the time. In November 2019 we stayed in a one-bedroom at Maui Ocean Club Napili for only 450,000 bonvoy points. My wife and I attended a 1.5 hour timeshare presentation and received 40,000 bonvoy. The retail value of the room was $7,500 USD. Unfortunately, any type of room at Maui Ocean Club is very difficult to book on points.

I will likely have to cancel due to Australia’s continued strict lockdown, but I booked two 2 bedroom suites at the Surfers Paradise Marriot Vacation Club this December for seven days and 292,000 points each (total 584,000 points). The retail value was 14,500 Australian Dollars. You have to really hunt but can find some gems occasionally.

Thanks for the info Amy! Is there a website for all the Hilton offers available? I was able to find Orlando/Las Vegas by searching on their site, but could only find the Hawaii deal by using the link in your article. And similarly for Marriott, do they have a webpage that describes their offers? I was recently invited by a Marriott CSR to call a 1-800 number to get a similar deal, but would much rather check it out first on a website rather than have it described over the phone by a salesperson.

Unfortunately there’s no central page where all the offers are located for HGV. If you click on the various destinations they have you may see a banner at the top with an offer for whichever destination you selected. If you can’t find a particular destination offer, best to call or email them. Same applies for Marriott.

While staying at an Hilton in Washington DC 3 years ago, we were offred a timeshare presentation and visit for 10k HHONORS points. I said I wasn’t interested unless it was for 30k points which they agreed. The visit went smoothly and interesting, when we sat down to discussed the prices at one point I said it wouldn’t work out since I’m earning lots of miles and points from business travels. And that was it a total of 90 minutes of our time.

Hi Amy, how can you book the Grand Islanders by HGV in Maui? It is opening in September but I cannot find it is available to book yet. I’m looking 5 day accommodation in Maui next year. I really hope we can have the Honolulu’s deal in Maui.

I apologize, we have Grand Islander booked for Honolulu and Marriott booked for Maui. You are correct, the new HGV property opening in Maui is not bookable yet.

Hi Amy, how can you access the HGV in Honolulu? I entered my information and the site says I’m not eligible for the Hawaii deal and instead directed me to Orlando and Las Vegas only.

I would try calling in and requesting. Sometimes they do have eligibility restrictions based on where you’re located or your income. Actually, for my current one with Marriott in Maui, i had to go through a couple of agents before they gave me the offer I was looking for.

Hi Amy – Great article and timely as we’re looking to book a family trip to Hawaii this coming year. What offer did you end up getting for the Marriott presentation?

Hey Mark! $799 usd for 5 nights 🙂

Which property? Offers for me were between $799 and $999 for 5 nights depending on which island.

It’s at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club 🙂

Nice score! Thanks

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Would you sit through a two-hour timeshare sales presentation to get three nights at a hotel in Orlando, plus 15,000 Hilton Honors points — all for $199? How about for dinner or a spa voucher at a Marriott hotel in Dubai? Would three nights in Tahoe plus 10,000 IHG points for $249 be worth enduring a long sales pitch?

Companies dangle generous perks to try to sell you a timeshare, with offers ranging from free parking to free hotel nights to deeply discounted hotel stays — provided you sit through a timeshare sales presentation of 90 minutes or more.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering a timeshare sales presentation offer.

How timeshares work

What is a timeshare.

A timeshare is a fractional ownership of a vacation property or vacation property lease — usually at a popular travel destination or resort. It’s a lifetime commitment, although it’s possible to resell it. You’re basically investing in the opportunity to spend a week or more at select properties every year.

Many hotel chains have timeshares, including Hilton , Marriott and IHG .

The question "Is a timeshare a good deal?" is different from the question "Is this timeshare presentation offer a good deal?" Timeshares are often pitched as ways to save money on future vacations. Depending on your travel habits, it’s possible the timeshare pros and cons could tilt in your favor. But in most cases, collecting points and miles redeemable for travel is a better way to save.

But even if you know the timeshare route isn’t for you, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should skip out on the timeshare presentation offer. The perks could be well worth your time.

» Learn more: Are timeshares worth it? Possibly, if you buy smart

Timeshare presentation offers

A timeshare presentation offer is any benefit or discount — like free or reduced hotel stays, bonus points or free spa treatments — that you can receive by agreeing to sit through a timeshare sales presentation. These offers can include things like free parking at a resort where you’re staying, free hotel nights or deeply discounted hotel stays and resort experiences.

To determine whether it’s worth sitting through a presentation, consider the value of the perk being offered. In the case of free parking, you would probably be better off spending $50 to self-park and skip the sales pitch.

Can attending timeshare presentations offer a good deal?

Even still, there are times when sitting through a timeshare presentation can be worth your while. You can find good timeshare deals on offers for discounted stays, free nights and more online — or get offers through phone calls or targeted emails. In some cases, you might decide the savings are worth it.

Tip: Watch out for blackout dates, hidden charges and more

Depending on the hotel chain, your offer could be subject to blackout dates, high-season charges and package expiration dates. Read the terms and conditions carefully.

» Learn more: Find the best hotel credit card for you

Worthwhile timeshare offers, by chain

Here are a few offers from major hotel chains that, depending on how you feel about sitting through a sales pitch, might be worth grabbing.

Hilton has a timeshare presentation offer that gets you a three-night stay in Orlando or Las Vegas, plus 15,000 Hilton points for $199. That’s a pretty decent deal considering that rooms normally cost $175 to $500 per night.

This offer is good at several hotels, including the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista — an official Walt Disney World hotel. This means it gives its guests additional benefits, such as extra magic hours and access to FastPass. (Note that both services are currently on hold).

Other Hilton offers include a five-night stay at a resort in Hawaii for $649 plus taxes. The online offer includes 15,000 points. But a recent phone call to Hilton proved that sales representatives have some leeway to negotiate, in this case switching the offer to 5,000 Hilton points and a $200 Hilton gift certificate.

There are two different Hilton packages available for Hawaii — you can pick either Honolulu or the Big Island. Considering room rates here often hover around $500 per night, you can save a bundle by sitting through a timeshare presentation. For example, five nights in September 2021 at the Ocean Tower at the Hilton Waikoloa Village cost about $1,891.

That’s a big discount, not counting that $200 gift certificate and the value of those points, at a sprawling oceanfront resort featuring a saltwater lagoon.

Marriott Vacation Club has a number of specials for travelers willing to attend a timeshare presentation. In Dubai, for example, you can score two free nights at a number of hotels throughout the Middle East.

marriott timeshare deals

You can also participate in timeshare presentation in exchange for a dinner or spa voucher at select Marriott hotels in Dubai.

IHG’s vacation club is extending offers for properties in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; New Orleans; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Lake Tahoe, Nevada; among others.

At the Lake Tahoe resort, you can pay $249 plus tax and get three nights in a one-bedroom villa at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations: Tahoe Ridge Resort, as well as 10,000 IHG points .

Considering three nights at that resort can cost upward of $1,000, the timeshare presentation offer may be well worth it.

Some IHG hotels cost as little as 8,000 points per night, which means you can turn those 10,000 points into another free night.

Who qualifies for timeshare presentation offers?

Not everyone will qualify for these offers. Requirements vary by chain, so check the details of your offer before committing to one of these packages.

In the case of Hilton, you must not have attended a timeshare presentation within the past year at the property where you’ll be staying or within the last six months at any other properties. You’ll also need to meet certain other criteria, though they don’t publish details about what these are.

For Marriott’s Vacation Club offer in Dubai, you must be a married couple 30 to 65 years old with a joint income of over $130,000 who has traveled to Europe at least once in the past three years.

IHG’s Holiday Inn Club, meanwhile, requires that you be older than 25 with a minimum income of $50,000.

If you’re tempted by a timeshare presentation offer

Are all timeshare presentation offers a good deal? No, especially if you’re staying somewhere cheap or they’re just handing out free parking. But if you do some research, you can score serious discounts in truly exciting locations.

How to maximize your rewards

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20,000 Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.

timeshare presentation laws

National Association of Attorneys General

This article was originally published in the March 2020 edition of the NAGTRI Center for Consumer Protection Monthly newsletter.

The timeshare industry comprises a significant segment of the hospitality sector. Buyers beware!  According to the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the $9.6 billion U.S. timeshare industry boasts over 1,570 resorts and 205,100 units. 1   About nine million households in the U.S. own timeshares, and sales increased approximately 25% between 2010 and 2016. 2 Given this volume of sales and the substantial expense of timeshares, any deficiencies in consumer protection in this area will have a massive impact on consumers nationwide. Unfortunately, the current landscape of the timeshare industry has exposed significant inadequacies in protection for those seeking to purchase, lease, or exit their timeshare contracts.

The Timeshare Obligation

A timeshare purchase agreement is unique among consumer contracts because the contract typically creates a non-cancellable lifetime obligation. A buyer pays tens of thousands of dollars for an interval (usually one to two weeks a year) at a resort condominium and agrees to pay maintenance fees and property taxes every year. Timeshare buyers may pay upfront or finance their purchases through the timeshare developer. Any fees, dues, or maintenance assessments must be paid in perpetuity, until the consumer either passes away or is able to sell the timeshare.

However, annual assessments typically increase each year, 3 averaging around 5% per year. 4 Consumers frequently are unable to pay for the timeshare’s ever-increasing, variable costs, especially when those consumers are elderly and on a fixed income.  Elderly consumers also appear to be more vulnerable to timeshare sales tactics—for example, a March 2019 article reported on a couple in their late 80s who were sold a $150,000 timeshare with $19,000 in annual fees. 5

As annual fees grow exponentially, consumers often try to sell their timeshares, only to find that the “asset” for which they paid tens of thousands of dollars cannot even be given away.  Timeshare developers rarely buy back timeshares, and re-selling a timeshare can be extraordinarily difficult.  The secondary market is oversaturated with timeshares priced at a penny from consumers seeking to liberate themselves from a timeshare’s ever-increasing, life-long financial commitment. 6

As a result, certain fraudulent schemes have arisen external to the timeshare industry, which prey on consumers’ desperation to exit their contracts. “Timeshare exit companies” promise to help consumers exit their timeshare contracts, and tend to target elderly consumers. 7 Such businesses may charge tens of thousands of dollars in fees but typically will not and cannot get consumers out of their timeshare contracts. 8 Further, these companies frequently provide unsophisticated and often detrimental advice, such as advising consumers to cease making maintenance fee payments.  This leads consumers to default on their timeshare contracts, which impacts their credit score and their future ability to obtain credit.

In addition, some scammers have discovered that timeshare owners are ripe targets for resale scams.  In a resale scam, a scammer locates a consumer with a timeshare and tells that consumer that a third party will buy the consumer’s timeshare for tens of thousands of dollars.  The scammer then has the consumer wire the scammer money up front for supposedly refundable payments for “escrow,” “government fees,” “taxes,” or the like.  The scammer will continue to invent new excuses for additional payments until the consumer runs out of money or realizes they are being scammed. 9   Some of these scammers are extraordinarily devious and will use slick websites, real corporate filings, and altered government documents to convince even highly sophisticated consumers, such as an experienced real estate broker who lost over $24,000 before realizing he was being scammed. 10   Enforcement actions have been brought by the United States Department of Justice and other government agencies specifically alleging that timeshare resale scammers targeted the elderly. 11

Timeshare Regulation

A timeshare contract can become a commitment to spend tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of dollars over many decades.  Even modest annual increases in maintenance fees can result in eye-popping financial obligations over time. For instance, the average maintenance fee in 2018 was $980. 12   Assuming a conservative annual increase of 5% each year for 30 years, a consumer’s maintenance fee would increase over that timeframe to over $4,200 annually, and by that point, the consumer would have spent a total of approximately $64,000 in maintenance fees alone.  In many cases, consumers also must pay property taxes, “special assessments,” and an up-front or financed payment of tens of thousands of dollars. As such, it is both surprising and concerning that the cooling-off period for timeshare contracts ranges from only three (3) to fourteen (14) days depending on the state. 13

Most states lack disclosure rules that would put a consumer on notice that they are signing up for a lifelong commitment to pay an undetermined amount of money that will increase each year.  This lack of disclosure is particularly jarring in light of the fact that other long-term financial obligations, such as mortgages and auto loans, must provide easy-to-read, transparent disclosure statements under the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA). In comparison, it is perplexing and concerning that many timeshare contracts, which are non-cancellable and perpetual, have no such disclosure requirements. Some in the industry rely on this lack of transparency to conduct business. If consumers were made aware of the timeshare’s actual life-long financial obligation and, consequently, the transaction’s high risk, many would not elect to buy. At the very least, disclosure would provide consumers with the information necessary to make informed decisions. The lack of disclosure by some in the industry too often creates a market that is not driven by economic forces, but rather relies on aggressive sales practices and consumers’ reliance on verbal information presented by a salesperson.

Some timeshare developers capitalize on confusing contract language and the inadequacy of disclosures. Many salespeople engage in aggressive sales tactics, orally misrepresent material components of the contract, or pressure consumers into signing contracts on the spot. Sales representatives may also utilize high-pressure pitches, grilling and grinding away at potential customers during sales presentations that span several hours. Many feel intimidated by the sales experience and break down during the sales pitch marathon, succumbing to the salesperson’s hard-sell tactics. 14 Consumers also report being surprised to find out that certain timeshare benefits promised by the sales agent were not included in the contract. Further, consumers often are unaware of their cancellation rights and complain about not being provided with time to review the contract. Unscrupulous salespersons are adamant that certain pricing is contingent on purchasing the timeshare during the presentation, and do not provide consumers with sufficient time to review the contract before, during, or after the presentation. Consumers dealing with such tactics are rushed into making a snap decision about whether to take on an unpredictable lifetime financial burden.

As evidenced through many consumer complaints about transparency issues and deceptive and unfair acts during the sales process, as well as the imposition of a lifelong commitment, consumers soon begin to realize the timeshare agreement is not as promised and seek to get out from under the onerous financial obligations. 15   Most timeshare companies, however, will not let consumers out of their contracts, even if the consumer has paid the purchase price in full and is current on fees.

The inability of consumers to exit their timeshare contracts is a persistent issue around the world, and countries are beginning to implement various solutions for consumers. For example, Israel provides consumers a legal right to exit the timeshare agreement and prohibits cancellation fees, but requires consumers who exercise their exit rights to pay the next year’s annual fee. 16 Spain removed the ability for timeshares to last into perpetuity; under Spanish Law 42/98, all timeshare contracts after January 4, 1999 can only last between 3 to 50 years. 17

Arizona’s Legislative and Enforcement Efforts

In Arizona, the Attorney General’s Office supported a 2019 bill with a number of protections for timeshare purchasers.  The original bill (HB2639) unanimously passed the Arizona House, 18 but timeshare lobbyists were able to weaken the bill drastically in an Arizona Senate committee. 19   Ultimately, the final bill extended Arizona’s initial cancellation period from seven to ten days and provided consumers with some additional disclosures to sign before purchase, such as warnings that timeshares are not investments and an estimate of the assessments due during the first year of ownership.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office also has litigated against individual timeshare companies.  In late 2016, Arizona reached a settlement with Diamond Resorts. 20   That settlement included $650,000 for consumer restitution, but even more importantly, it allowed consumers who had been misled by Diamond Resorts a chance to get out of their timeshare contracts.  Hundreds of Arizona consumers applied for relief under this provision and were able to relinquish their timeshares, collectively saving an estimated $25 million in future timeshare fees.

In addition, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office is working with worked with other law enforcement officials to trace resale scammers and has issued a consumer advisory warning consumers about the rise in these scams. 21

In conclusion, it is clear that many consumers purchasing timeshares lack sufficient information and protection.  We encourage other states to propose their own timeshare legislation and to conduct thorough investigations of timeshare companies about which consumers have filed complaints.

  •   A RDA International Foundation , State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry: United States Study, 2018 edition (reflecting 2017 data). [ ↩ ]
  •  Gretchen Morgenson, The Timeshare Hard Sell Comes Roaring Back (2016), https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/business/diamond-resorts-accused-of-using-hard-sell-to-push-time-shares.html . [ ↩ ]
  •  Timeshares rarely, if ever, have a decrease in their annual assessments.  See, e.g. , Barbara Peterson, Trouble in Timeshare Paradise (2019), https://www.consumerreports.org/vacations/trouble-in-paradise-timeshares/ . [ ↩ ]
  •   See, e.g. , Joseph Callender, State of the Industry: The Latest Data for 2013, http://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ARDA/g34942_arda_jul2013/index.php#/24 .  States generally do not impose any cap on annual assessment increases. [ ↩ ]
  •  Rebekah L. Sanders, Company Persuades Arizona Couple, Nearly 90, to Buy $150,000 Timeshare (2019), https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2019/03/29/diamond-resorts-convinces-elderly-couple-buy-timeshare/3310015002/ . [ ↩ ]
  • Heather Struck, Got a Penny? Buy a Timeshare (2012), https://www.reuters.com/article/us-housing-timeshares/got-a-penny-buy-a-timeshare-idUSBRE84O0TJ20120525 . [ ↩ ]
  • Barbara Peterson, Trouble in Timeshare Paradise (2019), https://www.consumerreports.org/vacations/trouble-in-paradise-timeshares/ . [ ↩ ]
  • Id. [ ↩ ]
  •  Catherine Fredman, Timeshare Resale Scams (2015), https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/06/timeshare-resale-scams/index.htm . [ ↩ ]
  •  Rebekah L. Sanders, Scammers Promising to Buy Man’s Timeshare Con Him Out of $24K.  Here’s How They Duped Him (2019), https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2019/02/25/scammers-promising-purchase-mans-timeshare-mexico-dupe-him-out-24-000/2952459002/ . [ ↩ ]
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Leader of Timeshare Resale Fraud Scam Targeting Elderly Victims Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for $3.37 Million in Losses (2019), https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/leader-timeshare-resale-fraud-scam-targeting-elderly-victims-sentenced-five-years-prison . [ ↩ ]
  • Geoff Williams, What You Need to Know About Buying a Timeshare (2018), https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/family-finance/articles/2018-07-20/what-you-need-to-know-about-buying-a-timeshare (quoting data from ARDA). [ ↩ ]
  • Cancellation periods and statutes for each state have been listed in the following chart, which may be outdated: https://www.arda.org/uploadedFiles/ARDA/Government_Affairs/Government_Affairs_Call_Out_Boxes/Rescission%20Period%20Chart%208.14.pdf .   [ ↩ ]
  • Gretchen Morgenson, The Timeshare Hard Sell Comes Roaring Back (2016), https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/business/diamond-resorts-accused-of-using-hard-sell-to-push-time-shares.html . [ ↩ ]
  • Since 2015, the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network has reported around 7,000 consumer complaints a year related to timeshare sales, and around 2,500 complaints a year related to timeshare resales.  https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/shared/295DG7F9Y . [ ↩ ]
  • Competition & Markets Authority, Disposal of Timeshares and Other Long-Term Holiday Products – A Report for BIS and the European Commission (2014), https://www.ukecc.net/templates/asset-relay.cfm?frmAssetFileID=830 .   [ ↩ ]
  • The European Timeshare Law Institute, Law 42/98 (Spain), https://www.tetli-institute.com/law-4298-spain . [ ↩ ]
  • https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/54leg/1R/bills/HB2639H.pdf .   [ ↩ ]
  • https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/54leg/1R/laws/0245.pdf .   [ ↩ ]
  •  In the Matter of Diamond Resorts Corporation, Assurance of Discontinuance (2016), https://www.azag.gov/sites/default/files/docs/press-releases/2016/reports/Assurance_of_Discontinuance_Diamond.pdf . [ ↩ ]
  •  Consumer Alert: AG Brnovich Warns of Spike in Resale Scams Involving Timeshares in Mexico, https://www.azag.gov/press-release/consumer-alert-ag-brnovich-warns-spike-resale-scams-involving-timeshares-mexico . [ ↩ ]

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Nevada Timeshare Presentation Laws: Everything You Need to Know

Uncovering the ins and outs of nevada timeshare presentation laws.

As a law enthusiast, delving into the intricate world of Nevada timeshare presentation laws can be both fascinating and eye-opening. The state of Nevada has specific regulations in place to protect consumers from deceptive tactics often associated with timeshare presentations. Let`s explore the nuances of these laws and understand the rights and protections they afford to individuals.

Understanding Nevada Timeshare Presentation Laws

Nevada has enacted legislation to safeguard consumers who participate in timeshare presentations. One key aspect of these laws is the requirement for timeshare developers and sellers to adhere to strict guidelines when conducting presentations and selling timeshare interests. Regulations aim ensure transparency fairness entire process.

Key Provisions of Nevada Timeshare Presentation Laws

Let`s take a closer look at some of the essential provisions outlined in Nevada timeshare presentation laws:

Case Studies and Statistics

In a recent study conducted by the Nevada Real Estate Division, it was found that the majority of timeshare developers in the state comply with the regulations set forth in the timeshare presentation laws. However, there have been isolated cases of non-compliance, resulting in legal actions and penalties imposed on the offending parties.

Navigating the Legal Landscape

For individuals who find themselves embroiled in timeshare disputes or suspect violations of Nevada timeshare presentation laws, seeking legal counsel is paramount. Understanding the intricacies of these laws and how they apply to specific situations can be complex, and having a knowledgeable attorney on your side can make all the difference.

The legal framework surrounding timeshare presentations in Nevada serves as a critical safeguard for consumers, offering recourse in the event of deceptive practices. By familiarizing oneself with these laws and exercising due diligence when engaging in timeshare transactions, individuals can protect their rights and make informed decisions.

Contract for Compliance with Nevada Timeshare Presentation Laws

This agreement is entered into on this day [insert date], between [Party A] and [Party B] for the purpose of ensuring compliance with Nevada timeshare presentation laws.

1. Recitals

Party A is a timeshare company registered in the State of Nevada, and Party B is a salesperson employed by Party A.

Party A desires to ensure that all timeshare presentations conducted by Party B comply with the laws and regulations of the State of Nevada.

Party B acknowledges the importance of adhering to the legal requirements for timeshare presentations and agrees to comply with all relevant laws and regulations in the State of Nevada.

2. Compliance with Laws and Regulations

Party B agrees to conduct all timeshare presentations in accordance with the Nevada Revised Statutes, Title 57, Chapter 119A, which governs the sale and marketing of timeshare interests.

Party B further agrees to adhere to the regulations set forth by the Nevada Real Estate Division and any other relevant governing bodies overseeing timeshare sales in the State of Nevada.

3. Representation and Warranties

Party B represents warrants fully knowledgeable informed Nevada timeshare presentation laws regulations engage conduct violates laws.

Party B further represents and warrants that all timeshare presentations conducted on behalf of Party A will be truthful, accurate, and in full compliance with legal requirements.

4. Indemnification

Party B agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Party A from any liability, damages, or costs incurred as a result of any violation of Nevada timeshare presentation laws during the course of their employment.

5. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This contract governed laws State Nevada. Disputes arising related contract litigated courts State Nevada.

6. Entire Agreement

This contract constitutes the entire agreement between Party A and Party B with respect to the subject matter and supersedes all prior agreements or understandings, whether written or oral.

7. Signatures

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Is Attending a Timeshare Presentation Worth It for Families?

Lee Huffman

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

We've probably all received an invitation to a timeshare presentation where we'd spend a few hours but get a free or inexpensive vacation out of the deal. Most of the time we say "no" because of the horror stories we've heard from people who have attended a similar event with aggressive sales tactics or with people that didn't respect their time. Today's parents have limited time to spend with their children while balancing work and household duties. Is attending a two-hour timeshare presentation to save a few bucks worth sacrificing time with the family -- especially when you're on vacation?

But some of these timeshare properties, many of which can also be booked with points, are pretty appealing. We'll talk about the timeshare pitch and perks in a minute but let's first look at some timeshare properties families may want to visit.

Top Timeshare Properties for Families

Here are a few examples of popular family-friendly timeshares, many of which are bookable on traditional hotel points. Elite members might receive an upgrade to a larger room when making a hotel reservation. And, another bonus of booking a timeshare-stye property usually ensures that you'll get a one-, two- or even three-bedroom unit that will easily fit your family (and with washing machines!).

  • Kidani Village, a Disney Vacation Club property at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas (Orlando, Florida): There are four savannas with more than 200 hoofed animals and birds roaming the resort. Although not part of a hotel loyalty program, points from Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard (not currently available to new applicants) can pay for your room. I found nightly rates in the $300s before tax. You can even "rent" Disney timeshare points from owners. Personally, I want to book a room here for my family just for the unique experiences with the animals.

Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC Villa

  • The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas* (Lahaina, Hawaii): Beautiful weather year-round and tropical landscapes make Hawaii a favorite for family travel. Cash prices start in the $500s, but rooms are only 50,000 Marriott points per night.

Keiki Pool

  • Marriott's Grande Vista* (Orlando, Florida): My family stayed here before and loved the pools and game rooms. My son really liked the towers and water cannons at the Plaza del Sol pool. Cash rates start at $183 per night or 35,000 Marriott points.

Marriott Grand Vista Orlando

  • Hilton Grand Vacations on the Las Vegas Strip* (Las Vegas, Nevada): While gambling is for adults, the shows and attractions are for visitors of all ages. Las Vegas is a popular family destination for food, fun, and shopping. Room rates are as low as 54,000 Hilton Honors points or $124 plus tax. The Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card is a great way to earn points with a 125,000 welcome bonus after spending $2,000 in three months, and 6x points at US Restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations.
  • Hyatt Residence Club Maui, Ka'anapali Beach: This property is right next to the Hyatt Regency Maui. The stretch of beach here is fantastic and the pool complexes are exactly what your family dreams about when thinking "Hawaiian vacation." Use 30,000 World of Hyatt points. Cash prices for the one-, two- and three-bedroom units varies depending on the season but are clocking in just shy of $1,000 per night for a two bedroom and $1,089 for a three bedroom this summer. The World of Hyatt Credit Card can help boost your Hyatt points balance.

timeshare presentation laws

  • Westin Princeville Ocean Villas: The North Shore of Kauai is light on points hotels, but the Westin Princeville is an option on hotel points or for timeshare owners. Standard rooms are 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night and paid rates start at about $300+ per night. Larger suites are bookable for higher prices. Guests here get to enjoy the nearby beach at the Princeville Resort that is the perfect place to watch Hawaiian sunsets.

timeshare presentation laws

*For both Marriott and Hilton, loyalty members can redeem points and receive the fifth night free to increase their savings.

The Timeshare Offer

Spending points, however, isn't the only way you can stay at these villa-style properties. Most of them canvas travelers to find some that will exchange their time to attend a presentation for a free or heavily discounted stay, cash or a combination of the two. In most cases, you'll need to set aside at least two hours for the presentation.

The offer will vary based on which company's presentation you attend. If you are actually interested in buying into a timeshare, do your research beforehand to understand the pros and cons of ownership and get a firm handle on pricing. The timeshare resell market can be a great way to save money if you do decide that ownership is right for you.

No matter what the offer is to attend a presentation may be, always negotiate when speaking with the representative. Remember that you'll be giving up valuable vacation time with your family to sit through the timeshare presentation. He or she may have something extra to offer to close the deal.

Here is a timeshare offer we've seen recently:

Holiday Inn Vacations Club

While checking on my IHG Rewards Club account, the telephone agent discussed a Holiday Inn Vacations Club timeshare offer. For $199, my family and I would receive a four-day, three-night vacation in our choice of one of 14 destinations. The options included Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, the Great Smoky Mountains and other destinations.

Once we attended the presentation, we would receive the $199 back in cash plus a $100 discount certificate for a future Holiday Inn stay. I love a great deal, so I signed up to attend.

Some offers are a bit pricier, such as the $798 offer some receive to spend 5-nights at the Westin Princeville in Kauai, though that offer does include an Avis car rental. Or, at the Disney Aulani in Hawaii attending the sales presentation scores you two luau tickets (normally $139 each).

Great Smoky Mountains Cataract Falls Gatlinburg Tennessee refund

Our Stay in Gatlinburg

We booked our stay for Gatlinburg, Tennessee, at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains. We came to find out that the city is a great family destination filled with fun tourist attractions, delicious food and amazing nature hikes. (And don't miss Dollywood , which is nearby.)

Great Smoky Mountains Cataract Falls Gatlinburg Tennessee Lee and family

Cash Versus Points

If you'd like to stay at the timeshare resort, you can book rooms for less than $200 a night or 35,000 IHG Rewards Club points. The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card is a great way to earn IHG Rewards points to pay for your stay.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations Smoky Mountain Resort cash vs points

The Holiday Inn Express Gatlinburg Downtown is located immediately next door and shares many of the benefits of the timeshare, including the indoor waterpark and pool. On many of the dates I checked, the rooms were very inexpensive when paying cash. You could book a room for 30,000 IHG points, but when the cash price is so low, I would opt for the cash rate or book through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal .

Attending the Timeshare Presentation

When you attend a timeshare presentation, remember that you're sitting with trained sales professionals. Their job is to weave a story to create an emotional connection and get you to believe that timeshare ownership is better than staying in a hotel where you want, when you want and paying how you want (cash or points).

Most timeshare presentations say that you need to attend for 90 to 120 minutes. If you let them, they'll keep you there as long as they can. If they've done their job correctly, they'll try to find the emotional trigger that will get you to buy one of their packages before you leave.

Do Both Spouses Need to Attend the Presentation?

Timeshare purchases are a big commitment, so the salesperson wants to ensure that both spouses are there to sign off on the contract. If one spouse is not there, it is an easy excuse to say that "I need to speak with my spouse about this" to get out of the potentially high-pressure sales pitch.

Before I got married, many timeshare companies I spoke with would not book an appointment with me. Their sales presentation is designed around families and the memories you create while traveling.

timeshare presentation laws

Can Children Attend With You?

Timeshare companies know the children can be a distraction or an excuse to leave early during the sales presentation. Because of this, your children may not always be allowed to attend the timeshare presentation with you, though there are exceptions to this. For example, the Disney Vacation Club does a great job providing colors and such for kids to stay busy during the presentation. We have heard of children attending with other brands, too, such as Hyatt.

When we travel with our children, they usually go to the kids club while we speak with the sales representative. In most kids clubs there will be toys and video games for them to play with, drinks and snacks to enjoy, and television to watch.

With many vacations jam-packed with activities, the kids club can be a welcome breather for kids to relax and enjoy some free-style play.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare Gatlinburg Kids Club Timothy and Scarlett

The Presentation

After signing in at the front desk, you'll watch a video with the other guests while your sales rep waits in another room. The video is designed to make you think about how you can travel with your family using the timeshare and what fond memories you will create. Timeshare members will talk about the places they travel with their ownership and how they love that the timeshare can be passed down to their children.

Once the video is finished, you'll go to the sales rep's table where he will ask questions about how you like to travel, where you want to go and how much you spend on vacation.

It always amazes them when we talk about how much we travel and how little we spend. Most of the sales reps that we've talked to do not understand the value of miles and points.

The Sales Pitch

The answers you provide help the sales rep craft the presentation and approach to get you to buy. The simple math works like this: You say that you travel a certain number of days each year and spend so much each night. They multiply this number by 40 years and compare your expected spend against the purchase of a timeshare.

The sales rep will tell you that it is better to buy a timeshare than rent hotel rooms. But what they often neglect to mention is that the timeshare locations aren't always in the places you like to travel, popular resorts book up quickly, maintenance dues go up each year and you'll pay the dues even when you don't travel. Additionally, if you go through a phase where you need to tighten up on discretionary spending (such as travel), you can't do that as easily if you owe set dues each year.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare Gatlinburg membership price

After you've listened patiently and politely declined their offer, a manager will come to the table. The manager will ask if the sale rep treated you well and take some notes.

At that point, he or she will probably offer you a trial package or maybe a discounted offer to return. A trial will let you try out the timeshare membership for one to two years by paying $1,000 to $3,000 to have a select group of properties to stay at. This package may lock in today's prices in case you decide to buy in the future.

For many people, the trial or sampler package can be a good deal compared to cash prices for the same properties -- points are sometimes even thrown into the deal.

At our Holiday Inn Vacations Club presentation, they offered us a future eight-day, seven-night stay for $1,499. We would be in a two-bedroom, two-bath unit similar to the one we toured earlier in the day. Although the rooms were attractive and the offer was tempting, we couldn't see our family wanting to visit any of their locations for eight days.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare Gatlinburg trial package price

Should You Say Yes?

Although my family owns a couple of timeshares that I bought in my 20s, I generally recommend against buying one today. With so many vacation options using hotel points, discount travel sites like Groupon and timeshare rental websites, it usually doesn't make sense to lock yourself into a timeshare.

Related: Why Timeshares Aren't Always a Scam

If you do decide that buying a timeshare is right for your family, understand that you can buy them significantly cheaper on the secondary market. Websites like eBay, Redweek and Tug2.net offer thousands of listings of people trying to sell timeshare memberships that they no longer use or cannot afford.

Alternatives to Buying a Timeshare

Of course, we're all familiar with using hotel points when we travel. But did you know that you can rent timeshare units as well?

Many timeshare properties are available using hotel points. Others are available for rent on eBay and Endless Vacation Rentals .

Mommy Points recently rented Disney Vacation Club points from David's Vacation Club Rentals for an awesome Walt Disney World getaway. Going this route allows you to enjoy all of the benefits of a timeshare vacation for a given trip without the upfront cost or responsibility of annual maintenance dues.

timeshare presentation laws

Booking a Cheap Spring Break Vacation

For example, if you wanted to travel to Orlando for 2020 Spring Break and stay at a timeshare property, you have many options. A one-bedroom villa at the Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas, Lake Buena Vista/Orlando is available from Endless Vacation Rentals for $161 per night (total of $1,125 for the week).

timeshare presentation laws

The same room is available directly from Marriott for $170 per night (total $1,190).

timeshare presentation laws

Marriott Bonvoy members can book a week in this room for 300,000 points. The nightly rate is 50,000 points per night, but the fifth night is free as a member benefit.

Sheraton Vistana Resort Orlando points price

In my experience, the closer you get to the travel dates, the lower the prices will be on Endless Vacation Rentals because they need to sell the package before the dates pass. Of course, specific dates can sell out.

Is It Worth Your Time?

For our family, giving up two hours of our vacation to earn a big discount on travel expenses is a good trade-off. My wife and I have the strength to decline their best offers to buy, no matter how appealing they may sound in the moment. In our experience, when you attend a timeshare presentation with a well-known name, once you say "no," they will (eventually) respect your decision.

Our family enjoyed a great four-day, three-night vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains for a net cost of $0 after attending the timeshare presentation. Plus, we now have a $100 certificate toward a future Holiday Inn hotel stay. Yes, we spent two hours of our time listening to a timeshare presentation, but it was worth it to have a free family vacation.

Have you attended a timeshare presentation to save money on a vacation? Was it worth it for the perks or will you never do it again?

ACA Group - Timeshare Cancellation

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  • Step 3 - Timeshare Freedom
  • Timeshare Mortgage Cancellation
  • Cancellation Guide
  • How Do I Get Out of a Timeshare
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  • Email : [email protected]
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Timeshare Cancellation: State Laws You Should Know

  • Timeshare Cancellation Blog

Embarking on the journey of timeshare cancellation requires a keen understanding of the diverse legal landscape that varies from state to state. This comprehensive guide delves into the intricate web of regulations, highlighting the unique cancellation timelines, consumer protections, and legal intricacies that are pivotal in the timeshare cancellation process. As timeshare agreements are bound by state-specific laws, this post serves as an essential resource for timeshare owners to grasp their rights, recognize the legal frameworks in place, and make informed decisions about their timeshare commitments.

Understanding Timeshare Laws

Timeshare laws are a complex web of regulations that govern the sale, purchase, and management of timeshare properties. These laws are designed to protect both the consumer and the timeshare industry by ensuring fair practices and preventing fraud. At their core, timeshare laws regulate the disclosure of information, the execution of contracts, and the rights of both parties during and after the purchase process.

Understanding these laws is crucial for any current or prospective timeshare owner. They dictate what timeshare companies must tell you before you sign a contract, what your rights are if you decide to cancel, and what recourse you have if you feel you've been misled. For instance, many regions require a "cooling-off" period, allowing buyers to reconsider their purchase within a certain timeframe without penalty.

Moreover, timeshare laws cover the specifics of how timeshares can be marketed. For example, they often stipulate that promotional materials must be clear and truthful, and that sales presentations must not be misleading. They also detail the financial and legal responsibilities of the timeshare company regarding the maintenance and management of the property.

It's important to note that while there are overarching federal regulations, many of the specifics of timeshare law are governed at the state level, which can lead to significant variations in the legal landscape from one state to another. This means that understanding the particular laws of the state where the timeshare is located is essential.

Finally, timeshare laws are not static. They evolve as new issues and consumer protection concerns arise. Keeping abreast of these changes can be challenging, but it is a necessary part of being an informed timeshare owner or buyer. It's recommended to review these laws periodically or consult with a legal expert to ensure ongoing compliance and awareness of your rights.

State-Specific Regulations

While the concept of timeshares is consistent across the United States, the specific regulations governing them can differ significantly from state to state. These variances can impact the rights of timeshare owners, the obligations of timeshare companies, and the overall process of buying, selling, or canceling a timeshare.

For example, some states have stringent requirements for timeshare disclosures, mandating that potential buyers receive detailed information about the property, management, and financial health of the timeshare program before purchase. Other states may have more lenient regulations, focusing primarily on the right to cancel within a certain period.

Additionally, the laws may dictate the length of the cooling-off period, during which a buyer can cancel their timeshare purchase without penalty. This period can range from a few days to several weeks, depending on the jurisdiction. Some states also require timeshare sellers to provide a public offering statement, which includes comprehensive information about the timeshare plan.

Another area of variation is in the regulation of timeshare resales. Certain states have developed laws to protect consumers from resale scams, which have become increasingly common in the timeshare industry. These laws may include specific provisions regarding resale advertising, upfront fees, and escrow requirements.

Understanding these state-specific regulations is vital, especially for those who own or are considering purchasing a timeshare in a different state from their residence. It's often advisable to consult with a legal expert who specializes in timeshare law in the particular state to navigate these complex regulations effectively.

Cancellation Periods

The cancellation period, often referred to as the "cooling-off" period, is a critical aspect of timeshare law that allows buyers to reconsider their purchase without financial penalty. This period is strictly defined by state law and varies considerably across different states.

In some states, the law mandates a cancellation period of as little as three days, while others may offer up to two weeks. During this time, buyers have the right to cancel their timeshare purchase in writing, and this decision must be honored by the timeshare company without any repercussions to the buyer.

It's essential for buyers to be aware of the specific cancellation period in their state and to act swiftly if they decide to cancel their timeshare purchase. Missing this window can result in being bound to the timeshare agreement, with limited options for cancellation thereafter.

Furthermore, some states require that the method of cancellation (such as via certified mail) be stipulated in the contract, and failure to adhere to these requirements can invalidate the cancellation request. Buyers should thoroughly review their contract to ensure compliance with these stipulations.

Understanding the nuances of the cancellation period is crucial for any potential timeshare buyer. It serves as a safety net, providing a timeframe to reassess the long-term commitment and financial implications of a timeshare purchase without pressure or fear of immediate consequences.

Legal Protections

Legal protections are in place to safeguard timeshare owners and potential buyers from unfair practices. These protections are established at both federal and state levels, ensuring that the rights of consumers are upheld during the timeshare purchase and cancellation processes.

One of the fundamental protections is the requirement for full disclosure by timeshare companies. They must provide detailed information about the terms of the contract, the nature of the timeshare plan, and any additional costs that may be incurred over time.

Additionally, many states have laws that protect consumers from high-pressure sales tactics. These laws stipulate that timeshare presentations must not mislead potential buyers about the nature of the event, the duration, or the obligations that come with attending such presentations.

Consumer protection laws also typically include provisions for timeshare owners to cancel contracts if certain conditions are met, such as misrepresentation or fraud. In these cases, owners may be entitled to a full refund of any money paid, and in some instances, additional compensation for any damages incurred.

It is crucial for timeshare owners and buyers to understand these legal protections and how they apply in their respective states. Knowledge of these laws can empower consumers to make informed decisions and take appropriate action if they believe their rights have been violated.

Lastly, state laws may also provide for specific remedies in the event of a dispute, including arbitration or litigation, and may outline the process for filing complaints against timeshare companies with state consumer protection agencies.

Dispute Resolution

Dispute resolution in the context of timeshare cancellations involves a set of legal mechanisms designed to address conflicts between timeshare owners and companies. These mechanisms aim to provide a fair and efficient process for both parties to resolve their issues.

One common form of dispute resolution is through arbitration, where an impartial third-party arbitrator hears the case and makes a binding decision. This process is generally faster and less formal than going to court, and it can be beneficial for those seeking a resolution in a more private setting.

Mediation is another option, which is a more collaborative process where a mediator helps the disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable solution. Unlike arbitration, mediation is not binding unless both parties agree to the terms.

Some states require timeshare companies to participate in these alternative dispute resolution processes before any legal action can be taken. This requirement is intended to reduce the burden on the court system and encourage the resolution of disputes without litigation.

For timeshare owners, understanding the available dispute resolution options is critical. It allows them to navigate the process more effectively and increases the chances of a favorable outcome. Owners should also be aware of any specific procedures or time frames outlined in their timeshare agreement for initiating dispute resolution.

Finally, it's important to note that while dispute resolution can be a useful tool, it may not be the best course of action in every situation. Owners should consider their circumstances and, if necessary, seek legal advice to determine the most appropriate method for resolving their dispute.

Consumer Rights

Consumer rights in the realm of timeshare ownership are a critical aspect of the legal protections afforded to individuals. These rights are established to ensure that consumers are treated fairly and ethically in the marketplace and have the necessary information to make informed decisions.

State laws often outline specific rights for timeshare owners, which may include the right to receive clear and complete information about the timeshare product, the right to a cooling-off period during which they can cancel the contract without penalty, and the right to be free from high-pressure sales tactics.

Additionally, timeshare owners have the right to know about any fees or charges associated with their timeshare, including maintenance fees, special assessments, and taxes. Transparency regarding these costs is essential for owners to understand the full financial implications of their timeshare investment.

Consumer protection laws also typically cover the right to privacy, prohibiting timeshare companies from sharing personal information without consent. This is particularly relevant when owners seek to cancel their timeshares, as they may be approached by third-party companies offering cancellation services.

It's important for timeshare owners to be aware of their rights and to exercise them when necessary. If an owner believes their rights have been violated, they should document the issue and consider reaching out to consumer protection agencies or legal professionals for assistance.

Understanding and asserting consumer rights can empower timeshare owners to stand up against unfair practices and seek the remedies they are entitled to under the law.

Seeking Legal Advice

When navigating the complexities of timeshare cancellation, obtaining legal advice can be a pivotal step. A legal expert specialized in timeshare law can provide clarity on state-specific regulations and guide owners through the cancellation process.

Legal counsel is particularly beneficial when timeshare owners face obstacles or when the timeshare company is uncooperative. Lawyers can negotiate on behalf of the owner, ensuring that their rights are protected and that any cancellation is conducted legally and effectively.

It's advisable for owners to seek legal advice early in the cancellation process, especially if they suspect any misrepresentation or fraud. Legal professionals can also assist in understanding the fine print of timeshare agreements, which often contain complex terms and conditions.

When selecting a legal advisor, it's crucial to choose someone with experience in timeshare law. Owners should research potential lawyers, check their credentials, and read reviews from former clients to ensure they are reputable and capable.

While hiring legal counsel may involve additional costs, the investment can save timeshare owners from future financial burdens and legal pitfalls. It's a protective measure that can provide peace of mind and a more favorable outcome.

Seeking legal advice is a strategic move for any timeshare owner considering cancellation. It ensures that the process is handled professionally and in accordance with the law, potentially saving time, money, and stress in the long run.

Avoiding Scams

Timeshare cancellation can be a fertile ground for scammers preying on owners' desperation to exit their contracts. It's essential to be vigilant and informed to avoid falling victim to fraudulent schemes.

One common scam involves companies that promise to cancel your timeshare for a hefty upfront fee, only to disappear without providing any service. It's a red flag if a company requests payment before completing the cancellation process.

Another tactic used by scammers is to pose as real estate agents or legal consultants who claim to have a buyer ready for your timeshare. They may ask for an upfront fee to facilitate the sale, which is often non-existent.

To protect yourself, always conduct thorough research on any company offering timeshare cancellation services. Check their track record, read customer reviews, and verify their credentials. Be wary of unsolicited offers and high-pressure sales tactics.

Legitimate timeshare exit companies will typically offer a free consultation and won't ask for fees to be paid upfront. They will provide a clear service agreement outlining the steps they will take to assist you in your cancellation.

Remember, if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always consult with a legal professional before engaging with any service that claims to help you cancel your timeshare.

Changes in Law

Staying abreast of legislative changes is crucial for timeshare owners considering cancellation. Laws governing timeshares are subject to change, and these can significantly impact your rights and options.

For instance, some states have extended the cancellation period, providing owners with more time to reconsider their timeshare purchase. Others have introduced stricter regulations on timeshare companies, increasing transparency and consumer protection.

Recent trends in legislation also show a push towards giving consumers more power against misleading sales practices. This includes the requirement for clearer contracts and the provision of detailed disclosures by timeshare companies.

It's important to monitor these changes as they can offer new avenues for cancellation or additional protections against unfair practices. Government websites, consumer protection agencies, and legal advisories are reliable sources for updates on timeshare laws.

If you're considering timeshare cancellation, it may be beneficial to consult with a legal expert who specializes in timeshare law. They can provide the most current advice tailored to your situation and the specifics of your state's legislation.

Being informed about the latest legal changes can empower you to make the best decisions regarding your timeshare and ensure that you navigate the cancellation process with the full protection of the law.

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Going to a timeshare presentation? Here are your new Arizona rights

timeshare presentation laws

Arizonans looking to buy a vacation timeshare — or to receive the free gifts that come with a sales presentation — soon will have added protections as they make an important financial decision.

A new state law signed by Gov. Doug Ducey Wednesday requires timeshare companies to give consumers more information about costs and more time to cancel a contract. The law is expected to go into effect by the end of the year.

The new rights apply to anyone attending a timeshare presentation in Arizona as well as Arizona residents attending timeshare presentations elsewhere in the United States.

The legislation is a win for consumer advocates who accuse timeshare companies of misleading people into buying expensive properties that are nearly impossible to get rid of.

The new law makes Arizona "a national leader in enacting consumer protections for timeshare buyers," the sponsor, Rep. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, said. "This bill added consumer protections necessary to curb deceptive practices by some in the timeshare industry."

It's also a win of sorts for the timeshare industry that opposed the bill and succeeded in convincing Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, and other lawmakers to strip some of the original provisions.

The American Resort Development Association said timeshare owners support thousands of jobs and spend millions of dollars in Arizona each year.

The law is "a good balance between responsible consumer protections and a healthy business environment," American Resort Development Association spokesman Peter Roth said. "The timeshare industry is committed to being a leader in the tourism industry."

What the law does

A key factor in the new law is extending the time from seven to 10 days that customers can cancel a contract without penalty.

The law also requires timeshare companies to inform customers in clear writing that:

  • They have 10 days to cancel a contract.
  • Timeshares are not investments.
  • Promises made in the sales presentation aren't binding. 
  • The timeshare contract is held until death unless it has a limited length.
  • Consumers may face maintenance fees, taxes and other assessments every year for the length of the contract.
  • An estimate of the total costs in the first year, including maintenance fees and taxes.
  • The total fees charged over the past three years.
  • If the cost figures are not available, the company must disclose that the fees are unknown and that there is no limit to the charges if the contract has no limits.
  • A contract can be voided if there are blank spaces in the documents.
  • Consumers can complain to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

Lastly, the law requires timeshare companies to give purchasers a copy of the contract and the disclosures.

The provisions stripped from the original bill included providing consumers an estimate of total costs up to 30 years; allowing a 24-hour "cooling-off period" for consumers to consider a timeshare offer; and allowing timeshare owners to cancel without penalty during the first year or after 10 years if the timeshare was paid off.

$25M saved for timeshare owners

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who pushed for the new law, was motivated in part by a settlement with Diamond Resorts in 2016 over accusations that the timeshare company used deceptive sales practices. The company denied the allegations.

The settlement allowed hundreds of Diamond Resorts customers to cancel as much as $25 million in timeshare contracts, the Attorney General's Office said.

"Buying a timeshare can obligate a consumer to a lifetime of annual fees that can increase without limit," Brnovich said. "Consumers deserve to know the truth when considering whether to purchase a timeshare and need time to think about whether buying a serious investment such as a timeshare is right for them."

The next frontier

Some timeshare owners desperate to unload their vacation properties turn to exit companies that charge thousands of dollars to negotiate cancellations to their contracts.

Timeshare companies have sued exit companies, claiming they mislead owners by recommending they stop paying timeshare fees, which sends properties into default and eventually foreclosure. Getting rid of a contract in that way can damage an owner's credit rating and could be done without paying an exit company, the timeshare companies argue.

Introducing legislation to crack down on the timeshare exit industry is Bolick's goal next year, she said.

"Timeshare owners are hit with a double whammy: some buyers are taken advantage of when they purchase them, and again a second time when they try to get rid of them," she said. "Next session I will look at removing the bad actors involved in the timeshare exit industry."

  • Scammers promising to buy man's timeshare con him out of $24K
  • AZ settlement releases timeshare owners from contracts with Diamond Resorts
  • Elderly AZ couple say they felt pressured to buy $150K timeshare

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Letitia James

Tenants & homeowners, before you buy a timeshare.

Beware of envelopes bearing gifts. How many New Yorkers have been thrilled to receive a notice that, as part of a promotional effort to sell timeshares, they were the lucky winners of a free trip to a tropical paradise? It's hard to resist the lure of a dream come true for little or no expense.

Unfortunately, all that glitters is not gold. All that is promised is not delivered. Often the free trip turns out to be a grueling trek from timeshare to timeshare, punctuated by endless sales talks, and topped off by a whopping bill for hidden costs and unforeseen charges.

At the Office of the New York State Attorney General, we offer you some advice and show you how to protect yourself when you are contemplating buying a timeshare.

Of course, not every prize winner turns out to be a loser. Some reputable sellers of timeshare products do deliver all that they promise. How can you sift through the offers and figure out who's scamming you and who's not?

A timeshare as any arrangement for sharing ownership of a vacation home, condominium, or other interest in realty where each of the joint purchasers may occupy the unit during a specified period each year.

Any timeshare offer mailed to your home in New York is subject to New York law. Carefully check the letter you received. 

If an offering plan has been filed in New York, this gives you extra protection:

  • Any offer of a free or low-cost tour that includes a timeshare presentation must state that the complete offering terms are in a New York offering plan available from the seller.
  • A seller wishing to market timeshares in New York must fully disclose the terms, conditions, and facts of the transaction to all prospective purchasers.
  • The seller must also offer buyers an opportunity to cancel their purchase for seven business days after they have signed a contract of sale.

Sometimes a seller avoids using the term "timeshare" altogether, substituting "interval ownership" or "vacation club ownership" for the word "timeshare." All advertisements to New Yorkers must clearly and prominently use the term "timesharing" to describe the product the seller is offering. No matter what terminology is used, the offer is subject to the same rules and regulations. Before you pack your bags, be sure to establish that the timeshare is on file in New York.

Did you really win anything?

Some of these offers create the impression that you've already won something, like a sweepstakes or lottery. They may promise you a car, television, or some other type of extravagant prize. However, in order to collect, you are usually required to visit the timeshare. Don't be fooled.

If any advertisement or direct-mail piece makes such an offer, it must state the following:

  • a full description of the exact prize won
  • the cash value of the prize
  • whether you are required to submit to a sales presentation
  • all terms and conditions attached to the prize

A seller's letter will often appear to be an urgent notification to winners in a contest. If the winners want to take advantage of a special deal, they must act now. This sense of urgency is meant to sweep the recipient into impulsive action.

This sales technique is against New York law. Under the law, advertisements must "not appear to be an urgent and official notification to winners in a contest and must not use any other means to convey a false sense of urgency or importance." Reputable timeshare developers are familiar with our local requirements. If their competitors are ignoring our advertising rules, they may also be setting other traps to catch you.

Before you sign anything, make sure you have been given an offering plan that has been filed in New York, even if the timeshare or you are out of state. New York law requires that if any business is transacted in New York, the offerors must be registered here. If the seller has decided not to file in New York, they should reject your business unless the entire sale is conducted out of state.

If a plan has not been filed in New York, you might be dealing with an out-of-state developer who is running the show in whatever fashion they like. Under New York law, any seller doing business in the state must provide you with full and complete information concerning the material facts of the deal. This might include the seller's identity of the seller, their financial condition, the status of the property for sale, the existence of any risks or problems, and any other issue that you may consider important in your decision to purchase.

If a New York plan has been filed, you have the right to cancel within seven business days after you sign a contract. Once you have the offering plan, be sure to read it before the seven-day cancellation period expires. We encourage you to show it to your attorney or financial advisor for help in deciding whether to stay in the deal. Don't let high-pressure tactics force you into signing anything — some salespeople specialize in aggressive sales techniques. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Insist on receiving the answers in writing, or having the salesperson show you the plan.

What is most important is that you use your best, and most prudent judgment. These are often long-term commitments. Once you enter into one, it can be difficult to get out. Remember: You can always just say no.

Before deciding to buy a timeshare, remember that this decision involves continuing financial and legal obligations. Does it make sense to take this deal? Buying a timeshare could be a commitment that you have for the rest of your life.

Examine the special risks summarized at the front of the offering plan.

As you think about the long-term commitment you may make, consider the following factors:

  • In a right-to-use timesharing plan, if the sponsor declares bankruptcy, your rights as a purchaser may be terminated.
  • You should buy a timeshare for personal recreational use and not for profit or investment. Often no resale market exists for timeshares.
  • Most real estate brokers will not list timeshares. You can try to sell your timeshare on your own, but this may bring you into direct competition with the seller, who may have a large inventory of unsold units.
  • Full control for the adequate operation and maintenance of the timeshare lies with the seller or a successor operator. Therefore, the facilities and services are available only as long as the seller is able to provide them. During the early years of the project, if the seller fails to meet their obligations, a small number of timeshare owners will have to cover the costs of keeping the entire project going.

After examining the risks, you still have to decide whether the convenience and appeal of the timeshare is worth the price. Compare the expenses with the cost of a comparable hotel or resort for the number of years you plan to own the timeshare and the time value of your money.

Remember that you will be liable for many financial obligations:

You will have to produce a down payment. If you take out a loan, you may have financing costs for the rest of the purchase price.

You will be paying annual timesharing charges to maintain the unit. You might also be liable for future special assessments that management considers necessary: These assessments are hard to predict and might show up when you least expect them.

Even after you have paid all the costs of owning a timeshare, you will still have typical vacation costs, such as meals, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses.

Before entering any timeshare agreement, be sure to consult with a financial advisor.

The new breed of timeshare developers has seized upon the concept of flexibility to help market their units. You can sometimes trade or swap for different weeks of the year at different resorts all over the world.

Keep in mind, however, that if you purchase an undesirable week at a bargain price, you're probably not going to be able to trade it for anything much better. Some timeshares are set up so that once you have purchased, you still are not guaranteed a specified time interval.

These resorts are operated on a first-come, first-served basis. Their internal reservation system requires that owners get in line to obtain a reservation. You're usually promised that you'll get some reservation, but it may not be your first choice.

The Office of the New York State Attorney General enforces the rules and regulations that protect you as a consumer against fraudulent timeshare practices. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to call or write.

The Attorney General and staff are here to help you.

Timeshare tips

  • Any timeshare offer mailed to your home in New York or made to you in New York is subject to New York law.
  • Any offer of a free or low-cost tour that includes a timeshare presentation must disclose that a timeshare is being offered. It must refer to an offering plan that has been filed in New York.
  • You always have seven business days to cancel after signing a contract. You have the right to a full refund.
  • Carefully read the offering plan and be certain you understand it. You may want to consult an attorney or financial advisor to see whether the deal makes legal or financial sense for you.
  • A timeshare ad cannot appear to be an urgent and official notification to winners in a contest. It must not use any other means to convey a false sense of urgency or importance.
  • full description of exact prize won
  • obligation to submit to a sales presentation
  • The Attorney General enforces these rules and regulations to protect you, the consumer. Refer any questions or problems to the Real Estate Finance Bureau at 212-416-8122 , 28 Liberty Street, New York NY 10005.
  • Remember, in a sweepstakes offering, the odds of winning anything other than the least valuable prize are very small.
  • You can just say no to signing a contract, check, or credit card receipt.

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Timeshares, Vacation Clubs, and Related Scams

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Are you thinking about going to a sales presentation, buying a timeshare, or joining a vacation club? Make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into. You don’t want to be pressured into buying, or surprised later by unexpected charges or challenges when you try to book your timeshare or vacation club. What if you’re trying to sell your timeshare or membership? Watch for resale scams.

  • How To Handle Sales Presentations
  • What To Know Before You Commit

How To Avoid Timeshare Resale Scams

  • How To Avoid Timeshare Exit Scams

Buying Undeveloped Property and Timeshares in a Foreign Country

Report timeshare scams, how to handle sales presentations .

Did you enter a raffle to win a free vacation, or get flyers in the mail, text messages, or emails inviting you to attend free live presentations to learn about timeshares or vacation clubs? Promoters often offer free vacations or other prizes if you attend a sales presentation. Once you’re there, the entire atmosphere is set up for you to feel like you’re already on a vacation. They show you amazing photos of luxurious resorts, or they take you on a tour of a similar unit you might consider buying as part of the timeshare.

Sometimes promoters will use different tactics to put pressure on you to buy now. They might try to wear you down by making you wait a long time between parts of the meeting or meet with several people. They hope that by the end of the presentation you’re so exhausted that you’ll sign anything just to get out of there. Also, promoters will often tell you the offer is only good now and won’t be there tomorrow to increase the pressure to act quickly.

Here’s some advice to help you handle timeshare or vacation club presentations:

  • Research the company before you go to a presentation . Search online for complaints about the resort developer and the management company offering the presentation. See what others are saying about them.
  • Don’t act quickly or under pressure . You’re committing to paying thousands of dollars — potentially for decades or for the rest of your life. Take your time. Ask the salesperson why today is the “only” day the deal is available. The company sets the rates, so why aren’t those available later? This kind of rush is a warning sign: they may not want you to talk to trusted advisers about the timeshare offer or stop and think about what you’re getting into.
  • Ask about your ability to cancel the contract . This is sometimes referred to as a “right of rescission” or a  “cooling-off period”  — a time to cancel the deal after you’ve signed the papers. State law or your contract may say how long this period is. If you decide to cancel, send a letter to the seller by certified mail and ask for a return receipt, so you’ll have a record.
  • Study the paperwork on your own. You have the right to get all promises in writing. If you’re looking to buy a timeshare in an undeveloped property, you also have a right to get a public offering statement. Take all the documents with you after the presentation and review them on your own or with someone you trust before you commit.

What To Know Before You Commit 

When you enter into a timeshare agreement, you’re paying for the right to use one or more vacation properties. Some timeshares give you the right to stay at the property for a specific length of time and with a specific frequency — for example, one week every year. Some timeshares are “points-based,” which allows you to use your points at different properties throughout the year. Timeshare “owners” usually pay an initial fee to get into the timeshare agreement, plus regular maintenance fees and other recurring charges.

Not all timeshares work the same way. For example:

  • Some timeshare agreements give you the right to stay at a specific resort for a specified period of time at a specific interval (for example, the second week of August every other year). The week you get may change every year or it may be consistent from year-to-year.
  • “Deeded timeshares” let you buy a specific unit for a specific week each year. Legally, these timeshares are considered real property that your heirs may inherit.
  • Points-based timeshares provide you with a specified number of points that you can use throughout the year at designated properties. The number of points needed will vary depending on the property, location, length of stay, and time of year. For some timeshares, your points expire each year, so unused points from one year won’t carry over to the next year. Instead, you’ll get new points each year.

The laws that govern timeshares are specific to the state where the property is located. The sales staff may tell you that a timeshare is a solid financial asset, but the value of a timeshare is in its use as a vacation destination, not as an investment. Plus, your timeshare may include hefty ongoing and recurring fees for maintenance and other items.

Vacation Clubs

Some vacation clubs are a variation of a timeshare: you pay an initial fee, and once you’re enrolled, you select resorts to stay at. The difference is you pay each time for the cost of staying there. Other vacation clubs claim that, once you enroll, you’ll get discounts on travel, lodging, or other amenities during your vacation.

Before you enroll in a vacation club, be clear on what you’re getting. Even if marketers and salespeople are using the term “vacation club,” they might be talking about different things.

Before you commit to a timeshare or a vacation club

  • Find out the true cost . Add up all the payments, including the initial payment, fees, taxes, and travel costs to get there, plus any other yearly charges. Is that the amount you want to spend on a vacation every year?
  • Get the details of any exchange program . If the timeshare or vacation club claims that you can exchange your points or weeks to vacation at different properties, find out if there’s an extra charge for booking a property through the exchange — or additional charges for different types of properties. Is this still a good deal?
  • the length of your stay
  • the type of unit you’re booking
  • where the resort is located
  • when you want to go

Consider whether you’ll have the points you need to take the kind of vacations you want. If you’re allowed to buy points to upgrade, find out how much it will cost .

  • Factor in increases to annual timeshare maintenance fees . Most timeshares have an annual maintenance fee. Those fees typically increase at rates that equal or exceed inflation, so ask whether your plan has a fee cap. You’ll have to pay fees and taxes, even if you don’t use your timeshare.
  • Know what happens if you want to get out . Selling a timeshare might be difficult. Find out if your timeshare company offers an exit program and how it works. If you’re considering a vacation club, make sure you know how to cancel if you don’t want to be enrolled anymore.

Getting out of a timeshare might be tough. Before you pay a company to help you sell your timeshare, contact the timeshare developer or the resort’s management company and ask about your options. The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) has  a tool to help  you identify the company that you need to contact, along with other resources.

You’ll see or hear lots of ads from companies claiming to be experts at selling timeshares — they’re online, on the radio, and on social media. But sometimes these companies exaggerate or flat-out lie about what they offer you. They take your money and then do little to nothing to help you.

These are some of the things you’ll see in timeshare resale ads:

  • “The market is ‘hot,’ so we’ll sell your unit fast.” (That’s a lie.)
  • “Your timeshare will sell quickly,” or “it will sell in months.” (Unlikely.)
  • “We have lots of buyers ready to purchase your timeshare.” (Doubtful.)
  • “We guarantee you’ll get big returns on your resale.” (That’s a lie.)

Be careful — these could be ads from timeshare resale scammers who will take your money but won’t help you sell your timeshare. The truth is, the timeshare market is overcrowded, and it might be hard, if not impossible, to sell a timeshare. Anyone who guarantees a sale or big returns is a scammer.

Selling Your Timeshare? Infographic

To avoid timeshare resale scams, make sure to

  • Check out the seller. Contact the  state attorney genera l  and  local consumer protection agencies  in the state where the reseller is located. Ask if they have any complaints on file. Also, search online for the name of the reseller, plus words like “complaint” or “scam.”
  • Ask about fees.  It’s better to do business with a reseller that takes fees  after  the timeshare is sold. If you have to pay a fee in advance, get refund policies in writing.
  • Find out if the reseller’s agents are licensed to sell real estate where your timeshare is located . Deal only with licensed real estate agents and brokers. Check with the real estate licensing agency in the state where the timeshare is located. Also ask for references from satisfied clients.
  • Ask how the reseller will advertise and promote the timeshare . Will you get progress reports? If so, how often? You want to make sure that the company will be active in selling the timeshare. If they’re only putting the property on a resale list, that may not be very helpful.
  • Get everything in writing.  Read the contract carefully to make sure it matches the verbal promises you’ve gotten. Make sure it includes the services the reseller will perform, plus any fees you’ll have to pay and when. If the deal isn’t what you expected or wanted, don’t sign the contract.

Don’t assume you’ll get back what you paid for your timeshare. Consider using a timeshare appraisal service to analyze the value of a timeshare you might want to buy or sell. Make sure the appraiser is licensed in the state where the timeshare is located. Check with the state where the timeshare is based to see if the appraiser’s license is current in that state.

How To Avoid Timeshare Exit Scams

Even when you’re not looking for a way out of your timeshare, scammers might use public records to find your contact information and try to convince you to sell. They’ll say they can help you get out of your timeshare, and maybe even make money. Other scammers and shady companies place ads where they “guarantee” results, but ask you to pay in advance for listing, advertising, or legal services.

If you make a payment, scammers might do nothing. Sometimes they’ll take your money and simply contact the timeshare company on your behalf — something you could do for free.

Here are some signs to help you spot timeshare exit scams:

  • Unsolicited calls or messages offering advice or assistance to get out of your timeshare
  • “Guarantees” or “promises” to cancel your timeshare contract 
  • Demands you pay large up-front fees before they do anything
  • Instructions to stop paying your mortgage or fees

Want to explore your exit options? Start by contacting your timeshare company directly. Some include exit programs that let you get out of your contract. If you decide to hire a timeshare exit company, before you pay or sign any documents:

  • Research the company. Search online for the company's name, plus the words "scam" or "complaint." See what other people are saying about their experience.
  • Study the paperwork on your own. Get all promises in writing. It’s your right.
  • Ask about your ability to cancel the contract. In certain circumstances you have the right to a cooling-off period — a time when you can cancel the deal after you’ve signed the papers.

If you’re interested in buying undeveloped property in a foreign country

  • Get detailed documents from the developer showing how and when they expect to complete the development. Get copies of the permits that the developer must have to do the work.
  • Do some independent research. Don’t make a decision based solely on what you see on the company’s website or what the developers say. Talk with other people about their experience and visit the area before buying any land.
  • Consult with an independent financial advisor. Talk with someone not associated with the development, or its marketing firm, to get a full picture of the investment. Ask them to help you figure out how buying abroad would impact your finances.
  • Hire an independent real estate agent in the foreign country. They can help you look at properties in multiple developments so you can comparison shop.
  • Get everything in writing and don’t sign any documents you don’t understand.
  • Use an escrow account as the payment method . Escrow services accept and hold payment from you until you get and approve the purchase. Then, the escrow service forwards the payment to the seller. That’s one way to help protect your money.

Report timeshare resale scams or other scams related to timeshares and vacation clubs to

  • the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
  • the state attorney general in the state where the timeshare is located
  • the Better Business Bureau (BBB)

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Publications of Ms. Ludmila Nikiforovna Galenskaya

  • Law of Asylum. Problems of International Law. Moscow, 1968.
  • International Struggle with Criminality. Moscow, 1972.
  • Legal Problems of States Cooperation in Struggle with Criminality. Leningrad, 1978.
  • Legal States of Foreigners in the USSR. Moscow, 1982.
  • International Private Law. Leningrad, 1983.
  • Muses and Law. Legal Questions of International Cooperation in the Sphere of Culture. Leningrad, 1987.
  • Management in Social and Cultural Sphere (Social and Economic Machinery and Methods of Administration). Saint-Petersburg, 2000. (In cooperation with Mikheeva N.A.).
  • International Law: Bibliography 1991-2005(in collaboration). Saint-Petersburg, 2010.
  • Russian Year-book of International Law
  • Journal of International Private Law
  • The Crimes of the NATO in Yugoslavia. Documentary Evidences. 24 March – 24 April 1999. Translation into Russian / Ed. by L.N.Galenskaya, V.A.Belokon. Moscow, 1999.
  • Encyclopaedia of International Organizations. Vol. 1. International Intergovernmental Organizations / Ed. by L.N.Galenskaya, S.A.Malinin. St.-Petersburg, 2003.
  • Encyclopaedia of International Organizations. Vol. 2. International Non- governmental Organizations / Ed. by L.N.Galenskaya. St.-Petersburg, 2005.
  • Entin M.L. In the Quest for Partnership: Russia and the European Union in 2004-2005. Saint-Petersburg, 2006.
  • Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights. Saint-Petersburg, 2007.

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  1. 5 Things to Watch Out For In a Timeshare Presentation

    Timeshare salespeople sometimes use hard-sell tactics and misrepresentations to get you to make a snap decision about buying a timeshare. Here are five claims a salesperson might make that you should be on the lookout for: 1. "The sales presentation is only about 60 to 90 minutes.".

  2. Timeshare Laws by State

    Call now at 360-918-8196 and schedule an appointment to speak to one of our timeshare attorneys 1-on-1. Virginia. Washington. Washington timeshare law is governed by The Timeshare Act and stated in Chapter 64.36 of the real property interest and conveyance title of Washington's code.

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    Timeshare presentations offer attractive perks, but there are serious risks as well. Knowing how to survive a timeshare presentation can help alleviate those risks. ... The good news is that the consumer protection laws are in your favor as they provide you with a "cooling off" period during which you can rescind your timeshare purchase ...

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    During the presentation, ask questions and express concerns. If you have a certain week in mind, ask clear and specific questions about your obligations for owning that week. If you're discussing points, offer a few examples of vacations that you'd like to take and get specific numbers for the costs of taking such vacations.

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    Timeshares and the Law. Timeshare Resale Fraud The Attorney General's page on Timeshare fraud in Florida and what you can do if you get stung. Buying and Selling Timeshares & Vacation Plans The FTC's faq page on buying and selling timeshares. I don't generally think that timeshare presentations are a scam, but they can be tricky to navigate.

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    Walk Away: Begin to walk towards the exit. If the salesperson continues to engage, repeat that you are not interested and this is the end of the timeshare presentation. Continue walking without stopping. Avoid Confrontation: If the salesperson becomes aggressive or confrontational, remain calm.

  12. Examples of State Regulation of Timeshares

    A timeshare can be set up over different types of real property, including: Vacation resorts; Apartment buildings; Condominiums; Most states now regulate time-sharing and allow timeshare developers to hold sales presentations. Timeshare laws are structured either under existing state land sale laws or laws specifically enacted for time-sharing.

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