Average timeshare maintenance fees in 2024 and 2025

Last updated 2026-07-26

How much is a timeshare maintenance fee on average in 2024 and 2025?

The most cited figure comes from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the timeshare industry's own trade group. Its State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry research pegs the average annual maintenance fee at roughly $1,516 in 2024. That number moves every year and it's an average across a huge range of resort sizes, brands, and locations, so plenty of owners pay quite a bit more or less. For context, ARDA and its research partners have reported the average fee climbing steadily for years: around $1,000 in the mid-2010s, into the $1,190 range by roughly 2019, and past $1,000 well before that. If your statement says $1,800 or $2,200, you're not an outlier. Larger units, oceanfront resorts, and brand-name properties (think large Hawaii or Florida resorts) tend to sit well above the national average. Here's the part owners find infuriating: these numbers are self-reported by the industry that collects the fees. There's no independent government audit of "average timeshare maintenance fees." Treat the ARDA figure as a reasonable industry benchmark, not gospel, and always compare it to your own actual bill history, not a number from a brochure. The short, honest answer to "how much is a timeshare": the fee itself usually runs somewhere between $1,000 and $2,500 a year for most owners, with luxury and large-unit properties running higher, and that's before any special assessment hits.

How much do timeshares cost beyond the maintenance fee?

Maintenance fees are only one line item. The full cost of owning a timeshare includes the original purchase price, annual maintenance fees, special assessments, property taxes (sometimes billed separately), exchange company fees if you use RCI or Interval International, and financing costs if you took out a developer loan. Purchase prices for a one-week timeshare interval have historically run in the $16,000 to $23,000 range according to ARDA's own reporting over the past several years, though resale prices on the secondary market are often a small fraction of that because timeshares generally don't hold resale value. That mismatch between what people paid and what the interest is worth on resale is a major driver of buyer's remorse. Then there's financing. Developer-arranged loans often carry double-digit interest rates. It's not unusual to see timeshare loan APRs in the mid-teens or higher, which means a $20,000 purchase can cost tens of thousands more over the loan term before you've paid a single maintenance fee. So "how much are timeshares" really has two answers: the sticker price at the sales presentation, and the true lifetime cost once you add financing, decades of rising fees, and periodic assessments. The second number is almost always far bigger than buyers expect when they sign.

Why do timeshare maintenance fees keep going up every year?

Maintenance fees fund the actual operating costs of the resort: staff wages, utilities, insurance, landscaping, pool maintenance, reserve funds for future renovations, and management company fees. Most timeshare declarations or bylaws allow the homeowners association (HOA) or management company to raise fees annually, often without a hard percentage cap, or with a cap high enough (sometimes 10-20% per year) that it rarely constrains anything. Insurance is a big driver right now. Coastal and hurricane-exposed resorts in Florida, the Gulf Coast, and parts of the Caribbean have seen property insurance premiums spike sharply since 2022, and those costs get passed straight to owners through the maintenance fee or a special assessment. Florida law created a dedicated regulatory structure for this stress: Florida Statutes section 624.6155 establishes the Property Insurance Stability Unit within the Office of Insurance Regulation, tasked with monitoring market conduct and rate activity in the state's property insurance market ^[1]. Aging infrastructure is the other piece. A resort built in the 1980s or 1990s needs new roofs, HVAC systems, and furniture on a replacement cycle, and reserve funds don't always keep pace with real repair costs. When they fall short, the HOA levies a special assessment, on top of the regular annual fee, and there's usually no legal ceiling on how large that can be. Finally, occupancy and delinquency matter. When other owners stop paying their fees (deed back, walk away, or default), the remaining owners often absorb the shortfall through higher per-owner fees, because the total resort budget doesn't shrink just because some interests go unpaid.

What is a special assessment and how much can it cost?

A special assessment is a one-time (or occasionally recurring) charge on top of your regular annual maintenance fee, levied when the HOA needs money for something the regular budget and reserves didn't cover: storm damage, a major renovation, a lawsuit settlement, or a budget shortfall from other owners defaulting. There's no standard amount. Owners have reported special assessments ranging from a few hundred dollars to $10,000 or more after major hurricane damage at coastal resorts. Post-hurricane assessments at Gulf Coast and Caribbean resorts have been especially large in recent years given the insurance and rebuilding cost spikes noted above ^[1]. Your contract and state law govern whether the HOA can compel payment and what happens if you don't pay. In most states, unpaid assessments become a lien against the timeshare interest, and the HOA can eventually foreclose on that interest, similar to how a regular HOA lien works on a condo. That's a serious consequence, so if you're behind on fees or an assessment, don't just stop paying and hope it disappears. Read your contract's collection and lien provisions, and if you're not sure what you owe or what happens next, ask your state attorney general consumer protection office or a licensed attorney, not a company that cold-calls you promising an instant fix. We are not a law firm and we don't contact your resort or developer on your behalf. This article explains how the system works so you can make an informed decision, not legal advice for your specific contract.

Average timeshare maintenance fee by resort size

Interval type	Typical annual maintenance fee range (2024-2025)
Studio / small unit, off-peak season	$600 - $1,000
1-bedroom, standard resort	$900 - $1,600
2-bedroom, standard resort	$1,300 - $2,200
Large unit / luxury or oceanfront brand resort	$2,000 - $3,500+
Points-based club membership (varies by point volume)	$800 - $3,000+	These ranges are drawn from the general pattern reported across ARDA's industry data and widely observed owner-reported figures; they are approximate, not a quote for any specific resort. Your actual bill depends entirely on your specific resort's budget, unit size, season, and whether a special assessment is layered on top in a given year. Always check your HOA's actual annual budget disclosure, which most states require the association to provide to owners, rather than relying on any published average.

Are timeshares scams?

Most timeshares themselves are legal, regulated real estate or club products, not scams in the legal sense. The sales pitch, though, is a different story. The Federal Trade Commission sued Timeshare Exit Team and related defendants in 2021, alleging the companies took large upfront fees while failing to deliver promised timeshare cancellations for consumers ^[2]. The real scam risk for existing owners isn't the timeshare purchase itself, it's what comes after. The FTC's case against Timeshare Exit Team describes a common pattern: a company cold-calls or emails an owner claiming they have a buyer lined up, or that they can guarantee a fast exit, and demands an upfront fee of a few thousand dollars before doing anything. Then the company disappears, or does little to nothing. The FTC's complaint in that matter alleged the defendants represented they could terminate consumers' timeshare contracts while collecting fees that in many cases resulted in no cancellation at all ^[2]. So the honest answer to "are timeshares scams": the product is legitimate but overpriced and hard to exit, and a whole secondary industry of exit and resale scammers has grown up around the exit process itself. If a company guarantees they can get you out, guarantees a buyer exists, or pressures you to wire money today, that's the scam pattern the FTC has pursued in federal court, not a normal legal transaction ^[2]. For a broader look at how to vet a company before paying anyone, see timeshare exit companies and timeshare call list for questions to ask before you sign anything.

How to sell a timeshare (and what it's actually worth)

Selling a timeshare is legal and possible, but the resale market is brutal. Most timeshares resell for a small fraction of the original purchase price, sometimes literally $1, because supply of owners wanting out vastly exceeds demand from buyers wanting in. If you want to try selling: list through a reputable timeshare resale marketplace (research the company's fee structure first; legitimate resale brokers typically get paid a commission at closing, not a big fee upfront), be realistic about price (search sold listings for your specific resort and week, not asking prices), and never pay a large upfront "transfer fee" or "advertising fee" to a company that cold-called you. Some owners find that even giving the timeshare away for free, or paying a small transfer/closing cost, is the fastest path, because getting the deed out of your name and off your future maintenance fee bill is worth more than trying to extract cash from a sale that likely won't happen. Selling is not the same as an exit company "canceling" your contract. If a company claims they'll get you a specific dollar amount for your week, verify that claim independently and get everything in writing before paying anything.

How to get out of a timeshare: the real options

There are basically four legitimate paths out of a timeshare, and they are not equally available to everyone. 1. Rescission. Every state gives new buyers a short window to cancel a timeshare purchase for any reason, no penalty. The window length varies dramatically by state, from a few days to two weeks or more, so confirm your state's rescission window before assuming you've missed it. This only works if you're still inside that window from your purchase date, so it helps buyer's remorse cases far more than long-time owners. See how to get out of a timeshare for the state-by-state mechanics. 2. Deed-back or surrender programs. A growing number of developers (Marriott Vacation Club, Hilton Grand Vacations, Wyndham, and others have run versions of this) offer a formal deed-back or "exit" program where the owner deeds the interest back to the resort, sometimes for free, sometimes for a fee, if the owner is current on fees and meets eligibility rules. Ask your specific resort's owner services department (in writing) whether such a program exists before paying any third party. 3. Resale or transfer, discussed above, usually recovers little or no money but gets the liability off your name. 4. Working with a paid exit or transfer service, which is where most of the scam risk lives. Vet any company hard: check for state attorney general complaints, insist on an escrow arrangement rather than upfront payment, and get a written, specific description of what they will actually do. What doesn't work reliably: simply stopping payment and hoping the resort forgets about it. Unpaid fees typically trigger collections, a lien, potential credit damage, and in some cases foreclosure of the timeshare interest, plus possible referral to a collections agency. If you're not paying, know exactly what your contract and state law say happens next; don't guess.

How do you get out of a timeshare with inherited ownership?

Inheriting a timeshare is one of the more common and more frustrating ways people end up owning one they never wanted. The deed (or club membership) usually passes through the estate like any other property, which means the heir can also inherit the maintenance fee obligation and any assessment liability, whether or not they ever intended to use it. During probate, an executor generally has the option to disclaim the interest (formally refuse to accept it) before it's distributed, which can keep it from becoming the heir's legal responsibility in the first place. Disclaimer rules and deadlines are governed by state probate law and, for federal tax purposes, by the qualified disclaimer rules under 26 U.S.C. § 2518, which generally requires the disclaimer be made in writing within nine months of the decedent's death ^[3]. Whether disclaiming a timeshare interest is the right move, and how it interacts with your specific state's probate code, is a question for an estate attorney, not a blog post. If the heir has already accepted the interest (used it, paid a fee, or otherwise acted as owner), disclaiming later becomes much harder or impossible. That's why the first move after inheriting a timeshare should be figuring out its status before touching the account or paying anything, then talking to the estate's attorney about disclaimer options and deadlines.

How to get rid of a timeshare without getting scammed

Federal and state regulators' clearest guidance on this: be suspicious of any company that contacts you first, guarantees results, or asks for a large payment before doing any work. Legitimate resale and transfer arrangements are usually paid on success, at closing, not upfront in full. A short practical checklist before you pay anyone: 1. Check the company's standing with your state attorney general's consumer protection division and the Better Business Bureau. Search "[company name] complaints [your state] attorney general." 2. Ask for the specific service in writing: are they reselling, transferring the deed, negotiating a deed-back, or just filing paperwork? Vague language ("timeshare relief," "cancellation services") is a warning sign, not a plan. 3. Never pay by wire transfer or gift card. Those payment methods are close to unrecoverable and are a hallmark of the scam pattern the FTC pursued in its case against Timeshare Exit Team ^[2]. 4. Ask directly whether the company contacts the resort or developer on your behalf, and get that in writing. Be skeptical of guarantees; no legitimate company can promise a specific outcome or timeline for something that ultimately depends on a resort's own deed-back policies or a buyer materializing on the resale market. 5. If you want a structured way to organize your own documents, deadlines, and next steps rather than paying a company thousands of dollars to "handle it," that's the gap our $149 Timeshare Exit Kit is built for: it's a self-directed toolkit, not a guarantee of cancellation, and we don't contact your resort for you. Compare it against the breakdown of exit companies before deciding what fits your situation. For state-specific cancellation rules and deadlines, see timeshare cancellation.

What should you do if maintenance fees keep rising and you can't afford them anymore?

First, don't panic-quit payments; understand the actual consequences in your contract before deciding anything. Missing payments typically triggers late fees, then collections, then a lien against the timeshare interest, and in some states foreclosure of that interest (which can also affect your credit depending on how the debt is reported). Second, ask your resort directly, in writing, whether it has a deed-back or surrender program. Many major developers have added these in the past several years specifically because they'd rather take an unwanted week back than chase a delinquent owner through collections. This costs nothing to ask about and doesn't require hiring anyone. Third, if you're genuinely in financial hardship, talk to a nonprofit credit counselor (the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, nfcc.org, is a legitimate starting point) before you talk to any company that specifically markets "timeshare debt relief." Fourth, get the actual math in front of you: total remaining fees you'd pay if you kept the timeshare for another 5 or 10 years, versus the cost of an exit path, versus doing nothing and letting it go to collections/foreclosure. Rising fees rarely reverse; ARDA's own historic data shows a fairly steady upward trend over the past decade, so "it'll go back down" is not a plan worth betting on.

Frequently asked questions

How to get out of a timeshare?

The realistic paths are: rescind during your state's cancellation window if you just bought it, ask the resort about a deed-back or surrender program, try resale or a free transfer, or hire a vetted paid service as a last resort. There's no universal legal right to cancel an old timeshare outside rescission; confirm your state's rules and your resort's specific policies before paying anyone.

How to get out of timeshare contracts after the rescission period ends?

Once rescission has passed, your main options are a developer deed-back program (if your resort offers one and you're current on fees), resale or giving the interest away, or a paid transfer/exit service. There's no automatic legal exit after rescission; it depends on your contract terms, your resort's policies, and your state's laws on lien and foreclosure.

How do you get out of a timeshare you inherited?

If you haven't accepted the inheritance yet, ask the estate's attorney about disclaiming the interest under your state's probate code and the federal qualified disclaimer rules (26 U.S.C. § 2518), generally within nine months of death. If you've already accepted or used it, you'll likely need a deed-back, resale, or transfer instead.

How to sell a timeshare for a fair price?

Search sold (not asking) prices for your exact resort and week on resale marketplaces, price realistically since most timeshares resell for a small fraction of purchase price, and only pay commissions at closing, never a large fee upfront. If you can't find a buyer, a free transfer or resort deed-back may be more realistic than a cash sale.

How to get rid of a timeshare fast?

The fastest legitimate paths are a developer deed-back/surrender program (if eligible) or giving the interest away for free through a transfer service, since both avoid waiting for a buyer. Speed usually trades off against cost recovery; if you want cash, resale takes longer and rarely returns much of the original price.

Are timeshares scams?

The timeshare product itself is legal, but the FTC sued Timeshare Exit Team in 2021, alleging the company charged large upfront fees while failing to deliver promised cancellations. Be wary of guarantees, unsolicited offers, and wire-transfer payment requests.

How much is a timeshare maintenance fee on average?

ARDA reported the average annual timeshare maintenance fee at roughly $1,516 in 2024, though actual bills range from around $600 for small off-peak units to $3,500 or more for large luxury or oceanfront resorts, not counting special assessments.

How much do timeshares cost in total, including financing?

Purchase prices for a one-week interval have typically run $16,000 to $23,000 per ARDA's reporting, and developer financing can carry double-digit APRs, sometimes in the mid-teens, meaning total lifetime cost including decades of maintenance fees often runs several times the sticker price.

What is a special assessment and can I refuse to pay it?

It's an extra one-time charge beyond your regular maintenance fee, usually for storm damage, major repairs, or budget shortfalls. Refusing to pay generally triggers the same collection and lien consequences as unpaid regular fees under most timeshare contracts and state HOA lien law, so check your specific contract before deciding.

Why did my timeshare maintenance fee jump so much this year?

Common drivers are rising property insurance (especially at coastal and hurricane-exposed resorts), aging building systems needing repair or replacement, and other owners defaulting on their fees, which shifts the budget shortfall onto paying owners. Ask your HOA for the actual budget disclosure showing the specific line items that increased.

Can I just stop paying my timeshare maintenance fees?

You can, but it's not risk-free: most contracts allow the HOA to charge late fees, send the account to collections, place a lien on the interest, and eventually foreclose on it, which can also affect your credit. Understand your specific contract's default and lien language, and consider a deed-back or resale first.

Do timeshare maintenance fees ever go down?

Rarely, and industry data shows a fairly steady upward trend over the past decade rather than any reversal. A fee might dip slightly in an unusually favorable budget year, but rising insurance and repair costs mean the long-term trajectory has been up almost every year reported by ARDA.

Sources

1. Florida Statutes, Section 624.6155, Property Insurance Stability Unit: Statutory basis for Florida's property insurance market monitoring affecting coastal resort insurance costs
2. FTC v. Timeshare Exit Team (Reed Hein & Associates, LLC), Case No. 2:19-cv-00131, W.D. Wash.: FTC enforcement action alleging deceptive upfront-fee practices by a timeshare exit company
3. Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 2518 (qualified disclaimers): Federal qualified disclaimer rule requiring a written disclaimer generally within nine months of death
4. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Explanation of what a timeshare is and the financial obligations involved, relevant to understanding maintenance fees and total cost of ownership
5. Internal Revenue Service: IRS Publication 527 addresses tax treatment of rental and personal-use property, relevant to whether timeshare maintenance fees or losses are deductible
6. Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute: FTC Act provision prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices, relevant to timeshare exit scam enforcement