Getting out of timeshare contracts: your real options

Last updated 2026-07-25

How do you get out of a timeshare?

There are basically five doors out, and they work in a specific order of cheapest-and-fastest to slowest-and-most-expensive. Try them in this order, because skipping ahead usually costs you money you didn't need to spend. First, check if you're still inside your state's rescission period (sometimes called a cooling-off period). If you signed recently, this is free and simple: you send a written cancellation notice and the contract unwinds. Second, ask the resort directly about a deed-back or surrender program. Many major chains now take deeds back for a small transfer fee or even free, especially if your maintenance fees are current. Third, try to sell or give away the timeshare on the resale market, understanding that most timeshares resell for a fraction of purchase price, if they sell at all. Fourth, consider a licensed timeshare attorney or a legitimate exit firm if the first three don't work, but vet them hard before paying anything. Fifth, in narrow cases, a lender may work with you if you're behind on a timeshare loan, though this is closer to default territory and it will hurt your credit. The Federal Trade Commission's consumer guidance warns owners to be careful before paying anyone to get out of a timeshare, noting that resale and exit promises are a common source of complaints, and that owners should check out any company before paying it money ^[1]. That caution is earned. There is no button anyone can push to make a timeshare vanish instantly, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. If you want a structured walkthrough of the rescission step specifically, we cover it in detail in how to get out of a timeshare.

How to get out of a timeshare during the rescission window

Every state that regulates timeshares gives buyers a short window after signing to cancel for any reason, no explanation needed, full refund. This is your cheapest and cleanest exit, but the clock is short and it varies a lot by state, so confirm your state's rescission window before you assume you know the deadline. Some examples of how differently these windows are written: California requires timeshare contracts to disclose a cancellation period and requires it be conspicuously stated in the purchase documents ^[2]. Florida law gives purchasers a rescission period tied to the date of the contract or the date of receipt of the public offering statement, whichever is later ^[2]. Wisconsin's timeshare law spells out a 5-business-day rescission right, running from whichever comes later, contract signing or receipt of required disclosures ^[3]. These numbers move between roughly 3 and 15 days across states, so treat any number you find online (including this one) as a starting point, then verify with your own state's statute or your state attorney general's consumer page. To cancel correctly: - Put it in writing. Don't just call. Follow the notice method the contract specifies (certified mail, return receipt, is the safest bet even if not required).

• Keep a copy of everything, dated, with proof of mailing.
• Send it to the exact address named in the contract for cancellation notices, not the sales office.
• Do this before the deadline in your contract, not the deadline you think your state uses. Contracts sometimes give you more time than the statutory minimum, but never less. If you're past this window, you're not out of options, you've just moved to slower, harder options. See our full breakdown at timeshare cancellation.

How much is a timeshare, and how much do timeshares cost long term?

Purchase price (deeded week)	$10,000 to $40,000+ (avg. $24,140)	One-time [4]
Annual maintenance fee	$1,000 to $2,000+ (avg. $1,313)	Every year, rises over time [4]
Special assessment	A few hundred to several thousand dollars	Irregular, as needed
Resale value	Often near $0 to a few hundred dollars	One-time, if it sells at all	This math is exactly why so many owners look for an exit years or decades after purchase. The thing you bought for vacation flexibility becomes a fixed annual bill that outlives the vacations you actually take.

The upfront price is only half the number that matters. The other half is what you pay every single year for as long as you own it, and that number tends to go up, not down. According to the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the average timeshare purchase price was $24,140 in 2023, and the average annual maintenance fee was $1,313 ^[4]. That maintenance fee is not optional and it's not fixed. It's set annually by the resort or the homeowners' association, and it typically rises faster than general inflation because it covers renovation reserves, insurance, and rising labor and utility costs at the property. On top of the base fee, owners can get hit with special assessments, one-time charges for major repairs (a new roof, storm damage, a lobby renovation) that aren't covered by the reserve fund. These can run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand in a single year, with no advance planning possible on the owner's side. | Cost type | Typical range | Frequency |

How to sell a timeshare (and why it's harder than selling a house)

You can sell a timeshare, but you need to reset your expectations about price before you start. Most timeshares resell for far less than the original purchase price, and a meaningful share list for $1 or effectively nothing, because the real cost buyers are worried about is the annual fee they'd be taking on, not the value of the week itself. Legitimate ways to sell: - List on established timeshare resale marketplaces or points-based exchange resale boards, priced realistically (search recent completed sales for your resort, not asking prices).

• Contact the resort directly. Some developers run their own certified resale or transfer programs and prefer buyers come through them rather than gray-market transfers.
• Use a licensed real estate agent who specifically handles timeshare resales in your state, understanding they'll take a commission.
• Consider simply giving it away for $0 to $1 if a family member or another owner wants it, which at least gets your name off the deed and stops future fees, but confirm the HOA allows a straightforward transfer and doesn't require an inspection or resort approval first. What to avoid: any company that asks for a large upfront "listing fee" or "transfer fee" before they've found a buyer, especially if they contacted you first. This is one of the most common scam patterns in the timeshare resale space, and we cover it fully below and in timeshare exit companies. One honest note: if your timeshare has a mortgage balance still owed, you generally can't sell or deed it away until that loan is paid off or the buyer assumes it, and most buyers won't assume a loan. That changes the math substantially, and it's often the real reason a "free" transfer isn't actually free.

How to get rid of a timeshare through a deed-back or surrender program

A deed-back (also called a surrender program, or take-back program) is when the resort or developer agrees to accept the deed back from you, ending your ownership and your future fee obligations. This is often the best realistic outcome if you're past rescission and can't sell. Several major timeshare companies have run formal surrender or deed-back programs in recent years, sometimes for free, sometimes for a modest processing fee, especially if your account is current on fees and free of a mortgage balance. Terms and eligibility vary a lot by brand and even by resort within the same brand, and programs open and close over time, so you have to call and ask what's currently available rather than assume based on something you read once. What resorts typically want before they'll take a deed back: - The mortgage, if any, paid off in full. Very few programs will take back a timeshare with a loan balance still owed.

• Maintenance fees current, or a plan to bring them current as part of the deal.
• Sometimes a modest transfer or administrative fee, generally far smaller than what a paid exit company would charge. The deed-back route works because it costs the resort less to take a low-value week back and resell it than to fight collections against an owner for years. It's not charity. But it is often the cleanest legal exit available to an owner who's past rescission and stuck with a property they can't sell and don't want. If your resort doesn't currently offer one, ask anyway, in writing, and keep records of the response. Policies shift, and being the owner who asked politely and kept a paper trail tends to get further than the owner who calls angry every few months.

Are timeshares scams?

The timeshare itself, as a legal product, is not automatically a scam. It's a real form of vacation ownership, regulated under state real estate and timeshare law, and millions of people own one without incident. That said, two very different things get called "timeshare scams," and it's worth keeping them separate. First: the original sales pitch. Aggressive, high-pressure sales presentations that overstate resale value, use scarcity tactics ("this price is only good today"), or downplay the maintenance fee obligation are a long-documented pattern in the industry, and multiple state attorneys general have brought enforcement actions over deceptive timeshare sales practices over the years. This doesn't mean every sale is deceptive, but the pressure-tactic playbook is real and well known. Second, and more urgent for owners today: exit scams. These target people who already own a timeshare and want out. A company cold-calls or emails you, claims to have a buyer lined up or a supposedly foolproof legal method to cancel your contract, and asks for a large upfront fee, sometimes thousands of dollars, before doing any actual work. The FTC has sued timeshare exit companies for exactly this pattern; in one case, the agency's complaint against Timeshare Exit Team alleged the company collected more than $60 million from consumers while often failing to cancel their timeshares as promised, and the settlement permanently banned the operators from the timeshare exit business. Red flags in an exit offer: - Unsolicited contact (they called you, you didn't call them).

• Pressure to pay today, or a big discount for paying today.
• A promise that your contract will definitely be canceled, full stop, with no service specifics.
• A request for payment by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency.
• Refusal to put fee structure and refund policy in writing before you pay anything. The honest answer is that some timeshare exit companies are legitimate and provide real, if slow, help; others are the scam layered on top of the original problem. Vet any company through your state attorney general's consumer complaint database and the Better Business Bureau before paying anything, and never pay the full fee upfront if you can arrange to pay in stages tied to completed work.

How to sell timeshare property when there's still a loan balance

This is the situation that traps the most owners, and it deserves its own answer because the advice changes completely once a loan is involved. If you financed your timeshare purchase and still owe on that loan, you generally cannot deed it back, sell it, or give it away until the loan is satisfied, because the lender holds a security interest and the resort won't accept a deed with a lien attached. Buyers, even people willing to take a timeshare for free, almost never want to also assume your loan balance. Your realistic paths here: - Pay off the loan, then pursue deed-back or resale as normal. Obviously not everyone can do this.

• Continue making payments as agreed while you pursue other exit routes in parallel; stopping payment early doesn't erase the debt, it just adds late fees, damages your credit, and can lead to collections or foreclosure on the timeshare interest, depending on your state and contract.
• Contact the lender (sometimes the resort's own finance arm, sometimes a third-party lender) and ask directly what workout options exist. Some resorts will discuss a reduced payoff in exchange for a faster deed-back, especially for older or lower-demand weeks. This isn't a sure thing and depends entirely on the specific lender and resort. We are not telling you to stop paying what you owe. Missing payments on a timeshare loan can lead to the same kind of collection activity and credit damage as missing payments on any other secured loan, and in some states timeshare interests can be foreclosed similarly to a home mortgage. If you're financially unable to keep paying, talk to a housing or debt counselor and a consumer law attorney in your state before deciding what to do, rather than guessing.

What does a legitimate timeshare exit process actually look like?

Assuming you're past rescission, here's the honest sequence, in the order most owners should actually try it. Step one: gather your documents. Find the original purchase contract, the deed or the points certificate, your most recent maintenance fee statement, and any loan paperwork. You cannot make a good decision, or get good help, without knowing exactly what you own and what you owe. Step two: call the resort or management company and ask, plainly, "do you have a deed-back or surrender program, and what are the requirements?" Write down who you spoke with, the date, and what they said. Ask them to send anything they told you in writing. Step three: if there's no deed-back available and you want to try resale, get a realistic sense of value first. Search recently completed (more than listed) sales for your specific resort and week or points package on a resale marketplace, so you don't chase a price nobody will pay. Step four: if resale and deed-back both fail, and you decide to look at a paid exit service or an attorney, check them against your state attorney general's consumer complaint page and the Better Business Bureau profile before paying anything, and insist on a written contract that spells out exactly what they will do, for what fee, with what refund policy if they fail. Step five: keep paying your maintenance fees and any loan payments while you work through steps one through four, unless and until you have a signed deed-back agreement or a completed sale that formally removes you from ownership. An unresolved exit attempt does not pause your obligations under the contract. Doing your own homework here, in order, before paying anyone a large fee, is genuinely the biggest lever you have. Some owners handle every one of these steps themselves with a folder of documents and a few phone calls. Others prefer a structured checklist and template letters so they're not guessing at wording or missing a documentation step; that's the kind of prep work our $149 one-time Exit Kit Builder is built around, at /exit-kit-builder, organizing the letters, timelines, and document checklist so you walk into the deed-back or resale conversation prepared instead of improvising.

What if I inherited a timeshare I never wanted?

Inherited timeshares are a specific, common mess, because the estate, and sometimes the heir personally, can be on the hook for ongoing fees even if nobody wants the week. When a timeshare owner dies, the ownership typically passes through their estate like any other property, meaning it goes through probate unless it was held in a trust or had a named beneficiary designation. If you're an heir and you don't want the timeshare, you generally have the right to disclaim the inheritance, formally refusing it, which in most states must be done in writing and within a specific time limit, and once disclaimed you're treated as though you never inherited it. Disclaimer law and deadlines are set at the state level, so check your state's probate code or talk to a probate attorney about the specific disclaimer procedure and deadline where the estate is being administered. If the estate has already accepted the timeshare or the deadline to disclaim has passed, the estate itself (not necessarily you personally) is usually responsible for the fees until the property is formally deeded away, sold, or handled through the deed-back process above. Don't assume you're personally liable just because your name is attached to a deceased relative's estate; talk to the estate's executor or an estate attorney about what the estate actually owes versus what falls on heirs personally, since this varies by contract and by state law. The practical move is usually the same as any other unwanted timeshare: contact the resort about a deed-back for the estate, and don't let anyone rush an heir into signing anything under time pressure before that's confirmed.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get out of a timeshare contract fast?

The only genuinely fast, free exit is canceling during your state's rescission window, typically a matter of days after signing. Send written cancellation to the exact address named in your contract, before the deadline, and keep proof of mailing. Confirm your specific state's rescission window and required notice method rather than assuming a generic day count applies to you.

Can I just stop paying my timeshare maintenance fees?

You shouldn't, without a plan. Stopping payment doesn't erase the obligation; it typically triggers late fees, collections activity, credit damage, and in some states can lead to foreclosure on the timeshare interest. If you can't afford the fees, pursue a deed-back, resale, or contact the resort about options, while getting guidance from a consumer law attorney or housing counselor on your specific state's rules.

Are timeshares a scam?

Timeshares themselves are a legal, regulated product, not inherently a scam, though aggressive sales tactics are a well-documented industry pattern. The bigger scam risk today targets existing owners: companies that cold-call promising a supposedly sure-fire cancellation for a large upfront fee. The FTC sued Timeshare Exit Team for allegedly collecting over $60 million from consumers while often failing to deliver promised cancellations, and banned the operators from the industry ^[6].

How much does a timeshare cost, on average?

ARDA reported an average purchase price of $24,140 in 2023, plus an average annual maintenance fee of $1,313 that year ^[5]. Maintenance fees typically rise over time and don't include occasional special assessments for major repairs, which can add several hundred to several thousand dollars in a single year.

How do I sell my timeshare?

List it on an established timeshare resale marketplace at a realistic price based on recently completed sales, not asking prices, or ask the resort about a certified resale or transfer program. Expect a low sale price or none at all; many timeshares resell for a few hundred dollars or less. Avoid any company demanding a large upfront fee before finding a buyer.

What is a deed-back program and how do I ask for one?

A deed-back (or surrender) program lets you return the deed to the resort, ending your ownership and future fee obligations, usually requiring the loan paid off and fees current. Call the resort's owner services line, ask directly if a deed-back or surrender program exists, and request the requirements in writing.

How long is the rescission period for canceling a timeshare?

It varies by state, generally landing somewhere between about 3 and 15 days from signing or from receiving required disclosure documents, whichever comes later under your state's specific statute. Wisconsin, for example, sets a 5-business-day rescission right ^[4]. Always confirm your own state's rescission window and your contract's stated cancellation procedure rather than relying on a number you saw elsewhere.

What happens if I inherited a timeshare and don't want it?

You generally have the right to formally disclaim an inheritance, including a timeshare, in writing and within a deadline set by your state's probate law, which treats you as though you never inherited it. If the deadline has passed or the estate already accepted it, talk to the estate's executor or a probate attorney about whether the estate, not you personally, holds the ongoing fee obligation.

Can a timeshare exit company guarantee they'll cancel my contract?

No legitimate company can honestly promise a sure cancellation, and any such promise should be treated as a red flag. The FTC's own case against Timeshare Exit Team centered on exactly this kind of unmet promise, with the company allegedly failing to deliver cancellations it guaranteed ^[6]. Vet any company through your state attorney general's consumer complaint database and the Better Business Bureau, and never pay a large fee entirely upfront.

Will getting out of a timeshare hurt my credit?

It depends on the method. A clean rescission cancellation or a completed deed-back generally has no credit impact. Missing loan payments, going to collections, or a timeshare foreclosure can hurt your credit significantly, similarly to defaulting on any other secured debt, so keep making payments while you pursue a formal exit.

What upfront fees should I never pay to exit a timeshare?

Be very wary of any large payment (often thousands of dollars) demanded before an exit company has done any documented work, especially if they contacted you first or asked for wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. Legitimate deed-back programs typically involve modest, disclosed processing fees, not large advance payments tied to vague promises.

Do all timeshare resorts offer a deed-back or surrender option?

No. Deed-back and surrender programs vary by resort and brand, change over time, and usually require the loan paid off and fees current. Some resorts offer none at all. You have to call and ask directly what's currently available rather than assume based on general industry news or another owner's experience at a different resort.

Sources

1. Federal Trade Commission, "Timeshares and Vacation Plans" consumer guidance: FTC guidance warning owners to check out companies and be cautious before paying anyone to get out of a timeshare
2. California Business and Professions Code, Timeshare provisions: California requires timeshare contracts to conspicuously disclose the cancellation/rescission period
3. Florida Statutes Section 721.10, Vacation and Timesharing Plans: Florida's timeshare rescission period runs from the contract date or receipt of the public offering statement, whichever is later
4. Wisconsin Statutes Section 707.47, Time-share law: Wisconsin sets a 5-business-day rescission right for timeshare purchasers
5. Federal Trade Commission, "FTC Action Leads to Permanent Ban for Timeshare Exit Team Operators": FTC enforcement action against a timeshare exit company for taking upfront fees without delivering promised cancellations