How to get out of a Stoneridge timeshare (real options)

Last updated 2026-07-26

What is Stoneridge and what kind of timeshare am I dealing with?

Stoneridge is a name attached to several timeshare resort operations in the US, most commonly associated with mountain and resort-town properties sold as fixed-week, floating-week, or points-based interests. If your paperwork says "Stoneridge Resort," "Stoneridge Village," or something similar, the first thing to nail down is not the marketing name but the legal structure. Are you a deeded owner (you hold actual real property, recorded at a county recorder's office) or a right-to-use owner (you hold a contract for a set number of years, no deed)? This one question decides almost everything else about your exit strategy. Deeded interests can theoretically be sold, gifted, or deeded back like any other real property, though in practice the resale market for timeshare weeks is close to worthless. Right-to-use contracts usually can't be resold in any meaningful sense; your only real paths out are the developer's own surrender program, letting the contract lapse (rarely allowed early), or negotiating directly with the resort or its HOA. Pull your closing documents or contact the county recorder where the resort sits to confirm whether you're on a deed. If you can't find your paperwork, the resort's owner services line (not a third-party "transfer company") can usually tell you your ownership type and current maintenance fee status. If you're not sure which structure applies to you, our guide on how to get out of a timeshare walks through deeded versus right-to-use in more detail before you pick a strategy.

How to get out of a timeshare: the rescission window, first

Every state gives timeshare buyers a rescission period, a short window after signing where you can cancel for any reason and get your money back, no explanation required. This is your cleanest, cheapest, fastest exit, and it works regardless of whether your contract came from Stoneridge or anyone else. The catch: it's short. Some states give as few as 3 days, others go out to 15 days or more, and the clock usually starts at signing or at receipt of the public offering statement, not at your first payment. Because the exact number of days and the required cancellation method (certified mail, specific delivery address, notarized letter) differ by state, confirm your state's rescission window with your state attorney general's consumer protection office or the statute itself before you assume you've missed it. Florida gives purchasers a 10-day cancellation right under its timeshare act, and the notice must generally be sent by certified mail to the address specified in the contract, under Florida Statutes section 721.10, which states that a purchaser "has the right to cancel the contract until midnight of the 10th calendar day following whichever of the following days occurs later" among the listed triggering events ^[1]. Other states set their own day counts and procedural rules entirely, so don't rely on a number you heard from a friend who bought in a different state. If you're inside that window right now, stop reading guides about deed-backs and go send your cancellation notice today, following your contract's instructions exactly and keeping proof of mailing. If the window already closed, keep reading, because you still have real, non-scam options.

How do you get out of a timeshare once rescission has passed?

Once the rescission window closes, your options narrow to four realistic paths: a developer deed-back or surrender program, resale (including giving it away), stopping payment and accepting the consequences (not recommended without legal advice), or hiring a legitimate paid service to help you through one of the above. Deed-back and surrender programs are the most consumer-friendly option when they exist. Many resort companies and HOAs, facing rising foreclosure and delinquency rates on unwanted weeks, will now take a deeded interest back for free or a modest processing fee, provided your account is current on fees and (usually) has no mortgage balance left. Wyndham, Marriott Vacation Club, Bluegreen, and Diamond Resorts (now part of Hilton Grand Vacations) all run some version of this; ask Stoneridge's owner services directly whether an equivalent program exists for your resort, since program availability and eligibility rules vary by developer and even by resort within the same company. Resale rarely returns real money. Consumer reporting has long noted that timeshare interests typically resell, if they sell at all, for a small fraction of the original purchase price, and many owners end up giving weeks away for $1 or less just to shed the maintenance fee obligation. Sites built for licensed timeshare resale brokers or transfer agents (check your state's real estate licensing board for whether the site or broker is licensed to handle real property transfers in that state) are safer than random classifieds. If you're weighing deed-back against resale against a paid exit company, our comparison at timeshare cancellation breaks down the tradeoffs in more depth.

How to sell a Stoneridge timeshare (and why it's harder than you think)

Selling a timeshare, Stoneridge or otherwise, means finding a buyer willing to take on both the deed (or contract) and the annual maintenance fee obligation, which is a much harder sell than it sounds. The secondary market is flooded with sellers and starved for buyers, because anyone who wants timeshare-style vacations can usually rent one for less than the annual carrying cost of owning one. Practical steps if you want to try: 1. Get a payoff/lien statement from Stoneridge or its lender if you still owe money on the purchase; you generally can't transfer a deed with an outstanding loan unless the buyer assumes it, which almost nobody will do voluntarily. 2. Check whether the resort or HOA has a right of first refusal in your original contract; some do, meaning you must offer the resort the chance to buy it back before you sell to anyone else. 3. List with a licensed timeshare resale broker (verify the license with your state real estate commission) or a well-reviewed timeshare-specific marketplace, and price it realistically: often $0 to a few hundred dollars, not what you paid. 4. Never pay a large upfront "marketing fee" to a company promising a fast sale or a specific buyer already lined up; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has cautioned consumers to be wary of upfront-fee resale and relief pitches tied to timeshares ^[2]. If a straight sale isn't working, ask about donation. A handful of nonprofits and specialty timeshare-donation services will take a paid-off, fee-current deeded week off your hands, sometimes for a modest processing fee, which can be cheaper than years of maintenance fees on a week nobody wants.

How to get rid of a timeshare when nobody will buy it

When resale fails, and it usually does, deed-back to the developer is the next best free or low-cost option. Beyond that, unfortunately, the remaining paths get worse fast: quitclaim to a family member who doesn't want it either, hire a paid exit company, or default and let the resort foreclose. Default has real consequences and we're not going to sugarcoat it. Unpaid timeshare assessments can go to collections, get reported to credit bureaus, and in deeded-property states can end in foreclosure, which follows you like any other foreclosure on a credit report. Some HOAs will also pursue a deficiency judgment for unpaid fees even after foreclosure, depending on state law. Never stop paying fees you legally owe as a strategy; talk to a consumer law attorney or your state bar's lawyer referral service before taking that risk, since the right move depends heavily on your state and your specific contract. A legitimate paid exit path exists too, but it's thinner than the marketing suggests. Some consumers use self-directed toolkits (letter templates, deed-back request forms, state-specific rescission checklists) rather than paying a company thousands of dollars to "negotiate" with the resort on their behalf, since much of that negotiation is just filling out the resort's own surrender paperwork correctly and following up. ExitHonest sells a $149 one-time Timeshare Exit Kit built around that self-directed approach for owners who want structure without paying a exit company's typical fee; it's a tool, not a promise of any specific outcome, and it doesn't contact the resort for you. Whatever path you pick, run any company you're considering past our timeshare exit companies breakdown first, and check them against your state attorney general's consumer complaint database before paying anything.

Are timeshares scams? What the FTC and state regulators actually say

Timeshares themselves are legal products, regulated real estate or vacation-club interests, not inherently scams. But the industry around them has a long, well-documented history of high-pressure sales tactics, and a separate, more recent wave of exit scams that target owners desperate to get out. The Federal Trade Commission has brought enforcement actions against timeshare exit companies, including a 2021 case against Real Estate Solutions Now, LLC (formerly doing business as Timeshare Exit Team), over allegations that the operation charged large upfront fees, sometimes thousands of dollars, while doing little or nothing to actually cancel consumers' timeshares ^[2]. The FTC's filing in that matter describes advance-fee practices and misrepresentations about the company's ability to get consumers out of their contracts. Common red flags in the exit-scam space include a cold call claiming to have a "buyer already lined up" for your specific timeshare, demands for full payment before any work starts, pressure to wire money or pay by gift card, and claims that a "timeshare attorney network" can get you out in a fixed, promised timeframe. No legitimate company can promise a specific cancellation outcome, because results depend on your contract terms, your state's law, and the resort's own policies. Any company promising a sure result is telling you something false. For a fuller rundown of these patterns, see timeshare call list, which covers the specific scripts scam operations tend to use.

How much do timeshares cost, and how does that affect your exit strategy?

Average purchase price (new)	$22,942	ARDA 2023 [3]
Average annual maintenance fee	$1,170	ARDA 2023 [3]
Typical resale value	Near $0 to a few hundred dollars	Consumer resale market reporting
Rescission window	Varies by state (e.g., 10 days in Florida)	Fla. Stat. § 721.10 [1]

The average price of a timeshare interval purchased new is roughly $22,942, according to the American Resort Development Association's 2023 State of the Vacation Ownership Industry report ^[3]. That's the number that matters least to someone trying to get out; what matters is your ongoing maintenance fee, since that's the obligation that keeps accruing whether or not you ever use the week. The average annual maintenance fee across the industry was reported at $1,170 in that same ARDA data set ^[3], and fees typically rise a few percent a year, sometimes jumping sharply after a special assessment for storm damage, renovations, or a shortfall in the HOA's reserve fund. If your Stoneridge maintenance fee has jumped noticeably in the past year or two, ask the HOA directly for the reserve study and special assessment history; you're entitled to see the financials behind fee increases as an owner, and the answer often explains why resale demand for that resort has dried up. Here's the rough math that drives most exit decisions. If you paid $20,000 for a week and pay $1,200 a year in fees, and you have 20 more years of ownership ahead of you, you're looking at another $24,000 in fees on top of the purchase price, for a product that likely resells for near-zero. That math is exactly why deed-back and surrender programs have become more common industry-wide: it's often cheaper for the resort to take a paid-off week back than to chase a defaulting owner through foreclosure. | Cost type | Typical figure | Source |

How to check if Stoneridge has a deed-back or surrender program

Call or email Stoneridge owner services directly and ask, in plain language, whether the resort or its management company offers a deed-back, surrender, or "exit" program for current owners. Ask specifically whether your account needs to be fee-current and loan-free to qualify, since almost every developer program requires both. Many timeshare resorts, including smaller independent ones, have quietly rolled out these programs over the past several years because chasing delinquent accounts through collections and foreclosure is expensive and often nets the HOA little. If Stoneridge doesn't have a formal program, ask whether the HOA board will consider a one-off deed-back request anyway; HOA boards sometimes approve these case by case even without a published policy, especially for older owners or estates handling an inherited week nobody wants. Get any agreement in writing before you send a deed anywhere, and confirm in writing that accepting the deed-back releases you from all future maintenance fee obligations, more than the current year's balance. A verbal "sure, send it over" from a phone rep is not a release; get the terms in an email or letter with the resort's signature or account confirmation number attached.

What if I inherited a Stoneridge timeshare I never wanted?

Inherited timeshares are one of the most common reasons people end up stuck with an ownership they never chose, and the exit path depends on whether you've already accepted the inheritance or not. If the estate is still in probate and you haven't formally accepted the property, an executor can sometimes disclaim or decline the timeshare interest on behalf of the estate, though state probate law and the specific will terms govern whether that's possible; talk to the estate's probate attorney before taking any action. If you've already been deeded the interest and it's sitting in your name, you're now the owner with the same options as anyone else: deed-back request, resale, or (last resort) default. You are not personally obligated beyond what you inherited unless you've also taken on a related loan, but the resort can still pursue collections or place a lien against the property for unpaid fees while it sits in your name. One thing worth checking immediately: whether probate in your state requires you to formally reject the specific asset within a set time window, since disclaiming an unwanted inheritance (timeshare included) generally has to happen before you've accepted any benefit from it. This is state-specific and time-sensitive, so loop in an estate attorney early rather than guessing.

What should I do right now if I'm trying to exit a Stoneridge timeshare?

Start by figuring out exactly where you stand: rescission window open or closed, deeded or right-to-use, fees current or behind, loan paid off or not. That single set of facts determines which of the paths above actually applies to you. If you're inside your state's rescission window, send your written cancellation today by the method your contract specifies, and keep proof of delivery. If that window is closed, call Stoneridge owner services and ask directly about a deed-back or surrender program before you spend a dollar on any third party. If no program exists, try a licensed resale broker or donation option next, and treat any company demanding a large upfront fee as a red flag worth verifying with your state attorney general's office first. If you want a structured, self-directed way to organize the paperwork, letters, and deed-back requests without paying a full-service exit company's fee, that's exactly the gap ExitHonest's $149 Timeshare Exit Kit is built for. It doesn't promise any specific outcome (nothing legitimate can), but it gives you the templates and sequence to try the free and low-cost paths first, in the right order, before you consider anything more expensive.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get out of a timeshare if I'm past the rescission period?

Contact the resort about a deed-back or surrender program first, since it's usually free or low-cost if your fees are current. If that's not available, try a licensed resale broker or a donation program. Avoid any company charging a large upfront fee for a promised outcome; the FTC has pursued exit companies for this exact pattern.

How much does a timeshare cost on average?

The average new timeshare purchase price was $22,942 in 2023, according to ARDA's State of the Vacation Ownership Industry report, with average annual maintenance fees around $1,170. Actual prices range widely by resort, unit size, and season, and resale value is usually far lower than the original purchase price.

Can I just stop paying my Stoneridge maintenance fees to get out?

Don't do this without legal advice first. Unpaid fees can go to collections, hurt your credit, and in deeded-property states can lead to foreclosure or even a deficiency judgment depending on state law. Talk to a consumer attorney or your state bar's referral service before treating nonpayment as an exit strategy.

Are timeshares scams?

Timeshares are legal products, not inherently scams, though sales practices in the industry have drawn long-standing criticism for high pressure. The bigger scam risk today is in the exit industry: the FTC has pursued companies that charged large upfront fees and delivered little or nothing in return.

How do I sell my timeshare if nobody wants to buy it?

List with a licensed resale broker (verify licensing with your state real estate commission), price realistically since resale value is often near zero, and consider donation if a paid-off, fee-current week qualifies. Check your contract for a right-of-first-refusal clause requiring you to offer the resort first.

What is a rescission period and does Stoneridge have one?

A rescission period is a short legal window after signing where any timeshare buyer, at any resort including Stoneridge, can cancel for any reason and get a refund. The exact number of days and required cancellation method depend on your state's law, so confirm your specific state's rescission window rather than assuming a number.

What happens if I inherit a Stoneridge timeshare I don't want?

If the estate hasn't formally accepted the property yet, an executor may be able to disclaim it in probate, depending on state law and the will's terms. If you've already been deeded the interest, you have the same exit options as any owner: deed-back request, resale, or donation. Talk to an estate attorney early.

How do I know if Stoneridge offers a deed-back program?

Call or email Stoneridge owner services directly and ask specifically about deed-back or surrender programs. Most programs require your account to be current on fees and free of any loan balance. Get any approval in writing, including confirmation that it releases you from future maintenance fee obligations.

Is it worth paying a timeshare exit company to help me get out?

It depends on the company and what they actually do. Many exit companies charge thousands of dollars for work that amounts to filling out the resort's own surrender paperwork. Verify any company with your state attorney general's consumer complaint database before paying, and never pay large fees upfront for a promised result.

How much do timeshare exit companies typically charge?

Fees vary widely and aren't standardized industry-wide, so there's no single reliable number to quote; FTC litigation against one large exit operation described upfront charges running into the thousands of dollars per consumer. Because of this variability, get any fee structure in writing and confirm the company's standing with your state attorney general before paying anything.

Can I transfer my Stoneridge timeshare to someone else for free?

Sometimes, if you find a willing recipient (family member, friend, or a timeshare-specific giveaway listing) and the deed has no outstanding loan attached. You'll still need to follow your state's deed transfer process and check whether the contract requires the resort's approval or a right-of-first-refusal step before transfer.

Sources

1. Florida Statutes, Timeshare Act, cancellation rights: Florida gives timeshare purchasers a 10-day cancellation right, generally requiring certified mail notice to the address specified in the contract
2. FTC v. Real Estate Solutions Now, LLC (d/b/a Timeshare Exit Team), Case No. 2:21-cv-01521 (D. Ariz. 2021): FTC enforcement action alleged a timeshare exit company charged large upfront fees while doing little or nothing to cancel consumers' timeshares
3. American Resort Development Association (ARDA), State of the Vacation Ownership Industry 2023: Average U.S. timeshare purchase price was $22,942 and average annual maintenance fee was $1,170
4. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database: Consumers can search and file complaints about timeshare-related resale and exit companies through the CFPB's public complaint database
5. California Civil Code Section 11238 (timeshare cancellation rights): California law sets a statutory cancellation period and required notice procedure for timeshare purchase contracts, distinct from Florida's rule
6. Federal Trade Commission, Telemarketing Sales Rule, 16 CFR Part 310: Federal telemarketing rules restrict collecting advance fees for services promising debt relief or contract cancellation results, a pattern mirrored in timeshare exit scam complaints