Last updated 2026-07-24
TL;DR
Getting out of a timeshare usually means one of three paths: rescind fast if you're still inside your state's cancellation window, use a developer deed-back or resale if you own free and clear, or hire vetted legal help if the developer won't take it back. Skip any company demanding a big upfront fee with no verifiable track record.
How do you get out of a timeshare?
There's no single button that gets you out. What you actually have is a short list of legitimate exits, and which one applies depends on how new your contract is, whether you still owe money, and whether the resort has a deed-back or surrender program. First, check the date on your contract. Every state that regulates timeshares gives buyers a rescission period, a window of days after signing when you can cancel for any reason and get your money back. Miss it, and you're a full owner subject to the contract terms. Second, if you're past rescission, look at what you actually own. A deeded week in a struggling resort with high fees is a different problem than a points-based contract with a big developer. Many large developers (Marriott Vacation Club, Hilton Grand Vacations, Wyndham) run their own deed-back or "exit" programs for owners current on fees. [1] Third, if the developer won't take it back and you can't sell it, you're looking at either living with it, letting it go through foreclosure (with real credit and tax consequences), or paying for help, ideally a licensed attorney who works on a flat fee or milestone basis, not a large nonrefundable retainer collected before any work starts. The Federal Trade Commission's consumer guidance is blunt about the order of operations: check your rescission rights first, contact the resort directly about its exit or resale programs second, and be skeptical of any third party that contacts you unsolicited promising a fast exit. [2]
How to get out of a timeshare during the rescission period
If you just signed, this is your best and cheapest option. Every state's rescission window is short, often measured in days, not weeks, and the clock usually starts the day you sign or the day you receive the last required disclosure document, depending on the state. Florida gives buyers 10 calendar days to cancel a timeshare contract, and the notice of cancellation must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, per Florida Statutes section 721.10. [3] California's window is 7 calendar days under its Vacation Ownership and Time-Share Act. [2] Other states set their own number, ranging from about 3 to 15 days, so confirm your state's rescission window before you assume you're covered. To rescind properly: follow the contract's written cancellation instructions exactly, send notice by a trackable method (certified mail is standard and recommended by the FTC), keep copies of everything, and do it before midnight of the last eligible day, not the day you decide to call the salesperson. [2] Don't just call and ask to cancel. Verbal cancellation with no paper trail is the single most common way people miss out on a rescission they were legally entitled to. For a full state-by-state breakdown of exact day counts and notice requirements, see how to get out of a timeshare and timeshare cancellation.
How to sell a timeshare (and why it's harder than you think)
Timeshares almost never resell for anything close to what you paid. State attorney general consumer guidance and industry resale data both point to the same pattern: the resale market is thin, buyers know it, and secondhand units routinely list for a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, sometimes literally $1, because sellers just want the maintenance fee obligation gone. [4] [4] To sell legitimately: list through a licensed real estate agent in the resort's state (timeshare transfers are real property transactions in most deeded systems and typically require a licensed broker), or use the resort's own verified resale marketplace if it has one. Never pay a large upfront "marketing fee" to a company that cold-called you claiming it has a buyer already lined up. That's one of the oldest patterns the FTC warns about. [2] Realistic expectations matter here. If your maintenance fees are $1,200 a year and rising, and the unit is worth $500 on the resale market, selling still gets you out of decades of future increases. That's often worth more than the sale price itself. Points-based contracts (Wyndham, Bluegreen, Diamond legacy contracts) are generally harder to sell than deeded weeks because buyers need developer approval to transfer points into their own account, and many developers restrict or block transfers of resale-acquired points from certain benefits.
How to get rid of a timeshare when nobody wants to buy it
When resale isn't realistic, three paths remain: deed-back to the developer, professional (vetted) transfer assistance, or, as a last resort, walking away and accepting foreclosure. A deed-back (sometimes called a surrender or "exit program") means the developer takes the deed back, usually requiring you to be current on maintenance fees and sometimes charging an administrative fee. Marriott Vacation Club's exit program and Hilton Grand Vacations' Ovation return program are examples of developer-run paths that exist specifically because developers would rather take a unit back cleanly than deal with an owner in default. [1] If the developer says no and you have no other options, some owners use licensed timeshare attorneys who negotiate directly with the resort or handle the deed transfer through legal channels, often on a flat-fee basis you can verify in writing before paying anything. Walking away without any of this, simply stopping payment and letting the resort foreclose, is a real option some owners take, but it comes with consequences: potential damage to your credit, possible collections activity, and in some states a deficiency judgment for unpaid fees. This article isn't telling you to stop paying anything you currently owe; talk to a licensed attorney in your state about what foreclosure or default would actually mean for your specific contract before choosing that path. For a plain walkthrough of these choices side by side, see how to get out of timeshare and how do you get out of a timeshare.
Are timeshares scams?
The timeshare product itself is legal and regulated in every state that sells them; it's not inherently a scam, but the sales process and the exit industry around it both have real, well-documented scam problems. On the sales side, state attorneys general have sued developers over high-pressure sales tactics, and Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (which regulates timeshare sales practices) publishes consumer complaint guidance because the volume of complaints is high enough to warrant it. On the exit side, the scam is usually the "exit company," not the timeshare. The FTC has brought enforcement actions against timeshare exit and resale companies that charged large upfront fees, sometimes thousands of dollars, and delivered nothing. In one case, the FTC obtained a settlement against Timeshare Exit Team and related defendants, alleging the operation charged consumers illegal upfront fees for services it did not perform. So the honest answer is: the ownership product is not a scam in the legal sense, it's a real, if often overpriced, form of vacation real estate. But you should treat unsolicited exit offers, especially ones demanding payment before any work is done, as a scam risk until proven otherwise.
How much is a timeshare? What do timeshares cost?
| Developer purchase price | $15,000 to $50,000+ | Varies by brand, size, season [4] |
|---|---|---|
| Resale price (same unit) | $500 to $5,000, sometimes $1 | Weak resale market [4] |
| Average annual maintenance fee | ~$1,260/year | Industry data, rises yearly [4] |
| Special assessment | $300 to $5,000+ | One-time, no contractual cap |
| Rescission window | 3 to 15 days by state | Confirm your specific state |
Upfront purchase prices vary enormously depending on brand, unit size, season, and whether you buy from the developer or resale. Industry surveys have put the average price paid for a timeshare interval somewhere in the range of roughly $17,000 to $24,000 in recent years, though resale prices for the same contract are often 70-90% lower. [4] Annual maintenance fees are the recurring cost that drives most people to look for an exit. Industry consumer research has placed the average annual maintenance fee at approximately $1,260, and fees are contractually allowed to rise with inflation, renovation costs, and special assessments the HOA-style resort association votes on. [4] Special assessments are the wildcard. These are one-time charges on top of the regular maintenance fee, often for storm damage, major renovations, or litigation costs, and they can run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand in a single year, with no cap in most contracts. | Cost type | Typical range | Notes |
How much are timeshares really worth after you own one?
Almost nothing on the open market, and that's the core problem owners run into when they try to exit. A unit that cost $25,000 from the developer might list for $2,000 or less on a resale site five years later, not because anything is wrong with the resort, but because supply of unwanted timeshares vastly exceeds buyer demand. This matters for your exit strategy. If you're calculating whether to pay someone to help you get out, compare that cost against the total future maintenance fees you'd otherwise owe, not against what you originally paid. A $149 to $2,000 exit-help cost against $1,260 a year in rising fees for the next 20 years is a very different equation than trying to recoup a $25,000 purchase price. Don't fall for a company that appraises your timeshare at anywhere near its original purchase price and offers to "sell" it for you for an upfront fee. If a listing agent quotes you a resale value close to what you paid, get a second opinion before paying anything.
How do I know if an exit company is legitimate or a scam?
Legitimate help looks boring: clear flat fees disclosed in writing, no guarantee of a specific outcome, and no demand for full payment before any work happens. Scam operations look exciting: a caller who already knows details about your contract, urgency ("this offer expires today"), and a large upfront payment, sometimes $3,000 to $10,000, before anything is filed. The FTC's guidance is direct: "Before you pay anyone to help you get out of your timeshare, check them out with your state Attorney General and local consumer protection agency." [2] That's a two-minute step that catches most bad actors, because legitimate firms have public complaint histories you can find, and shell companies usually don't have any history at all, or have a trail of complaints under a different name. Other red flags worth naming specifically: a company that says it can guarantee cancellation of your deed (no legitimate firm can guarantee an outcome that depends on a third party's cooperation), a company that tells you to stop paying your maintenance fees while it "works" (this can trigger foreclosure and credit damage before any exit is complete), and a company that won't put its fee structure in writing before you sign anything. Check any company against your state Attorney General's consumer complaint database and the Better Business Bureau before paying a cent. For a running list of companies with public complaint histories worth researching before you sign with anyone, see timeshare exit companies and timeshare call list.
What if I inherited a timeshare I never wanted?
You generally have options the original owner didn't always know about: disclaim the inheritance before accepting the estate asset, or accept it and then pursue deed-back, resale, or exit help afterward. Under most state probate law, an heir can file a formal disclaimer of an inherited interest within a set period (federal tax law recognizes a disclaimer filed within 9 months of the decedent's death under Internal Revenue Code section 2518, which many states' probate disclaimer statutes mirror for state property law purposes). If you disclaim properly and in time, the timeshare passes as if you never inherited it, and you owe nothing on it going forward. If the estate has already been settled and the deed transferred to you, you're a regular owner now, subject to the same fee obligations as anyone else, and your exit paths are the same ones covered above: developer deed-back, resale, or vetted legal help. Talk to the estate's probate attorney before assuming you're stuck. Disclaiming an unwanted inheritance is a routine, well-established legal tool, not a workaround, and it costs far less than accepting the timeshare and trying to exit it later.
What does a legitimate timeshare exit actually cost, and what should I do first?
Costs for legitimate help range widely: a flat-fee attorney consultation might run a few hundred dollars, a full deed-transfer service through a licensed provider might run somewhere in the low thousands, and developer deed-back programs sometimes charge a modest administrative fee or nothing at all if you're current on payments. Before paying anyone, do these three things in order. Read your original contract and note the exact rescission deadline and required cancellation method. Call the resort or developer directly and ask, in writing, whether they have a deed-back, surrender, or certified resale program for owners in good standing. Check any third party you're considering hiring against your state Attorney General's office and the FTC's consumer guidance. [2] If you decide you want a structured, step-by-step framework instead of piecing this together yourself, that's the kind of prep work ExitHonest's $149 one-time Exit Kit is built for: it walks you through documenting your contract, drafting the right requests to the resort, and avoiding the upfront-fee scam pattern, without charging you thousands or promising an outcome no one can guarantee. You can start at exit-kit-builder. Whatever path you take, keep paying what you currently owe under your contract until you have something in writing (a rescission confirmation, an accepted deed-back, or a closed sale) that actually ends the obligation. Stopping payment early, before an exit is final, is the single most common way owners turn a fee problem into a credit and collections problem.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get out of a timeshare I no longer want?
Check your rescission deadline first (it's short, often 3 to 15 days depending on state law). If that's passed, contact the resort about a deed-back or surrender program, try a licensed resale agent, or consult a licensed attorney. Avoid any company demanding a large upfront fee before doing any work; verify them with your state Attorney General first.
Can you just walk away from a timeshare?
You can stop paying, but the resort can then pursue foreclosure, report to collections, and in some states seek a deficiency judgment for unpaid fees. It's not a clean exit, and it can damage your credit for years. Talk to a licensed attorney about the actual consequences in your state before choosing this route over a deed-back or sale.
How much does it cost to get out of a timeshare?
It varies widely: developer deed-back programs sometimes charge little or nothing for owners current on fees, licensed attorneys may charge a few hundred to a few thousand dollars flat fee, and resale typically nets you little to nothing on the sale itself. Be wary of any exit company quoting $3,000 to $10,000 upfront with no verifiable track record.
Are timeshares a scam?
The ownership product itself is legal and regulated, though often overpriced and hard to resell. The bigger scam risk is in the exit industry: the FTC has taken enforcement action against companies that charged large upfront fees and delivered nothing. Research any company with your state Attorney General before paying anything.
How much does a timeshare cost per year?
Industry consumer research puts average annual maintenance fees at roughly $1,260, and that number typically rises each year with inflation and renovation costs. Special assessments on top of that can add anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars in a given year, with no contractual cap in most agreements.
How do I sell my timeshare?
List with a licensed real estate agent in the resort's state, or use the resort's own verified resale marketplace if one exists. Expect a low sale price, often a few hundred to a few thousand dollars regardless of your original purchase price. Never pay a large upfront fee to a company claiming it already has a buyer lined up.
What is the rescission period for a timeshare?
It's the short window after signing when you can cancel for any reason and get a refund, and it varies by state: Florida gives 10 calendar days under Florida Statutes 721.10, California gives 7 days under its Vacation Ownership and Time-Share Act. Confirm your specific state's rule and follow the contract's exact cancellation instructions.
Can I get out of a timeshare after the rescission period ends?
Yes, but it's harder. Your main routes are a developer deed-back or surrender program, resale through a licensed agent, or working with a licensed attorney if the resort won't take it back. There's no legal path to cancel a valid contract outside rescission just because you've changed your mind.
What happens if I stop paying my timeshare maintenance fees?
The resort can send the account to collections, report delinquency that affects your credit, and in many contracts pursue foreclosure on the deeded interest, which can also carry tax consequences. Some states allow a deficiency judgment for the remaining balance. Don't stop paying without first talking to a licensed attorney about your specific contract.
Do timeshare exit companies really work?
Some legitimate ones do, using deed-back negotiation or legal transfer services with clear flat fees. Others are scams that collect large upfront payments and never deliver, a pattern the FTC has specifically pursued in enforcement actions. Check any company's complaint history with your state Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau before paying.
Can I get rid of an inherited timeshare?
Yes. If the estate isn't settled yet, you may be able to formally disclaim the inheritance so it never transfers to you, which some states' probate law allows within a set period after death. If you've already inherited it, you're a normal owner and the standard exit paths (deed-back, resale, legal help) apply.
How long does it take to get out of a timeshare?
Rescission, if you're still inside the window, can be done in a day: send certified mail and it's over once the resort processes it. Deed-back programs and legal transfers typically take weeks to a few months. Resale can take much longer, sometimes a year or more, given the weak secondary market for most timeshare units.
Sources
- Hilton Grand Vacations, Ovation Program information: Developer-run surrender/return program for Hilton Grand Vacations owners
- Florida Statutes, Section 721.10: Florida gives buyers 10 calendar days to cancel a timeshare contract via certified mail
- California Business and Professions Code, Vacation Ownership and Time-Share Act, Section 11238: California gives buyers a 7 calendar day rescission period for timeshare contracts
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Timeshare consumer complaint guidance: Florida regulates timeshare sales practices and publishes consumer complaint guidance
- Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. Section 2518: Federal law recognizes a qualified disclaimer of an inherited interest if filed within 9 months of death