Timeshare exit terms, explained
Deed-back, surrender, exit program, right-to-use, maintenance fees, special assessment, certified mail: the terms you will meet when leaving a timeshare, defined in plain language.
The language around leaving a timeshare is confusing on purpose as often as by accident. These are the terms you are most likely to meet, defined plainly. None of this is legal advice; it is vocabulary.
Timeshare interest. What you actually own: either a deeded fraction of real property (a "deeded week" or "deeded interest") or a contractual right to use a property for a period of years (see right-to-use). Which one you have is on your contract, and it changes what leaving looks like.
Deeded timeshare. A timeshare that is real property, recorded with the county like a house. Transferring it means transferring a deed.
Right-to-use (RTU). A timeshare that is a contract, not property. You have the right to use the resort for a set term, often 20 to 99 years, after which the right expires. Common outside the United States, including at many resorts in Mexico, where different consumer-protection rules apply.
Points-based membership. A timeshare where you own points in a club or trust rather than a specific week. Underneath, it is usually a deeded or right-to-use interest held through the club; the contract says which.
Maintenance fees. The annual charge every owner pays for upkeep, taxes, and management. They continue for as long as you own the interest, and they usually rise over time.
Special assessment. A one-time charge on top of maintenance fees, typically for major repairs, storm damage, or renovations.
Developer. The company that built or now operates the resort and sold the timeshare interests. Many developers run their own programs for taking interests back from owners who no longer want them.
Deed-back. Returning a deeded timeshare to the developer, who takes title back. The developer may or may not charge a fee, and may decline.
Surrender. The general term for giving a timeshare interest back to the developer or resort, whether deeded or right-to-use. Often used interchangeably with deed-back.
Exit program. A developer-run process for taking back timeshares from owners. Names vary by developer. Eligibility rules and fees vary too, and some developers publish no program at all.
Exit company. A business that charges a fee, usually thousands of dollars, to help an owner leave a timeshare. Not a law firm unless it says so, and not the same thing as the developer's own program.
Resale. Selling the timeshare to another person. The resale market for most timeshares is very small, and "we have a buyer waiting" is a common scam opening.
Rescission period. A short window after signing a new timeshare contract, set by state law, during which the buyer can cancel. Usually days, not weeks. It applies to new purchases, not to a contract you have owned for years.
Certified Mail. A United States Postal Service option that gives you a tracking number and a record of delivery. The standard way to send a letter you may later need to show was received.
Paper trail. A dated record of every letter sent, when it was mailed, its tracking number, and every reply received.
Hardship. Circumstances such as illness, loss of income, or a death in the family that an owner may describe when asking a developer to take a timeshare back. Some developers consider it; none are required to.
Foreclosure. What can happen when an owner stops making payments on a timeshare loan or, in some cases, maintenance fees. It is a serious step with consequences of its own, and nothing in our program tells you to stop paying.
Donthirean Exit Company teaches timeshare owners how to handle their own exit paperwork. We are not attorneys, nothing here is legal advice, and no outcome is promised. If a term on your contract is not here, your contract and a licensed attorney in your state are the right places to look.