What Happens If You Stop Paying Your Timeshare Maintenance Fees?

Maintenance fees are part of every timeshare ownership, and they don’t stop when your budget, health, or travel plans change. If you’re thinking about simply not paying, you’re not alone. But stopping payments doesn’t end your ownership. It usually starts a process that can lead to collections, credit damage, and foreclosure, and it may still leave you owing money. Below, we’ll walk through what typically happens, how long it can follow you, and safer ways to stop paying for good.

What are Timeshare Maintenance Fees?

Timeshare maintenance fees are the yearly dues every owner pays to run and maintain the resort: staff, utilities, upkeep, insurance, property taxes, and reserves for future repairs. Most developers bill once a year, and some let owners pay monthly or quarterly. According to ARDA’s 2026 State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry report, the average maintenance fee was $1,550 in 2025, and fees generally rise over time.

The key point for this guide: fees come with ownership, not with use. As long as your name is on the deed or contract, you owe them, whether you travel that year or not. For a full breakdown of what fees cover and why they rise, see Timeshare Maintenance Fees 101.

What Happens If You Stop Paying Your Timeshare Maintenance Fees?

Your timeshare contract is legally binding, so missing payments doesn’t make your ownership disappear. The exact steps depend on your developer, your contract, and your state, but they generally follow this order.

Late Fees, Interest, and Blocked Reservations

Once a payment is late, your account generally starts adding late fees and interest. Many resorts also won’t let you book stays, use points, or exchange until the balance is paid. The longer the account goes unpaid, the more it grows.

Collections

If the balance stays unpaid, your developer or owners association may send it to a collection agency. Expect letters and calls asking for the full amount.

Credit Damage

Late payments and collection accounts can be reported to the credit bureaus and lower your credit score. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, most negative information can generally stay on your credit report for seven years. A court judgment can stay for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. A lower score can make it harder to get a mortgage, a car loan, a credit card, or even a rental home, and can mean higher interest rates.

Foreclosure

Your developer or owners association may foreclose to recover what you owe. Foreclosure ends your ownership: you lose the timeshare and what you’ve paid into it. It doesn’t necessarily erase what you still owe.

Judicial vs. Non-Judicial Foreclosure

How foreclosure works depends on your state and contract. A judicial foreclosure goes through the courts. A non-judicial foreclosure follows steps set by state law outside of court and is usually faster. If the foreclosure doesn’t cover your full balance, the developer may be able to seek a deficiency judgment (a court order to pay the rest), depending on state law and the type of foreclosure.

Legal Action

Some contracts let the developer sue for unpaid fees instead of, or along with, foreclosing. If you’ve received a foreclosure or court notice, talk to an attorney licensed in your state about your options.

Maintenance Fees vs. Your Timeshare Loan

If you financed your timeshare, you may have two separate bills: a loan payment to your lender and a maintenance fee to your resort. They’re separate obligations, and falling behind on either one has consequences.

• If you stop paying the loan: the lender, often the developer’s own finance company, can generally foreclose on the timeshare, and missed loan payments are typically reported to the credit bureaus like any other loan.
• If you stop paying maintenance fees: the resort can pursue collections and foreclosure for unpaid fees even if your loan is current or paid off (see section 3).
• Paying off the loan doesn’t end your fees. Maintenance fees continue for as long as you own.

If you’re behind on a timeshare loan, call your lender before you miss more payments and ask what options they offer. You can still sell a timeshare that has a loan, but the loan generally has to be paid off at or before closing.

Can You Just Walk Away From a Timeshare?

Not without consequences. Most timeshare contracts have no “walk away” option. If you stop paying and stop using it, you’re still the owner, and everything described above still applies.

Walking away is different from your contract ending. Some right-to-use contracts end after a set number of years. If yours is close to its end date, confirm the exact date and terms with your developer before you stop paying anything.

The only way to stop owing maintenance fees for good is for your ownership to end through a proper transfer: the developer takes it back, you sell it, or someone else agrees to take it over. The next section covers each one.

Safer Ways to Stop Paying Timeshare Maintenance Fees

If your timeshare no longer fits your budget or your life, these options can end your fees without the damage of a default. Start early: most of them are easier while your account is current. For more detail on each, see how to get out of a timeshare contract legally.

Cancel During the Rescission Period (Recent Buyers)

If you bought recently, check your contract for a rescission period. Many states give buyers a short window, usually a matter of days, to cancel a new purchase for a refund. Follow the cancellation steps in your contract exactly, and send your notice before the deadline.

Ask Your Developer About Hardship, Exit, or Deed-back Programs

Call owner services and ask what they offer. Some developers have payment plans or hardship options for owners who are struggling, and many have exit or deed-back programs that let you return the timeshare. Eligibility generally depends on the brand and your account; for example, many require no loan balance and fees paid up to date. Ask before you fall behind.

Sell Your Timeshare

When you sell, the buyer takes over the deed and the maintenance fees. On the resale market, you set your asking price and decide which offer to accept. Resale prices are generally well below what owners first paid, so the goal is usually to end your ongoing costs, not to get your money back. Learn how selling works.

Transfer it to Family or a Friend

If someone you know would genuinely use the timeshare, you can transfer it to them. The maintenance fees go with it, so make sure they understand the yearly cost and agree before you start. A transfer still needs a new deed and the right paperwork. Read more about passing on your timeshare and deed changes and title services.

Rent it Out While You Decide

If you want to keep the timeshare, or need time to sell it, renting out your week or points can help cover that year’s fees. You still own it, so the fees stay your responsibility. Advertise your timeshare for rent.

Watch Out for Exit and “Fee Relief” Scams

Owners who are struggling with fees are a common target. Be careful with any company that:

• Charges a large upfront fee to “cancel” your contract or make your fees go away
• Tells you to stop paying your maintenance fees or loan while it works on your case; that can lead straight to collections and foreclosure, in your name
• Calls you out of the blue with a buyer or a “relief program” that needs money from you first
• Pressures you to decide quickly, or promises results it won’t put in writing

Before you sign anything, ask your developer what exit options it offers, and check any outside company’s reviews and BBB profile. Learn the warning signs in timeshare exit scams all owners need to know, common timeshare resale scams, and ARDA ROC’s warning about third-party exit companies.

What a Legitimate Resale Company Looks Like

• It explains its process up front and never promises to “cancel” your contract.
• You set the asking price and choose which offer to accept.
• It has a track record you can check, such as reviews and a BBB profile.
• The closing goes through a title or closing company, so the deed actually leaves your name.

How Selling or Renting Out Your Timeshare Works

Whether you’re ready to sell or want to rent out a year while you decide, the first steps are the same.

1. Gather your ownership details: your resort or vacation club, week or points, unit size, and your latest maintenance fee bill. Your deed, contract, or owner account usually has them, and our representatives can help you find anything missing.
2. Create your ad. Timeshares Only advertises your timeshare for sale or for rent on our marketplace. You set your asking price.
3. Review offers or bookings. For a sale: once you accept an offer, our Recommended Resale Brokerage, Fidelity Real Estate, can handle the closing, which transfers the deed out of your name. Some developers have a right of first refusal, which lets them buy the timeshare on the same terms before the sale closes. Once the title transfers, the maintenance fees belong to the new owner. For a rental: once a guest books, our representatives confirm the details with the resort, and you can put the proceeds toward your fees.

Timeshares Only has helped owners advertise their timeshares for 30+ years and is a Featured Reseller for ARDA’s Coalition for Responsible Exit. Learn more about selling your timeshare or renting it out.

Stop Paying Timeshare Fees: FAQs

Ready to Move On From a Timeshare You Don’t Use?

You don’t have to stop paying and risk foreclosure to get out of a timeshare that no longer fits your life. You can sell your timeshare, or rent it out while you decide. Questions? Call 1-855-291-5006 or email [email protected].

Related guides: Timeshare Maintenance Fees 101 · How to Get Out of a Timeshare contract legally · Timeshare Exit Scams All Owners Need to Know · How to Advertise a Timeshare for Sale · What is My Timeshare Worth?