It’s that dreaded time of the year again, timeshare maintenance bills are arriving ready to be paid for 2022. We have written this post to answer the most common questions regarding timeshare maintenance fees.
What are timeshare maintenance fees?
Timeshare maintenance fees are the fees that it costs to run the hotel. These include maintaining the complex, employee wages, utilities, refurbishment and debts. Basically, anything it costs to keep the hotel running smoothly. These costs are divided equally between the members.
Will my maintenance fees increase?
An increase in maintenance fees is common with timeshare companies as they fluctuate with cost of living, and currency rates if you do not pay in your local currency.
Although many employees received payments from the government whilst the resorts were closed in 2020 / 2021, the RDO (Resort Development Organisation) defended the use of maintenance fees during hotel closures. They reported that it cost more money to train staff how to deal with COVID as well as chemicals to keep the resorts sanitised.
The only other factors to take into consideration are whether or not your timeshare company have lost many members over the last year. Timeshare claims and relinquishments have increased 80% over the past 2 years due to members wanting to terminate their contracts to avoid paying maintenance fees (mainly European resorts).
Could my maintenance fees be reduced?
There are some timeshare resorts that remained open the majority of the year with only slight restrictions in place. If your resort remained open and sales of new memberships exceeded the amount of timeshare relinquishments, you could see a slight reduction, providing that the cost of inflation was negative in the country in which your timeshare company / resort is based.
Can I stop paying my maintenance fees?
If you breach your contractual obligation by putting a stop to your maintenance fees, this will only mean that you cannot use you accommodation until it is paid. A timeshare resort will usually wait until the debt rises to above 3000€ before they file for a County Court Judgement.
If this is a route that you decide to take, it is very important to check your contract carefully. If the contract states that the use of accommodation is ‘subject to availability` then you will not be able to argue this case in court. If you would like to get advice on this matter, or would like a specialist to review your contactable obligations, you can contact us through our Live Chat or use our contact form on this link.
Can I terminate my contract before my next maintenance bill is due to be paid?
This would depend on when your maintenance bill is due. Terminating a timeshare contract can take between 6 – 24 weeks. This depends on the response of your timeshare resort and the persistence of the timeshare relinquishment / claims company. Our best advice would be to speak with a company that has dealt with your resort before, this way they can give you an accurate timeframe.
If you would like further information, or just a bit of advice for the future, you can contact us via our online contact form, or Live Chat which can be found on the bottom right-hand corner of our website. All information provided is free of charge.
More information regarding timeshare contracts can be found in the the EU Directive. European e-Justice Portal – Timeshare Directive (2008/122) (europa.eu)