Our Outreach to Congress:

We, the undersigned, support the introduction of the federal Timeshare Transparency Act (S.3502 / H.R.9255), but it doesn’t really solve any problem because they will still hide the majority details in the long buried paperwork and there is no exit solution. The bill only says that they need be transparent about the maintenance, and exit solution etc. It sounds nice but it doesn’t change the fact that they can put on the contract they refuse to deedback even when mortgage is fully paid off and the owner will still be tricked by the salesman who says it’s this amazing opportunity. A lot of the details will still be continued to be overlooked buried in mounts of contractual agreements. And ultimately the “owner” will be stuck in lifetime perpetual contract of a valueless liability, not asset.  We petition Congress to add a mandatory "Right to Relinquish" amendment to this bill.

This federal amendment should legally mandate that:

The Right to Hand Back: Any timeshare owner who has completely paid off their underlying mortgage has the absolute federal right to surrender their deed back to the developer. Without any high fees or steps rather a mitigation of damages like a simple deedback quit claim or of the like.  If the mortgage is paid off it is unlawful for them to hold somebody in perpetuity of these fees when it’s impossible to resell and hold no values. How can they legally sell something with a mortgage worth anywhere 10k-300k+ that even when that’s paid off it’s worthless to them and refuse to deedback? It is a blatant dishonest buisness practice and misrepresentation. 

 

Termination of Liability: Upon mortgage being paid off, the owner filing a formal relinquishment notice,  all past unused, & future maintenance fees and financial obligations must immediately and permanently cease.

Ban on Perpetuity Traps: Developers must be blocked from forcing multi-generational debt obligations onto the children and heirs of timeshare owners.
Transparency is not enough. Knowing the exit rules when you sign up does not save the millions of families currently drowning in lifetime fees for an asset worth zero dollars. We call on the 119th Congress to protect American consumers, end predatory perpetual contracts, and pass a federal law granting paid-off timeshare owners their freedom.

Sign this petition to ask that Congress give us the federal right to give back our paid-off timeshares!

 

 

 

Petition Description:

The American dream of vacation property has turned into a lifetime financial prison for millions of families. Unlike traditional real estate, which holds a fair market value and can be freely sold, gifted, or legally abandoned, timeshares have evolved into a predatory economic trap.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) explicitly warns consumers that “timeshares lack investment value and are virtually impossible to resell.” Yet, under current law, developers are allowed to enforce permanent, "perpetual" contracts that trap owners forever—even after their mortgages are completely paid off.

The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has formally highlighted this crisis, stating: "A timeshare purchase agreement is unique among consumer contracts because the contract typically creates a non-cancellable lifetime obligation... Any fees, dues, or maintenance assessments must be paid in perpetuity."

This is an unconscionable business practice. When an asset has zero resale value, is impossible to give away, and generates an escalating financial liability via maintenance fees, it breaks the core principles of fair property ownership. In no other sector of the American economy is a consumer legally forbidden from surrendering a paid-off product they no longer want.

⚖️ Grounded in Federal Law and Constitutional Statutes

We assert that perpetual, un-exitable timeshare maintenance contracts violate foundational federal laws and established constitutional doctrines that protect consumers from economic entrapment:

 

 

 

The Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S. Code § 45): This statute explicitly bans "unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce." A contract that forces a consumer to pay escalating maintenance fees forever on a paid-off asset with zero fair market value is inherently oppressive. It fits the FTC's legal definition of an "unfair practice" because it causes substantial injury to consumers that they cannot reasonably avoid.
The Anti-Peonage Act (42 U.S. Code § 1994): Rooted in the Thirteenth Amendment, federal law strictly prohibits "peonage"—the practice of forcing a citizen into compulsory service or permanent financial bondage to liquidate a debt or obligation. Forcing aging Americans into lifetime financial servitude to maintain real estate properties they can neither use nor legally dispose of is a modern form of economic peonage.
The Restatement (Third) of Property (Servitudes): Under long-standing American common law and real estate principles recognized by federal courts, a permanent covenant on land must touch and concern the property, serving a rational economic purpose. A servitude that creates an unlimited, perpetual personal liability while offering zero equity value acts as an "unreasonable restraint on alienation." Property law dictates that a deed must be an asset, not a permanent, un-escapable liability sentence.