END_LIFETIME_MAINTENANCE_FEES Create legislation that would allow US citizens that have purchased time shares to legally and easily cancel them after having paid the mortgage. A life-long obligation to pay maintenance fees, and even further to transfer these fee obligations to survivors after the death of a timeshare participant, violates natural business laws, practices, and traditions. A case in point is the health club life membership that were sold on the 1980’s. In response, legislation was enacted in Pennsylvania to forbid health clubs and gyms from selling life memberships. Called the “Health Club Act” and put into legislation on December 21st, 1989.

“Providing for the regulation of health club contracts; and providing for further duties of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, the Attorney General and district attorneys. The purpose of this act is to safeguard the public interest against fraud, deceit and financial hardship and to foster and encourage competition, fair dealing and prosperity in the field of health club services by prohibiting false and misleading advertising and dishonest, deceptive and unscrupulous practices by which the public has been injured in connection with contracts for health club services.

Section 4. Duration of contract. (a) Term.--The maximum term of a health club contract shall be 36 months. (b) Renewal.--No health club contract may contain an automatic renewal clause, unless the contract provides for a renewal option for continued membership which must be affirmatively accepted by the buyer at the expiration of each contract term.”

Timeshare participants are being required to continue paying maintenance fees for the rest of their lives with no course of action allowed to opt out. These are clearly unfair, illegitimate and wrongful policies and practices by timeshare companies, that are contrary to the legal and natural rights of consumers.

House renters are not obligated to stay and keep paying rent, if they desire and choose to move to a different location. Homeowners may sell their home anytime they desire, which would naturally absolve them from paying property taxes on that property. Owners of storage units are clearly free to remove their possessions and to terminate their contracts with storage unit facilities. It is reasonable to declare and legislate that all sales and business contracts with service providers are cancelable at any time. For timeshare business to prohibit cancellation is restrictive, unreasonable, undemocratic and frankly ludicrous! 

The solution to this problem is simple. If a timeshare participant wants to terminate his membership and cease paying annual maintenance fees, it should be an easy and simple process as in all other contracts and business practices. I am challenging the legality of the current system whereby a Timeshare company can hold someone in debt for maintenance fees for life and beyond.

So, I am urging Congress to author, present and vote into law the “Timeshare Lifetime Maintenance Fee Cancelation Act” which would set free the American citizens that are being deceived, defrauded and victimized by timeshare companies across the United States.