Exit options
How to Get Out of a Timeshare
The legitimate ways to get out of a timeshare, from canceling inside your state window to a developer deed-back, resale, and legal cancellation, and how to avoid paying a company that does nothing.
Yes, you can get out of a timeshare, and you may not need to pay anyone to do it. The four legitimate paths are canceling within your state rescission window, asking the developer for a deed-back or surrender, selling or giving it away, and legal cancellation when the seller broke the law.
Can you actually get out of a timeshare?
In most cases, yes, though how easily depends on your contract, your state, and whether the timeshare is paid off. The Federal Trade Commission advises owners who want out to start by contacting the timeshare company directly, before paying any third party. A genuine exit usually costs little or nothing when you use one of the paths below, so be wary of any service that asks for a large fee up front to do it for you.
The hard truth is that a timeshare is easy to buy and harder to leave. The contract is typically perpetual, the annual maintenance fee continues for as long as you own it, and resale prices are low, which is why so many owners feel stuck. Knowing the real options keeps you from overpaying someone to tell you what you can often do yourself. Exactly what each path costs, from a free rescission to a paid legal cancellation, is laid out in our guide to how much it costs to get out of a timeshare.
The four legitimate ways to get out of a timeshare
There are four paths that work, and most owners fit one of them. Each is covered in detail below:
- Rescission. If you signed recently, your state most likely lets you cancel for a full refund within a short window.
- Developer deed-back or surrender. Many developers will take a paid-off timeshare back directly, often at no legal cost.
- Resale or transfer. You can sell or give the timeshare away, though resale prices are usually low.
- Legal cancellation. If the sale involved fraud or a broken contract, you may have grounds to cancel with help from a timeshare lawyer.
How long does it take to get out of a timeshare?
How long it takes to get out of a timeshare depends on the path. Canceling within your state rescission window takes only days. A developer deed-back usually runs several weeks to about six months. Resale is open-ended, and a legal cancellation can take several months to more than a year. Anyone who promises a guaranteed exit in 30 days is showing you a warning sign, not a plan.
The table below compares the four legitimate paths, plus the mistake of simply not paying, on the three things owners ask about most: how long each takes, what it typically costs, and what it does to your credit. Treat the figures as typical reported ranges, because your own timeline and cost depend on your contract, your developer, and your state.
| Exit path | Typical timeline | Typical cost | Effect on your credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rescission (within your state window) | A few days, inside your state's cancellation window | Free, aside from certified-mail postage | None |
| Developer deed-back or surrender | Several weeks to about six months | Nothing to a modest administrative fee | None |
| Resale or transfer | Variable, often several months, and some never sell | Low, and often a net loss after fees | None |
| Legal cancellation (a valid dispute) | Several months to more than a year | A licensed attorney's fee | None when resolved properly |
| Stopping payment (not a real exit) | Does not cleanly end your ownership | Foreclosure and collection costs | Damaged for years |
For a full cost breakdown by path, see our guide to how much it costs to get out of a timeshare. To protect your score along the way, see how to get rid of a timeshare without ruining your credit.
Rescission: cancel within your state window
If you bought the timeshare recently, this is the fastest and cheapest way out. Almost every state gives a new buyer a state-set rescission period, commonly about 5 to 10 days, during which a new buyer can cancel the contract in writing for a refund. The window is short and strict, it cannot be signed away in the contract, and it usually starts the day after you sign. Send written notice to the address in your contract before the deadline, and keep proof that you sent it. The exact deadline for each state is in our timeshare rescission period guide, and our cancellation letter template gives you a copy-ready notice and shows how to send it so it counts.
Developer deed-back and surrender programs
If your rescission window has closed and the timeshare is paid off, ask the developer about a deed-back or surrender program. Many of the large developers run a program that takes an unwanted, fully paid timeshare back directly, usually at no legal cost to you, sometimes for a modest administrative fee. The developer is often the most willing buyer, because it can resell the interest, so this is worth trying before you pay an outside company anything. Some of the largest developers run their own branded program: see our step-by-step guides to getting out of a Wyndham timeshare, getting out of a Marriott timeshare, and getting out of a Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare. Note that most programs require the loan to be paid off and the maintenance fees current, which is one reason staying current matters even when you want out. Our guide to timeshare maintenance fees explains what happens to those fees along the way.
Selling or giving away a timeshare
You can also sell the timeshare or transfer it to someone willing to take it, but set your expectations first. On the resale market, a timeshare commonly fetches a resale price that is usually a small fraction of what the original buyer paid, and sometimes only a few dollars. Many sell for a nominal amount, and some have no buyer at all once the annual fee is factored in. That reality is exactly why scammers target owners who are desperate to sell, which leads to the warnings below.
Legal cancellation: when it applies
Legal cancellation is for owners with a genuine dispute, not for buyer's remorse. If the sales presentation misrepresented the costs, the resale value, or what you were buying, or if the developer will not honor a valid cancellation, you may have legal grounds to cancel the contract, and our guide to how to cancel a timeshare contract explains those grounds and the steps. This is the point at which a licensed attorney earns the fee. Our guide to timeshare lawyers explains when hiring one makes sense and how to confirm a lawyer is licensed before you pay.
How do you vet a timeshare exit company?
An exit company is a service that offers to handle the steps above for you, and some are legitimate while others are not. Our full guide to timeshare exit companies covers how they charge, the escrow model that separates the safe ones from the scams, and how to choose one. The single clearest warning sign is a large fee demanded up front. The FTC has said that only a scammer asks for money before doing any work to help you sell or cancel a timeshare. Regulators actively pursue these schemes. Enforcement actions have returned money to defrauded owners and permanently barred upfront-fee scam operators from the business.
Before you hire anyone, watch for these signs:
- A large fee demanded up front, especially with a money-back guarantee
- A promise of a guaranteed exit or a specific timeline
- Advice to stop paying your maintenance fees
- Pressure to decide immediately
- No written contract that names what the company will actually do
- A company name that implies it is a law firm when it is not
For the full list of warning signs and how to confirm a company is legitimate, see our timeshare scams guide.
What if you still owe money on the timeshare?
If you financed the purchase and still owe on the loan, your options narrow, because most developer deed-back programs require the loan to be paid off first, and a resale rarely brings in enough to clear the balance. Three realistic paths remain. You can pay the loan down until you qualify for a deed-back. You can ask the developer directly whether it will take the interest back and settle the remaining loan, which some will discuss, especially if your payments are current. Or, if the sale was misrepresented, legal cancellation can sometimes resolve the loan along with the contract, which is where a licensed timeshare lawyer can help. What does not work is assuming an exit company can erase the debt: it cannot make a lender forgive what you owe, and a promise to do so for a large upfront fee is a warning sign. Get your exact payoff balance in writing from the lender before you choose a path.
What happens if you just stop paying?
Walking away by simply not paying is the riskiest option, and it is not a clean exit. Because a deeded timeshare is real property, the developer can report the missed payments to the credit bureaus and can foreclose, which damages your credit for years and does not by itself end your ownership. Stopping payment is also the exact move that exit scammers tell owners to make, so treat that advice as a warning sign. Our guide to what happens if you stop paying timeshare fees lays out the full sequence, and our guide to leaving without ruining your credit covers how to protect your score. Try a deed-back or a sale first, and get legal advice before you default.
What happens to a timeshare when the owner dies?
A timeshare does not automatically pass to your children whether they want it or not. It is an asset of the estate, and heirs can generally decline or disclaim an inherited timeshare rather than accept the ongoing fees, though the rules vary by state. Maintenance fees remain due until the interest is transferred or the estate is settled, so handling it early, through a deed-back or sale, spares your family the problem later. Because the details turn on state law, this is a good question for an estate attorney.
Sources
Reviewed by Reid Calloway. U.S. Federal Trade Commission, consumer guidance on timeshares and related scams (consumer.ftc.gov), reviewed June 2026. American Resort Development Association, State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry, 2026 edition (2025 data). Minnesota Attorney General, settlement with timeshare exit companies, January 2025. State timeshare statutes set the rescission deadlines cited; see our timeshare rescission period guide for each state. Last reviewed July 2026.