How to Legally Exit an International Timeshare Contract

Vacation ownership comes in many shapes and sizes from timeshare developers, many of which exist outside of the United States. Just because a company is international, though, doesn’t mean you’re any less responsible for annual maintenance fees or special assessments. It can make timeshare cancellation harder, and it can be harder to see and avoid scams. Thus, you should understand how to legally exit an international timeshare contract.

This article will focus on timeshare products and vacation clubs from companies that are based outside the United States. If you are one of the timeshare owners with these contracts, you should know that your timeshare exit process will be a bit different than if your timeshare developer were based in the U.S.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get out. It just means that getting an expert on your side as quickly as possible is critical, both in finding exit options and in preserving your peace of mind. As the top timeshare exit company, Centerstone Group has the experience and resources necessary to guide you and, if you wish, assist you with your international timeshare exit.

What Legal Differences Exist When Exiting a Timeshare in Foreign Countries Like Mexico or European Countries?

There are many legal differences when it comes to exiting a timeshare contract in a foreign country, but regardless of where your timeshare developer is physically located, your timeshare contract will explain your situation. First, you need to discover which country’s law applies to your contract, then determine how that affects you.

1. How Do I Find Out Which Country’s Law Applies?

Every state and country has laws about what you can and cannot do in a written contract. In most cases, however, the buyer and seller in a timeshare agreement can and do agree what state law and/or foreign laws apply to the contract they sign. 

Chances are you don’t recall agreeing to these legal matters when you signed the timeshare purchase agreement. But if you go through the contract, you’ll find a paragraph that says something like “choice of law.” What is written there will nearly always favor the developer. 

So, if your timeshare company is Wyndham Vacations, you’ll likely have a choice of law paragraph stating that Florida law applies to your contract. If your contract is with Vidanta, your contract will likely specify that Mexican law controls because Vidanta is a Mexican timeshare company. You also shouldn’t be surprised if the contract dictates that only a court in a given country or state can decide any legal matters about your contract.

2. I Looked at the Contract and Found Out Which Country’s Law Applies. Does It Make a Difference?

Yes, the laws that govern your contract make a difference in your timeshare exit strategy. Some countries may require that you bring any legal cases for requests for timeshare cancellation in that country. 

Different countries will also have different laws about things like real estate ownership and foreclosure. They will also affect things like whether and how you can affect a timeshare resale or transfer.

In Mexico, for example, you must use an entity called Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (PROFECO) to file complaints against timeshare developers. Even if you have a good grasp on the Spanish language, without an expert by your side, getting through a foreign country’s bureaucracy can make timeshare cancellation quite difficult.

If your contract is governed by British law, you will have to deal with an entirely different code of consumer protection laws. Even though those laws are in English, they are every bit as complex as the various American state and federal laws.

Suffice it to say, if your developer is a non-U.S. company, you can find your case much more difficult to understand than it might be with an American company. That lack of understanding can spell doom for any hope of giving your timeshare back, putting your unit on that country’s timeshare resale market, or pursuing other options. It also means rather than save money on your exit, you’ll be spending more just to keep up and understand what is going on.

Are International Timeshare Exit Laws More Complicated Than U.S. Laws?

Despite the fact that foreign timeshare ownership laws can seem alien, they are not necessarily more complicated than U.S. laws. They’re just different. Unless you have experience dealing with laws in countries like Mexico, you can end up spending just as much time learning about those laws as you will actually communicating with your timeshare company.

And this trouble, of course, is the point. It’s no secret that timeshare companies want to make it as difficult as possible to write and send timeshare cancellation letters or otherwise make an exit. 

Even experienced lawyers will tell you that there are few things more intimidating than dealing with an unfamiliar legal system. Thus, by putting you in the middle of an alien legal environment and cutting you off from your typical resources (like a state attorney general or the Federal Trade Commission), timeshare developers make your exit even harder. That’s why it’s so important to get an expert — like Centerstone Group — on your side.

Can I Use a U.S.-Based Timeshare Exit Company to Help Me Exit an International Timeshare?

In most cases (with one exception), you can’t use a U.S.-based timeshare exit company for an international timeshare. Actual experience in international exits is rare, and it’s something you need to ask about specifically. Many timeshare exit companies will tell you that they do offer these services. When you ask about their process for handling these kinds of cases though, it will become clear that they don’t have one.

That is why it’s important to get a specific answer from exit companies about their international timeshare processes. At Centerstone Group, we are more than able to help you exit your international timeshare. Centerstone Group particularly has expertise working with Mexican attorneys and using PROFECO to help its clients out of their Mexican timeshares.

We also make it our business to know all the international timeshare players and stay on top of developments in timeshare laws at home and abroad. We use our collective decades of experience to achieve the best results for our clients, whether that is a contract cancellation, a deed-back, a negotiated transfer, or some other desired result. 

If you are seeking to transfer your timeshare internationally, we also have a program in place for that. Unlike the vast majority of other exit companies, we have a wealth of international options that we can use to get the job done.

Let Centerstone Group Show You How to Legally Exit an International Timeshare

Achieving a timeshare exit with any developer is hard. Making an international exit can be even tougher. Centerstone has a proven track record in these kinds of exits. We are an accredited A+-rates company with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and have earned 4.78-out-of-5 stars from customer reviews. 

Whether you need an cancellation within the rescission period, an international exit, or even a more involved solution involving legal action, contact us for a free consultation and case evaluation.