No matter how good they made vacation ownership sound at the timeshare sales presentation, having a timeshare is pricey and stressful. The ever-rising annual maintenance fees alone can make you feel like you’re throwing your money away into a bottomless pit. Sooner or later, you might be wondering if it’s possible just to walk away from a timeshare — stop paying or claiming any interest in it and just fade away.
The feeling of wanting to jump ship is common in timeshare ownership. But it is an extremely bad idea. Abandoning a timeshare just creates more money and legal problems for you. It can destroy your credit, and you may even get sued by the timeshare developer.
In this article, we’ll look at what happens when you walk away from a timeshare. We’ll also shine light on the better ways of exiting a timeshare, such as cancellations and transfers. As the top timeshare exit company in the world, Centerstone Group is uniquely positioned to help you out of your timeshare no matter what position you find yourself in. Read on to learn how to get started on the road to relief from your timeshare — without the negative effects of simply walking away.
What Are the Consequences of Abandoning a Timeshare?
Walking away from a timeshare might seem like your only option. One disgraced exit company, Timeshare Exit Team, even told its customers to just stop paying anything on their contracts. Unfortunately, that company’s clients learned the hard way that just ducking the bills will get you disastrous results.
Here are some of the consequences of abandoning a timeshare.
1. Foreclosure
First, failing to pay either your timeshare mortgage or other fees (like annual maintenance fees) can result in a foreclosure against your timeshare.
A foreclosure means that the company gets to take whatever property interest you have in your timeshare and sell it to get back the money you owe them. Because timeshares aren’t worth very much, the company can then come after you in court to get the rest of the money from you.
2. Financial/Credit Problems
Second, walking away from your timeshare bills will destroy your credit. There are stories, like that of Joseph and Sandy Parks, who signed an agreement to upgrade their fixed-week timeshare to points and were saddled with a shocking $55,000 in extra debt that they then had to pay off, lest they face the consequences.
Carrying that amount of extra debt alone can affect your credit reports at all the major credit bureaus. The developer may also report you to a debt collection agency, which can cause even more stress. And, as discussed above, ignoring that debt can land you in foreclosure. A foreclosure alone will likely drop your credit score by 100 points or more.
A lower credit score can, in turn, cause you a variety of financial problems in the future. It can stop you from getting loans with the most favorable interest rates, which means you will pay much more for everything — houses, cars, and credit cards. Even worse, you may not be able to be approved for loans at all.
3. Criminal Charges/Jail
One of the more outrageous stories to come out of the timeshare world is that of Paul and Christy Akeo, who disputed $116,000 in timeshare charges on their credit card because they did not get the benefits they were promised on their vacation in Cancun, Mexico.
After the credit card company sided with the Akeos, the Mexican timeshare company claimed that the Akeos had committed fraud and had them arrested in Mexico. As of the end of March 2025, the Akeos had been in Mexican jail for over three weeks. This is a particular problem in countries like Mexico, where criminal defendants are often presumed guilty until proven innocent.
While this is an extreme example, it underscores the importance of staying on the right side of the law and not simply taking matters into your own hands.
Can Developers Take Legal Action Against Owners Who Walk Away From a Timeshare?
Yes, when you purposefully fail to pay your timeshare expenses — whether they include the mortgage payments, timeshare maintenance fees, special assessments, or other fees — you are legally breaching the timeshare agreement you signed.
If you take a look at your timeshare contract, it may even set out some of the consequences that the timeshare company will take against you for a breach. For example, you may have to arbitrate with the developer, which is decidedly worse than going to court due to fairness concerns.
As mentioned above, a timeshare company may also foreclose against you. Though a foreclosure does not usually happen in court, once it has been completed, many states allow timeshare companies to sue owners for a deficiency judgment. This means that the developer can get a judgment against you for the money you owe them, even after the foreclosure. They might be able to take money out of your bank account, garnish your wages, or put a lien on your home or other assets.
Suffice it to say, the legal consequences of failing to pay timeshare fees can be severe. It’s not worth taking the risk. Fortunately, there are legally and financially safer and healthier ways to solve the problem of timeshares.
What Are Safer Alternatives to Walking Away?
Breaching a contract by walking away from a timeshare is a risky move. Centerstone Group can show you a better way. For years, it has helped timeshare owners achieve legal, ethical, and lasting exits from their timeshares, getting them the freedom they deserve.
For example, Centerstone Group offers numerous free resources on timeshare cancellation laws, and its team will also help you if you need a cancellation done quickly and correctly within the legal rescission period.
Centerstone Group also offers a transfer program to new owners. Plus, the team has used its proprietary pressure campaign to force timeshare companies to allow owners through their deed-back programs.
In certain rare situations, it may even be possible to discuss putting a timeshare on the resale market, though it should be stressed that this is not a viable option for most owners. We do, however, know some real estate brokers who may be able to tell you whether this is an option.
If there are no options left or you find yourself in the middle of a serious legal problem like some of the stories mentioned here, Centerstone Group can also help you find a timeshare lawyer or law firm to give you legal advice.
No matter what kind of situation you find yourself in, Centerstone Group’s dedicated team can help you find a solution that doesn’t put you in legal or financial jeopardy.
Let Centerstone Group Help You Find the Best Way to Get Out of Your Timeshare
The expense and worry caused by timeshares aren’t worth it. But rather than simply walk away from a timeshare — which can cause you serious problems — you should use a time-tested exit strategy to make a clean break. That’s where Centerstone Group can help.
No matter how good they made vacation ownership sound at the timeshare sales presentation, having a timeshare is pricey and stressful. The ever-rising annual maintenance fees alone can make you feel like you’re throwing your money away into a bottomless pit. Sooner or later, you might be wondering if it’s possible just to walk away from a timeshare — stop paying or claiming any interest in it and just fade away.
The feeling of wanting to jump ship is common in timeshare ownership. But it is an extremely bad idea. Abandoning a timeshare just creates more money and legal problems for you. It can destroy your credit, and you may even get sued by the timeshare developer.
In this article, we’ll look at what happens when you walk away from a timeshare. We’ll also shine light on the better ways of exiting a timeshare, such as cancellations and transfers. As the top timeshare exit company in the world, Centerstone Group is uniquely positioned to help you out of your timeshare no matter what position you find yourself in. Read on to learn how to get started on the road to relief from your timeshare — without the negative effects of simply walking away.
What Are the Consequences of Abandoning a Timeshare?
Walking away from a timeshare might seem like your only option. One disgraced exit company, Timeshare Exit Team, even told its customers to just stop paying anything on their contracts. Unfortunately, that company’s clients learned the hard way that just ducking the bills will get you disastrous results.
Here are some of the consequences of abandoning a timeshare.
1. Foreclosure
First, failing to pay either your timeshare mortgage or other fees (like annual maintenance fees) can result in a foreclosure against your timeshare.
A foreclosure means that the company gets to take whatever property interest you have in your timeshare and sell it to get back the money you owe them. Because timeshares aren’t worth very much, the company can then come after you in court to get the rest of the money from you.
2. Financial/Credit Problems
Second, walking away from your timeshare bills will destroy your credit. There are stories, like that of Joseph and Sandy Parks, who signed an agreement to upgrade their fixed-week timeshare to points and were saddled with a shocking $55,000 in extra debt that they then had to pay off, lest they face the consequences.
Carrying that amount of extra debt alone can affect your credit reports at all the major credit bureaus. The developer may also report you to a debt collection agency, which can cause even more stress. And, as discussed above, ignoring that debt can land you in foreclosure. A foreclosure alone will likely drop your credit score by 100 points or more.
A lower credit score can, in turn, cause you a variety of financial problems in the future. It can stop you from getting loans with the most favorable interest rates, which means you will pay much more for everything — houses, cars, and credit cards. Even worse, you may not be able to be approved for loans at all.
3. Criminal Charges/Jail
One of the more outrageous stories to come out of the timeshare world is that of Paul and Christy Akeo, who disputed $116,000 in timeshare charges on their credit card because they did not get the benefits they were promised on their vacation in Cancun, Mexico.
After the credit card company sided with the Akeos, the Mexican timeshare company claimed that the Akeos had committed fraud and had them arrested in Mexico. As of the end of March 2025, the Akeos had been in Mexican jail for over three weeks. This is a particular problem in countries like Mexico, where criminal defendants are often presumed guilty until proven innocent.
While this is an extreme example, it underscores the importance of staying on the right side of the law and not simply taking matters into your own hands.
Can Developers Take Legal Action Against Owners Who Walk Away From a Timeshare?
Yes, when you purposefully fail to pay your timeshare expenses — whether they include the mortgage payments, timeshare maintenance fees, special assessments, or other fees — you are legally breaching the timeshare agreement you signed.
If you take a look at your timeshare contract, it may even set out some of the consequences that the timeshare company will take against you for a breach. For example, you may have to arbitrate with the developer, which is decidedly worse than going to court due to fairness concerns.
As mentioned above, a timeshare company may also foreclose against you. Though a foreclosure does not usually happen in court, once it has been completed, many states allow timeshare companies to sue owners for a deficiency judgment. This means that the developer can get a judgment against you for the money you owe them, even after the foreclosure. They might be able to take money out of your bank account, garnish your wages, or put a lien on your home or other assets.
Suffice it to say, the legal consequences of failing to pay timeshare fees can be severe. It’s not worth taking the risk. Fortunately, there are legally and financially safer and healthier ways to solve the problem of timeshares.
What Are Safer Alternatives to Walking Away?
Breaching a contract by walking away from a timeshare is a risky move. Centerstone Group can show you a better way. For years, it has helped timeshare owners achieve legal, ethical, and lasting exits from their timeshares, getting them the freedom they deserve.
For example, Centerstone Group offers numerous free resources on timeshare cancellation laws, and its team will also help you if you need a cancellation done quickly and correctly within the legal rescission period.
Centerstone Group also offers a transfer program to new owners. Plus, the team has used its proprietary pressure campaign to force timeshare companies to allow owners through their deed-back programs.
In certain rare situations, it may even be possible to discuss putting a timeshare on the resale market, though it should be stressed that this is not a viable option for most owners. We do, however, know some real estate brokers who may be able to tell you whether this is an option.
If there are no options left or you find yourself in the middle of a serious legal problem like some of the stories mentioned here, Centerstone Group can also help you find a timeshare lawyer or law firm to give you legal advice.
No matter what kind of situation you find yourself in, Centerstone Group’s dedicated team can help you find a solution that doesn’t put you in legal or financial jeopardy.
Let Centerstone Group Help You Find the Best Way to Get Out of Your Timeshare
The expense and worry caused by timeshares aren’t worth it. But rather than simply walk away from a timeshare — which can cause you serious problems — you should use a time-tested exit strategy to make a clean break. That’s where Centerstone Group can help.
We are an accredited, A+-rated company with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), where we also have a 4.77-out-of-5-star rating from our happy clients.
Contact us today for a free consultation, and we can show you the best ways to get out of your timeshare problem.