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Re: COVID-19 Related Cancellations (by KC):

timothys142 wrote:

In spite of what has been inferred above, I cannot reason why/how a renter can withhold funds on a property that cannot physically be accessed or occupied. -Tim

Nothing was "inferred above"; just clear statements of irrefutable facts. For the record, timeshare owners still have to pay maintenance fees for whatever they own, regardless of tenant cancellations or imposed travel restrictions (or any other circumstances). An additional indisputable fact is that there are many different flavors (and chains) of timeshares, with widely different policies regarding reservation bookings and cancellations. For example, an owner of a deeded "fixed" week at an independent (i.e., non-chain) timeshare property owns a specific week in a specific unit and neither the week nor the unit can ever be altered by anyone, including the owner of the interval. There will be a annual maintenance fee bill, whether the unit / week is occupied or not; no flexibility whatsoever exists for deeded fixed week owners.

In the case of "chains" (e.g., Marriott) or "points programs" in other systems (e.g., Wyndham), cancellation policies vary widely among one another. Some reservations can be rescheduled (within certain very specific time frames and generally having to occur before the end of the current year). Yes, there is certainly some flexibility in such arrangements, but many owners are reporting that their would-be tenants don't even want to discuss rescheduling; they just want a 100% refund. An understandable wish perhaps, but any such "100% refund" would leave the owner "100% stiffed" --- completely unacceptable.

Only infrequently do I rent out any of the several timeshare weeks that we own. Fortunately, none recently and none are scheduled. All of our weeks are fixed weeks (as defined above). My rental agreements recommend and strongly encourage that the tenant-to-be acquire trip cancellation insurance, since the agreements clearly state that no refunds will be issued in the event of cancellation --- for any reason. I will say, however, that if any of my rentals were occurring in these unprecedented times and the tenant-to-be could not occupy the rental due to imposed restrictions beyond their control, being human and sympathetic I would voluntarily issue a refund of whatever rental amount exceeded my annual maintenance fee bill --- but no more than that. Personally, I see that as a very reasonable compromise, "sharing" the loss. Others likely see things differently, as is their prerogative.