Be careful of renting with Covid escalating

We had booked a week at the Marriott Surf Club in early October from an owner there. Due to the escalation in cases in the last week we decided to cancel due to the CDC's warnings on the severity of the spread. In contacting the owner to cancel, we were advised there would be no refund given, not even a small amount. It's very disappointing to be treated in such a poor manner. We had a similar situation with one of our Marriott timeshares earlier this summer as the couple that rented from us were concerned for the safety of their 2 small girls. We promptly refunded their entire payment as we felt it was the right thing to do.

While not taking any sides regarding your situation, with all due respect you have neglected to mention two very important and relevant details here:

1. What were the mutually agreed terms expressed within your owner / tenant rental agreement regarding a late, renter-initiated cancellation?

2. Is the resort open and completely available for your occupancy and use for the week which you rented from the owner?

There is a very big difference between a tenant being unable to occupy a timeshare due to actual property closure vs. a tenant becoming personally unwilling to travel. Covid is not a surprise phenomenon after being an ongoing issue and growing concern for more than eight months now and this issue (and any related cancellation policy) should be very clearly and specifically addressed within any properly prepared rental agreement.

Does anyone know of a travel insurance available When renting a Red Week timeshare?

When booking a RedWeek Verified and Protected posting, you have the option to add trip insurance. You can read more about the travel insurance on this page:

Travel Insurance

Understand clearly that COVID related cancellations are NOT covered by most travel insurance policies.

There are "cancel for any reason" (CFAR) policies that include COVID-related cancellations, but such CFAR policies are obscenely expensive.