Timeshare Consumers Association

What is Timeshare ?
Timeshare is a form of holiday ownership. You own the right (either directly or through a "club") to use a week (or longer) in an apartment or villa on a holiday resort for a great many years or in perpetuity.
Over six million families own timeshare worldwide - the majority well satisfied with their ownership.
Timeshare accommodation is generally of a much higher standard than hotel or rented accommodation. And most resorts have extensive leisure facilities (almost always free to use). All timeshare is self catering.
Accommodation ranges from a modest studio (a single bedroom) to apartments and villas with three bedroom, three bathrooms, lounge, dining etc. with appointments of an exceptionally high standard.
Timeshare competes with package holidays (where timeshare offers higher standards of accommodation) and villa rental (where timeshare can offer better long term value-for-money).
Timeshare comes in two basic forms:

Fixed week. Where you own rights to a specific week, usually in a specific apartment/villa which you can either return to every year or swop through the exchange system for something similar in another part of the world and in another time period.

Floating system (which includes points clubs). Instead of owing a specified week, you own a week (or a time period which may be longer than a week) within a seasonal band of time. Each year you have to book the specific week that you want - this is "subject to availability".

A major strength of timeshare is the certainty that it provides. Accommodation (and often leisure facilities) being held in trust (or registered in a public register) for the lifetime of the right to use. So, provided that you continue to pay the annual fees on time, you are certain of getting your holidays every year.
And when you tire of timeshare you can sell your rights on to someone else.
Most timeshare owners use the exchange system which provides an enormous choice (nearly 6,000 resorts in all the popular destinations worldwide) to swop to - knowing that the place you are going to is of a similar high standard to that which you own.
When you buy timeshare you pay a once off payment for the right to use and, each year, a fee which pays for the accommodation etc. to be kept clean, in good order, local taxes paid etc.
The best resorts are run by the owners through a club (and a committee). This ensures that owners get what they are promised and annual fees are kept to a reasonable minimum.
Unfortunately, because of the activities of a minority of traders in the industry, the word "timeshare" has lost credibility with the general public resulting in both the honest and the dishonest traders claiming that their product is "not timeshare" and claiming that it is one of the following:

Vacation Club

Holiday Club (real holiday clubs are BAD news - read here )

Multi ownership

Holiday ownership

Fractional Ownership - which is an "up-market" (and expensive) form of timeshare. Click for more details

Etc. etc.

Which confuses consumers.
And claiming membership of trade organisations such as ITRA, OTE, RBA and Timeshare Council is no help to safe purchasing.
This website is dedicated to helping consumers get the best out of timeshare and to avoid the pitfalls - please read How to Buy Safely

August 2005