Anyone who intends to cancel timeshare legally has to that within a set timeframe. Once this timeframe is exceeded, it becomes practically impossible to rescind the timeshare contract. Timeshare is regulated by state laws that stipulate a ‘cooling-off’ or rescission period to be added to the contract.
This period differs from state to state and anyone intending to take a timeshare contract or get out of one should know the rescission period.
The general time for the rescission period is between 3 to 15 days across most states.
For example, in California, the California Business and Professions Code (number 11239) states that rescission can only be made within a 7 calendar day period from when the contract is signed or from when then receipt of the public report is delivered.
In Hawaii, the rescission period is also pegged at 7 days but in Florida, it is 10 days.
Alabama provides a five-day window for people to cancel timeshare legally; however, Sunday is not counted among the 5 days.
Colorado provides a 5-day window too for any cancellations to be done.
Importance of the rescission period
The rescission period is not just a window for providing purchasers with enough time to cancel a contract; it is also a window for saving themselves from a certain bad financial decision over time. Timeshare contracts are not always bad, but their effects may be huge on the finances of average families. It is more or less a depreciating investment where you pay huge yearly rentals for the same never-changing apartment and yet, the yearly maintenance fees are never reduced but increased.
Why timeshare recession is easy
A lot of people believe that it is difficult to cancel timeshare legally simply because most of them are unaware of the discussion period and would only want to cancel after the period has expired. This is almost impossible without litigation or some other settlement that could still cost from between a few hundred dollars to some thousands. This is why the first thing to do is to look at the contract over and study every detail before purchasing.
If you want to cancel your timeshare, the first thing after arranging all documents concerning the contract is to write a letter of rescission and have it delivered to the company either by mail or email, or both.
Once the contract is cancelled, refunds should be given. Alternatively, you can hire a professional to handle this for you.
