Regardless of how you feel about timeshares, someone will always have something both positive and negative to say about them. But this is not what this article is about. This article will pinpoint the timeshare rental scams:
Avoid timeshare rental scams
All rental scams work the same—regardless of if it’s a timeshare. The common thread is someone gets taken advantage of financially for what looks like a real offer. In the case of timeshare rental scams, you may find a nice offer in a classified ad and decide to reserve a week for the family. You pay the required fees for the reservation and get ready to travel. When you arrive at the property, you may run into an issue with unpaid maintenance fees by the owner or no record of you reserving that specific week. Either way, you find out that your offer is not legitimate. Some people also get taken for credit card fraud and identity theft when dealing with these fraudulent companies.
This is not to say timeshare rentals are worse than any other type of rental scam. The opposite is true: most vacation rental scams are not timeshare resorts and are often found on popular vacation rental sites.
How to protect yourself from timeshare rental scams
By following some simple steps, you can avoid timeshare rental scams as well as other types of rental fraud. Take a look at the tips below:
- It is recommended you search for opportunities from established companies with a known reputation for doing good business. A website with secure encryption for handling credit card purchases should be top choice over those with questionable credit card processing systems. Also, make sure the offer has a defined guarantee with it.
- Timeshare rental offers that are significantly cheaper than the typical advertised rental rates are most likely scams.
- You need to see if there are any reviews or other information that proves a company exists whenever you see a timeshare resort offer advertised.
- Beware of offers asking you to wire money or pay cash upfront instead of doing the traditional timeshare offer routine. A company asking for upfront money is most likely a scam.
- It is a wise practice to always use caution about giving out your credit card information, social security information and bank account information.
- Fact check to ensure that the person renting you the timeshare is the actual person on record and has given you permission to be a guest at the property. Clarify if there are any fees that need to be cleared before you are allowed to honor your reservation.
Timeshare rental scams that affect owners
A timeshare scam can potentially target owners of timeshares who desire to rent their properties when not in use. These are the ones who run into fake timeshare rental companies that require upfront dues for renting timeshare weeks. After your payment is made, there is hardly any promotion of your timeshare for rent. It’s best to do business with a company that charges a commission upon rental rather than one charging upfront fees.