Ownership costs
Timeshare Maintenance Fees: What Resale Buyers Need to Know
A resale timeshare can have a very low purchase price and still be expensive to own. Maintenance fees are recurring obligations that can matter far more over time than the amount paid to the seller. This guide explains what the fee covers, current U.S. benchmarks, why fees change, how to compare ownerships fairly, and what to verify before you buy.
Includes 2025 industry data published in 2026.
The quick answer
In the latest U.S. industry study, ARDA Research & Insights reported an average billed maintenance fee of $1,550 per weekly interval equivalent for 2025. That number is a broad benchmark, not a target price for every timeshare. It includes contributions to reserves but excludes property taxes and special assessments. The exact fee for the ownership you are considering can be much lower or higher.
For a resale buyer, the useful question is not simply “Is this fee below average?” It is “What vacation rights do I receive for this recurring cost, what other mandatory charges sit outside it, and can I comfortably carry the obligation if fees rise?”
How much are timeshare maintenance fees in 2026?
The best current national benchmark is based on 2025 resort data published in ARDA Research & Insights' 2026 State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry report, prepared by Ernst & Young. It reported an average billed maintenance fee of $1,550 per weekly interval equivalent.
The same study reported different averages by unit size. These figures include reserve contributions but exclude property taxes and special assessments, so they should not be treated as the complete annual cost of ownership.
2025 average maintenance fee by unit type
| Studio | $1,180 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,260 |
| 2 bedroom | $1,550 |
| 3+ bedrooms | $1,900 |
U.S. industry average trend
| 2021 | $1,120 |
| 2022 | $1,170 |
| 2023 | $1,260 |
| 2024 | $1,480 |
| 2025 | $1,550 |
What do timeshare maintenance fees pay for?
Maintenance fees are generally used to fund the operation and upkeep of the resort or vacation-ownership program. The exact budget varies, but buyers should understand the difference between expenses that are already built into the annual assessment and charges that appear separately.
Resort operations
Staffing, utilities, routine maintenance, landscaping, common areas, cleaning, administration, security, and other day-to-day operating costs can be funded through owner assessments.
Reserve contributions
Associations and resorts may set aside money for future repairs, replacements, and major capital work. ARDA's industry maintenance-fee figure includes reserve contributions.
Insurance and property costs
Insurance premiums and property-related expenses can influence annual budgets. Whether property taxes are included in the maintenance bill or charged separately depends on the ownership.
Program or club operations
Points programs and vacation clubs may have system-level administrative costs or club dues in addition to, or bundled with, the property-level maintenance assessment.
Charges that may be separate
A listing that says “maintenance fee $1,200” is not automatically saying “all annual costs $1,200.” Ask whether any of these sit outside the quoted amount:
- Property taxes that are billed separately
- Special assessments
- Club or membership dues
- Exchange-company membership fees
- Reservation, housekeeping, guest-certificate, or booking fees
- All-inclusive or mandatory resort charges
- Transfer, enrollment, activation, or closing costs
- Travel costs and destination taxes
Why two timeshares can have very different maintenance fees
A maintenance fee should be compared with the ownership it supports. Larger units can cost more to maintain than studios. High-cost destinations can have higher labor, insurance, utility, tax, or service expenses. Points ownerships may allocate common expenses according to points or an underlying deed. Older resorts may have different reserve and repair needs from newer properties.
Even two owners at the same branded resort can sometimes pay different amounts because they own different unit sizes, phases, seasons, points allocations, use frequencies, or program memberships. When you verify a resale, match the fee statement to the exact ownership rather than accepting a number quoted for “the resort” generally.
Why timeshare maintenance fees increase
Resort budgets face many of the same pressures as hotels, condominiums, and other managed properties: wages, utilities, insurance, vendor contracts, repairs, replacement costs, and reserve funding change over time. ARDA's 2026 industry report said the average billed maintenance fee increased 4.7% in 2025. That is an industry-wide observation, not a guaranteed increase for your resort next year.
The Federal Trade Commission specifically advises timeshare buyers to factor future maintenance-fee increases into the true cost of ownership and to ask whether the plan has a fee cap. Buyers should therefore look at fee history rather than assuming the latest statement will remain unchanged indefinitely.
Ask for fee history, but interpret it carefully
Three to five years of statements can show whether the fee has been stable or rising, but past increases do not guarantee the future. A recent renovation, insurance change, reserve study, management change, natural disaster, or one-time budget adjustment can distort a simple trend line.
How to tell whether a maintenance fee is reasonable
There is no universal “good maintenance fee.” The useful comparison is the fee relative to what the ownership gives you. A $900 fee can be poor value if the week is hard for you to use, while a higher fee can make sense for an ownership you use consistently and would otherwise pay more to replace with comparable lodging.
Fee per usable vacation night
Annual maintenance fee ÷ realistic nights of use
Use the number of nights you realistically expect to receive and use, not the maximum theoretical stay. This can help compare a fixed week with another fixed week or with ordinary lodging you would otherwise book.
Fee per 1,000 points
Annual maintenance fee ÷ annual points × 1,000
This is useful when comparing two ownerships inside the same points program. Do not compare raw cost per point across unrelated programs because their points are different currencies with different reservation charts.
Annual-equivalent cost
Normalize annual vs. every-other-year ownerships
A biennial ownership may be billed every year, only in the use year, or under another schedule. Confirm how that program bills fees, then normalize the cost before comparing it with an annual ownership.
Total recurring vacation cost
Maintenance fee + required recurring charges
Add separate club dues, taxes, mandatory resort charges, exchange memberships, and typical booking fees when those are part of the way you intend to use the ownership.
One comparison I would not use by itself
Do not compare the annual maintenance fee with the original developer purchase price and conclude that the fee is “cheap” because the developer once sold the ownership for tens of thousands of dollars. A resale buyer should compare recurring cost with current resale alternatives and the vacation value they will actually use.
Buyer comparison tool
Timeshare maintenance-fee calculator
Use your exact ownership numbers to compare recurring cost. The projection is an illustration, not a prediction of what your resort will charge.
Cost per vacation night
$221.43
Fee per 1,000 points
Add points
Fee after 5 years
$1,978
5-year fees paid
$8,565
Fee after 10 years
$2,525
10-year fees paid
$19,496
Point systems use different currencies and reservation charts. Compare cost per 1,000 points only between ownerships in the same program or a program you understand. Taxes, special assessments, club dues, exchange fees, booking fees, and other charges are not included unless they are part of the annual fee you entered.
Deeper buyer due diligence
6 maintenance-fee questions many buyer guides barely cover
The current annual bill is only one snapshot. These questions can reveal costs or risks that are easy to miss when two resale listings look similar on price and maintenance fee alone.
Could a low maintenance fee actually be a warning sign?
Sometimes a low fee simply reflects an efficient or less expensive resort. But a low current bill does not tell you whether the association is adequately funding future repairs and replacements. When available, review recent budgets, reserve information, major-project plans, and fee history so you are not comparing two ownerships only by this year's number.
Are other owners' delinquencies putting pressure on future fees?
They can. A resort still has to operate when some owners do not pay, and unpaid assessments can reduce cash flow or reserve contributions. Prospective buyers may not have direct access to every association record, but recent financial statements, budgets, bad-debt line items, collection disclosures, or information obtained through the seller can provide useful context when available.
Can unpaid maintenance fees from the seller become the buyer's problem?
Potentially, depending on the jurisdiction, ownership documents, resort rules, and how the transfer is handled. Past-due assessments can also delay or block resort recognition of a transfer. A buyer should not assume an old balance disappears at closing. Verify the current account status and put responsibility for every known balance or assessment in the purchase agreement.
Is there a cap on how much maintenance fees can increase?
There is no single nationwide answer. The Federal Trade Commission specifically tells prospective buyers to ask whether a plan has a fee cap. Any limit, notice requirement, budget process, or owner-voting rule depends on the governing documents and applicable law for that ownership. Do not assume a past percentage increase is the maximum future increase.
How are maintenance fees billed on an every-other-year timeshare?
Biennial usage does not guarantee one standard billing schedule. Some programs bill in the use year, some spread the cost across both years, and separate club dues can follow their own schedule. Confirm the exact billing pattern, then convert it to an annual-equivalent cost before comparing it with an annual ownership.
Can I negotiate the maintenance fee when buying a resale?
The recurring resort or association assessment is generally set by the resort, association, trust, or program rather than negotiated between the buyer and seller. What the parties can negotiate is who pays or reimburses the current year's fee, a known special assessment, or other transaction costs. That agreement does not reduce the future assessment attached to the ownership.
Special assessments are not the same as maintenance fees
A special assessment is a separate charge that may be imposed for a major repair, renovation, reserve need, insurance-related expense, or another association purpose under the applicable governing documents. A buyer can therefore see a normal-looking annual maintenance fee and still inherit a meaningful additional obligation if an assessment has already been approved or billed.
This distinction matters when using national averages. ARDA's $1,550 average for 2025 expressly excludes special assessments and property taxes. A specific ownership's real annual cash requirement can therefore be higher than the maintenance-fee line by itself suggests.
Ask about more than assessments already due
- Is a special assessment currently unpaid?
- Has an assessment been approved but not yet billed?
- Is an assessment being paid in installments, and who owes the remaining installments?
- Are major capital projects, insurance claims, or reserve issues known that could affect future owner charges?
- Does the purchase agreement clearly state who is responsible for a known assessment?
How maintenance fees should be handled in a timeshare resale
The current year's fee and current year's vacation rights should be considered together. If the seller has already paid the annual fee, that does not automatically decide whether the seller or buyer receives the current usage. Likewise, a closing in the middle of the year does not automatically tell you who should bear the fee. Those are transaction terms that should be stated in writing.
The safest approach is to identify the fee status before the buyer sends final funds and make the purchase agreement consistent with the usage being transferred. If there is an unpaid assessment, delinquent balance, loan, or other charge that could prevent the resort from recognizing the transfer, the closing process should address it rather than leaving the buyer to discover it afterward.
Who paid this year's fee?
Confirm the payment status with a current statement or resort/account verification when available.
Who gets this year's usage?
Document whether the current week, points, reservation, or banked usage is included in the sale.
Who pays an assessment?
State responsibility for known assessments and remaining installments in the transaction terms.
What if closing is delayed?
Make sure expiring usage, due dates, late charges, and transfer timing do not create a surprise while the transaction is pending.
How to verify the maintenance fee before buying
A resale listing is useful for shopping, but the current ownership records should control the final transaction. The annual fee can change after an old listing, deed package, or owner document was created.
| Record to check | What it can tell you |
|---|---|
| Latest maintenance-fee statement | Current billed amount, due date, taxes or dues shown on the statement, credits, and possible balances. |
| Estoppel or account-status verification | Depending on the resort, this may confirm ownership, balances, assessments, loans, maintenance fees, or transfer information. |
| Paid-in-full or balance letter | Can help establish whether resort charges are current when the resort offers this type of document. |
| Current resort transfer instructions | May identify transfer fees, required account status, enrollment charges, forms, and processing conditions. |
| Several years of prior statements | Useful for understanding recent fee history, changes in taxes, assessments, or recurring program charges. |
For the rest of the due-diligence process, use our timeshare resale buyer checklist.
10 maintenance-fee questions to answer before you buy
- 1The latest maintenance-fee statement is for the exact ownership being sold.
- 2The current year's maintenance fee has been paid or the transaction states who will pay it.
- 3Any past-due balance, late fee, tax, loan, or association charge has been identified.
- 4Any current or approved special assessment has been disclosed, including one not yet billed.
- 5You know whether property taxes and club dues are included in the quoted annual fee or billed separately.
- 6You have reviewed several years of fee history when available instead of judging the ownership from one year's bill.
- 7You know how often the ownership can be used and have normalized the fee for annual versus biennial usage.
- 8For points, you know the recurring points allocation and are comparing cost per point only within a meaningful program context.
- 9If exchange is important, exchange membership and transaction fees are included in your budget.
- 10The purchase agreement states who receives current-year usage and who bears the corresponding maintenance obligation.
Frequently asked questions about timeshare maintenance fees
What is the average timeshare maintenance fee?
ARDA Research & Insights' 2026 State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry report, covering calendar year 2025, reported an average billed maintenance fee of $1,550 per weekly interval equivalent in the United States. That is an industry average, not a quote for a particular resort or points ownership. The report states that the figure includes reserve contributions but excludes property taxes and special assessments.
Do timeshare maintenance fees go up every year?
They can increase, decrease, or occasionally stay flat depending on the resort or program budget, but buyers should plan for the possibility of increases. The FTC advises consumers to factor annual maintenance-fee increases into the real cost of ownership. ARDA reported that the U.S. industry average increased 4.7% from 2024 to 2025. A single year's industry change should not be treated as a forecast for a specific resort.
What is a good maintenance fee for a timeshare?
There is no universal dollar amount that makes a maintenance fee good or bad. A higher fee may support a larger unit, more points, a high-cost destination, stronger reserves, or a more expensive resort operation. Compare the fee with the actual usage you receive, the same program or resort, the ownership's reservation value, and every other required recurring charge.
Do resale buyers pay the same maintenance fees as developer buyers?
The core assessment usually follows the ownership or program rather than the price the buyer paid, so buying inexpensively on the resale market does not make the annual obligation disappear. However, separate club dues, enrollment charges, benefits, or program rules can differ for resale buyers. Verify the current fee schedule and resale rules for the exact ownership.
Are property taxes included in timeshare maintenance fees?
Sometimes, but not always. The billing structure varies by resort and ownership. Ask whether the quoted annual amount includes property taxes or whether taxes are billed separately. ARDA's national maintenance-fee benchmark specifically excludes property taxes, so do not use that benchmark as an all-in ownership-cost figure.
What is a timeshare special assessment?
A special assessment is a charge separate from the normal recurring maintenance fee. It can be used for major repairs, reserves, insurance-related costs, renovations, or other association needs depending on the resort and governing documents. Before buying, ask about assessments that are already due, approved, announced, or under consideration when that information is available.
Who pays the maintenance fee when a timeshare is sold?
There is no single rule that fits every resale transaction. The parties should state in the purchase agreement who pays the current year's fee, who receives the current year's usage, and how any unpaid balance or assessment will be handled. Do not assume the fee automatically belongs to the buyer or seller simply because of the closing date.
Can I compare timeshares by maintenance fee per point?
Yes, when the comparison is meaningful. Cost per 1,000 points can be useful for two ownerships in the same points system because the points operate under the same reservation currency. It is usually misleading to compare cost per point between unrelated programs because one Wyndham point, Hilton point, Disney point, or another program's point does not represent the same purchasing power.
Do I still owe maintenance fees if I do not use the timeshare?
Generally, the annual ownership obligation is not based on whether you personally used the vacation that year. The FTC tells consumers to expect fees and taxes even when a timeshare is not used. The exact collection rules, delinquency consequences, and payment options depend on the resort, association, or program.
How can I verify a maintenance fee before buying a resale?
Use current documentation tied to the exact ownership. A recent maintenance-fee statement is a good starting point. Depending on the resort, an estoppel, account-status letter, paid-in-full letter, ownership verification, transfer package, or direct resort confirmation may help establish the current balance, assessment, taxes, or transfer requirements.
Compare the fee with a real ownership
Once you understand the recurring cost, compare actual resale listings by resort, destination, points or week, purchase price, and annual fees. A low purchase price should never hide an annual obligation that does not fit the way you travel.