“Like a Rock”: Uniting Owners in One Strong Voice
By Charlene Small
Timeshare owners get
it. They know that owning a timeshare means
a
guaranteed once-in-a-lifetime vacation at least once a year, every year for as
long as they want to take it. Owners know that the experiences and memories they
gain on these vacations with their families and loved ones far outweigh any
negative perceptions or influences.
Ensuring that timeshare ownership continues to be preserved,
protected and enhanced is a complex task that the American Resort Development
Association Resort Owners’ Coalition (ARDA-ROC) is proud to take on.
Empowered by timeshare owners, ARDA- ROC effectively influences
legislation that strengthens the timeshare industry, giving owners countless
memorable experiences. In order to preserve and protect vacation ownership,
ARDA-ROC focuses its advocacy on four main pillars of legislation.
Resale and transfer legislation: ARDA-ROC helps protect owners from falling
victim to scams by introducing or assisting in passing pro-consumer
legislation, allowing owners to safely and gracefully exit their timeshare ownership.
These legislative efforts continue to protect owners by holding accountable
those companies that use deceptive business practices in an attempt to defraud
owners.
Timeshare owner privacy laws: ARDA-ROC ensures that the owner’s privacy is
always protected by enacting responsible privacy laws that withhold personal
information from being shared with third parties for commercial purposes, unwanted
solicitation, or fraudulent activity.
Transient accommodations tax (TAT): ARDA-ROC strongly opposes any effort to
impose an accommodation tax on the
use of a timeshare unit by an owner or exchange guest. Timeshare owners already
pay a number of taxes and fees related to their purchase and ownership
obligations. Adding an additional tax like TAT, when owners want to extend
their vacation experience beyond their home resort, would ultimately put limits
on the owner’s vacation ownership.
Non-judicial foreclosure: ARDA-ROC saves HOAs time and money by
supporting non-judicial foreclosure laws that enable the trustee of a timeshare
to conduct a foreclosure sale outside
the
court system.
Using these four main pillars, ARDA-ROC
has championed owners’ interests for
their timeshare on every regulatory and legislative level for
more than 25 years! As future
generations begin to enjoy the sharing economy, timeshare ownership will
continue to be a valued community that must remain preserved, protected and enhanced.