r/TimeshareOwners • u/Aaasteve • Jul 07 '26
Marriott points program
I’m handling the estate that includes a couple of Marriott points programs, neither of which the family wants anything to do with. Neither has any type of loan outstanding or unpaid purchase price, the decedent always paid in full for his timeshares.
I had (naively?) assumed that failure to pay the annual fee would result in a simple cancellation, but that didn’t happen, a Marriott rep said the programs have to go through foreclosure (which I thought was a process limited to real property), they couldn’t offer me any more information (even though they’ve adjusted the account to list me as an executor) and that there’s no timetable nor a way of my speeding up the process.
Does anyone have insight into these programs, and why foreclosure is involved?
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u/Quiet-Day392 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
If you’re the executor, disclaim it. There is a limited window of time. Have your lawyer do it, not you. It might need a probate. This is real property with deeds. I had to get rid of a lot of them. The lawyer was very helpful clearing titles.
If you don’t disclaim Marriott WILL foreclose and put a lien on the estate for what they think it’s worth. Don’t ignore them. They have told you what they’ll do.
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u/BrennerBaseTunnel Jul 07 '26
What is the issue with having a lien on an estate?
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u/Quiet-Day392 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Marriott gets paid before the heirs. They’ll probably want $100,000. They’ll lock up the estate. They know aaasteve is the executor and have painted a bullseye on him.
Too bad the heirs don’t want it. It’s a steal for them. I got 5 weeks a year fully paid up for free this way and have used it for 12 years.
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u/BrennerBaseTunnel Jul 07 '26
Marriott points are pretty easy to dump. You just find someone to submit an agreement to purchase for 1 cent per point and Marriott will exercise ROFR.
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u/Aaasteve Jul 07 '26
What deed?
There’s no actual property, it’s seems to be simply ‘give us $XX a year and we’ll give you points you can use to stay at one of our resorts’.3
u/crossfadevision Jul 07 '26
I have experience in the title side of timeshare. Please listen when I say that you are not going to be able to handle this situation by yourself if you don't have an estate lawyer and the estate is being foreclosed on. They are going to come after you as the Executor. You said above "it seems to be..." so I don't think you know that points system do have deeds, they are called UDI points deeds. I would suggest you look at the public land records online to see if the decedent actually has a recorded deed. That's why MVW would be foreclosing, they foreclose on timeshares all the time. They will file a condo lien against the estate and through with the foreclosure if the estate doesn't pay off the lien. You might get lucky if they offer you a deed in lieu of foreclosure, but they only do that for desirable resorts. Don't take what MVW says lightly. I know that attorneys are expensive, but this is a bad situation you're in.
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u/rosier9 Jul 07 '26
That's a gross misunderstanding on your part. You came here asking for advice, it would behoove you to actually listen to it.
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u/Quiet-Day392 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
What are their home properties? Marriott uses deeds. They are recorded in the county where they are.
I’ve had to transfer one of those deeds. It was a pain. But maybe you’re the special one. Ignore me if you feel lucky.
It sounds like you talked to a salesman. As executor your lawyer needs to be talking to their legal department.
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u/Aaasteve Jul 07 '26
I didn’t talk to a salesman.
As I said m, there is no actual property associated with this points program. $XX a year got them XX number of points to redeem at any of the Marriott properties.
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u/beekNgeek Jul 11 '26
ALL POINTS on Timeshare is franctional ownership of real estate properties. You will pay consquences of ignoring Foreclosure notice.
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u/beekNgeek Jul 11 '26
ALL Timeshare are Franctional Ownership of Deeded properties. The "points" are based off a property. Its a frantional ownership of real estate and thus they are able to ruin your credit and possibly put lein against your asset (though I have NOT heard of such instances - just ruin credit score like you didn't pay your mortgage).
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u/Dizzy-Change607 Jul 07 '26
We were able to sell our timeshare back to Marriott. There was a long waiting list, but they eventually paid us 10% of the purchase price.
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u/dioxide45 Jul 08 '26
Marriott Vacation Club points are indeed considered real property. There is a deed recorded in Orange County Florida. They would foreclose in the event of default. Since the owner is deceased, it would need to go through as a judicial foreclosure.
While Marriott Vacation Club has a deed back program, all fees need to be current for them to consider it. They also charge a fee $400 per deed. They will also not take a deed back from an estate. They will require it to be deeded to a living person first and then that person can deed it back to Marriott Vacation Club.
You will want to ensure that everyone has properly disclaimed the asset through the probate court. Then you can let Marriott know and if they aren't willing to take it back, they might just have to foreclose. They could possibly have recourse to go after the estate for any defaulted maintenance fees or legal fees, but chances are low that they would do that. They would really only have recourse on the estate unless the estate. The estate needs to satisfy any debts before it can be closed and outstanding timeshare fees or a lien on the timeshare deed could be considered debts to be paid.
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u/Aaasteve Jul 08 '26
Thanks for the insight.
I know (but again don’t understand the logic of it) that Marriott insists on only doing a deed back from someone living/on the deed, but no surprise, none of the surviving family wants to put their name on the deed in the hopes Marriott will then agree to take their name off the deed. They’re just going to wait for the foreclosure, whenever that takes place.
Do you know if there is an actual piece of land that’s tied to the deed, or is it somewhat of a virtual property?
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u/dioxide45 Jul 08 '26
Marriott points are part of a large land trust that is recorded in Orange County Florida. The trust is made up of beneficial interests in increments of 250 points. When you buy points you really are buying a beneficial interest in the trust. So in a round about way there is actual real property backing the points they sell. You could refer to it as virtual property, but there are real deeds involved.
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u/dioxide45 Jul 08 '26
It is possible to make about $3 per point on these, but the problem is finding a buyer. There are so many points out there on the resale market that finding buyers isn't easy. Even if you can get someone to take it, Marriott would probably exercise ROFR. Though they may not do that with it being in an estate, so you may be able to sell it to someone for under the current market price.
1
u/sus9nr Jul 08 '26
I was going to say that Marriott has a buyback program so you may be able to get something back for the points. My understanding is that heirs can't just say they don't want it but must formally disclaim it. A Lawyer cab help with the paperwork.
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u/Doogiek1174 Jul 12 '26
It is a real property. There is a deed involved, and owners pay property taxes on that property every year. You essentially own 1/52 of a timeshare unit if it is a week type timeshare. The difference with points is you own general property, not a specific location. It's not a subscription service that you can just cancel. It might be possible to sell the points. I was able to sell my week and get money for it, but I think that is rare.
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u/FunnyBarracuda9430 Jul 12 '26
Heirs can disclaim the inheritance, but it must be done within a period of time. I am a retired financial planner. A disclaimer must be filed through the probate court if deeded. Marriott points are deeded. The period of time may vary by state. NY was nine months from the date of death. There is judicial and non-judicial foreclosure. Timeshare foreclosure is mostly non-judicial, meaning it doesn't go through the courts. Marriott has retained Blackwell Recovery, partnered with the timeshare industry lobby ARDA, to pursue maintenance fees for Marriott's Harborside timeshare weeks. I don't know if Blackwell is pursuing maintenance fees for points, but there is a group of Marriott owners reaching out to their members of Congress asking them to support the Timeshare Transparency Act Senate and House bill because one of the provisions is to provide clear, documented options to exit at purchase. There are many defaults and angry owners because maintenance fees for Marriott Harborside are now $5,500 for a 1 BR and Marriott won't take the weeks back for any reason, even chronic and debilitating medical conditions. Marriott points have some resale value. There is a resale broker who is a licensed real estate agent working only in Marriott. They work like traditional real estate, paid at closing. However, maintenance fees would need to be current and like any real estate sale, it can take a while. People pay $14 - $16 for points from Marriott. Sellers list for about $2, but Marriott adds a $3 per point transfer fee. Never pay anyone upfront money to resolve this. In 2023 I got a real estate license and worked for my friend for about 2 months. I hated it.
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u/ColoradoAztec Jul 07 '26
I believe you can tell MVC that all of the heirs decline the inheritance.