April TARDA Newsletter – The Timeshare Transparency Act S3502 – Steines vs Westgate – a Military Lending Act Update
Categories: Monthly NewslettersDecember 22, 2025
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The TIMESHARE TRANSPARENCY ACT offers federal oversight and other provisions for the protection of timeshare consumers. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Senator John Curtis of Utah (R) and co-sponsor California Senator Adam Schiff (D). AARP Supports the Bill. In addition to those pictured above, (from left, TARDA co-founder Irene Parker and her husband Don Parker, Utah Senator John Curtis, TARDA co-founder and President Sheilah Brust, and Kimberly Calhoun, PodTV Executive Producer of Timeshare Solution or Surrender), we thank two other volunteers who joined us in Washington DC to meet with lawmakers and staff evaluating the Timeshare Transparency Act. Our meetings would not have happened without the efforts of more than 150 timeshare buyers who reached out to their respective members of Congress.
April Update: We thank Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R), a second co-sponsor. This bill had a 5% chance of making it though committee, but those odds increased to 26% with a second co-sponsor.
An Important Update for Military timeshare buyers
Five Developers have been sued, accused of violating the Military Lending Act. The MLA exempts home mortgages. Westgate Resorts lost their appeal in Steines vs Westgate Resorts. The Eleventh Circuit ruled that a timeshare loan is not a mortgage loan, so military buyers should be considered Covered Borrowers. FNMA and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) state on their websites that a timeshare loan is not a mortgage, even though it is reported as such. We have heard from far too many active duty service members with security clearances in jeopardy, reporting unfair and deceptive timeshare practices.
On March 26, 2026, The Middle District Florida Court (Orlando) CERTIFIES the following liability-only class:
All active-duty service members or their dependents who financed the purchase of one or more timeshare interests via an extension of credit from Westgate Palace, LLC., made between February 2, 2017, and February 28, 2025 (“the Class Period”), who paid interest and who did not sign an MLA waiver form in the form of Exhibit I, 2025 MLA Disclosure.
Get Involved
To show support for the Timeshare Transparency Act, reach out to your local members of Congress to share your timeshare experience and reason for supporting the bill. The link below lists the 27 Senators who serve on the Senate Committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation, that will debate the bill. Committee members:
https://www.commerce.senate.gov/members
To Share Your Opinion, click this box, Contact Us, and “Share Your Opinion” to show your support:
CURTIS, SCHIFF INTRODUCE BILL TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM PREDATORY TIMESHARE PRACTICES
To contact Senator Adam Schiff:
To Track the Bill and Find Your Local Members of Congress
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/s3502
The Timeshare Transparency Act would require all timeshare agreements to:
● Include a single document itemizing all acquisition and maintenance costs.
● Mandate disclosure of modifiable fees and the notice requirements for such changes.
● Provide clear, documented options to exit ownership.
● Grant buyers a 14-day penalty-free cancellation period.
● Allow buyers time to privately review the timeshare agreement.
● Empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce these rules and issue further regulations.
● Preserves the rights of states to enact stronger consumer protections in regulating the timeshare industry.
The 14-day rescission period will have little effect for those over-promised availability, because the purchaser typically does not have access to the booking site until after the cancellation period has expired. However, a standardized 14-day rescission period would eliminate the confusion caused by rescind periods that varies by state from three to ten days. The only opportunity to truly protect the consumer would be if the rescission period began the day the purchaser obtained access to the booking site.
Also, several developer contracts state you can rent, with sales agents promising the ability to offset costs or earn income, but the contract fails to disclose the fees and obstacles that make the strategy unfeasible. That, and being falsely told it is easy to refinance, drives thousand of families into default. The vast majority of those who have reached out to TARDA have maintained lifelong high credit scores until being driven to default. Our PodTV show, Timeshare Solution or Surrender, has had over 100 guests share their experience. All shows can be accessed from the Timeshare Showcase at the bottom of the PodTV homepage. https://podtv.tv/
Additional concerns – What’s not in the bill
● Not disclosing the meeting or “update” is a solicitation
A common comment concerns branded hotels like Hilton/Marriott/Holiday Inn soliciting with the caller not disclosing the invitation is about timeshare. The loyalty member is invited to hear about our “vacation program.” Existing members are often told that what they will be attending is informational or an orientation, when in actuality, it is an attempt to sell more points.
● The recorded closing used as an entrapment
Diamond Resorts started recording the closing in 2017, after the Arizona Attorney General issued an Assurance of Discontinuance. The purchaser is not allowed to record. We have received many reports of agents coaching what to say or not say on the recording closing. If a buyer asks a question, the recording is stopped, the deception confirmed, and the recording device turned back on. If the recorded closing can be used against the purchaser, the purchaser should be allowed to record the sales session.
● A timeshare loan should not be defined as a mortgage
One of our greatest concerns is the number of active duty service members who have reported finding their security clearances in jeopardy because of unfair and deceptive timeshare practices. The Military Lending Act (MLA) exempts home mortgages. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in Steines vs Westgate, upheld a lower Florida court ruling that a timeshare loan is not the same as a home mortgage. FNMA and the NCUA state on their websites that a timeshare loan is not a mortgage loan. Timeshare contracts are financed at 12% to 19%, with little to no resale value. Commissions are not disclosed. Selling and marketing expenses run as high as 50% or more, including the “free” gifts.
● The oral representation/non-reliance clause does not belong in a unilateral timeshare contract
If it is, it should be disclosed at or prior to the presentation, not buried in volumes of fine print.
Who does the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Protect?
ARDA opposes the Act, stating current regulations are adequate. The National Association of Attorneys General disagrees:
Unfortunately, the current landscape of the timeshare industry has exposed significant inadequacies in protection for those seeking to purchase, lease, or exit their timeshare contracts.
https://www.naag.org/attorney-general-journal/timeshare-obligations-regulations-and-challenges
ARDA is the timeshare industry’s Washington-based trade association and a major lobbying force on Capital Hill and in Tallahassee. ARDA-ROC raises approximately $5 million a year in opt-out donations, invoiced on maintenance fees. Opting out is not always easy. Few timeshare members we’ve asked have been able to answer the question, “What is ARDA?”
Why the switch to opt-out?
The American Resort Development Association — Resort Owners Coalition PAC will also pay a $300,000 civil penalty. It is the largest fine imposed by the FEC (Federal Election Commission) since 2007. The charges, most $3 to $5, were billed to individual timeshare owners along with tax and maintenance charges. The small donations, not itemized by the PAC, totaled $8.4 million between 2003 and 2007, records show. Political contributions are voluntary, and federal law requires solicitations to make that clear. Federal records show that since 2006, ARDA has spent more than $1.1 million on Washington lobbyists to oppose such things as mortgage reform legislation, including the expansion of truth-in-lending requirements to timeshare buyers. Reported by the Broward Bulldog (renamed Florida Bulldog)
Timeshare Users Group (TUG): [2017]: Got my maintenance fee statement. There was no mention of ARDA fees, BUT when I compared the DUES part with the lower total fees section, there was a $7 difference. There was no mention of the extra $7 being for ARDA. So I changed the amount at the bottom to reflect what was actually stated of the $904. Just be aware.
A YouTube video, concerning ARDA-ROC recommending companies that charge upfront fees to list a timeshare,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lPhsKp09vg
In 2019, former Rep. Shawnna Bolick sponsored an Arizona Bill that would have allowed a 24-hour cooling off period BEFORE signing a contract. The bill passed the House 100%, but was defeated in the Senate. At the Senate hearing, ARDA lobbyist Don Isaacson argued:
“But the bottom line is that the state should not step in to protect people who didn’t bother to understand the nature of the deal.”
Timeshare Hostages
Several resorts, including Club Exploria, Soleil Management, and Great Eastern, will not allow an exit under any circumstance. Several independent Legacy resorts do not allow an exit. The timeshare industry’s top lobbyist told ConsumerAffairs that points have no resale value, while claiming that consumers don’t mind because – “Their value comes from using it,”
Legislative Hypocrisy: According to ARDA-ROC’s 2019 website for timeshare members:
ARDA-ROC is working on four core state issues in 14 states (including): Non-Judicial Foreclosure
Support non-judicial foreclosure laws which provide strong consumer protection provisions.
https://www.redweek.com/blog/2019/12/02/arda-roc-maintenance-fees
ARDA-ROC Chairman Kenneth McKelvey, stated in minutes of the April 10, 2019 at ARDA’s World conference:
“The best thing we can do with exit (is) judicial foreclosure, ruin the credit and enforce the contract.”
Talk back to X
X posters posted several posts belittling the proposed bill and Senator Curtis. Anyone who supports our military should support the Timeshare Transparency Act
Timeshare and Resort Developer Accountability
In 2019, five timeshare members, who resolved disputes through self-advocacy, formed Timeshare and Resort Developer Accountability Inc., a 501c4. (TARDA). https://tarda.org/
TARDA would not exist without your support. Let’s hope TARDA becomes obsolete because of reaching our goal of better honesty, transparency and accountability in timeshare marketing, sales and lending practices.
Let us hear from you if you wish to join our efforts to make a difference or donate to the cause.
Social media groups include Club Exploria Hostages, Vacation Village Unfortunate Owners https://www.facebook.com/groups/1309724916165817, Westgate Resorts Hostages, Bluegreen Hostages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy,
https://tarda.org/get-involved/