2025 Maintenance Fees Discussion

[tgropp]

We will soon be getting ready for the 2025 maintenance fees at BeachPlace Towers in Fort Lauderdale. They went up over $300 last year and yesterday I got an assessment of what they needed to repair to bring it up to the Florida code. After trying to understand what they all said, I will just be bracing for another huge increase

[Moderator Note: Post moved from 2024 MF's sticky thread.] <-- SueDonJ

 

[SueDonJ]

Another Mod note: I think we're all anticipating that the Florida resorts will be of special interest relative to 2025 MF's because of the new laws/codes related to Reserves. If, as expected, the topic generates a flood of posts then this thread will be edited/retitled to make it Florida-specific and a separate thread will be started as the 2025 catch-all MF's Discussion thread. Until all the discussions ramp up, though, please use this one as the catch-all in an effort to reduce editing all over the forum. Thanks!

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

So this is my first year owning a Marriott week. When do the ‘25 maintenance fees typically come out? (I own at MGC).

 

[dioxide45]

So this is my first year owning a Marriott week. When do the ‘25 maintenance fees typically come out? (I own at MGC).

For weeks, many resorts bill sometime in November. Some earlier, some later. The trusts usually send out their budgets and bills first.

 

[RENTER]

That is one advantage of treating timeshares as a second home rather than just for vacations as some of us are doing. What is happening in Florida will have no effect on those who own elsewhere and can use our points for Florida. Never say never, if it does and I do not know about it, would have little effect on us.

If we owned a vacation home or condo in Florida we would also be getting crushed by the high insurance costs and reserve requirements.

 

[heitmullerj02]

So far Sheraton Vistana says they have enough in reserves to cover immediate requirement. On the other hand I’m sure they will want to bolster those reserves. I paid early to trade in II and was given last years amount.

 

[jmhpsu93]

So far Sheraton Vistana says they have enough in reserves to cover immediate requirement. On the other hand I’m sure they will want to bolster those reserves. I paid early to trade in II and was given last years amount.

I don't believe you were given last year's amount...that's just what Vistana uses to estimate your future maintenance fees for those trades. You'll eventually be responsible for the different. I've been out of Vistana for a bit, but @dioxide45 will probably be able to clarify.

 

[DRH90277]

That is one advantage of treating timeshares as a second home rather than just for vacations as some of us are doing. What is happening in Florida will have no effect on those who own elsewhere and can use our points for Florida. Never say never, if it does and I do not know about it, would have little effect on us.

If we owned a vacation home or condo in Florida we would also be getting crushed by the high insurance costs and reserve requirements.

Not quite so rosy for points owners. Points owners pay maintenance fees which are a combination of the MF of the underlying timeshares owned by the Trust plus a layer of Trust overhead. To the extent that Florida resorts increase their maintenance fees, points owners will get their share. MVC, of course, does not disclose the makeup by resort and season of Trust ownerships.

How about a spin-off of these expense prone Trust ownerships or a paring back of Trust ownerships of Florida timeshares? We're not safe from high costs for Florida timeshares or any other high maintenance fee ownerships by the Trust.

 

[dioxide45]

Not quite so rosy for points owners. Points owners pay maintenance fees which are a combination of the MF of the underlying timeshares owned by the Trust plus a layer of Trust overhead. To the extent that Florida resorts increase their maintenance fees, points owners will get their share. MVC, of course, does not disclose the makeup by resort and season of Trust ownerships.

How about a spin-off of these expense prone Trust ownerships or a paring back of Trust ownerships of Florida timeshares? We're not safe from high costs for Florida timeshares or any other high maintenance fee ownerships by the Trust.

They can't easily sell off certain resorts or weeks. Those unit weeks are the underlying inventory for what they sold as trust points. They should be making a concerted effort to try and acquire low MF/point unit weeks in the future. The problem is that these don't have as good of a sales margin as the low season weeks they can get for cheap and sell for high prices. For Marriott's bottom line, sales is where it is at. The MFs is what the owners pay.

 

[DRH90277]

They can't easily sell off certain resorts or weeks. Those unit weeks are the underlying inventory for what they sold as trust points. They should be making a concerted effort to try and acquire low MF/point unit weeks in the future. The problem is that these don't have as good of a sales margin as the low season weeks they can get for cheap and sell for high prices. For Marriott's bottom line, sales is where it is at. The MFs is what the owners pay.

I noticed the TUG Lifetime Member designation. This is so well deserved, I appreciate your many thoughtful and insightful writings. Congratulations!

 

[rickandcindy23]

I noticed the TUG Lifetime Member designation. This is so well deserved, I appreciate your many thoughtful and insightful writings. Congratulations!

Me too @dioxide45!

 

[RENTER]

Not quite so rosy for points owners. Points owners pay maintenance fees which are a combination of the MF of the underlying timeshares owned by the Trust plus a layer of Trust overhead. To the extent that Florida resorts increase their maintenance fees, points owners will get their share. MVC, of course, does not disclose the makeup by resort and season of Trust ownerships.

How about a spin-off of these expense prone Trust ownerships or a paring back of Trust ownerships of Florida timeshares? We're not safe from high costs for Florida timeshares or any other high maintenance fee ownerships by th

Not quite so rosy for points owners. Points owners pay maintenance fees which are a combination of the MF of the underlying timeshares owned by the Trust plus a layer of Trust overhead. To the extent that Florida resorts increase their maintenance fees, points owners will get their share. MVC, of course, does not disclose the makeup by resort and season of Trust ownerships.

How about a spin-off of these expense prone Trust ownerships or a paring back of Trust ownerships of Florida timeshares? We're not safe from high costs for Florida timeshares or any other high maintenance fee ownerships by the Trust.

You are correct about the Trust but not all point owners are in the Trust. I did select and spread the contracts across different parts of the country so I can spread the risk in case like what is happening in Florida, or the wildfires in Hawaii, or the hurricanes in the Carolinas.

When I say spread the risk, I mean spreading the risk of special assessments
due to weather or other forms of emergencies. Which is what access does, but I did not want to pay the higher maintenance fees. So, I created my own access using low maintenance fee resorts.

 

[Hindsite]

You are correct about the Trust but not all point owners are in the Trust.

You don't "own" club points unless they are in the Trust. You can "own" weeks and/or fractional that can elect for club points, but that's just using an exchange platform and the club points are not deeded property in that case.

You can further spread risk by buying properties in different countries and benefit from favourable exchange rates. That works well for us overall.

 

[Dean]

You are correct about the Trust but not all point owners are in the Trust. I did select and spread the contracts across different parts of the country so I can spread the risk in case like what is happening in Florida, or the wildfires in Hawaii, or the hurricanes in the Carolinas.

When I say spread the risk, I mean spreading the risk of special assessments
due to weather or other forms of emergencies. Which is what access does, but I did not want to pay the higher maintenance fees. So, I created my own access using low maintenance fee resorts.

IMO the main benefit of owning Trust points over weeks that can be elected for points is the SA protection since any SA will be paid by the group and thus likely to be very low compared to owning at any resort with a SA. I do not feel it's a sufficient reason to own Trust points over GOOD weeks that are enrolled, but it is a potential benefit.

 

[RENTER]

You don't "own" club points unless they are in the Trust. You can "own" weeks and/or fractional that can elect for club points, but that's just using an exchange platform and the club points are not deeded property in that case.

You can further spread risk by buying properties in different countries and benefit from favourable exchange rates. That works well for us overall.

I have deeds and not a certificate so yes you are technically correct I do not own points. So I get the benefit of having access to those points without being responsible for Florida rising maintenance fees.

 

[RENTER]

IMO the main benefit of owning Trust points over weeks that can be elected for points is the SA protection since any SA will be paid by the group and thus likely to be very low compared to owning at any resort with a SA. I do not feel it's a sufficient reason to own Trust points over GOOD weeks that are enrolled, but it is a potential benefit.

I agree with you which is why I do not put all my eggs into one resort and spread the risk out across many resorts.

 

[Mlvnsmly]

You are correct about the Trust but not all point owners are in the Trust. I did select and spread the contracts across different parts of the country so I can spread the risk in case like what is happening in Florida, or the wildfires in Hawaii, or the hurricanes in the Carolinas.

When I say spread the risk, I mean spreading the risk of special assessments
due to weather or other forms of emergencies. Which is what access does, but I did not want to pay the higher maintenance fees. So, I created my own access using low maintenance fee resorts.

How did you enroll weeks in the point program without purchasing points?

 

[Dean]

How did you enroll weeks in the point program without purchasing points?

It is possible to enroll without buying points and it's actually advantageous to go that route if one is going to shell out the money to enroll anyway. Of course if one has owned since before the cutoff in 2010 then one can enroll for little or nothing. I can't speak for Asia but for other ares buying retail at a location that only sells weeks like Spain or the Caribbean can qualify for enrollment. The cost to do so went up dramatically with the 2023 enrollment program. Normally they've run this about 5 months out of each year and there are some caveats. Spain has been the best deal by far that last couple of years where you can get the price down to around $6 PP on the purchase part and fees in the 55¢ range depending on the specific season and resort. With the Vistana/Westin options the choices may be slightly different.

 

[Mlvnsmly]

It is possible to enroll without buying points and it's actually advantageous to go that route if one is going to shell out the money to enroll anyway. Of course if one has owned since before the cutoff in 2010 then one can enroll for little or nothing. I can't speak for Asia but for other ares buying retail at a location that only sells weeks like Spain or the Caribbean can qualify for enrollment. The cost to do so went up dramatically with the 2023 enrollment program. Normally they've run this about 5 months out of each year and there are some caveats. Spain has been the best deal by far that last couple of years where you can get the price down to around $6 PP on the purchase part and fees in the 55¢ range depending on the specific season and resort. With the Vistana/Westin options the choices may be slightly different.

This was directed at the poster I replied to. I am aware of the options you listed, but that wasn't the premise here. The poster said they spread contracts around different parts of the country. So the question was, how did they enroll those weeks without buying points?

 

[Dean]

This was directed at the poster I replied to. I am aware of the options you listed, but that wasn't the premise here. The poster said they spread contracts around different parts of the country. So the question was, how did they enroll those weeks without buying points?

Noted, thanks for the clarification. My point was it was possible to enroll as a purchase without buying points but it's also possible the poster owned prior to the cutoff date. I suspect the poster in question is known to us but using an alias at this point.

 

[Mlvnsmly]

Noted, thanks for the clarification. My point was it was possible to enroll as a purchase without buying points but it's also possible the poster owned prior to the cutoff date. I suspect the poster in question is known to us but using an alias at this point.

My next question would be if you bought before 2010, how would you have known about the point system and been able to devise a plan to diversify your point allotment across multiple US resorts rather than having to buy into the trust. That takes tremendous forethought.

 

[dioxide45]

How did you enroll weeks in the point program without purchasing points?

I think @RENTER isnt even a Marriott owner. They are referring to “access” which i take to mean Club Wyndham Access. Wyndham’s trust point program. RENTER frequently posts in the Wyndham forum.

 

[RENTER]

I think @RENTER isnt even a Marriott owner. They are referring to “access” which i take to mean Club Wyndham Access. Wyndham’s trust point program. RENTER frequently posts in the Wyndham forum.

You are correct. Was this about Marriot and that is why there is confusion? Because I am confused with some of the questions asked. I have Wyndham's Select which is deeded for a specific resort. I have been buying since the 1990's when they were Fairfield. I own at several resorts around the country and have priority owner benefits at those resorts.

Access is a group of Resorts and those who buy it receive a certificate and not a deed that gives them owner priority at all those resorts. I own at some of those resorts.

As for maintenance fees, I pay those at the resort I own. For Access the maintenance fees for all those resorts are blended together to get an average. I am not sure of the number but maintenance fees at different resorts range from $5 to $10 per 1000 points. Access I believe is around $7.63 per 1000. Mine are much less then that because I buy at low maintenance fee resorts.

 

[Dean]

You are correct. Was this about Marriot and that is why there is confusion? Because I am confused with some of the questions asked. I have Wyndham's Select which is deeded for a specific resort. I have been buying since the 1990's when they were Fairfield. I own at several resorts around the country and have priority owner benefits at those resorts.

Access is a group of Resorts and those who buy it receive a certificate and not a deed that gives them owner priority at all those resorts. I own at some of those resorts.

As for maintenance fees, I pay those at the resort I own. For Access the maintenance fees for all those resorts are blended together to get an average. I am not sure of the number but maintenance fees at different resorts range from $5 to $10 per 1000 points. Access I believe is around $7.63 per 1000. Mine are much less then that because I buy at low maintenance fee resorts.

Yes, this was specifically a Marriott related discussion and thus answers were oriented in that way. While there are some similarities to Wyndham to some degree, there are significant differences as well. With MVC in order to have points based on weeks, they have to have either been owned prior to the 2010 cutoff date, bought retail or one has to pay significant dollars to enroll them (tens of thousands of $$$). Specific to Wyndham I think it's more important to worry about the fees per point than the location itself.

 

[RENTER]

Yes, this was specifically a Marriott related discussion and thus answers were oriented in that way. While there are some similarities to Wyndham to some degree, there are significant differences as well. With MVC in order to have points based on weeks, they have to have either been owned prior to the 2010 cutoff date, bought retail or one has to pay significant dollars to enroll them (tens of thousands of $$$). Specific to Wyndham I think it's more important to worry about the fees per point than the location itself.

I am sorry for creating the confusion. I just saw Maintenance Fees Discussion and responded to that. It did not say it was a Marriot discussion. I did not scroll up far enough to see it was Marriott because I saw people who post on Wyndham. We are having the same discussion about Florida and maintenance fees going up on those who own Access.