§4.3.3 Timeshare contracts

Directive 2008/122/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (401) (Timeshare Directive) grants certain consumer protection rights regarding timeshare, long-term holiday products, resale and exchange contracts. In particular, it lays down: — strict rules on traders’ pre-contractual and contractual information obligations; — the consumer’s right to withdraw from the contract within 14 calendar days; — a ban on advance payments during the withdrawal period; — a ban on advertising or selling such products as an investment. The UCPD provides protection to consumers complementary to the protection offered by the Timeshare Directive. The research undertaken to support the Commission report evaluating the Timeshare Directive (402) points to certain recurrent problems in this sector, in particular in some popular holiday destinations in some EU Member States: — Misleading information before the contract is signed, giving buyers the wrong impression that the choice of available holiday places is practically unlimited or that the contract can be easily sold or exchanged. Often consumers discover only sometime after the signature of the contract that this information is incorrect. — Aggressive selling methods consisting in potential buyers being put under considerable pressure, for instance being ‘locked’ in a room where endless presentations take place and from where they are sometimes not allowed to leave unless they sign the contract. The UCPD addresses these practices through its provisions on misleading actions (in particular Article 6(1)(b)) and on aggressive commercial practices (Articles 8 and 9). Furthermore, the Commission report on the Timeshare Directive pointed to recurrent consumer problems with the termination of timeshare contracts. The report concludes that this aspect can be successfully addressed at the level of national law and better enforcement of relevant EU consumer law instruments.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-07