Before you purchase a holiday or timeshare home
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Holiday and timeshare homes of various kinds are often sold directly at the holiday destination. A common type of accommodation is called timeshares – a residence you have access to in periods. The marketing is often aggressive so be sure that you have the information you need before you sign an agreement.
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Find out which agreement applies
If you want to buy a holiday or timeshare home, you need to have a grasp of which agreement applies. For a home that you can use repeatedly, known as a “timeshare”, one kind of agreement applies. For a so-called “long-term holiday product”, when you receive a discount on accommodation and the like, another kind of agreement applies. Both are covered by the same rules, but differ, among other things, in what information the vendor is obliged to give you.
Information for timeshare agreements
You are entitled to receive certain information well in advance of the agreement being signed. If you have not received it, your right of withdrawal is extended from 14 days to three months and 14 days from when the agreement was entered into.
You shall be given the following information:
Information about the company (name, address and corporate form).
Description of the home the agreement concerns.
The agreement’s period of validity (and when you have access to the home).
The price of the home and a summary of other costs that accompany the agreement (such as annual fees, local taxes and other recurring fees).
A summary of the services and facilities you have access to and are included in the price (for example services such as electricity, water, maintenance and waste removal and facilities such as a sauna or gym).
If there is an exchange system where you can get temporary access to other facilities or apartments through exchanges, what the exchange system is called and how much it costs.
If the company has codes of conduct, meaning guidelines for how they conduct their business in an ethically, socially and/or environmentally correct way.
In the timeshare agreement, this should be a in a separate section:
Information on the right of withdrawal of 14 calendar days.
Information on the prohibition of a down-payment from you during the right of withdrawal period.
You shall not bear any costs or have any other obligations than those stated in the agreement.
This shall be another separate part of the timeshare agreement:
Information on where certain other information is (if not in the agreement).
Information on acquired rights.
Information on the properties.
Additional requirements for homes under construction.
Information for agreements on long-term holiday products
You are entitled to receive certain information well in advance of the agreement being signed. If you have not received it, your right of withdrawal is extended from 14 days to three months and 14 days from when the agreement was entered into.
You shall be given the following information:
Information about the company (name, address and corporate form).
The exact content of the agreement.
The agreement’s period of validity (and when you can begin using the rights).
The price for using the accommodation (including recurring costs that may be additional for supplemental services)
Repayment plan with equally large annual instalments during the term of the agreement, with due dates.
Summary of further costs that accompany the agreement.
A summary of the main services you have access to and if they are included in the aforementioned costs.
Has the company signed codes of conduct, meaning committed to certain rules for the industry?
This shall be another separate part of the long-term holiday product agreement:
Information on the right of withdrawal of 14 calendar days.
Information on the prohibition of a down-payment from you during the right of withdrawal period.
You shall not bear any costs or have any other obligations than those stated in the agreement.
This shall be another separate part of the long-term holiday product agreement:
Information on where supplementary information is (if not in the agreement).
Information on the right, such as a description of which discounts apply to upcoming bookings or any limits to the use of the right.
Information on what applies if one withdraws from the agreement.
Further information, such as what language is to be used for communication or how a dispute can be resolved.
Repayment plan for a long-term holiday product
If you buy a so-called “long-term holiday product”, you must pay according to a repayment plan. All other arrangements are prohibited. After the first repayment, you have a right to withdraw from the agreement without any penalty charge. You do so by contacting the company within 14 calendar days after you received the request for the next instalment.
Right of withdrawal on holiday homes
You have a right of withdrawal by law if you:
Sign a timeshare agreement that is longer than one year and gives you the right to use one or more overnight accommodations for more than one time period.
If you sign an agreement on a so-called “long-term holiday product”.
The withdrawal period, meaning the time you have to withdraw from the agreement, is 14 days from the date you sign the agreement. If you have received the information that you are entitled to, your right of withdrawal is extended to three months and 14 days. If you have not received information or signed a separate agreement section that concerns the right of withdrawal and prohibition against down-payments, the right of withdrawal is extended to one year and 14 days.
Down-payments are not permitted during your withdrawal period
It is prohibited for the company to charge you a down-payment during the withdrawal period. If you choose to enter an agreement, it may be good to pay on credit. If you withdraw from the agreement, you can direct claims for a refund to the creditor (most often the bank) if the company refuses to issue a refund. This is called making a card complaint.