Unexpected Property Taxes on a Timeshare - What Are My Options?

You're dealing with a common but frustrating situation with timeshare property taxes. The important thing to know is that property taxes are typically handled by the local county tax assessor where the property is located, not by Marriott directly or the IRS. That's why you didn't get tax forms from Marriott or hear from the IRS about this. While Marriott collects maintenance fees, they often don't handle the property tax collection (though some resorts build it into fees). The property tax notices were likely coming from the county government where your timeshare is located, not from Marriott itself. This creates the confusion you experienced. Since your timeshare didn't sell at auction, you're in a good position. Most counties have hardship or reasonable cause exceptions for penalty and interest waivers. I'd recommend calling the county tax assessor's office directly and explaining your situation - the inheritance at a young age, your mother's passing, and the fact that notices went to an outdated address despite your updates with Marriott. Document everything about your address updates with Marriott to support your case. Also, check if you can set up electronic notifications for future tax bills from the county. Many counties now offer this service to prevent exactly these kinds of situations.

After going through a similar nightmare with a timeshare I inherited, I finally found a solution through taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). My situation was almost identical - inherited a timeshare from my dad, thought I was paying all the fees, then suddenly found out there were years of property taxes I didn't know about. I was totally confused by all the different tax documents and notices, and couldn't figure out what I actually owed versus what were penalties. The taxr.ai service analyzed everything and showed me exactly what I needed to pay, which fees I could potentially get waived, and gave me a step-by-step plan to keep my timeshare without overpaying. They even created a custom letter explaining my situation to the tax assessor's office that helped me get most of the penalties removed. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to sort through this mess.

Just wanted to update that I actually tried taxr.ai after my skeptical comment. I inherited two vacation properties from an uncle and was getting conflicting information about back taxes. Their document analysis showed that one property had been double-taxed for three years, and I was able to get a $3800 refund I wouldn't have known about otherwise. The other property had some legitimate tax issues, but they helped me file for abatement of penalties which saved me about $1200. The whole process was way smoother than I expected. They identified issues I wouldn't have noticed and gave me exact scripts for talking to the tax authority. Just wanted to come back and admit I was wrong in my skepticism!

When I was dealing with timeshare tax issues last year, I spent HOURS trying to reach someone at the county tax office. Literally called for weeks and couldn't get through. I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at the tax assessor's office in less than 20 minutes. Check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was seriously about to lose my beach timeshare over $1700 in back taxes that I never knew about. Once I actually talked to someone at the county, they explained I qualified for a hardship exception and reduced my penalties. But I never would have known that if I couldn't get someone on the phone. Just throwing this out there because the most frustrating part of my experience was not being able to talk to an actual human who could help me understand my options.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself because I was desperate to reach my county property assessor about a special tax district assessment I never agreed to. Had been trying for THREE WEEKS with no luck. The service connected me in about 35 minutes (they estimated 45, so even faster than expected). I was able to speak directly with someone who explained that my property had been incorrectly included in a new development zone and they removed the assessment completely. I'm normally the person warning everyone about potential scams, but this actually worked exactly as advertised. Saved me over $2000 in incorrect assessments that I would have just paid if I couldn't get through to explain the mistake.

Some advice from someone who's worked in property management - when you inherit a timeshare, you should immediately contact both the resort management company AND the county tax assessor where the property is located. Timeshares are weird because they're technically real estate, but the management company often doesn't handle the property tax component. For your current situation, most counties have an "abatement for reasonable cause" process where you can request penalties and interest be removed if you can show you had good reason for the late payment (like notices going to the wrong address). Get documentation from Marriott showing when you updated your address with them. Also, check with an accountant about possible tax implications. Depending on the value of the timeshare when you inherited it versus now, there might be some tax strategies that could help your situation.

Just a tip about timeshares - download the actual deed and check exactly what you own. I learned the hard way that some timeshares have multiple tax bills. I had a Westin one where I had to pay: 1) Maintenance fees to the resort 2) Property taxes to the county directly 3) A special assessment fee to the local tourism district Could be that you've been paying the maintenance fees but not realizing there were separate property tax bills. Double check if your timeshare has a real deed or if it's a "right to use" contract, as the tax implications are different.

I'm so glad your timeshare didn't sell at auction! Your situation highlights a really important gap in how timeshare companies handle inherited properties. As a newcomer here, I've been reading through similar cases and it seems like this communication breakdown between resorts and county tax offices is unfortunately common. The fact that you were keeping up with maintenance fees shows you were acting in good faith. One thing I'd add to the great advice already given - when you contact the county tax assessor about penalty abatement, also ask if they can set up automatic email notifications for future tax bills. Many counties now offer this service, and it would prevent this situation from happening again. Also consider requesting that any future tax notices include both your current address AND a note that this is for inherited property. Some counties will add special flags to inherited properties to help prevent these kinds of mix-ups. Your story is actually really helpful for others in similar situations - the combination of inheriting property young, losing a parent, and dealing with address changes creates a perfect storm for these tax issues. Thanks for sharing the update too!