Family reading last will and testament in a stock photo.Photo:Getty
Getty
An anonymous Reddit user says their mother-in-law has revealed what she plans to leave them in her will — but it’s more headachy than heartfelt.
In a post published toReddit, the person writes that their mother-in-law “is gifting us 5 timeshares in her will costing us $9,500 annually. We asked her not to do this and she lost it.”
The $9,500, they add, will be in administrative fees.
“We are not interested in owning timeshares nor are we interested in paying that much in admin costs,” they add. “We asked an attorney and he said it is expensive and a hassle to try to get rid of the timeshares; so we politely and respectfully asked MIL not to leave those to us in her will.”
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The post continues: “She absolutely lost it and was extremely upset saying we were ungrateful and that she is refusing to change her will; we asked if she would be willing to go ahead and transfer the timeshares to someone else before her death, but she refused.”
The poster adds that there is “a perpetuity clause” on the timeshares, which means that the owner of the property is responsible for the timeshare for their entire life and that, once they die, ownership passes to their estate, which is then responsible for paying the fees.
By and large, fellow Reddit users agree with the poster about the burdens that come with timeshare ownership — a notoriously controversial industry often mired in hidden fees.
Added the commenter: “If she continues to insist on dumping them on you, perhaps contact one of those companies that help people extricate themselves from time shares. I hear ads about those services all the time. Perhaps you can preemptively avoid the potential problems if you have an ‘escape’ plan in place. And you are NOT ungrateful for Not wanting to be stuck paying all the administrative costs! Good luck!”
Another commenter also advised that the poster seek legal representation, writing: “Start talking to a lawyer who specializes in timeshares now! As timeshare laws are very weird, there is only a very small window of time to decline them. Otherwise, good luck getting out of it. I believe that they can automatically go to any immediate family member, so it might be good to give a heads-up to any family members who could have this nasty surprise end up in their lap.”
source: people.com