Shared Use Agreement Mexico (Acuerdo de Tiempo Compartido)

A Shared Use Agreement Mexico (Contrato de Tiempo Compartido or Acuerdo de Uso Compartido de Inmueble) is a written consumer contract through which a vacation property developer (proveedor de tiempo compartido) grants a consumer (consumidor) the periodic right to use, enjoy, and occupy a furnished vacation unit (unidad vacacional) — typically a resort apartment, hotel suite, villa, or recreational facility — for a specified number of days or weeks per year, for a fixed or indefinite term, in exchange for an initial acquisition price (precio de adquisición) and annual maintenance fees (cuotas de mantenimiento). In Mexico, tiempo compartido agreements are regulated as consumer contracts under the Ley Federal de Protección al Consumidor (LFPC) Articles 73 through 76, which establish mandatory minimum terms, cancellation rights, and disclosure requirements designed to protect consumers from aggressive sales tactics historically associated with the vacation ownership industry.

The Ley Federal de Protección al Consumidor Article 73 provides the statutory definition of tiempo compartido as any arrangement that grants the right of use, enjoyment, or possession of a property during recurring, periodic intervals of time — whether denominated as fractional ownership (propiedad fraccionada), vacation club membership (membresía de club vacacional), vacation ownership (propiedad vacacional), or any other commercial name. Article 73 expressly states that the legal characterisation of the arrangement as tiempo compartido is determined by its economic substance rather than the commercial labels used by the developer — preventing circumvention of LFPC consumer protections by creative contract drafting.

Article 74 LFPC establishes that tiempo compartido contracts must be registered with the Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (PROFECO) before being offered to the public. PROFECO, created under the LFPC and reporting to the Secretaría de Economía, is the federal consumer protection agency responsible for supervising, registering, and enforcing tiempo compartido regulations across Mexico's major vacation destinations including Los Cabos, Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Riviera Maya, Ixtapa, Huatulco, and Mazatlán. PROFECO's Registro Nacional de Consumidores and the registro de contratos de adhesión (standard form contract registry) provide public access to registered tiempo compartido agreements.

Article 75 LFPC grants the consumer an unconditional five-business-day cooling-off right (derecho de rescisión sin penalización) to cancel the tiempo compartido contract after signing — without any penalty, forfeiture of deposit, or justification — and requires the developer to refund all payments received within 15 calendar days of cancellation. This cancellation right is one of the strongest consumer protections in Mexican commercial law and is specifically targeted at the high-pressure sales presentations (presentaciones de ventas) common in vacation ownership marketing. Under Article 75, any contractual clause purporting to waive or restrict this five-day cancellation right is null and void (nula de pleno derecho).

Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-029-SCFI-2010, Prácticas Comerciales-Requisitos Informativos para la Comercialización del Tiempo Compartido, published in the DOF on 28 October 2010, establishes detailed disclosure requirements for tiempo compartido marketing and sales, mandatory contents of the contract, qualification requirements for sales representatives, and prohibited sales practices. NOM-029-SCFI-2010 requires that all tiempo compartido contracts include a PROFECO-registered model contract (contrato de adhesión registrado) and that the consumer receive a complete copy of the registered contract before the sales presentation concludes.

From an international perspective, Mexico's tiempo compartido industry is governed by the Organización Mexicana de Tiempo Compartido (AMDETUR — Asociación Mexicana de Desarrolladores Turísticos) industry standards and operates within the framework of the Ley Federal de Turismo (LFT) administered by the Secretaría de Turismo (SECTUR) for tourist accommodation classifications. Major tiempo compartido operators in Mexico include Grupo Vidanta, Grupo Barceló, Marriott Vacation Club (Marriott Vacations Worldwide), Hilton Grand Vacations, and Club Med Sistemas de México.

For foreign nationals purchasing tiempo compartido in Mexico's restricted zones (zona restringida — within 50 km of the coast and 100 km of the border), any real property interest must be held through a fideicomiso (bank trust) structure under the Ley de Inversión Extranjera Article 11, administered by a fiduciaria authorised by the Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV). The fideicomiso requirement adds an additional layer to the documentation structure of coastal and border-area vacation ownership transactions.

A Shared Use Agreement Mexico is required whenever a vacation property developer or operator sells periodic use rights to a consumer for a resort, hotel, apartment, or vacation club facility in Mexico — in compliance with LFPC Articles 73–76 and NOM-029-SCFI-2010 mandatory disclosure and registration requirements.

The agreement is needed when a resort developer in Cancún, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, or the Riviera Maya sells vacation ownership weeks or points to a consumer. PROFECO registration of the standard contract (contrato de adhesión) is required before marketing begins, and each individual sale must be documented using the registered contract template. Sales without a PROFECO-registered contract expose the developer to PROFECO sanctions and give the consumer a perpetual rescission right.

The document is required when an existing tiempo compartido owner wishes to assign or transfer their membership rights to a third party. Under LFPC Article 73 and the specific terms of the original agreement, transfer of tiempo compartido memberships typically requires written consent from the developer and compliance with transfer fee and documentation requirements. A written transfer agreement documenting the assignment protects both the assignor and assignee.

The agreement is necessary when a consumer exercises the five-day cancellation right under LFPC Article 75 and the developer must process the cancellation and refund. The PROFECO conciliation procedure (procedimiento de conciliación ante PROFECO) frequently handles disputes arising from refund delays or improper cancellation fee charges, and a well-drafted initial contract reduces the incidence of such disputes.

Under LFPC arts. 73–76, NOM-029-SCFI-2010, and PROFECO registration requirements, any vacation property operator in Mexico that offers periodic use rights to consumers must use a written Shared Use Agreement compliant with Mexican consumer protection law — failure to comply exposes the developer to PROFECO fines, forced rescission of all contracts, and reputational damage in Mexico's competitive vacation ownership market.

The agreement is also needed when a Mexican tiempo compartido developer sells memberships to foreign nationals (turistas extranjeros) at coastal or border zone resorts. In addition to LFPC and NOM-029-SCFI-2010 compliance, transactions with foreign nationals must address fideicomiso requirements under the Ley de Inversión Extranjera, the consumer's right to documentation in their native language (or at minimum a Spanish-language contract with verbal explanation by a bilingual representative), and the PROFECO-prescribed five-day cancellation notice procedure adapted for international purchasers who may not be present in Mexico for the full five-day period.

For vacation club operators that participate in international exchange programs (programas de intercambio) such as RCI (Resort Condominiums International) or Interval International, the Shared Use Agreement must document the exchange membership terms, annual exchange fees, and availability rules — these disclosures are required by NOM-029-SCFI-2010 and are frequently the subject of PROFECO conciliation complaints when exchange availability does not match the consumer's expectations at time of purchase.

A valid Shared Use Agreement Mexico under the LFPC, NOM-029-SCFI-2010, and PROFECO registration requirements must contain the following mandatory and recommended elements:

PROFECO Registration Information: The PROFECO registration number (número de registro PROFECO) of the tiempo compartido standard contract (contrato de adhesión), the date of registration, and a statement that the consumer received a complete copy of the PROFECO-registered contract. NOM-029-SCFI-2010 requires that the registration number be prominently displayed on the first page of the contract.

Identification of Developer and Consumer: Full legal name, RFC, and registered address of the vacation property developer (proveedor); full legal name, CURP, RFC, official address, and contact information of the consumer (consumidor). For corporate consumers, the RFC and representative's credentials must be specified.

Description of the Vacation Unit and Resort: Precise description of the vacation property — resort name, property address (including municipality and state), unit type (suite, villa, studio), unit number or category, amenities included (pool, gym, beach access, spa), and any associated club or exchange membership (e.g., RCI — Resort Condominiums International, Interval International).

Time Period and Usage Rights: The specific weeks, days, or points allocated per year to the consumer — whether fixed week (semana fija), floating week (semana flotante), points-based (sistema de puntos), or split-week arrangement. The season classification (alta temporada, temporada regular, temporada baja) applicable to the allocated periods and any restrictions on use during holiday periods (Semana Santa, Navidad, Año Nuevo).

Acquisition Price and Payment Terms: Total acquisition price (precio de adquisición total), initial deposit (anticipo), financing terms including interest rate (tasa de interés), monthly payment amount, and total cost of credit (costo total del crédito) — all required by NOM-029-SCFI-2010 to be disclosed clearly. Annual maintenance fees (cuotas de mantenimiento anuales), the mechanism for adjusting fees, and the consumer's rights if fees are not applied.

Five-Day Cancellation Right: Explicit statement of the consumer's unconditional right to rescind the contract within five business days (cinco días hábiles) of signing under LFPC Article 75, the procedure for exercising this right (written notice to the developer's registered address or PROFECO), and the developer's obligation to refund all payments within 15 calendar days of receiving the cancellation notice. Any clause purporting to limit this right is void under LFPC.

Resort Exchange and Affiliation: Details of any vacation exchange program (programa de intercambio) — such as RCI or Interval International membership — included with the purchase, including annual exchange fees, exchange availability limitations, and the terms under which exchange rights may be modified or terminated.

Forms-legal.com provides this Shared Use Agreement Mexico template as a practical starting point for developers and consumers entering tiempo compartido arrangements. Tiempo compartido contracts for high-value vacation ownership products, multi-resort developers, or international exchange programs should be reviewed by a Licenciado en Derecho specialised in derecho del consumidor and registered by a PROFECO-authorised representative before use in sales presentations.