Protecting Privacy in Real Estate

Effective Strategies for Protecting Your Privacy in Public Real Estate Records

In an age where information is readily accessible online, safeguarding your privacy has become increasingly challenging. One area of concern is the exposure of personal information in public real estate records. Whether you’re a high-profile individual, a business owner, or simply someone who values their privacy, taking measures to keep your personal name out of public real estate records is crucial.

Here are some of the most common strategies employed to reduce or eliminate public real estate record references to an individual’s name.

Using Registered Legal Entities for Property Ownership

One of the most effective ways to keep your personal name off public real estate records is by using registered legal entities, such as limited liability companies (LLCs) or corporations, to hold property. These entities are created by filing for a new entity with the Oklahoma Secretary of State. This strategy allows individuals to maintain a level of anonymity as the legal entity’s name is listed as the property owner.

As of January 1, 2024, this strategy will require the beneficial owners of the holding entity to report their ownership to FinCEN. See our Oklahoma guide to the new FinCEN rules for more information.

Trusts and Beneficiary Structures

Trusts are another extremely effective method for removing personal names from land records. However, this requires the trust to be named inconspicuously in order to avoid tying an individual to their trust’s property, as the name of the trust will appear in the public record.

There are many available trust structures in Oklahoma, including land trusts, revocable and irrevocable trusts, living trusts, special needs (supplemental needs) trusts, asset protection trusts, and more.

Nominee Services and Proxy Ownership

This method is not advisable in many circumstances, but can be used in extreme situations that truly require an individual property owner to distance themselves from the public record. As you use a nominee service, or rely on a proxy owner who you do not really want to give equity to, there can be many potential legal pitfalls that need to be addressed with written agreements and well-designed structures.

Get Help Removing Your Name from Land Records in Oklahoma

Contact Avenue Legal Group to get help removing your name from the public real estate records, setting up an LLC in Oklahoma, or creating a trust.