Land trusts are organizations that, at the request of the landowner, take over the legal possession, management, or partial control of property.
Title-holding land trusts, also known as Illinois land trusts, protect the anonymity of landowners and protect property from probate.
However, liability and privacy protections are not always guaranteed and there is a risk of foreclosure and disqualification from secondary market loans.
Land trusts are commonly used by real estate investors and property owners planning real estate.
Another form of land trust is the conservation land trust, used to manage undeveloped land for the purpose of preserving natural resources, historic sites and public recreation areas.