Laws, Regulations & Annotations

Property Taxes Law Guide – Revision 2017

Property Tax Annotations

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C

220.0000 CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP

Annotation 220.0814

220.0814 Trusts—Land Trusts. The characteristics of a land trust generally include the following: (1) the holding of both legal and equitable title of the trust property by the trustee; (2) management and control reserved to the beneficiary (or any person designated in writing by the beneficiary); (3) the beneficiary vested with the right to direct the trustee to convey title; and (4) the interest of the beneficiary as personal property. As a result, business trusts and Illinois land trusts have some characteristics in common, such as the holding of legal and equitable title of the trust property by the trustee and the characterization of ownership interests in the entity as personal property. However, there is one significant difference between the entities: broad management powers are given to the trustee of a business trust to manage the entity, while management and control of an Illinois land trust are reserved to the beneficiary or beneficiaries of the trust. Thus, who controls the management of the entity, the trustee or the beneficiary, is the most significant characteristic in determining whether a business trust or an Illinois land trust has been created.

The sole owner of real property transferred the property into a land trust, an irrevocable trust; the transferor is the beneficiary of the trust; and legal title to the property in trust is held by a third party as trustee. The provisions of the trust provide that the trustee shall not act unless instructed to do so by the trust beneficiary, and that the trustee shall not manage or operate the trust properties. Thus, the subject land trust was not operated as a business entity, but rather for the holding and conservation of property. As a result, since the trustors are the present beneficiaries of the trust, Revenue and Taxation Code section 62(d) would apply to exclude the transfer of real property into the trust from a change in ownership. C 6/26/2000.