Hold rental properties privately. Isolate liability between units. Keep your name off tenant searches.
By Shafwan Ahmed, Operations & Fulfillment Lead, Anonymousllc.co
One Wyoming anonymous LLC per rental property for portfolios under 3 properties. Wyoming Series LLC once you cross 3 properties - each property goes into its own series under one parent. A Wyoming holding LLC over state-specific operating LLCs is the right shape if your rentals span multiple states.
Tenants, contractors, and opposing parties in disputes routinely search county records and the Secretary of State to identify the owner of a property. An anonymous LLC keeps your name off both the deed (title held by the LLC) and state filings, which reduces nuisance lawsuits and limits negotiation leverage of any disputing party.
Wyoming Series LLC (§ 17-29-1101) is the cleanest US vehicle for landlords. Charging order protection under § 17-29-503(a) shields each property from creditors of other series. No state income tax. Lowest annual cost in the country ($60/yr). Best banking acceptance for landlords.
| State | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming (one LLC per property) | $397 | $60/yr annual report each. |
| Wyoming Series LLC | $547 | $397 + $150 series add-on. One annual report for the parent. |
| New Mexico | $347 | Cheapest setup. Harder banking. No annual report. |
An LLC makes the company the landlord of record, so a tenant injury claim, a contractor dispute, or a code-violation judgment reaches only that property's entity, not your home, savings, or other rentals. Without the entity, a slip-and-fall at one unit can pursue everything you own. With one Wyoming anonymous LLC per property, or a Series LLC isolating each unit under § 17-29-503(a), a lawsuit against one rental cannot cascade into the others. Title held by the LLC and your name kept off state filings also stop tenants from researching your assets before a dispute.
A single-member rental LLC is a pass-through: rent, expenses, and depreciation flow to your personal 1040 on Schedule E, and the LLC files no separate federal income tax. Depreciation on the building shelters much of the cash flow, mortgage interest and property tax stay deductible, and Wyoming's lack of state income tax means no state-level tax on the rents at the entity. If the rental sits in another state, that state taxes the income earned there and you file a nonresident return. A Series LLC reports through the parent, keeping one federal filing for the portfolio.
For genuine liability isolation, yes - one LLC per property, or one series per property in a Wyoming Series LLC, so a judgment against one rental cannot reach the equity in another. Putting several properties in a single LLC exposes the whole group to any one tenant's lawsuit, defeating the purpose. The Series LLC at $547 delivers per-property isolation under one parent and one annual report, which suits a growing portfolio. Under three properties, individual Wyoming LLCs at $397 each, with a $60 annual report apiece, keep the structure simple while preserving separation.
Deed the property from your name into the LLC by quitclaim, and confirm in writing with the lender and title insurer that the transfer does not trigger the mortgage's due-on-sale clause or disturb title coverage. Most residential mortgages carry a due-on-sale clause that a transfer to an LLC can technically trip, though many lenders leave performing rental transfers alone. Get the confirmation before recording the deed. Form the LLC before you close on a new purchase so title vests directly in the entity, and update the landlord insurance to name the LLC as insured the day title moves.
Tenants see the LLC as the landlord on the lease, the LLC name on the deed if they run a county property search, and the registered agent - not you - on Secretary of State records. Your name stays off the lease, the title, and the state filing, so a tenant preparing a security-deposit dispute or a habitability claim cannot identify you or research your other holdings. This is the passive-discovery block that reduces nuisance claims and removes negotiating leverage. Your identity still appears at the bank under BSA/CIP and with the IRS, and a court subpoena can reach it.
A standard Wyoming rental LLC costs $397 all-in and forms in 5-10 business days end to end, with a $60 annual report per year. A Wyoming Series LLC for a portfolio costs $547 and files one annual report for the parent. The $397 covers the Wyoming state filing, registered agent for year one, operating agreement, EIN, and 4-5 US bank applications to Mercury, Relay, and Bluevine. The state accepts the filing in 1-3 business days, the EIN follows 5-7 days after, and the bank account opens about 8-10 days after the EIN. New Mexico at $347 is the cheapest and files no annual report, but banking acceptance for landlords is weaker. Start the LLC before you close so title transfers straight into the entity by quitclaim deed, then route every rent payment into the LLC account and pay all property expenses from it. Renew the registered agent at $100 a year to keep your home address off the deed and the state filing. Set up this way, the rental is held privately, the liability is isolated from your other assets, and the ongoing cost is a $60 report and the agent fee per entity.
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