Linden Lab Official:Estate FAQ
This article is part of the Extended Second Life Knowledge Base that includes advanced and specialized information. This information was originally provided by Linden Lab, but is not actively maintained nor guaranteed to be accurate. Linden Lab does not certify nor assume any responsibility for this information.
See the official Second Life Knowledge Base for the most current information.
This article answers some general frequently asked questions about Estates, which are groups of Private Regions (islands). For information on Private Regions, read the Private Region (Island) FAQ.
Perhaps you have an idea for a huge project that you want to realize and you need a lot of open space to build. Maybe you and a group of friends and colleagues are looking for a gathering place that can expand as your community grows. Or maybe you have visions of a world under your own control, where you add land with each increase of your population.
In general, Estate ownership is an excellent choice for those who:
- Desire to acquire a large amount of land easily
- Wish to enjoy land ownership separate from the ever-changing Second Life mainland
- Want to build and control their Second Life experience without adjacent neighbors
- Require more land controls than those provided on the mainland
- Want to name the Region their land is in
How much will it cost?
Read the quick FAQ covering Private Region and Estate billing and ownership here.
We offer a discount to verified real-world educators and academic institutions (i.e. universities and schools) or 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that will be using the Regions to support their organization's official work; see this page for details. All educational and non-profit Estate orders can be placed from the Special Orders page.
Can I include multiple Regions in my Estate?
Yes. Estate-level tools make it convenient to manage multiple Regions. If you have three Regions (A, B and C) in an Estate called Z, then to get to each of them you'll still need to teleport to those Regions by name. But if you wanted to, you could ban someone from the Z Estate, which will keep them from getting to any of Z's Regions. Also you could set the day/night cycle by Estate, so all your islands have night at the same time.
Can a group own and use an Estate?
Estate owners can deed out the land parcels on their Estate to a group. The actual ownership is not conveyed to the group (you still own the Estate) and group members cannot pay for the Estate by contributing land allocations. The owner (you) will always be billed the full Estate monthly payment no matter how the group land is set up. Read more about Estates and groups here.
What if I don't want my Estate anymore?
You might consider transferring the Private Regions in your Estate to another person (see below). If you instead decide to simply terminate the ownership of the Estate, please contact us with your Second Life name and the name of the Estate.
Can I transfer my Estate?
Yes. You would need to transfer all of the Private Regions in your Estate to another Resident. See the Private Region Transfer FAQ for more details on Private Region transfer.
Can I sell a parcel on my Estate to someone else?
Yes; parcels can be sold to other Residents, but you remain responsible for the monthly payments. You can make arrangements for these new parcel owners to pay you for use of the Estate, but that's between you and the other residents. Many Estate owners use the Estate's Covenant to explain their payment structure.
How do I allow others to post events for my Estate?
Estate owners are allowed to post events on their Estate by default if the Estate is visible. If you would like other residents to have the same ability, simply add them to your Allow list in the Estate tab of the Region/Estate window.
What other controls do I have?
Plenty. See this article on the Region/Estate window for more details.
Someone mentioned a "rollback" to me; what is that?
Get the right information regarding Estates and rollbacks here.
Who should I contact if I have any questions or additional request for my Estate?
Submit a support ticket using the Region Issues ticket type.