Difference between revisions of "Linden Lab Official:Estate and Private Region Billing FAQ"

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No. Each private region you order costs US$1000 to set up and US$295 per month.
No. Each private region you order costs US$1000 to set up and US$295 per month.
[[Category:Billing Policies]]

Revision as of 17:43, 8 February 2012

This article answers some frequently asked questions about purchasing private regions (islands), which can be grouped into Estates.

How much does a private region cost?

  • An initial US$1000 setup charge to create the private region: When the private region is ordered, you are billed that initial setup fee on the credit card listed on your account.
  • A monthly charge of US$295 per month in land fees: Every month (on the same day -- usually the anniversary of the delivery date), you are billed this monthly fee for the coming month's use of the private region.

Can I buy as many private regions as I want?

Yes! There is no limit to the number of private regions you can buy.

Can I transfer/sell my private region to a new owner?

Yes. Our current policy is that the monthly fee stays at the current rate, even when the private region is transferred. If we change this policy, we will announce it on our blogs. For more information, see our article on Private Region Transfers.

What if my funding source (credit card or PayPal) is declined?

Ouch! This is something to avoid. If your charge is declined for a private region fee (initial setup or monthly maintenance), your private region will be disabled until payment is made. We're sorry, but we can't refund you for lost time if your private region is disabled for nonpayment.

Can I pay that initial US$1000 through some other means?

If you have a US $ credit on your account (see your Dashboard for an up-to-date balance), we use this money first unless instructed otherwise. Anything that cannot be covered by your US $ credit is billed through the payment source listed on your Second Life account.

Can someone else split the cost with me?

Sorry, no. At this time we can only bill one Resident for the full amount -- that Resident is considered the private region owner. It's not possible to bill multiple residents for a private region.

Can I pay for a private region for someone else?

Yes you can, as long as the region is a Regular full prim region. The option is not available for Homestead or Openspace regions. A private region can have a payor who is a different person than the owner. When this is done, we consider the payor to be the rightful owner of the private region, and that person has the right to do as they wish with it. The owner gains the controls they need to run the private region, but although listed as owner, they do not have the right to sell or transfer it.

In any conflict of views between owner and payor, it is the payor that has ultimate control -- even down to removing the owner entirely if they wish.

If you are interested in purchasing a private region for someone else, please submit a Support ticket.

How does this affect my mainland land use fees (land tier)?

The good news is, it doesn't! Private region ownership and billing is completely separate from land use fees. Even if you own a private region, your land use fees will bill on the same day of the month, for the same amount (based on how much land you've owned on the mainland).

Conversely, your private region bills the same -- US$295 per month, whether you own land on the mainland or not. Basically, you pay land use fees for mainland property, and you pay private region fees for any private regions owned.

Will I need to "tier up" to own a private region?

This is another advantage to private region living. Since private region ownership is separate from land use fees and "tiers", you don't need to alter your land use fee tier to purchase a private region (hooray!). Owning a private region will not change your current land use fee tier; private region fees and mainland land use fees will bill separately.

In addition, make sure you watch your contributions when deeding private region land to a group -- because private regions do not use tier, that group will not need tier contributions from its members to hold private region land in this way.

What happens if I sell my land on the mainland and switch to a private region?

Since you owned land on the mainland, you'll be billed land use fees normally, on whatever date your land use fees are normally due.

KBnote.png Note: Second Life bills for "peak usage", so selling land means you still pay land use fees for it on your next bill date -- even if you only owned it for 5 minutes of the first day of the billing cycle.

Your private region will bill its setup fee and monthly fees normally. So, if you sell all of your mainland property and purchase a private region, you'll be charged one last land use fee (for peak usage), your private region setup fee, and monthly private region fees from then on.

Are there any discounts for owning multiple private regions?

No. Each private region you order costs US$1000 to set up and US$295 per month.