Straw owner

A straw owner is a person who owns something legally or has the legal appearance of owning something, yet does so on behalf of another, sometimes for a fee, and typically solely in the interest of hiding the identity of the effective owner. Most instances of straw ownership are legal and accepted, but sometimes the arrangement is made for nefarious, illegal purposes.

In the realm of real estate, a "straw owner" would be the person who holds title to the property, and for all legal purposes and outwardly the owner, but who acts on behalf of a hidden person who installed them as the legal owner. Though the practice isn't illegal, is widespread and sometimes beneficial to the parties involved, it's sometimes used in an illegal manner to hide assets from the courts and creditors, or used to purchase real estate to "launder" or hide illegal gains.