Editor’s Note: This is Part One of a Ten-Part Series Exploring the Various Asset Types Found in Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) Offerings. This series is being updated from 2022.
June 25, 2026
By Al DiNicola, AIF®
Private Fund Advisor
DST 1031 Specialist
Fiduciary Capital Management, LLC
Securities offered through MSC-BD, LLC, Member of FINRA/SIPC
Introduction
For many investors, the term “Delaware Statutory Trust” creates confusion because the name focuses on the legal structure rather than the real estate itself. Yet a DST is simply a vehicle for owning institutional-quality commercial real estate.
“As advisors, we often find investors understand apartments, self-storage, medical offices, and industrial properties,” says Al DiNicola. “What creates confusion is when those same properties are wrapped inside a legal structure called a Delaware Statutory Trust.”
The assets held inside a DST are the same commercial real estate asset classes investors have owned directly for decades. The DST structure simply allows multiple investors to own fractional interests in institutional-quality properties while potentially qualifying for IRC Section 1031 tax-deferred exchange treatment.