Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are a special form of real estate corporation that are common in many countries around the world. In order to obtain REIT status, companies in Germany, must, for example, generate at least 75 percent of their income from renting out real estate, have invested at least 75 percent of their funds in real estate assets and distribute at least 90 percent of their annual net profits to investors as dividends. Another key feature is that the profits generated by the REIT are not taxed on the corporate side. Similar rules apply in other countries.