No statute needed
Michigan has no statute authorizing a transfer-on-death or beneficiary deed for real estate. That's not a gap in Michigan law so much as a reflection of its history: Michigan is one of the original states recognizing the common-law Lady Bird deed, also called an enhanced life estate deed — a tool other, newer statutory TOD-deed states were later modeled to functionally resemble.
A quitclaim deed with one key added clause
A Michigan Lady Bird deed is commonly structured as a quitclaim deed that includes a "retained enhanced life estate" clause. That clause is what does the real work: it lets the owner keep full control of the property during their lifetime — including the right to sell, mortgage, or lease it — while a named beneficiary automatically receives the property at the owner's death, without the property going through probate.
No beneficiary consent required, ever
The word "enhanced" in "enhanced life estate" matters specifically because of this: the owner can sell, mortgage, or otherwise deal with the property during their lifetime without needing the named beneficiary's agreement or consent at any point. This is what separates a Lady Bird deed from an ordinary, traditional life estate deed, where the life tenant typically needs the remainder beneficiary's consent before disposing of the property.
Grounded in title standards, not a dedicated statute
Because there's no specific Michigan transfer-on-death statute behind this deed, its validity rests on Michigan Land Title Standards — a professional reference used by real estate and title practitioners — along with established general property-law principles and long-standing title-industry acceptance. This is a similar structural approach to Florida's Lady Bird deed, though Michigan is itself one of the earlier states associated with the tool.
A common tool in Medicaid planning
Because the owner keeps full control during life and the actual transfer only completes at death, a Lady Bird deed shows up frequently in Michigan Medicaid planning discussions alongside broader estate planning goals. The specific consequences for Medicaid eligibility and estate recovery depend heavily on an individual's own circumstances and timing, which is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming with an elder law or estate planning attorney rather than assuming from general information.
Interaction with joint and entireties ownership
A Lady Bird deed generally works alongside — not instead of — existing co-ownership arrangements, but the details of how a beneficiary designation interacts with an existing joint tenancy or tenancy by the entirety can get complicated, particularly if the property changes hands or a spouse dies before the deed's owner. Anyone layering a Lady Bird deed on top of existing joint ownership should have both arrangements reviewed together, not just individually.