Lady Bird Deed vs. Revocable Trust: Which is Right for Your Florida Home?

For many Florida homeowners, the family home is their most valuable asset — and one of their biggest estate planning concerns. The goal is usually the same: pass the home to your children or other beneficiaries without putting them through the time and expense of probate. Two of the most effective tools for doing this in Florida are the Lady Bird Deed and the revocable living trust.

Both can accomplish the goal. But they work differently, cost differently, and suit different situations. Here's what you need to know.

What Is a Lady Bird Deed?

A Lady Bird Deed (also called an enhanced life estate deed) is a Florida-specific deed that lets you transfer your home to named beneficiaries at your death — automatically, without probate — while retaining full control of the property during your lifetime. You can sell it, mortgage it, or change the beneficiaries at any time without their consent.

Lady Bird Deeds are simple, inexpensive, and highly effective for straightforward situations. They're also Medicaid-friendly: because you retain a life estate, the property is not counted as a transferred asset for Medicaid eligibility purposes, and it may avoid Medicaid estate recovery after your death.

What Is a Revocable Living Trust?

A revocable living trust is a legal entity you create to hold your assets — including your home — during your lifetime. You serve as your own trustee, maintaining full control. At your death, the assets in the trust pass directly to your named beneficiaries without going through probate.

Trusts are more comprehensive than Lady Bird Deeds. They can hold multiple assets (not just real estate), provide for incapacity planning, include conditions on distributions, and handle more complex family situations — such as blended families, beneficiaries with special needs, or minor children.

Which Is Right for You?

A Lady Bird Deed is often the right choice if your primary goal is to pass your home to your children simply and affordably, your family situation is straightforward, and you don't have significant other assets requiring probate avoidance.

A revocable trust makes more sense if you have multiple properties or significant assets, a blended family or complex beneficiary situation, concerns about incapacity planning, or a desire to keep your estate plan private (trusts don't become public record the way probate does).

In some cases, both tools are used together. The right answer depends on your specific assets, family situation, and goals — which is exactly the kind of conversation we have with clients during an estate planning consultation.