Texas Lady Bird Deed

A Texas Lady Bird deed is what's formally known as an enhanced life estate deed. According to the Texas State Law Library, the owner keeps full ownership and control of the property throughout their life, and it's Texas case law — not a dedicated statute — that governs how the deed is interpreted and applied.

What sets it apart is the grantor's retained power to sell, convey, lease, or mortgage the property at any time, without needing the remainderman's consent. That's a real departure from an ordinary life estate deed, where the life tenant generally can't transfer full ownership without the remainderman joining in (Texas A&M AgriLife Law Blog).

Texas A&M's legal-education materials place Texas among just five states that recognize the Lady Bird deed through case law and established practice, rather than through a dedicated statute (Texas A&M AgriLife Law Blog).