A life estate deed is one way of transferring ownership of real property. A life estate deed is a legal document that changes the ownership of a piece of real property. The person who owns the real property (in this example, Mom) signs a deed that will pass the ownership of the property automatically upon her death to someone else, known as the “remainderman” (in this example, Son). As part of the deed, Mom keeps what is called a life estate, which means she can continue to live on and use the property for the rest of her life. She becomes a “life tenant.” The deed would normally include language like “to Mom for life, to Son as the remainder.” The life estate deed is completed when Mom signs the document and it is filed with the county.