Rights To Contents Of House

Question: If there is no will, do the contents of the house of the deceased go to the home owner?

My Aunt died recently and about 9 years ago, she had put my brother's name on the deed to her house in St. Joseph, Michigan, thus "giving" it to him when she passed. According to my mother, the deceased's sister, she didn't have a Will. If there is no Will, do the contents of the house belong to my brother or does he just own the house itself?

Answer: A deed to property only conveys real estate. To transfer the personal property in the house she would have had to sign a Bill of Sale. Technically, all of the personal property your Aunt owned still belongs to her estate. Without a will, the personal property should be distributed to her heirs according to the Michigan intestate succession laws.

Attorney: Mark Miller