How to File for a Living Trust in Connecticut

A living trust enables you to pass on your property to your heirs directly so they will not have to go through probate to claim it. Once you create a living trust, you can transfer your house and other assets into it while continuing to use and control them as you always have. When you die, the trust contents pass directly to your beneficiaries. Connecticut probate law is more cumbersome than that of many states, according to the Nolo legal website, so keeping property out of probate is a smart move.

• 1

  Download the Connecticut forms for creating a living trust from any of the websites that sell legal forms, or purchase one at a stationery store. You'll probably want a revocable trust form -- meaning you can change or cancel the trust at any time without legal problems -- and a Connecticut deed to transfer title of your real estate to the trust.

• 2

  Fill in the document, identifying yourself as the trustee who manages the trust, which will give you control of all the assets, Nolo states. Also identify the trust beneficiaries and specify which of the contents of the trust you want them to receive. Finally, name a secondary trustee who will distribute the contents after you're dead.

• 3

  Sign the document in front of a Connecticut notary public, who will confirm the document is valid by marking it with her seal. Then sign over ownership of your property to yourself in your capacity as trustee.