diff --git a/hw/qdev-properties.c b/hw/qdev-properties.c
index 67995a32ddf117ba67d1c96aad904dd874b97256..d69a987b86f6a7b4d3ab61b579da7cd105d6ba65 100644
--- a/hw/qdev-properties.c
+++ b/hw/qdev-properties.c
@@ -510,9 +510,10 @@ PropertyInfo qdev_prop_hex64 = {
 
 /* --- string --- */
 
-static void free_string(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop)
+static void release_string(Object *obj, const char *name, void *opaque)
 {
-    g_free(*(char **)qdev_get_prop_ptr(dev, prop));
+    Property *prop = opaque;
+    g_free(*(char **)qdev_get_prop_ptr(DEVICE(obj), prop));
 }
 
 static int print_string(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop, char *dest, size_t len)
@@ -572,7 +573,7 @@ PropertyInfo qdev_prop_string = {
     .type  = PROP_TYPE_STRING,
     .size  = sizeof(char*),
     .print = print_string,
-    .free  = free_string,
+    .release = release_string,
     .get   = get_string,
     .set   = set_string,
 };
@@ -592,8 +593,10 @@ static int parse_drive(DeviceState *dev, const char *str, void **ptr)
     return 0;
 }
 
-static void free_drive(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop)
+static void release_drive(Object *obj, const char *name, void *opaque)
 {
+    DeviceState *dev = DEVICE(obj);
+    Property *prop = opaque;
     BlockDriverState **ptr = qdev_get_prop_ptr(dev, prop);
 
     if (*ptr) {
@@ -667,7 +670,7 @@ PropertyInfo qdev_prop_drive = {
     .size  = sizeof(BlockDriverState *),
     .get   = get_drive,
     .set   = set_drive,
-    .free  = free_drive,
+    .release = release_drive,
 };
 
 /* --- character device --- */
@@ -686,8 +689,10 @@ static int parse_chr(DeviceState *dev, const char *str, void **ptr)
     return 0;
 }
 
-static void free_chr(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop)
+static void release_chr(Object *obj, const char *name, void *opaque)
 {
+    DeviceState *dev = DEVICE(obj);
+    Property *prop = opaque;
     CharDriverState **ptr = qdev_get_prop_ptr(dev, prop);
 
     if (*ptr) {
@@ -721,7 +726,7 @@ PropertyInfo qdev_prop_chr = {
     .size  = sizeof(CharDriverState*),
     .get   = get_chr,
     .set   = set_chr,
-    .free  = free_chr,
+    .release = release_chr,
 };
 
 /* --- netdev device --- */
diff --git a/hw/qdev.c b/hw/qdev.c
index 0205fe7d7d4ba87bfb997a1ebce5e98480b5d83d..487ca5d189764f98b9af376e7fd69af34cd2c897 100644
--- a/hw/qdev.c
+++ b/hw/qdev.c
@@ -595,7 +595,7 @@ void qdev_property_add_static(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop,
 
     object_property_add(OBJECT(dev), prop->name, prop->info->name,
                         prop->info->get, prop->info->set,
-                        NULL,
+                        prop->info->release,
                         prop, errp);
 }
 
@@ -626,7 +626,6 @@ static void device_finalize(Object *obj)
 {
     DeviceState *dev = DEVICE(obj);
     BusState *bus;
-    Property *prop;
     DeviceClass *dc = DEVICE_GET_CLASS(dev);
 
     if (dev->state == DEV_STATE_INITIALIZED) {
@@ -645,11 +644,6 @@ static void device_finalize(Object *obj)
         }
     }
     QTAILQ_REMOVE(&dev->parent_bus->children, dev, sibling);
-    for (prop = qdev_get_props(dev); prop && prop->name; prop++) {
-        if (prop->info->free) {
-            prop->info->free(dev, prop);
-        }
-    }
 }
 
 void device_reset(DeviceState *dev)
diff --git a/hw/qdev.h b/hw/qdev.h
index c31dc4ea97cdd2956d2a0d6c738d1b4ed129df00..acccf264a516b152906fef01da2fe87196b727cf 100644
--- a/hw/qdev.h
+++ b/hw/qdev.h
@@ -145,9 +145,9 @@ struct PropertyInfo {
     int64_t max;
     int (*parse)(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop, const char *str);
     int (*print)(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop, char *dest, size_t len);
-    void (*free)(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop);
     ObjectPropertyAccessor *get;
     ObjectPropertyAccessor *set;
+    ObjectPropertyRelease *release;
 };
 
 typedef struct GlobalProperty {