diff --git a/pyo3-macros-backend/src/pyclass.rs b/pyo3-macros-backend/src/pyclass.rs
index 02024011366..616e6b9b750 100644
--- a/pyo3-macros-backend/src/pyclass.rs
+++ b/pyo3-macros-backend/src/pyclass.rs
@@ -1287,8 +1287,17 @@ fn impl_pytypeinfo(
 
                 <#cls as _pyo3::impl_::pyclass::PyClassImpl>::lazy_type_object()
                     .get_or_init(py)
+                    .as_gil_ref()
                     .as_type_ptr()
             }
+
+            #[inline]
+            fn try_type_object_bound(py: _pyo3::Python<'_>) -> _pyo3::PyResult<_pyo3::Bound<'_, _pyo3::types::PyType>> {
+                #deprecations
+
+                <#cls as _pyo3::impl_::pyclass::PyClassImpl>::lazy_type_object()
+                    .get_or_try_init(py)
+            }
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/impl_/pyclass/lazy_type_object.rs b/src/impl_/pyclass/lazy_type_object.rs
index af52033a702..dcbc127ed06 100644
--- a/src/impl_/pyclass/lazy_type_object.rs
+++ b/src/impl_/pyclass/lazy_type_object.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ use crate::{
     pyclass::{create_type_object, PyClassTypeObject},
     sync::{GILOnceCell, GILProtected},
     types::PyType,
-    PyClass, PyErr, PyMethodDefType, PyObject, PyResult, Python,
+    Bound, PyClass, PyErr, PyMethodDefType, PyObject, PyResult, Python,
 };
 
 use super::PyClassItemsIter;
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ impl<T> LazyTypeObject<T> {
 
 impl<T: PyClass> LazyTypeObject<T> {
     /// Gets the type object contained by this `LazyTypeObject`, initializing it if needed.
-    pub fn get_or_init<'py>(&'py self, py: Python<'py>) -> &'py PyType {
+    pub fn get_or_init<'py>(&self, py: Python<'py>) -> Bound<'py, PyType> {
         self.get_or_try_init(py).unwrap_or_else(|err| {
             err.print(py);
             panic!("failed to create type object for {}", T::NAME)
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ impl<T: PyClass> LazyTypeObject<T> {
     }
 
     /// Fallible version of the above.
-    pub(crate) fn get_or_try_init<'py>(&'py self, py: Python<'py>) -> PyResult<&'py PyType> {
+    pub fn get_or_try_init<'py>(&self, py: Python<'py>) -> PyResult<Bound<'py, PyType>> {
         self.0
             .get_or_try_init(py, create_type_object::<T>, T::NAME, T::items_iter())
     }
@@ -65,19 +65,20 @@ impl LazyTypeObjectInner {
     // so that this code is only instantiated once, instead of for every T
     // like the generic LazyTypeObject<T> methods above.
     fn get_or_try_init<'py>(
-        &'py self,
+        &self,
         py: Python<'py>,
         init: fn(Python<'py>) -> PyResult<PyClassTypeObject>,
         name: &str,
         items_iter: PyClassItemsIter,
-    ) -> PyResult<&'py PyType> {
+    ) -> PyResult<Bound<'py, PyType>> {
         (|| -> PyResult<_> {
             let type_object = self
                 .value
                 .get_or_try_init(py, || init(py))?
                 .type_object
-                .as_ref(py);
-            self.ensure_init(type_object, name, items_iter)?;
+                .clone()
+                .into_bound(py);
+            self.ensure_init(&type_object, name, items_iter)?;
             Ok(type_object)
         })()
         .map_err(|err| {
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ impl LazyTypeObjectInner {
 
     fn ensure_init(
         &self,
-        type_object: &PyType,
+        type_object: &Bound<'_, PyType>,
         name: &str,
         items_iter: PyClassItemsIter,
     ) -> PyResult<()> {
diff --git a/src/impl_/pymodule.rs b/src/impl_/pymodule.rs
index 7b9df8d0fb3..c7fb0d09866 100644
--- a/src/impl_/pymodule.rs
+++ b/src/impl_/pymodule.rs
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ pub trait PyAddToModule {
 
 impl<T: PyTypeInfo> PyAddToModule for T {
     fn add_to_module(module: &Bound<'_, PyModule>) -> PyResult<()> {
-        module.add(Self::NAME, Self::type_object_bound(module.py()))
+        module.add(Self::NAME, Self::try_type_object_bound(module.py())?)
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/type_object.rs b/src/type_object.rs
index 994781b3fc0..ddefbd01178 100644
--- a/src/type_object.rs
+++ b/src/type_object.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 use crate::ffi_ptr_ext::FfiPtrExt;
 use crate::types::any::PyAnyMethods;
 use crate::types::{PyAny, PyType};
-use crate::{ffi, Bound, PyNativeType, Python};
+use crate::{ffi, Bound, PyNativeType, PyResult, Python};
 
 /// `T: PyLayout<U>` represents that `T` is a concrete representation of `U` in the Python heap.
 /// E.g., `PyCell` is a concrete representation of all `pyclass`es, and `ffi::PyObject`
@@ -96,6 +96,12 @@ pub unsafe trait PyTypeInfo: Sized + HasPyGilRef {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Returns the safe abstraction over the type object or an error if initialization fails
+    #[inline]
+    fn try_type_object_bound(py: Python<'_>) -> PyResult<Bound<'_, PyType>> {
+        Ok(Self::type_object_bound(py))
+    }
+
     /// Checks if `object` is an instance of this type or a subclass of this type.
     #[inline]
     #[cfg_attr(
diff --git a/src/types/module.rs b/src/types/module.rs
index 8824dfcf030..dc80fb0027b 100644
--- a/src/types/module.rs
+++ b/src/types/module.rs
@@ -633,7 +633,7 @@ impl<'py> PyModuleMethods<'py> for Bound<'py, PyModule> {
         T: PyClass,
     {
         let py = self.py();
-        self.add(T::NAME, T::lazy_type_object().get_or_try_init(py)?)
+        self.add(T::NAME, T::try_type_object_bound(py)?)
     }
 
     fn add_wrapped<T>(&self, wrapper: &impl Fn(Python<'py>) -> T) -> PyResult<()>