There are two kinds of joint ownership, the joint tenancy and tenant-in-common. Whoever owns properties shall check your deed.
As mentioned if you and your wife own your current home, either passes away, the other half gets the whole interest on the house automatically. This is a joint tenancy ownership.
However, if you own a house with e.g. your partner (common law boy friend, girl friend), sister, brother and the ownership is tenant-in-common, even if one owner passes away, the other owner alive does not assume the interest of the whole property. The estates of the dead inherit the share.
When you buy a house, your bank and solicitor will make sure you have the right type of ownership. In the real world, you don’t always own a house with your married partner; therefore you can’t afford to mess around with the ownership.
