A third of detached homes in England and Wales have values above the inheritance tax threshold (IHT), according to new research.
The study by Halifax found that 29 per cent of detached homes have values of over £300,000, rendering them liable to pay the charge.
This is significantly up on five years ago when just 16 per cent of detached homes in the country were sold above the then IHT of £242,000.
London has the highest proportion of properties above the IHT, with 88 per cent of homes in the capital liable to pay the charge.
In the south-east as a whole 59 per cent are over the threshold, while 31 per cent of properties in the south-west of the country have values over the IHT-mark.
"House prices have risen at a much faster rate than the inheritance tax threshold over the past decade. That has led to a sharp rise in the number of homes valued above the threshold," said Tim Crawford, group economist at Halifax.
"Now, the average detached house in the UK is valued above the inheritance threshold of £300,000."
He added: "We call on the government to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £460,000. That new level would account for the rise in property prices in the past decade."
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