Mapped: The one in five homes that inheritance tax could hit

New figures reveals one in five homes in England and Wales are eligible to pay inheritance tax but they also show a sharp divide between the different regions in terms of house prices. The standard nil-rate band when inheriting a property that was the main residence of the deceased is £500,000, and a fifth of all homes are worth more than this and so could be hit by the tax. But there is a clear regional divide in the value of properties as while in London, 57 percent of homes would be liable for the levy, just three percent of homes in the North East would be eligible. There were 197 postcode areas where no homes have sold for at least £500,000 in the latest figures. This includes many of the postcodes Kingston Upon Hull, parts of Bolton (BL3 and BL4) and Stoke on Trent (ST1 and ST6).