The average inheritance received by Britons has more than doubled in six years on the back of the housing boom.
The size of a typical inheritance has soared from £20,000 in 1998 to £44,000 in 2004, according to a report by thinktank the International Longevity Centre.
The increase has been driven by rising property prices, with the housing wealth accumulate
d by the average 75-year-old more than tripling in 10 years, rising from £46,000 in 1995 to £148,000 in 2005.
Inheritance levels look set to continue increasing, with nearly a third of today's pensioners expecting to leave behind assets worth at least £150,000 when they die, in spite of many relying on their housing wealth to fund their retirement and any long-term care they may need.
International Longevity Centre UK head of policy and research James Lloyd said: "This research shows what many people have suspected – rising house prices have resulted in a bequest bonanza with the average value of inheritances that individuals receive doubling in less than a decade.
"It is mostly the over-50s that have benefited from rising inheritances, but as the housing market turns, this trend may come to end."
But insurer Norwich Union warned people against being too reliant on their property to see them through retirement, given the current downturn.
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