Over 4.6 million homes – or 21% of the market – have increased in value by over £30,500 in the last 12 months, says Zoopla.

This number is significant because it is the average UK salary according to Office for National Statistics data.

There is much regional variance to this pattern in both average salary and house prices: in the South East of England, 28% of homes have raced past local earnings, as have 29% of homes in the South West.

London lies third in this table, with 24% of homes increasing in value by more than the average salary for the city.

Meanwhile, Scotland and the North East of England have seen just 9% of homes rise in value to this extent apiece. The West Midlands, at 14% of houses, lies in third.

As well as this, the move away from city centres has had an impact – in Hastings, where the average salary is £25,800, 62% of properties have increased in value beyond this amount in the last 12 months.

And in Adur, West Sussex, where the average local salary is £26,700, 60% of properties have done so.

Zoopla chief commercial officer Andy Marshall says: “As our agent partners know better than anyone, there has been strong demand from home buyers since the market reopened after the first lockdown in May last year, compounded by the search for space and the stamp duty holiday.

“The impact this has had on house prices means that one in five homes in the UK have risen in value by more than the equivalent of a years’ salary over the space of 12 months.

“For homeowners, we’d encourage them to contact an agent directly for an expert market valuation to see how much their home has earned and discover whether now is the time to cash in.”