There is some well founded adverse publicity relating to equity releases and unsafe investments which are entered into with the aim of offsetting the charges on inheritance taxes. There are numerous and some questionable offers on methods to obtain funds and lower these dues. For this reason and not surprisingly, interested parties may not know the correct route to take.  I often talk about unauthorised financial advisers and the possible risks of investing in some of these schemes on offer.  The options should be chosen wisely.  Attempts to balance taxes on properties at the lower end of the property market are not usually viable as the excise will be either minimal or you may find you have nothing to pay at all.  However if you are looking to enjoy some of the equity available on your property, Homes in the upper price bracket will unfortunately incur superior taxes. There are now some perfectly safe loan options available in Spain.  If both you and your family is happy to see you enjoy some equity from your property or need immediate cash,  you can now do so safely taking into consideration all the pros and cons.  Some loans also have the advantage of giving you various options. The homeowner can elect to receive a lump sum, a line of credit, monthly payments or a combination of these. The loan is due, with interest, when the borrower dies moves or sells the house. The amount you will be entitled to borrow will depend on age and value of the property which must owned by you. You will then be able to avail of further reductions in the inheritance taxes due on death.  For those interested in an example of funds available, I can use a recent case where our clients have been offered the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand euro on a valuation on their dwelling of six hundred and fifty thousand.  It is important to take into consideration that the money you borrow today will have a much lesser value in years to come when the debt is repaid.