<prompt> Human: My dad came home yesterday from Suntrust talking about he got a credit card for home improvement with a XXX credit limit. Based on the bank services and his description, it definitely smells like a home equity line of credit.nbsp;The only problem is I know for sure my parents are not planning any major renovations or large purchases within the next 6 months to 1 year. My parents dont have much in the way of income and assets outside the paid off house so I want to make sure this decision will not affect them negatively.  <response>: Im not sure about the particulars in your folks case, but having a HELOC for X-amount of money is pretty much like having a 25,000 line of credit on your bank card. There is no obligation until they actually ask for some money, and then they are obliged to pay back only that amount, plus interest of course. 