If you use a gift payment, you'll need a gift letter for the mortgage if the gift is made within three months of the closing. A gift letter is a common requirement when submitting an offer on a coop apartment in NYC.When someone offers to help you make a down payment on a house, your lender will require a gift letter for a mortgage. Here's what it includes. What is included in a gift letter? You'll need a gift letter for mortgage to verify that the gift is bona fide and comes with no strings attached. A short letter like this sample gift letter will cover all of the requirements your lender needs. If you go through a bank they will provide the gift letter form to you to get completed. If someone provides a handwritten letter it is filed away. Here's a sample gift letter you can use to prove that the money is truly meant as an outright gift, with no expectation of repayment.