The letter must explain who is gifting the money, where the donor's funds are coming from and the relationship between the donor and the recipient. A gift letter is a note from a donor to your lender regarding cash funds for your mortgage down payment.The letter needs to indicate that the money is a gift and not actually a loan you must pay back. A gift letter for a mortgage shows your lender that you don't need to repay gift money toward your down payment. Use our mortgage gift letter If you are buying a single family home as a primary residence, you can use gift funds without contributing any of your own money to the down payment. Your bank needs a written letter to prove that any money gifted to you to help buy a house is in fact a gift, not a loan. In any event, the donor(s) will have to fill out a form gift letter stating that the money is a gift and not a loan. Pin down the specifics of the property in question. Clearly state the property's address, ensuring there's no ambiguity about where the gift funds are intended.