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. 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 short letter like this sample gift letter will cover all of the requirements your lender needs. If part of your mortgage deposit is a gift, the lender may ask for a mortgage gift letter confirming the funds are not a loan. Downloadable template. A gift letter is a piece of legal, written correspondence explicitly stating that money received isn't expected to be repaid. A gift letter for a mortgage shows your lender that you don't need to repay gift money toward your down payment. See what you need to know about a gift letter for obtaining a mortgage. Understand how to use a down payment gift letter. A gift letter is an important, formal, legal piece of documentation that can help explain that a (usually rather large) sum of money was gifted to you.