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. If you are pursuing a mortgage to buy your NYC apartment, you will need to provide the gift documentation to your mortgage lender for approval.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. 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. You'll need a gift letter for mortgage to verify that the gift is bona fide and comes with no strings attached. A gift letter for a mortgage shows your lender that you don't need to repay gift money toward your down payment. It's perfectly legal, as long as buyers properly document the transfer of funds from the relative(s) and follow guidelines from their lender. A gift letter is a common requirement when submitting an offer on a coop apartment in NYC. The letter should state that the person giving you the money is not getting something of value in return, such as an ownership stake in the property.