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. 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. Use these stepbystep instructions for accepting a cash downpayment gift on a home, including a readytouse mortgage gift letter template. You can use gifted funds to make a down payment, but your mortgage lender will want to know some details before they allow you to use it. A short letter like this sample gift letter will cover all of the requirements your lender needs. It states how much you're getting and from whom. A gift letter is proof to the lender that the funds were gifted to a homebuyer for their home purchase, and not a loan or borrowed money. 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. If the buyer receives the gift funds, they should be placed in the same bank account that will be used to submit the down payment on the home.