Sometimes a client's down payment or income needs a conversation, not another document request. From the Down Payment or Income tab of a portal, you can send the client a short note letting them know you'd like to set up a chat about that part of their file. You draft the email first and only send once it looks right.
What These Emails Are For
These are a friendly heads-up, not a request for changes. They don't reopen the portal, change its status, or ask the client to re-upload anything. Use one when you want to talk something through with the client before you move forward, and use Request Changes instead when a specific field or document actually needs fixing.
Sending One From The Portal
Open the client's portal and go to the Down Payment or Income tab. Click Email client at the top of the tab.
- The email uses the template for that topic, so the down payment tab sends the down payment note and the income tab sends the income note.
- The button appears only when the client has an email address on file.
Reviewing And Editing The Draft
Clicking Email client opens a draft of the email, filled in with the client's details exactly as they'll receive it. If you have more than one template saved for this topic, a Template picker at the top lets you switch which one the draft uses. When you can send from more than one address - your principal broker's inbox, or (if you are the principal broker) a teammate's connected inbox - a Sender picker lets you choose who it comes from. The subject and body are both editable, so you can tweak the wording for this client before it goes out. Any edits here apply to this one email only and don't change your saved template. Co-applicants on the file are copied automatically. When you're happy with it, click Send now. Nothing goes out until you send.
Editing The Templates
Both notes come from templates you can edit. Go to Settings, then Email Templates, then the Portals tab. Alongside Document reminders and Confirmation you'll find a Down payment tab and an Income tab, each with its own editor. Edit the subject and body to match your voice and save. You can reset either one back to the default copy at any time.
Each topic can hold more than one version. Use the picker above the editor to add, rename, or duplicate a template, then mark the one you want to use as Active - that's the version a new draft starts from.
Everyone starts with their own personal copy of these templates, so the edits you make here are yours by default. The toggle at the top of the page switches between Your Templates and Shared Templates. If you want the whole team to use one of your versions, open the three-dots (⋮) menu on that template card and choose Share with team. That copies it into your brokerage's shared set while your personal copy stays yours. The toggle and the Share with team option only appear when at least two people on your team have email sending permissions.
Each template supports these merge variables, which fill in automatically when the email is sent:
- Client name - the client's first name.
- Broker name - your name.
- Organization name - your brokerage or business name.
What To Do Next
- Flag a specific field or document instead: Working A Portal Submission.
- Set up automatic document reminders: Automatic Document Reminder Emails.