Overview
The Documents tab on a mortgage file is where you request documents from borrowers and other contacts, receive their uploads from the client portal, and approve or flag each file. It replaces chasing paperwork by email: every request has a status, every upload lands on the right card, and you can remind clients with one click or on a schedule.
Brokers and processors use it from the first conversation through funding. Requests are grouped by contact, so you can see at a glance who still owes what. Documents is a required tab, so it is always visible on every mortgage file.
At a glance
The Documents tab is where you request files, review uploads, and approve or flag them.
Creating a request adds it to the board and the client portal. It does not email the client.
Email goes out from Send request (one email per recipient) or from Auto reminders.
Uploaded files start as pending review. Approve them, or flag them with a required note. The client sees a flagged file as rejected or needs revision.
Documents is always visible. Collaborators cannot delete documents.
Before you begin
Check these requirements before you request or review documents on a mortgage file.
The mortgage file needs at least one contact (borrower, co-borrower, or other contact) before you can create requests. If there is no contact, you see "Please select at least one contact first" or "Add a contact or create a document request first".
To email reminders, connect a mailbox (Gmail or Outlook) or use your organization's default sending option. The reminder window lets you choose who it sends from.
Clients upload through the client portal. Make sure the borrower has portal access (see Client portal for borrowers).
Accepted upload types: PDF, JPG, PNG, GIF, TXT, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX.
Some controls (Auto reminders, Portal access, Send request, and the letter menu) are only shown to the organization that owns the file. Collaborators from another organization can work with documents only if the owner granted them the Documents module, and they cannot delete documents.
Step-by-step instructions
Use these steps to request documents, email clients, review uploads, and manage files on the Documents tab.
Request a document
Request a document when you want a contact to upload a file or answer a question.
Open the mortgage file and select Documents in the file sidebar.
Select Request document. On a file with no requests yet, select + Create your first document request. You can also select Request a document from {first name} at the bottom of a contact's column.
Select one or more contacts.
Choose Document Request (the client uploads a file) or Question Request (the client answers a question). You can also start from Templates or Batches.
Enter a title and description, and choose Low Priority, Medium Priority, or High Priority.
Optional: check Save as template for future use.
Select Add to Queue. Repeat for more requests. The queue header shows Request Queue (N).
Select Create N Requests.
You see "N document request(s) created successfully" and new cards appear in each contact's column. Creating requests does not email anyone. New requests are visible in the client portal by default.
Send a document request
Send a document request when you want selected recipients to get an email about outstanding items.
Before you continue: this sends one email per selected recipient.
In the toolbar, select Send request.
Pick recipients (use Select all if needed) and add Cc or Bcc addresses.
Edit the Email subject line (default: "Document Request - Action Required").
Optional: under Custom message & video, add a message or a video link from Loom, YouTube, Vimeo, or BombBomb. You can also load a template, choose a signature, and choose the mailbox it sends from.
Review the request list. It shows Pending, Received, Approved, and Flagged items. Approved items are left out of the email.
Select Send Reminder.
You see "Document reminder sent successfully" or "Document reminder sent to N recipients". If some emails fail, you see "Sent X, failed Y" with the names that failed.
Turn on automatic reminders
Turn on automatic reminders when you want clients emailed on a schedule until the reminders stop.
Before you continue: auto reminders email clients on a schedule until they are turned off.
Select Auto reminders in the toolbar.
Choose a frequency: Daily, every 2 to 6 days, or Weekly.
Choose a Send Time and time zone.
Choose recipients: All borrowers on this file or Specific contacts only.
Select Enable Auto Reminders.
Reminders stop by themselves when nothing is outstanding or the file is archived or completed. To stop them sooner, open Auto reminders and select Disable Auto Reminders.
Upload documents for a client
Upload documents for a client when you already have the files and want them on a request.
Select Upload documents.
Choose Create new request (enter a title) or Attach to existing (pick a request).
Add files, then select Create request & upload or Attach & upload.
You can also hover a card and select Upload for client, or drag a file onto a card and release when you see Drop to upload. Uploaded files start as pending review, like client uploads.
Review, approve, and flag uploads
Review, approve, and flag uploads to accept a file or send it back to the client.
Open a request card to see its files.
Preview each file.
Approve the files. Approve all or Approve selected (N) approves the files as they are. Approve & rename approves and renames the file to "{contact full name} - {request title}", for example "Alex Sample - T4 2025". From the board, hover a card and select Approve all pending.
To send a file back, select Flag (or Flag / reject on the card). Enter a Flag note. It is required. The dialog explains "Client will see these as rejected / needs revision."
Card pills update as you work: "N files · awaiting", "approved", "N flagged", or "N in review".
Download, merge, compress, or move files
Download, merge, compress, or move files when you need to work with several uploads inside one request.
Inside a request, you can select several files and use:
Download all to download the files.
Merge to one PDF to combine two or more files into a new PDF named "Merged: …". The originals are kept, and the merged file starts as pending.
Compress to shrink large files. This replaces the original file.
Move to to move files to another request.
Hide from portal / Show in portal to control what the client sees.
From the board's bulk actions you can also export all documents as one zip file, named after the file's loan code.
Hide a request from the client portal
Hide a request from the client portal when that one request should not appear for the client.
To hide one request, hover the card and select Hide from client portal. Select Show in client portal to undo.
Revoke portal access
Revoke portal access when the client should be blocked from the whole portal for this file.
Before you continue: turning off Portal access blocks the client from the whole portal for this file. Turn off Portal access and confirm the message "Client will see "Access has been revoked" when they open the portal. Continue?". You see "Portal access revoked". Turn it back on to see "Portal access restored".
Delete a request
Delete a request when you want it removed from the file and the client portal.
Before you continue: deleting a request removes it from the file and the client portal, and cannot be undone. Download any files you want to keep first.
Hover the card and select Delete request.
Confirm "Are you sure you want to delete this document request? This action cannot be undone."
See requests added by Smart Docs
Smart Docs adds document requests on this file after the client submits the Broki application.
If your organization uses Smart Docs, Broki adds document requests automatically after a client submits the Broki application. These look like any other request on the board. Smart Docs does not create the same template twice for the same contact. Set up rules in Settings > Smart Docs (see Smart Docs, Vault, and Media Library).
Practical examples and other ways to use it
These examples show ways to use the Documents tab on a mortgage file.
Kick off a purchase file. Add borrowers Alex Sample and Jordan Example, open Request document, load a template batch (ID, pay stubs, T4s, down payment proof), select Create N Requests, then Send request once so both borrowers get one email.
Chase stragglers automatically. One way to use this: after the first email, turn on Auto reminders every 3 days at 9:00 for All borrowers on this file. It turns itself off when every request is in.
Fix a blurry upload. Flag the file with a note such as "Page 2 is cut off, please re-scan the full statement." The client sees it as needs revision in the portal.
Build a lender package. Approve and rename each file, then use Merge to one PDF to combine pay stubs into one document before sending it to the lender.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
If one of these happens on the Documents tab, use the fix under that mistake.
Expecting a new request to email the client. Creating requests only adds them to the board and portal. Select Send request or turn on Auto reminders to notify the client. Make this the last step of your request routine.
Compressing the only copy. Compress overwrites the original file. Download the file first if you might need the full-quality version.
Flagging without a useful note. The note is required and the client sees the file as rejected. Write exactly what to fix so the client does not upload the same file again.
Revoking portal access to hide one item. Portal access blocks the whole portal for the file. Use Hide from client portal on the card instead.
Uploading unsupported files. Files such as HEIC or ZIP are rejected. Ask the client to export to PDF or JPG.
Troubleshooting
Use this section when an upload, a reminder, or a portal request on the Documents tab does not do what you expect.
"Unsupported file type for "{name}". Please use PDF, JPG, PNG, GIF, TXT, DOC, DOCX, XLS, or XLSX files."
You see "Unsupported file type for "{name}". Please use PDF, JPG, PNG, GIF, TXT, DOC, DOCX, XLS, or XLSX files." when Broki will not accept that file.
Possible causes: the file is a type Broki does not accept, such as HEIC photos or ZIP archives.
Check first: the file extension.
To fix:
Convert the file to PDF or JPG.
Upload it again.
Confirm it worked: the file appears on the card as pending review.
"Add a contact or create a document request first"
You see "Add a contact or create a document request first" when the file is not ready for the upload you chose.
Possible causes: the file has no contacts, or you chose Attach to existing when no requests exist.
Check first: the contacts on the mortgage file.
To fix:
Add a borrower or contact to the file.
Return to Documents and try again, or choose Create new request.
Confirm it worked: a column for the contact appears on the board.
The client says they cannot see a request
The client says they cannot see a request when a request is hidden, portal access is off, or the request is on another contact.
Possible causes: the request is hidden from the client portal, portal access is revoked for the file, or the request belongs to a different contact.
Check first: whether the card shows Show in client portal on hover, and whether Portal access is on.
To fix:
Select Show in client portal on the card.
Turn Portal access back on if needed.
Confirm the request is in that client's column.
Confirm it worked: the client refreshes the portal and sees the request.
Contact support if it still does not appear. Include the file's loan code, the contact name, and the request title.
"Sent X, failed Y" after sending a reminder
You see "Sent X, failed Y" after sending a reminder when one or more recipient emails did not go out.
Possible causes: a recipient has an invalid email address, or the selected mailbox is disconnected.
Check first: the email addresses on the failed contacts and your mailbox connection.
To fix:
Correct the contact's email address.
Reconnect your mailbox if needed.
Send the reminder again to the failed recipients only.
Confirm it worked: you see "Document reminder sent successfully".
Merge is not available for some files
Merge is not available for some files when the selection cannot be combined into one PDF.
Possible causes: Word and Excel files cannot be merged, or fewer than two files are selected.
To fix:
Select two or more PDF or image files.
Ask the client for a PDF copy of Word or Excel documents.
Tips and best practices
Use these practices when you name files and request documents on the Documents tab.
Use Approve & rename so files have consistent names when you download or merge them for a lender.
Save common requests as templates. This keeps wording consistent and saves typing on every file.
Use Question Request for things that do not need a file, such as "What is your employer's phone number?". The answer stays with the file.
Check the Documents badge in the file sidebar. It shows how many requests the file has.
Limitations and important behavior
These limits apply when you upload, merge, or share files on the Documents tab.
Uploads are not sorted or classified automatically. You review and approve each file.
Compress replaces the original. Merge to one PDF keeps the originals.
Word and Excel files cannot be merged.
Documents uploaded from the realtor portal show in a separate column marked "Uploaded from the realtor portal. Hidden from clients." Rejection notes cannot be saved on realtor documents.
Collaborators cannot delete documents. They see "Collaborators cannot delete documents".
Only approved documents can be selected on the E-Sign tab.
The empty-state description mentions splitting files, but splitting is not available.
Frequently asked questions
These answers cover questions about approving files, co-borrowers, reminders, and flags on the Documents tab.
Will my client get an email when I approve a file? The client sees the new status in the client portal. Use Send request if you want to email them about what is still outstanding.
Can I request a document from only the co-borrower? Yes. Select only that contact in the request builder, or use Request a document from {first name} in their column.
What happens to automatic reminders after everything is approved? They turn off automatically when nothing is outstanding.
Can I undo a flag on a file? Yes. Approve the file after reviewing it again.
Related articles
These articles cover related document, portal, and signing tasks.