Asking Questions (Q&A)

How borrowers use per-item Q&A threads to ask questions about document requests.

BorrowerDocs gives borrowers two ways to send messages — a general file chat and per-item Q&A threads. This page covers how both work from the borrower's side.

Two types of messaging

	Ask a question	Per-item Q&A
How to access	"Ask a question" button at top of checklist	"Q&A" link on any checklist item
Topic	Anything about the loan process	Questions about one specific document
Where replies appear	Chat tab in your broker dashboard	Q&A thread on that checklist item
Unread indicator	Red badge on the "Ask a question" button	Red badge on the item's Q&A link

Use the general chat for broad questions ("When is my closing date?" or "Can I reach you by phone?"). Use per-item Q&A for document-specific questions ("Do you need all 12 months of statements, or just the last 2?").

Asking a general question

From the checklist, borrowers click Ask a question in the top-right corner. This opens a chat thread titled "Ask a Question" with the subtitle "Send a message to your mortgage broker."

They type a message and submit. The message appears in your Chat tab immediately.

Per-item Q&A

Each checklist item has a Q&A link. Clicking it takes the borrower to the document's detail page, which has two sections:

Upload Documents — for submitting files (if the item isn't approved)
Questions about this document — the Q&A message thread

Borrowers type questions in the message field (placeholder: "Ask a question about this document...") and submit. You see their message in the Q&A thread on that checklist item in your broker dashboard.

Unread message indicators

When you reply to a borrower's message, a red badge appears:

On the Ask a question button (for file chat replies)
On the Q&A link on the specific checklist item (for per-item replies)

The badge clears when the borrower opens that thread. The count shows up to 9, then displays 9+ for higher numbers.

Message visibility

All messages — both file chat and per-item Q&A — are visible to:

The broker
The primary borrower
The co-borrower (if one exists)

There is no private messaging between borrowers or between a single borrower and the broker.

Tips for borrowers

Use item Q&A for document questions. If you're confused about what a specific document request means ("Do you need pay stubs from my second job too?"), tap the Q&A link on that item. The question stays attached to the document so context isn't lost.

Use the general chat for everything else. General questions about timelines, next steps, or anything not tied to a specific document belong in the general chat.

Check for red badges. When the broker replies, a red dot appears on the relevant button. If you don't see a reply, check both the general chat and the Q&A threads on individual items.

Next steps

File-Level Chat — how messaging works from the broker side
Working the Checklist — how you see and respond to Q&A messages