How to manage addresses

Addresses hold the physical locations your agency keeps on file for clients, and each record pairs the address with map coordinates, verification details, and a mail template you can turn into a PDF.

### Overview

- **What it is:** **Addresses** is a tab on the **Clients** page where you create, search, and edit the addresses your agency stores.
- **Why it matters:** Every address record carries verification details for that address, map coordinates, and a **Generate Mail Template** card for printed letters and postcards.
- **Who uses it:** Staff who maintain client records or prepare printed mail.
- **Expected outcomes:** Addresses attached to the right clients, coordinates saved on the record, and letter or postcard PDFs you can print and mail.

### Prerequisites

- An eCourtDate account that can open **Clients** > **Addresses**
- Client records already created, if you want to attach addresses to clients
- At least one auto message with an English template, if you want to prefill mail content
- A portal, if you want clients to manage their own addresses

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the Addresses tab

1. Go to **Clients** > **Addresses**.
2. Review the table, which lists **Address 1**, **Client**, **Address 2**, **City**, **County**, **State**, **Zip**, **Type**, and **Created**.
3. Click **Load more** at the bottom of the list to pull in the next batch of records.

#### Step 2: Create an address

1. Go to **Clients** > **Addresses**.
2. Enter the street address in **Address** and click a suggestion to fill the remaining fields.
3. Enter a unit or suite number in **Address 2**.
4. Enter the **City**.
5. Select the **State**.
6. Enter the **Zip**.
7. Select the **Country**.
8. Select the **Type** (home, work, school, mail, hospital, jail, parents, or other).
9. Click **Create**.
10. Click **Edit new Address here** in the confirmation message to open the new record.

#### Step 3: Attach an address to a client

1. Open an address from the list.
2. Enter the client name in the search box on the client card and click **Search**.
3. Click **Attach** next to the correct client. The record saves as soon as you attach.
4. Click **Change** to swap the attached client, or click **Detach** to remove it.

To attach clients as you create addresses, enter a name in the client search box at the top of the left column on the **Addresses** page first. Every address you create while that client is selected attaches to that client.

#### Step 4: Read the Address Verification card

1. Open an address record.
2. Review the **Address Verification** card in the right column, which loads when the record opens.
3. Compare the formatted address on the card with the values saved on the record.
4. Read the **Address Complete**, **Validation Granularity**, **USPS Deliverable**, **Vacant**, **FIPS**, and **CASS** lines, plus the **Business**, **Residential**, and **PO BOX** badges.
5. Click the copy button below the formatted address to copy it, paste corrections into the **Edit Address** fields, and click **Save**.

#### Step 5: Check the map and coordinates

1. Open an address record.
2. Review the map in the right column, where the marker icon matches the address **Type**.
3. Review **Latitude** and **Longitude** in the **Edit Address** card. The page looks coordinates up from the saved address when the record has none.
4. Click **Save** to store the coordinates on the record.

#### Step 6: Generate a mail PDF

1. Open an address record.
2. Click **Auto Messages** in the **Generate Mail Template** card.
3. Enter a name in **Search Auto Messages** to narrow the list.
4. Click an auto message to load its template into **Message**.
5. Select **Letter** or **Postcard** under **Mail Template**.
6. Enter the recipient in **Name**, which prefills with the attached client's name.
7. Enter a **Subject**.
8. Click **Generate PDF** to download the file.

#### Step 7: Search and download addresses

1. Go to **Clients** > **Addresses**.
2. Enter a **Street Address**, **City**, or **Zip** in the **Search Addresses** card.
3. Select a **State** or a **Type**.
4. Select **Archived** or **Trashed** to look at those records instead of active ones.
5. Click **Search**.
6. Click **CSV** to download the matching records, or click **PDF** to open your browser print dialog.

#### Step 8: Archive, trash, or restore addresses

1. Select the checkbox beside each address you want to change.
2. Click **Archive** or **Trash**, then click **Confirm**.
3. Select **Archived** or **Trashed** in the **Search Addresses** card and click **Search** to find those records again.
4. Select the records you want back, then click **Restore**.
5. Open a single address and use **Tools** > **Archive**, **Tools** > **Trash**, or **Tools** > **Restore** to change one record at a time.

#### Step 9: Let clients manage their own addresses

1. Go to **Admin** > **Portals**.
2. Open the portal you want to change.
3. Click the **Profile** tab.
4. Select **Create, Read, Update** or **Create, Read, Update, Trash** in **Addresses**. The default is **Read-only (default)**.
5. Click **Save**.

### What to Expect

New addresses appear at the top of the list right away, and the confirmation message links to the new record. The **Address Verification** card runs when you open a record, so the results reflect the address as it was last saved. Coordinates that the page looks up stay unsaved until you click **Save**. **Generate PDF** downloads the file to your computer as soon as it is ready. **CSV** collects every page of records that match your current search, and a message tells you when only the first batch exported. Archived and trashed addresses stay in your agency data and come back when you restore them.

### Best Practices

- Click an autocomplete suggestion when you enter **Address** so the city, state, zip, and coordinates fill consistently.
- Attach every address to a client so the mail **Name** prefills and you can filter the list by client.
- Set a **Type** on every address so the map marker and the **Type** filter stay useful.
- Reload an address record after you save changes so **Address Verification** reflects the new values.
- Narrow your search before you click **CSV** so the export covers only the records you want.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Where do I find addresses?**

A: Go to **Clients** > **Addresses**. By default, Addresses is a tab on the **Clients** page rather than an item in the top navigation.

**Q: Can I run address verification on demand?**

A: No. The **Address Verification** card runs when you open an address record. Save your edits, then reload the record to check the address again.

**Q: Does verification change the address I saved?**

A: No. The card is read only. Copy the formatted address with the copy button and paste it into the **Edit Address** fields yourself if you want to use it.

**Q: What address types can I choose?**

A: home, work, school, mail, hospital, jail, parents, and other. Select one in **Type** when you create or edit an address.

**Q: How do I export a list of addresses?**

A: Run your search on the **Addresses** page, then click **CSV** to download the matching records. **PDF** opens your browser print dialog for the same list.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** An address will not save.

**Symptoms:** A banner says the address was archived or trashed, the **Save** button is missing, and attaching a client returns "Restore to update".

**Solution:** Click **Tools**, click **Restore**, then make your changes and click **Save**.

**Issue:** The **Address Verification** card shows no results.

**Symptoms:** Only the USPS logo appears, with no formatted address and no verification lines.

**Solution:** Verification reads the address as it is saved on the record. Correct **Address 1**, **City**, **State**, and **Zip**, click **Save**, then reload the page.

**Issue:** The **Subject** field empties when you pick an auto message.

**Symptoms:** **Subject** clears after you click an auto message, and the mail form will not submit because **Subject** is required.

**Solution:** Enter the subject after you select the auto message, then click **Generate PDF**.

**Issue:** The map shows no marker.

**Symptoms:** The map stays at the default view and **Latitude** and **Longitude** are empty.

**Solution:** The lookup only runs when the record has a saved address and no coordinates yet. Enter **Latitude** and **Longitude** on the **Edit Address** card and click **Save**.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)
- [How to Manage Contacts](/how-to-manage-contacts)
- [How to Create an Auto Message](/how-to-create-an-auto-message)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)
- [How to Check the Audit Logs](/how-to-check-the-audit-logs)