How to manage client addresses

The **Addresses** page holds every physical address your agency records for a client, checks each one against USPS data automatically, and turns it into a printable letter or postcard. Each address is its own record, so a client can have as many as you need.

### Overview

**Addresses** is a tab on the **Clients** page. Each record stores a street address, a **Type**, map coordinates, optional **Internal Notes**, and an optional link to one client. Opening a record runs an address check in the background and fills the **Address Verification** card with USPS deliverability data, so you can see whether mail will arrive before you print anything.

- Create addresses with street suggestions that fill in city, state, Zip, and coordinates
- Attach one client to an address, or leave the address unattached
- Read USPS verification results that run on their own when the record loads
- Generate a letter or postcard PDF from any auto message template
- Search, archive, trash, and restore address records one at a time or in bulk

If you maintain client contact data or prepare printed notices, this is the page you will use most.

### Prerequisites

- An eCourtDate account that can see the **Addresses** tab under **Clients**
- A client record, if you want the address linked to a person ([learn how to manage clients](/how-to-manage-clients))
- At least one auto message with an English template, if you plan to use **Generate Mail Template** ([learn how to create an auto message](/how-to-create-an-auto-message))
- Admin access to **Admin** > **Portals**, if you want clients to manage their own addresses

### How-To Steps

#### Open the Addresses page

1. Click **Clients** in the main navigation.
2. Click the **Addresses** tab.
3. Enter a name in the **Search clients...** box in the left column, then click the matching client in the results list to limit the page to that client.

You can also open a client record and click **Addresses** in the client sections list on the left. That opens the same page, already filtered to that client.

#### Create an address

1. Start typing the street address in the **Address** field on the **Create Address** card.
2. Click a suggestion from the list to fill in **Address 2**, **City**, **State**, **Zip**, and **Country**.
3. Enter an apartment or suite number in **Address 2** if the suggestion did not supply one.
4. Select the **Type** (home, work, school, mail, hospital, jail, parents, or other).
5. Click **Create**.
6. Click **Edit new Address here** in the green confirmation to open the record you just created.

If you filtered the page to a client first, the new address attaches to that client automatically.

#### Edit an address

1. Click the edit icon in the first column of the row you want to change.
2. Update any field on the **Edit Address** card, including **County**, **Internal Notes**, **Latitude**, and **Longitude**.
3. Click **Save**.

When **Latitude** and **Longitude** are blank, eCourtDate looks them up from the address as the record opens. The map marker in the right column moves to match, and its icon reflects the **Type** you selected.

#### Attach or change the client on an address

1. Enter the client name in the **Search Clients...** box on the client card.
2. Click **Search**.
3. Click **Attach** next to the correct client.
4. Click **Change** to search for a different client, or **Detach** to unlink the current one.

#### Review address verification

1. Open the address record.
2. Read the **Address Verification** card in the right column.
3. Compare the formatted address shown there against what you entered.
4. Click the copy icon to copy the formatted address to your clipboard.

The card reports **Address Complete**, **Validation Granularity**, **USPS Deliverable**, **Vacant**, **FIPS**, and **CASS**, and adds a **Business**, **Residential**, or **PO BOX** badge when one applies. The check runs on its own every time the record loads, so there is nothing to click to start it.

#### Generate a letter or postcard PDF

1. Open the address record.
2. Click **Auto Messages** on the **Generate Mail Template** card.
3. Type in the **Search Auto Messages** box to narrow the list.
4. Click an auto message name to load its template into **Message**.
5. Select **Letter** or **Postcard** under **Mail Template**.
6. Review **Name**, **Subject**, and **Message**, and edit them as needed.
7. Click **Generate PDF**.

Your browser downloads the file as mail.pdf. **Name** pre-fills with the attached client's name, and the template loads in the client's language when the auto message has one.

#### Archive, trash, or restore addresses

1. Select the checkbox next to each address in the table.
2. Click **Archive** or **Trash**.
3. Click **Confirm**.
4. Tick **Archived** or **Trashed** in the **Search Addresses** card to list those records again.
5. Select them and click **Restore** to bring them back.

On a single record, open the **Tools** dropdown and click **Archive**, **Trash**, or **Restore** instead.

#### Let clients manage their own addresses in a portal

1. Go to **Admin** > **Portals** and open the portal you want to change.
2. Click the **Profile** tab under **Portal Preview**.
3. Select an option under **Addresses** in the **Client Profile** section: **Read-only (default)**, **Create, Read, Update**, or **Create, Read, Update, Trash**.
4. Click **Save**.

Only clients who sign in to the portal see the profile section ([learn how to create web portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)).

### What to Expect

New addresses appear at the top of the table right away with an "Address created" alert, and saving an edit shows "Address updated". The **Address Verification** card fills in a moment after the record opens. **Generate PDF** downloads mail.pdf to your computer; it does not send anything through the mail. The table loads 100 records at a time, and **Load more** appends the next batch.

### Best Practices

- **Pick a street suggestion instead of typing the whole address.** The city, state, Zip, and coordinates then all come from the same source, which keeps the map marker accurate.
- **Apply Type consistently.** Decide as an agency when to use mail versus home so you can filter the table by **Type** and trust the result.
- **Read USPS Deliverable and Vacant before you print.** Both readouts appear on the **Address Verification** card and tell you whether the mail is likely to arrive.
- **Put staff-only context in Internal Notes.** Keep the address fields themselves clean so verification matches against real address data.
- **Archive rather than trash when a client moves.** The record stays available under the **Archived** filter for later reference.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How many addresses can a client have?**

A: Add as many as the client needs. Each address is a separate record, and the **Addresses** table filters to a single client when you search for that client in the **Search clients...** box and click the match.

**Q: Do I have to click anything to verify an address?**

A: No. The check runs automatically each time you open an address record, and the results appear in the **Address Verification** card in the right column.

**Q: Why is an auto message missing from the Auto Messages dropdown?**

A: The dropdown lists only auto messages that have an English template. Add an English template to that auto message and it appears in the list.

**Q: Does Generate PDF mail the letter for me?**

A: No. It downloads a PDF named mail.pdf to your computer. Printing and mailing the item is up to your agency.

**Q: Can an address exist without a client?**

A: Yes. The client card shows a "No Client Attached" notice, and you can link a client at any time using **Search** and **Attach**.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** Editing an address does not save.

**Symptoms:** A banner reads "Address was archived on ..." or "Address was trashed on ...", the **Save** button is hidden, and an alert says "Restore to update".

**Solution:**

1. Open the **Tools** dropdown at the top of the record.
2. Click **Restore**.
3. Make your changes and click **Save**.

**Issue:** The **County** dropdown has no options.

**Symptoms:** Clicking **County** on the **Edit Address** card shows an empty list.

**Solution:**

1. Select a **State** first. County options are filtered to the selected state.
2. Click **County** again and choose the correct county.
3. Click **Save**.

**Issue:** Clicking **Generate PDF** does nothing.

**Symptoms:** The form stays on screen and no file downloads.

**Solution:**

1. Check that **Name**, **Subject**, and **Message** all have content. All three are required.
2. Click **Auto Messages** and select a template if **Message** is empty.
3. Click **Generate PDF** again.

**Issue:** The **Address Verification** card shows the USPS logo but no results.

**Symptoms:** No formatted address and no deliverability readouts appear.

**Solution:**

1. Check **Address 1**, **City**, **State**, and **Zip** for typos.
2. Click **Save**.
3. Reload the record so the check runs again against the corrected address.

If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate and create a ticket by clicking the ticket button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)
- [How to Add Contact Information for a Client](/how-to-add-contact-information-for-a-client)
- [How to Create an Auto Message](/how-to-create-an-auto-message)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)