The SMS consent form field is a checkbox you add to your form. When the lead checks it, they agree that you can send automated text messages to the phone number they provided. The form stores their consent — the exact text they agreed to, the timestamp, and their IP address — so you have a record if you ever need to prove it. This is the TCPA SMS consent checkbox that protects you legally and unlocks the text messaging features in the platform.

This article covers when to use the field, how to add it to a form, what consent text to use, and how it connects to the SMS automations that send text messages to leads.

You need the SMS consent form field whenever you plan to send automated text messages to the lead. Any form that triggers text follow-up needs this field — making it an SMS opt-in form by definition. That's anything where you (or the platform on your behalf) send a text to the phone number from a form submission. A few common examples:

• An instant text after submit thanking them and confirming you got their request.
• A reminder text 24 hours later if you haven't connected.
• A follow-up text three days later with a value-add message.

You do not need the SMS Consent field for SMS alerts that come to you and your team when a new lead comes in. Those are business-to-business notifications, not marketing to the consumer, and TCPA doesn't require opt-in for them.

The simple rule: if a text message is going to the lead, the lead has to consent first through the SMS consent form field. If a text message is going to you about the lead, no consent needed.

Open your form in the form builder. Adding a text message consent form to your real estate site only takes a minute, and the steps are the same on every form. In the left palette, scroll to the Legal category. You'll see two consent options:

• Consent. This is the general TCPA consent for phone calls.
• SMS Consent. This is the field for text messages, marked with a 📱 icon.

Drag SMS Consent into your form canvas. The field appears with a default label of "SMS Consent" and a default field key like sms_consent_123. The field key changes per form, but the prefix sms_consent_ is what the platform looks for, so you can leave the key as-is.

The field renders on your published form as a checkbox with the consent text right next to it. The lead has to check the box before they can submit the form — it's required by default.

The SMS consent form field ships with a default consent message that meets the basics of what TCPA expects from automated SMS opt-in. You can edit it, but most tenants don't need to. The default works for most real estate workflows and saves you from having to think through the compliance language yourself.

The default text:

I agree to receive automated text messages from {{site.name}} about my inquiry. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

Three things make that text work as TCPA-compliant consent:

• It names the sender. The {{site.name}} token fills in your business name when the form renders, so the lead knows exactly who is going to text them.
• It says the messages are automated. The word "automated" is what triggers the higher TCPA standard, so being explicit about it covers you legally.
• It tells them how to opt out. "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" is required, and the platform handles STOP responses automatically — when a lead texts STOP, they're added to your opt-out list and won't receive any more messages.

To edit the text, click the SMS Consent field in your form canvas. The Inspector panel on the right shows a "SMS Consent Text" textarea where you can change the wording. Keep the three elements above — sender name, mention of automated messages, opt-out instructions — and you can adjust the rest to fit your brand voice.

If you're running large-scale SMS campaigns or operating in a regulated state, talk to your own attorney about your specific consent language. This article is platform documentation, not legal advice.

Adding the SMS consent form field to a form unlocks the Send SMS to Lead automation action. Without the field, that action is greyed out in the form automations panel. It shows "(requires SMS Consent field)" so you can't accidentally send unauthorized texts. The check happens at the form level, not at the platform level, so each form needs its own SMS consent field if you want SMS automations on it.

Once the field is on your form, the action becomes available. You configure the SMS automation in the Automations tab. Write the message, pick the trigger, and save. Triggers can be immediate, time-delayed, or step-based for multi-step forms. From that point on, every lead who checks the consent box gets the message.

The platform also handles three things automatically so you don't have to:

• It appends "Reply STOP to opt out" to every outbound text. You don't need to include it in your message.
• It checks the opt-out list before sending. Leads who texted STOP previously don't get more texts, even if they fill out a new form.
• It logs the consent record. The text, timestamp, and IP get saved to your submission record, viewable from the submissions panel.

If you skip the SMS consent form field and try to send texts anyway, you can't. The action is locked. That's by design, and it protects you from a TCPA violation that could cost $500 to $1,500 per text message.

The form builder has two consent fields, and they're not interchangeable. Each one covers a different type of communication, and using the wrong one leaves you exposed legally. Both fields look similar in the builder, both live under the Legal category, but they protect different activities. Here's how each one is meant to be used.

Consent. This is the general TCPA consent for phone calls and voicemails. Use this if your follow-up process includes calling the lead with autodialed or pre-recorded calls. It's not enough on its own to authorize SMS.

SMS Consent. This specifically authorizes automated text messages. Use this if your follow-up includes any texting to the lead. It does not authorize calls.

If your business does both — calls and texts — add both fields to your form. Each one has its own consent record, so the lead's opt-in for one doesn't imply opt-in for the other. That separation is what TCPA expects.

For most real estate forms that include any follow-up texting, SMS Consent alone is enough. Add the regular Consent field on top if you also plan to call.

The SMS consent form field itself is free — there's no charge to add it to your forms or to store consent records. The cost comes when you actually send SMS messages to leads. Sending SMS uses credits, and pricing varies by plan.

To see your current credit balance, monthly allowance, and credit pricing, click the SMS link in the top bar of your back office. That page shows your credits, recipients, message templates, and the option to top up if you run low.

The SMS consent form field is one of many field types in the form builder, and it's the gateway for any real estate SMS consent workflow. Use it whenever your follow-up process includes texting the lead. Without it, the SMS automation actions stay locked.

The full SMS feature — credits, providers, quiet hours, opt-out handling — is covered on the SiteStakes SMS marketing page and in Set up SMS and buy credits.

For every other field type the form builder supports — email, phone, address, dropdown, hidden fields, and the rest — see Form Field Types Reference.