Connect Custom Email Domains for Outbound Email

Overview

Authenticate your institution's email domain to send emails from Housing.Cloud using your own domain (e.g., [email protected]) instead of the default housing.cloud address. This improves email deliverability, builds trust with recipients, and ensures messages won't show "via SendGrid" warnings.

This process involves adding DNS records to verify domain ownership and enable DKIM/SPF authentication for outbound emails sent through the platform.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• Admin access to Housing.Cloud with permissions to configure email settings
• DNS management access to your institution's domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, AWS Route 53)
• Domain ownership of the email domain you want to authenticate (e.g., university.edu)
• Time for DNS propagation - DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally

Step 1: Enter Your Email Domain

Navigate to the Domain Settings page in the Housing.Cloud admin portal and initiate the domain authentication wizard.

1. In the Domain field, enter your institution's domain (e.g., university.edu)
2. Optionally, add a Subdomain for email sending (e.g., em or mail) - this creates em.university.edu for email authentication
3. Click Continue to generate DNS records

Step 2: Add DNS Records to Your Registrar

Housing.Cloud will generate three DNS records required for domain authentication. You must add these records to your domain's DNS configuration through your registrar.

The system generates these record types:

MX Record (Mail Server)

• Type: MX
• Host: Typically @ or your subdomain (e.g., em)
• Value: Points to SendGrid's mail server (e.g., em760.housing.cloud)
• Purpose: Routes email through SendGrid's infrastructure

TXT Record (SPF - Sender Policy Framework)

• Type: TXT
• Host: Your subdomain (e.g., em760)
• Value: SPF record authorizing SendGrid (e.g., v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net ~all)
• Purpose: Verifies that SendGrid is authorized to send emails from your domain

TXT Record (DKIM - DomainKeys Identified Mail)

• Type: TXT
• Host: DKIM selector subdomain (e.g., s1._domainkey.em760)
• Value: Public DKIM key provided by SendGrid
• Purpose: Enables cryptographic email signature verification

Adding Records to Your DNS Provider

1. Copy each record's Type, Host, and Value from the Housing.Cloud interface
2. Log in to your domain registrar's DNS management console
3. Create a new DNS record for each entry:
   • Select the record type (MX or TXT)
   • Enter the host/name exactly as shown
   • Paste the value exactly as provided
   • Set TTL to 3600 (1 hour) or your registrar's default
4. Save each record

Common DNS Provider Instructions

GoDaddy: DNS Management → Add Record → Select type → Enter Name/Value → Save

Cloudflare: DNS → Add Record → Select type → Enter Name/Content → Proxy status off → Save

AWS Route 53: Hosted Zones → Select domain → Create Record → Simple routing → Define record → Save

Step 3: Verify Domain Authentication

After adding DNS records, wait for propagation and verify the domain in Housing.Cloud.

1. Wait at least 15-30 minutes after adding records for initial propagation (full propagation can take up to 48 hours)
2. In the Housing.Cloud domain authentication interface, click Refresh Status to check DNS records
3. If records are detected and valid, status changes from Pending to Verified
4. Click Continue to Verification to complete the process

Once verified, you'll see a green confirmation banner:

• Email Authentication Active - DKIM and SPF are configured
• Emails sent from housing.cloud will have improved deliverability
• Messages will no longer show "via SendGrid" warnings to recipients

Using Your Authenticated Domain

After authentication completes, Housing.Cloud automatically uses your authenticated domain for outbound emails. Emails will be sent from addresses like:

• [email protected] (or your configured subdomain)
• [email protected] (if using subdomain)

Recipients will see your institution's domain in the sender field instead of housing.cloud, and email clients will verify DKIM/SPF signatures to improve inbox placement.

Troubleshooting

DNS Records Show "Pending" After 48 Hours

Cause: DNS records haven't propagated or contain errors.

Solution:

• Use a DNS checker tool (e.g., MXToolbox.com, DNSChecker.org) to verify records are visible globally
• Check for typos in host or value fields - even extra spaces cause failures
• Verify you added records to the correct domain (root vs. subdomain)
• Ensure TTL isn't set too high (use 3600 or lower for faster updates)
• Contact your DNS provider if records appear in their UI but aren't propagating

SPF Record Validation Fails

Cause: SPF record conflicts with existing SPF or incorrect syntax.

Solution:

• Check if you already have an SPF record for the domain - you can only have one SPF record per domain
• If an SPF record exists, merge SendGrid's include (include:sendgrid.net) into the existing record instead of creating a new one
• Ensure the SPF record includes the ~all or -all mechanism at the end
• Example merged record: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net ~all

DKIM Record Not Found

Cause: DKIM TXT record host is incorrect or missing the _domainkey selector.

Solution:

• Verify the host includes the full selector path (e.g., s1._domainkey.em760.university.edu or just s1._domainkey.em760 depending on your registrar)
• Some DNS providers automatically append the domain - if so, only enter the subdomain portion (s1._domainkey.em760)
• Check that the DKIM value is enclosed in quotes if your DNS provider requires it for long TXT records

Emails Still Show "via SendGrid"

Cause: Domain verification incomplete or emails sent before authentication finished.

Solution:

• Confirm domain status shows "Verified" in Housing.Cloud Domain Settings
• Wait 10-15 minutes after verification for changes to take effect in SendGrid's system
• Send a test email and check headers - look for DKIM-Signature and SPF pass in email headers
• If still showing via SendGrid, contact Housing.Cloud support to verify domain configuration

MX Record Conflicts with Existing Email Server

Cause: Your domain uses a different mail server (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft 365) and adding MX records creates conflicts.

Solution:

• Use a dedicated subdomain for Housing.Cloud emails (e.g., em.university.edu) separate from your primary mail domain
• Subdomains can have independent MX records without affecting your primary email service
• Never add MX records to your root domain if you're using it for receiving emails through another provider

Security Best Practices

• Use subdomains: Authenticate em.university.edu instead of university.edu to isolate email sending and avoid conflicts with existing mail services
• Keep DKIM keys private: The public key is in DNS, but never share the private key stored in SendGrid
• Monitor SPF record limits: SPF has a 10 DNS lookup limit - if you include many services, you may hit this limit and cause authentication failures
• Set up DMARC: After DKIM/SPF are working, add a DMARC record (_dmarc.university.edu) to specify how receivers should handle authentication failures
• Test before deployment: Send test emails to multiple providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) to verify deliverability and check for spam folder placement
• Document DNS changes: Keep records of DNS modifications for IT team handoffs and future troubleshooting

Technical Details

DNS Record Specifications

Housing.Cloud uses SendGrid's automated security mode, which generates CNAME-based records for easier management and automatic key rotation. The system creates:

• 1 MX record for mail routing
• 2 TXT records for SPF and DKIM authentication

TTL (Time to Live) recommendations:

• Initial setup: 3600 seconds (1 hour) for faster propagation testing
• After verification: 86400 seconds (24 hours) for stability and reduced DNS queries

SendGrid API Integration

Domain authentication uses SendGrid's /v3/whitelabel/domains API endpoint. Housing.Cloud handles the integration automatically, but IT teams can reference the official documentation for advanced troubleshooting:

SendGrid Domain Authentication API Reference

Related Resources

• SendGrid Domain Authentication API Documentation
• MXToolbox DNS Checker - Verify DNS record propagation
• DNS Checker - Global DNS propagation tool