NHT Opens Mortgage Relief to Hurricane-Affected Borrowers Outside Hardest-Hit Parishes

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Housing Trust (NHT) has widened its Hurricane Melissa mortgage relief to borrowers living outside the worst-hit parts of the island, provided they apply and can show the storm has affected their ability to pay.

Mortgagors in St. Catherine, Portland, St. Thomas, Clarendon, St. Mary, Kingston and St. Andrew are now eligible to seek assistance, Shara Luke Cooper, Administrative Manager in the NHT’s Customer Relations Management Division, said in comments reported by the Jamaica Information Service.

Two tiers of relief

The Trust’s relief now works on two levels. Borrowers in the hardest-hit areas were placed on an automatic six-month suspension of payments running from November 2025 to April 2026. Those in the less-affected parishes must apply by completing a Special Assistance Form and submitting supporting documents, which are available from the NHT.

Importantly, eligibility is not limited to people whose homes were physically damaged. According to Ms. Luke Cooper, the moratorium also covers borrowers who have taken a financial hit because they are supporting hurricane-affected relatives, or who lost jobs as a result of the storm, including people who live in one parish but work in another that was badly affected. Current contributors, former mortgagors and pensioners are among those who may qualify.

Part of a wider NHT package

The expansion builds on relief measures announced by the Prime Minister in early November, which included the automatic moratorium for mortgagors in the seven most affected parishes, special home improvement loans of up to $3.5 million at two per cent interest, and grants of up to $500,000 for home repairs.

What borrowers should know

For homeowners in the Corporate Area and the eastern and central parishes, the key point is that relief is not automatic: nothing changes unless an application is filed. Borrowers under pressure should apply early rather than fall into arrears, and should gather evidence of the hardship, such as a termination letter or proof of support to affected family members. A moratorium defers payments rather than cancelling them, so it is worth asking the NHT how interest and the loan term will be treated once regular payments resume, and budgeting for that date now.

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