After a major storm, the National Housing Trust usually opens special lending for repairs. The NHT disaster relief loan is the general term for these facilities. The current version is the Hurricane Relief Loan, introduced in November 2025 after Hurricane Melissa and offered as a special home improvement loan.
Terms of the current facility
- Amount: up to J$3.5 million per property, subject to affordability. Co-applicants share that same ceiling.
- Cost: a fixed interest rate of 2%, plus a service charge.
- Term: up to 20 years, or until the borrower turns 70, whichever comes first.
- Use: repairing damage caused by the hurricane only.
The Trust has extended the programme to March 2027 and broadened it to cover resilience upgrades such as reinforced roofs, safe rooms, hurricane straps and shutters.
Who can borrow
Applicants must be current contributors who own the damaged home and are named on the title. Current NHT mortgagors, former mortgagors and people whose homes were financed elsewhere can all apply. A registered or common-law title normally serves as security, and the Trust will consider other ownership evidence in special cases. Holding an existing home improvement loan does not prevent an application. Loans are processed directly by the Trust, not through partner banks, and the money is released in stages as repairs progress.
Related support
Alongside the loan, the Trust offered a hurricane relief grant of up to J$500,000 per property, a moratorium on mortgage payments for affected mortgagors, and claims under the peril insurance that covers NHT-mortgaged homes. Those were separate facilities with their own rules and deadlines.
Why it matters
The loan is designed to supplement insurance, not replace it. Owners who have made, or plan to make, an insurance claim can still apply. Photographing damage before repairs and keeping receipts makes both claims and loan processing smoother.
Disaster facilities change from one event to the next, so check with the Trust about what is open at any given time.
Related terms: NHT Home Improvement Loan, NHT Mortgage Insurance, Flood insurance, Hurricane insurance, NHT Mortgage, Home Improvement Grants.
Accurate as at October 2026. Terms and deadlines are set by the NHT and can change.
