Owning a home is only the start; roofs age, families grow and hurricane season returns every year. The NHT home improvement loan, currently marketed by the National Housing Trust as the Five Plus loan, lends homeowners money to repair, extend or strengthen their houses.
Who qualifies
The applicant must own the home and be a current contributor, with at least 52 weekly contributions including 13 in the last 26 weeks, and be between 18 and 70. Contributors who have never had an NHT mortgage can apply, and so can existing NHT borrowers once enough time has passed since their last loan. From July 2026 that qualifying period was cut from seven years to five, which is where the product’s name comes from. The home itself may have been bought through the NHT or on the open market.
How much and for what
A single applicant can borrow up to J$5 million, or up to J$10 million with one co-applicant, subject to affordability. Typical uses include:
- extensions and additional rooms
- re-roofing and structural repairs
- hurricane shutters and other storm protection
- perimeter fencing
- finishes such as tiling and painting
Solar panels, solar water heaters and rainwater harvesting systems are financed separately under the Trust’s SMART Energy loan, with a lower ceiling and an income-linked interest rate.
Practical considerations
Extensions and structural changes usually need building approval from the municipal corporation, and the Trust will expect estimates and, for larger jobs, plans. Taking a new loan adds to the monthly instalment, which already includes insurance premiums, so it is worth checking the combined payment against the household budget.
After a disaster, different rules apply. Following Hurricane Melissa, the Trust introduced a separate hurricane relief loan for damage repairs that can be held alongside a home improvement loan.
In the UK and North America, home improvement is usually financed through a remortgage or home equity loan; in Jamaica the NHT product is often cheaper for eligible contributors.
Related terms: NHT Disaster Relief Loan, NHT Second Home Loan, Home Equity Loan, Home Improvement Grants, NHT Mortgage, Building permit.
Accurate as at October 2026. Loan limits and qualifying periods are set by the NHT and can change.
