NHT Sets Out Mortgage Payment Restart After Hurricane Melissa Relief Period

The National Housing Trust (NHT) says regular mortgage payments have restarted for customers who received a six-month break after Hurricane Melissa, while several support measures remain in place for borrowers still recovering from the storm.

Dr. Suzanne Winter, general manager for loan management at the NHT, said more than 30,000 mortgagors benefited from the automatic hurricane relief moratorium, which ran from November to April. During that period, the Trust deferred almost $4.5 billion in payments and waived close to $1.2 billion in interest charges.

Payments resumed on May 1. The NHT said borrowers should expect written notices showing their previous monthly payment and the new amount due. Some payments will rise because principal sums, life insurance and peril insurance that were deferred during the moratorium must still be recovered. Winter stressed that the moratorium was a postponement, not a write-off, but said the absence of added interest should limit increases for many customers.

To ease the return to payment, the NHT is waiving late fees for May and June. Customers who cannot immediately resume payments are being urged to contact the agency early, register for NHT Online, call or visit a branch. Borrowers who cannot confirm their new figure should continue paying the amount they paid before the moratorium.

A further three-month extension has already been applied automatically for NHT customers in Brampton, St. Elizabeth, and Union Acres, St. James. Other mortgagors whose homes remain badly damaged or uninhabitable because of Hurricane Melissa must apply by June 30, 2026.

Winter said borrowers who can live in their homes but are unemployed or have reduced income may also seek help under other special assistance programmes, with cases reviewed individually.

The NHT's special hurricane relief loan remains available until March 31, 2027. The loan now may be used to improve property resilience, including installing hurricane shutters or building a safe room, and carries a two per cent interest rate.