NHT mortgage payments resume after Hurricane Melissa moratorium

Mortgage payments to the National Housing Trust resumed on May 1 after a six-month Hurricane Melissa moratorium that supported more than 30,000 mortgagors, according to Dr. Suzanne Winter, the NHT’s general manager for loan management.

Winter said the automatic relief ran from November to April after the category five hurricane and allowed the Trust to defer almost $4.5 billion in payments. She said the NHT also waived close to $1.2 billion in interest charges, while offering hurricane relief loans and grants as part of its wider response.

With the pause now ended, most mortgagors are expected to restart monthly payments. The NHT is sending individual notices showing what customers paid before the moratorium and what they are now required to pay. Late fees are being waived for May and June to give customers more time to adjust.

Winter explained that the moratorium was a postponement, not a write-off. Unpaid principal, life insurance and peril insurance amounts will be added back to accounts and recalculated into monthly payments. She said the absence of interest charges should limit the size of increases for many customers.

An extension is available for mortgagors whose homes remain badly damaged or uninhabitable because of Hurricane Melissa. Customers in Brompton, St. Elizabeth, and Union Acres, St. James, have already received an automatic three-month extension. Other affected customers must apply online by June 30, 2026.

Winter said people who can live in their homes but are unemployed or facing reduced income may seek other special assistance, with cases assessed individually. Her advice to customers was direct: “Do not hide from us.”

Mortgagors are being urged to contact the NHT early, use NHT Online, call or visit a branch to confirm their new payment, and continue paying the previous amount if they cannot immediately verify the updated figure. Those whose salary deductions have not restarted should pay through other available channels.

The NHT’s special hurricane relief loan remains open until March 31, 2027. Winter said it may now be used for resilience upgrades, including hurricane shutters and safe rooms, at a two per cent interest rate.