KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Housing Trust (NHT) is appealing for patience and understanding as it conducts validation checks to strengthen safeguards.

Addressing a JIS Think Tank on February 5, Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the NHT, Dwayne Berbick, said  the objective is to ensure accuracy and protect the NHT against errors and fraudulent claims.

As a result, approximately 1,000 contribution refund applicants are being contacted and asked to resubmit their requests.

“We have started communicating with those customers to reapply, preferably through a different channel, and we are encouraging them to use the NHT Online portal. It is not only more seamless and convenient, but also a safer avenue,” he noted.

Berbick is urging contributors not to become discouraged by the need to reapply, pointing out that processing times have improved significantly due to system upgrades and streamlined procedures.

“Please do not get frustrated. We have improved our ability to turnaround those payments significantly, so it’s not going to be a long wait before you’re able to receive your refunds. We have moved from about 15 days to roughly four to five days to process refunds. With the improvements made, once the information is submitted correctly, turnaround is much faster,” he assured.

Supervisor for the Contributions, Refunds, Payments and Monitoring Unit, Cameo Simmons Thomas, said applicants must ensure that all personal and banking details are accurate and consistent across documents.

“The account used for the contribution refund must be one where the applicant is the primary holder. The name on the application must match exactly what is at the NHT and at the bank,” she explained.

Simmons Thomas noted that even small differences, such as missing hyphens, spaces, or accent marks, can delay processing as each application is verified with the bank before payment is approved.

She is encouraging contributors to carefully review their applications before submission and to use the official online portal where possible.

The NHT has already paid out more than $5 billion in refunds and maintains strong systems to ensure accuracy and protect against errors and fraudulent claims.

—    JIS