The National Housing Trust (NHT) says it has settled 92 of the 103 peril insurance claims which mortgagors at the 144-unit Unions Acres development in St James submitted after Hurricane Melissa.

A total of $132.6 million was paid out. There are still three claims to be settled, three were rejected and five acceptance forms have yet to be signed by claimants.

“The three claims to be settled are at various stages of processing with our broker,” the NHT said in a written response to the Jamaica Observer’s Real Estate on the Rock on Friday.

According to its data, approximately 80 per cent of the units within Unions Acres had varying degrees of damage. Forty had roof damage ranging from minor (10 houses) and moderate (one) to major (16) and severe (13). Other damage included broken windows, damaged stanchions, damaged laundry tubs, and damaged roof eaves.

The NHT partnered with the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) to create Unions Acres, which consists of two-bedroom homes. The developer was Can-Cara Development.

“The trade unions entered the joint venture with their own design-build contractor, who was responsible for all project designs, obtaining agency approvals, executing and supervising construction, and handing the completed infrastructure over to the statutory agencies.

“The NHT provided construction financing for the development to the joint venture, and mortgage financing for its beneficiaries. The NHT was allotted 58 units in the development for sale to qualified contributors. The joint venture partners sold the remaining units,” the NHT reminded in its responses.

Read on for more details as it outlines its role so far, post-Melissa, and what comes next.

Insurance claims/NHT response

“In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, the NHT’s primary role was to support affected mortgagors through a range of relief measures designed to ease the financial burden of recovery. This included processing peril insurance claims for insured properties, implementing an automatic six-month moratorium on mortgage repayments for eligible mortgagors in the worst-affected parishes and processing applications for disaster relief grants of up to $500,000 and, where necessary, disaster relief loans.

These interventions provided critical financial assistance to homeowners, including support to meet insurance excess payments and other eligible recovery costs, helping families begin the process of repairing and restoring their homes as quickly as possible.

NHT moratorium support

The initial moratorium covered the first six months after the hurricane (November 2025 to April 2026). The moratorium was extended and is scheduled to end on July 31, 2026. A further three-month extension has been approved to October 31, 2026. Thereafter, the NHT will review requests received for extended moratoria on a case-by-case basis.

The way forward

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica is undertaking a comprehensive national review of building codes, construction standards and other engineering best practices to strengthen the resilience of our built environment.

As the country’s largest provider of affordable housing, the NHT will be guided by the outcomes of that national review. In the meantime, however, the NHT has extended the purposes and use of our disaster resilience loans to assist Jamaicans with making their homes more resilient. The loan amount is $3.5 million offered at an interest rate of two per cent. Contributors have up until March 31, 2027 to apply.

We are committed to ensuring that our future and ongoing developments continue to reflect the highest standards of safety, resilience and quality, while incorporating any updated building requirements and best practices that emerge from this process.

The NHT has always sought to build communities that can withstand Jamaica’s environmental realities and we will continue to work closely with the relevant regulatory and technical authorities to ensure our construction practices evolve in line with national policy and the latest engineering guidance.”