Government of Jamaica

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to some frequently asked questions here. 
If you don't see an answer to your question, you can send us an email. 

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Yes, the NHT assists with the deposit in two ways. 1. If you have paid the 5% minimum deposit, and the vendor requires a larger deposit amount, the NHT will assist if the house/lot being purchased is less than the loan that you are eligible for. 2. The NHT will allow you to use contributions not yet due for refund to offset your deposit under the Contribution Refund Towards Deposit (CRTD) facility. Up to 6 years contributions can be used.

Starting July 1, 2025, eligible "private sector" mortgagors can apply for their 2017 contributions refund. These refunds were previously reversed from their loan accounts, effective January 1, 2025, and posted to their savings accounts for possible refund in hand.

No, payments must be made at the NHT cashier or to the external attorney who is handling the case on NHT's behalf.

You will be required to pay the difference between the bid amount and the maximum loan entitlement. This is also subject to your ability to repay the loan. You must provide evidence that you can pay this shortfall before the sale/purchase processes can commence.

If the bid is considered to be acceptable, and the Private Treaty Committee has approved sale of the property to a successful bidder, the successful bidder will receive a telephone call to firstly indicate the success of his/her bid, and advised that the letter of approval and other offer conditions should be collected from the NHT's office within two (2) working days of receipt of the approval. The unsuccessful bidder will be sent a letter, by mail, advising of the status of his/her bid, within five (5) working days of receipt of approval. The bidder whose bid was disqualified will be sent a letter, by mail, advising of the status of his/her bid, within the same time-line.  N.B. If a sale is not approved, the NHT will continue to invite interested persons to make offers to purchase the property.  We would appreciate if this request is given urgent attention, in keeping with a recommendation made by our internal auditors.

There will be some specific legal fees which you will be required to pay to enable us to not only register your name(s) on the Title as owner(s) of the property, but also the mortgage loan. These fees are approximately 3% of the sale price, and represent half costs for stamp duty and registration. (N.B. The 3% is based on the Stamp Commissioner’s assessment of the value of the property, and the cost to register the mortgage loan may vary depending on the Institution from which you will be obtaining the loan)

Your bid will be rejected if: you do not state your name, and did not sign the letter (if your bid was typed); you do not state the exact address of the property you wish to purchase; you state a range of figures ( e.g $1m to $ 2m) for your bid sum instead of one amount; the property is not on the list of properties which the Trust is selling by Private Treaty; words and figures in your bid letter do not agree; Real Estate Agents who are making bids on behalf of bidders, do not attach a signed copy of the bid from the bidders; when the bid/letter is opened, the information does not clearly indicate that a bid is being made on a property. a higher bid is received from another person. your proof of deposit and mortgage financing documents did not accompany your bid letter; a certified Power of Attorney document giving authorisation for your Agent/Representative to make a bid on your behalf is not received.

(a) You must be a first-time homeowner, and currently making contributions to the Trust. However, for more details of the eligibility requirements you may either visit the Customer Service Department at the nearest Branch Office, or visit the Loans section of the website by clicking on the  “ Loans”  link in the menu for more information. N.B. If you are not qualified for a NHT loan, you may still be allowed to purchase a property; however, we will not grant you the loan. Financing must therefore be sought from another source. (b) You may use the Fifteen (15) Plus Loan to purchase a property being sold by Private Treaty provided: the previous NHT loan was obtained at least 15 years ago; you are not currently a home-owner; your current non-home -owner status is not as a result of failure to meet NHT’s required mortgage payments. (c) If you are successful in bidding on more than one property, you will be allowed to purchase these properties, subject to proof that you can afford to pay for each one. However, we will grant you a mortgage loan on only one (1) property, if you are eligible for a non-home-owner’s loan or a loan as outlined at item (b) above.

You may click on the "Properties for sale" link OR Visit the nearest NHT Branch Office or Service Centre and speak with a Customer Service Representative; OR You may give us a call at the following numbers: (876) 929-6500 –9 or toll free at 1-888-CALL NHT.

Vacant possession is not guaranteed. If the unit is still occupied by the previous owner(s) or is tenanted, upon receipt of Letters of Possession from the Trust, you will be responsible for ensuring that the property becomes vacant by serving a notice to quit on the occupants, and pursuing Court action for recovery of possession.