The beginning of June should see residents and homeowners making the necessary preparations in the event of a storm, ensuring the safety of their families and their homes. June 1- November 30 is recognised as the Atlantic Hurricane Season. With this in mind, the National Housing Trust (NHT) is advising its mortgagors to stay current with their peril insurance payments, protecting one of their most valuable assets, their home.
Peril insurance safeguards in the event of incidents that may cause damage to, or loss of property. These perils typically include fire, theft, vandalism and natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. Generally, peril insurance provides financial compensation to repair or replace damaged properties. The NHT's General Manager for Loan Management, Dr. Suzanne Wynter, is emphasising the importance of safeguarding one's property in the face of natural disasters.
'While it is important to ensure you protect yourself and your family in the event of a natural disaster, you also have a responsibility to protect your home,' says Dr. Wynter.
As the country remains vulnerable to disasters, given its long history of impacts from hurricanes, tropical storms, flooding and landslides, the NHT's advice to homeowners is to not just insure their properties, but to also thoroughly assess their statements to guarantee they have adequate insurance for their property.
'This can be done by re-assessing your insurance coverage, especially after improvements are made to the property and keeping abreast of all notices communicated via the Trust. If there are any discrepancies, if you feel that the coverage is too high or insufficient or your property square footage is incorrect, then please contact us immediately,' Dr. Wynter says.
To ensure added protection of your property, the NHT is encouraging their mortgagors to:
- cut weak branches and trees that could easily fall on your house and cause significant damage;
- protect windows from breakage with the installation of storm shutters. These serve as perfect impact resistant to winds, flying debris and moisture;
- ensure that sliding glass doors are made of tempered glass, as these doors tend to be more vulnerable to wind damage than most other doors. These can also be covered with shutters or plywood for added protection.
The NHT is also reminding customers, that the Trust has loan products that assist in making improvements to their home. Customers may visit the NHT's website or their nearest branch office, for more information on the product offerings.
Meanwhile, in the event of a peril damage, the NHT encourages customers to submit a claim shortly thereafter. Affected customers may do so by visiting our website at www.nht.gov.jm or any of our branch offices. Affected mortgagors may also contact the NHT via our Customer Contact Centre at 888-CALL-NHT.
"
