ABSTRACT
The need to assess the various variables towards individuals housing construction as well as their sources of funding is imperative. Thus, the impact of finance through the granting of loans and funding to individuals to encourage housing development as well as urban development cannot be overemphasized. The study examines access to finance for housing development in Zaria urban area. It assesses the challenges of source of finance for housing development. The study utilizes clustered and random methods of sampling to select the neighbourhoods, households and the institutions for data collection. The data collected through the structured instrument was subjected to descriptive and statistical analysis. The study reveals that mortgage finance is not a major source of finance for housing development and that the majority of the respondents are not significantly aware of mortgage finance as a source of funds for housing development. It was also observed that informal source is the major source of finance for the low-income earner and that the level of access to finance for housing development is very low. It further shows that funds obtained from cooperatives societies for housing development are often insufficient. The study recommends that public awareness should be embarked upon for mortgage finance and the stringent conditions required for housing loan should be reviewed. Also, the integration of the formal and informal mechanisms for effective access to finance is inevitable. Key Words: housing, housing finance, mortgage, cooperative societies, NHTF, Zaria urban area.