As the effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to bite, UK students are being offered additional support with their rent from the government and Unite Students, the largest student accommodation management firm.

The government's Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has said that its white paper on rental reform, which was part of a 2019 manifesto promise, has been delayed yet again. The further delay of publication from this autumn until 2022, comes as the creators of the report are given extra time to develop a balanced set of reform proposals.

A little over a year on from the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic has seen multiple last-minute extensions on eviction bans for UK tenants. While this has helped stop people becoming homeless, it has also caused anxiety, stress and loss of income in the industry. 

A recent survey has confirmed that 2020 and the early months of 2021 have been difficult for the student letting sector, as average rents and demand for student rental homes declined notably.

Homelessness in the UK is something that doesn't often make headline news. That's despite an increase in the number of households who have become homeless during the pandemic. Following recent figures showing an increase in the number of homeless households in the UK in the three months to the end of June, the Government has announced £15 million of new funding to support homelessness through the Protect Programme. 

With the UK's Covid-19 vaccination programme progressing well, optimism appears to be returning to various areas of activity in the UK.