A lack of suitable housing remains a big issue across the UK and the growing Build-to-Rent (BTR) sector is helping to increase the proportion of attractive and affordable rental homes.

As the subject of the regulation of short property let activity on sites such as Airbnb remains a hot topic, Edinburgh will be one of the first UK cities to introduce rules for the sector. This will include identifying areas of the city where short lets will be permitted, to help manage the supply of longer-term residential lets and short holiday lets in the popular Scottish capital.

While the coronavirus pandemic has affected many areas of people's lives, often not in a positive way, one development that has been embraced by many of us in the UK is the increased use of online shopping and services options. This has escalated the rate at which mainly online retailers are growing and also, the rate at which some bricks and mortar retailers are losing business. Amid this development and the continued lack of residential homes in the right areas across the UK, the government has launched an unexpected consultation on the conversion of retail units into residential homes in England.

It's no secret that the past 18 months have been testing for the UK's lettings industry but now, even as government rental reforms are being finalised it’s becoming clear that the future success of the sector will require a mixture of the old and the new. Industry experts and professionals have recently shared their plans and views highlighting that while there's a clear appetite from all involved for more technologically driven options, the use and redevelopment of existing properties is also essential in the provision of rental homes.

Things change all the time and no country or industry is immune to that fact. One sector which has seen its fair share of change already in just a few years, is the UK's Private Rental Sector (PRS) and now, it's facing yet another challenge - providing lettings accommodation for a broader demographic including older and disabled tenants.

Following some parliamentary support to encourage more landlords and letting agents to permit pets in rental accommodation - subject to certain rules - another group has put forward its views on the subject.