The property industry gets a bad press. Profiteering, gentrification, playing the planning system, poor quality… the list is endless. In the British Property Federation’s recent perception analysis, barely one in five respondents looked favourably on the industry. No matter that many of us work for companies determined to make wonderful places for people to live and work, with strong and positive ethics, people see us as elitist, there for the rich and responsible for a range of urban and social woes.

I wrote a blog nine months ago on the importance of wellbeing in student housing. Since then we have had a major breakthrough; in July, the British Property Federation (BPF) launched a mental health and wellbeing guide for the student accommodation sector and a £14.5 million programme to help reduce the number of suicides at university in England. With 80% of students saying their accommodation impacts their wellbeing, these are welcome steps.