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. It can make it hard to feel proud of our industry. As Chief Executive at LandAid, I meet hundreds of property professionals every year, many of whom are ambassadors for LandAid – often new to the profession or in their first five years in property, who champion our mission and help us raise the funds we need. But be they grads or grandees, working in prop tech or at the Great Estates, I’m astonished by the wide array of people who love their jobs, their businesses, and the people they work in across the industry. I see phenomenal professionalism and tireless hard work, courtesy, curiosity, kindness and generosity. And I see the results of their work – stunning developments or re-developments across London, in Manchester, in Bristol, in Cambridge where I live…

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.