Some relatively simple immediate things that would help the situation.
A) Private landlords when it's someone moving in with a partner/getting married/needing more space for a growing family renting out their old flat/house.
The above is not so terrible, so long as they're reasonable with rent levels, accept benefits (government needs to increase benefit amounts), do timely repairs, don't go overboard with too frequent intrusive inspections (not a thing when I rented in the 90s).
B) Private landlords through inheritance. As with A).
C) People looking to 'invest', competing against first time buyers, pushing up the prices, buying one home after another.
That's a big no.
D) Increase housing benefit levels to market rent. Explicitly ban discrimination (and against students, families with children, pets, etc).
E) Security of tenure. Ban no fault evictions - but make it easier for landlords to evict genuine problem tenants, i.e. wrecking the home, serious anti social behaviour, wilful refusal to pay the rent, etc.
D) and E) would be a major part of the key to helping ensure the success of A) and B) without doing too much damage to individuals, families, and society.
Finally,
F) Raise interest rates. Stop encouraging debt and the unsustainable house price bubble, and stop punishing savers (those saving for deposits, pensions, or disabled safety net).
G) Build more social housing (and end right to buy in England).
Will all or any of this happen? I don't know but it should.