This may be an increasingly real issue.
Under the previous Government thought was being given to specific "student" tenancies which would not provide the same protections as those promised to standard tenants within the new Tenancy Reform Act. Under the new Act, S21 no fault evictions will be done away with, as will fixed term tenancies. Effectively as long as tenants behave reasonably they can leave when they want (with a short notice period) and stay as long as they want. In addition the promised reform of the court system will not take place before the Act comes into force which will make it very difficult to evict bad tenants. Landlords are likely to become very risk adverse.
Student tenancies operate on an annual basis. The landlord needs to know that previous tenants will leave before he can sign a contract with tenants for the next year. Some landlords were willing to accept tenants without guarantors because either the University offered something, or because it was only a year's tenancy so the risk was limited, or via rent payment in advance. Shared properties are normally on a joint and several liability basis.
Most tenancies will be fine, but the risk to landlords will have increased. If one of the group want to move out after two months and don't find a replacement they might trigger the end of the tenancy for all, and the landlord is left mid-year with an empty property. Overseas students without a guarantor would quite often pay rent in advance, something which is due to be banned. If something happens and the students decide not to move out at the end of the year, the landlord won't be able to do anything, so will either be letting down another group, or may decide to only let the property last minute when he knows it will be empty.
Quite how it will all pan out is uncertain. The proposed Act could change as it makes it way through the Commons and the Lords. Allowing specific student tenancies would have been a way of making this group more attractive tenants, especially for people who might only want to rent a property for a year or two, and thus would have increased supply. Instead young professionals, who have a regular income, are slightly older, have references and are often out all day, become a more attractive group. The supply of private rental property is likely to continue to shrink. Great for first time buyers, but what is bad now could soon become worse for students.
I think students looking for 2025 might well see signs of increasing landlord concern. Having a good guarantor could become more important.