Stakeholder value How we engaged Our property teams engage with students on a day-to-day basis, supplemented by peer-to-peer engagement and social activities provided by our Resident Ambassadors. We partner with Endsleigh Insurance to provide 24/7 access to counsellors and other support services. We also engage with students using our upgraded MyUnite app and social media channels, including pre-arrival support and networking opportunities. Throughout their stay we promote campaigns, such as Personal Safety Week and Winter Wellbeing, and signpost to our Support for You web page. This is complemented by our customer research programme which includes surveys on specific issues. Value created in 2025 • Provided access to a 24/7 student wellbeing helpline and digital therapy services. • Upgraded 10 buildings, including new bedrooms, kitchens and amenity spaces. • Supported the award of accommodation scholarships to 70 students through the Unite Foundation and an additional 60 free one-year tenancies. • Launched our new resident experience app to further enhance customer service. • Signed the Care Leaver Covenant. Priorities for 2026 We will upgrade bedrooms, kitchens and amenity spaces in our refurbishment projects. We will further enhance the experience of our students by improved capture of additional needs prior to arrival and continue to be responsive to the differing needs of under-represented students, and those with additional challenges relating to the transition into student accommodation. We are also investing to upgrade our technology platform to deliver an improved end-to-end experience for students from the point of booking, through their time with us and ultimately when they leave. Students Key issues • Value-for-money • Customer service • Safety and welfare support Our people Key issues • Learning and development • Diversity, equity and inclusion • Health, safety and wellbeing Universities Key issues • Student experience and welfare • Operational performance • Health and safety How we engaged We meet monthly with our employee engagement forum, Culture Matters, and connect face-to-face twice a year, with Non- Executive Director Angela Jain in attendance. This valuable feedback has shaped key people policies, including this year’s launch of our ‘Transitioning at Work’ guidance, ensuring inclusivity and support for all colleagues. We hold regular ‘Unite Live’ sessions with our CEO and key senior leaders to provide business updates with the opportunity to ask questions, and we hosted local ‘Class of ‘25’ sessions with our teams. Our biannual employee engagement surveys give us a temperature check of where we are, and how our people are feeling. Our managers are trained on taking action, and lead conversations with their teams following the survey to ensure we’re setting focus areas that matter most to our people. Value created in 2025 • 3.2% average pay award, with city teams receiving the greatest uplifts in line with our commitment to the Real Living Wage. • Enhanced our performance enablement framework helping our teams to have more meaningful development conversations. • Brought our senior leaders together to connect and share our vision for the new strategy. • Our Academy platform was upgraded to a new system enabling our colleagues to more easily access learning and development opportunities. Priorities for 2026 Our focus is to create a Great Place to Work. We will focus on welcoming new colleagues following the acquisition of Empiric, embedding our new Academy platform, making it easier to access what’s needed to succeed in a role and clear on how to grow. We will also move to a new head office in Bristol, giving our teams a high-quality workplace to come together and collaborate. How we engaged Through our Higher Education Engagement team, we meet regularly with leaders across the UK university sector. We engage at various levels in institutions for discussions ranging from strategic planning to day- to-day operational requirements. In addition, we engage actively in the wider Higher Education sector, presenting at conferences and contributing to Higher Education research. We continue to support Living Black at University Commission, to help black students more easily acclimatise to life at university. Value created in 2025 • Provided 37,000 beds to universities for the 2025/26 academic year. • Provided new insight on the class of 2025 through our Applicant Index research. • Agreed Manchester Metropolitan University joint venture (JV) to redevelop their Cambridge Halls site. Priorities for 2026 We will continue to support the growth ambitions of our university partners through nomination agreements and opportunities to deepen strategic partnerships. Continuing our research programme in partnership with universities to better understand each cohort of students. Creating value for our stakeholders THE UNITE GROUP PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2025 10 STRATEGIC REPORT