How we engaged 2025 was a year of maximising the potential of our operational supply chain and extending our procurement approach into where we spend our capital funds. We also launched our Next Generation product specification – upgrading the quality and features of our standard room offering to students. Products were tested to ensure quality and fit with student needs, and sourced to ensure sustainable and affordable products that last. We see our suppliers as instrumental to the successful delivery of our ambitions. Communicating with and listening to our key suppliers and partners is therefore invaluable, and we have continued to seek feedback and share our objectives and roadmap through a combination of 1-to-1 meetings, our annual supplier conference, and supply chain focus groups. Value created in 2025 • Spent £283 million with suppliers through our procurement function. • Delivered higher quality service from suppliers, with a specific focus on specification and services during the summer maintenance period. • Reduced risk through an enhanced supplier vetting process and increased attention to managing supplier quality and performance. Priorities for 2026 We will further expand our procurement processes into asset management and new developments, as well as continuing to mitigate the macro cost pressures evident in our operational and estates supply chain. A review of our supply chain – not just those we contract directly with – has commenced, and we expect to see the result of this during 2026. How we engaged The availability of housing is a key issue for our local communities. We are focused on supporting the growth of our university partners through the delivery of new, high-quality and affordable student homes, which increase housing supply and help free up more traditional housing for families and young professionals. We also engage actively with local stakeholders for our development projects to ensure the design of our buildings, public spaces and community facilities meet their needs. Our Positive Impact programme encourages participation and includes awards for projects undertaken by employees aimed at delivering measurable benefits in their local communities. Value created in 2025 • We delivered 1,000 new beds in our local communities. • Employment for 1,266 people in our local communities. • Invested £6.9m million in initiatives to reduce our environmental impact. • 3,894 hours of employee volunteering in the year, a participation rate of 36%. Priorities for 2026 We aim to increase community engagement through our Positive Impact programme, via initiatives delivered by local teams in our properties. In addition, we will continue to engage with local authorities and local communities around new development activity, to explain how the community benefits from creating new, high-quality student accommodation. Delivery of a new sixth-form academy at our new development Hawthorne House, in East London. How we engaged We engaged regularly with investors around our financial results as well as through ad-hoc events, such as property tours, conferences and meetings. Key themes for engagement during the year were, changing university recruitment and international student numbers, the 2025/26 sales cycle, policy changes and the supply of new student accommodation. These discussions informed our decision to prioritise on-campus ahead of traditional off-campus developments. We engaged with investors ahead of our offer for Empiric Student Property plc to explain the opportunity to grow market share in the returning student segment which Empiric’s differentiated portfolio serves well. In November, we hosted an investor event in London, focused on the outlook for the Higher Education sector, a review of the 2025/26 sales cycle and updates to our capital allocation framework. Value created in 2025 • Delivered 95.2% occupancy and rental growth of 4.0%. • 2% growth in adjusted EPS. • Total accounting return of 2.1%. • Full year dividend per share of 37.7 p. Priorities for 2026 Delivering strong operational performance and sales for the 2026/27 academic year, while effectively managing our cost base. We will increase the run rate of disposals to £300–400 million p.a., deploying surplus capital into university partnerships and share buybacks. We will implement our business plan for Empiric, including starting to deliver £17 million of synergies. Communities Key issues • Trust and transparency • Housing availability • Local investment and job creation Suppliers Key issues • Quality and sustainable solutions • Value generation • Risk management Investors Key issues • Financial performance • Strategic direction • Sustainability and risk management THE UNITE GROUP PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2025 11