NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued Section 7: Post balance sheet events The Group has reviewed events up to 24 February 2026 and have identified the following non-adjusting events after the reporting period: On 9 January 2026, the Group announced that it had launched a £100 million share buyback programme to return surplus capital to shareholders. The programme will complete by 30 June 2026. On 28 January 2026, the Group completed the acquisition of Empiric Students Property (Empiric), bringing the Hello Students brand into the business. The acquisition was for total consideration of c.£530 million. The consideration is comprised of a combination of cash and Unite Group shares for each Empiric share. A total of 56,547,696 new ordinary shares in the Company were submitted for admission to trading on the London Stock Exchange’s main market for listed securities on 29 January 2026. Cash consideration totalled £204 million. The initial accounting for the business combination was not complete when these financial statements were authorised for issue. On 3 February 2026, the Group entered into a joint venture with Manchester Metropolitan University to redevelop the Cambridge Halls site in Manchester. The joint venture will deliver approximately 2,302 purpose-built student accommodation beds. The Group will hold a 69% interest and will act as developer, operator, and asset manager, with Manchester Metropolitan University holding the remaining 31% interest. The Group has reviewed events up to 24 February 2026 and have determined that no other material post balance sheet events have occurred. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THE U NITE G R OUP P LC Annual Report and Accounts 2025 196