Unite Students gives employees £500 payment to help with rising cost of living pressures

• Unite Students gives £500 one-off payment to employees to help with cost of living pressures

• Around 90% of employees will receive the payment in August

• The payment is in addition to a wider package of support provided to employees

Unite Students, the UK’s largest provider of student accommodation, is giving employees a £500 one-off payment to help with the rising cost of living.

With utility prices and interest rates continuing to rise, Unite has recognised it needs to do what it can to further support its employees. Employee wellbeing is at the heart of the business, with the company having already taken steps to improve pay and benefits this year.

Around 90% of employees at Unite Students, with a focus on those in front-line customer-facing roles, will receive this payment which will be added to their salaries in August. Unite Students employs just over 1,800 people across the UK.

Aware that the same cost of living pressures are also faced by students and their families, Unite Students has already announced it has frozen its rents, inclusive of bills, for the 2022/23 academic year. A Cost of Living Guide, providing financial tips for both students and parents, is also available for those who need further assistance.

Richard Smith, Chief Executive at Unite Students, said:

“As a business we are always focused on doing the right thing and our employees play a key role in the success of the business. We are all feeling the effects of the increase in prices from fuel to food and recognise the pressure and worry this causes.

“We have listened to those concerns and believe this one-off payment, which is in addition to a wider package of support we provide to our teams as a business, recognises our commitment to help at this time.”

ENDS

For further information, please contact Unite Students press office:

Email: press.office@unitestudents.com

Tel: +44 117 450 6300

Notes to Editors

About Unite Students

Unite Students is the UK’s largest owner, manager and developer of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) serving the country’s world-leading higher education sector. We provide homes to 74,000 students across 172 properties in 25 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK.

Our people are driven by a common purpose: to provide a ‘Home for Success’ for the students who live with us. Unite Students’ accommodation is safe and secure, high quality, and affordable. Students live predominantly in en-suite study bedrooms with rents covering all bills, insurance, 24-hour security and high-speed Wi-Fi. We also achieved a five-star British Safety Council rating in our last audit.

We are committed to raising standards in the student accommodation sector for our customers, investors and employees. This is why our new Sustainability Strategy, launched in 2021, includes a commitment to become net zero carbon across our operations and developments by 2030.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, the Unite Group is an award-winning Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit Unite Group’s corporate website www.unitegroup.com or the Unite Students’ site www.unitestudents.com