About Unipol
Unipol is a housing charity established in 1973 by the University of Leeds and the then Polytechnic in Leeds in co-operation with their Students’ Unions. In 1997, Unipol became an incorporated Charita - ble Company with a Board structure. We provide help and assistance to students rent - ing in the private sector, provide direct housing to students in Leeds, Nottingham and Bradford, run a number of accreditation schemes, provide national and local training and promote best practice in student housing. Unipol has a turnover forecast of £22.6m (2023-2024) with 81 dedi - cated staff members. The work we do shapes the UK student housing sector – and with nearly 700,000 student accommodation bedspaces in operation across the UK our role is hugely signifi - cant. We house just over 3,000 students on a not for profit basis and our housing stock caters to the diversity of the student population. We offer the
best deal we can to our tenants; there are no fees or hidden charges, nor do we ask adult students to be backed by a guarantor. Our housing reve - nue enables us to subsidise housing for students with dependents (normally families), maintain a range of low-cost accommodation, support investment in high-quality properties and helps subsidise our advice and accreditation mission. We continue to invest in sustainability with better infrastructure and more information for our tenants on energy usage and carbon footprint reduction. We use local traders where possible to provide our service and improve our buildings. We aim to give our tenants a great housing expe - rience, providing good value, promoting social academic interaction and high-quality housing - we want a Unipol property to be a home from home.
Our Values
To be impartial experts giving student consumers information and ad - vice, based on 40 years’ experience in the sector, which empowers them to make good housing choices and get the best deal available. We establish, promote, publicise best practice in stu - dent accommodation.
To provide value for money providing a first class service to our users which uses the latest technology to allow on-line glob - al accessibility; we recognise the importance of meeting differing students’ needs and providing value for money and choice throughout the hous - ing process. To be ethical valuing our human resources, investing in training and sector expertise and ensuring we pay our employees the living wage. We provide informa - tion for our tenants on how to use less energy in a comfortable living environment and use local suppliers and trades wherever possible.
The Forward Look 2023 - 2026
To promote safety & wellbeing
setting and checking standards to make student accommodation as safe and secure as possible, to give peace of mind to all concerned and pro - viding a good quality living environment that is so important in the learning process.
Work towards a goal of carbon neutrality
To be transparent & accountable being answerable, as a charity to our Board of Trustees and to our users we make our agenda and operations as clear and open as we can.
To promote community
To be trusted as a source of help and advice to both students and landlords who want to rent and provide good quality student accom - modation that contributes to a great student experience.
whilst we promote individuality we encourage positive attitudes to equality, cultural diversity and the internationalism inherent in undertaking study in higher education.
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