This is compared to a £186m profit for the same point in 2025.

Income growth has also fallen, from 7.4% to 1.5%.

In response, Unite is “accelerating” its disposal programme with up to 20,000 beds of assets identified for sale.

Unite is also focusing its construction efforts on around 20 cities, comprising up to 60,000 beds, as it seeks alignment with the “strongest” universities.

So far, the group has completed £190m of disposals and is on track to deliver up to £400m of disposals for 2026.

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Despite these losses, Unite CEO Joe Lister has reiterated the group is on track to deliver on its full-year guidance.

"In a less certain operating environment, performance in the first half has been encouraging, with reservations up year-on-year for Unite Students and Hello Student and earnings in line with our expectations,” said Joe.

“This reflects the strength of our market-leading operating platform, the appeal of our high-quality portfolio, and the dedication of our teams.

"The progress in repositioning the business gives us confidence in our ability to return to earnings growth and create long-term value for shareholders."