diff --git a/local_units/bulk_upload.py b/local_units/bulk_upload.py
index 9a9c983b7..c4b188bad 100644
--- a/local_units/bulk_upload.py
+++ b/local_units/bulk_upload.py
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ def process_row(self, data: Dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
         return False
 
     def run(self) -> None:
-        with self.bulk_upload.file.open("r") as file:
+        with self.bulk_upload.file.open("rb") as csv_file:
+            file = io.TextIOWrapper(csv_file, encoding="utf-8")
             csv_reader = csv.DictReader(file)
             fieldnames = csv_reader.fieldnames or []