ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Our operations involve various risks that could have adverse consequences, including those described below. This Item 1A. includes forward-looking statements. You should refer to our discussion of the qualifications and limitations on forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K.
Risks related to investments through acquisitions, construction, development, and joint ventures
Development, redevelopment and construction risks could affect our profitability. We intend to continue to develop and redevelop apartment home communities. These activities can include long planning and entitlement timelines and can involve complex and costly activities, including significant environmental remediation or construction work in high-density urban areas. These activities may expose us to the following risks, among others:
•we may abandon opportunities that we have already begun to explore for a number of reasons, including changes in local market conditions or increases in construction or financing costs, and, as a result, we may fail to recover expenses already incurred in exploring those opportunities;
•occupancy rates and rents at a community may fail to meet our original expectations for a number of reasons, including changes in market and economic conditions beyond our control and the development by competitors of competing communities;
•we may be unable to obtain, or experience delays in obtaining, necessary zoning, occupancy or other required governmental or third party permits and authorizations, which could result in increased costs, or the delay or abandonment of opportunities;
•we may incur costs that exceed our original estimates due to increased material, labor or other costs or supply chain disruptions which could impact our overall return from our development, redevelopment or construction activity;
•we may be unable to complete construction of a community on schedule or for the originally projected cost resulting in increased construction and financing costs;
•we may incur liabilities to third parties during the development process, for example, in connection with managing existing improvements on the site prior to tenant terminations and demolition (such as commercial space) or in connection with providing services to third parties (such as the construction of shared infrastructure or other improvements); and
•we may incur liability if our communities are not constructed in compliance with the accessibility provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Acts, the Fair Housing Act or other federal, state or local requirements. Noncompliance could result in imposition of fines, an award of damages to private litigants and a requirement that we undertake structural modifications to remedy the noncompliance.
Refer to our “Risks related to liquidity and financing” section below for additional construction and development risks related to financing.
Attractive investment opportunities may not be available, which could adversely affect our profitability. We expect that other real estate investors, including insurance companies, pension and investment funds, other REITs and other well-capitalized investors, will compete with us to acquire existing properties and to develop new properties. This competition could increase prices for properties of the type we would likely pursue and adversely affect our profitability for new investments.
Acquisitions may not yield anticipated results. Our business strategy of acquiring communities may have the following risks: (i) acquisitions may not perform as we expected; (ii) our estimate of the costs of operating, repositioning or redeveloping an acquisition may be inaccurate; and (iii) acquisitions may subject us to unknown liabilities.
Failure to succeed in new markets, or with new brands and community formats, or in activities other than the development, ownership and operation of residential rental communities may have adverse consequences. We have in recent years engaged, and may continue from time to time to engage in development, acquisition and operating activity outside of our pre-existing market areas. Our historical experience in our existing markets in developing, owning and operating rental communities does not ensure that we will be able to operate successfully in new markets. We may be exposed to a variety of risks when we enter a new market, including an inability to accurately evaluate local apartment market conditions and an inability to obtain land for development or to identify appropriate acquisition opportunities. In order to more rapidly expand in our new markets, we have relied on third party developers to source and manage developments and on third party general contractors to manage construction more than we have in our existing markets. Relying on third parties to assist with and/or oversee development and construction creates additional and different risks than when we manage these activities directly, including that the third party may not perform to our standards, may breach contractual arrangements, or may incur liquidity constraints.
We also may engage or have an interest in for-sale activity, such as the sale of the residential condominiums at The Park Loggia, a mixed-use development located in New York, New York. We may be unsuccessful at developing real estate with the
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intent to sell or in selling condominiums at originally underwritten values, or at all, as a disposition strategy for an asset, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
We are exposed to risks associated with investment in technology and environmentally focused venture funds and companies. In recent years we have invested in, and may in the future invest in, venture funds that invest in companies seeking innovation through new processes and the application of technology to property operations, development, construction and energy management. We have also invested directly in, and may in the future invest directly in, companies that engage in these activities. While such investments give us a greater understanding of new and emerging technologies, such investments involve risks, including the possibility that our investments will decline substantially in value.
Our investments in technology companies, or in funds that invest in technology companies, are generally held through taxable REIT subsidiaries pursuant to which we will incur taxable gains upon the disposition of our interests. In addition, the value of these investments may be volatile and declines in value may impact our reported income even if we do not sell the investment.
We are exposed to risks associated with investment in, and management of, discretionary real estate investment funds and joint ventures. At times we invest directly and indirectly in real estate as a partner or a co-venturer with other investors. Joint venture investments (including investments through partnerships or limited liability companies) involve risks, including the possibility that our partner might become insolvent or otherwise refuse to make capital contributions when due; that we may be responsible to our partner for indemnifiable losses or the debt and obligations of an investment; that our investments may lose all or some of their value; that our partner might have business goals that are inconsistent with ours which may result in the venture or investment being unable to implement certain decisions that we consider beneficial; that our partner may be in a position to take action or withhold consent contrary to our instructions or requests; that, in cases where we are the general partner or managing member, our partners holding a majority of the equity interests may remove us from such role in certain cases involving cause; and that we may be liable and/or our status as a REIT may be jeopardized if either the investments, or the REIT entities associated with the investments, fail to comply with various tax or other regulatory matters. Frequently, we and our partner may each have the right to trigger a buy-sell or similar arrangement that could cause us to sell our interest, acquire our partner's interest or force a sale of the asset, which could occur at a time when we otherwise would not have initiated such a transaction or on terms that are not most advantageous to us.
Mezzanine debt and preferred equity investments could cause us to incur expenses, which could adversely affect our results of operations. We hold mezzanine loans and plan to hold preferred equity interests as part of our SIP through which we make these kinds of investments in projects owned by third parties. Some of these instruments may have some recourse to their sponsors, while others are limited to the collateral securing the loan. In the event of a default under these obligations, we may have to take possession of the collateral securing these interests. Borrowers may contest enforcement of foreclosure or other remedies, seek bankruptcy protection against such enforcement and/or bring claims for lender liability in response to actions to enforce their obligations to us. Declines in the value of the property may prevent us from realizing an amount equal to our investment upon foreclosure even if we make substantial improvements or repairs to the underlying real estate in order to maximize such property's investment potential.
We cannot be certain that reserves carried to protect against future credit losses will be adequate over time to protect against future credit losses because of unanticipated adverse changes in the economy or events adversely affecting specific properties, assets, tenants, borrowers, industries in which our tenants and borrowers operate or markets in which our tenants and borrowers or their properties are located. The ultimate resolutions may differ from our expectation, and we could suffer losses that would have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, the trading price of our securities and our ability to pay dividends and distributions.
We are exposed to risks associated with real estate assets that are subject to ground leases that may restrict our ability to finance, sell or otherwise transfer our interests in those assets, limit our use and expose us to loss if such agreements are breached by us or terminated. We own assets that are subject to long-term ground leases. These ground leases may impose limitations on our use of the properties, restrict our ability to finance, sell or otherwise transfer our interests or restrict the leasing of the properties. These restrictions may limit our ability to timely sell or exchange the properties, impair the properties’ value or negatively impact our ability to operate the properties. In addition, we could lose our interests in the properties if the ground leases are breached by us, terminated or lapse. As we get closer to the lease termination dates, the values of the properties could decrease if we are unable to agree upon an extension of the lease with the lessor. Certain of these ground leases have payments subject to annual escalations and/or periodic fair market value adjustments which could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
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Land we hold with no current intent to develop may be subject to future impairment charges. We own land parcels that we do not currently intend to develop. As discussed in Item 2. “Properties—Other Land and Real Estate Assets,” in the event that the fair market value, less the cost to dispose of a parcel, changes such that it is less than the carrying basis of the parcel, we would be subject to an impairment charge, which would reduce our net income.
Our various technology-related initiatives to improve our operating margins and customer experience may fail to perform as expected. We have developed and may continue to develop initiatives that are intended to serve our customers better and operate more efficiently, including “smart home” technology and self-service options that are accessible to residents through smart devices or otherwise. Such initiatives have involved and may involve our employees having new or different responsibilities and processes. We may incur significant costs and divert resources in connection with such initiatives, and these initiatives may not perform as expected, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Risks related to liquidity and financing
Capital and credit market conditions may adversely affect our access to various sources of capital and/or the cost of capital, which could impact our business activities, dividends, earnings and common stock price, among other things. In periods when the capital and credit markets experience significant volatility, the amounts, sources and cost of capital available to us may be adversely affected. We use external financing as one source of capital to fund construction and to refinance indebtedness as it matures. If sufficient sources of external financing are not available to us on cost effective terms, we could be forced to limit our development and redevelopment activity and/or take other actions to fund our business activities and repayment of debt, such as selling assets, reducing our cash dividend or issuing equity or debt securities. If we are able and/or choose to access capital at a higher cost than we have experienced in recent years, our earnings per share and cash flows could be adversely affected. In addition, the price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly and/or decline in a high interest rate environment or a volatile economic environment, or if we dilute the interest of stockholders by issuing additional equity. We believe that the lenders under our Credit Facility and the dealers under our Commercial Paper Program will fulfill their lending obligations thereunder, but if economic conditions deteriorate, the ability of those lenders and/or dealers to fulfill their obligations may be adversely impacted.
Insufficient cash flow could affect our debt financing and create refinancing risk. We are subject to the risks associated with debt financing, including the risk that our available cash will be insufficient to meet required payments of principal and interest on our debt. For us to continue to qualify as a REIT, we are required to annually distribute dividends generally equal to at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, which limits the amount of our cash flow available to meet required principal and interest payments. The principal outstanding balance on a portion of our debt will not be fully amortized prior to its maturity. We cannot assure you that we will have sufficient cash flows available to make all required principal payments. Therefore, we expect that we will generally need to refinance at least a portion of our outstanding debt as it matures. There is a risk that we may not be able to refinance existing debt or that a refinancing will not be done on as favorable terms; either of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Rising interest rates could increase interest costs and could affect the market price of our common stock, and efforts to hedge such risk could be ineffective and cause us to incur additional costs. If interest rates increase, our interest costs on variable rate debt will rise unless we have hedged the risk of rising interest rates. In addition, an increase in market interest rates may lead purchasers of our common stock to demand a greater annual dividend yield, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
We may use interest rate derivatives to manage our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates, such as by entering into interest rate contracts. For example, when we anticipate issuing debt securities, we may seek to limit our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates prior to debt issuance by entering into interest rate hedging contracts. Although these agreements may partially protect against rising interest rates, they also may reduce the benefits to us if interest rates decline. The interest rate derivatives we use, primarily to manage interest rate risk for our anticipated debt issuance activity, could result in a material charge to earnings if we do not issue the anticipated debt, or are otherwise unsuccessful in our hedging activities. In addition, our use of hedging arrangements may expose us to additional risks, including a risk that a counterparty to a hedging arrangement may default on the contract. There can be no assurance that our hedging activities will be effective reducing the risks associated with interest rate fluctuations.
Bond financing and zoning and other compliance requirements could limit our income, restrict the use of communities and cause favorable financing to become unavailable. We have financed some of our apartment communities with obligations issued by local government agencies because the interest paid to the holders of this debt is generally exempt from federal income taxes, which typically provides a more favorable interest rate for us. These obligations are commonly referred to as “tax-exempt bonds” and generally must be secured by mortgages on our communities. As a condition to obtaining (i) tax-exempt financing, (ii) favorable zoning or (iii) an agreement relating to property taxes in some jurisdictions, we will commit to
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make some of the apartments in a community available to households whose income does not exceed certain thresholds (e.g., 50% or 80% of area median income), or who meet other qualifying tests. As of December 31, 2022, 4.9% of our apartment homes at current operating communities were under income limitations such as these. These commitments, which may or may not expire, may limit our ability to raise rents, adversely affecting the value of communities subject to these restrictions. If we fail to observe these commitments, we could lose benefits (such as reduced property taxes) or face liabilities including liability for the benefits we received under tax exempt bonds, tax credits or agreements related to property taxes.
Our tax-exempt bonds may require us to obtain a guarantee from a financial institution of payment of the principal and interest on the bonds, such as a letter of credit, surety bond, guarantee agreement or other additional collateral. If the financial institution defaults in its guarantee obligations, or if we are unable to renew the applicable guarantee or otherwise post satisfactory collateral, a default will occur and the community could be foreclosed upon if we do not redeem the tax exempt bonds.
Risks related to indebtedness. We have a Credit Facility and Commercial Paper Program with a syndicate of commercial banks as well as secured and unsecured notes. Our organizational documents do not limit the amount or percentage of indebtedness that may be incurred. Accordingly, subject to compliance with outstanding debt covenants, we could incur more debt, resulting in an increased risk of default on our obligations and an increase in debt service requirements that could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The mortgages on properties that are subject to secured debt, our Credit Facility, Commercial Paper Program and the indentures under which a substantial portion of our debt was issued contain customary restrictions, requirements and other limitations, as well as certain financial and operating covenants including maintenance of certain financial ratios. Maintaining compliance with these restrictions could limit our flexibility. A default in these requirements, if uncured, could result in a requirement that we repay indebtedness, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity and increase our financing costs. Refer to Item 7. “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for further discussion.
A substantial portion of our debt is subject to prepayment penalties or premiums that we will be obligated to pay in the event that we elect to prepay the debt prior to the earlier of (i) its stated maturity or (ii) another stated date. If we elect to prepay a significant amount of outstanding debt, our prepayment penalties or payments under these provisions could materially adversely affect our results of operations.
Failure to maintain our current credit ratings could adversely affect our cost of funds, related margins, liquidity and access to capital markets. There are two major debt rating agencies that routinely evaluate and rate our debt. Their ratings are based on a number of factors, which include their assessment of our financial strength, liquidity, capital structure, asset quality, amount of real estate under development, and sustainability of cash flow and earnings, among other factors. If market conditions change, we may not be able to maintain our current credit ratings, which could adversely affect our cost of funds and related margins, liquidity and access to capital markets.
The form, timing and/or amount of dividend distributions in future periods may vary and be impacted by our revenue generation, other liquidity needs and economic and other considerations. The form, timing and/or amount of dividend distributions will be declared at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on our rental revenue, actual cash from operations, our financial condition, capital requirements, the annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Code and other factors as the Board of Directors may consider relevant. The Board of Directors may modify our dividend policy from time to time.
We may experience barriers to selling apartment communities that could limit financial flexibility. Difficulties in selling real estate at prices we find acceptable in a timely manner may limit our ability to quickly change or reduce the apartment communities in our portfolio in response to changes in economic, regulatory, or other conditions. Federal tax laws may also limit our ability to sell properties when desired. See “Risks related to our REIT or tax status” section for more information on federal tax law risks. In addition, the capitalization rates/disposition yields at which apartment communities may be sold could also be higher than historic rates, thereby reducing our potential proceeds from sale.
Increased scrutiny and changing expectations from investors, tenants and others regarding our environmental, social and governance ("ESG") practices and reporting could impact the price of our securities and business practices, and could cause us to incur additional costs. ESG evaluations, including ESG scores and ratings, are important to some investors and other stakeholders and may impact the price of our securities and business practices. Investors may focus on, and consider a company's ESG-related business practices, scores and reporting when choosing to allocate their capital in making investment decisions, including if they invest in our securities. In addition, the adoption of increased government regulations and changes in investor preference related to ESG and similar matters may result in changes to our business practices, including increasing expenses or capital expenditures.
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Risks related to ongoing operations of our communities
Laws, regulations and orders imposing rent control or rent stabilization, or limiting our rights as a landlord, could adversely affect our operations and revenue. A number of states and municipalities have implemented or are seeking to implement rent control or rent stabilization laws and regulations or take other actions that could limit or delay our ability to raise rents, charge non-rent fees and evict tenants for non-payment of rent or other lease violations. For example, the State of California has statewide rent control for communities older than fifteen years, limiting rent increases to the lesser of 10% or 5% plus local CPI, and the State of New York has rules for rent-controlled and rent-stabilized units that limit the way rent increases are calculated for renewal leases, basing increases solely on rent actually paid and eliminating the ability to increase the renewal rent to a higher “registered rent.” Furthermore, in California the Governor has the ability to enact local or statewide states of emergency which limit our ability to increase new and renewal rents more than 10% over the rent in place on the date such state of emergency was declared, which has impacted some of our California communities. We have seen an increase in state and local governments in our markets implementing, considering or being urged by various constituencies to consider regulations of the types described above. Additionally, in January 2023, the White House published a white paper entitled the Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights and announced accompanying efforts aimed at increasing fairness in the rental market. Current and future enactments of rent control or rent stabilization laws or other laws regulating rental housing may limit our ability to charge market rents, increase rents, evict tenants or recover increases in our operating expenses and could make it more difficult for us to dispose of properties in certain circumstances. Expenses associated with our investment in these communities, such as debt service, real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance costs, are generally not reduced when circumstances cause a reduction in rental income from the community.
Noncompliance with applicable laws in the building and operation of our communities could adversely affect our operations or expose us to liability. We must develop, construct and operate our communities in compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations, some of which may conflict with one another or be subject to limited judicial or regulatory interpretations. These laws and regulations may include zoning laws, building codes, landlord/tenant laws and other laws generally applicable to business operations. Noncompliance with laws could expose us to liability. Lower revenue growth or significant unanticipated expenditures may result from our need to comply with changes in (i) laws imposing remediation requirements or other conditions, or (ii) other governmental rules and regulations or enforcement policies affecting the development, use and operation of our communities, including changes to building codes and fire and life-safety codes.
Short-term leases expose us to the effects of declining market rents. Substantially all of our apartment leases are for a term of one year or less. Because these leases generally permit the residents to leave at the end of the lease term without penalty, our rental revenues are impacted by declines in market rents more quickly than if our leases were for longer terms.
Competition could limit our ability to lease apartment homes or increase or maintain rents. Our apartment communities compete with other apartment operators as well as rental housing alternatives, such as single-family homes for rent and short term furnished offerings such as those available from extended stay hotels or through online listing services. In addition, our residents and prospective residents also consider, as an alternative to renting, the purchase of a new or existing condominium or single-family home. Competitive residential housing could adversely affect our ability to lease apartment homes and to increase or maintain rental rates.
Unfavorable changes in market and economic conditions could adversely affect occupancy, rental rates, operating expenses, and the overall market value of our real estate assets. Local conditions in our markets significantly affect occupancy, rental rates and the operating performance of our communities, and may be adversely affected by the following risks:
•corporate restructurings and/or layoffs, and industry slowdowns;
•an oversupply of, or a reduced demand for, apartment homes;
•a decline in household formation or employment or lack of employment growth;
•the inability or unwillingness of residents to pay rent increases; and
•economic conditions that could cause an increase in our operating expenses, such as increases in property taxes, utilities, compensation of on-site associates and routine maintenance.
Risks related to a pandemic’s impact on multifamily rental housing. The national and global impacts of a pandemic, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may present material uncertainty and risk with respect to our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Moreover, many of the risk factors set forth in this Form 10-K could be interpreted as heightened risks as a result of the impact of a pandemic. Impacts from a pandemic may include the following:
•State, local, and federal entities may impose restrictions, for varying times and to varying degrees, on our ability to enforce residents’ contractual lease obligations, and this may affect our ability to enforce all our remedies (such as pursuing collections and seeking evictions) for the failure to pay rent.
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•Consumers whose income has declined, who are working remotely or who cannot freely access neighborhood amenities like restaurants, may decide to live in a location other than our markets. Demand from students and demand for corporate apartment homes may be negatively impacted by trends in remote learning and work, and the adoption of new online technologies.
•Various state, local and federal rules may require us, in some jurisdictions or for some properties, to waive late fees and certain other customary fees associated with our apartment rental business. These requirements or practices may result in foregone revenue.
•Our properties may incur significant costs or losses related to shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders, quarantines, infection, clean-up costs or other related factors.
•There may be concerns related to the general economy about (i) supply chain constraints and (ii) inflation caused by both supply chain constraints and governmental fiscal and monetary policies. Supply chain constraints could cause delays in our construction and redevelopment activity, and inflation could cause our construction and operating costs to increase without a commensurate increase in our rental revenue.
Emergency orders shutting down non-essential businesses, limiting congregations of people, and requiring social distancing may at times disrupt our development and construction activity. To the extent we experience delays in construction, our construction costs may increase and we may not achieve, on the schedule we originally planned, the cash flows that we expect when we begin leasing a completed property. We may also delay the start of construction of additional development communities which, if constructed and leased as originally planned, would have been a source of future additional cash flow.
The same factors as described immediately above may also impact our workforce. A disruption in the normal operations of our workforce, as well as the possibility of illness among our associates or a substantial portion of our workforce, could also adversely affect our operations.
Risks related to commercial leasing operations. Although we are primarily in the multifamily rental business, we also own and lease ancillary commercial space. Gross rental revenue provided by leased commercial space in our portfolio represented 1.7% of our total revenue in 2022. The long term nature of our commercial leases and characteristics of many of our tenants (small, local businesses) may subject us to certain risks. We may not be able to lease new space for rents that are consistent with our projections or at market rates. Also, when leases for our existing commercial space expire, the space may not be relet or the terms of reletting, including the cost of allowances and concessions to tenants, may be less favorable than the current lease terms. Our properties compete with other properties with commercial space. If our commercial tenants experience financial distress or bankruptcy, they may fail to comply with their contractual obligations, seek concessions in order to continue operations or cease their operations, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Inflation and related volatility in the economy could negatively impact our residents and our results of operations. Inflation accelerated rapidly in 2022 and may continue at an elevated level. Inflation and its related impacts, including increased prices for services and goods and higher interest rates and wages, and any policy interventions by the U.S. government, could negatively impact our residents’ ability to pay rents or our results of operations. Substantially all of our apartment leases are for a term of one year or less, which we believe mitigates our exposure to inflation, by permitting us to set rents commensurate with inflation (subject to rent regulations to the extent they apply and assuming our current or prospective residents will accept and can pay commensurate increased rents, of which there can be no assurance). Inflation could outpace any increases in rent and adversely affect us. We may not be able to mitigate the effects of inflation and related impacts, and the duration and extent of any prolonged periods of inflation, and any related adverse effects on our results of operations and financial condition, are unknown at this time. Inflation may also cause increased volatility in financial markets, which could affect our ability to access the capital markets or impact the cost or timing at which we are able to do so.
Inflation may also increase the costs to complete our development projects, including costs of materials, labor and services from third-party contractors and suppliers. Higher construction costs could adversely impact our investments in real estate assets and our expected yields on development projects.
Risks related to our REIT or tax status or reliance on various tax regulations
Failure to qualify as a REIT would cause us to be taxed as a corporation, which would significantly reduce funds available for distribution to stockholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we will be subject to regular federal corporate income tax on our taxable income. In addition, unless we are entitled to relief under applicable statutory provisions, we would be ineligible to make an election for treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year we lose our qualification. The additional tax liability resulting from the failure to qualify as a REIT would significantly reduce or eliminate the amount of funds available for distribution to our stockholders. Furthermore, we would no longer be required to
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make distributions to our stockholders. Thus, our failure to qualify as a REIT could also impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital and would adversely affect the value of our common stock.
We believe that we are organized and qualified as a REIT, and we intend to operate in a manner that will allow us to continue to qualify as a REIT. However, we cannot assure you that we are qualified as a REIT, or that we will remain qualified in the future. This is because qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Code for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations and involves the determination of a variety of factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. Our qualification as a REIT depends on our satisfaction of certain asset, income, organizational, distribution, shareholder ownership and other requirements on a continuing basis. In addition, future legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may significantly change the tax laws or the application of the tax laws with respect to qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes or the federal income tax consequences of this qualification. Additionally, our expanding range of investments (such as investments in mezzanine loans, preferred equity, and technology and environmentally focused venture funds and companies) may add additional REIT compliance challenges, some of which may involve determinations or circumstances that may be beyond our control.
Even if we qualify as a REIT, we will be subject to certain federal, state and local taxes on our income and property and on taxable income that we do not distribute to our stockholders. In addition, we hold certain assets and engage in certain activities through our taxable REIT subsidiaries that a REIT could not engage in directly. We also use taxable REIT subsidiaries to hold certain assets that we believe would be subject to the 100% prohibited transaction tax if sold at a gain outside of a taxable REIT subsidiary or to engage in activities that generate non-qualifying REIT income. Our taxable REIT subsidiaries are subject to federal income tax as regular corporations.
Legislative or other actions affecting REITs could have a negative effect on us or our stockholders. The rules dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Changes to the tax laws, with or without retroactive legislation, could adversely affect us or our stockholders. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, the federal income tax consequences of such qualification, or the federal income tax consequences of an investment in our Company. Also, the law relating to the tax treatment of other entities, or an investment in other entities, could change, making an investment in such other entities more attractive relative to an investment in a REIT.
Our ownership of taxable REIT subsidiaries is subject to certain restrictions, and it will be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on certain income or deductions if transactions with our TRSs are not conducted on arm’s length terms. We have established several TRSs. The TRSs must pay U.S. federal income tax on their taxable income as a regular C corporation. While we will attempt to ensure that our dealings with our TRSs do not adversely affect our REIT qualification, we cannot provide assurances that it will successfully achieve that result. Furthermore, we may be subject to a 100% penalty tax, to the extent dealings between us and our TRSs are not deemed to be arm’s length in nature. We intend that our dealings with our TRSs will be on an arm’s length basis. No assurances can be given, however, that the Internal Revenue Service will not assert a contrary position.
Failure of one or more of our subsidiaries to qualify as a REIT could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT. We own interests in subsidiaries that have elected to be taxed as REITs under the Code. These subsidiary REITs are subject to the REIT qualification requirements and other limitations that are applicable to us. If any of our subsidiary REITs were to fail to qualify as a REIT, then (i) the subsidiary REIT would become subject to federal income tax, (ii) our ownership of shares in such subsidiary REIT would cease to be a qualifying asset for purposes of the asset tests applicable to REITs, and (iii) it is possible that we could also fail to qualify as a REIT.
The tax imposed on REITs engaging in "prohibited transactions" may limit our ability to engage in transactions which would be treated as sales for federal income tax purposes. We may transfer or otherwise dispose of some of our properties. Under the Code, unless certain exceptions apply, any gain resulting from transfers of properties that we hold as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business could be treated as income from a prohibited transaction subject to a 100% penalty tax from the gain on the sale of the community, which could potentially adversely impact our status as a REIT unless we own the community through a TRS. Since we acquire properties for investment purposes, we do not believe that our occasional transfers or disposals of property should be treated as prohibited transactions. However, whether property is held for investment purposes depends on the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction. The IRS may contend that certain of our transfers or disposals of properties are prohibited transactions. If the IRS were to argue successfully that a transfer or disposition of property was a prohibited transaction, then we would be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on any gain allocable to it from the prohibited transaction, and our ability to retain proceeds from real property sales may be jeopardized.
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We may face risks in connection with Section 1031 exchanges. We may dispose of real properties in transactions intended to qualify as "like-kind exchanges" under Section 1031 of the Code. If a transaction intended to qualify as a Section 1031 exchange is later determined to be taxable, we may face adverse consequences, and if the laws applicable to such transactions are amended or repealed, we may not be able to dispose of real properties on a tax deferred basis.
We may choose to pay dividends in our own stock, in which case stockholders may be required to pay tax in excess of the cash they receive. We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock. Taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of the cash dividend received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock. In addition, the trading price of our stock would experience downward pressure if a significant number of our stockholders sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends.
Risks that may not be insured in full or in part
We are exposed to risks that are either uninsurable, not economically insurable or in excess of our insurance coverage, including risks discussed below. Insurance coverage for various risks can be costly and in limited supply. As a result, we may experience shortages in desired coverage levels if market conditions are such that insurance is not available or the cost of insurance makes it, in our view, economically impractical. Incidents that directly or indirectly damage our communities, both physically and financially, or cause losses that exceed our insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations including increased maintenance, repair, and delays in construction. In addition, we would also continue to be obligated to repay any mortgage indebtedness or other obligations related to the community which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our financial condition and results of operations. The following risks are uninsurable or insurance coverage is limited due to premium rates (See Item 2. “Properties—Insurance and Risk of Uninsured Losses”):
•Earthquake risk. As further described in Item 2. “Properties—Insurance and Risk of Uninsured Losses,” many of our West Coast communities are located in the general vicinity of active earthquake faults. Insurance coverage for earthquakes can be costly and in limited supply.
•Climate and severe or inclement weather risk. Many of our markets, particularly those located in coastal cities, are exposed to risks associated with inclement or severe weather including those arising from climate change such as hurricanes, severe winter storms and coastal flooding.
•Terrorism and other risk. We have significant investments in metropolitan markets such as Metro New York/New Jersey and Washington, D.C., which have in the past been or may in the future be the target of actual or threatened terrorist attacks. We carry commercial general liability insurance, property insurance and terrorism insurance with respect to our communities on terms and in amounts we consider commercially reasonable. There are, however, certain types of losses (such as from acts of war) we do not insure, in full or in part, because they are either uninsurable or we believe the cost of insurance is economically impractical.
We may incur costs related to climate change. We may experience climate change impacts including extreme weather and changes in precipitation, temperature and wildfire exposure, all of which may result in physical damage to or a decrease in demand for properties located in these areas or affected by these conditions. Should the impact of these conditions be material in nature or occur for lengthy periods of time, our financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected, and may negatively impact the types and pricing of insurance we are able to procure. In addition, implementation of new or changes in existing federal, state and local regulations based on concerns about climate change could result in increased capital expenditures or operating expenses on our existing properties (for example, requiring retrofitting of existing systems) and our new development properties (for example, to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/or improve resistance to inclement weather) without a corresponding increase in revenue, resulting in adverse impacts to our results of operations.
We may incur costs due to environmental contamination or non-compliance. Under various public health laws and regulations, we may be required, regardless of knowledge or responsibility, to investigate and remediate the presence or effects of hazardous or toxic substances such as asbestos, lead paint, chemical vapors from soils or groundwater, petroleum product releases, and natural substances such as methane and radon gas. We may be held liable under these laws or common law to a governmental entity or to third parties for property, personal injury or natural resources damages and for investigation and remediation costs incurred as a result of the contamination. These damages and costs may be substantial and may exceed any
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insurance coverage we have for such events. The presence of these substances, or the failure to properly remediate or contain the contamination, may adversely affect our ability to borrow against, develop, sell or rent the affected property. In addition, some environmental laws create or allow a government agency to impose a lien on the contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs as a result of the contamination.
The development, construction and operation of our communities are subject to regulations and permitting under various federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances, which regulate matters including wetlands protection, storm water runoff and wastewater discharge. These laws and regulations may impose restrictions on the manner in which our communities may be developed, and noncompliance with these laws and regulations may subject us to fines and penalties and may subject us to liability in connection with personal injury.
Certain laws and regulations govern the removal, encapsulation or disturbance of asbestos containing materials (“ACMs”) when such materials are in poor condition or in the event of renovation or demolition of a building. These laws and the common law may impose liability for release of ACMs and may allow third parties to seek recovery from owners or operators of real properties for personal injury associated with exposure to ACMs. We are not aware that any ACMs were used in the construction of the communities we developed. ACMs were, however, used in the construction of a number of the communities that we have acquired. Although we implement an operations and maintenance program at each of the communities at which ACMs are detected, we may fail to adequately observe such program or a disturbance of ACMs may occur nevertheless, exposing us to liability. We are aware that some of our communities have lead paint and have implemented an operations and maintenance program at each of those communities.
All of our stabilized operating communities, and all of the communities that we are currently developing, have been subjected to at least a Phase I or similar environmental assessment, which generally does not involve invasive techniques such as soil or groundwater sampling. These assessments, together with subsurface assessments conducted on some properties, have not revealed, and we are not otherwise aware of, any environmental conditions that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, financial condition or results of operations. In connection with our ownership, operation and development of communities, we may undertake substantial remedial action in response to the presence of subsurface or other contaminants, including contaminants in soil, groundwater and soil vapor beneath or affecting our buildings. In some cases, an indemnity exists upon which we may be able to rely if environmental liability arises from the contamination or remediation costs exceed estimates. There can be no assurance, however, that all necessary remediation actions have been or will be undertaken at our properties or that we will be indemnified, in full or at all, in the event that environmental liability arises.
Mold growth may occur when excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Certain molds may lead to adverse health effects, including allergic or other reactions. We cannot provide assurance that mold or excessive moisture will be detected and remediated in a timely manner. If a significant mold problem arises at one of our communities, we could be required to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold from the affected community and could be exposed to other liabilities that may exceed any applicable insurance coverage.
Additionally, we have occasionally been involved in developing, managing, leasing and operating various properties for third parties. Consequently, we may be considered to have been an operator of such properties and, therefore, potentially liable for removal or remediation costs or other potential costs which relate to the release or presence of hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum products at such properties.
We cannot assure you that:
•the environmental assessments described above have identified all potential environmental liabilities;
•no prior owner created any material environmental condition not known to us or the consultants who prepared the assessments;
•no environmental liabilities have developed since the environmental assessments were prepared;
•the condition of land or operations in the vicinity of our communities, such as the presence of underground storage tanks, will not affect the environmental condition of our communities;
•future uses or conditions, including, without limitation, changes in applicable environmental laws and regulations, will not result in the imposition of environmental liability; and
•no environmental liabilities will arise at communities that we have sold for which we may have liability.
General Risk Factors
The ability of our stockholders to control our policies and effect a change of control of our company is limited by certain provisions of our charter and bylaws and by Maryland law. There are provisions in our charter and bylaws that may discourage a third party from making a proposal to acquire us. These provisions include the following:
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Our charter authorizes our Board of Directors to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval and to establish the preferences and rights, including voting rights, of any series of preferred stock issued. This could allow the Board to issue one or more classes or series of preferred stock that could discourage or delay a tender offer or a change in control.
To maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, not more than 50% in value of our outstanding stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by or for five or fewer individuals at any time during the last half of any taxable year. To maintain this qualification, and/or to address other concerns about concentrations of ownership of our stock, our charter generally prohibits ownership (directly, indirectly by virtue of the attribution provisions of the Code, or beneficially as defined in Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) by any single stockholder of more than 9.8% of the issued and outstanding shares of any class or series of our stock. In general, under our charter, pension plans and mutual funds may directly and beneficially own up to 15% of the outstanding shares of any class or series of stock. Under our charter, our Board of Directors may in its sole discretion waive or modify the ownership limit for one or more persons, but it is not required to do so even if such waiver would not affect our qualification as a REIT. These ownership limits may prevent or delay a change in control and, as a result, could adversely affect our stockholders' ability to realize a premium for their shares of common stock.
As a Maryland corporation, we are subject to the provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law which restricts some business combinations and requires compliance with statutory procedures before some mergers and acquisitions may occur, which may delay or prevent offers to acquire us even if they are in our stockholders' best interests. In addition, other provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law permit the Board of Directors to make elections and to take actions without stockholder approval (such as classifying our Board such that the entire Board is not up for re-election annually) that, if made or taken, could have the effect of discouraging or delaying a change in control.
Litigation could adversely affect our business. We are and may in the future become involved in legal proceedings, claims, actions, inquiries and/or investigations in connection with our operations, which may result in defense costs, settlements, fines and/or judgments against us, some of which are not, or cannot be, covered by insurance. For example, in late 2022 and early 2023, 14 purported class actions were filed against the Company, RealPage, Inc., (“RealPage”) and other defendants (the “RealPage Litigation”) alleging that RealPage and lessors of multifamily residential real estate conspired, principally in connection with the alleged use of RealPage revenue management systems, to artificially inflate the rental rates for multifamily residential real estate above competitive levels. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and attorneys’ fees and costs and injunctive relief. We believe that the RealPage Litigation is without merit as it pertains to our Company, and plan to vigorously defend the lawsuits. While we do not currently believe the RealPage litigation will have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations, we cannot predict the outcome of the lawsuits given the early stage. Legal proceedings and other claims, if decided adversely to or settled by us, and not covered by insurance, could result in liability material to our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Likewise, regardless of outcome, legal proceedings and other claims may result in substantial costs and expenses, affect the availability or cost of some of our insurance coverage and significantly divert the attention of our management. With respect to any legal proceeding or other claim, there can be no assurance that we will be able to prevail, or achieve a favorable settlement or outcome, or that our insurance and/or any contractual indemnities will be enough to cover all of our defense costs or any resulting liabilities.
Changes in U.S. accounting standards may materially and adversely affect the reporting of our operations. We follow accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). GAAP is established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), an independent body whose standards are recognized by the SEC as authoritative for publicly held companies. The FASB and the SEC create and interpret accounting standards and may change the interpretation and application of these standards that govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes could have a material impact on our reported consolidated results of operations and financial position.
We rely on information technology in our operations, and any breach, interruption or security failure of that technology, or any non-compliance with applicable laws with respect to the use of that technology, could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and/or reputation. We rely on information technology, including the internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes, including financial transactions, personally identifiable information ("PII"), and tenant and lease data. Our business requires us and some of our vendors, to use and store PII and other sensitive information of our residents and employees. Privacy and information security laws and regulations for PII continue to evolve and may be inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another. Compliance with all such laws and regulations may increase our operating costs and adversely impact our ability to market our properties and services.
Information security risks have generally increased in recent years due to the rise in new technologies and the increased sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyber attacks. Although our information technology is essential to the operation of our business and our ability to perform day-to-day operations, even the most well-protected information, networks, systems
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and facilities remain potentially vulnerable because the techniques used in such attempted security breaches evolve and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, and in some cases are designed not to be detected and, in fact, may not be detected. Accordingly, we may be unable to implement adequate security barriers or other preventative measures, and thus it is impossible for us to entirely mitigate this risk.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to prevent unauthorized access to this PII or to our network or business systems in general. Any failure in or breach of our operational or information security systems, or those of our third party service providers, as a result of cyber attacks or information security breaches, could result in a wide range of potentially serious harm to our business operations and financial prospects, including (among others) disruption of our business and operations caused by an inability to access network systems or otherwise, disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information (including PII of our residents and/or associates), damage to our reputation, and/or potentially significant legal and/or financial liabilities and penalties.
Various laws and regulations and interpretations thereof, as well as agreements with payment processors, require, or may require, us to comply with rules related to our websites for use by residents and prospective residents, including requirements related to accessibility of our websites to persons with disabilities and our handling and use of data we collect. We could face liabilities for failure to comply with these requirements. New statutes, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), and related regulations are evolving and may be subject to differing interpretations. We could incur costs to comply with stricter and more complex data privacy, data collection and information security laws and standards.
Any material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting could have an impact on our Company. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires us to evaluate and report on our internal control over financial reporting. One or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could result in misstatements of our results of operations and related restatements, a decline in the price/value of our securities, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
Our success depends on key personnel whose continued service is not guaranteed. Our success depends in part on our ability to attract and retain the services of executive officers and other personnel. There is substantial competition for qualified personnel in the real estate industry, and the loss of our key personnel could adversely affect us.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our real estate investments consist primarily of current operating apartment communities ("Current Communities"), consolidated and unconsolidated communities in various stages of development ("Development" communities and "Unconsolidated Development" communities) and Development Rights (as defined below). Our Current Communities are further classified as Same Store communities, Other Stabilized communities, Redevelopment communities and Unconsolidated communities. While we generally establish the classification of communities on an annual basis, we update the classification of communities during the calendar year to the extent that our plans with regard to the disposition or redevelopment of a community change. The following is a description of each category:
Current Communities are categorized as Same Store, Other Stabilized, Redevelopment or Unconsolidated according to the following attributes:
•Same Store for the year ended December 31, 2022 is composed of consolidated communities where a comparison of operating results from the prior year to the current year is meaningful as these communities were owned and had stabilized occupancy as of the beginning of the respective prior year period. For the year ended December 31, 2022, Same Store communities are consolidated for financial reporting purposes, had stabilized occupancy as of January 1, 2021, are not conducting or are not probable to conduct substantial redevelopment activities and are not held for sale or probable for disposition to unrelated third parties within the current year. A community is considered to have stabilized occupancy at the earlier of (i) attainment of 90% physical occupancy or (ii) the one-year anniversary of completion of development or redevelopment.
•Other Stabilized is composed of completed consolidated communities that we own and that are not Same Store but which have stabilized occupancy, as defined above, as of January 1, 2022, or which were acquired subsequent to January 1, 2021. Other Stabilized includes stabilized wholly-owned communities in Charlotte, North Carolina and Dallas, Texas, the two new expansion markets we entered in 2021, but excludes communities that are conducting or are probable to conduct substantial redevelopment activities within the current year, as defined below.
•Redevelopment is composed of consolidated communities where substantial redevelopment is in progress or is probable to begin during the current year. Redevelopment is considered substantial when (i) capital invested is expected to exceed the lesser of $5,000,000 or 10% of the community's pre-redevelopment basis and (ii) physical occupancy is below or is expected to be below 90% during, or as a result of, the redevelopment activity.
•Unconsolidated is composed of communities that we have an indirect ownership interest in through our investment interest in an unconsolidated joint venture.
Development is composed of consolidated communities that are either currently under construction, were under construction and were completed during the current year or where construction has been complete for less than one year and that do not have stabilized occupancy. These communities may be partially or fully complete and operating.
Unconsolidated Development is composed of communities that are either currently under construction, or were under construction and were completed during the current year, in which we have an indirect ownership interest through our investment interest in an unconsolidated joint venture. These communities may be partially or fully complete and operating.
Development Rights are development opportunities in the early phase of the development process where we either have an option to acquire land or enter into a leasehold interest, where we are the buyer under a long-term conditional contract to purchase land, where we control the land through a ground lease or own land to develop a new community, or where we are the designated developer in a public-private partnership. We capitalize related pre-development costs incurred in pursuit of new developments for which we currently believe future development is probable.
We currently lease our corporate headquarters located in Arlington, Virginia, as well as our other regional and administrative offices, under operating leases.
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As of December 31, 2022, communities that we owned or held a direct or indirect interest in were classified as follows:
Number ofcommunities Number ofapartment homes
Current Communities
Same Store:
Other Stabilized:
Pacific Northwest 2 667
Northern California 1 200
Southern California 2 849
Total Other Stabilized 26 7,871
Unconsolidated Development 1 475
Our holdings under each of the above categories are discussed on the following pages.
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We generally establish the composition of our Same Store communities portfolio annually. Changes in the Same Store communities portfolios for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 were as follows:
Number ofcommunities
Same Store communities as of December 31, 2019 210
Communities added 32
Communities removed (1)
Redevelopment communities (1)
Disposed communities (9)
Same Store communities as of December 31, 2020 232
Communities added 15
Communities removed (1)
Redevelopment communities —
Disposed communities (9)
Other Stabilized (1)
Same Store communities as of December 31, 2021 237
Communities added 8
Communities removed (1)
Redevelopment communities (1)
Disposed communities (9)
Same Store communities as of December 31, 2022 235
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(1) We remove a community from our Same Store portfolio if we believe that planned activity for the upcoming year will result in that community's expected operations not being comparable to the prior year, including (i) when we intend to undertake a significant capital renovation, such that the community will be classified as a Redevelopment community; (ii) when we intend to dispose of a community; or (iii) when a significant casualty loss occurs.
Current Communities
Our Current Communities include garden-style apartment communities consisting of multi-story buildings of stacked flats and/or townhome apartments in landscaped settings, as well as mid and high rise apartment communities consisting of larger elevator-served buildings of four or more stories, frequently with structured parking. As of January 31, 2023, our Current Communities consisted of the following:
Number ofcommunities Number ofapartment homes
As discussed in Item 1. “Business,” we operate under four core brands: Avalon, AVA, eaves by Avalon and Kanso . We believe that this branding differentiation allows us to target our product offerings to multiple customer groups and submarkets within our existing geographic footprint.
We also have an extensive and ongoing maintenance program to continually maintain and enhance our communities and apartment homes. The aesthetic appeal of our communities, and a service-oriented property management team that is focused on the specific needs of residents, enhances market appeal. We believe our mission of "Creating a Better Way to Live" helps us achieve higher rental rates and occupancy levels while minimizing resident turnover and operating expenses.
Our Current Communities are located in the following geographic markets:
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We manage and operate substantially all of our Current Communities. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we completed construction of five communities containing 1,858 apartment homes and sold 12 operating communities containing 2,733 apartment homes.
Of the Current Communities, as of January 31, 2023, we owned (directly or through wholly-owned subsidiaries):
•265 operating communities, including 258 with a full fee simple, or absolute, ownership interest and seven that are on land subject to a land lease. The land leases have various expiration dates from July 2046 to April 2106, and three of the land leases are used to support tax advantaged structures that ultimately allow us to purchase the land upon lease expiration.
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•A membership interest in five limited liability companies. One of the ventures, the NYTA MF Investors LLC, through subsidiaries owns a fee simple interest in three operating communities and a leasehold interest in two additional operating communities. The other four ventures that each hold a fee simple interest in an operating community, one of which is consolidated for financial reporting purposes.
•A general partnership interest in one partnership structured as a “DownREIT,” which is consolidated and owns one community. At January 31, 2023, there were 7,500 DownREIT partnership units outstanding. The limited partnership interests have the right to present all or some of their units for redemption for a cash amount based on the fair value of our common stock or we may elect to acquire any unit presented for redemption for one share of our common stock.
In addition to our Current Communities, we also hold, directly or through wholly-owned subsidiaries, a full fee simple ownership interest in our wholly-owned Development Communities and a membership interest in one limited liability company that holds a fee simple interest in an Unconsolidated Development Community.
Development Communities
As of December 31, 2022, we owned or held a direct interest in 17 Development Communities under construction. We expect these Development Communities, when completed, to add a total of 5,417 apartment homes and 56,000 square feet of commercial space to our portfolio for a total capitalized cost, including land acquisition costs, of approximately $2,259,000,000. We cannot assure you that we will meet our schedule for construction completion or that we will meet our budgeted costs, either individually, or in the aggregate. You should carefully review Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for a discussion of the risks associated with development activity and our discussion under Item 7. “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (including the factors identified under “Forward-Looking Statements”) for further discussion of development activity.
The following table presents a summary of the Development Communities.
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_________________________________
(1)Projected total capitalized cost includes all capitalized costs projected to be or actually incurred to develop the respective Development Community, determined in accordance with GAAP, including land acquisition costs, construction costs, real estate taxes, capitalized interest and loan fees, permits, professional fees, allocated development overhead and other regulatory fees, as well as costs incurred for first generation commercial tenants such as tenant improvements and leasing commissions.
(2)Stabilized operations is defined as the earlier of (i) attainment of 90% or greater physical occupancy or (ii) the one-year anniversary of completion of development.
(3)Development Communities containing at least 10,000 square feet of commercial space include Avalon Harrison (27,000 square feet) and Avalon West Windsor (19,000 square feet).
(4)During the year ended December 31, 2022, we expanded our existing Development Community, Avalon North Andover, adding 51 apartment homes at an incremental projected total capitalized cost of $22,000.
(5)Avalon Redmond Campus is a densification of the existing eaves Redmond Campus wholly-owned community, replacing 48 existing older apartment homes that were demolished.
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During the year ended December 31, 2022, we completed the development of the following wholly-owned communities:
____________________________________
(1)Total capitalized cost is as of December 31, 2022. We generally anticipate incurring additional costs associated with these communities that are customary for new developments.
Unconsolidated Development Communities
As of December 31, 2022, we had an indirect interest in the following Unconsolidated Development Communities.
_____________________________
(1)Projected total capitalized cost includes all capitalized costs projected to be incurred to develop the respective Unconsolidated Development Community, determined in accordance with GAAP, including land acquisition costs, construction costs, real estate taxes, capitalized interest and loan fees, permits, professional fees and other regulatory fees, as well as costs incurred for first generation commercial tenants such as tenant improvements and leasing commissions. Projected total capitalized cost is the total projected joint venture amount.
(2)AVA Arts District is expected to contain 56,000 square feet of commercial space.
(3)As of December 31, 2022, we have contributed our equity investment in AVA Arts District of $28,660. The remaining development costs, representing 60% of the total project cost, are expected to be funded by the venture's variable rate construction loan. The venture has drawn $86,664 of the $167,147 maximum borrowing capacity of the construction loan as of December 31, 2022. While we guarantee the construction loan on behalf of the venture, any amounts under the guarantee are obligations of the venture partners in proportion to ownership interest.
Unconsolidated Operating Communities
As of December 31, 2022, we had investments in the following unconsolidated real estate entities accounted for under the equity method of accounting, excluding development joint ventures. See Note 5, “Investments,” of the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report, which includes information on the aggregate assets, liabilities and equity, as well as operating results, and our proportionate share of their operating results. For joint ventures holding operating apartment communities as of December 31, 2022, detail of the real estate and associated indebtedness underlying our unconsolidated investments is presented in the following table (dollars in thousands).
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Debt (1)
NYTA MF Investors LLC
Other Operating Joint Ventures
_________________________________
(1)We have not guaranteed the debt of these unconsolidated investees and bear no responsibility for the repayment unless otherwise disclosed.
(2)Borrowing on this community is comprised of two mortgage loans. The interest rate is the weighted average interest rate as of December 31, 2022.
(3)Borrowing on this dual-branded community is comprised of a single mortgage loan. This dual-branded community is subject to a leasehold interest which is not included in the total capitalized cost.
(4)Development of this community, which contains 284,000 square feet of rentable space, was completed during the year ended December 31, 2022.
(5)In addition to leasehold assets, there are net other assets of $49,848 as of December 31, 2022 associated with these unconsolidated real estate investments which are primarily cash and cash equivalents.
During 2022, the Archstone Multifamily Partners AC LP (the "U.S. Fund") sold its final three communities containing 671 apartment homes for a sales price of $313,500,000. Our share of the gain in accordance with GAAP was $38,144,000. The U.S. Fund repaid the $115,213,000 of outstanding secured indebtedness at par in advance of the scheduled maturity dates. We have an equity interest of 28.6% in the U.S. Fund and during the year ended December 31, 2022 in conjunction with the final dispositions, achieved a threshold return, resulting in an incentive distribution for our promoted interest based on the returns earned by the U.S. Fund. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized income of $4,690,000 for our promoted interest included in income from investments in unconsolidated entities on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.
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Development Rights
At December 31, 2022, we had $179,204,000 in acquisition and related capitalized costs for direct interests in eight land parcels we own. In addition, we had $58,489,000 in capitalized costs (including legal fees, design fees and related overhead costs) related to (i) 27 Development Rights for which we control the land parcel, typically through a conditional agreement or option to purchase or lease the land, as well as (ii) costs incurred for four Development Rights that we expect to construct as additional phases of our existing stabilized operating communities on land we own. Collectively, the land held for development and associated costs for deferred development rights relate to 39 Development Rights for which we expect to develop new apartment communities in the future. The Development Rights range from those beginning design and architectural planning to those that have completed site plans and drawings and can begin construction almost immediately. We estimate that the successful completion of all of these communities would ultimately add approximately 13,312 apartment homes to our portfolio. Substantially all of these apartment homes will offer features like those offered by the communities we currently own.
The Development Rights are in different stages of the due diligence and regulatory approval process. The decisions as to which of the Development Rights to invest in, if any, or to continue to pursue once an investment in a Development Right is made, are business judgments that we make after we perform financial, demographic and other analyses. In the event that we do not proceed with a Development Right, we generally would not recover any of the capitalized costs incurred in the pursuit of those communities, unless we were to recover amounts in connection with the sale of land; however, we cannot guarantee a recovery. Pre-development costs incurred in the pursuit of Development Rights, for which future development is not yet considered probable, are expensed as incurred. In addition, if the status of a Development Right changes, making future development no longer probable, any unrecoverable capitalized pre-development costs are charged to expense. During 2022, we incurred a charge of $16,565,000 for expensed transaction, development and other pursuit costs, net of recoveries, which include development pursuits that were not yet probable of future development at the time incurred, or for pursuits that we determined were no longer probable of being developed. This amount includes charges of $10,073,000 primarily related to development opportunities in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California that we determined are no longer probable.
You should carefully review Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” for a discussion of the risks associated with Development Rights.
Land Acquisitions
We select land for development and follow established procedures that we believe minimize both the cost and the risks of development. During 2022, we acquired the following land parcels for an aggregate investment of $137,885,000.
5. Avalon Lake NormanMooresville, NC 345 104 October 2022
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(1)Projected total capitalized cost includes all capitalized costs incurred to date (if any) and projected to be incurred to develop the respective community, determined in accordance with GAAP, including land and related acquisition costs, construction costs, real estate taxes, capitalized interest and loan fees, permits, professional fees, allocated development overhead and other regulatory fees, as well as costs incurred for first generation commercialtenants such as tenant improvements and leasing commissions, net of projected proceeds for any planned sales of associated outparcels and other real estate.
(2)Land purchased for the expected development of three adjacent operating communities.
(3)Construction on this land parcel commenced during 2022.
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(4)Additional parcel of land acquired in 2022 for a current Development Community. The estimated number of apartment homes and projected total capitalized cost represent the amounts for the full Development Community.
Disposition Activity
We sell assets when they do not meet our long-term investment strategy or when real estate markets allow us to realize a portion of the value created over our periods of ownership, and we generally redeploy the proceeds from those sales to develop, redevelop and acquire communities. Pending such redeployment, we will generally use the proceeds from the sale of these communities to reduce amounts outstanding under our Credit Facility or Commercial Paper Program or retain the cash proceeds on our balance sheet until it is redeployed into acquisition, development or redevelopment activity. On occasion, we will set aside the proceeds from the sale of communities into a cash escrow account to facilitate a tax-deferred, like-kind exchange transaction. From January 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023, we sold our interest in nine wholly-owned communities, containing 2,062 apartment homes, with an aggregate gross sales price of $924,450,000.
Insurance and Risk of Uninsured Losses
We maintain commercial general liability insurance and property insurance with respect to all of our communities, with insurance policies issued by a combination of third party insurers as well as a wholly-owned captive insurance company. These policies, along with other insurance policies we maintain, have policy specifications, insured and self-insured limits, exclusions and deductibles that we consider commercially reasonable. We utilize a wholly-owned captive insurance company to insure certain types and amounts of risks, which include property damage and resulting business interruption losses, general liability insurance and other construction related liability risks. The captive is utilized to insure other limited levels of risk, which may be in part reinsured by third party insurance. There are, however, certain types of losses (including, but not limited to, losses arising from nuclear liability, pandemic or acts of war) that are not insured, in full or in part, because they are either uninsurable or the cost of insurance makes it, in management’s view, economically impractical. You should carefully review the discussion under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Form 10-K for a discussion of risks associated with an uninsured property or casualty loss.
Our communities are insured for certain property damage and business interruption losses through a combination of community specific insurance policies and/or a master property insurance program which covers the majority of our communities. This master property program provides a $400,000,000 limit for any single occurrence and annually in the aggregate, subject to certain sub-limits and exclusions. Under the master property program, we are subject to various deductibles per occurrence, as well as additional self-insured retentions. In addition to our potential liability for the various policy self-insured retentions and deductibles, our captive insurance company is directly responsible for 100% of the first $25,000,000 of losses (per occurrence) and 10% of the second $25,000,000 of losses (per occurrence) incurred by the master property insurance policy. Our master property insurance program includes coverage for losses resulting from customary perils, including but not limited to wildfires and windstorms. Limits, deductibles, self-insured retentions and coverages may increase or decrease annually during the insurance renewal process, which occurs on different dates throughout the calendar year.
Many of our West Coast communities are located within the general vicinity of active earthquake faults. Many of our communities are near, and thus susceptible to, the major fault lines in California, including the San Andreas Fault, the Hayward Fault or other geological faults that are known or unknown. We cannot assure you that an earthquake would not cause damage or losses greater than our current insured levels. We procure property damage and resulting business interruption insurance coverage with a loss limit of $175,000,000 for any single occurrence and in the annual aggregate for losses resulting from earthquakes, subject to deductibles and self-insured retentions. However, for any losses resulting from earthquakes at communities located in California or Washington, the loss limit is $200,000,000 for any single occurrence and in the annual aggregate, subject to deductibles and self-insured retentions.
Our Southeast Florida communities could be impacted by significant storm events like hurricanes. We include coverage for losses arising from these types of weather events within our master property insurance program. We cannot assure you that a significant storm event would not cause damage or losses greater than our current insured levels.
Our communities and construction sites are insured for third-party liability losses through a combination of community specific insurance policies and/or coverage provided under a master commercial general liability and umbrella/excess insurance program. The master commercial general liability and umbrella/excess insurance policies cover the majority of our communities and construction sites and are subject to certain coverage limitations and exclusions, which we believe are commercially reasonable. After applicable self-insured retentions borne by us, our captive insurance company is directly responsible for the first $2,000,000 of losses (per occurrence) covered by the master general liability insurance policy.
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Just as with office buildings, transportation systems and government buildings, apartment communities could become targets of terrorism. Our communities are insured for terrorism related losses through the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (“TRIPRA”) program. This coverage extends to most of our casualty exposures (subject to deductibles and insured limits) and certain property insurance policies. We have also purchased private-market insurance for property damage due to terrorism with limits of $600,000,000 per occurrence and in the annual aggregate that includes certain coverages (not covered under TRIPRA) such as domestic-based terrorism. This insurance, often referred to as “non-certified” terrorism insurance, is subject to deductibles, limits and exclusions.
An additional consideration for insurance coverage and potential uninsured losses is mold growth or other environmental contamination. Mold growth may occur when excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. If a significant mold problem arises at one of our communities, we could be required to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold from the affected community and could be exposed to other liabilities. For further discussion of the risks and our related prevention and remediation activities, please refer to the discussion under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors - We may incur costs due to environmental contamination or non-compliance” elsewhere in this report. We cannot provide assurance that we will have coverage under our existing policies for property damage or liability to third parties arising as a result of exposure to mold or a claim of exposure to mold at one of our communities.
We also maintain other insurance programs that provide coverage for events including but not limited to employee dishonesty, loss of data, and liability associated with management of certain employee benefit plans. These policies are subject to maximum loss limits and include coverage limitations or exclusion that may preclude us from fully recovering.
The amount or types of insurance we maintain may not be sufficient to cover all losses and we may change our policy limits, coverages, and self-insured retentions or deductibles at any time.
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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The Company is involved in various legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of its business. While the resolutions of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company does not currently believe that any of these outstanding litigation matters, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock is traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AVB. On January 31, 2023 there were 687 holders of record of an aggregate of 139,920,107 shares of our outstanding common stock. The number of holders does not include individuals or entities who beneficially own shares but whose shares are held of record by a broker or clearing agency, but does include each such broker or clearing agency as one record holder.
At present, we expect to continue our policy of paying regular quarterly cash dividends. However, the form, timing and/or amount of dividend distributions will be declared at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on actual cash from operations, our financial condition, capital requirements, the annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Code and other factors as the Board of Directors may consider relevant. The Board of Directors may modify our dividend policy from time to time.
In February 2023, we announced that our Board of Directors declared a dividend on our common stock for the first quarter of 2023 of $1.65 per share, a 3.8% increase over the Company's prior quarterly dividend of $1.59 per share. The dividend will be payable on April 17, 2023 to all common stockholders of record as of March 31, 2023.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
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(1)Consists of shares surrendered to the Company in connection with exercise of stock options as payment of exercise price, as well as for taxes associated with the vesting of restricted share grants.
(2)In July 2020, the Board of Directors approved the 2020 Stock Repurchase Program, under which the Company may acquire shares of its common stock in open market or negotiated transactions up to an aggregate purchase price of $500,000,000. Purchases of common stock under the 2020 Stock Repurchase Program may be exercised from time to time in the Company’s discretion and in such amounts as market conditions warrant. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements, market conditions and other corporate liquidity requirements and priorities. The 2020 Stock Repurchase Program does not have an expiration date and may be suspended or terminated at any time without prior notice.
Information regarding securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans is included in the section entitled Item 12. “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” in this Form 10-K.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to help provide an understanding of our business, financial condition and results of operations. This MD&A should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report. This report, including the following MD&A, contains forward-looking statements regarding future events or trends that should be read in conjunction with the factors described under “Forward-Looking Statements” included in this report. Actual results or developments could differ materially from those projected in such statements as a result of the factors described under “Forward-Looking Statements” as well as the risk factors described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this report.
Capitalized terms used without definition have the meanings provided elsewhere in this Form 10-K.
Executive Overview
2022 Financial Highlights
Net income attributable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $1,136,775,000, an increase of $132,476,000, or 13.2%, over the prior year. The increase is primarily attributable to an increase in NOI from communities, over the prior year. These amounts were partially offset by an increase in depreciation expense and decrease in gains related to real estate sales in the current year.
Same Store NOI attributable to our apartment rental operations, including parking and other ancillary residential revenue ("Residential"), for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $1,540,390,000, an increase of $179,941,000, or 13.2%, over the prior year. The increase was due to an increase in Residential rental revenue of $218,692,000, or 10.9%, partially offset by an increase in Residential property operating expenses of $39,015,000, or 6.0%, over 2021.
During 2022, we raised approximately $1,445,710,000 of gross capital through the sale of nine consolidated operating communities, the sale of condominiums at The Park Loggia and other real estate, the issuance of unsecured notes and the settlement of outstanding forward contracts entered into under our current continuous equity program. This amount does not include our share of proceeds from joint venture dispositions. We believe that our current capital structure will continue to provide financial flexibility to access capital on attractive terms.
We believe our portfolio management activity through dispositions, development and acquisitions will continue to create long-term value. During 2022, we:
•sold nine consolidated apartment communities containing an aggregate of 2,062 apartment homes for $924,450,000;
•completed the construction of five consolidated apartment communities containing an aggregate of 1,858 apartment homes for an aggregate total capitalized cost of $692,000,000;
•completed the construction of one unconsolidated apartment community containing 328 apartment homes for a total capitalized cost of $110,000,000, or $55,000,000 when including only our 50.0% interest;
•started the construction of five consolidated apartment communities containing an aggregate of 1,845 apartment homes, which are expected to be completed for an estimated total capitalized cost of $729,000,000; and
•acquired four consolidated apartment communities containing an aggregate of 1,313 apartment homes and 16,000 square feet of commercial space for an aggregate purchase price of $536,200,000.
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We believe that our balance sheet strength, as measured by our current level of indebtedness, our current ability to service interest and other fixed charges, and our current moderate use of financial encumbrances (such as secured financing), provide us with adequate access to liquidity from the capital markets. We expect to be able to meet our reasonably foreseeable liquidity needs, as they arise, through a combination of one or more of the following sources: existing cash on hand; operating cash flows; borrowings under our Credit Facility and Commercial Paper Program; secured debt; the issuance of corporate securities (which could include unsecured debt, preferred equity, including amounts through the planned settlement of the outstanding forward contracts to sell 2,000,000 shares of common stock by no later than December 31, 2023 and/or common equity); the sale of apartment communities; or through the formation of joint ventures. See the discussion under "Liquidity and Capital Resources."
Communities Overview
As of December 31, 2022 we owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 294 apartment communities containing 88,475 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 18 communities were under development and one community was under redevelopment. We have an indirect interest in nine of the 294 apartment communities which were owned by entities that were not consolidated for financial reporting purposes, including one that is being developed within a joint venture. In addition, we held a direct or indirect ownership interest in Development Rights to develop an additional 39 communities that, if developed as expected, will contain an estimated 13,312 apartment homes.
Our real estate investments consist primarily of Current Communities, Development communities, Unconsolidated Development communities and Development Rights. Our Current Communities are further classified as Same Store communities, Other Stabilized communities, Redevelopment communities and Unconsolidated communities.
Same Store communities are consolidated communities that were owned and had stabilized occupancy as of the beginning of the prior year, allowing for a meaningful comparison of operating results between years. Other Stabilized communities are generally all other completed consolidated communities that have stabilized occupancy at the beginning of the current year or were acquired during the year. Redevelopment communities are consolidated communities where substantial redevelopment is in progress or is probable to begin during the fiscal year. Unconsolidated communities are communities in which we have an indirect ownership interest through our investment interest in an unconsolidated entity. A more detailed description of our reportable segments and other related operating information can be found in Note 8, “Segment Reporting,” of our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Although each of these categories is important to our business, we generally evaluate overall operating, industry and market trends based on the operating results of Same Store communities, for which a detailed discussion can be found in “Results of Operations” as part of our discussion of overall operating results. We evaluate our current and future cash needs and future operating potential based on acquisition, disposition, development, redevelopment and financing activities within Other Stabilized, Redevelopment and Development communities. Discussions related to current and future cash needs and financing activities can be found under "Liquidity and Capital Resources."
NOI of our current operating communities is one of the financial measures that we use to evaluate the performance of our communities. NOI is affected by the demand and supply dynamics within our markets, our rental rates and occupancy levels and our ability to control operating costs. Our overall financial performance is also impacted by the general availability and cost of capital and the performance of newly developed, redeveloped and acquired apartment communities.
Results of Operations
Our year-over-year operating performance is primarily affected by both overall and individual geographic market conditions and apartment fundamentals and is reflected in changes in Same Store NOI; NOI derived from acquisitions, development completions and development under construction and in lease-up; loss of NOI related to disposed communities; and capital market and financing activity. See also Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors.” Discussion of our operating results for 2021 and comparison to 2020 can be found in Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 25, 2022. A comparison of our operating results for 2022 and 2021 follows (dollars in thousands).
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Revenue:
Expenses:
Net for-sale condominium activity 88 (977) 1,065 N/A (1)
Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests 337 (57) 394 N/A (1)
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(1) Percent change is not meaningful.
Net income attributable to common stockholders increased $132,476,000, or 13.2%, to $1,136,775,000 in 2022 over 2021, primarily due to increases in NOI from communities in the current year.
NOI is considered by management to be an important and appropriate supplemental performance measure to net income because it helps both investors and management to understand the core operations of a community or communities prior to the allocation of any corporate-level or financing-related costs. NOI reflects the operating performance of a community and allows for an easier comparison of the operating performance of individual assets or groups of assets. In addition, because prospective buyers of real estate have different financing and overhead structures, with varying marginal impact to overhead as a result of acquiring real estate, NOI is considered by many in the real estate industry to be a useful measure for determining the value of a real estate asset or group of assets. We define NOI as total property revenue less direct property operating expenses (including property taxes), and excluding corporate-level income (including management, development and other fees), corporate-level property management and other indirect operating expenses, expensed transaction, development and other pursuit costs, net of recoveries, interest expense, net, loss on extinguishment of debt, net, general and administrative expense, income from investments in unconsolidated entities, depreciation expense, income tax expense, casualty loss, gain on sale of communities, gain on other real estate transactions, net, net for-sale condominium activity and net operating income from real estate assets sold or held for sale.
NOI does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP, and NOI should not be considered an alternative to net income as an indication of our performance. NOI should also not be considered an alternative to net cash flow from operating activities, as determined by GAAP, as a measure of liquidity, nor is NOI indicative of cash available to fund cash needs. Residential NOI represents results attributable to our apartment rental operations, including parking and other
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ancillary residential revenue. Reconciliations of NOI and Residential NOI for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 to net income for each year are as follows (dollars in thousands):
For the year ended December 31,
Loss on extinguishment of debt, net 1,646 17,787
Income from investments in unconsolidated entities (53,394) (38,585)
Casualty loss — 3,119
Gain on other real estate transactions, net (5,039) (2,097)
Net for-sale condominium activity (88) 977
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(1)Represents results attributable to the commercial and other non-residential operations at our communities ("Commercial").
The Residential NOI changes for 2022 as compared to 2021 consists of changes in the following categories (dollars in thousands):
Full Year
Development / Redevelopment 36,605
The increase in our Same Store Residential NOI in 2022 is due to an increase in Residential rental revenue of $218,692,000, or 10.9%, partially offset by an increase in property operating expenses of $39,015,000, or 6.0%, over 2021.
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Our results of operations in future periods may be impacted directly or indirectly by uncertainties such as the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (the "Pandemic") and the recent increases in inflation. If the financial condition of our residents and commercial tenants deteriorates, and/or regulations that limit our ability to evict residents and tenants continue or are adopted in response to future developments related to the Pandemic, that may result in higher than normal uncollectible lease revenue. The Pandemic may also depress consumer demand for our apartments for a variety of reasons, including (i) if consumers decide to live in markets that are less costly than ours for one or more reasons, such as a decline in their income or remote working arrangements; (ii) consumers who would otherwise rent may seek home ownership; and (iii) ongoing downward pressures on demand for certain types of housing (e.g., corporate apartment homes) or by certain consumers (e.g., students or consumers who require seasonal job-related demand such as in the entertainment industry).
Increases in inflation can result in an increase in our operating costs, including utilities and payroll, both at our communities and at the corporate level. Substantially all of our apartment leases are for a term of one year or less. In an inflationary environment, this may allow us to realize increased rents upon renewal of existing leases or the beginning of new leases. Short-term leases generally reduce our risk from the adverse effect of inflation, although these leases also permit residents to leave at the end of their lease term. In addition, inflation could cause our construction costs and cost of other capitalized expenditures to increase, impacting the expected economic return of, and expected operating results for, current and planned development activity.
Rental and other income increased $295,347,000, or 12.9%, in 2022 compared to the prior year primarily due to the increased rental revenue from our stabilized wholly-owned communities, discussed below.
Consolidated Communities—The weighted average number of occupied apartment homes for consolidated communities increased to 77,319 apartment homes for 2022, as compared to 75,744 homes for 2021. The weighted average monthly rental revenue per occupied apartment home increased to $2,784 for 2022 as compared to $2,518 in 2021.
The increase in Same Store rental revenue is due to (i) an increase in Same Store Residential rental revenue of $218,692,000, or 10.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the prior year, and (ii) an increase in Same Store Commercial rental revenue of $3,873,000, or 18.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the prior year.
The following table presents the change in Same Store Residential rental revenue, including the attribution of the change between average rental revenue per occupied home and Economic Occupancy for the year ended December 31, 2022 (dollars in thousands).
For the year ended December 31,
$ Change % Change % Change % Change
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(1) Economic Occupancy considers that apartment homes of different sizes and locations within a community have different economic impacts on a community's gross revenue. Economic Occupancy is defined as gross potential revenue less vacancy loss, as a percentage of gross potential revenue. Gross potential revenue is determined by valuing occupied homes at leased rates and vacant homes at market rents. Vacancy loss is determined by valuing vacant units at current market rents.
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The following table details the increase in Same Store Residential rental revenue by component for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the prior year:
For the year ended
Residential rental revenue
Lease rates 7.8 %
Concessions and other discounts 1.9 %
Economic Occupancy 0.1 %
Other rental revenue 1.0 %
Uncollectible lease revenue (excluding rent relief) (0.1) %
Rent relief 0.2 %
Total Residential rental revenue 10.9 %
The increase for Same Store Residential rental revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the prior year, was impacted by (i) uncollectible lease revenue, net of amounts received from government rent relief programs and (ii) concessions.
Same Store uncollectible lease revenue decreased for the year ended December 31, 2022 by $3,556,000. The change in uncollectible lease revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 was impacted by amounts received from government rent relief programs. Adjusting to remove the impact of rent relief, uncollectible lease revenue as a percentage of Same Store Residential rental revenue decreased to 3.4% in the year ended December 31, 2022 from 3.7% in the year ended December 31, 2021. We recognized $36,778,000 and $31,823,000 from government rent relief programs during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
During the Pandemic, we increased our use of residential concessions relative to concessions granted prior to 2020. While concessions granted remained slightly elevated relative to periods prior to 2020, concessions for our Same Store communities granted in the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased from the prior year by $31,618,000 to $10,514,000. We amortize concessions on a straight-line basis over the life of the respective leases (generally one year), reducing the income recognized over the lease term. For the year ended December 31, 2022, amortized concessions decreased by $39,932,000 contributing to the increase in revenue as compared to the prior year. The remaining net unamortized balance of Same Store residential concessions as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $5,671,000 and $14,081,000, respectively.
Management, development and other fees increased $3,249,000, or 105.4%, in 2022 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to the net construction and development fee income for work performed at joint ventures.
Direct property operating expenses, excluding property taxes, increased $40,406,000, or 8.6%, in 2022 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to the addition of newly developed and acquired apartment communities, as well as increased operating expenses at our Same Store communities as discussed below.
Same Store Residential direct property operating expenses, excluding property taxes, represents substantially all of total Same Store operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022. Residential direct property operating expenses, excluding property taxes, increased $33,171,000, or 8.1%, in 2022 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to increased utilities and maintenance costs as well as bad debt associated with resident expense reimbursements.
Property taxes increased $5,871,000, or 2.1%, in 2022 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to the addition of newly developed and acquired apartment communities and increased assessments for our stabilized portfolio, partially offset by decreased property taxes from dispositions.
Same Store Residential property taxes represents substantially all of total Same Store property taxes for the year ended December 31, 2022. Same Store Residential property taxes increased $5,844,000, or 2.5%, in 2022 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to increased assessments across the portfolio and the expiration of property tax incentive programs at certain of our properties in New York City, partially offset by successful appeals in the current year in excess of the prior year.
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Corporate-level property management and other indirect operating expenses increased $18,895,000, or 18.6%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the prior year, primarily due to increased compensation related costs as well as costs related to increased investment in technology and other initiatives in the current year to improve future efficiency in services for residents and prospects.
Expensed transaction, development and other pursuit costs, net of recoveries primarily reflect costs incurred for development pursuits not yet considered probable for development, as well as write downs and abandonment of Development Rights and costs related to abandoned acquisition and disposition pursuits and any recoveries of costs incurred. These costs can be volatile, particularly in periods of increased acquisition pursuit activity, periods of economic downturn or when there is limited access to capital, and therefore may vary significantly from year to year. In addition, the timing for potential recoveries will not always align with the timing for expensing an abandoned pursuit. Expensed transaction, development and other pursuit costs, net of recoveries, increased $13,334,000 in 2022 as compared to the prior year. The amount for 2022 includes charges of $10,073,000 primarily related to development opportunities in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California that we determined are no longer probable.
Interest expense, net increased $9,659,000, or 4.4%, in 2022 as compared to the prior year. This category includes interest costs offset by capitalized interest pertaining to development and redevelopment activity, amortization of premium/discount on debt, interest income, any mark to market impact from derivatives not in qualifying hedge relationships and the recognition of the GAAP required estimate of future credit losses for the SIP. The increase in 2022 is primarily due to an increase in variable rates on unsecured and secured indebtedness, partially offset by an increase in capitalized interest.
Loss on extinguishment of debt, net reflects prepayment penalties, the write-off of unamortized deferred financing costs and premiums/discounts from our debt repurchase and retirement activity, or payments to acquire our outstanding debt at amounts above or below the carrying basis of the debt acquired. The loss of $1,646,000 in 2022 was primarily due to the repayment of secured debt. The loss of $17,787,000 in 2021 was due to the repayments of unsecured debt.
Depreciation expense increased $56,382,000, or 7.4%, in 2022 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to the addition of newly developed and acquired apartment communities, partially offset by dispositions.
General and administrative expense (“G&A”) increased $4,453,000, or 6.4%, in 2022 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to an increase in compensation related expenses in the current year, partially offset by legal settlement recoveries recognized in the current year.
Casualty loss for the year ended December 31, 2021 of $3,119,000 related to damage across several communities in our East Coast markets from severe storms and a fire at an operating community.
Income from investments in unconsolidated entities increased $14,809,000 in 2022 as compared to the prior year, primarily due to the gain from the sale of the final three communities in the U.S. Fund and includes the recognition of $4,690,000 for the promoted interest associated with the final U.S. Fund dispositions. The increase for the year ended December 31, 2022 was partially offset by the gain from the sale of the final two communities in the Archstone Multifamily Partners AC JV LP in the prior year.
Gain on sale of communities decreased in 2022 as compared to the prior year. The amount of gain realized in a given period depends on many factors, including the number of communities sold, the size and carrying value of the communities sold and the market conditions in the local area. The gains of $555,558,000 and $602,235,000 in 2022 and 2021, respectively, were primarily due to the sale of nine wholly-owned communities in both 2022 and 2021.
Gain on other real estate transactions, net represents the impact from the sale of land parcels and other tangible and intangible real estate assets, and increased $2,942,000, or 140.3%, in 2022 over the prior year.
Net for-sale condominium activity is a net gain of $88,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022 and a net expense of $977,000 for the year ended December 31, 2021, and is comprised of the net gain before taxes on the sale of condominiums at The Park Loggia and associated marketing, operating and administrative costs. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we sold 40 residential condominiums at The Park Loggia, for gross proceeds of $126,848,000, resulting in a gain in accordance with GAAP of $2,217,000. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we sold 53 residential condominiums at The Park Loggia for gross proceeds of $135,458,000, resulting in a gain in accordance with GAAP of $3,110,000. In addition, we incurred $2,129,000 and $4,087,000 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, in marketing, operating and administrative costs.
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Income tax expense of $14,646,000 and $5,733,000 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, is primarily related to the activity at The Park Loggia and other taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) activity.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures — Reconciliation of FFO and Core FFO
FFO and FFO adjusted for non-core items, or “Core FFO,” as defined below, are generally considered by management to be appropriate supplemental measures of our operating and financial performance.
Consistent with the definition adopted by the Board of Governors of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts® (“Nareit”), we calculate Funds from Operations Attributable to Common Stockholders ("FFO") as net income or loss attributable to common stockholders computed in accordance with GAAP, adjusted for:
•gains or losses on sales of previously depreciated operating communities;
•cumulative effect of change in accounting principle;
•impairment write-downs of depreciable real estate assets;
•write-downs of investments in affiliates due to a decrease in the value of depreciable real estate assets held by those affiliates;
•depreciation of real estate assets; and
•similar adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, including those from a change in control.
FFO can help with the comparison of the operating and financial performance of a real estate company between periods or as compared to different companies because the adjustments such as (i) excluding gains or losses on sales of previously depreciated property or (ii) real estate depreciation may impact comparability between companies as the amount and timing of these or similar items can vary among owners of identical assets in similar condition based on historical cost accounting and useful like estimates. By further adjusting for items that we do not consider part of our core business operations, Core FFO can help with the comparison of our core operating performance year over year. We believe that, in order to understand our operating results, FFO and Core FFO should be considered in conjunction with net income as presented in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income included elsewhere in this report.
We calculate Core FFO as FFO, adjusted for:
•joint venture gains (if not adjusted through FFO), non-core costs and promoted interests from partnerships;
•casualty and impairment losses or gains, net on non-depreciable real estate;
•gains or losses from early extinguishment of consolidated borrowings;
•expensed transaction, development and other pursuit costs, net of recoveries;
•third-party business interruption insurance proceeds and the related lost NOI that is covered by the expected third party business interruption insurance proceeds;
•property and casualty insurance proceeds and legal settlement activity;
•gains or losses on sales of assets not subject to depreciation and other investment gains or losses;
•advocacy contributions, representing payments to promote our business interests;
•hedge ineffectiveness or gains or losses from derivatives not designated as hedges for accounting purposes;
•expected credit losses associated with the lending commitments under the SIP;
•severance related costs;
•executive transition compensation costs;
•net for-sale condominium activity, including gains, marketing, operating and administrative costs and imputed carry cost; and
•income taxes.
FFO and Core FFO do not represent net income in accordance with GAAP, and therefore should not be considered an alternative to net income, which remains the primary measure, as an indication of our performance. In addition, FFO and Core FFO as calculated by other REITs may not be comparable to our calculations of FFO and Core FFO.
FFO and Core FFO also do not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP, and therefore should not be considered an alternative to net cash flows from operating activities, as determined by GAAP, as a measure of liquidity. Additionally, it is not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash needs. A presentation of GAAP-based cash flow metrics is included in our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report.
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The following is a reconciliation of net income attributable to common stockholders to FFO attributable to common stockholders and to Core FFO attributable to common stockholders for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts).
For the year ended December 31,
Distributions to noncontrolling interests 48 48
Gain on sale of previously depreciated real estate (555,558) (602,235)
Casualty loss on real estate — 3,119
Adjusting items:
Unconsolidated entity gains, net (1) (8,355) (14,870)
Joint venture promote (2) (4,690) —
Structured Investment Program loan reserve (3) 1,632 —
Loss on extinguishment of consolidated debt 1,646 17,787
Gain on interest rate contract (229) (2,654)
Advocacy contributions 634 59
Executive transition compensation costs 1,631 3,010
Gain on for-sale condominiums (5) (2,217) (3,110)
For-sale condominium imputed carry cost (6) 2,306 7,031
Gain on other real estate transactions, net (5,039) (2,097)
EPS per common share - diluted $ 8.12 $ 7.19
FFO per common share - diluted $ 9.67 $ 8.13
Core FFO per common share - diluted $ 9.79 $ 8.26
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(1) Amounts consist primarily of net unrealized gains on technology investments.
(2) Amount for 2022 is for our recognition of our promoted interest in the U.S. Fund.
(3) Amount for 2022 is the expected credit losses associated with the lending commitments under our SIP. The timing and amount of actual losses that will be incurred, if any, is to be determined.
(4) Amount for 2022 includes charges of $10,073 primarily related to development opportunities in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California that we determined are no longer probable.
(5) The aggregate impact of (i) gain on for-sale condominiums and (ii) for-sale condominium marketing, operating and administrative costs is a net gain of $88 for 2022, and a net expense of $977 for 2021.
(6) Represents the imputed carry cost of for-sale residential condominiums at The Park Loggia. We computed this adjustment by multiplying the total capitalized cost of completed and unsold for-sale residential condominiums by our weighted average unsecured debt rate.
(7) Amounts are primarily for the recognition of taxes associated with The Park Loggia and other TRS activity.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
We employ a disciplined approach to our liquidity and capital management. When we source capital, we take into account both our view of the most cost effective alternative available and our desire to maintain a balance sheet that provides us with flexibility. Our principal focus on near-term and intermediate-term liquidity is to ensure we have adequate capital to fund:
•development and redevelopment activity in which we are currently engaged or in which we plan to engage;
•the minimum dividend payments on our common stock required to maintain our REIT qualification under the Code;
•debt service and principal payments either at maturity or opportunistically before maturity;
•lending commitments under our SIP;
•normal recurring operating and corporate overhead expenses; and
•investment in our operating platform, including strategic investments.
Factors affecting our liquidity and capital resources are our cash flows from operations, financing activities and investing activities (including dispositions) as well as general economic and market conditions. Cash flows from operations are determined by: operating activities and factors including but not limited to (i) the number of apartment homes currently owned, (ii) rental rates, (iii) occupancy levels, (iv) uncollectible lease revenue levels or interruptions in collections caused by market conditions and (v) operating expenses with respect to apartment homes. The timing and type of capital markets activity in which we engage is affected by changes in the capital markets environment, such as changes in interest rates or the availability of cost-effective capital. Our plans for development, redevelopment, non-routine capital expenditure, acquisition and disposition activity are affected by market conditions and capital availability. We frequently review our liquidity needs, especially in periods with volatile market conditions, as well as the adequacy of cash flows from operations and other expected liquidity sources to meet these needs.
We had cash, cash equivalents and cash in escrow of $734,245,000 at December 31, 2022, an increase of $190,457,000 from $543,788,000 at December 31, 2021. The following discussion relates to changes in cash, cash equivalents and cash in escrow due to operating, investing and financing activities, which are presented in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows included elsewhere in this report.
Operating Activities—Net cash provided by operating activities increased to $1,421,932,000 in 2022 from $1,203,170,000 in 2021, primarily due to increases in rental income.
Investing Activities—Net cash used in investing activities totaled $560,419,000 in 2022. The net cash used was primarily due to:
•investment of $921,203,000 in the development and redevelopment of communities;
•acquisition of four wholly-owned communities for $536,838,000; and
•capital expenditures of $174,705,000 for our wholly-owned communities and non-real estate assets.
These amounts were partially offset by:
•net proceeds from the disposition of nine wholly-owned communities and ancillary real estateof $934,117,000; and
•net proceeds from the sale of for-sale residential condominiums of $117,266,000.
Financing Activities—Net cash used in financing activities totaled $671,056,000 in 2022. The net cash used was primarily due to:
•payment of cash dividends in the amount of $889,607,000;
•the repayment of the $100,000,000 variable rate unsecured term loan; and
•the mortgage note repayment and principal amortization payments in the amount of $43,332,000.
These amounts were partially offset by proceeds from the issuance of unsecured notes in the amount of $348,565,000.
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Commercial Paper Program
In March 2022, we established the Commercial Paper Program. Under the terms of the Commercial Paper Program, we may issue, from time to time, unsecured commercial paper notes with varying maturities of less than one year. Amounts available under the Commercial Paper Program may be issued, repaid and re-issued from time to time, with the maximum aggregate face or principal amount outstanding at any one time not to exceed $500,000,000. The Commercial Paper Program is backstopped by our commitment to maintain available borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility in an amount equal to actual borrowings under the Commercial Paper Program. As of January 31, 2023, we did not have any amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program.
Variable Rate Unsecured Credit Facility
In September 2022, we entered into the Sixth Amended and Restated Revolving Loan Agreement (the “Credit Facility”) with a syndicate of banks, which replaces our prior credit facility dated as of February 28, 2019. The amended and restated Credit Facility (i) increased the borrowing capacity from $1,750,000,000 to $2,250,000,000, (ii) extended the term of the Credit Facility from February 28, 2024 to September 27, 2026, with two six-month extension options available to us, provided we are not in default and upon payment of a $1,406,000 extension fee, (iii) amended certain provisions, notably to reduce the capitalization rate used to derive certain financial covenants from 6.0% to 5.75% and (iv) transitioned the benchmark rate from the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). We may elect to expand the Credit Facility to $3,000,000,000, provided that one or more banks (from the syndicate or otherwise) voluntarily agree to provide the additional commitment. No member of the syndicate of banks can prohibit the increase, which will only be effective to the extent banks (from the syndicate or otherwise) choose to commit to lend additional funds.
The interest rate applicable to borrowings under the Credit Facility is 5.14% at January 31, 2023 and is composed of (i) SOFR, applicable to the period of borrowing for a particular draw of funds from the facility (e.g., one month to maturity, three months to maturity, etc.), plus (ii) the current borrowing spread to SOFR of 0.825% per annum, which consists of a 0.10% SOFR adjustment plus 0.725% per annum, assuming a one month term SOFR borrowing rate. The borrowing spread to SOFR can vary from SOFR plus 0.65% to SOFR plus 1.40% based upon the rating of our unsecured and unsubordinated long-term indebtedness. There is also an annual facility commitment fee of 0.125% of the borrowing capacity under the facility, which can vary from 0.10% to 0.30% based upon the rating of our unsecured and unsubordinated long-term indebtedness. The Credit Facility contains a sustainability-linked pricing component which provides for interest rate margin and commitment fee reductions or increases by meeting or missing targets related to environmental sustainability, specifically greenhouse gas emission reductions, with the adjustment determined annually beginning in July 2023. The Credit Facility also contains a competitive bid option that is available for borrowings of up to 65% of the Credit Facility amount. This option allows banks that are part of the lender consortium to bid to provide us loans at a rate that is lower than the stated pricing provided by the Credit Facility. The competitive bid option may result in lower pricing than the stated rate if market conditions allow.
Prior to the amended and restated Credit Facility, our cost of borrowing was comprised of LIBOR plus 0.775% and an annual facility fee at 0.125%, both as determined by our credit ratings.
We did not have any borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility and after taking into account the Commercial Paper Program and $1,914,000 outstanding in letters of credit, we had $2,248,086,000 available under the Credit Facility as of January 31, 2023. We had $48,297,000 outstanding in additional letters of credit unrelated to the Credit Facility as of January 31, 2023.
Financial Covenants
We are subject to financial covenants contained in the Credit Facility and the Commercial Paper Program, Term Loan and the indentures under which our unsecured notes were issued. The principal financial covenants include the following:
•limitations on the amount of total and secured debt in relation to our overall capital structure;
•limitations on the amount of our unsecured debt relative to the undepreciated basis of real estate assets that are not encumbered by property-specific financing; and
•minimum levels of debt service coverage.
We were in compliance with these covenants at December 31, 2022.
In addition, some of our secured borrowings include yield maintenance, defeasance, or prepayment penalty provisions, which would result in us incurring an additional charge in the event of a full or partial prepayment of outstanding principal before the
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scheduled maturity. These provisions in our secured borrowings are generally consistent with other similar types of debt instruments issued during the same time period in which our borrowings were secured.
Continuous Equity Offering Program
In May 2019, we commenced CEP V under which we may sell (and/or enter into forward sale agreements for the sale of) up to $1,000,000,000 of our common stock from time to time. Actual sales will depend on a variety of factors to be determined, including market conditions, the trading price of our common stock and our determinations of the appropriate funding sources. We engaged sales agents for CEP V who receive compensation of up to 1.5% of the gross sales price for shares sold. We expect that, if entered into, we will physically settle each forward sale agreement on one or more dates prior to the maturity date of that particular forward sale agreement, and to receive aggregate net cash proceeds at settlement equal to the number of shares underlying the particular forward agreement multiplied by the forward sale price. However, we may also elect to cash settle or net share settle a forward sale agreement. In connection with each forward sale agreement, we will pay the forward seller, in the form of a reduced initial forward sale price, a commission of up to 1.5% of the sales prices of all borrowed shares of common stock sold. During 2022 and through January 31, 2023, we had no sales under this program. In October 2022, we settled the outstanding forward contracts entered into in December 2021 under CEP V, selling 68,577 shares of common stock for $229.34 per share and net proceeds of $15,727,000. As of January 31, 2023, we had $705,961,000 remaining authorized for issuance under this program.
Forward Equity Offering
In addition to CEP V, during the year ended December 31, 2022, we completed an underwritten public offering of 2,000,000 shares of common stock for an initial net forward sales price of $247.30 per share, after offering fees and discounts, offered in connection with forward contracts entered into with certain financial institutions acting as forward purchasers. Assuming full physical settlement of the forward contracts, which we expect to occur no later than December 31, 2023, we will receive approximate proceeds of $494,200,000 net of offering fees and discounts and based on the initial forward price. The final proceeds will be determined on the date(s) of settlement and are subject to certain customary adjustments for our dividends and a daily interest factor during the term of the forward contracts.
Interest Rate Swap Agreements
During the year ended December 31, 2022, related to the issuance of our $350,000,000 unsecured notes due 2033 in November 2022, we terminated $150,000,000 of forward interest swap agreements designated as cash flow hedges of the interest rate variability on the issuance of unsecured notes, receiving a net payment of $26,869,000. We have deferred these amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets, and are recognizing the impact as a component of interest expense, net, over the term of the respective hedged debt.
Stock Repurchase Program
In July 2020, our Board of Directors approved the 2020 Stock Repurchase Program. Purchases of common stock under the 2020 Stock Repurchase Program may be exercised at our discretion with the timing and number of shares repurchased depending on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements and other corporate liquidity requirements and priorities. The 2020 Stock Repurchase Program does not have an expiration date and may be suspended or terminated at any time without prior notice. During 2022 and through January 31, 2023, we had no repurchases of shares under this program. As of January 31, 2023, we had $316,148,000 remaining authorized for purchase under this program.
Future Financing and Capital Needs—Debt Maturities and Material Obligations
One of our principal long-term liquidity needs is the repayment of long-term debt at maturity. For both our unsecured and secured notes, a portion of the principal of these notes may be repaid prior to maturity. Early retirement of our unsecured or secured notes could result in gains or losses on extinguishment. If we do not have funds on hand sufficient to repay our indebtedness as it becomes due, it will be necessary for us to refinance or otherwise provide liquidity to satisfy the debt at maturity. This refinancing may be accomplished by uncollateralized private or public debt offerings, equity issuances, additional debt financing that is secured by mortgages on individual communities or groups of communities or borrowings under our Credit Facility or Commercial Paper Program. In addition, to the extent we have amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program, we are obligated to repay the short-term indebtedness at maturity through either current cash on hand or by incurring other indebtedness, including by way of borrowing under our Credit Facility. Although we believe we will have the capacity to meet our currently anticipated liquidity needs, we cannot assure you that capital from additional debt financing or debt or equity offerings will be available or, if available, that they will be on terms we consider satisfactory.
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The following debt activity occurred during 2022:
•In February 2022, we repaid our $100,000,000 variable rate unsecured term loan at par upon maturity.
•In September 2022, we repaid $35,276,000 principal amount of secured fixed rate debt with an effective rate of 6.16% in advance of the October 2047 scheduled maturity, recognizing a loss on debt extinguishment of $1,399,000, composed of prepayment penalties and the non-cash write off of unamortized deferred financing costs.
•In December 2022, we issued $350,000,000 principal amount of unsecured notes in a public offering under our existing shelf registration statement for proceeds net of underwriting fees of approximately $346,290,000, before considering the impact of other offering costs. The notes mature in February 2033 and were issued at a 5.00% interest rate, resulting in a 4.37% effective rate including the impact of issuance costs and hedging activity.
The following table details our consolidated debt obligations, including the effective interest rate and contractual maturity dates, and principal payments for periodic amortization and maturities for the next five years, excluding our Credit Facility and Commercial Paper Program and amounts outstanding related to communities classified as held for sale, for debt outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 2021 (dollars in thousands). We are not directly or indirectly (as borrower or guarantor) obligated in any material respect to pay principal or interest on the indebtedness of any unconsolidated entities in which we have an equity or other interest, other than as disclosed related to the AVA Arts District construction loan (see "Investments" for further discussion of the construction loan).
Tax-exempt bonds
Fixed rate
Avalon at Chestnut Hill — % Oct-2047 (3) $ 35,770 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ —
Variable rate
Conventional loans
Fixed rate
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Variable rate
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(1)Rates are as of December 31, 2022 and include credit enhancement fees, facility fees, trustees’ fees, the impact of interest rate hedges, offering costs, mark to market amortization and other fees.
(2)Balances outstanding represent total amounts due at maturity, and exclude deferred financing costs and debt discount for the unsecured notes of $47,695 and $50,606 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, deferred financing costs and debt discount associated with secured notes of $14,087 and $16,278 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, as reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheets included elsewhere in this report.
(3)During 2022, we repaid this borrowing in advance of its scheduled maturity date.
(4)Financed by variable rate debt, but interest rate is capped through an interest rate protection agreement.
(5)During 2022, we repaid this borrowing at its scheduled maturity date.
In addition to consolidated debt, we have scheduled contractual obligations associated with (i) ground leases for land underlying current operating or development communities and commercial and parking facilities and (ii) office leases for our corporate headquarters and regional offices of $15,905,000 for 2023, $15,631,000 for 2024 and $361,248,000 thereafter.
Future Financing and Capital Needs—Portfolio and Capital Markets Activity
We invest in various real estate and real estate related investments, which include (i) the acquisition, development and redevelopment of communities both wholly-owned and through the formation of joint ventures, (ii) other indirect investments in real estate through the SIP, all as further discussed below and (iii) investments in other real estate-related ventures through direct and indirect investments in property technology and environmentally focused companies and investment management funds.
In 2023, we expect to meet our liquidity needs from one or more of a variety of internal and external sources, which may include (i) the settlement of the outstanding forward equity contracts to sell 2,000,000 shares of our common stock, (ii) real estate dispositions, (iii) cash balances on hand as well as cash generated from our operating activities, (iv) borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility, (v) borrowings under the Commercial Paper Program and (vi) secured and unsecured debt financings. Additional sources of liquidity in 2023 may include the issuance of common and preferred equity, including the issuance of shares of our common stock under CEP V. Our ability to obtain additional financing will depend on a variety of factors, such as market conditions, the general availability of credit, the overall availability of credit to the real estate industry, our credit ratings and credit capacity, as well as the perception of lenders regarding our long or short-term financial prospects.
Before beginning new construction or reconstruction activity in 2023, including activity related to communities owned by unconsolidated joint ventures, we plan to source sufficient capital to complete these undertakings, although we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain such financing. In the event that financing cannot be obtained, we may abandon Development Rights, write off associated pre-development costs that were capitalized and/or forego reconstruction activity. In such instances, we will not realize the increased revenues and earnings that we expected from such Development Rights or reconstruction activity and significant losses could be incurred.
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From time to time we use joint ventures to hold or develop individual real estate assets. We generally employ joint ventures to mitigate asset concentration or market risk and secondarily as a source of liquidity. We may also use joint ventures related to mixed-use land development opportunities and new markets where our partners bring development and operational expertise and/or experience to the venture. Each joint venture or partnership agreement has been individually negotiated, and our ability to operate and/or dispose of a community in our sole discretion may be limited to varying degrees depending on the terms of the joint venture or partnership agreement. We cannot assure you that we will achieve our objectives through joint ventures.
In addition, we may invest, through mezzanine loans or other preferred equity investments, in multifamily development projects being undertaken by third parties. In these cases, we do not expect to acquire the underlying real estate but rather to earn a return on our investment (through interest or fixed rate preferred equity returns) and a return of the invested capital generally following completion of construction either on or before a set due date.
In evaluating our allocation of capital within our markets, we sell assets that do not meet our long-term investment criteria or when capital and real estate markets allow us to realize a portion of the value created over our ownership periods and redeploy the proceeds from those sales to develop and redevelop communities. Because the proceeds from the sale of communities may not be immediately redeployed into revenue-generating assets that we develop, redevelop or acquire, the immediate effect of a sale of a community for a gain is to increase net income, but reduce future total revenues, total expenses and NOI until such time as the proceeds have been redeployed into revenue generating assets. We believe that the temporary absence of future cash flows from communities sold will not have a material impact on our ability to fund future liquidity and capital resource needs.
Investments
We invest in consolidated real estate entities, unconsolidated investments in real estate ventures and direct and indirect investments in property technology and environmentally focused companies through investment management funds.
Consolidated Investments
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we acquired the following communities containing 16,000 square feet of commercial space (dollars in thousands). See Note 5, "Investments," of the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report for further discussion.
Community Name Location Apartmenthomes Purchase price
Avalon Flatirons Lafayette, CO 207 $ 95,000
Avalon Miramar Park Place Miramar, FL 650 295,000
Avalon Highland Creek Charlotte, NC 260 76,700
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we sold nine wholly-owned communities containing 2,062 apartment homes (dollars in thousands). See Note 6, "Real Estate Disposition Activities," of the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report for further discussion.
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Unconsolidated Investments
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we had the following investment activity related to our unconsolidated real estate and property technology and environmentally focused investments. See Note 5, "Investments," of the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report for further discussion.
•The U.S. Fund sold its final three communities for $313,500,000. Our proportionate share of the gain in accordance with GAAP was $38,144,000. The U.S. Fund repaid the $115,213,000 of outstanding secured indebtedness at par in advance of the scheduled maturity dates. In conjunction with the final dispositions, we achieved a threshold return resulting in an incentive distribution for the promoted interest based on the returns earned by the U.S. Fund. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized income of $4,690,000 for the promoted interest, which is reported as a component of income from investments in unconsolidated entities on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.
•Arts District Joint Venture was formed to develop, own, and operate AVA Arts District, an apartment community located in Los Angeles, CA, which is currently under construction and expected to contain 475 apartment homes and 56,000 square feet of commercial space when completed. We have a 25% ownership interest in the venture. As of December 31, 2022, excluding costs incurred in excess of equity in the underlying net assets of the venture, we have an equity investment of $28,660,000 in the venture. The remaining development costs, representing 60.0% of the total project cost, are expected to be funded by the venture's variable rate construction loan. The venture has drawn $86,664,000 of $167,147,000 maximum borrowing capacity of the construction loan as of December 31, 2022. While we guarantee the construction loan on behalf of the venture, any amounts due under the guarantee are obligations of the venture partners in proportion to ownership interest.
•Avalon Alderwood MF Member, LLC (“Avalon Alderwood Place”) was formed to develop, own, and operate Avalon Alderwood Place, an apartment community located in Lynnwood, WA, which completed development in 2022 and contains 328 apartment homes. We have a 50% ownership interest in the venture. As of December 31, 2022, we have an equity investment of $54,938,000 in the venture.