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
_________________________________
(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.
•We invested $18,714,000 in various property technology and environmentally focused companies directly and indirectly through investment management funds during the year ended December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2022, we have $34,299,000 of remaining equity commitments to contribute to these investment management funds, with the timing and amount for these commitments to be fulfilled dependent on if, and when, investment opportunities are identified by the respective funds. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized income and unrealized gains of $8,315,000 related to these investments, included as a component of income from investments in unconsolidated entities on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.
Structured Investment Program
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we entered into commitments under the SIP in our existing markets for three mezzanine loans of up to $92,375,000 in the aggregate. The mezzanine loans have a weighted average rate of return of 9.8%, and mature at various dates on or before June 2026. As of January 31, 2023, we have funded $34,046,000 of these commitments. See Note 5, "Investments," of the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report.
You should carefully review Part I, Item 1A. "Risk Factors" of this Form 10-K for a discussion of the risks associated with our investment activity.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify forward-looking statements by our use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “assume,” “project,” “plan,” “may,” “shall,” “will,” "pursue" and other similar expressions in this Form 10-K, that predict or indicate future events and trends and that do not report historical matters. These statements include, among other things, statements regarding our intent, belief or expectations with respect to:
•the impact of the Pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition;
•our potential development, redevelopment, acquisition or disposition of communities;
•the timing and cost of completion of apartment communities under construction, reconstruction, development or redevelopment;
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•the timing of lease-up, occupancy and stabilization of apartment communities;
•the timing and net sales proceeds of condominium sales;
•the pursuit of land on which we are considering future development;
•the anticipated operating performance of our communities;
•cost, yield, revenue, NOI and earnings estimates;
•the impact of landlord-tenant laws and rent regulations;
•our expansion into new markets;
•our declaration or payment of dividends;
•our joint venture and discretionary fund activities;
•our policies regarding investments, indebtedness, acquisitions, dispositions, financings and other matters;
•our qualification as a REIT under the Code;
•the real estate markets in Metro New York/New Jersey, Northern and Southern California, Denver, Colorado, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas and Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and markets in selected states in the Mid-Atlantic, New England and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States and in general;
•the availability of debt and equity financing;
•interest rates;
•general economic conditions, including the potential impacts from current economic conditions, including rising interest rates and general price inflation, and the Pandemic;
•trends affecting our financial condition or results of operations;
•adverse regulatory developments that may affect us; and
•the impact of legal proceedings.
We cannot assure the future results or outcome of the matters described in these statements; rather, these statements merely reflect our current expectations of the approximate outcomes of the matters discussed. We do not undertake a duty to update these forward-looking statements, and therefore they may not represent our estimates and assumptions after the date of this report. You should not rely on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. These risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should carefully review the discussion under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this report for further discussion of risks associated with forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties that might cause such differences include those related to the Pandemic, including, among other factors, (i) the Pandemic's effect on the multifamily industry and the general economy, including from measures taken by businesses and the government, such as governmental limitations on the ability of multifamily owners to evict residents who are delinquent in the payment of their rent and (ii) the preferences of consumers and businesses for living and working arrangements both during and after the Pandemic. In addition, the effects of the Pandemic are likely to heighten the following risks, which we routinely face in our business.
Some of the factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following:
•we may fail to secure development opportunities due to an inability to reach agreements with third parties to obtain land at attractive prices or to obtain desired zoning and other local approvals;
•we may abandon or defer development opportunities for a number of reasons, including changes in local market conditions which make development less desirable, increases in costs of development, increases in the cost of capital or lack of capital availability, resulting in losses;
•construction costs of a community may exceed our original estimates;
•we may not complete construction and lease-up of communities under development or redevelopment on schedule, resulting in increased interest costs and construction costs and a decrease in our expected rental revenues;
•the timing and net proceeds of condominium sales at The Park Loggia may not equal our current expectations;
•occupancy rates and market rents may be adversely affected by competition and local economic and market conditions which are beyond our control;
•financing may not be available on favorable terms or at all, and our cash flows from operations and access to cost effective capital may be insufficient for the development of our pipeline, which could limit our pursuit of opportunities;
•the impact of new landlord-tenant laws and rent regulations may be greater than we expect;
•our cash flows may be insufficient to meet required payments of principal and interest, and we may be unable to refinance existing indebtedness or the terms of such refinancing may not be as favorable as the terms of existing indebtedness;
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•we may be unsuccessful in our management of joint ventures and the REIT vehicles that are used with certain joint ventures;
•laws and regulations implementing rent control or rent stabilization, or otherwise limiting our ability to increase rents, charge fees or evict tenants, may impact our revenue or increase our costs;
•our expectations, estimates and assumptions as of the date of this filing regarding legal proceedings are subject to change;
•the possibility that we may choose to pay dividends in our stock instead of cash, which may result in stockholders having to pay taxes with respect to such dividends in excess of the cash received, if any; and
•investments made under the SIP in either mezzanine debt or preferred equity of third-party multifamily development may not be repaid as expected or the development may not be completed on schedule, which could require us to engage in litigation, foreclosure actions, and/or first party project completion to recover our investment, which may not be recovered in full or at all in such event.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to use judgment in the application of accounting policies, including making estimates and assumptions. If our judgment or interpretation of the facts and circumstances relating to various transactions had been different, or different assumptions were made, it is possible that different accounting policies would have been applied, resulting in different financial results or a different presentation of our financial statements. Below is a discussion of the accounting policies that we consider critical to an understanding of our financial condition and operating results that may require complex or significant judgment in their application or require estimates about matters which are inherently uncertain. A discussion of our significant accounting policies, including further discussion of the accounting policies described below, can be found in Note 1, “Organization, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies,” of our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Cost Capitalization
We capitalize costs during the development of assets. Capitalization begins when we determine that development of a future asset is probable and continues until the asset, or a portion of the asset, is delivered and is ready for its intended use. For redevelopment efforts, we capitalize costs either (i) in advance of taking apartment homes out of service when significant renovation of the common area has begun and continue until the redevelopment is completed, or (ii) when an apartment home is taken out of service for redevelopment and continue until the redevelopment is completed and the apartment home is available for a new resident. Rental income and operating expenses incurred during the initial lease-up or post-redevelopment lease-up period are fully recognized in earnings as they accrue.
During the development and redevelopment efforts we capitalize all direct costs and indirect costs which have been incurred as a result of the development and redevelopment activities. These costs include interest and related loan fees, property taxes as well as other direct and indirect costs. Interest is capitalized for any project-specific financing, as well as for general corporate financing to the extent of our aggregate investment in the projects. Indirect project costs, which include personnel and office and administrative costs that are clearly associated with our development and redevelopment efforts, are also capitalized. Capitalized indirect costs associated with our development and redevelopment activities are comprised primarily of compensation related costs for associates dedicated to our development and redevelopment efforts and total $50,039,000 and $46,263,000 for 2022 and 2021, respectively. The estimation of the direct and indirect costs to capitalize as part of our development and redevelopment activities requires judgment and, as such, we believe cost capitalization to be a critical accounting estimate.
There may be a change in our operating expenses in the event that there are changes in accounting guidance governing capitalization or changes to our levels of development or redevelopment activity. If changes in the accounting guidance limit our ability to capitalize costs or if we reduce our development and redevelopment activities without a corresponding decrease in indirect project costs, there may be an increase in our operating expenses.
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We capitalize pre-development costs incurred in pursuit of Development Rights. These costs include legal fees, design fees and related overhead costs. Future development of these pursuits is dependent upon various factors, including zoning and regulatory approval, rental market conditions, construction costs and availability of capital. Pre-development costs incurred for pursuits 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 capitalized pre-development costs are written off with a charge to expense.
Due to the subjectivity in determining whether a pursuit will result in the development of an apartment community, and therefore should be capitalized, the accounting for pursuit costs is a critical accounting estimate. As of December 31, 2022, capitalized pursuit costs associated with Development Rights totaled $58,489,000.
Abandoned Pursuit Costs & Asset Impairment
We evaluate our direct and indirect investments in real estate and other long-lived assets for impairment when potential indicators of impairment exist. If events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a property may not be recoverable, we assess its recoverability by comparing the carrying amount of the property to its estimated undiscounted future cash flows. If the carrying amount exceeds the aggregate undiscounted future cash flows, we recognize an impairment loss to the extent the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value of the property. We assess land held for development for impairment if our intent changes with respect to the development of the land. We evaluate our unconsolidated investments for impairment, considering both the carrying value of the investment, estimated expected proceeds that it would receive if the entity were dissolved and the net assets were liquidated, as well as our proportionate share of any impairment of assets held by unconsolidated investments.
The assessment of impairment can involve subjectivity in determining if indicators are present and in estimating the future undiscounted cash flows or the fair value of an asset. Estimates of the undiscounted cash flows are sensitive to significant assumptions including future rental revenues, operating expenses, and our intent and ability to hold the related asset, which could be impacted by our expectations about the future.
We expense costs related to abandoned pursuits, which include the abandonment of Development Rights and disposition pursuits. These costs can vary greatly, and the costs incurred in any given period may be significantly different in future years.
Our focus on value creation through real estate development presents an impairment risk in the event of a future deterioration of the real estate and/or capital markets or a decision by us to reduce or cease development. We cannot predict the occurrence of future events that may cause an impairment assessment to be performed, or the likelihood of any future impairment charges, if any. You should also review Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K.
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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are exposed to market risks from our financial instruments primarily from changes in market interest rates. Our financial instruments do not expose us to significant risk from foreign currency exchange rates or commodity or equity prices. We monitor interest rate risk as an integral part of our overall risk management, which recognizes the unpredictability of financial markets and seeks to reduce the potentially adverse effect on our results of operations. Our operating results are affected by changes in interest rates, primarily in short-term SOFR and the SIFMA index as a result of borrowings under our Credit Facility and Commercial Paper Program, outstanding bonds and unsecured notes with variable interest rates. In addition, the fair value of our fixed rate unsecured and secured notes are impacted by changes in market interest rates.
We currently use interest rate protection agreements in the form of interest rate cap agreements for our risk management objectives, as well as for compliance with the requirements of certain lenders, and not for trading or speculative purposes. In addition, we may use interest rate swap agreements for our risk management objectives. During the year ended December 31, 2022, in connection with 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.
In addition, we have interest rate caps that serve to effectively limit the amount of interest rate expense we would incur on a floating rate borrowing. Further discussion of the financial instruments impacted and our exposure is presented below.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had $607,150,000 and $714,150,000, respectively, in variable rate debt outstanding, with no amounts outstanding under our Credit Facility or Commercial Paper Program. If interest rates on the variable rate debt had been 100 basis points higher throughout 2022 and 2021, our annual interest incurred would have increased by approximately $6,850,000 and $7,716,000, respectively, based on balances outstanding during the applicable years.
Because the counterparties providing the interest rate cap and swap agreements are major financial institutions which have an A or better credit rating by the Standard & Poor's Ratings Group, we do not believe there is exposure at this time to a default by a counterparty provider.
In addition, changes in interest rates affect the fair value of our fixed rate debt, computed using quoted market prices for our unsecured notes or a discounted cash flow model for our secured notes, considering our current market yields, which impacts the fair value of our aggregate indebtedness. Debt securities and notes payable (including amounts outstanding under our Credit Facility and Commercial Paper Program) with an aggregate principal amount outstanding of $8,377,827,000 at December 31, 2022 had an estimated aggregate fair value of $7,207,272,000 at December 31, 2022. Contractual fixed rate debt represented $6,887,811,000 of the fair value at December 31, 2022. If interest rates had been 100 basis points higher as of December 31, 2022, the fair value of this fixed rate debt would have decreased by approximately $463,553,000.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The response to this Item 8 is included as a separate section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. See Item 15.
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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a)Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as of the end of the period covered by this report, the Company carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of the Company's management, including the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms. We continue to review and document our disclosure controls and procedures, including our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting, and may from time to time make changes aimed at enhancing their effectiveness and to ensure that our systems evolve with our business.
(b)Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 based on the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on that evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.
Our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which is included elsewhere herein.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
Not applicable.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information required by Item 10 pertaining to directors and executive officers of the Company and the Company's Code of Conduct is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the year covered by this Form 10-K with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held on May 24, 2023.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information required by Item 11 pertaining to executive compensation is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the year covered by this Form 10-K with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held on May 24, 2023.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The information required by Item 12 pertaining to security ownership of management and certain beneficial owners of the Company's common stock is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the year covered by this Form 10-K with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held on May 24, 2023, to the extent not set forth below.
The Company maintains the Second Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2009 Plan”) and the 1996 Non-Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), pursuant to which common stock or other equity awards may be issued or granted to eligible persons.
The following table gives information about equity awards under the 2009 Plan and the ESPP as of December 31, 2022:
(a) (b) (c)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders (4) — N/A 592,075
_________________________________
(1) Consists of the 2009 Plan.
(2) Includes 64,598 deferred restricted stock units granted under the 2009 Plan, which, subject to vesting requirements, will convert in the future to common stock on a one-for-one basis. Also includes the maximum number of shares that may be issued upon settlement of outstanding Performance Awards awarded to officers and maturing on December 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Does not include 188,084 shares of restricted stock that are outstanding and that are already reflected in the Company's outstanding shares.
(3) Excludes performance awards and deferred units granted under the 2009 Plan, which, subject to vesting requirements, will convert in the future to common stock on a one-for-one basis.
(4) Consists of the ESPP.
The ESPP, which was adopted by the Board of Directors on October 29, 1996, has not been approved by our shareholders. A further description of the ESPP appears in Note 9, “Stock-Based Compensation Plans,” of the Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Item 8 of this report.
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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information required by Item 13 pertaining to certain relationships and related transactions is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the year covered by this Form 10-K with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 24, 2023.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by Item 14 pertaining to the fees paid to and services provided by the Company's principal accountant is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the year covered by this Form 10-K with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 24, 2023. Our independent public accounting firm is Ernst & Young LLP, Tysons, Virginia, PCAOB Auditor ID 42.
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PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE
15(a)(1) Financial Statements
Index to Financial Statements
Consolidated Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedule:
Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-1
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 F-4
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-10
15(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedule
Schedule III—Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation F-39
15(a)(3) Exhibits
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
Not Applicable.
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit No. Description
58
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59
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21.1 — Schedule of Subsidiaries of the Company. (Filed herewith.)
23.1 — Consent of Ernst & Young LLP. (Filed herewith.)
_______________________________________________________________________________
+ Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to this Form 10-K pursuant to Item 15(a)(3) of Form 10-K.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ BENJAMIN W. SCHALL
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ BENJAMIN W. SCHALL
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ KEVIN P. O’SHEA
Kevin P. O’Shea, Chief Financial Officer(Principal Financial Officer)
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ KERI A. SHEA
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ GLYN F. AEPPEL
Glyn F. Aeppel, Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ TERRY S. BROWN
Terry S. Brown, Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ ALAN B. BUCKELEW
Alan B. Buckelew, Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ RONALD L. HAVNER, JR.
Ronald L. Havner, Jr., Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ STEPHEN P. HILLS
Stephen P. Hills, Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ CHRISTOPHER B. HOWARD
Christopher B. Howard, Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ RICHARD J. LIEB
Richard J. Lieb, Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ NNENNA LYNCH
Nnenna Lynch, Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ CHARLES E. MUELLER, JR.
Charles E. Mueller, Jr., Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ TIMOTHY J. NAUGHTON
Timothy J. Naughton, Director (Chairman of the Board of Directors)
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ SUSAN SWANEZY
Susan Swanezy, Director
Date: February 24, 2023 By: /s/ W. EDWARD WALTER
W. Edward Walter, Director
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income, equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a)(2) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 24, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the account or disclosure to which it relates.
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Valuation of Deferred Development Costs and Land Held for Development
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2002.
Tysons, Virginia
February 24, 2023
F-2
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited AvalonBay Communities, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income, equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a)(2) and our report dated February 24, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting in Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Tysons, Virginia
February 24, 2023
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AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
ASSETS
Real estate:
Real estate assets held for sale, net — 17,065
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Variable rate unsecured credit facility and commercial paper — —
Liabilities related to real estate assets held for sale — 304
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests 2,685 3,368
Equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 1,424 (26,106)
Noncontrolling interests 77 566
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
For the year ended December 31,
Revenue:
Expenses:
Casualty loss — 3,119 —
Gain on other real estate transactions, net 5,039 2,097 440
Net for-sale condominium activity 88 (977) 2,551
Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests 337 (57) (76)
Other comprehensive income:
Cash flow hedge losses reclassified to earnings 3,883 13,151 8,984
Earnings per common share - basic:
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 8.13 $ 7.19 $ 5.89
Earnings per common share - diluted:
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 8.12 $ 7.19 $ 5.89
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY
(Dollars in thousands)
Cash flow hedge losses reclassified to earnings — — — — — — 8,984 8,984 — 8,984
Gain on cash flow hedges, net — — — — — — 993 993 — 993
Cash flow hedge losses reclassified to earnings — — — — — — 3,883 3,883 — 3,883
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, INC
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Dollars in thousands)
For the year ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities:
Real estate casualty loss — 1,723 —
Unrealized gain on terminated cash flow hedges — (2,654) (2,894)
Cash flow hedge losses reclassified to earnings 3,883 7,887 8,984
Gain on sale of for-sale condominiums (2,217) (3,110) (8,213)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Increase (decrease) in payables for construction 9,080 (29,887) 1,474
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repurchase of common stock, net — — (183,876)
Issuance of mortgage notes payable — — 51,000
Acquisition of/payments to noncontrolling interest (997) (55) (68)
Distributions to DownREIT partnership unitholders (48) (48) (48)
Distributions to joint venture and profit-sharing partners (376) (306) (384)
Preferred interest obligation redemption and dividends (860) (1,340) (1,000)
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and cash in escrow reported with the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (dollars in thousands):
For the year ended December 31,
Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing and financing activities:
During the year ended December 31, 2022:
•As described in Note 4, “Equity,” the Company issued 140,528 shares of common stock as part of the Company's stock-based compensation plans, of which 54,053 shares related to the conversion of performance awards to restricted shares of common stock, and the remaining 86,475 shares valued at $20,056,000 were issued in connection with new stock grants; 2,810 shares valued at $593,000 were issued through the Company’s dividend reinvestment plan; 72,783 shares valued at $16,989,000 were withheld to satisfy employees’ tax withholding and other liabilities; and 3,701 restricted shares with an aggregate value of $791,000 previously issued in connection with employee compensation were canceled upon forfeiture.
•Common stock dividends declared but not paid totaled $224,222,000.
•The Company recorded an increase of $105,000 in redeemable noncontrolling interest with a corresponding decrease to accumulated earnings less dividends to adjust the redemption value associated with the put options held by joint venture partners and DownREIT partnership units.
•The Company reclassified $3,883,000 of cash flow hedge losses from other comprehensive income (loss) to interest expense, net, to record the impact of the Company's derivative and hedging activity.
During the year ended December 31, 2021:
•The Company issued 155,836 shares of common stock as part of the Company's stock based compensation plans, of which 56,545 shares related to the conversion of performance awards to restricted shares of common stock, and the remaining 99,291 shares valued at $17,757,000 were issued in connection with new stock grants; 2,844 shares valued at $566,000 were issued through the Company’s dividend reinvestment plan; 75,780 shares valued at $13,463,000 were withheld to satisfy employees’ tax withholding and other liabilities; and 4,109 restricted shares with an aggregate value of $804,000 previously issued in connection with employee compensation were canceled upon forfeiture.
•Common stock dividends declared but not paid totaled $224,012,000.
•The Company recorded an increase of $1,022,000 in redeemable noncontrolling interest with a corresponding decrease to accumulated earnings less dividends to adjust the redemption value associated with the put options held by joint venture partners and DownREIT partnership units.
•The Company recorded (i) an increase to prepaid expenses and other assets of $3,204,000, and a corresponding adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive loss and (ii) reclassified $7,887,000 and $5,264,000 of cash flow hedge losses from other comprehensive income (loss) to interest expense, net, and loss on extinguishment of debt, net, respectively, to record the impact of the Company's derivative and hedging activity.
During the year ended December 31, 2020:
•The Company issued 165,545 shares of common stock as part of the Company's stock based compensation plans, of which 96,317 shares related to the conversion of performance awards to restricted shares of common stock, and the remaining 69,228 shares valued at $15,305,000 were issued in connection with new stock grants; 2,747 shares valued at $458,000 were issued through the Company’s dividend reinvestment plan; 74,173 shares valued at $14,919,000 were withheld to satisfy employees’ tax withholding and other liabilities; and 7,683 restricted shares with an aggregate value of $1,240,000 previously issued in connection with employee compensation were canceled upon forfeiture.
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•Common stock dividends declared but not paid totaled $223,262,000.
•The Company recorded a decrease of $210,000 in redeemable noncontrolling interest with a corresponding increase to accumulated earnings less dividends to adjust the redemption value associated with the put options held by joint venture partners and DownREIT partnership units.
•The Company recorded (i) an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $4,308,000 and recorded an increase of $1,413,000 to other comprehensive income and (ii) reclassified $8,984,000 of cash flow hedge losses from other comprehensive income to interest expense, net, to record the impact of the Company’s derivative and hedging activity.
•The Company recorded $46,875,000 of lease liabilities and offsetting right of use lease assets related to the execution of two new office leases.
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Organization, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
Organization and Basis of Presentation
AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (the “Company,” which term, unless the context otherwise requires, refers to AvalonBay Communities, Inc. together with its subsidiaries), is a Maryland corporation that has elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for federal income tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Company focuses on the development, redevelopment, acquisition, ownership and operation of multifamily communities in New England, the New York/New Jersey metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the Company's expansion markets of Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado.
At December 31, 2022, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 294 operating apartment communities containing 88,475 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 18 communities were under development and one was under redevelopment. The Company also owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in land or rights to land on which the Company expects to develop an additional 39 communities that, if developed as expected, will contain an estimated 13,312 apartment homes (unaudited).
Capitalized terms used without definition have meanings provided elsewhere in this Form 10-K.
Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, certain joint venture partnerships, subsidiary partnerships structured as DownREITs and any variable interest entities that qualify for consolidation. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The Company accounts for joint venture entities and subsidiary partnerships in accordance with the consolidation guidance. The Company evaluates the partnership of each joint venture entity and determines first whether to follow the variable interest entity (“VIE”) or the voting interest entity (“VOE”) model. Once the appropriate consolidation model is identified, the Company then evaluates whether it should consolidate the venture. Under the VIE model, the Company consolidates an investment when it has control to direct the activities of the venture and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The Company's maximum exposure for its VIEs is limited to its investments in the respective VIEs. Under the VOE model, the Company consolidates an investment when (i) it controls the investment through ownership of a majority voting interest if the investment is not a limited partnership or (ii) it controls the investment through its ability to remove the other partners in the investment, at its discretion, when the investment is a limited partnership.
The Company generally uses the equity method of accounting for its investment in joint ventures, including when the Company holds a noncontrolling limited partner interest in a joint venture. Any investment in excess of the Company's cost basis at acquisition or formation of an equity method venture, will be recorded as a component of the Company's investment in the joint venture and recognized over the life of the underlying fixed assets of the venture as a reduction to its equity in income from the venture. Investments in which the Company has little or no influence are accounted for using the measurement alternative with the carrying amount of the investment adjusted to fair value when there is an observable transaction indicating a change in fair value.
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Real Estate
Operating real estate assets are stated at cost and consist of land and improvements, buildings and improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, and other costs incurred during their development, redevelopment and acquisition. Significant expenditures which improve or extend the life of an existing asset and that will benefit the Company for periods greater than a year, are capitalized. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred.
Project costs related to the development, construction and redevelopment of real estate projects (including interest and related loan fees, property taxes and other direct costs) are capitalized as a cost of the project. Indirect project costs that relate to several projects are capitalized and allocated to the projects to which they relate. Indirect costs not clearly related to development, construction and redevelopment activity are expensed as incurred. For development, capitalization (i) begins when the Company has determined that development of the future asset is probable, (ii) can be suspended if there is no current development activity underway, but future development is still probable and (iii) ends when the asset, or a portion of an asset, is delivered and is ready for its intended use, or the Company's intended use changes such that capitalization is no longer appropriate.
For land parcels improved with operating real estate, for which the Company intends to pursue development, the Company generally manages the current improvements until such time as all tenant obligations have been satisfied or eliminated through negotiation, and construction of new apartment communities is ready to begin. Revenue from incidental operations received from the current improvements on land parcels in excess of any incremental costs are recorded as a reduction of total capitalized costs of the respective Development Right and not as part of net income. Incidental operating costs in excess of incidental operating income are expensed in the period incurred.
For redevelopment efforts, the Company capitalizes costs either (i) in advance of taking homes out of service when significant renovation of the common area has begun until the redevelopment is completed, or (ii) when an apartment home is taken out of service for redevelopment until the redevelopment is completed and the apartment home is available for a new resident. Rental income and operating costs incurred during the initial lease-up or post-redevelopment lease-up period are recognized in earnings as incurred.
The Company accounts for acquisitions of real estate in accordance with the authoritative guidance for the initial measurement, which first requires that the Company determine if the real estate investment is the acquisition of an asset or a business combination. Under either model, the Company must identify and determine the fair value of any assets acquired, liabilities assumed and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree. The Company generally views acquisitions of individual operating communities as asset acquisitions, which results in the capitalization of acquisition costs and the allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, based on the relative fair value of the respective assets and liabilities. For a business combination, the Company records the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on the fair value of each respective item and expenses all applicable acquisition costs.
Typical assets acquired and liabilities assumed include land, building, furniture, fixtures and equipment, debt and identified intangible assets and liabilities, consisting of the value of above or below market leases and in-place leases. In making estimates of fair values for purposes of allocating purchase price, the Company utilizes various sources, including its own analysis of recently acquired and existing comparable properties in its portfolio and other market data. The purchase price allocation to tangible assets is reflected in real estate assets and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Any purchase price allocation to intangible assets, other than in-place lease intangibles, is included in prepaid expenses and other assets on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and amortized over the term of the acquired intangible asset. The Company values land based on a market approach, looking to recent sales of similar properties, adjusting for differences due to location, the state of entitlement as well as the shape and size of the parcel. Improvements to land are valued using a replacement cost approach and consider the structures and amenities included for the communities and is reduced by estimated depreciation. The value for furniture, fixtures and equipment is also determined based on a replacement cost approach, considering costs for both items in the apartment homes as well as common areas and is adjusted for estimated depreciation. The fair value of buildings is estimated using the replacement cost approach, assuming the buildings were vacant at acquisition. The replacement cost approach considers the composition of structures acquired, adjusted for depreciation which considers industry standard information and estimated useful life of the acquired property. The value of the lease-related intangibles considers the estimated cost of leasing the apartment homes as if the acquired building(s) were vacant, as well as the value of the current leases relative to market-rate leases. The in-place lease value is determined using an average total lease-up time, the number of apartment homes and net revenues generated during the lease-up time. Net revenues use market rent considering actual leasing and industry rental rate data. The value of current leases relative to a market-rate lease is based on market comparables. Given the heterogeneous nature of multifamily real estate, the fair values for the land, debt, real estate assets and in-place leases incorporate significant unobservable inputs and therefore are considered to be Level 3 prices within the fair value hierarchy. Consideration for acquisitions is typically in the form of cash unless otherwise disclosed.
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Depreciation is generally calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which for buildings and related improvements range from seven years to 30 years and for furniture, fixtures and equipment range from three years to seven years.
For-Sale Condominium Inventory
The Company presents for-sale condominium inventory at historical cost and evaluates the condominiums for impairment when potential indicators exist, as further discussed under "Casualty and Impairment of Long-Lived Assets" below.
Income Taxes
The Company elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes for its tax year ended December 31, 1994 and has not revoked such election. A REIT is a corporate entity which holds real estate interests and can deduct from its federally taxable income qualifying dividends it pays if it meets a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that it distribute at least 90% of its adjusted taxable income to stockholders. Therefore, as a REIT, the Company generally will not be subject to corporate level federal income tax on its taxable income if it annually distributes 100% of its taxable income to its stockholders.
The states in which the Company operates have similar tax provisions which recognize the Company as a REIT for state income tax purposes. Management believes that all such conditions for the exemption from income taxes on ordinary income have been or will be met for the periods presented. Accordingly, no provision for federal and state income taxes has been made. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, it will be subject to federal corporate income taxes at regular corporate rates and may not be able to qualify as a corporate REIT for four subsequent taxable years. Even if the Company qualifies for taxation as a REIT, the Company may be subject to certain state and local taxes on its income and property, and to federal income and excise taxes on its undistributed taxable income and in certain other instances.
Taxable income from activities performed through taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”) is subject to federal, state and local income taxes. The Company recognized income tax expense of $14,646,000 and $5,733,000 in 2022 and 2021, respectively, and recorded an income tax benefit of $3,247,000 in 2020 related to its activities through its TRSs. The income tax expense in 2022 and 2021 was primarily due to the activity at The Park Loggia and other TRS activity. During 2020, the income tax expense was offset by net operating loss carryback provisions under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not have any unrecognized tax positions. The Company does not believe that there will be any material changes in its unrecognized tax positions over the next 12 months. The Company is subject to examination by the respective taxing authorities for the tax years 2019 through 2021.
The following summarizes the tax components of the Company's common dividends declared for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (unaudited):
Deferred Financing Costs
Deferred financing costs include expenditures necessary to obtain debt financing and are amortized on a straight-line basis, which approximates the effective interest method, over the shorter of the loan term or the related credit enhancement facility, if applicable. Unamortized financing costs are charged to earnings when debt is retired before the maturity date. Accumulated amortization of deferred financing costs for unsecured notes was $29,815,000 and $23,705,000 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and related to mortgage notes payable was $2,040,000 and $2,300,000 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Deferred financing costs, except for costs associated with line-of-credit arrangements, are presented as a direct deduction from the related debt liability. Accumulated amortization of deferred financing costs for the Company's Credit Facility was $11,222,000 and $15,187,000 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and deferred financing costs net of accumulated amortization was included in prepaid expenses and other assets on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.
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Cash, Cash Equivalents and Cash in Escrow
Cash and cash equivalents includes all cash and liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less from the date acquired. Cash in escrow includes principal reserve funds that are restricted for the repayment of specified secured financing and amounts the Company has designated for planned 1031 exchange activity. The majority of the Company's cash, cash equivalents and cash in escrow are held at major commercial banks.
Interest Rate Contracts
The Company utilizes derivative financial instruments to manage interest rate risk. See Note 11, “Fair Value,” for further discussion of derivative financial instruments.
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive income, as reflected on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, is defined as all changes in equity during each period except for those resulting from investments by or distributions to shareholders. Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), as reflected on the Consolidated Statements of Equity, reflects the effective portion of the cumulative changes in the fair value of derivatives in qualifying cash flow hedge relationships.
Earnings per Common Share
Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. All outstanding unvested restricted share awards contain rights to non-forfeitable dividends and participate in undistributed earnings with common shareholders and, accordingly, are considered participating securities that are included in the two-class method of computing basic earnings per share (“EPS”). Both the unvested restricted shares and other potentially dilutive common shares, and the related impact to earnings, are considered when calculating earnings per share on a diluted basis. The Company's earnings per common share are determined as follows (dollars in thousands, except per share data):