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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Overview

An investment in our securities involves various risks. Investors should carefully consider the risks set forth below together with other information contained in this Report. These risks are not the only ones that we may face. Additional risks not presently known to us, or that we currently consider immaterial, may also impair our business, financial condition, operating results and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Risks Related to our Business and Operations

Adverse macroeconomic and business conditions may significantly and negatively affect our rental rates, occupancy levels and therefore our results of operations.

We are susceptible to the effects of adverse macro-economic events that can result in higher unemployment, shrinking demand for products, large-scale business failures and tight credit markets. Our results of operations are sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that impact consumer spending, including discretionary spending, as well as to increased bad debts due to recessionary pressures. Adverse economic conditions affecting disposable consumer income, such as employment levels, business conditions, inflation, interest rates, tax rates and fuel and energy costs, could reduce consumer spending or cause consumers to shift their spending to other products and services. A general reduction in the level of discretionary spending or shifts in consumer discretionary spending could adversely affect our growth and profitability.

It is difficult to determine the breadth and duration of economic and financial market disruptions and the many ways in which they may affect our customers and our business in general. Nonetheless, financial and macroeconomic disruptions could have a significant adverse effect on our sales, profitability and results of operations.

Our financial performance is dependent upon economic and other conditions of the markets in which our stores are located.

We are susceptible to adverse developments in the markets in which we operate, such as business layoffs or downsizing, industry slowdowns, relocations of businesses, changing demographics and other factors. Our stores in New York, Florida, Texas and California accounted for approximately 19%, 15%, 9% and 8%, respectively, of our total 2021 revenues. As a result of this geographic concentration of our stores, we are particularly susceptible to adverse market conditions in these areas. Any adverse economic or real estate developments in these markets, or in any of the other markets in which we operate, or any decrease in demand for self-storage space resulting from the local business climate, could adversely affect our rental revenues, which could impair our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and pay distributions to our shareholders.

Our business, financial condition,results of operations and share price have, and may continue to be, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and such impact could be materially adverse.

Since the first quarter of 2020, the world has been impacted by the spread of a novel strain of coronavirus and its variants and the disease that it causes known as COVID-19, which has resulted in global business disruptions and significant volatility in U.S. and international debt and equity markets. There continues to be significant uncertainty around the breadth and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19, as well as its impact on the U.S. economy. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately impacts our business, results of operations, financial condition and share price will depend on numerous evolving factors, including, among others: the duration and scope of the pandemic; actions that have been and continue to be taken by governmental entities, individuals and businesses in response to the pandemic; the impact on economic activity from the pandemic and actions taken in response thereto; the impact on capital availability and costs of capital; the impact on our employees any other operational disruptions or difficulties we may face; and, the effect on our customers and their ability to make rental payments. Any of these events, individually or in aggregate, could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and share price.

We face risks associated with property acquisitions.

We intend to continue to acquire individual and portfolios of self-storage properties. The purchase agreements that we enter into in connection with acquisitions typically contain closing conditions that need to be satisfied before the acquisitions can be consummated. The satisfaction of many of these conditions is outside of our control, and we therefore cannot assure that any of our pending or future acquisitions will be consummated. These conditions include, among other things, satisfactory examination of the title, zoning and entitlements to the properties, the ability to obtain title insurance and customary closing deliverables and conditions. Moreover, in the

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event we are unable to complete pending or future acquisitions, we may have incurred significant legal, accounting, due diligence and other transaction costs in connection with such acquisitions without realizing the expected benefits.

Those acquisitions that we do consummate would increase our size and may potentially alter our capital structure. Although we believe that future acquisitions that we complete will enhance our financial performance, the success of acquisitions is subject to the risks that:

● acquisitions may fail to perform as expected;

● we may be unable to obtain acquisition financing on favorable terms;

In addition, we often do not obtain third-party appraisals of acquired properties and instead rely on internal value determinations.

We will incur costs and will face integration challenges when we acquire additional stores.

As we acquire or develop additional self-storage properties and bring additional self-storage properties onto our third-party management platform, we will be subject to risks associated with integrating and managing new stores, including customer retention and mortgage default risks. In the case of a large portfolio purchase, we could experience strains in our existing systems and management capacities. In addition, acquisitions or developments may cause disruptions in our operations and divert management’s attention away from day-to-day operations. Furthermore, our income may decline because we will be required to depreciate/amortize in future periods costs for acquired real property and intangible assets. Our failure to successfully integrate any future acquisitions into our portfolio could have an adverse effect on our operating costs and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

The acquisition of new stores that lack operating history with us will make it more difficult to predict revenue potential.

We intend to continue to acquire individual and portfolios of self-storage properties. These acquisitions could fail to perform in accordance with expectations. If we fail to accurately estimate occupancy levels, rental rates, operating costs or costs of improvements to bring an acquired store up to the standards established for our intended market position, the performance of the store may be below expectations. Acquired stores may have characteristics or deficiencies affecting their valuation or revenue potential that we have not yet discovered. We cannot assure that the performance of stores acquired by us will increase or be maintained under our management.

Our development activities may be more costly or difficult to complete than we anticipate.

We intend to continue to develop self-storage properties where market conditions warrant such investment. Once made, these investments may not produce results in accordance with our expectations. Risks associated with development and construction activities include:

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We depend on external sources of capital that are outside of our control; the unavailability of capital from external sources could adversely affect our ability to acquire or develop stores, satisfy our debt obligations and/or make distributions to shareholders.

We depend on external sources of capital to fund acquisitions and development, to satisfy our debt obligations and to make distributions to our shareholders required to maintain our status as a REIT, and these sources of capital may not be available on favorable terms, if at all. Our access to external sources of capital depends on a number of factors, including the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current and potential future earnings and our ability to continue to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. If we are unable to obtain external sources of capital, we may not be able to acquire or develop properties when strategic opportunities exist, satisfy our debt obligations, make distributions to shareholders that would permit us to qualify as a REIT or avoid paying tax on our REIT taxable income.

If we are unable to promptly re-let our cubes or if the rates upon such re-letting are significantly lower than expected, our business and results of operations would be adversely affected.

We derive revenues principally from rents received from customers who rent cubes at our self-storage properties under month-to-month leases. Any delay in re-letting cubes as vacancies arise would reduce our revenues and harm our operating results. In addition, lower than expected rental rates upon re-letting could adversely affect our revenues and impede our growth.

Store ownership through joint ventures may limit our ability to act exclusively in our interest.

We co-invest with, and we may continue to co-invest with, third parties through joint ventures. In any such joint venture, we may not be in a position to exercise sole decision-making authority regarding the stores owned through joint ventures. Investments in joint ventures may, under certain circumstances, involve risks not present when a third party is not involved, including the possibility that joint venture partners might become bankrupt or fail to fund their share of required capital contributions. Joint venture partners may have business interests or goals that are inconsistent with our business interests or goals and may be in a position to take actions contrary to our policies or objectives. Such investments also have the potential risk of impasse on strategic decisions, such as a sale, in cases where neither we nor the joint venture partner would have full control over the joint venture. In other circumstances, joint venture partners may have the ability without our agreement to make certain major decisions, including decisions about sales, capital expenditures, and/or financing. Any disputes that may arise between us and our joint venture partners could result in litigation or arbitration that could increase our expenses and distract our officers and/or Trustees from focusing their time and effort on our business. In addition, we might in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of our joint venture partners, and the activities of a joint venture could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, even though we do not control the joint venture.

We face significant competition for customers and acquisition and development opportunities.

Actions by our competitors may decrease or prevent increases of the occupancy and rental rates of our stores. We compete with numerous developers, owners and operators of self-storage properties, including other REITs, as well as on-demand storage providers, some of which own or may in the future own stores similar to ours in the same submarkets in which our stores are located and some of which may have greater capital resources. In addition, due to the relatively low cost of each individual self-storage property, other developers, owners and operators have the capability to build additional stores that may compete with our stores.

If our competitors build new stores that compete with our stores or offer space at rental rates below the rental rates we currently charge our customers, we may lose potential customers, and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge in order to retain customers when our customers’ leases expire. As a result, our financial condition, cash flow, cash available for distribution, market price of our shares and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations could be materially adversely affected. In addition, increased competition for customers may require us to make capital improvements to our stores that we would not have otherwise made. Any unbudgeted capital improvements we undertake may reduce cash available for distributions to our shareholders.

We also face significant competition for acquisitions and development opportunities. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources than we do and a greater ability to borrow funds to acquire stores. These competitors may also be willing to accept more risk than we can prudently manage, including risks with respect to the geographic proximity of investments and the payment of higher acquisition prices. This competition for investments may reduce the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us, may increase acquisition costs and may reduce demand for self-storage space in certain areas where our stores are located and, as a result, adversely affect our operating results.

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Potential losses may not be covered by insurance.

We carry comprehensive liability, fire, casualty, extended coverage and rental loss insurance covering all of the properties in our portfolio. We also carry environmental insurance coverage on certain stores in our portfolio. We believe the policy specifications and insured limits are appropriate and adequate given the relative risk of loss, the cost of the coverage and industry practice. We do not carry insurance for losses such as loss from riots, war or acts of God, and, in some cases, flood and environmental hazards, because such coverage is either not available or is not available at commercially reasonable rates. Some of our policies, such as those covering losses due to terrorism, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes, are insured subject to limitations involving large deductibles or co-payments and policy limits that may not be sufficient to cover losses. If we experience a loss at a store that is uninsured or that exceeds policy limits, we could lose the capital invested in that store as well as the anticipated future cash flows from that store. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors also might make it impractical or undesirable to use insurance proceeds to replace a store after it has been damaged or destroyed. In addition, if the damaged stores are subject to recourse indebtedness, we would continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these stores were irreparably damaged.

Additionally, we use a combination of insurance products, some of which include deductibles and self-insured retention amounts, to provide risk mitigation for potential liabilities associated with automobiles, workers’ compensation, employment practices, general contractors, cyber risks, crime, directors and officers, employee health-care benefits and personal injuries that might be sustained at our stores. Liabilities associated with the risks that are retained by us are estimated, in part, by considering historical claims experience and actuarial assumptions. Our results of operations could be materially impacted by claims and other expenses related to such insurance plans if future occurrences and claims differ from these assumptions and historical trends.

Our insurance coverage may not comply with certain loan requirements.

Certain of our stores serve as collateral for our mortgage-backed debt, some of which we assumed in connection with our acquisition of stores and requires us to maintain insurance, deductibles, retentions and other policy terms at levels that are not commercially reasonable in the current insurance environment. We may be unable to obtain required insurance coverage if the cost and/or availability make it impractical or impossible to comply with debt covenants. If we cannot comply with a lender’s requirements, the lender could declare a default, which could affect our ability to obtain future financing and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows and our ability to obtain future financing. In addition, we may be required to self-insure against certain losses or our insurance costs may increase.

Potential liability for environmental contamination could result in substantial costs.

We are subject to federal, state and local environmental regulations that apply generally to the ownership of real property and the operation of self-storage properties. If we fail to comply with those laws, we could be subject to significant fines or other governmental sanctions.

Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, an owner or operator of real estate may be required to investigate and clean up hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum product releases at a property and may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage and for investigation and clean-up costs incurred by such parties in connection with contamination. Such liability may be imposed whether or not the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of these hazardous or toxic substances. The cost of investigation, remediation or removal of such substances may be substantial, and the presence of such substances, or the failure to properly remediate such substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell or rent such property or to borrow using such property as collateral. In addition, in connection with the ownership, operation and management of properties, we are potentially liable for property damage or injuries to persons and property.

Our practice is to conduct or obtain environmental assessments in connection with the acquisition or development of additional stores. We carry environmental insurance coverage on certain stores in our portfolio. We obtain or examine environmental assessments from qualified and reputable environmental consulting firms (and intend to conduct such assessments prior to the acquisition or development of additional stores). The environmental assessments received to date have not revealed, nor do we have actual knowledge of, any environmental liability that we believe will have a material adverse effect on us. However, we cannot assure that our environmental assessments have identified or will identify all material environmental conditions, that any prior owner of any property did not create a material environmental condition not actually known to us, that environmental conditions on neighboring properties will not have an impact on any of our properties, or that a material environmental condition does not otherwise exist with respect to any of our properties.

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Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state accessibility act compliance may require unanticipated expenditures.

Under the ADA, all places of public accommodation are required to meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. A number of other federal, state and local laws may also impose access and other similar requirements at our properties or websites. A failure to comply with the ADA or similar state or local requirements could result in the governmental imposition of fines or the award of damages to private litigants affected by the noncompliance. Although we believe that our properties and websites comply in all material respects with these requirements (or would be eligible for applicable exemptions from material requirements because of adaptive assistance provided), a determination that one or more of our properties or websites is not in compliance with the ADA or similar state or local requirements would result in the incurrence of additional costs associated with bringing the properties or websites into compliance. If we are required to make substantial modifications to comply with the ADA or similar state or local requirements, we may be required to incur significant unanticipated expenditures, which could have an adverse effect on our operating costs and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We face system security risks as we depend upon automated processes and the internet, and breaches of, or failures in the performance of, our information technology systems could damage our reputation, cause us to incur substantial additional costs and subject us to litigation.

We are increasingly dependent upon automated information technology processes and internet commerce, and many of our new customers come from the telephone or over the internet. Moreover, the nature of our business involves the receipt and retention of personal information about our customers. We also rely extensively on third-party vendors to retain data, process transactions and provide other systems and services. These systems, and our systems, are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, malware and other destructive or disruptive security breaches and catastrophic events, such as a natural disaster or a terrorist event or cyber-attack. In addition, experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our security systems and misappropriate our confidential information, create system disruptions or cause shutdowns. Such data security breaches as well as system disruptions and shutdowns could result in additional costs to repair or replace such networks or information systems and possible legal liability, including government enforcement actions and private litigation. In addition, our customers could lose confidence in our ability to protect their personal information, which could cause them to discontinue leasing at our stores.

If we are unable to attract and retain team members or contract with third parties having the specialized skills or technologies needed to support our systems, implement improvements to our customer-facing technology in a timely manner, allow accurate visibility to product availability when customers are ready to rent, quickly and efficiently fulfill our customers rental and payment methods they demand or provide a convenient and consistent experience for our customers regardless of the ultimate sales channel, our ability to compete and our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to the Real Estate Industry

Our performance and the value of our self-storage properties are subject to risks associated with our properties and with the real estate industry.

Our rental revenues, operating costs and the value of our real estate assets, and consequently the value of our securities, are subject to the risk that if our stores do not generate revenues sufficient to meet our operating expenses, including debt service and capital expenditures, our cash flow and ability to pay distributions to our shareholders will be adversely affected. Events or conditions beyond our control that may adversely affect our operations or the value of our properties include but are not limited to:

● downturns in the national, regional and local economic climate;

● vacancies or changes in market rents for self-storage space;

● inability to collect rent from customers;

● changes in interest rates and availability of financing;

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● the relative illiquidity of real estate investments.

In addition, prolonged periods of economic slowdown or recession, rising interest rates, declining demand for self-storage or the public perception that any of these events may occur, could result in a general decline in rental revenues, which could impair our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to make distributions to our shareholders.

Rental revenues are significantly influenced by demand for self-storage space generally, and a decrease in such demand would likely have a greater adverse effect on our rental revenues than if we owned a more diversified real estate portfolio.

Because our real estate portfolio consists primarily of self-storage properties, we are subject to risks inherent in investments in a single industry. A decrease in the demand for self-storage space would have a greater adverse effect on our rental revenues than if we owned a more diversified real estate portfolio. Demand for self-storage space could be adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional and local economies, changes in supply of, or demand for, similar or competing self-storage properties in an area and the excess amount of self-storage space in a particular market. To the extent that any of these conditions occur, they are likely to affect market rents for self-storage space, which could cause a decrease in our rental revenue. Any such decrease could impair our ability to satisfy debt service obligations and make distributions to our shareholders.

Because real estate is illiquid, we may not be able to sell properties when appropriate.

Real estate property investments generally cannot be sold quickly. Also, the tax laws applicable to REITs require that we hold our properties for investment, rather than for sale in the ordinary course of business, which may cause us to forgo or defer sales of properties that otherwise would be in our best interest. Therefore, we may not be able to dispose of properties promptly, or on favorable terms, in response to economic or other market conditions, which may adversely affect our financial position.

Risks Related to our Qualification and Operation as a REIT

Failure to qualify as a REIT would subject us to U.S. federal income tax which would reduce the cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

We operate our business to qualify to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. We have not requested and do not plan to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that we qualify as a REIT, and the statements in this Report are not binding on the IRS or any court. As a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal income tax on the income that we distribute currently to our shareholders. Many of the REIT requirements, however, are highly technical and complex. The determination that we are a REIT requires an analysis of various factual matters and circumstances that may not be totally within our control. For example, to qualify as a REIT, at least 95% of our gross income must come from specific passive sources, such as rent, that are itemized in the REIT tax laws. In addition, to qualify as a REIT, we cannot own specified amounts of debt and equity securities of some issuers. We also are required to distribute to our shareholders with respect to each year at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, excluding net capital gains. The fact that we hold substantially all of our assets through the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries and joint ventures further complicates the application of the REIT requirements for us. Even a technical or inadvertent mistake could jeopardize our REIT status, and, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs and the ongoing importance of factual determinations, we cannot provide any assurance that we will continue to qualify as a REIT. Congress and the IRS may make changes to the tax laws and regulations, and the courts might issue new rulings that make it more difficult, or impossible, for us to remain qualified as a REIT. If we fail to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and are able to avail ourselves of one or more of the statutory savings provisions in order to maintain our REIT status, we would nevertheless be required to pay penalty taxes of $50,000 or more for each such failure.

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If we fail to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, and are unable to avail ourselves of certain savings provisions set forth in the Internal Revenue Code, we would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates on all of our income. As a taxable corporation, we would not be allowed to take a deduction for distributions to shareholders in computing our taxable income or pass through long-term capital gains to individual shareholders at favorable rates. We also could be subject to increased state and local taxes. We would not be able to elect to be taxed as a REIT until the fifth taxable that begins after the taxable year we first failed to qualify unless the IRS were to grant us relief under certain statutory provisions. If we failed to qualify as a REIT, we would have to pay significant income taxes, which would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to our shareholders. This likely would have a significant adverse effect on our earnings and likely would adversely affect the value of our securities. In addition, we would no longer be required to pay any distributions to shareholders.

Furthermore, we owned a subsidiary REIT (“PSI”) that was liquidated on December 31, 2018. Prior to liquidation, PSI was independently subject to, and was required to comply with, the same REIT requirements that we must satisfy in order to qualify as a REIT, together with all other rules applicable to REITs. If PSI failed to qualify as a REIT during our period of ownership, and certain statutory relief provisions do not apply, as a result of a protective election made jointly by PSI and CubeSmart, PSI should be taxed as a taxable REIT subsidiary. See the section entitled “Taxation of CubeSmart−Requirements for Qualification−Taxable REIT Subsidiaries” in Exhibit 99.1 for more information regarding taxable REIT subsidiaries.

LAACO was a publicly traded partnership immediately prior to our acquisition of it on December 9, 2021. Failure of 90% or more of a publicly traded partnership’s gross income to be “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code in each of its tax years could result in such entity being taxed as a corporation rather than a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If LAACO failed to qualify as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes immediately prior to our acquisition of it, and certain relief provisions do not apply, it might adversely affect our ability to satisfy the income and asset tests for REIT qualification. In addition, LAACO’s classification as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would mean that it has corporate income tax liabilities for all tax years during which it is classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Failure of the Operating Partnership (or a subsidiary partnership or joint venture) to be treated as a partnership would have serious adverse consequences to our shareholders.

If the IRS were to successfully challenge the tax status of the Operating Partnership or any of its subsidiary partnerships or joint ventures for federal income tax purposes, the Operating Partnership or the affected subsidiary partnership or joint venture would be taxable as a corporation. In such event, we likely would cease to qualify as a REIT and the imposition of a corporate tax on the Operating Partnership, a subsidiary partnership or joint venture would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution from the Operating Partnership to us and ultimately to our shareholders.

To maintain our REIT status, we may be forced to borrow funds on a short-term basis during unfavorable market conditions.

As a REIT, we are subject to certain distribution requirements, including the requirement to distribute 90% of our REIT taxable income, excluding net capital gains, which may result in our having to make distributions at a disadvantageous time or to borrow funds at unfavorable rates. Compliance with this requirement may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.

We will pay some taxes even if we qualify as a REIT, which will reduce the cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we will be required to pay certain federal, state and local taxes on our income and property. For example, we will be subject to income tax to the extent we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, including capital gains. Additionally, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which dividends paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. Moreover, if we have net income from “prohibited transactions,” that income will be subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. The determination as to whether a particular sale is a prohibited transaction depends on the facts and circumstances related to that sale. We cannot guarantee that sales of our properties would not be prohibited transactions unless we comply with certain statutory safe-harbor provisions.

In addition, any net taxable income earned directly by our taxable REIT subsidiaries, or through entities that are disregarded for federal income tax purposes as entities separate from our taxable REIT subsidiaries, will be subject to federal and possibly state corporate income tax. We have elected to treat some of our subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries, and we may elect to treat other subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries in the future. In this regard, several provisions of the laws applicable to REITs and their subsidiaries ensure that a taxable REIT subsidiary will be subject to an appropriate level of federal income taxation. For example, a taxable REIT subsidiary is

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limited in its ability to deduct certain interest payments made to an affiliated REIT. In addition, the REIT has to pay a 100% penalty tax on some payments that it receives or on some deductions taken by a taxable REIT subsidiary if the economic arrangements between the REIT, the REIT’s customers, and the taxable REIT subsidiary are not comparable to similar arrangements between unrelated parties. Finally, some state and local jurisdictions may tax some of our income even though as a REIT we are not subject to federal income tax on that income because not all states and localities follow the federal income tax treatment of REITs. To the extent that we and our affiliates are required to pay federal, state and local taxes, we will have less cash available for distributions to our shareholders.

We have made taxable REIT subsidiary elections for the corporate subsidiaries of LAACO that hold the Club Operations and we intend to sell the assets in such subsidiaries to a third-party purchaser. If the purchase price for the assets of the subsidiaries exceeds our tax basis in such assets, then we may face corporate tax liability, which could have an adverse impact on our ability to make distributions.

We face possible federal, state and local tax audits.

Because we are organized and qualify as a REIT, we are generally not subject to federal income taxes, but are subject to certain state and local taxes. Certain entities through which we own real estate either have undergone, or are currently undergoing, tax audits. Although we believe that we have substantial arguments in favor of our positions in the ongoing audits, in some instances there is no controlling precedent or interpretive guidance on the specific point at issue. Collectively, tax deficiency notices received to date from the jurisdictions conducting the ongoing audits have not been material. However, there can be no assurance that future audits will not occur with increased frequency or that the ultimate result of such audits will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Legislative or regulatory tax changes related to REITs could materially and adversely affect our business.

At any time, the federal income tax laws or regulations governing REITs or the administrative interpretations of those laws or regulations may be changed, possibly with retroactive effect. We cannot predict if or when any new federal income tax law, regulation or administrative interpretation, or any amendment to any existing federal income tax law, regulation or administrative interpretation, will be adopted, promulgated or become effective or whether any such law, regulation or interpretation may take effect retroactively. We and our shareholders could be adversely affected by any such change in, or any new, federal income tax law, regulation or administrative interpretation.

Shareholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to the status of any regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on investment in our capital stock.

Dividends paid by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates provided under current law.

Dividends paid by REITs are generally not eligible for the reduced 15% maximum tax rate for dividends paid to individuals (20% for those with taxable income above certain thresholds that are adjusted annually under current law). The more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate dividends could cause shareholders who are individuals to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stock of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends to which more favorable rates apply, which could reduce the value of REIT stocks.

Legislation modifies the rules applicable to partnership tax audits.

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 requires our Operating Partnership and any subsidiary partnership to pay the hypothetical increase in partner-level taxes (including interest and penalties) resulting from an adjustment of partnership tax items on audit or in other tax proceedings, unless the partnership elects an alternative method under which the taxes resulting from the adjustment (and interest and penalties) are assessed at the partner level. Uncertainties remain as to the application of these rules and the impact they will have on us. It is possible that partnerships in which we invest may be subject to U.S. federal income tax, interest and penalties in the event of a U.S. federal income tax audit as a result of these law changes.

Risks Related to our Debt Financings

We face risks related to current debt maturities, including refinancing risk.

Certain of our mortgages, bank loans and unsecured debt (including our senior notes) will have significant outstanding balances on their maturity dates, commonly known as “balloon payments.” We may not have the cash resources available to repay those amounts, and we may have to raise funds for such repayment either through the issuance of equity or debt securities, additional bank borrowings (which may include extension of maturity dates), joint ventures or asset sales. Furthermore, we are restricted from incurring certain additional

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indebtedness and making certain other changes to our capital and debt structure under the terms of the Credit Facility (defined below) and senior notes and the indentures governing the Credit Facility and senior notes.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to refinance our debt on favorable terms or at all. To the extent we cannot refinance debt on favorable terms or at all, we may be forced to dispose of properties on disadvantageous terms or pay higher interest rates, either of which would have an adverse impact on our financial performance and ability to pay dividends to our shareholders.

As a result of our interest rate hedges, swap agreements and other, similar arrangements, we face counterparty risks.

We may be exposed to the potential risk of counterparty default or non-payment with respect to interest rate hedges, swap agreements, floors, caps and other interest rate hedging contracts that we may enter into from time to time, in which event we could suffer a material loss on the value of those agreements. Although these agreements may lessen the impact of rising interest rates on us, they also expose us to the risk that other parties to the agreements will not perform or that we cannot enforce the agreements. There is no assurance that our potential counterparties on these agreements will perform their obligations under such agreements.

Financing our future growth plan or refinancing existing debt maturities could be impacted by negative capital market conditions.

From time to time, domestic financial markets experience volatility and uncertainty. At times in recent years liquidity has tightened in the domestic financial markets, including the investment grade debt and equity capital markets from which we historically sought financing. Consequently, there is greater uncertainty regarding our ability to access the credit markets in order to attract financing on reasonable terms; there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to issue common or preferred equity securities at a reasonable price. Our ability to finance new acquisitions and refinance future debt maturities could be adversely impacted by our inability to secure permanent financing on reasonable terms, if at all.

The terms and covenants relating to our indebtedness could adversely impact our economic performance.

Like other real estate companies that incur debt, we are subject to risks associated with debt financing, such as the insufficiency of cash flow to meet required debt service payment obligations and the inability to refinance outstanding indebtedness at maturity. If our debt cannot be paid, refinanced or extended at maturity, we may not be able to make distributions to shareholders at expected levels or at all and may not be able to acquire new stores. Failure to make distributions to our shareholders could result in our failure to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Furthermore, an increase in our interest expense could adversely affect our cash flow and ability to make distributions to shareholders. If we do not meet our debt service obligations, any stores securing such indebtedness could be foreclosed on, which would have a material adverse effect on our cash flow and ability to make distributions and, depending on the number of stores foreclosed on, could threaten our continued viability.

Our Credit Facility (defined below) contains (and any new or amended facility we may enter into from time to time will likely contain) customary affirmative and negative covenants, including financial covenants that, among other things, require us to comply with certain liquidity and other tests. Our ability to borrow under the Credit Facility is (and any new or amended facility we may enter into from time to time will be) subject to compliance with such financial and other covenants. In the event that we fail to satisfy these covenants, we would be in default under the Credit Facility and may be required to repay such debt with capital from other sources. Under such circumstances, other sources of debt or equity capital may not be available to us, or may be available only on unattractive terms. Moreover, the presence of such covenants in our credit agreements could cause us to operate our business with a view toward compliance with such covenants, which might not produce optimal returns for shareholders. Similarly, the indenture under which we have issued unsecured senior notes contains customary financial covenants, including limitations on incurrence of additional indebtedness.

Increases in interest rates on variable-rate indebtedness would increase our interest expense, which could adversely affect our cash flow and ability to make distributions to shareholders. Rising interest rates could also restrict our ability to refinance existing debt when it matures. In addition, an increase in interest rates could decrease the amounts that third parties are willing to pay for our assets, thereby limiting our ability to alter our portfolio promptly in relation to economic or other conditions.

Our organizational documents contain no limitation on the amount of debt we may incur. As a result, we may become highly leveraged in the future.

Our organizational documents do not limit the amount of indebtedness that we may incur. We could alter the balance between our total outstanding indebtedness and the value of our assets at any time. If we become more highly leveraged, then the resulting increase in debt service could adversely affect our ability to make payments on our outstanding indebtedness and to pay our anticipated distributions and/or the distributions required to maintain our REIT status, and could harm our financial condition.

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Changes in the method of determining LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect our financial results.

As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any outstanding debt that was indexed to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) other than borrowings under our Revolver (defined below). On July 27, 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced its intention to phase out LIBOR rates by the end of 2021. On March 5, 2021, the ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (“IBA”) announced an 18-month extension (to June 30, 2023) on certain U.S. dollar LIBOR rates, including the rate that our Revolver is indexed to. It is not possible to predict the further effect of these announcements, any changes in the methods by which LIBOR is determined, or any other reforms to LIBOR that may be enacted in the United Kingdom, the European Union or elsewhere. Such developments may cause LIBOR to perform differently than in the past, or cease to exist. In addition, any other legal or regulatory changes made by the FCA, the IBA, the European Money Markets Institute (formerly Euribor-EBF), the European Commission or any other successor governance or oversight body, or future changes adopted by such body, in the method by which LIBOR is determined or the transition from LIBOR to a successor benchmark may result in, among other things, a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in LIBOR, a delay in the publication of LIBOR, and changes in the rules or methodologies in LIBOR, which may discourage market participants from continuing to administer or to participate in LIBOR’s determination, and, in certain situations, could result in LIBOR no longer being determined and published. If a published U.S. dollar LIBOR rate becomes unavailable, the interest rates on our debt which is indexed to LIBOR will be determined using alternative methods, which may result in interest obligations which are more than or do not otherwise correlate over time with the payments that would have been made on such debt if U.S. dollar LIBOR was available in its current form. Further, the same costs and risks that may lead to the unavailability of U.S. dollar LIBOR may make one or more of the alternative methods impossible or impracticable to determine. Any of these proposals or consequences could have a material adverse effect on our financing costs, and as a result, our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Risks Related to our Organization and Structure

We are dependent upon our senior management team whose continued service is not guaranteed.

Our executive team, including our named executive officers, has extensive self-storage, real estate and public company experience. Our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Operating Officer are parties to the Company’s executive severance plan, however, we cannot provide assurance that any of them will remain in our employment. The loss of services of one or more members of our senior management team could adversely affect our operations and our future growth.

We are dependent upon our on-site personnel to maximize customer satisfaction; any difficulties we encounter in hiring, training and retaining skilled field personnel may adversely affect our rental revenues.

As of December 31, 2021, we had 2,431 property-level personnel involved in the management and operation of our stores. The customer service, marketing skills and knowledge of local market demand and competitive dynamics of our store managers are contributing factors to our ability to maximize our rental income and to achieve the highest sustainable rent levels at each of our stores. We compete with various other companies in attracting and retaining qualified and skilled personnel. Competitive pressures may require that we enhance our pay and benefits package to compete effectively for such personnel. If there is an increase in these costs or if we fail to attract and retain qualified and skilled personnel, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

Certain provisions of Maryland law could inhibit changes in control, which may discourage third parties from conducting a tender offer or seeking other change of control transactions that could involve a premium price for our shares or otherwise benefit our shareholders.

Certain provisions of Maryland law may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or of impeding a change of control under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of our common shares with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of those shares, including:

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We have opted out of these provisions of Maryland law. However, our Board may opt to make these provisions applicable to us at any time without shareholder approval.

Our Trustees also have the discretion, granted in our bylaws and Maryland law, without shareholder approval to, among other things (1) create a staggered Board, (2) amend our bylaws or repeal individual bylaws in a manner that provides the Board with greater authority, and (3) issue additional equity securities. Any such action could inhibit or impede a third party from making a proposal to acquire us at a price that could be beneficial to our shareholders.

Our shareholders have limited control to prevent us from making any changes to our investment and financing policies.

Our Board has adopted policies with respect to certain activities. These policies may be amended or revised from time to time at the discretion of our Board without a vote of our shareholders. This means that our shareholders have limited control over changes in our policies. Such changes in our policies intended to improve, expand or diversify our business may not have the anticipated effects and consequently may adversely affect our business and prospects, results of operations and share price.

Our rights and the rights of our shareholders to take action against our Trustees and officers are limited.

Maryland law provides that a trustee or officer has no liability in that capacity if he or she performs his or her duties in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in our best interests and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. Our declaration of trust and bylaws require us to indemnify our Trustees and officers for actions taken by them in those capacities on our behalf, to the extent permitted by Maryland law. Accordingly, in the event that actions taken in good faith by any Trustee or officer impede our performance, our shareholders’ ability to recover damages from that Trustee or officer will be limited.

Our declaration of trust permits our Board to issue preferred shares with terms that may discourage third parties from conducting a tender offer or seeking other change of control transactions that could involve a premium price for our shares or otherwise benefit our shareholders.

Our declaration of trust permits our Board to issue up to 40,000,000 preferred shares, having those preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption as determined by our Board. In addition, our Board may reclassify any unissued common shares into one or more classes or series of preferred shares. Thus, our Board could authorize, without shareholder approval, the issuance of preferred shares with terms and conditions that could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction in which holders of some or a majority of our shares might receive a premium for their shares over the then-prevailing market price of our shares. We currently do not expect that the Board would require shareholder approval prior to such a preferred issuance. In addition, any preferred shares that we issue would rank senior to our common shares with respect to the payment of distributions, in which case we could not pay any distributions on our common shares until full distributions have been paid with respect to such preferred shares.

Risks Related to our Securities

Additional issuances of equity securities may be dilutive to shareholders.

The interests of our shareholders could be diluted if we issue additional equity securities to finance future acquisitions or developments or to repay indebtedness. Our Board may authorize the issuance of additional equity securities, including preferred shares, without shareholder approval. Our ability to execute our business strategy depends upon our access to an appropriate blend of debt financing, including unsecured lines of credit and other forms of secured and unsecured debt, and equity financing, including common and preferred equity.

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Many factors could have an adverse effect on the market value of our securities.

A number of factors might adversely affect the price of our securities, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include:

● level of institutional investor interest in our securities;

● relatively low trading volumes in securities of REITs;

● our results of operations and financial condition;

● investor confidence in the stock market generally; and

● additions and departures of key personnel.

The market value of our equity securities is based primarily upon the market’s perception of our growth potential and our current and potential future earnings and cash distributions. Consequently, our equity securities may trade at prices that are higher or lower than our net asset value per equity security. If our future earnings or cash distributions are less than expected, it is likely that the market price of our equity securities will diminish.

The market price of our common shares has been, and may continue to be, particularly volatile, and our shareholders may be unable to resell their shares at a profit.

The market price of our common shares has been subject to fluctuation and may continue to fluctuate or decline. Between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2021, the closing price per share of our common shares has ranged from a high of $57.02 (on December 30, 2021) to a low of $20.85 (on March 23, 2020). In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. If our share price is volatile, we may become the target of securities litigation, which could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources from our business.

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General Risk Factors

Many states and local jurisdictions are facing severe budgetary problems which may have an adverse impact on our business and financial results.

Many states and jurisdictions are facing severe budgetary problems. Action that may be taken in response to these problems, such as increases in property taxes on commercial properties, changes to sales taxes or other governmental efforts, including mandating medical insurance, paid time off and severance payments for employees, could adversely impact our business and results of operations.

We may incur impairment charges.

We evaluate on a quarterly basis our real estate portfolio for indicators of impairment. Impairment charges reflect management’s judgment of the probability and severity of the decline in the value of real estate assets we own. These charges and provisions may be required in the future as a result of factors beyond our control, including, among other things, changes in the economic environment and market conditions affecting the value of real property assets or natural or man-made disasters. If we are required to take impairment charges, our results of operations will be adversely impacted.

Inflation and rising operating expenses could reduce our cash flow and funds available for future distributions.

Our stores and any other stores we acquire or develop in the future are, and will be, subject to operating risks common to real estate in general, any or all of which may negatively affect us. Our stores are subject to increases in operating expenses such as real estate, sales and other taxes, personnel costs including mandated minimum hourly wage rates and the cost of providing specific medical coverage and governmental mandated benefits to our employees, utilities, customer acquisition costs, insurance, administrative expenses and costs for repairs and maintenance. If operating expenses continue to increase without a corresponding increase in revenues, our profitability could diminish and limit our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We cannot assure our ability to pay dividends in the future.

Historically, we have paid quarterly distributions to our shareholders, and we intend to continue to pay quarterly dividends and to make distributions to our shareholders in amounts such that all or substantially all of our taxable income in each year, subject to certain adjustments, is distributed. This, along with other factors, should enable us to continue to qualify for the tax benefits accorded to a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. We have not established a minimum dividends payment level, and all future distributions will be made at the discretion of our Board. Our ability to pay dividends will depend upon, among other factors:

● the operational and financial performance of our stores;

● capital expenditures with respect to existing and newly acquired stores;

● maintenance of our REIT status;

● the amount of, and the interest rates on, our debt;

● other risk factors described in this Report.

Certain of these matters are beyond our control and any significant difference between our expectations and actual results could have a material adverse effect on our cash flow and our ability to make distributions to shareholders.

We may become subject to litigation or threatened litigation which may divert management’s time and attention, require us to pay damages and expenses or restrict the operation of our business.

We may become subject to disputes with commercial parties with whom we maintain relationships or other parties with whom we do business. Any such dispute could result in litigation between us and the other parties. Whether or not any dispute actually proceeds to litigation, we may be required to devote significant management time and attention to its successful resolution (through litigation,

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settlement or otherwise), which would detract from our management’s ability to focus on our business. Any such resolution could involve the payment of damages or expenses by us, which may be significant. In addition, any such resolution could involve our agreement with terms that restrict the operation of our business.

There are other commercial parties, at both a local and national level, that may assert that our use of our brand names and other intellectual property conflict with their rights to use brand names, internet domains and other intellectual property that they consider to be similar to ours. Any such commercial dispute and related resolution would involve all of the risks described above, including, in particular, our agreement to restrict the use of our brand name or other intellectual property.

We also could be sued for personal injuries and/or property damage occurring on our properties. We maintain liability insurance with limits that we believe are adequate to provide for the defense and/or payment of any damages arising from such lawsuits. There can be no assurance that such coverage will cover all costs and expenses from such suits.

Legislative actions and changes may cause our general and administrative costs and compliance costs to increase.

In order to comply with laws adopted by federal, state or local government or regulatory bodies, we may be required to increase our expenditures and hire additional personnel and additional outside legal, accounting and advisory services, all of which may cause our general and administrative and compliance costs to increase. Significant workforce-related legislative changes could increase our expenses and adversely affect our operations. Examples of possible workforce-related legislative changes include changes to an employer's obligation to recognize collective bargaining units, the process by which collective bargaining agreements are negotiated or imposed, minimum wage requirements and health care and medical and family leave mandates. In addition, changes in the regulatory environment affecting health care reimbursements, and increased compliance costs related to enforcement of federal and state wage and hour statutes and common law related to overtime, among others, could cause our expenses to increase without an ability to pass through any increased expenses through higher prices.

Privacy concerns could result in regulatory changes that may harm our business.

Personal privacy has become a significant issue in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Many jurisdictions in which we operate, including California and New York, have imposed restrictions and requirements on the use of personal information by those collecting such information. The regulatory framework for privacy issues is rapidly evolving and future enactment of more restrictive laws, rules or regulations and/or future enforcement actions or investigations could have a materially adverse impact on us through increased costs or restrictions on our business. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in consent orders or regulatory penalties and significant legal liability, including fines, which could damage our reputation and have an adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Terrorist attacks, active shooter incidents and other acts of violence or war may adversely impact our performance and may affect the markets on which our securities are traded.

Terrorist attacks at or against our stores, the United States or our interests, may negatively impact our operations and the value of our securities. Attacks, armed conflicts or active-shooter situations could negatively impact the demand for self-storage and increase the cost of insurance coverage for our stores, which could reduce our profitability and cash flow. Furthermore, any terrorist attacks, armed conflicts or active-shooter situations could result in increased volatility in or damage to the United States and worldwide financial markets and economy.

Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price.

Pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we are required to provide a report by management on internal control over financial reporting, including management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control. Changes to our business will necessitate ongoing changes to our internal control systems and processes. Internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatement because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of controls, or fraud. Therefore, even effective internal controls can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, including any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or if we experience difficulties in their implementation, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be materially harmed, we could fail to meet our reporting obligations, and there could be a material adverse effect on the market price of our common shares.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

As of December 31, 2021, we owned 607 self-storage properties that contain approximately 43.6 million rentable square feet and are located in 24 states and the District of Columbia. The following table sets forth summary information regarding our stores by state as of December 31, 2021.

Total % of Total

Number of Number of Rentable Rentable Ending

State Stores Units Square Feet Square Feet Occupancy

We have grown by adding stores to our portfolio through acquisitions and development. The tables set forth below show the ending occupancy, annual rent per occupied square foot and total revenues for our stores owned as of December 31, 2021, and for each of the previous three years, grouped by the year during which we first owned or operated the store.

Stores by Year Acquired – Ending Occupancy

Rentable Ending Occupancy

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Stores by Year Acquired - Annual Rent Per Occupied Square Foot (2)

Annual Rent per Occupied Square Foot

Stores by Year Acquired - Total Revenues (dollars in thousands)

Total Revenues

Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures

As of December 31, 2021, we held common ownership interests ranging from 10% to 50% in seven unconsolidated real estate ventures for an aggregate investment carrying value of $119.8 million. We hold interests in these real estate ventures with unaffiliated third parties to acquire, own and operate self-storage properties in select markets. As of December 31, 2021, these seven unconsolidated real estate ventures owned 90 self-storage properties that contained an aggregate of approximately 6.5 million net rentable square feet. The self-storage properties owned by these seven real estate ventures are managed by us and are located in Arizona (2), California (2), Connecticut (6), Florida (8), Georgia (10), Illinois (5), Maryland (2), Massachusetts (6), Minnesota (1), New Jersey (2), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (1), Rhode Island (2), South Carolina (4), Texas (35) and Vermont (2).

On September 5, 2018, we invested $5.0 million in exchange for 100% of the Class A preferred units of Capital Storage Partners, LLC (“Capital Storage”), a then newly formed venture that acquired 22 self-storage properties that contained an aggregate of approximately 1.7 million net rentable square feet. The stores owned by Capital Storage are located in Florida (4), Oklahoma (5) and Texas (13). The Class A preferred units earned an 11% cumulative dividend prior to any other distributions. On August 24, 2021, the Class A preferred units and all accrued and unpaid dividends were redeemed and paid, respectively. We no longer have an ownership interest in Capital Storage.

Each of the seven real estate ventures has assets and liabilities that we do not consolidate in our financial statements.

We account for our investments in real estate ventures using the equity method when it is determined that we have the ability to exercise significant influence over the venture. See note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further disclosure regarding the assets, liabilities and operating results of our unconsolidated real estate ventures which we account for using the equity method of accounting.

Capital Expenditures

We have a capital improvement program that covers office upgrades, addition of climate control to select cubes, construction of parking areas and other store upgrades. For 2022, we anticipate spending approximately $8.5 million to $13.5 million associated with these capital

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expenditures. For 2022, we also anticipate spending approximately $10.5 million to $15.5 million on recurring capital expenditures and approximately $27.0 million to $37.0 million on the development of new self-storage properties.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

To our knowledge, no legal proceedings are pending against us, other than routine actions and administrative proceedings, and other actions not deemed material, and which, in the aggregate, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

ITEM 4. MINING SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Repurchase of Parent Company Common Shares

The following table provides information about repurchases of the Parent Company’s common shares during the three months ended December 31, 2021:

The Parent Company adopted a share repurchase program in 2007 for up to 3.0 million of the Parent Company’s outstanding common shares. Unless terminated earlier by resolution of the Board of Trustees, the program will expire when the number of authorized shares has been repurchased. The Parent Company has made no repurchases under this program to date.

Market Information for and Holders of Record of Common Shares

As of December 31, 2021, there were 157 registered record holders of the Parent Company’s common shares and 24 holders (other than the Parent Company) of the Operating Partnership’s common units. These amounts do not include common shares held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of shareholders. The Parent Company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol CUBE. There is no established trading market for units of the Operating Partnership.

Since our initial quarter as a publicly-traded REIT, we have made regular quarterly distributions to our shareholders. Distributions to shareholders are usually taxable as ordinary income, although a portion of the distribution may be designated as a capital gain or may constitute a tax-free return of capital. Annually, we provide each of the Parent Company’s common shareholders a statement detailing the tax characterization of dividends paid during the preceding year as ordinary income, capital gain or return of capital. The characterization of the Parent Company’s dividends for 2021 consisted of a 92.6365% ordinary income distribution and a 7.3635% capital gain distribution.

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We intend to continue to declare quarterly distributions. However, we cannot provide any assurance as to the amount or timing of future distributions.

To the extent that we make distributions in excess of our earnings and profits, as computed for federal income tax purposes, these distributions will represent a return of capital, rather than a dividend, for federal income tax purposes. Distributions that are treated as a return of capital for federal income tax purposes generally will not be taxable as a dividend to a U.S. shareholder, but will reduce the shareholder’s basis in its shares (but not below zero) and therefore can result in the shareholder having a higher gain upon a subsequent sale of such shares. Return of capital distributions in excess of a shareholder’s basis generally will be treated as gain from the sale of such shares for federal income tax purposes.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Recent Sales of Operating Partnership Unregistered Equity Securities

None.

Share Performance Graph

The SEC requires us to present a chart comparing the cumulative total shareholder return, assuming reinvestment of dividends, on our common shares with the cumulative total shareholder return of (i) a broad equity index and (ii) a published industry or peer group index. The following chart compares the yearly cumulative total shareholder return for our common shares with the cumulative shareholder return of companies on (i) the S&P 500 Index, (ii) the Russell 2000 Index and (iii) the FTSE NAREIT All Equity REIT Index as provided by NAREIT for the period beginning December 31, 2016 and ending December 31, 2021.

For the year ended December 31,

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ITEM 6. [Reserved]

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Report. Some of the statements we make in this section are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. For a complete discussion of forward-looking statements, see the section in this Report entitled “Forward-Looking Statements”. Certain risk factors may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the following discussion. For a discussion of such risk factors, see the section in this Report entitled “Risk Factors”.

Overview

We are an integrated self-storage real estate company, and as such we have in-house capabilities in the operation, design, development, leasing, management and acquisition of self-storage properties. The Parent Company’s operations are conducted solely through the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries. The Parent Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we owned (or partially owned and consolidated) 607 self-storage properties totaling approximately 43.6 million rentable square feet and 543 self-storage properties totaling approximately 38.5 million rentable square feet, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we owned stores in the District of Columbia and the following 24 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia. In addition, as of December 31, 2021, we managed 651 stores for third parties (including 90 stores containing an aggregate of approximately 6.5 million net rentable square feet as part of seven separate unconsolidated real estate ventures), bringing the total number of stores we owned and/or managed to 1,258. As of December 31, 2021, we managed stores for third parties in the District of Columbia and the following 36 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

We derive revenues principally from rents received from customers who rent cubes at our self-storage properties under month-to-month leases. Therefore, our operating results depend materially on our ability to retain our existing customers and lease our available self-storage cubes to new customers while maintaining and, where possible, increasing our pricing levels. In addition, our operating results depend on the ability of our customers to make required rental payments to us. Our approach to the management and operation of our stores combines centralized marketing, revenue management and other operational support with local operations teams that provide market-level oversight and management. We believe this approach allows us to respond quickly and effectively to changes in local market conditions and maximize revenues by managing rental rates and occupancy levels.

We typically experience seasonal fluctuations in the occupancy levels of our stores, which are generally slightly higher during the summer months due to increased moving activity.

Our results of operations may be sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that impact consumer spending, including discretionary spending and moving trends, as well as to increased bad debts due to recessionary pressures. Adverse economic conditions affecting disposable consumer income, such as employment levels, business conditions, interest rates, tax rates, fuel and energy costs, and other matters could reduce consumer spending or cause consumers to shift their spending to other products and services. A general reduction in the level of discretionary spending or shifts in consumer discretionary spending could adversely affect our growth and profitability.

We continue our focus on maximizing internal growth opportunities and selectively pursuing targeted acquisitions and developments of self-storage properties.

We have one reportable segment: we own, operate, develop, manage and acquire self-storage properties.

Our self-storage properties are located in major metropolitan and suburban areas and have numerous customers per store. No single customer represents a significant concentration of our revenues. Our stores in New York, Florida, Texas and California provided approximately 19%, 15%, 9% and 8%, respectively, of total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021.

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Summary of Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Set forth below is a summary of the accounting policies and estimates that management believes are critical to the preparation of the consolidated financial statements included in this Report. Certain of the accounting policies used in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements are particularly important for an understanding of the financial position and results of operations presented in the historical consolidated financial statements included in this Report. A summary of significant accounting policies is also provided in note 2 to our consolidated financial statements. These policies require the application of judgment and assumptions by management and, as a result, are subject to a degree of uncertainty. Due to this uncertainty, actual results could differ materially from estimates calculated and utilized by management.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include all of the accounts of the Company, and its majority-owned and/or controlled subsidiaries. The portion of these entities not owned by the Company is presented as noncontrolling interests as of and during the periods presented. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

When the Company obtains an economic interest in an entity, the Company evaluates the entity to determine if the entity is deemed a variable interest entity (“VIE”), and if the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary, in accordance with authoritative guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) on the consolidation of VIEs. To the extent that the Company (i) has the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and (ii) has the obligation or rights to absorb the VIE's losses or receive its benefits, then the Company is considered the primary beneficiary. The Company may also consider additional factors included in the authoritative guidance, such as whether or not it is the partner in the VIE that is most closely associated with the VIE. When an entity is not deemed to be a VIE, the Company considers the provisions of additional FASB guidance to determine whether a general partner, or the general partners as a group, controls a limited partnership or similar entity when the limited partners have certain rights. The Company consolidates (i) entities that are VIEs and of which the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary and (ii) entities that are non-VIEs which the Company controls and in which the limited partners do not have substantive participating rights, or the ability to dissolve the entity or remove the Company without cause nor substantive participating rights.

Self-Storage Properties

The Company records self-storage properties at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation on the buildings, improvements and equipment is recorded on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, which range from five to 39 years. Expenditures for significant renovations or improvements that extend the useful life of assets are capitalized. Repairs and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.

When stores are acquired, the purchase price is allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on estimated fair values.

Allocations to land, building and improvements and equipment are recorded based upon their respective fair values as estimated by management. If appropriate, the Company allocates a portion of the purchase price to an intangible asset attributed to the value of in-place leases. This intangible asset is generally amortized to expense over the expected remaining term of the respective leases. Substantially all of the storage leases in place at acquired stores are at market rates, as the majority of the leases are month-to-month contracts. Accordingly, to date, no portion of the purchase price has been allocated to above- or below-market lease intangibles associated with storage leases assumed at acquisition. Above- or below- market lease intangibles associated with assumed leases in which the Company serves as lessee are recorded as an adjustment to the right-of-use asset and reflect the difference between the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to each in-place lease and management’s estimate of fair market lease rates. These amounts are amortized over the term of the lease. To date, no intangible asset has been recorded for the value of customer relationships, because the Company does not have any concentrations of significant customers and the average customer turnover is fairly frequent.

Long-lived assets classified as “held for use” are reviewed for impairment when events and circumstances such as declines in occupancy and operating results indicate that there may be an impairment. The carrying value of these long-lived assets is compared to the undiscounted future net operating cash flows, plus a terminal value, attributable to the assets to determine if the store’s basis is recoverable. If a store’s basis is not considered recoverable, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent the net carrying value of the asset exceeds the fair value. The impairment loss recognized equals the excess of net carrying value over the related fair value of the asset. There were no impairment losses recognized in accordance with these procedures during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

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The Company considers long-lived assets to be “held for sale” upon satisfaction of the following criteria: (a) management commits to a plan to sell an asset (or group of assets), (b) the asset is available for immediate sale in its present condition subject only to terms that are usual and customary for sales of such assets, (c) an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the plan to sell the asset have been initiated, (d) the sale of the asset is probable and transfer of the asset is expected to be completed within one year, (e) the asset is being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value and (f) actions required to complete the plan indicate that it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn.

Typically these criteria are all met when the relevant asset is under contract, significant non-refundable deposits have been made by the potential buyer, the assets are immediately available for transfer and there are no contingencies related to the sale that may prevent the transaction from closing. However, each potential transaction is evaluated based on its separate facts and circumstances. Assets classified as held for sale are reported at the lesser of carrying value or fair value less estimated costs to sell and are not depreciated. The Club Operations that we acquired through our acquisition of LAACO have been classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2021. There were no stores classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2021.

Investments in Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures

The Company accounts for its investments in unconsolidated real estate ventures under the equity method of accounting when it is determined that the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence over the venture. Under the equity method, investments in unconsolidated real estate ventures are recorded initially at cost, as investments in real estate entities, and subsequently adjusted for equity in earnings (losses) and cash contributions, less cash distributions and impairments. On a periodic basis, management also assesses whether there are any indicators that the carrying value of the Company’s investments in unconsolidated real estate entities may be other than temporarily impaired. An investment is impaired only if the fair value of the investment, as estimated by management, is less than the carrying value of the investment and the decline is other than temporary. To the extent impairment that is other than temporary has occurred, the loss shall be measured as the excess of the carrying amount of the investment over the fair value of the investment, as estimated by management. Fair value is determined through various valuation techniques, including but not limited to, discounted cash flow models, quoted market values and third-party appraisals. There were no impairment losses related to the Company’s investments in unconsolidated real estate ventures recognized during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Differences between the Company's net investment in unconsolidated real estate ventures and its underlying equity in the net assets of the ventures are primarily a result of the Company acquiring interests in existing unconsolidated real estate ventures. As of December 31, 2021, the Company’s net investment in unconsolidated real estate ventures was greater than its underlying equity in the net assets of the unconsolidated real estate ventures by an aggregate of $33.6 million. There were no such differences as of December 31, 2020. These differences are amortized over the lives of the self-storage properties owned by the real estate ventures. This amortization is included in equity in earnings of real estate ventures on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

For a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements affecting our business, see note 2 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Results of Operations

The following discussion of our results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto. Historical results set forth in the consolidated statements of operations reflect only the existing stores for each period presented and should not be taken as indicative of future operations. We consider our same-store portfolio to consist of only those stores owned and operated on a stabilized basis at the beginning and at the end of the applicable years presented. We consider a store to be stabilized once it has achieved an occupancy rate that we believe, based on our assessment of market-specific data, is representative of similar self-storage assets in the applicable market for a full year measured as of the most recent January 1 and has not been significantly damaged by natural disaster or undergone significant renovation. We believe that same-store results are useful to investors in evaluating our performance because they provide information relating to changes in store-level operating performance without taking into account the effects of acquisitions, developments or dispositions. As of December 31, 2021, we owned 506 same-store properties and 101 non same-store properties. All of the non same-store properties were 2020 and 2021 acquisitions, dispositions, developed stores, stores with a significant portion of net rentable square footage taken out of service or stores that have not yet reached stabilization as defined above. For analytical presentation, all percentages are calculated using the numbers presented in the financial statements contained in this Report.

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The comparability of our results of operations is affected by the timing of acquisition and disposition activities during the periods reported. As of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, we owned (or partially owned and consolidated) 607, 543 and 523 self-storage properties and related assets, respectively.

The following table summarizes the change in number of owned stores from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2021:

Stores acquired — 1 1

Stores developed 1 — —

Stores combined (1) (1) — —

Stores acquired (2) 2 2 21

Stores developed 2 1 2

Stores combined (3) — — (1)

Stores acquired 2 — 2

Stores developed — — 1

Stores sold (4) — —

Stores developed 1 — —

Stores combined (3) — (1) —

Stores sold (1) (1) (1)

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Comparison of the Year Ended December 31, 2021 to the Year Ended December 31, 2020 (dollars in thousands)

Non Same-Store Other/

Same-Store Property Portfolio Properties Eliminations Total Portfolio

% %

REVENUES:

Interest:

Revenues

Rental income increased from $581.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 to $707.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $126.7 million, or 21.8%. The $74.2 million increase in same-store rental income was due primarily to a 1.8% increase in average occupancy and an increase in rental rates for new and existing customers. Realized annual rent per occupied square foot increased 11.1% for 2021 compared to 2020. The remaining increase was primarily attributable to $52.5 million of additional rental income from the stores acquired or opened in 2020 and 2021 included in our non same-store portfolio.

Other property related income increased from $70.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 to $83.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $12.9 million, or 18.2%. The $1.7 million increase in same-store other property related income was mainly attributable to increases in fee revenue and merchandise sales. The increase was also due to a $5.7 million increase in customer storage protection plan participation at our owned and managed stores.

Property management fee income increased from $27.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 to $31.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $3.8 million, or 13.7%. This increase was attributable to an increase in rental income at our managed stores for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December, 31, 2020.

Operating Expenses

Property operating expenses increased from $223.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 to $252.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $28.5 million, or 12.7%. The $7.7 million increase in property operating expenses in the same-store portfolio was primarily due to a $3.2 million increase in property taxes and a $2.7 million increase in advertising. The remainder of the increase was primarily attributable to $13.9 million of increased expenses associated with newly acquired or developed stores.

Depreciation and amortization increased from $156.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 to $232.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $75.5 million, or 48.2%.This increase was primarily attributable to depreciation and amortization associated with newly acquired or developed stores.

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General and administrative expenses increased from $41.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 to $47.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $6.4 million, or 15.4%. The change was primarily attributable to increased personnel expenses resulting in part from additional employee headcount to support our growth.

Other (expense) income

Interest expense on loans increased from $75.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 to $78.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $2.6 million, or 3.4%. The increase was attributable to a higher amount of outstanding debt during 2021 compared to 2020. To fund a portion of our growth, the average outstanding debt balance increased by $312.6 million to $2.35 billion during 2021 as compared to $2.04 billion during 2020. The increase in the average outstanding debt balance was offset by a decrease in the weighted average effective interest rate on our outstanding debt, which was 3.36% and 3.82% for 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Loss on early extinguishment of debt was $20.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $18.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, an increase of $2.3 million. The 2021 amount was related to the early redemption of $300.0 million of outstanding 4.375% senior notes due 2023 (the “2023 Notes”). The 2020 amount was related to the early redemption of $250.0 million of outstanding 4.800% senior notes due 2022 (the “2022 Notes”) (see “Liquidity and Capital Resources” below).

Equity in earnings of real estate ventures increased from $0.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 to $25.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $25.1 million. The increase was mainly due to our portion of the gains associated with HHF’s sale of seven stores (see note 5 to our consolidated financial statements).

Gains from sales of real estate, net increased from $6.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to $32.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $26.0 million. These gains are determined on a transactional basis and, accordingly, are not comparable across reporting periods.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, the component of other (expense) income designated as other includes $15.0 million of transaction-related expenses comprised primarily of severance costs associated with the acquisition of LAACO. There were no such expenses for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Comparison of the Year Ended December 31, 2020 to the Year Ended December 31, 2019

CUBE US Equity

CUBE · 10-K · period ended 2021-12-31

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

ITEM 4. MINING SAFETY DISCLOSURES

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

ITEM 6. [Reserved]

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

CUBE US Equity☆

CUBE · 10-K · period ended 2021-12-31

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

ITEM 4. MINING SAFETY DISCLOSURES

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

ITEM 6. [Reserved]

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

CUBE US Equity