ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to the other information in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, you should consider the risks described below that we believe may be material to investors in evaluating the Company. This section contains forward-looking statements, and in considering these statements, you should refer to the qualifications and limitations on our forward-looking statements that are described in Item 1, “Business.”
Risks Related to Our Properties and Our Business
Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, civil unrest, or other events that could damage or otherwise disrupt our ability to operate our facilities could adversely impact our business and financial results.
Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, and floods, terrorist attacks, civil unrest, and other events that damage our facilities or our customers' property, or that make our facilities temporarily unavailable, have in the past and may in the future adversely impact our business and financial results. Damage and business interruption losses could exceed the aggregate limits of our insurance coverage. In addition, because we self-insure a portion of our risks, losses below a certain level may not be covered by insurance. See Note 14 to our December 31, 2022 consolidated financial statements for a description of the risks of losses that are not covered by third-party insurance contracts. In addition, customer perceptions about the risk of property loss from these events could negatively impact self-storage demand.
We are subject to risks from the consequences of climate change, including severe weather events, as well as the transition to a low-carbon economy and other steps taken to prevent or mitigate climate change.
Our self-storage facilities are located in areas that may be subject to the direct impacts of climate change, such as increased destructive weather events like floods, fires, and drought, which could result in significant damage to our facilities, increased capital expenditures, increased expenses, reduced revenues, or reduced demand for our facilities. Indirect impacts of climate change could also adversely impact our business, including through increased costs, such as insurance costs or regulatory compliance costs. In addition, the ongoing transition to a low-carbon economy presents certain risks for us and our customers, including stranded assets, increased costs, lower profitability, lower property values, lower household wealth, and macroeconomic risks related to high energy costs and energy shortages, among other things. Consistent with our commitment to sustainability in our business operations, we have undertaken a number of initiatives to reduce emissions and energy consumption, water usage, and waste, including through our Property of Tomorrow program, pursuant to which we are upgrading all of our older properties by the end of 2025, which has already resulted in investment of approximately $370 million in improvements through December 31, 2022. In addition, we have made investments in LED lighting and the installation of solar panels of approximately $100 million since 2021 through December 31, 2022. Governmental, political, and societal pressures, including expectations of institutional and activist investors and other interest groups, could require us to accelerate our initiatives and, with it, the costs of their implementation. These same potential governmental, political, and social pressure could in the future result in (i) costly changes to newly developed facilities or retrofits of our existing facilities to reduce carbon emissions through multiple avenues, including changes to insulation, space configuration, lighting, heating, and air conditioning, (ii) increased energy costs as a result of transitioning to less carbon-intensive, but more expensive, sources of energy to operate our facilities, and (iii) consumers reducing their individual carbon footprints by owning fewer durable material consumer goods, collectibles, and other such items requiring storage, resulting in a reduced demand for our self-storage space. In addition, our reputation and investor relationships could be damaged as a result of our involvement with activities perceived to be causing or exacerbating climate change, as well as any decisions we make to continue to conduct or change our activities in response to considerations relating to climate change.
Operating costs, including property taxes, could increase.
We could be subject to increases in property or other taxes, repair and maintenance costs, payroll, utility costs, insurance premiums, workers compensation, and other operating expenses due to various factors such as inflation, labor shortages, commodity and energy price increases, weather, increases to minimum wage rates, supply chain disruptions, and
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changes to governmental safety and real estate use limitations and other governmental actions. Our property tax expense, which totaled approximately $386.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, generally depends upon the assessed value of our real estate facilities as determined by assessors and government agencies and, accordingly, could be subject to substantial increases if such agencies change their valuation approaches or opinions or if new laws are enacted, especially if new approaches are adopted or laws are enacted that result in increased property tax assessments in states or geographies where we have a high concentration of facilities. See also “We have exposure to increased property tax in California” below.
The acquisition of existing properties or self-storage operating companies is subject to risks that may adversely affect our growth and financial results.
We have acquired self-storage facilities and self-storage operating companies in the past, and we expect to continue to do so in the future. We face significant competition for suitable acquisition properties and companies from other real estate investors, including operating companies and private equity funds. As a result, we may be unable to acquire the companies or additional properties we desire or the purchase price for desirable companies or properties may be significantly increased. Failures or unexpected circumstances in integrating facilities or companies that we acquire, or circumstances we did not detect or anticipate during due diligence, such as environmental matters, needed repairs or deferred maintenance, customer collection issues, assumed liabilities, turnover of critical personnel involved in acquired operating companies, or the effects of increased property tax following reassessment of a newly-acquired property, as well as the general risks of real estate investment and mergers and acquisitions, could jeopardize realization of the anticipated earnings from an acquisition.
On February 5, 2023, we disclosed that we have made a proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares and units of Life Storage for consideration consisting of our common shares. Our public offer followed prior rebuffs by Life Storage of our attempts to negotiate privately, and on February 16, 2023, Life Storage announced it had rejected the offer. While we currently intend to engage in discussions with Life Storage, there can be no assurance that Life Storage will engage with us regarding our proposal or that we and Life Storage will agree to an acquisition transaction. Additionally, Life Storage can avail itself of various takeover defenses, including the ability unilaterally to classify its board of trustees under the Maryland Unsolicited Takeover Act (MUTA). Even if we reach an agreement with Life Storage, there can be no assurance that the conditions to closing such transaction would be satisfied in a timely manner or at all. Further, if a transaction is consummated, there can be no assurance that we will realize the benefits we hope to achieve through the transaction, and the complexities of combining the two companies may result in unknown liabilities and unforeseen increased expenses. If a transaction is not consummated, we nevertheless may incur significant costs associated with our pursuit of the transaction.
Our development program subjects us to risks.
At December 31, 2022, we had a pipeline of development projects totaling $979.6 million (subject to contingencies), and we expect to continue to seek additional development projects. There are significant risks involved in developing self-storage facilities, such as delays or cost increases due to changes in or failure to meet government or regulatory requirements, failure of revenue to meet our underwriting estimates, delays caused by weather issues, unforeseen site conditions, or personnel problems. Self-storage space is generally not pre-leased, and rent-up of newly developed space can be delayed or ongoing cash flow yields can be reduced due to competition, reductions in storage demand, or other factors.
There is significant competition among self-storage operators and from other storage alternatives.
Our self-storage facilities generate most of our revenue and earnings. Significant competition from self-storage operators, property developers, and other storage alternatives may adversely impact our ability to attract and retain customers and may negatively impact our ability to generate revenue. Competition in the local market areas in which many of our properties are located is significant and affects our occupancy levels, rental rates, and operating expenses. There is also an increasing influx of capital from outside financing sources driving more money, development, and supply into the industry. Development of self-storage facilities may increase, which may intensify competition as newly developed facilities are opened. Development of self-storage facilities by other operators could increase, due to increases in availability of funds for investment or other reasons, and further intensify competition.
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Demand for self-storage facilities may be affected by customer perceptions and factors outside of our control.
Significantly lower logistics costs could introduce new competitors, such as valet-style storage services, which may reduce the demand for traditional self-storage. Customer preferences and/or needs for self-storage could change, decline, or shift to other product types, thereby impacting our business model and ability to grow and/or generate revenues. Shifts in population and demographics could cause the geographical distribution of our portfolio to be suboptimal and affect our ability to maintain occupancy and attract new customers. Security incidents could result in the perception that our properties are not safe. If our customers do not feel our properties are safe, they may select competitors for their self-storage needs, or if there is an industry perception of inadequate security generally, customer use of self-storage could be negatively impacted.
Our newly developed and expanded facilities, and facilities that we manage for third party owners, may negatively impact the revenues of our existing facilities.
We continue to develop new self-storage facilities and expand our existing self-storage facilities. In addition, we are seeking to increase the number of self-storage facilities that we manage for third party owners in exchange for a fee, many of which are in the process of stabilization and are near our existing stabilized self-storage facilities. In order to hasten the fill-up of these new facilities, we aggressively price such space during the fill-up period. While we believe that this aggressive pricing allows us to increase our market share relative to our competitors and increase the cash flows of these properties, such pricing and the added capacity may also negatively impact our existing stabilized self-storage facilities that are near these unstabilized facilities.
Many of our existing self-storage facilities may be at a competitive disadvantage to newly developed facilities.
There is a significant level of development of new self-storage facilities, by us and other operators. These newly developed facilities are generally of high quality, with a more fresh and vibrant appearance, more amenities (such as climate control), more attractive office configurations, newer elements, and a more attractive retail presence as compared to many of our existing stabilized self-storage facilities, some of which were built as much as 50 years ago. Such qualitative differentials may negatively impact our ability to compete with these facilities for new tenants and our existing tenants may move to newly developed facilities.
We may incur significant liabilities from environmental contamination or moisture infiltration.
Existing or future laws impose or may impose liability on us to clean up environmental contamination on or around properties that we currently or previously owned or operated, even if we were not responsible for or aware of the environmental contamination or even if such environmental contamination occurred prior to our involvement with the property. We have conducted preliminary environmental assessments on most of our properties, which have not identified any material liabilities. These assessments, commonly referred to as “Phase 1 Environmental Assessments,” include an investigation (excluding soil or groundwater sampling or analysis) and a review of publicly available information regarding the site and other nearby properties.
We are also subject to potential liability relating to moisture infiltration, which can result in mold or other damage to our or our customers’ property, as well as potential health concerns. When we receive a complaint or otherwise become aware that an air quality concern exists, we implement corrective measures and seek to work proactively with our customers to resolve issues, subject to our contractual limitations on liability for such claims.
We are not aware of any environmental contamination or moisture infiltration related liabilities at any of our properties that could be material to our overall business, financial condition, or results of operation. However, we may not have detected all material liabilities, we could acquire properties with material undetected liabilities, or new conditions could arise or develop at our properties, any of which could result in a cash settlement or adversely affect our ability to sell, lease, operate, or encumber affected facilities.
Economic conditions can adversely affect our business, financial condition, growth, and access to capital.
Economic downturns or adverse economic or industry conditions, including those related to high levels of inflation, could adversely impact our financial results, growth, and access to capital. Our revenues and operating cash flow can be negatively impacted by reductions in employment and population levels, household and disposable income, and
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other general economic factors that lead to a reduction in demand for self-storage space in each of the markets in which we operate.
Our ability to raise capital on attractive terms to fund our activities may be adversely affected by challenging market conditions, including high interest rates resulting from government efforts to manage inflation. In periods when the capital and credit markets experience significant volatility, the amounts, sources, and cost of capital available to us may be adversely affected. If we were unable to raise capital at reasonable rates, prospective earnings growth through expanding our asset base could be limited.
We have exposure to European operations through our ownership in Shurgard.
We own approximately 35% of the common shares of Shurgard, and this investment has a $275.8 million book value and a $1.4 billion market value (based upon the closing trading price of Shurgard’s common stock) at December 31, 2022. We recognized $26.4 million in equity in earnings and received $37.8 million in dividends in 2022 with respect to Shurgard.
Shurgard, as an owner, operator, and developer of self-storage facilities, is subject to many of the same risks we are with respect to self-storage. However, through our investment in Shurgard, we are exposed to additional risks unique to the various European markets in which Shurgard operates, which may adversely impact our business and financial results, and many of which are referred to in Shurgard’s public filings. These risks include the following:
•Currency risks: Currency fluctuations can impact the fair value of our investment in Shurgard, our equity earnings, our ongoing dividends, and any other related repatriations of cash.
•Legislative, tax, and regulatory risks: Shurgard is subject to a variety of local, national, and pan-European laws and regulations related to permitting and land use, the environment, labor, and other areas, as well as income, property, sales, and value added and employment tax. These laws and regulations can be difficult to apply or interpret, can vary in each country or locality, and are subject to unexpected changes in their form and application due to regional, national, or local political uncertainty and other factors. Such changes, or Shurgard’s failure to comply with these laws, could subject it to penalties or other sanctions, adverse changes in business processes, and, potentially, adverse income tax, property tax, or other tax burdens.
•Impediments to capital repatriation could negatively impact the realization of our investment in Shurgard: Laws in Europe and the U.S. may create, impede, or increase our cost to repatriate distributions received from Shurgard or proceeds from the sale of Shurgard shares.
•Risks of collective bargaining: Collective bargaining, which is prevalent in certain areas in Europe, could negatively impact Shurgard’s labor costs or operations. Many of Shurgard’s employees participate in various national unions.
•Potential operating and individual country risks: Economic slowdowns or extraordinary political or social change in the countries in which it operates have posed, and could continue to pose, challenges or result in future reductions of Shurgard’s operating cash flows.
•Liquidity of our ownership stake: We have no plans to liquidate our interest in Shurgard. However, while Shurgard is a publicly held entity, if we chose to, our ability to liquidate our shares in Shurgard in an efficient manner could be limited by the level of Shurgard’s public “float” relative to any ownership stake we sought to sell. Our existing relationship with our legacy joint venture partner may place further contractual limitations on our ability to sell all of the shares we own if we desired to do so.
•Impediments of Shurgard’s public ownership structure: Shurgard’s strategic decisions, involving activities such as borrowing money, capital contributions, raising capital from third parties, and selling or acquiring significant assets, are determined by its board of directors. As a result, Shurgard may be precluded from taking advantage of opportunities that we would find attractive but that we may not be able to pursue separately, or it could take actions that we do not agree with.
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Public health and other crises, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic, have adversely impacted, and may in the future adversely impact, our business.
Our business is subject to risks from public health and other crises like the COVID-19 Pandemic, including, among others:
•risk of illness or death of our employees or customers;
•negative impacts on economic conditions in our markets, which may reduce the demand for self-storage;
•risk that there could be an out-migration of population from certain high-cost major markets;
•government restrictions that (i) limit or prevent use of our facilities, (ii) limit our ability to increase rent or otherwise limit the rent we can charge, (iii) limit our ability to collect rent or evict delinquent tenants, or (iv) limit our ability to complete development and redevelopment projects;
•risk that we could experience a change in the move-out patterns of our long-term customers due to economic uncertainty and increases in unemployment, which could lead to lower occupancies and rent “roll down” as long-term customers are replaced with new customers at lower rates; and
•risk of negative impacts on the cost and availability of debt and equity capital, which could have a material impact upon our capital and growth plans.
We have been and may in the future be adversely impacted by emergency regulations adopted in response to significant events, such as natural disasters or public health crises, that could adversely impact our operations.
In response to significant events, local, state, and federal governments have and may in the future adopt regulations that could impact our operations. For example, in response to wildfires in 2018 and 2019 and floods in 2023, the State of California and some localities in California adopted temporary regulations that imposed certain limits on the rents we could charge at certain of our facilities and the extent to which we could increase rents to existing tenants. Similarly, in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, certain localities adopted restrictions on the use of certain of our facilities, limited our ability to increase rents, limited our ability to collect rent or evict delinquent tenants, and limited our ability to complete development and redevelopment projects. Similar restrictions could be imposed in the future in response to significant events and these restrictions could adversely impact our operations.
Our marketing and pricing strategies may fail to be effective or may be constrained by factors outside of our control.
Marketing initiatives, including our increasing dependence on Google to source customers, may fail to be effective and could negatively impact financial performance. Approximately 65% of our new storage customers in 2022 were sourced directly or indirectly through “unpaid” search and “paid” search campaigns on Google. We believe that the vast majority of customers searching for self-storage use Google at some stage in their shopping experience. Google is providing tools to allow smaller and less sophisticated operators to bid for search terms, increasing competition for self-storage search terms. The predominance of Google in the shopping experience, as well as Google’s enabling of additional competitors to bid for placements in self-storage search terms, may reduce the number of new customers that we can procure, and/or increase our costs to obtain new customers.
In addition, the inability to utilize our pricing methodology due to regulatory or market constraints could also significantly impact our financial results.
We are exposed to ongoing litigation and other legal and regulatory actions, which may divert management’s time and attention, require us to pay damages and expenses or restrict the operation of our business.
We have approximately 5,900 employees and 1.8 million customers, and we conduct business at facilities in 40 states. As a result, we are subject to the risk of legal claims and proceedings (including class actions) and regulatory enforcement actions across many jurisdictions in the ordinary course of our business and otherwise, and we could incur significant liabilities and substantial legal fees as a result of these actions. Resolution of these claims and actions may divert time and attention by our management and could involve payment of damages or expenses by us, all of which may
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be significant, and could damage our reputation and our brand. In addition, any such resolution could involve our agreement to terms that restrict the operation of our business. The results of legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. We cannot guarantee that losses incurred in connection with any current or future legal or regulatory proceedings or actions will not exceed any provisions we may have set aside in respect of such proceedings or actions or any available insurance coverage. Any such legal claims, proceedings, and regulatory enforcement actions could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment, and/or the price of our common shares.
In addition, through exercising their authority to regulate our activities, governmental agencies can otherwise negatively impact our business by increasing costs or decreasing revenues.
Our failure to modernize and adopt advancements in information technology may hinder or prevent us from achieving strategic objectives.
Our inability to adapt and deliver new capabilities in time with strategic requirements may cause the organization to miss market competitive timing, first mover position, or to suffer material loss due to failed technology choices or implementation.
The failure or disruption of our computer and communications systems, on which we are heavily dependent,could significantly harm our business.
We are heavily dependent upon automated information technology and Internet commerce, with more than half of our new customers coming from the telephone or over the Internet. We centrally manage significant components of our operations with our computer systems, including our financial information, and we also rely extensively on third-party vendors to retain data, process transactions, and provide other systems services. These systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, hackers, including through a ransomware attack, computer worms, viruses, and other destructive or disruptive security breaches, and catastrophic events. Such incidents could also result in significant costs to repair or replace such networks or information systems, as well as actual monetary losses in case of a breach that resulted in fraudulent payments or other cash transactions. As a result, our operations could be severely impacted by a natural disaster, terrorist attack, attack by hackers, acts of vandalism, data theft, misplaced or lost data, programming or human error, or other circumstance that results in a significant outage of our systems or those of our third party providers, despite our use of back up and redundancy measures.
If our confidential information is compromised or corrupted, including as a result of a cybersecurity breach, our reputation and business relationships could be damaged, which could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
In the ordinary course of our business we acquire and store sensitive data, including personally identifiable information of our prospective and current customers and our employees. The secure processing and maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Although we believe we have taken commercially reasonable steps to protect the security of our confidential information, information security risks have generally increased in recent years due to the rise in new technologies and the increased sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyberattacks. Despite our security measures, we have experienced security breaches due to cyberattacks and additional breaches could occur in the future. In these cases, our information technology and infrastructure could be vulnerable and our or our customers’ or employees’ confidential information could be compromised or misappropriated. Any such breach could result in serious and harmful consequences for us or our tenants.
Our confidential information may also be compromised due to programming or human error or malfeasance. We must continually evaluate and adapt our systems and processes to address the evolving threat landscape, and therefore there is no guarantee that they will be adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches or misuses of data. In addition, as the regulatory environment related to information security, data collection and use, and privacy becomes increasingly rigorous, with new and changing requirements applicable to our business from multiple regulatory agencies at the local, state, federal, or international level, compliance with those requirement could also result in additional costs, or we could fail to comply with those requirements due to various reasons such as not being aware of them.
Any such access, disclosure, or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, disruption to our operations and the services we provide to customers, or damage our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations, reputation, and competitive position. In addition, our customers could lose confidence in our ability to protect their
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personal information, which could cause them to discontinue leasing our self-storage facilities. Such events could lead to lost future revenues and adversely affect our results of operations, or result in remedial and other costs, fines, or lawsuits, which could be in excess of any available insurance that we have procured.
Ineffective succession planning for our CEO and executive management, as well as for our other key employees, may impact the execution of our strategic plan.
We may not effectively or appropriately identify ready-now succession candidates for our CEO and executive management team, which may negatively impact our ability to meet key strategic goals. Failure to implement succession plans for other key employees may leave us vulnerable to retirements and turnover.
We may fail to protect our intellectual property adequately.
We maintain a portfolio of trademarks and trade dress that we believe are fundamental to the success of the Public Storage® brand. While we actively seek to enforce and expand our rights, our trademark and trade dress could be deemed generic and indistinct and lose protection. We also own and seek to protect other intellectual property, such as propriety systems, processes, data, and other trade secrets that we have collected and developed in the course of operating our business and that we believe provides us with various competitive advantages. Our protections could be inadequate or we could lose rights to our other intellectual property and trade secrets. Competitor use of our trademarks and trade names could lead to likelihood of confusion, tarnishment of our brand, and loss of legal protection for our marks.
Risks Related to Our Ownership, Organization and Structure
Takeover attempts or changes in control could be thwarted, even if beneficial to shareholders.
In certain circumstances, shareholders might desire a change in control or acquisition of us in order to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our shares or for other reasons. However, the following could prevent, deter, or delay such a transaction:
•Provisions of Maryland law may impose limitations that may make it more difficult for a third party to negotiate or effect a business combination transaction or control share acquisition with Public Storage. Currently, our Board has opted not to subject the Company to these provisions of Maryland law, but it could choose to do so in the future without shareholder approval.
•To protect against the loss of our REIT status due to concentration of ownership levels, our declaration of trust generally limits the ability of a person, other than the Hughes family or “designated investment entities” (each as defined in our declaration of trust), to own, actually or constructively, more than 3% of our outstanding common shares or 9.9% of the outstanding shares of any class or series of preferred or equity shares. Our Board may grant, and has previously granted, a specific exemption. These limits could discourage, delay, or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of the Company not approved by our Board.
•Similarly, current provisions of our declaration of trust and powers of our Board could have the same effect, including (1) limitations on removal of trustees, (2) restrictions on the acquisition of our shares of beneficial interest, (3) the power to issue additional common shares, preferred shares, or equity shares on terms approved by our Board without obtaining shareholder approval, (4) the advance notice provisions of our bylaws, and (5) our Board’s ability under Maryland law, without obtaining shareholder approval, to implement takeover defenses that we may not yet have and to take, or refrain from taking, other actions that could have the effect of delaying, deterring, or preventing a transaction or a change in control.
Holders of our preferred shares have dividend, liquidation, and other rights that are senior to the rights of the holders of our common shares.
Holders of our preferred shares are entitled to cumulative dividends before any dividends may be declared or set aside on our common shares. Upon liquidation, holders of our preferred shares will receive a liquidation preference of $25,000 per share (or $25.00 per depositary share) plus any accrued and unpaid distributions before any payment is made to the common shareholders. These preferences may limit the amount received by our common shareholders either from ongoing distributions or upon liquidation. In addition, our preferred shareholders have the right to elect two additional
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directors to our Board whenever dividends are in arrears in an aggregate amount equivalent to six or more quarterly dividends, whether or not consecutive.
Preferred Shareholders are subject to certain risks.
Holders of our preferred shares have preference rights over our common shareholders with respect to liquidation and distributions, which give them some assurance of continued payment of their stated dividend rate, and receipt of their principal upon liquidation of the Company or redemption of their securities. However, holders of our Preferred Shares should consider the following risks:
•The Company has in the past, and could in the future, issue or assume additional debt. Preferred shareholders would be subordinated to the interest and principal payments of such debt, which would increase the risk that there would not be sufficient funds to pay distributions or liquidation amounts to the preferred shareholders.
•The Company has in the past, and could in the future, issue additional preferred shares that, while pari passu to the existing preferred shares, increases the risk that there would not be sufficient funds to pay distributions to the preferred shareholders.
•While the Company has no plans to do so, if the Company were to lose its REIT status or no longer elect REIT status, it would no longer be required to distribute its taxable income to maintain REIT status. If, in such a circumstance, the Company ceased paying dividends, unpaid distributions to the preferred shareholders would continue to accumulate. The preferred shareholders would have the ability to elect two additional members to serve on our Board until the arrearage was cured. The preferred shareholders would not receive any compensation (such as interest) for the delay in the receipt of distributions, and it is possible that the arrearage could accumulate indefinitely.
•Holders of our Preferred Shares have limited rights in the event the Company ceases to pay dividends to shareholders, and have no rights with respect to a Company decision to discontinue listing the Preferred Shares on a national securities exchange or file reports with the SEC, including following a change of control transaction.
Risks Related to Government Regulations and Taxation
We would incur adverse tax consequences if we failed to qualify as a REIT, and we would have to pay substantial U.S. federal corporate income taxes.
REITs are subject to a range of complex organizational and operational requirements. A qualifying REIT does not generally incur U.S. federal corporate income tax on its “REIT taxable income” (generally, taxable income subject to specified adjustments, including a deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain) that it distributes to its shareholders. Our REIT status is also dependent upon the REIT qualification of PSB through the end of its taxable year ended December 31, 2022, as a result of our substantial ownership interest in it prior to the closing of the PSB merger with and unaffiliated third party. We believe we have qualified as a REIT and we intend to continue to maintain our REIT status.
However, there can be no assurance that we qualify or will continue to qualify as a REIT, because of the highly technical nature of the REIT rules, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, the possibility of unidentified issues in prior periods, or changes in our circumstances, as well as share ownership limits in our declaration of trust that do not necessarily ensure that our shareholder base is sufficiently diverse for us to qualify as a REIT. For any year we fail to qualify as a REIT, unless certain relief provisions apply (the granting of such relief could nonetheless result in significant excise or penalty taxes), we would not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid, we would be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our taxable income, and generally we would not be allowed to elect REIT status until the fifth year after such a disqualification. In addition, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022, we would possibly also be subject to certain taxes enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that are applicable to non-REIT corporations, including the corporate alternative minimum tax and nondeductible one percent excise tax on certain stock repurchases. Any taxes, interest, and penalties incurred would reduce our cash available for distributions to shareholders and could negatively affect our stock price. However, for years in which we failed to qualify as a REIT, we would not be subject to REIT rules that require us to distribute substantially all of our taxable income to our shareholders.
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Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the preferential tax rates available for some dividends.
Dividends payable by REITs may be taxed at higher rates than dividends of non-REIT corporations. The maximum U.S. federal income tax rate for qualified dividends paid by domestic non-REIT corporations to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts, or estates is generally 20%. Dividends paid by REITs to such stockholders are generally not eligible for that rate, but under current tax law, such stockholders may deduct up to 20% of ordinary dividends (i.e., dividends not designated as capital gain dividends or qualified dividend income) received from a REIT for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026. Although this deduction reduces the effective tax rate applicable to certain dividends paid by REITs, such tax rate may still be higher than the tax rate applicable to regular corporate qualified dividends. This may cause investors to view REIT investments as less attractive than investments in non-REIT corporations, which in turn may adversely affect the value of the stock of REITs, including our stock.
Changes in tax laws could negatively impact us.
The United States Treasury Department and Congress frequently review federal income tax legislation, regulations and other guidance. We cannot predict whether, when, or to what extent new federal tax laws, regulations, interpretations or rulings will be adopted, but these changes might include, in particular, increases in the U.S. federal income tax rates that apply to us or our shareholders in certain circumstances, possibly with retroactive effect.
We may pay some taxes, reducing cash available for shareholders.
Even if we qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal corporate income tax purposes, we may be subject to some federal, foreign, state, and local taxes on our income and property. Certain consolidated corporate subsidiaries of the Company have elected to be treated as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”) for U.S. federal corporate income tax purposes, and are taxable as regular corporations and subject to certain limitations on intercompany transactions. If tax authorities determine that amounts paid by our TRSs to us are not reasonable compared to similar arrangements among unrelated parties, we could be subject to a 100% penalty tax on the excess payments, and ongoing intercompany arrangements could have to change, resulting in higher ongoing tax payments. To the extent the Company is required to pay federal, foreign, state, or local taxes, or federal penalty taxes due to existing laws or changes thereto, we will have less cash available for distribution to shareholders.
In addition, certain local and state governments have imposed taxes on self-storage rent. While in most cases those taxes are paid by our customers, they increase the cost of self-storage rental to our customers and can negatively impact our revenues. Other local and state governments may impose self-storage rent taxes in the future.
We have exposure to increased property tax in California.
Approximately $767.2 million of our 2022 net operating income is from our properties in California, and we incurred approximately $47.2 million in related property tax expense. Due to the impact of Proposition 13, which generally limits increases in assessed values to 2% per year, the assessed value and resulting property tax we pay is less than it would be if the properties were assessed at current values. From time to time, proposals have been made to reduce the beneficial impact of Proposition 13, most recently in the November 2020 ballot. While this ballot initiative failed, there can be no assurance that future initiatives or other legislative actions will not eliminate or reduce the benefit of Proposition 13 with respect to our properties. If the beneficial effect of Proposition 13 were ended for our properties, our property tax expense could increase substantially, adversely affecting our cash flow from operations and net income.
We are subject to new and changing legislation and regulations, including the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).
We are subject to new and changing legislation and regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and legislation regarding property taxes, income taxes, REIT status, labor and employment, privacy, and lien sales at the city, county, state, and federal level, which could materially impact our business and operations. Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and policies may subject us to increased litigation and regulatory actions and negatively affect our business and operations or reputation.
On November 3, 2020, Californians passed a ballot measure that creates the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”). The CPRA amends and expands the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which went into effect on January 1, 2020. The CPRA, which went into effect on January 1, 2023, provides new rights and amends existing rights
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found in the CCPA. It also creates a new privacy enforcement authority, the California Privacy Protection Agency (“CalPPA”). The CPRA grants the Attorney General and the CalPPA the authority to issue regulations on a wide range of topics. It therefore remains unclear what, if any, modifications will be made to the CPRA or how it will be interpreted. While we believe we have developed processes to comply with current privacy requirements, a regulatory agency may not agree with certain of our implementation decisions, which could subject us to litigation, regulatory actions, or changes to our business practices that could increase costs or reduce revenues. Other states have also enacted or are considering enacting privacy laws similar to those passed in California. Similar laws may be implemented in other jurisdictions in which we do business and in ways that may be more restrictive than those in California, increasing the cost of compliance, as well as the risk of noncompliance, on our business.
Our tenant reinsurance business is subject to governmental regulation, which could reduce our profitability or limit our growth.
We hold Limited Lines Self-Service Storage Insurance Agent licenses from a number of individual state departments of insurance and are subject to state governmental regulation and supervision. Our continued ability to maintain these Limited Lines Self-Service Storage Insurance Agent licenses in the jurisdictions in which we are licensed depends on our compliance with related rules and regulations. The regulatory authorities in each jurisdiction generally have broad discretion to grant, renew, and revoke licenses and approvals, to promulgate, interpret, and implement regulations, and to evaluate compliance with regulations through periodic examinations, audits, and investigations of the affairs of insurance agents. As a result of regulatory or private action in any jurisdiction, we may be temporarily or permanently suspended from continuing some or all of our reinsurance activities, or otherwise fined, penalized, or subject to an adverse judgment, which could reduce our net income.
ITEM 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
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ITEM 2. Properties
At December 31, 2022, we had controlling ownership interests in 2,869 self-storage facilities located in 40 states within the U.S.:
Number of Storage Facilities Net Rentable Square Feet(in thousands)
California
(a)See Schedule III: Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation in our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for a summary of land, building, accumulated depreciation, square footage, and number of properties by market.
At December 31, 2022, five of our facilities with a net book value of $17 million were encumbered by an aggregate of $10 million in mortgage notes payable.
The configuration of self-storage facilities has evolved over time. The oldest facilities are comprised generally of multiple single-story buildings, and have on average approximately 500 primarily “drive up” spaces per facility, and a small rental office. The most prevalent recently constructed facilities have higher density footprints with large, multi-story buildings with climate control and 1,000 or more self-storage spaces, a more imposing and visible retail presence, and a
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prominent and large rental office designed to appeal to customers as an attractive and retail-focused “store.” Our self-storage portfolio includes facilities with characteristics of the oldest facilities, characteristics of the most recently constructed facilities, and those with characteristics of both older and recently constructed facilities. Most spaces have between 25 and 400 square feet and an interior height of approximately eight to 12 feet.
ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings
For a description of the Company’s legal proceedings, see “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Our common shares of beneficial interest (NYSE: PSA) have been listed on the NYSE since October 19, 1984. As of February 16, 2023, there were approximately 10,071 holders of record of our common shares.
Our Board has authorized management to repurchase up to 35,000,000 of our common shares on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. From the inception of the repurchase program through February 21, 2023, we have repurchased a total of 23,721,916 common shares (all purchased prior to 2010) at an aggregate cost of approximately $679.1 million. Our common share repurchase program does not have an expiration date and there are 11,278,084 common shares that may yet be repurchased under our repurchase program as of December 31, 2022. We have no current plans to repurchase shares; however, future levels of common share repurchases will be dependent upon our available capital, investment alternatives, and the trading price of our common shares.
Refer to Item 12. “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters” for information about our equity compensation plans.
ITEM 6. [Reserved]
ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
Critical Accounting Estimates:
The preparation of consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires us to make judgments, assumptions, and estimates that affect the amounts reported. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions are based on current facts, historical experience, and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances to determine reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources.
We believe the following are our critical accounting estimates, because they are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the portrayal of our financial condition and results, and they require us to make judgments and estimates about matters that involve a significant level of uncertainty.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets: The analysis of impairment of our long-lived assets, including our real estate facilities, involves identification of indicators of impairment, including unfavorable operational results and significant cost overruns on construction, projections of future operating cash flows, and estimates of fair values, all of which require significant judgment and subjectivity. In particular, these estimates are sensitive to significant assumptions, such as the projections of future rental rates, stabilized occupancy level, future profit margin, discount rates, and capitalization rates, all of which could be affected by our expectations about future market or economic conditions. Others could come to materially different conclusions.
Allocating Purchase Price for Acquired Real Estate Facilities: We estimate the fair values of the assets and liabilities of acquired real estate facilities, which consist principally of land and buildings, for purposes of allocating the aggregate purchase price of acquired real estate facilities. We estimate the fair value of land based upon price per square foot derived from observable transactions involving comparable land in similar locations as adjusted for location quality, parcel size, and date of sale associated with the acquired facilities. The fair value estimate of land is sensitive to the adjustments made to the land market transactions used in the estimate, particularly when there is a lack of recent comparable land market data. For large portfolio acquisitions, we estimate the fair value of buildings primarily using the income approach by estimating the fair value of hypothetical vacant acquired facilities and adjusting for the estimated fair value of land. For individual and small portfolio acquisitions, we estimate the fair value of buildings primarily based upon the estimated current replacement cost, which we calculate by estimating the replacement cost of new purpose-built self-storage facilities in similar geographic regions and adjusting for age, quality, amenities, and configuration associated with
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the buildings acquired. The fair value estimate of buildings is sensitive to assumptions used in both the income approach, such as lease-up period, future stabilized operating cash flows, capitalization rate and discount rate, and in the replacement cost approach, such as current cost adjustment, soft cost and developer profit estimates. Others could come to materially different conclusions as to the estimated fair values of land and buildings, which would result in different depreciation and amortization expense, gains and losses on sale of real estate assets, as well as the level of land and buildings on our consolidated balance sheet.
Overview
Our self-storage operations generate most of our net income, and our earnings growth is impacted by the levels of growth within our Same Store Facilities (as defined below) as well as within our Acquired Facilities and Newly Developed and Expanded Facilities (both as defined below). Accordingly, a significant portion of management’s time is devoted to maximizing cash flows from our existing self-storage facility portfolio.
During 2022, revenues generated by our Same Store Facilities increased by 14.8% ($409.9 million), as compared to 2021, while Same Store cost of operations increased by 5.7% ($39.9 million). Demand and operating trends softened in the second half of 2022 and returned to historical seasonal patterns as compared to what we experienced in 2020 and 2021. We expect the trends to continue in 2023.
In addition to managing our existing facilities for organic growth, we have grown and plan to continue to grow through the acquisition and development of new facilities and expansion of our existing self-storage facilities. Since the beginning of 2020, we acquired a total of 368 facilities with 31.7 million net rentable square feet for $6.6 billion. In our non-same store portfolio, we also have developed and expanded self-storage facilities of 17.7 million net rentable square feet for a total cost of $1.6 billion. During 2022, net operating income generated by our Acquired Facilities and Newly Developed and Expanded Facilities increased 98.2% ($226.3 million), as compared to 2021.
We have experienced recent inflationary impacts on our cost of operations, including labor, utilities, and repairs and maintenance, and costs of development and expansion activities, and we may continue to experience such impacts in the future. We have implemented various initiatives to manage the adverse impacts, such as enhancements in operational processes and investments in technology to reduce payroll hours, achievement of economies of scale from recent acquisitions with supervisory payroll allocated over a broader number of self-storage facilities, and investments in solar power and LED lights to lower utility usage.
In order to enhance the competitive position of certain of our facilities relative to local competitors (including newly developed facilities), we have embarked on our multi-year Property of Tomorrow program to (i) rebrand our properties with more pronounced, attractive, and clearly identifiable color schemes and signage, (ii) enhance the energy efficiency of our properties, and (iii) upgrade the configuration and layout of the offices and other customer zones to improve the customer experience. We expect to complete the program by the end of 2025. We spent approximately $189 million on the program in 2022 and expect to spend approximately $160 million in 2023 on this effort.
On April 24, 2022, PSB entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger whereby affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate (“Blackstone”) agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of PSB’s common stock for $187.50 per share in cash. On July 20, 2022, PSB announced that it completed the merger transaction with Blackstone. Each share of PSB common stock and each common unit of partnership interest we held in PSB were converted into the right to receive the merger consideration of $187.50 per share or unit, including a $5.25 closing cash dividend per share or unit, and a $0.22 prorated quarterly cash dividend per share or unit, for a total of $187.72 per share or unit. At the close of the merger transaction, we received a total of $2.7 billion of cash proceeds and recognized a gain of $2.1 billion, which was classified within gain on sale of our equity investment in PS Business Parks, Inc. in the Consolidated Statement of Income.
In connection with the sale of our equity investment in PSB, on August 4, 2022, we paid a special cash dividend of $13.15 per common share, totaling approximately $2.3 billion, to shareholders of record as of August 1, 2022.
On February 5, 2023, we disclosed that we made a proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares and units of Life Storage for consideration consisting of Public Storage common shares at an exchange ratio of 0.4192 Public Storage common shares for each outstanding Life Storage share or unit. Our public offer followed prior rebuffs by Life Storage of our attempts to negotiate privately. For more detail about the proposal, please see our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 6, 2023. On February 16, 2023, Life Storage announced it had rejected the offer. We currently
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intend to pursue the proposed transaction. In the event we enter into and consummate an acquisition of Life Storage, the acquisition would have a significant impact on our future results of operations.
On February 4, 2023, our Board of Trustees declared a 50% increase in its regular common quarterly dividend from $2.00 to $3.00 per share, payable on March 30, 2023 to shareholders of record as of March 15, 2023. The distribution equates to an annualized increase to the Company’s regular common dividend from $8.00 to $12.00 per share.
Results of Operations
Operating Results for 2022 and 2021
In 2022, net income allocable to our common shareholders was $4,142.3 million or $23.50 per diluted common share, compared to $1,732.4 million or $9.87 per diluted common share in 2021, representing an increase of $2,409.9 million or $13.63 per diluted common share. The increase is due primarily to (i) a $2.1 billion gain on sale of our equity investment in PSB and (ii) a $614.3 million increase in self-storage net operating income, partially offset by (iii) a $174.7 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense, (iv) a $125.1 million decrease in equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities due to sale of our equity investment in PSB, and (v) a $45.5 million increase in interest expense.
The $614.3 million increase in self-storage net operating income in 2022 as compared to 2021 is a result of a $370.1 million increase attributable to our Same Store Facilities and a $244.2 million increase attributable to our non-same store facilities. Revenues for the Same Store Facilities increased 14.8% or $409.9 million in 2022 as compared to 2021, due primarily to higher realized annual rent per occupied square foot, partially offset by a decline in occupancy. Cost of operations for the Same Store Facilities increased by 5.7% or $39.9 million in 2022 as compared to 2021, due primarily to increased property tax expense, on-site property manager payroll expense, marketing expense, other direct property costs, and centralized management costs. The increase in net operating income of $244.2 million for the non-same store facilities is due primarily to the impact of facilities acquired in 2021 and the fill-up of recently developed and expanded facilities.
Operating Results for 2021 and 2020
In 2021, net income allocable to our common shareholders was $1,732.4 million or $9.87 per diluted common share, compared to $1,098.3 million or $6.29 per diluted common share in 2020, representing an increase of $634.1 million or $3.58 per diluted common share. The increase is due primarily to (i) a $437.4 million increase in self-storage net operating income, (ii) a $209.7 million increase in foreign currency exchange gains associated with our Euro denominated notes payable, and (iii) our $149.0 million equity share of gains on sale of real estate recorded by PSB in 2021, partially offset by (iv) a $160.2 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense.
The $437.4 million increase in self-storage net operating income in 2021 as compared to 2020 is a result of a $279.5 million increase in our Same Store Facilities and a $157.9 million increase in our non-Same Store Facilities. Revenues for the Same Store Facilities increased 10.6% or $265.8 million in 2021 as compared to 2020, due primarily to higher realized annual rent per available square foot and weighted average square foot occupancy. Cost of operations for the Same Store Facilities decreased by 1.9% or $13.8 million in 2021 as compared to 2020, due primarily to (i) a 36.1% ($22.4 million) decrease in marketing expenses and (ii) an 11.2% ($14.4 million) decrease in on-site property manager payroll. The increase in net operating income of $157.9 million for the Non-Same Store Facilities is due primarily to the impact of facilities acquired in 2021 and 2020 and the fill-up of recently developed and expanded facilities.
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Funds from Operations and Core Funds from Operations
Funds from Operations (“FFO”) and FFO per share are non-GAAP measures defined by Nareit. We believe that FFO and FFO per share are useful to REIT investors and analysts in measuring our performance because Nareit’s definition of FFO excludes items included in net income that do not relate to or are not indicative of our operating and financial performance. FFO represents net income before depreciation and amortization, which is excluded because it is based upon historical costs and assumes that building values diminish ratably over time, while we believe that real estate values fluctuate due to market conditions. FFO also excludes gains or losses on sale of real estate assets and real estate impairment charges, which are also based upon historical costs and are impacted by historical depreciation. FFO and FFO per share are not a substitute for net income or earnings per share. FFO is not a substitute for net cash flow in evaluating our liquidity or ability to pay dividends, because it excludes investing and financing activities presented on our consolidated statements of cash flows. In addition, other REITs may compute these measures differently, so comparisons among REITs may not be helpful.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, FFO was $16.46 per diluted common share as compared to $13.36 and $9.75 per diluted common share for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, representing an increase in 2022 of 23.2%, or $3.10 per diluted common share, as compared to 2021.
We also present “Core FFO” and “Core FFO per share” non-GAAP measures that represent FFO and FFO per share excluding the impact of (i) foreign currency exchange gains and losses, (ii) charges related to the redemption of preferred securities, and (iii) certain other non-cash and/or nonrecurring income or expense items primarily representing, with respect to the periods presented below, the impact of loss contingency accruals and casualties, unrealized gain on private equity investments and our equity share of merger transaction costs, severance of a senior executive, lease termination income, and casualties from our equity investees. We review Core FFO and Core FFO per share to evaluate our ongoing operating performance and we believe they are used by investors and REIT analysts in a similar manner. However, Core FFO and Core FFO per share are not substitutes for net income and net income per share. Because other REITs may not compute Core FFO or Core FFO per share in the same manner as we do, may not use the same terminology or may not present such measures, Core FFO and Core FFO per share may not be comparable among REITs.
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The following table reconciles net income to FFO and Core FFO and reconciles diluted earnings per share to FFO per share and Core FFO per share:
Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31,
(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)
Reconciliation of Net Income to FFO and Core FFO:
Eliminate items excluded from FFO:
Gain on sale of equity investment in PS Business Parks, Inc. (2,116,839) — — —
Property losses and tenant claims due to casualties (a) 4,817 4,909 4,909 —
Eliminate amounts per share excluded from FFO:
Gain on sale of equity investment in PS Business Parks, Inc. (12.00) — — —
Foreign currency exchange (gain) loss (0.57) (0.64) (0.64) 0.56
Preferred share redemption charge — 0.18 0.18 0.28
Property losses and tenant claims due to casualties (a) 0.03 0.03 0.03 —
Other items — — — 0.02
(a)Property losses and tenant claims due to casualties were related to Hurricane Ian in 2022, and Hurricane Ida in 2021, and were included in general and administrative expenses and ancillary cost of operations on the Consolidated Statements of Income.
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Analysis of Net Income - Self-Storage Operations
Our self-storage operations are analyzed in four groups: (i) the 2,276 facilities that we have owned and operated on a stabilized basis since January 1, 2020 (the “Same Store Facilities”), (ii) 368 facilities we acquired since January 1, 2020 (the “Acquired Facilities”), (iii) 153 facilities that have been newly developed or expanded, or that had commenced expansion by December 31, 2022 (the “Newly Developed and Expanded Facilities”), and (iv) 72 other facilities, which are otherwise not stabilized with respect to occupancies or rental rates since January 1, 2020 (the “Other Non-same Store Facilities”). See Note 13 to our December 31, 2022 consolidated financial statements “Segment Information,” for a reconciliation of the amounts in the tables below to our total net income.
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Self-Storage Operations
Summary Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31,
(Dollar amounts and square footage in thousands)
Revenues:
Cost of operations:
Net operating income (a):
Depreciation and amortization expense:
Net income (loss):
Number of facilities at period end:
Other Non-Same Store Facilities 72 72 — 72 73 —
Net rentable square footage at period end:
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(a)Net operating income or “NOI” is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of depreciation and amortization expense, which is based upon historical real estate costs and assumes that building values diminish ratably over time, while we believe that real estate values fluctuate due to market conditions. We utilize NOI in determining current property values, evaluating property performance, and in evaluating property operating trends. We believe that investors and analysts utilize NOI in a similar manner. NOI is not a substitute for net income, operating cash flow, or other related financial measures, in evaluating our operating results. See Note 13 to our December 31, 2022 consolidated financial statements for a reconciliation of NOI to our total net income for all periods presented.
Same Store Facilities
The Same Store Facilities consist of facilities we have owned and operated on a stabilized level of occupancy, revenues, and cost of operations since January 1, 2020. The composition of our Same Store Facilities allows us more effectively to evaluate the ongoing performance of our self-storage portfolio in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and exclude the impact of fill-up of unstabilized facilities, which can significantly affect operating trends. We believe investors and analysts use Same Store information in a similar manner. However, because other REITs may not compute Same Store Facilities in the same manner as we do, may not use the same terminology or may not present such a measure, Same Store Facilities may not be comparable among REITs.
The following table summarizes the historical operating results of these 2,276 facilities (149.1 million net rentable square feet) that represent approximately 73% of the aggregate net rentable square feet of our U.S. consolidated self-storage portfolio at December 31, 2022. It includes various measures and detail that we do not include in the analysis of the developed, acquired, and other non-same store facilities, due to the relative magnitude and importance of the Same Store Facilities relative to our other self-storage facilities.
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Selected Operating Data for the Same Store Facilities (2,276 facilities)
Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31,
(Dollar amounts in thousands, except for per square foot data)
Revenues (a):
Direct cost of operations (a):
Indirect cost of operations (a):
Weighted average for the period:
Realized annual rental income per (c):
At December 31:
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(a)Revenues and cost of operations do not include tenant reinsurance and merchandise sale revenues and expenses generated at the facilities. See “Ancillary Operations” below for more information.
(b)Direct net operating income (“Direct NOI”), a subtotal within NOI, is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of supervisory payroll, centralized management costs, and share-based compensation in addition to depreciation and amortization expense. We utilize direct net operating income in evaluating property performance and in evaluating property operating trends as compared to our competitors.
(c)Realized annual rent per occupied square foot is computed by dividing rental income, before late charges and administrative fees, by the weighted average occupied square feet for the period. Realized annual rent per available square foot (“REVPAF”) is computed by dividing rental income, before late charges and administrative fees, by the total available net rentable square feet for the period. These measures exclude late charges and administrative fees in order to provide a better measure of our ongoing level of revenue. Late charges are dependent upon the level of delinquency, and administrative fees are dependent upon the level of move-ins. In addition, the rates charged for late charges and administrative fees can vary independently from rental rates. These measures take into consideration promotional discounts, which reduce rental income.
(d)Annual contract rent represents the agreed upon monthly rate that is paid by our tenants in place at the time of measurement. Contract rates are initially set in the lease agreement upon move-in, and we adjust them from time to time with notice. Contract rent excludes other fees that are charged on a per-item basis, such as late charges and administrative fees, does not reflect the impact of promotional discounts, and does not reflect the impact of rents that are written off as uncollectible.
Analysis of Same Store Revenue
We believe a balanced occupancy and rate strategy maximizes our revenues over time. We regularly adjust rental rates and promotional discounts offered (generally, “$1.00 rent for the first month”), as well as our marketing efforts to maximize revenue from new tenants to replace tenants that vacate.
We typically increase rental rates to our long-term tenants (generally, those who have been with us for at least a year) every six to twelve months. As a result, the number of long-term tenants we have in our facilities is an important factor in our revenue growth. The level of rate increases to long-term tenants is based upon evaluating the additional revenue from the increase against the negative impact of incremental move-outs, by considering customers’ in-place rent and prevailing market rents, among other factors.
Revenues generated by our Same Store Facilities increased 14.8% and 10.6% in 2022 and 2021, respectively, in each case as compared to the previous year. The increase in 2022 is due primarily to (i) a 16.4% increase in realized annual rent per occupied square foot for 2022 as compared to 2021, partially offset by (ii) a 1.5% decrease in average occupancy for 2022 as compared to 2021. The increase in 2021 is due primarily to (i) an 8.9% increase in realized annual rent per occupied square foot for 2021 as compared to 2020 and, to a lesser extent, (ii) a 1.9% increase in average occupancy for 2021 as compared to 2020.
Our growth in revenues, realized annual rent per occupied square foot, and REVPAF for 2022 as compared to 2021 was evident in each of our markets. Our weighted average square foot occupancy remained strong across our markets for 2022.
The increase in realized annual rent per occupied square foot in 2022 as compared to the same periods in 2021 was due to rate increases to existing long-term tenants in substantially all of our markets in 2022 as compared to curtailed increases in certain markets in 2021, combined with a 6.2% increase in average rates per square foot charged to new tenants moving in, as a result of strong customer demand in most of our markets. These improvements were partially offset by increases in move-out activity and promotional discounts given during 2022 as compared to 2021. At December 31, 2022, annual contract rent per occupied square foot was 15.3% higher as compared to December 31, 2021.
We experienced high occupancy levels throughout 2022 with a weighted average square foot occupancy of 94.9%, although representing a decrease of 1.5% during 2022 as compared to 2021. Year-over-year move-out volumes increased 9.7% and year-over-year move-in volumes increased 4.5% in 2022 as compared to 2021, leading to a lower square foot occupancy at December 31, 2022 of 92.4% as compared to 94.8% at December 31, 2021.
Move-out volumes were partially impacted by rental rate increases to our existing tenants in 2022 as compared to 2021. However, move-out activity from tenants not receiving increases was also higher in 2022 compared to 2021 but remains below pre-2020 levels. Average length of stay of our tenants increased in 2022 as compared to 2021, which supported our revenue growth by contributing to the number of tenants eligible for rental rate increases in 2022.
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In order to attract more new tenants to replace those that vacated in the second half of 2022, we took a number of actions including increasing promotional discounting, reducing rental rates to new customers, and increasing marketing expense.
Demand historically has been higher in the summer months than in the winter months and, as a result, rental rates charged to new tenants have typically been higher in the summer months than in the winter months. More typical seasonal patterns of demand with lower demand in the winter months returned in 2022. Demand fluctuates due to various local and regional factors, including the overall economy. Demand for our facilities is also impacted by new supply of self-storage space and alternatives to self-storage.
We expect weaker demand in 2023 as compared to 2022 driven by a weaker macroeconomic outlook and more limited moving activities, with move-out activities and occupancy levels returning to pre-2020 levels. We will continue to support demand levels with increased marketing expense, lowering rental rates to new customers, and increased promotional discounting. As a result, we expect revenue growth to decline significantly in 2023 as compared to high levels of growth in 2022 and 2021. With a wide range of potential macroeconomic pathways for 2023, the range of potential revenue growth rates is wide including the potential for year-over-year declines in revenue in the second half of 2023.
Late Charges and Administrative Fees
Late charges and administrative fees increased 23.0% in 2022 and decreased 1.8% in 2021, in each case as compared to the previous year. The increase in 2022 is due to (i) higher late charges collected on delinquent accounts driven by more delinquent accounts compared to 2021 and to a lesser extent (ii) higher administrative fees charged per move-in combined with higher move-in volumes. The decrease in 2021 as compared to 2020 is due to (i) an acceleration in average collections whereby a greater percentage of tenants paid their monthly rent promptly to avoid the incurrence of such fees and (ii) reduced move-in administrative fees due to lower move-ins.
Selected Key Statistical Data
The following table sets forth average annual contract rent per square foot and total square footage for tenants moving in and moving out during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020. It also includes promotional discounts, which vary based upon the move-in contractual rates, move-in volume, and percentage of tenants moving in who receive the discount.
Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31,
(Amounts in thousands, except for per square foot amounts)
Tenants moving in during the period:
Tenants moving out during the period:
Analysis of Same Store Cost of Operations
Cost of operations (excluding depreciation and amortization) increased 5.7% in 2022 as compared to 2021 due primarily to increased property tax expense, on-site property manager payroll expense, marketing expense, other direct property costs, and centralized management costs. Cost of operations (excluding depreciation and amortization) decreased 1.9% in 2021 as compared to 2020 due primarily to decreased marketing expense and on-site property manager payroll expense, partially offset by increased property tax expense, other direct property costs, and centralized management costs.
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Property tax expense increased 4.3% and 3.7% in 2022 and 2021, respectively, in each case as compared to the previous year, as a result of higher assessed values. We expected property tax expense growth of approximately 5.3% in 2023 due primarily to higher assessed values.
On-site property manager payroll expense increased 4.1% in 2022 as compared to 2021 and decreased 11.2% in 2021 as compared to 2020. The increase in 2022 is primarily due to competitive labor conditions experienced in most geographical markets, partially offset by a decline in hours worked driven by revisions in operational processes. The decrease in 2021 is primarily due to (i) a year-over-year decline in hours worked due to staffing reductions from reduced move-in and move-out activity and revisions to other operational processes and (ii) a temporary $3.00 hourly incentive increase and enhancement of paid time off benefits to all of our property managers between April 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020 in response to the COVID Pandemic, partially offset by wage increases in response to competitive labor conditions experienced in most geographical markets since the second quarter of 2021. We expect on-site property manager payroll expense to increase in 2023 driven by increased wage rates, partially offset by expected reduction in labor hours driven by revisions in operational processes.
Marketing expense includes Internet advertising and the operating costs of our telephone reservation center. Internet advertising expense, comprising keyword search fees assessed on a “per click” basis, varies based upon demand for self-storage space, the quantity of people inquiring about self-storage through online search, occupancy levels, the number and aggressiveness of bidding competitors, and other factors. These factors are volatile; accordingly, Internet advertising can increase or decrease significantly in the short-term. We increased marketing expense by 15.7% in 2022 as compared to 2021, by utilizing a higher volume of online paid search programs to attract new tenants. We decreased marketing expense by 36.1% in 2021 as compared to 2020 due primarily to lower volume of paid search programs we utilized in 2021 given strong demand and high occupancies in many of our same store properties.
Other direct property costs include administrative expenses specific to each self-storage facility, such as property loss, telephone and data communication lines, business license costs, bank charges related to processing the facilities’ cash receipts, tenant mailings, credit card fees, eviction costs, and the cost of operating each property’s rental office. These costs increased 10.0% in 2022 as compared to 2021 and 7.8% in 2021 as compared to 2020. These increases were due primarily to an increase in credit card fees as result of year-over-year increases in revenues, and to a lesser extent, a long-term trend of more customers paying with credit cards rather than cash, checks, or other methods of payment with lower transaction costs. We expect a moderate increase in other direct property costs in 2023 primarily driven by increase in credit card fees.
Centralized management costs represents administrative and cash compensation expenses for shared general corporate functions to the extent their efforts are devoted to self-storage operations. Such functions include information technology support, hardware, and software, as well as centralized administration of payroll, benefits, training, facilities management, customer service, pricing and marketing, operational accounting and finance, and legal costs. Centralized management costs increased 11.9% in 2022 as compared to 2021 and 12.7% in 2021 as compared to 2020. These increases were due primarily to an increase in technology and data team costs that support property operations. We expect centralized managements costs to remain flat in 2023 compared to 2022.
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Analysis of Market Trends
The following tables set forth selected market trends in our Same Store Facilities:
Same Store Facilities Operating Trends by Market
As of December 31, 2022 Year Ended December 31,
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Same Store Facilities Operating Trends by Market (Continued)
Year Ended December 31,
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Same Store Facilities Operating Trends by Market (Continued)
As of December 31, 2022 Year Ended December 31,
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Same Store Facilities Operating Trends by Market (Continued)
Year Ended December 31,
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Acquired Facilities
The Acquired Facilities represent 368 facilities that we acquired in 2020, 2021, and 2022. As a result of the stabilization process and timing of when these facilities were acquired, year-over-year changes can be significant. The following table summarizes operating data with respect to the Acquired Facilities:
ACQUIRED FACILITIES Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31,
($ amounts in thousands, except for per square foot amounts)
Revenues (b):
Cost of operations (b):
Net operating income:
At December 31:
Square foot occupancy:
Annual contract rent per occupied square foot:
Number of facilities:
Net rentable square feet (in thousands) (c):
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ACQUIRED FACILITIES (Continued)
Costs to acquire (in thousands):
(a)Represents the percentage change with respect to square foot occupancy and annual contract rent per occupied square foot, and the absolute nominal change with respect to all other items.
(b)Revenues and cost of operations do not include tenant reinsurance and merchandise sale revenues and expenses generated at the facilities. See “Ancillary Operations” below for more information.
(c)The Acquired Facilities have an aggregate of approximately 31.7 million net rentable square feet, including 11.2 million in Texas, 3.9 million in Maryland, 1.8 million in Florida, 1.2 million in Oklahoma, 1.1 million in Virginia, 0.9 million in North Carolina, 0.8 million in each of Arizona, Colorado and Ohio, 0.6 million in each of California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, and South Carolina, 0.5 million in each of Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, 0.4 million in each of Alabama, Nevada, and Tennessee, 0.3 million in Washington, and 1.2 million in other states.
We have been active in acquiring facilities in recent years. Since the beginning of 2020, we acquired a total of 368 facilities with 31.7 million net rentable square feet for $6.6 billion. During 2022, these facilities contributed net operating income of $267.0 million.
During 2022, we acquired the Neighborhood Storage portfolio in the Ocala, Florida market, consisting of 28 properties with 1.2 million net rentable square feet, which includes 26 properties closed in December 2022 for $179.8 million and two properties that are under construction and expected to close in early 2023.
During 2021, we acquired the ezStorage portfolio, consisting of 48 properties (4.1 million net rentable square feet) for acquisition cost of $1.8 billion. Included in the Acquisition results in the table above are ezStorage portfolio revenues of $100.8 million, NOI of $79.9 million (including Direct NOI of $82.7 million), and average square footage occupancy of 89.6% for 2022.
During 2021, we acquired the All Storage portfolio, consisting of 56 properties (7.5 million net rentable square feet) for $1.5 billion. Included in the Acquisition results in the table above are All Storage portfolio revenues of $79.2 million, NOI of $48.4 million (including Direct NOI of $51.2 million), and average square footage occupancy of 79.4% for 2022.
We remain active in seeking to acquire additional self-storage facilities. Subsequent to December 31, 2022, we acquired or were under contract to acquire eight self-storage facilities across five states with 0.5 million net rentable square feet, for $70.5 million. Future acquisition volume is likely to be impacted by increasing cost of capital requirements and overall macro-economic uncertainties.
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Developed and Expanded Facilities
The developed and expanded facilities include 62 facilities that were developed on new sites since January 1, 2017, and 91 facilities expanded to increase their net rentable square footage. Of these expansions, 51 were completed before 2021, 27 were completed in 2021 or 2022, and 13 are currently in process at December 31, 2022. The following table summarizes operating data with respect to the Developed and Expanded Facilities:
DEVELOPED AND EXPANDED FACILITIES
Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31,
($ amounts in thousands, except for per square foot amounts)
Revenues (b):
Cost of operations (b):
Net operating income (loss):
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DEVELOPED AND EXPANDED FACILITIES (Continued)
As of December 31, As of December 31,
($ amounts in thousands, except for per square foot amounts)
Square foot occupancy:
Annual contract rent per occupied square foot:
Number of facilities:
Net rentable square feet (in thousands) (c):
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Costs to develop (in thousands):
(a)Represents the percentage change with respect to square foot occupancy and annual contract rent per occupied square foot, and the absolute nominal change with respect to all other items.
(b)Revenues and cost of operations do not include tenant reinsurance and merchandise sales generated at the facilities. See “Ancillary Operations” below for more information.
(c)The facilities included above have an aggregate of approximately 17.7 million net rentable square feet at December 31, 2022, including 5.0 million in Texas, 3.2 million in Florida, 2.2 million in California, 1.5 million in Colorado, 1.4 million in Minnesota, 0.9 million in North Carolina, 0.7 million in Michigan, 0.4 million in each of Missouri, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Washington, 0.3 million in Virginia, and 0.9 million in other states.
(d)These amounts only include the direct cost incurred to expand and renovate these facilities, and do not include (i) the original cost to develop or acquire the facility or (ii) the lost revenue on space demolished during the construction and fill-up period.
It typically takes at least three to four years for a newly developed or expanded self-storage facility to stabilize with respect to revenues. Physical occupancy can be achieved as early as two to three years following completion of the development or expansion through offering lower rental rates during fill-up. As a result, even after achieving high occupancy, there can still be a period of elevated revenue growth as the tenant base matures and higher rental rates are achieved.
We believe that our development and redevelopment activities generate favorable risk-adjusted returns over the long run. However, in the short run, our earnings are diluted during the construction and stabilization period due to the cost of capital to fund the development cost, as well as the related construction and development overhead expenses included in general and administrative expense.
We typically underwrite new developments to stabilize at approximately an 8.0% NOI yield on cost. Our developed facilities have thus far leased up as expected and are at various stages of their revenue stabilization periods. The actual annualized yields that we may achieve on these facilities upon stabilization will depend on many factors, including local and current market conditions in the vicinity of each property and the level of new and existing supply.
The facilities under “expansions completed” represent those facilities where the expansions have been completed at December 31, 2022. We incurred a total of $709.9 million in direct cost to expand these facilities, demolished a total of 1.2 million net rentable square feet of storage space, and built a total of 6.3 million net rentable square feet of new storage space.
At December 31, 2022, we had 22 additional facilities in development, which will have a total of 2.1 million net rentable square feet of storage space and have an aggregate development cost totaling approximately $492.3 million. We expect these facilities to open over the next 18 to 24 months.
The facilities under “expansion in process” represent those facilities where construction is in process at December 31, 2022, and together with additional future expansion activities primarily related to our Same Store Facilities at December 31, 2022, we expect to add a total of 2.5 million net rentable square feet of storage space by expanding existing self-storage facilities for an aggregate direct development cost of $487.3 million.
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Other Non-Same Store Facilities
The “Other Non-Same Store Facilities” represent facilities which, while not newly acquired, developed, or expanded, are not fully stabilized since January 1, 2020, including facilities undergoing fill-up as well as facilities damaged in casualty events such as hurricanes, floods, and fires.
The Other Non-Same Store Facilities have an aggregate of 5.7 million net rentable square feet, including 1.1 million in Texas, 0.6 million in each of Florida and Washington, 0.4 million in each of California and Virginia, 0.3 million in each of Indiana and South Carolina, 0.2 million in each of Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Tennessee, and 1.0 million in other states.
During 2022, 2021, and 2020, the average occupancy for these facilities totaled 91.4%, 92.7%, and 85.5%, respectively, and the realized rent per occupied square foot totaled $18.42, $14.61, and $12.69, respectively.
Depreciation and amortization expense
Depreciation and amortization expense for Self-Storage Operations increased $174.7 million in 2022 as compared to 2021 and increased $160.2 million in 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily due to newly acquired facilities of $5.1 billion in 2021. We expect continued increases in depreciation expense in 2023 as a result of elevated levels of capital expenditures and new facilities that are acquired, developed or expanded in 2023.
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The following discussion and analysis of the components of net income, including Ancillary Operations and items not allocated to segments, present a comparison for the year ended December 31, 2022 to the year ended December 31, 2021. The results of these components for the years ended December 31, 2021 compared to December 31, 2020 was included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 on page 23, under Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” which was filed with the SEC on February 22, 2022.
Ancillary Operations
Ancillary revenues and expenses include amounts associated with the reinsurance of policies against losses to goods stored by tenants in our self-storage facilities, sale of merchandise at our self-storage facilities, and management of property owned by unrelated third parties. The following table sets forth our ancillary operations:
Year Ended December 31,
(Amounts in thousands)
Revenues:
Cost of operations:
Net operating income (loss):
Tenant reinsurance operations: Tenant reinsurance premium revenue increased $21.6 million or 13.0% in 2022 over 2021, as a result of an increase in our tenant base with respect to acquired, newly developed, and expanded facilities and the third party properties we manage. Tenant reinsurance premium revenue generated from tenants at our Same-Store Facilities were $139.0 million and $133.9 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively, representing a 3.8% year over year increase in 2022.
We expect future growth will come primarily from customers of newly acquired and developed facilities, as well as additional tenants at our existing unstabilized self-storage facilities.
Cost of operations primarily includes claims paid as well as claims adjustment expenses. Claims expenses vary based upon the number of insured tenants and the volume of events that drive covered customer losses, such as burglary, as well as catastrophic weather events affecting multiple properties such as hurricanes and floods. Included in cost of operations are $2.7 million of estimated claims costs related to Hurricane Ian for 2022, as compared to $2.0 million of estimated claims costs related to Hurricane Ida for 2021.
Merchandise sales:Sales of locks, boxes, and packing supplies at our self-storage facilities are primarily impacted by the level of move-ins and other customer traffic at our self-storage facilities. We do not expect any significant changes in revenues or profitability from our merchandise sales in 2023.
Third-party property management: At December 31, 2022, in our third-party property management program, we managed 114 facilities for unrelated third parties, and were under contract to manage 78 additional facilities including 73
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facilities that are currently under construction. During 2022, we added 60 facilities to the program, acquired three facilities from the program, and had 17 properties exit the program due to sales to other buyers. While we expect this business to increase in scope and size, we do not expect any significant changes in overall profitability of this business in the near term as we seek new properties to manage and are in the earlier stages of fill-up for newly managed properties.
Analysis of items not allocated to segments
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities
We account for the equity investments in PSB and Shurgard using the equity method and record our pro-rata share of the net income of these entities. The following table, and the discussion below, sets forth our equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities:
Year Ended December 31,
(Amounts in thousands)
Equity in earnings:
Investment in PSB: On April 24, 2022, PSB entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger whereby affiliates of Blackstone agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of PSB’s common stock for $187.50 per share in cash. On July 20, 2022, PSB announced that it completed the merger transaction with Blackstone. Each share of PSB common stock and each common unit of partnership interest we held in PSB were converted into the right to receive the merger consideration of $187.50 per share or unit, including a $5.25 closing cash dividend per share or unit, and a $0.22 prorated quarterly cash dividend per share or unit, for a total of $187.72 per share or unit. At the close of the merger transaction, we received a total of $2.7 billion of cash proceeds and recognized a gain of $2.1 billion, which was classified within gain on sale of our equity investment in PS Business Parks, Inc. in the Consolidated Statement of Income. Accordingly, equity in earnings from PSB for the year ended December 31, 2022 reflect activities through the merger date, July 20, 2022.
Included in our equity earnings from PSB is our equity share of gains on sale of real estate totaling $49.1 million and $149.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Our equity share of earnings from PSB contributed $57.7 million and $99.3 million to Core FFO in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
As a result of closing the sale of PSB, we will no longer recognize equity in earnings from PSB in the future.
Investment in Shurgard:Included in our equity earnings from Shurgard for the year ended December 31, 2022 is our equity share of gains on sale of real estate totaling $3.5 million.
For purposes of recording our equity in earnings from Shurgard, the Euro was translated at exchange rates of approximately 1.070 U.S. Dollars per Euro at December 31, 2022 (1.134 at December 31, 2021), and average exchange rates of 1.054 for 2022 and 1.183 for 2021. Accordingly, our equity in earnings from Shurgard was negatively impacted by the strengthening of the U.S. Dollar against the Euro by approximately 10.9% during the year ended December 31, 2022.
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General and administrative expense: The following table sets forth our general and administrative expense:
Year Ended December 31,
(Amounts in thousands)
Federal and State tax expense and related compliance costs 16,086 11,530 4,556
Development and acquisition costs primarily represent internal and external expenses related to our development and acquisition of real estate facilities and varies primarily based upon the level of activities. The amounts in the above table are net of $17.4 million and $14.6 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively, in development costs that were capitalized to newly developed and redeveloped self-storage facilities. During 2022, we wrote off $7.0 million of accumulated development costs for cancelled development and redevelopment projects driven by significant increases in construction costs from when the projects were initiated.
Interest and other income: The following table sets forth our interest and other income:
Year Ended December 31,
(Amounts in thousands)
Unrealized gain on private equity investments 4,685 — 4,685
Interest expense: For 2022 and 2021, we incurred $142.4 million and $94.3 million, respectively, of interest on our outstanding notes payable. In determining interest expense, these amounts were offset by capitalized interest of $6.0 million and $3.5 million during 2022 and 2021, respectively, associated with our development activities. The increase of interest expense in 2022 as compared to 2021 is due to our issuances of debt to fund our 2021 acquisition activity. At December 31, 2022, we had $6.9 billion of notes payable outstanding, with a weighted average interest rate of approximately 2.0%.
Foreign Currency Exchange Gain: For 2022, we recorded foreign currency gains of $98.3 million, representing primarily the changes in the U.S. Dollar equivalent of our Euro-denominated unsecured notes due to fluctuations in exchange rates (gains of $111.8 million for 2021). The Euro was translated at exchange rates of approximately 1.070 U.S. Dollars per Euro at December 31, 2022 and 1.134 at December 31, 2021. Future gains and losses on foreign currency will be dependent upon changes in the relative value of the Euro to the U.S. Dollar and the level of Euro-denominated notes payable outstanding.
Gain on Sale of Real Estate: In 2022 and 2021, we recorded gains on sale of real estate totaling $1.5 million and $13.7 million, respectively, in connection with the partial sale of real estate facilities pursuant to eminent domain proceedings.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview and our Sources of Capital
While operating as a REIT allows us to minimize the payment of U.S. federal corporate income tax expense, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our taxable income to our shareholders. Notwithstanding this requirement, our annual operating retained cash flow increased from $200 million to $300 million per year in recent years to approximately $700 million in 2021 and $1 billion in 2022. Retained operating cash flow represents our expected cash flow provided by operating activities (including property operating costs and interest payments described below), less shareholder distributions and capital expenditures. We expect retained cash flow of approximately $500 million for 2023.
The REIT distribution requirement limits cash flow from operations that can be retained and reinvested in the business, increasing our reliance upon raising capital to fund growth. Capital needs in excess of retained cash flow are met with: (i) medium and long-term debt, (ii) preferred equity, and (iii) common equity. We select among these sources of capital based upon relative cost, availability, the desire for leverage, and considering potential constraints caused by certain features of capital sources, such as debt covenants. We view our line of credit, as well as any short-term bank loans, as bridge financing.
Because raising capital is important to our growth, we endeavor to maintain a strong financial profile characterized by strong credit metrics, including low leverage relative to our total capitalization and operating cash flows. We are one of the highest rated REITs, as rated by major rating agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. Our senior notes payable have an “A” credit rating by Standard & Poor’s and “A2” by Moody’s. Our credit ratings on each of our series of preferred shares are “A3” by Moody’s and “BBB+” by Standard & Poor’s. Our credit profile enables us to effectively access both the public and private capital markets to raise capital.
We have a $500.0 million revolving line of credit that we are able to use as temporary “bridge” financing until we are able to raise longer term capital. As of December 31, 2022 and February 21, 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding on the revolving line of credit; however, we do have approximately $18.6 million of outstanding letters of credit, which limits our borrowing capacity to $481.4 million as of February 21, 2023. Our line of credit matures on April 19, 2024.
We believe that we have significant financial flexibility to adapt to changing conditions and opportunities, and we have significant access to sources of capital including debt and preferred equity. While the costs of financing have increased recently, based on our strong credit profile and our substantial current liquidity relative to our capital requirements noted below, we would not expect any potential capital market dislocations to have a material impact upon our expected capital and growth plans over the next 12 months. However, if capital market conditions were to change significantly in the long run, our access to or cost of debt and preferred equity capital could be negatively impacted and potentially affect future investment activities.
Our current and expected capital resources include: (i) $775.3 million of cash as of December 31, 2022 and (ii) approximately $500.0 million of expected retained operating cash flow over the next twelve months. We believe that our cash provided by our operating activities will continue to be sufficient to enable us to meet our ongoing cash requirements for interest payments on debt, maintenance capital expenditures, and distributions to our shareholders for the foreseeable future.
As described below, our current committed cash requirements consist of (i) $70.5 million in property acquisitions currently under contract and (ii) $606.6 million of remaining spending on our current development pipeline, which will be incurred primarily in the next 18 to 24 months. Our cash requirements may increase over the next year as we add projects to our development pipeline and acquire additional properties. Additional potential cash requirements could result from various activities including the redemption of outstanding preferred securities, repurchases of common stock, or merger and acquisition activities, as and to the extent we determine to engage in such activities.
Over the long term, to the extent that our cash requirements exceed our capital resources, we believe we have a variety of possibilities to raise additional capital including issuing common or preferred securities, issuing debt, or entering into joint venture arrangements to acquire or develop facilities.
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Cash Requirements
The following summarizes our expected material cash requirements, which comprise (i) contractually obligated expenditures, including payments of principal and interest, (ii) other essential expenditures, including property operating expenses, maintenance capital expenditures and dividends paid in accordance with REIT distribution requirements, and (iii) opportunistic expenditures, including acquisitions and developments and repurchases of our securities. We expect to satisfy these cash requirements through operating cash flow and opportunistic debt and equity financings.
Required Debt Repayments:As of December 31, 2022, the principal outstanding on our debt totaled approximately $6.9 billion, consisting of $10.1 million of secured notes payable, $1.7 billion of Euro-denominated unsecured notes payable and $5.3 billion of U.S. Dollar denominated unsecured notes payable. Approximate principal maturities and interest payments are as follows (amounts in thousands):
Capital Expenditure Requirements: Capital expenditures include general maintenance, major repairs, or replacements to elements of our facilities to keep our facilities in good operating condition and maintain their visual appeal. Capital expenditures do not include costs relating to the development of new facilities or redevelopment of existing facilities to increase their available rentable square footage.
Capital expenditures totaled $452.3 million in 2022 and are expected to approximate $450 million in 2023. In addition to standard capital repairs of building elements reaching the end of their useful lives, our capital expenditures in recent years have included incremental expenditures to enhance the competitive position of certain of our facilities relative to local competitors pursuant to a multi-year program. Such investments include development of more pronounced, attractive, and clearly identifiable color schemes and signage and upgrades to the configuration and layout of the offices and other customer zones to improve the customer experience. We spent approximately $189 million in 2022 and expect to spend $160 million in 2023 on this effort. In addition, we have made investments in LED lighting and the installation of solar panels, which approximated $56 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and we expect to spend $132 million in 2023.
We believe that these incremental investments improve customer satisfaction, the attractiveness and competitiveness of our facilities to new and existing customers and, in the case of LED lighting and solar panels, reduce operating costs.
Requirement to Pay Distributions: For all periods presented herein, we have elected to be treated as a REIT, as defined in the Code. For each taxable year in which we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our “REIT taxable income” (generally, taxable income subject to specified adjustments, including a deduction for dividends paid and excluding our net capital gain) that is distributed to our shareholders. We believe we have met these requirements in all periods presented herein, and we expect to continue to qualify as a REIT.
On February 4, 2023, our Board declared a regular common quarterly dividend of $3.00 per common share totaling approximately $526 million, which will be paid at the end of March 2023. Our consistent, long-term dividend policy has been to distribute our taxable income. Future quarterly distributions with respect to the common shares will continue to be determined based upon our REIT distribution requirements after taking into consideration distributions to the preferred shareholders and will be funded with cash flows from operating activities. Our future aggregate annual common dividend distributions may increase as a result of the issuance of additional common shares, including any shares that would be issued if we were to consummate our recently proposed acquisition of Life Storage.
The annual distribution requirement with respect to our preferred shares outstanding at December 31, 2022 is approximately $194.7 million per year.
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Real Estate Investment Activities:We continue to seek to acquire additional self-storage facilities from third parties. Subsequent to December 31, 2022, we acquired or were under contract to acquire eight self-storage facilities for a total purchase price of $70.5 million.
We are actively seeking to acquire additional facilities. However, future acquisition volume will depend upon whether additional owners will be motivated to market their facilities, which will in turn depend upon factors such as economic conditions and the level of seller confidence.
As of December 31, 2022, we had development and expansion projects at a total cost of approximately $979.6 million. Costs incurred through December 31, 2022 were $373.0 million, with the remaining cost to complete of $606.6 million expected to be incurred primarily in the next 18 to 24 months. Some of these projects are subject to contingencies such as entitlement approval. We expect to continue to seek to add projects to maintain and increase our robust pipeline. Our ability to do so continues to be challenged by various constraints such as difficulty in finding projects that meet our risk-adjusted yield expectations and challenges in obtaining building permits for self-storage facilities in certain municipalities.
Property Operating Expenses: The direct and indirect cost of our operations impose significant cash requirements. Direct operating costs include property taxes, on-site property manager payroll, repairs and maintenance, utilities, and marketing. Indirect operating costs include supervisory payroll and centralized management costs. The cash requirements from these operating costs will vary year to year based on, among other things, changes in the size of our portfolio and changes in property tax rates and assessed values, wage rates, and marketing costs in our markets.
Redemption of Preferred Securities: Historically, we have taken advantage of refinancing higher coupon preferred securities with lower coupon preferred securities. In the future, we may also elect to finance the redemption of preferred securities with proceeds from the issuance of debt. As of February 21, 2023, we have two series of preferred securities that are eligible for redemption, at our option and with 30 days’ notice: our 5.150% Series F Preferred Shares ($280.0 million) and our 5.050% Series G Preferred Shares ($300.0 million). See Note 9 to our December 31, 2022 consolidated financial statements for the redemption dates of all of our series of preferred shares. Redemption of such preferred shares will depend upon many factors, including the rate at which we could issue replacement preferred securities. None of our preferred securities are redeemable at the option of the holders.
Repurchases of Common Shares: Our Board has authorized management to repurchase up to 35,000,000 of our common shares on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. During 2022, we did not repurchase any of our common shares. From the inception of the repurchase program through February 21, 2023, we have repurchased a total of 23,721,916 common shares at an aggregate cost of approximately $679.1 million. Future levels of common share repurchases will be dependent upon our available capital, investment alternatives and the trading price of our common shares.
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ITEM 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
To limit our exposure to market risk, we are capitalized primarily with preferred and common equity. Our preferred shares are redeemable at our option generally five years after issuance, but the holder has no redemption option. Our debt, which totals approximately $6.9 billion at December 31, 2022, is the only market-risk sensitive portion of our capital structure.
The fair value of our debt at December 31, 2022 is approximately $6.0 billion. The table below summarizes the annual maturities of our debt, which had a weighted average effective rate of 2.0% at December 31, 2022. See Note 7 to our December 31, 2022 consolidated financial statements for further information regarding our debt (amounts in thousands).
We have foreign currency exposure at December 31, 2022 related to (i) our investment in Shurgard, with a book value of $275.8 million, and a fair value of $1.4 billion based upon the closing price of Shurgard’s stock on December 31, 2022, and (ii) €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) of Euro-denominated unsecured notes payable, providing a natural hedge against the fair value of our investment in Shurgard.
ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The financial statements and supplementary data appearing on pages F-3 to F-34 are incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.
ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures
Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports we file and submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in accordance with SEC guidelines, and that such information is communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure based on the definition “of disclosure controls and procedures” in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures in reaching that level of reasonable assurance. We also have investments in certain unconsolidated real estate entities, and, because we do not control these entities, our disclosure controls and procedures with respect to such entities are substantially more limited than those we maintain with respect to our consolidated subsidiaries.
As of December 31, 2022, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2022, at a reasonable assurance level.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Under the supervision and with the
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participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee on Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 Framework). Based on our evaluation under the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.
The effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. Ernst & Young LLP’s report on our internal control over financial reporting appears below.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have not been any changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fourth quarter of 2022 to which this report relates that have materially affected, or are reasonable likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and Board of Trustees of Public Storage
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited Public Storage’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Public Storage (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, equity and redeemable noncontrolling interests and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022 and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) and our report dated February 21, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Los Angeles, California
February 21, 2023
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ITEM 9B. Other Information
None.
ITEM 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not applicable.
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PART III
ITEM 10. Trustees, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The following is a biographical summary of the current executive officers of the Company:
Joseph D. Russell, Jr., age 63, has served as Chief Executive Officer since January 1, 2019, and as President since July 2016. Prior to joining Public Storage, Mr. Russell was President and Chief Executive Officer of PS Business Parks, Inc. from August 2002 to July 2016. Mr. Russell has also served as a trustee of Public Storage since January 1, 2019.
H. Thomas Boyle, age 40, has served as Chief Financial Officer since January 1, 2019 and Chief Investment Officer since January 1, 2023. Previously, Mr. Boyle was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Operations, from November 2016, when he joined the Company, until January 2019. Prior to joining Public Storage, Mr. Boyle served in roles of increasing responsibilities with Morgan Stanley since 2005, from analyst to his last role as Executive Director, Equity and Debt Capital Markets.
Natalia N. Johnson, age 45, has served as Chief Administrative Officer since August 4, 2020. Previously, Ms. Johnson was Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer from April 2018 until August 2020, and prior to that was Senior Vice President of Human Resources, a position she held since joining the Company in July 2016. Prior to joining Public Storage, Ms. Johnson held a variety of senior management positions at Bank of America, including Chief Operating Officer for Mortgage Technology and Human Resources Executive for the Mortgage Business, and worked for Coca-Cola Andina and San Cristόbal Insurance.
Nathaniel A. Vitan, age 49, has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary since April 20, 2019, and was previously Vice President and Chief Counsel–Litigation and Operations since joining the Company in June 2016 until April 2019. Prior to joining Public Storage, Mr. Vitan was Assistant General Counsel for Altria Client Services LLC from 2008 to 2016, and before then was a Trial and Appellate Practice attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP.
David Lee, age 47, has served as Chief Operating Officer since November 1, 2021 and as the Company’s principal operating officer since February 21, 2023. Prior to joining Public Storage, Mr. Lee held various roles of increasing responsibility at The UPS Store since 2002, most recently as Senior Vice President of Operations.
Other information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the material appearing in the Company’s Notice and Proxy Statement for its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
ITEM 11. Executive Compensation
The information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the material appearing in the Company’s Notice and Proxy Statement for its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
54
ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters
The following table sets forth information, as of December 31, 2022 on the Company’s equity compensation plans:
Equity Compensation Plan Information
(A) (B) (C)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders (d) — — —
a)The Company’s equity compensation plans are described more fully in Note 11 to the December 31, 2022 financial statements. All plans have been approved by the Company’s shareholders.
b)Includes (i) stock options to purchase 3,307,964 common shares, including performance-based stock options as to which the performance period had not ended or the Compensation Committee had not certified performance as of December 31, 2022, which stock options are reflected in the table above assuming a maximum payout, (ii) 498,032 restricted share units, including performance-based restricted share units as to which the performance period had not ended as of December 31, 2022, which restricted share units are reflected in the table above assuming a maximum payout, and (iii) 9,551 fully vested deferred share units. All restricted share units, if and when vested, and all deferred share units will be settled in common shares on a one-for-one basis.
c)Represents the weighted average exercise price of stock options to purchase 1,854,041 common shares, excluding the performance-based stock options described in footnote (b), above. The 498,032 restricted share units would vest for no consideration.
d)There were no securities outstanding or available for future issuance under equity compensation plans not approved by the Company’s shareholders.
Other information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the material appearing in the Company’s Notice and Proxy Statement for its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
ITEM 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Trustee Independence
The information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the material appearing in the Company’s Notice and Proxy Statement for its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
ITEM 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the material appearing in the Company’s Notice and Proxy Statement for its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act of 1934.
55
PART IV
ITEM 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
a. 1. Financial Statements
The financial statements listed in the accompanying Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedules hereof are filed as part of this report.
2.Financial Statement Schedules
The financial statements schedules listed in the accompanying Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedules are filed as part of this report.
3.Exhibits
See Index to Exhibits contained herein.
b.Exhibits:
See Index to Exhibits contained herein.
c.Financial Statement Schedules
Not applicable.
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PUBLIC STORAGE
INDEX TO EXHIBITS (1)
(Items 15(a)(3) and 15(c))
57
58
59
21 Listing of Subsidiaries. Filed herewith.
23.1 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP. Filed herewith.
31.1 Rule 13a – 14(a) Certification. Filed herewith.
31.2 Rule 13a – 14(a) Certification. Filed herewith.
32 Section 1350 Certifications. Filed herewith.
101 .SCH Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema. Filed herewith.
101 .CAL Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase. Filed herewith.
101 .DEF Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase. Filed herewith.
101 .LAB Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase. Filed herewith.
101 .PRE Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Link. Filed herewith.
_ (1) SEC File No. 001-33519 unless otherwise indicated.
* Denotes management compensatory plan agreement or arrangement.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
PUBLIC STORAGE
Date: February 21, 2023 By: /s/ Joseph D. Russell, Jr.
Joseph D. Russell, Jr.,Chief Executive Officer, President and Trustee
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature Title Date
Joseph D. Russell, Jr.
H. Thomas Boyle
/s/ Ronald L. Havner, Jr. Chairman of the Board February 21, 2023
Ronald L. Havner, Jr.
/s/ Tamara Hughes Gustavson Trustee February 21, 2023
Tamara Hughes Gustavson
/s/ Leslie Stone Heisz Trustee February 21, 2023
Leslie Stone Heisz
/s/ Michelle Millstone-Shroff Trustee February 21, 2023
Michelle Millstone-Shroff
/s/ Shankh S. Mitra Trustee February 21, 2023
Shankh S. Mitra
/s/ David J. Neithercut Trustee February 21, 2023
David J. Neithercut
/s/ Rebecca Owen Trustee February 21, 2023
Rebecca Owen
/s/ Kristy M. Pipes Trustee February 21, 2023
Kristy M. Pipes
/s/ Avedick B. Poladian Trustee February 21, 2023
Avedick B. Poladian
61
Signature Title Date
/s/ John Reyes Trustee February 21, 2023
John Reyes
/s/ Tariq M. Shaukat Trustee February 21, 2023
Tariq M. Shaukat
/s/ Ronald P. Spogli Trustee February 21, 2023
Ronald P. Spogli
/s/ Paul S. Williams Trustee February 21, 2023
Paul S. Williams
62
PUBLIC STORAGE
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AND SCHEDULES
(Item 15 (a))
Page References
Consolidated Balance sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 F-3
Consolidated Statements of income F-4
Consolidated Statements of comprehensive income F-5
Consolidated Statements of cash flows F-8 - F-9
Notes to consolidated financial statements F-10 - F-31
Schedule:
III – Real estate and accumulated depreciation F-32 - F-34
All other schedules have been omitted since the required information is not present or not present in amounts sufficient to require submission of the schedule, or because the information required is included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.
63
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Trustees of Public Storage
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Public Storage (the Company) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, equity and redeemable noncontrolling interests and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company at December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 21, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures include examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
F-1
Purchase Price Allocation
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company's auditor since 1980.
Los Angeles, California
February 21, 2023
F-2
PUBLIC STORAGE
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in thousands, except share data)
ASSETS
Real estate facilities, at cost:
Investments in unconsolidated real estate entities 275,752 828,763
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Commitments and contingencies (Note 14)
Redeemable noncontrolling interests — 68,249
Equity:
Public Storage shareholders’ equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (80,317) (53,587)
See accompanying notes.
F-3
PUBLIC STORAGE
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
For the Years Ended December 31,
Revenues:
Expenses:
Other increases (decreases) to net income:
Gain on sale of equity investment in PS Business Parks, Inc. 2,128,860 — —
Allocation of net income to:
Preferred shareholders - redemptions (Note 9) — (28,914) (48,265)
Net income per common share:
See accompanying notes.
F-4
PUBLIC STORAGE
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Amounts in thousands)
For the Years Ended December 31,
See accompanying notes.
F-5
PUBLIC STORAGE
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY AND REDEEMABLE NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS
(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Acquisition of noncontrolling interests — — (32) — — (32) (1) (33) —
Contributions by noncontrolling interests — — — — — — 2,629 2,629 —
Distributions to: —
Noncontrolling interests — — — — — — (5,366) (5,366) —