Item 1A. Risk Factors
Set forth below are some (but not all) of the factors that could adversely affect our performance and financial condition. Moreover, we operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such risk factors, nor can we predict the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.
We believe the following risks are material to our stockholders. You should carefully consider the following factors in evaluating our company, our properties and our business. The occurrence of any of the following risks could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock and might cause our stockholders to lose all or part of their investment. For purposes of this section, the term “stockholders” means the holders of shares of our common stock and preferred stock.
Risks Related to Our Business and Operations
Our portfolio of properties is concentrated in the industrial real estate sector, and our business would be adversely affected by an economic downturn in that sector.
Our properties are concentrated in the industrial real estate sector. This concentration exposes us to the risk of economic downturns in this sector to a greater extent than if our business activities included a more significant portion of other sectors of the real estate industry.
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Our portfolio of properties is dependent upon regional and local economic conditions and is geographically concentrated in Southern California infill markets, which causes us to be especially susceptible to adverse developments in those markets.
All of our properties are located in Southern California, which may expose us to greater or lesser economic risks than if we owned a more geographically diverse portfolio. We are particularly susceptible to adverse economic or other conditions in Southern California, as well as to natural disasters that occur in this market. Most of our properties are located in areas known to be seismically active. While we diversify the geographic concentrations of assets and carry insurance for losses resulting from earthquakes, the amount of our coverage may not be sufficient to fully cover losses from earthquakes and associated disasters, and the policies are subject to material deductibles and self-insured retention. The Southern California market has experienced downturns in past years, and the current COVID-19 pandemic, and restrictions intended to prevent its spread, have had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on the economy of the Southern California market. Any future downturns in the Southern California economy could impact our tenants’ ability to continue to meet their rental obligations or otherwise adversely affect the size of our tenant base, which could materially adversely affect our operations and our revenue and cash available for distribution, including cash available to pay distributions to our stockholders. We cannot assure you that the Southern California market will grow or that underlying real estate fundamentals will be favorable to owners and operators of industrial properties. Our operations may also be affected if competing properties are built in the Southern California market. In addition, the State of California is more highly regulated and taxed than many other states, all of which may reduce demand for industrial space in California and may make it costlier to operate our business. Additionally conditions in Southern California related to homelessness, crime, tax rates and heightened regulation could negatively impact economic conditions and make tenants less desirous to lease properties from us. Any adverse economic or real estate developments in the Southern California market, or any decrease in demand for industrial space resulting from the regulatory environment, business climate or energy or fiscal problems, could adversely impact us and our stockholders.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions intended to prevent its spread and local governments’ actions impacting our ability to collect rent could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions intended to prevent its spread has already had a significant adverse impact on economic and market conditions around the world, including the United States and the infill Southern California markets in which we own properties and have development projects, and could further trigger a period of sustained global and U.S. economic downturn or recession. In particular, in Southern California, the state of California and certain municipalities, including where we own properties and/or have development projects, have instituted quarantines, restrictions on travel, “shelter in place” rules, restrictions on types of business that may continue to operate and/or restrictions on types of construction projects that may continue, although, exceptions are available for essential retail, food processing and distribution, shipping businesses, essential building services, such as cleaning and maintenance, manufacturing that enables the continued operating of other essential businesses and certain essential construction projects. The industries in which our tenants are concentrated and other industries may not be covered by the exceptions listed above and have been, and may continue to be, negatively impacted by reductions in demand resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and/or restrictions intended to prevent its spread. In addition, there can be no assurance that such exceptions will enable us to avoid adverse impacts on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations. These trends may also influence occupancy levels and the immediate ability or willingness of certain of our tenants to pay rent in full on a timely basis.
Numerous state, local, federal and industry-initiated efforts have also affected or may affect landlords and their ability to collect rent and or enforce remedies for the failure to pay rent. Most municipalities in Southern California, including many of the local municipalities in which we own properties and have development projects, have mandated a moratorium on all commercial evictions and have given tenants impacted by COVID-19 the unilateral right to defer rent while the emergency orders are in effect, with repayment generally within six to twelve months after the end of the local emergency. In many of the local municipalities in which we operate, the eviction restrictions are set to expire by March 31, 2021, and in other municipalities the restrictions expire when the local emergency is lifted, although we cannot currently predict whether or not this date may be extended or for how long. As of February 16, 2021, we have executed rent relief agreements (which comprise application of security deposits, acceleration of concessions and deferral of base rent) with 270 tenants, including 120 tenants receiving deferred base rent of $4.6 million or 1.5% of our ABR at December 31, 2020. Rent relief agreements executed through February 16, 2021 cover contractual base rent for April 2020 through January 2021, and some tenants may have more than one executed rent relief agreement with us. For the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020, we have collected 88.0%, 97.3% and 97.8% of Contractual Billings (which includes contractual base rent and tenant reimbursements) charged to in-place tenants before the impact of consummated COVID-19 related rent relief agreements, respectively, and we have collected 99.1%, 98.6% and 98.0% of Contractual Billings after adjusting for rent relief provided by rent relief agreements, respectively. As of February 16, 2021, for the month of January 2021, we have collected 96.3% of Contractual Billings before the impact of rent relief agreements, and 96.5% of Contractual Billings after adjusting for rent relief provided by rent relief agreements. Additionally, as of February 16,
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2021, we have collected 96.9% of COVID-19 related deferred rent that was charged to tenants during January 2021. There can be no assurance as to if or when tenants who request or receive rent relief and/or fail to timely make rent payments for any particular month will resume making payments at all or that such tenants will not default on their obligations under their respective leases or rent relief agreements.
At this time, we cannot predict the number of tenants that will not pay rent for the month for January or February 2021, nor can we predict whether tenants who have paid or will pay rent for January or February 2021 will continue to do so in future months, including with respect to our largest tenants. We also cannot be certain of the number of tenants not paying or deferring rent out of need versus those merely taking advantage of their government-mandated ability to unilaterally defer rent. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, additional tenants may cease to pay their rent obligations to us in full or at all, and tenants may elect not to renew their leases, seek to terminate their leases, seek relief from their leases (including through negotiation, restructuring or bankruptcy), or decline to renew expiring leases or enter into new leases, all of which may adversely impact our rental revenue and occupancy rates, generate additional expenses, and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. Likewise, the deterioration of global economic conditions as a result of the pandemic may ultimately lead to a decrease in occupancy levels and rental rates across our portfolio as tenants reduce or defer their spending, institute restructuring plans or file for bankruptcy. Some of our major tenants have announced temporary closures of some or all of their places of business or have substantially reduced their operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and additional tenants may do so in the future. In addition, the measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (including quarantine, shelter-in-place or similar orders requiring that people remain in their homes) have lead and may lead to further closures, or other operational issues at, our properties.
Moreover, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions intended to prevent its spread could have significant adverse impacts on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations in a variety of ways that are difficult to predict. Such adverse impacts could depend on, among other factors:
•our tenants’ ability or willingness to pay rent in full on a timely basis;
•state, local, federal and industry-initiated efforts that may adversely affect landlords, including us, and their ability to collect rent and/or enforce remedies for the failure to pay rent;
•our need to restructure leases with our tenants and our ability to do so on favorable terms or at all;
•our ability to renew leases or re-lease available space in our proprieties on favorable terms or at all;
•a severe and prolonged disruption and instability in the global financial markets, or deteriorations in credit and financing conditions that may affect our or our tenants’ ability to access capital necessary to fund our respective business operations or replace or renew maturing liabilities on a timely basis, on attractive terms or at all and may adversely affect the valuation of financial assets and liabilities, any of which could affect our and our tenants’ ability to meet liquidity and capital expenditure requirements;
•complete or partial shutdowns of one or more of our tenants’ manufacturing facilities or distribution centers, temporary or long-term disruptions in our tenants’ supply chains from local, national and international suppliers or delays in the delivery of products, services or other materials necessary for our tenants’ operations, which could force our tenants’ to reduce, delay or eliminate offerings of their products and services, reduce or eliminate their revenues and liquidity and/or result in their bankruptcy or insolvency;
•our ability to avoid delays or cost increases associated with building materials or construction services necessary for construction that could adversely impact our ability to continue or complete construction as planned, on budget or at all;
•our and our tenants’ ability to manage our respective businesses to the extent our and their management or personnel are impacted in significant numbers by the COVID-19 pandemic and are not willing, available or allowed to conduct work; and
•our and our tenants’ ability to ensure business continuity in the event our continuity of operations plan is not effective or improperly implemented or deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a number of federal, state and local government initiatives implemented to manage the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy, financial markets and continuity of businesses of all sizes and industries. We are encouraging our tenants to review these initiatives to determine whether any of the provisions may provide them with loans or additional liquidity to enable them to continue to meet their lease obligations to us; however, there can be no assurance that our tenants will do so or that such initiatives will provide them with any such assistance. In addition, we are analyzing different aspects of these initiatives to determine whether (in addition to any general support it may provide to the economy and our tenants) any specific provisions may more directly benefit us.
The rapid development and fluidity of this situation precludes any prediction as to the ultimate adverse impact of COVID-19. Nevertheless, COVID-19 and the current financial, economic and capital markets environment, and future developments in these and other areas present material risks and uncertainties with respect to our business, financial condition,
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results of operations, cash flows, liquidity and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and could also have a material adverse effect on the value and trading price of our common stock. Moreover, to the extent any of these risks and uncertainties adversely impact us in the ways described above or otherwise, they may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks set forth in this “Risk Factors” section.
Our properties are concentrated in certain industries that make us susceptible to adverse events with respect to those industries.
Our properties are concentrated in certain industries, which, as of December 31, 2020, included the following (and accounted for the percentage of our total annualized base rent indicated): Wholesale Trade (25.4%); Transportation and Warehousing (24.7%); and Light Manufacturing (18.9%). Any downturn in one or more of these industries, or in any other industry in which we may have a significant concentration now or in the future, could adversely affect our tenants who are involved in such industries. If any of these tenants is unable to withstand such downturn or is otherwise unable to compete effectively in its business, it may be forced to declare bankruptcy, fail to meet its rental obligations, seek rental concessions or be unable to enter into new leases, which could materially and adversely affect us.
We may be unable to identify and complete acquisitions of properties that meet our criteria, which may impede our growth.
Our business strategy involves the acquisition of industrial properties meeting certain investment criteria in our target markets. These activities require us to identify suitable acquisition candidates or investment opportunities that meet our criteria and are compatible with our growth strategies. In addition, the current market for acquisitions of industrial properties in Southern California continues to be extremely competitive. This competition may increase the demand for our target properties and, therefore, reduce the number of suitable acquisition opportunities available to us and increase the prices paid for such acquisition properties. We may be unable to acquire properties identified as potential acquisition opportunities on favorable terms, or at all, which could slow our growth.
If we are unable to finance property acquisitions or acquire properties on favorable terms, or at all, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock could be adversely affected.
Our acquisition activities may pose risks that could harm our business.
As a result of our acquisitions, we may be required to incur debt and expenditures and issue additional common stock or common units to pay for the acquired properties. These acquisitions may dilute our stockholders’ ownership interest, delay or prevent our profitability and may also expose us to risks such as overpayment, reduction in value of acquired properties, and the possibility of pre-existing undisclosed liabilities, including environmental or asbestos liability, for which our insurance may be insufficient or for which we may be unable to secure insurance coverage.
We cannot provide assurance that the price for any future acquisitions will be similar to prior acquisitions. If our revenue does not keep pace with these potential acquisition and expansion costs, we may incur net losses. There is no assurance that we will successfully overcome these risks or other problems encountered with acquisitions.
We may be unable to source off-market or lightly marketed investment opportunities in the future.
As of December 31, 2020, approximately 71% of the acquisitions by property count completed by us since our initial public offering (“IPO”) were acquired in off-market or lightly marketed transactions, which are transactions that are characterized by a lack of a formal marketing process and lack of widely disseminated marketing materials. Properties that are acquired by off-market or lightly marketed transactions are typically more attractive to us as a purchaser and are a core part of our strategic plan, because the absence of a formal or extended marketing/bidding period typically results in more favorable pricing, more favorable non-economic terms and often an ability to close transactions more rapidly. If we cannot obtain off-market or lightly marketed deal flow in the future, our ability to locate and acquire additional properties in the manner in which we have historically may be adversely affected and may cause us to revisit our core strategies.
Our future acquisitions may not yield the returns we expect.
Our future acquisitions and our ability to successfully operate the properties we acquire in such acquisitions may be exposed to the following significant risks:
•even if we are able to acquire a desired property, competition from other potential acquirers may significantly increase the purchase price;
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•we may acquire properties that are not accretive to our results upon acquisition, and we may not successfully manage and lease those properties to meet our expectations;
•we may spend more than budgeted amounts to make necessary improvements or renovations to acquired properties;
•we may be unable to quickly and efficiently integrate new acquisitions, particularly acquisitions of portfolios of properties, into our existing operations;
•market conditions may result in higher than expected vacancy rates and lower than expected rental rates; and
•we may acquire properties subject to liabilities and without any recourse, or with only limited recourse, with respect to unknown or greater than expected liabilities such as liabilities for clean-up of environmental contamination, claims by tenants, vendors or other persons dealing with the former owners of the properties, liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business and claims for indemnification by general partners, directors, officers and others indemnified by the former owners of the properties.
We may not be able to control our operating costs or our expenses may remain constant or increase, even if our revenues do not increase, causing our results of operations to be adversely affected.
Factors that may adversely affect our ability to control operating costs include the need to pay for insurance and other operating costs (including real estate taxes, which could increase over time), the need to periodically repair, renovate and re-lease space, the cost of compliance with governmental regulation, including zoning and tax laws, the potential for liability under applicable laws, interest rate levels and the availability of financing. If our operating costs increase or our property income decreases as a result of any of the foregoing factors, our results of operations may be adversely affected.
The potential impacts of future climate change and governmental initiatives remain uncertain at this time but could result in increased operating costs.
Our assets and tenants may be exposed to potential risks from possible future climate change that could result in physical and regulatory impacts and catastrophic weather events and fires, increasing our operating costs and impairing our tenants’ ability to lease property and pay rent. Laws and regulations targeting climate change could result in stricter energy efficiency standards and increased operating costs that we may not be able to effectively pass on to our tenants. Any such regulation could impose substantial costs on our tenants, thereby impacting the financial condition of our tenants and their ability to meet their lease obligations and to lease or re-lease our properties.
Adverse U.S. and global market, economic and political conditions and other events or circumstances beyond our control could have a material adverse effect on us.
Another economic or financial crisis or rapid decline of the consumer economy, significant concerns over energy costs, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, the U.S. mortgage market, or a declining real estate market in the U.S. can contribute to increased volatility, diminished expectations for the economy and the markets, and high levels of structural unemployment by historical standards.
Global market, political and economic challenges, including dislocations and volatility in the credit markets and general global economic uncertainty, may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
In addition, global market, political and economic conditions could adversely affect the businesses of many of our tenants. As a result, we may see increases in bankruptcies of our tenants and increased defaults by tenants, and we may experience higher vacancy rates and delays in re-leasing vacant space, which could negatively impact our business and results of operations.
We may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-lease space as leases expire, or renewing existing leases may require significant concession, inducements and/or capital expenditures.
As of December 31, 2020, 4.4% of the rentable square footage of our portfolio was vacant and leases representing 0.9% of the rentable square footage of our portfolio expired on December 31, 2020. In addition, leases representing 15.3% and 14.5% of the rentable square footage of the properties in our portfolio will expire in 2021 and 2022, respectively. We cannot assure you that our leases will be renewed or that our properties will be re-leased at rental rates equal to or above the current average rental rates or that we will not offer substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options to attract new tenants or retain existing tenants. If the rental rates for our properties decrease, or if our existing tenants do not renew their leases or we do not re-lease a significant portion of our available space and space for which leases will expire, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our
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common stock could be adversely affected. In order to attract and retain tenants, we may be required to make rent or other concessions to tenants, accommodate requests for renovations, build-to-suit remodeling and other improvements or provide additional services to our tenants. Additionally, we may need to raise capital to make such expenditures. If we are unable to do so or if capital is otherwise unavailable, we may be unable to make the required expenditures. This could result in non-renewals by tenants upon expiration of their leases and/or an inability to attract new tenants.
We face significant competition in the leasing market, which may decrease or prevent increases of the occupancy and rental rates of our properties.
We compete with numerous developers, owners and operators of real estate, many of which own properties similar to ours in the same submarkets in which our properties are located. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates, or below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, we may lose existing or potential tenants and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge or to offer more substantial tenant concessions or tenant rights (including rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options) in order to retain tenants or attract new tenants. Furthermore, as a result of various factors, including competitive pricing pressure in our submarkets, adverse conditions in the Southern California real estate market, a general economic downturn and a decline in the desirability of our properties compared to other properties in our submarkets, we may be unable to realize the budgeted rents for properties in our portfolio. If we are unable to obtain rental rates comparable to our asking rents for properties in our portfolio, our ability to generate cash flow growth will be negatively impacted. Significant rent reductions could result in a write-down of one or more of our consolidated properties and/or adversely affect the market price of our common stock, our financial condition and our results of operations, including our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to pay dividends to our stockholders.
A substantial majority of the leases at our properties are with tenants who have non-investment grade credit ratings, which may result in our leasing to tenants that are more likely to default in their obligations to us than a tenant with an investment grade credit rating.
A substantial majority of the leases at our properties are with tenants who have non-investment grade credit ratings. The ability of a non-investment grade tenant to meet its obligations to us cannot be considered as well assured as that of an investment grade tenant. All of our tenants may face exposure to adverse business or economic conditions which could lead to an inability to meet their obligations to us. However, non-investment grade tenants may not have the financial capacity or liquidity to adapt to these conditions or may have less diversified businesses, which may exacerbate the effects of adverse conditions on their businesses. Moreover, the fact that a substantial majority of our tenants are not investment grade may cause investors or lenders to view our cash flows as less stable, which may increase our cost of capital, limit our financing options or adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
Historically, some of our tenants have filed for bankruptcy protection or become insolvent. This may occur with tenants in the future, and we are particularly at risk because of the credit rating of much of our tenant base. The bankruptcy or insolvency of a major tenant also may adversely affect the income produced by our properties.
We may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax-deferred contribution transactions, which could result in stockholder dilution and limit our ability to sell such assets.
We may continue to acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax-deferred contribution transactions in exchange for partnership interests in our Operating Partnership, which may result in stockholder dilution. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we are able to deduct over the tax life of the acquired properties, and may require that we agree to protect the contributors’ ability to defer recognition of taxable gain through restrictions on our ability to dispose of the acquired properties and/or the allocation of partnership debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. These restrictions limit our ability to sell an asset at a time, or on terms, that would be favorable absent such restrictions.
Our real estate development, redevelopment and repositioning activities are subject to risks.
We may engage in development, redevelopment and repositioning activities with respect to certain of our properties. To the extent that we do so, we will be subject to the following risks associated with such development, redevelopment and repositioning activities:
•construction, redevelopment and repositioning may be unsuccessful and/or costs of a project may exceed original estimates, possibly making the project less profitable than originally estimated, or unprofitable;
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•time required to complete the construction, redevelopment or repositioning of a project or to lease up the completed project may be greater than originally anticipated, thereby adversely affecting our cash flow and liquidity;
•contractor and subcontractor disputes, strikes, labor disputes or supply disruptions, which may cause delays or increase costs;
•failure to achieve expected occupancy and/or rent levels within the projected time frame, if at all;
•delays with respect to obtaining, or the inability to obtain, necessary zoning, occupancy, land use and other governmental permits, and changes in zoning and land use laws;
•occupancy rates and rents of a completed project may not be sufficient to make the project profitable;
•our ability to dispose of properties developed, redeveloped or repositioned with the intent to sell could be impacted by the ability of prospective buyers to obtain financing given the current state of the credit markets; and
•the availability and pricing of financing to fund our development activities on favorable terms or at all.
Potential losses, including from adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, such as earthquakes, may not be covered by insurance, and we may be unable to rebuild our existing properties in the event of a substantial or comprehensive loss of such properties.
We carry commercial property, liability, environmental, earthquake and terrorism coverage on all the properties in our consolidated portfolio under a blanket insurance policy, in addition to other coverages that we believe are appropriate for certain of our properties given the relative risk of loss, the cost of the coverage and industry practice. Some of our policies are insured subject to limitations involving significant deductibles or co-payments and policy limits that may not be sufficient to cover losses. In particular, all of the properties in our portfolio are located in Southern California, an area that is particularly prone to seismic activity. A severe earthquake in the Southern California region could result in uninsured damage to a subset or even a substantial portion of our portfolio and could significantly impact our cash flow. While we carry insurance for losses resulting from earthquakes, such policies are subject to material deductibles and self-insured retention.Additionally, natural disasters, including earthquakes, may cause future earthquake insurance costs to increase significantly, which may impact the operating costs and net cash flow of our properties.
In addition, we may discontinue terrorism or other insurance on some or all of our properties in the future if the cost of premiums for any such policies exceeds, in our judgment, the value of the coverage discounted for the risk of loss. Currently, we do not carry insurance for certain types of extraordinary losses, such as loss from riots, war and wildfires, because we believe such coverage is only available at a disproportionately high cost. As a result, we may incur significant costs in the event of loss from wildfires, riots, war and other uninsured losses. If we do obtain insurance for any of those risks in the future, such insurance cost may impact the operating costs and net cash flow of our properties.
If we or one or more of our tenants experiences a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds policy limits, we could lose the capital invested in the damaged properties as well as the anticipated future cash flows from those properties. In addition, if the damaged properties are subject to recourse indebtedness, we would continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these properties were irreparably damaged. Furthermore, we may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable costs in the future as the costs associated with property and casualty renewals may be higher than anticipated. In the event that we experience a substantial or comprehensive loss of one of our properties, we may not be able to rebuild such property to its existing specifications. Further, reconstruction or improvement of such a property would likely require significant upgrades to meet zoning and building code requirements. Environmental, insurance and legal restrictions could also restrict the rebuilding of our properties.
Joint venture investments could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on co-venturers’ financial condition and disputes between us and our co-venturers.
We have co-invested in the past, and may co-invest again in the future, with third parties through partnerships, joint ventures or other entities, acquiring non-controlling interests in or sharing responsibility for managing the affairs of a property, partnership, joint venture or other entity. In such event, we would not be in a position to exercise sole decision-making authority regarding the property, partnership, joint venture or other entity, involving risks not present were a third party not involved, including the possibility that partners or co-venturers might become bankrupt or fail to fund their share of required capital contributions, disputes and litigation. Partners or co-venturers may have economic or other business interests or goals which are inconsistent with our business interests or goals, and may be in a position to take actions contrary to our policies or objectives, and they may have competing interests in our markets that could create conflict of interest issues. Such investments may also have the potential risk of impasses on decisions, such as a sale, because neither we nor the partner or co-venturer would have full control over the partnership or joint venture. In addition, prior consent of our joint venture partners may be required for a sale or transfer to a third party of our interests in the joint venture, which would restrict our ability to dispose of our interest in the joint
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venture. In addition, we may in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of our third-party partners or co-venturers. Our joint ventures may be subject to debt and, in volatile credit markets, the refinancing of such debt may require equity capital calls.
We face risks associated with security breaches through cyber-attacks, cyber intrusions or otherwise, as well as other significant disruptions of our information technology (“IT”) networks and related systems.
We face risks associated with security breaches, whether through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions over the Internet, malware, computer viruses, attachments to e‐mails, persons inside our organization or persons with access to systems inside our organization, and other significant disruptions of our IT networks and related systems. The risk of a security breach or disruption, particularly through cyber-attack or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, foreign governments and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. Our IT networks and related systems are essential to the operation of our business and our ability to perform day‐to‐day operations and, in some cases, may be critical to the operations of certain of our tenants. A security breach or other significant disruption involving our IT networks and related systems could:
•Disrupt the proper functioning of our networks and systems;
•Result in misstated financial reports, violations of loan covenants and/or missed reporting deadlines;
•Result in our inability to properly monitor our compliance with the rules and regulations regarding our qualification as a REIT;
•Result in the unauthorized access to, and destruction, loss, theft, misappropriation or release of proprietary, confidential, sensitive or otherwise valuable information of ours or others, which others could use to compete against us or for disruptive, destructive or otherwise harmful purposes and outcomes;
•Require significant management attention and resources to remedy any damages that result;
•Subject us to claims for breach of contract or failure to safeguard personal information, damages, credits, penalties or termination of leases or other agreements;
•Damage our reputation among our tenants, prospective sellers, brokers and investors generally; and
•Subject us to legal liability, including liability under the California Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2018.
To help us better identify, manage, and mitigate these IT risks, we have adopted and implemented the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity framework. Additionally, our IT department requires each employee upon hire and at least annually thereafter to successfully complete an all-encompassing online security awareness training course. Further, all employees are required to complete bi-monthly micro training modules. Our IT department conducts periodic simulated social engineering exercises including, but not limited to, phishing (e-mail), vishing (voice), smishing (SMS), USB testing, and physical assessments. These tests are conducted at random throughout the year with no set schedule or frequency. Additionally, we may conduct targeted exercises against specific departments or individuals based on a risk determination. From time to time our employees may be required to complete remedial training courses or may be required to participate in remedial training exercises with our IT department as part of a risk-based assessment.
To further address IT security, the current chairperson of the Company’s nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors, an independent director with information security experience, provides board level oversight of information security and receives quarterly information security reports, while the full board of directors typically receives information security updates annually from senior leadership. Over the prior three years the Company has not been subject to any information security breaches, has not incurred any financial harm from information security breaches, nor has the Company been subject to any material information security breaches or expenses to our knowledge since our initial formation.
Lastly, on a quarterly basis we conduct third-party internal and external vulnerability assessments from our cybersecurity firm leveraging the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), and on an ongoing basis we expect to implement annual penetration testing with our third-party information security company. We currently maintain insurance policies to insure against breaches of network security, privacy liability, media liability, data incident response expenses, cyber related business interruption, and cyber extortion.
Although we make efforts to maintain the security and integrity of these types of IT networks and related systems, and we have implemented various measures to manage the risk of a security breach or disruption, including the engagement of independent third party consultants to analyze any vulnerabilities, implementation of software and systems intended to reduce the risk of IT security breaches, and ongoing cyber security education and training for employees throughout the year, there can be no assurance that our security efforts and measures will be effective or that attempted security breaches or disruptions would not be successful or damaging. Even the most well protected information, networks, systems and facilities remain potentially vulnerable because the techniques used in such attempted security breaches evolve and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, and in some cases, are designed to not be detected and, in fact, may not be detected. Accordingly, we may be unable to
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anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate security barriers or other preventative measures, and thus it is impossible for us to entirely mitigate this risk.
Risks Related To Our Capital Structure
Our growth depends on external sources of capital that are outside of our control and may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
In order to qualify and maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required under the Code, among other things, to distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain. In addition, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction, including any net capital gains. Because of these distribution requirements, we are highly dependent on third-party sources to fund capital needs, including any necessary acquisition financing. We may not be able to obtain such financing on favorable terms or at all and any additional debt we incur will increase our leverage and likelihood of default. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends, in part, on:
•general market conditions;
•the market’s perception of our growth potential;
•our current debt levels;
•our current and expected future earnings;
•our cash flow and cash distributions; and
•the trading price of our common stock.
In prior years, the capital markets have been subject to periodic disruptions. Our inability to obtain capital when needed could have a material adverse effect on our ability to expand our business, implement our growth plan and fund other cash requirements. If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources on favorable terms or at all when desired, we may not be able to acquire or develop properties when strategic opportunities exist, meet the capital and operating needs of our existing properties, satisfy our debt service obligations or make the cash distributions to our stockholders necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT. To the extent that capital is not available to acquire properties, profits may not be realized or their realization may be delayed, which could result in an earnings stream that is less predictable than some of our competitors and result in us not meeting our projected earnings and distributable cash flow levels in a particular reporting period. Failure to meet our projected earnings and distributable cash flow levels in a particular reporting period could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and on the market price of our stock.
Some of our financing arrangements involve balloon payment obligations, which may adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to make distributions.
Some of our financing arrangements require us to make a lump-sum or “balloon” payment at maturity. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” Our ability to satisfy a balloon payment at maturity is uncertain and may depend upon our ability to obtain additional financing or our ability to sell the property. At the time the balloon payment is due, we may or may not be able to refinance the existing financing on terms as favorable as the original loan or sell the property at a price sufficient to satisfy the balloon payment. Such a refinancing or sale could affect the rate of return to stockholders and the projected time of disposition of our assets.
Our debt level reduces cash available for distribution and may expose us to the risk of default under our debt obligations.
Payments of principal and interest on borrowings may leave us with insufficient cash resources to operate our properties or to pay the dividends necessary to maintain our REIT qualification. Our level of debt and the limitations imposed on us by our debt agreements could have significant adverse consequences, including the following:
•our cash flow may be insufficient to meet our required principal and interest payments;
•we may be unable to borrow additional funds as needed or on favorable terms;
•we may be unable to refinance our indebtedness at maturity or the refinancing terms may be less favorable than the terms of our original indebtedness;
•we may be forced to dispose of one or more of our properties, possibly on unfavorable terms or in violation of certain covenants to which we may be subject;
•we may violate restrictive covenants in our loan documents, which would entitle the lenders to accelerate our debt obligations and, in some cases commence foreclosure proceedings on one or more of our properties; and
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•our default under any loan with cross default provisions could result in a default on other indebtedness.
Any loan defaults or property foreclosures may impact our ability to access capital in the future on favorable terms or at all, as well as our relationships with and/or perception among lenders, investors, tenants, brokers, analysts, vendors, employees and other parties. Furthermore, foreclosures could create taxable income without accompanying cash proceeds, which could hinder our ability to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Code. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Factors That May Influence Future Results of Operations.”
Mortgage and other secured debt obligations expose us to the possibility of foreclosure, which could result in the loss of our investment in a property or group of properties subject to mortgage debt.
Incurring mortgage and other secured debt obligations increases our risk of property losses because defaults on indebtedness secured by properties may result in foreclosure actions initiated by lenders, and ultimately our loss of the property securing any loans for which we are in default. Any foreclosure on a mortgaged property or group of properties could adversely affect the overall value of our portfolio of properties. For tax purposes, a foreclosure on any of our properties that is subject to a nonrecourse mortgage loan would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but would not receive any cash proceeds, which could hinder our ability to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Code.
Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes may adversely affect us.
Subject to the rules related to maintaining our qualification as a REIT, we may enter into hedging transactions to protect us from the effects of interest rate fluctuations on floating rate debt. As of December 31, 2020, we have three interest rate swaps in place for the purpose of mitigating our exposure to fluctuations in short-term interest rates. For a summary of our interest rate swaps, see Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 15 of this Report on Form 10-K.
Our future hedging transactions may include entering into additional interest rate cap agreements or interest rate swap agreements. These agreements involve risks, such as the risk that such arrangements would not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes or that a court or regulatory agency could find that such an agreement is not legally enforceable or fails to satisfy other legal requirements. In addition, interest rate hedging can be expensive, particularly during periods of rising and volatile interest rates. Hedging could reduce the overall returns on our investments. In addition, while such agreements would be intended to lessen the impact of rising interest rates on us, they could also expose us to the risk that the other parties to the agreements would not perform, we could incur significant costs associated with the settlement of the agreements or that the underlying transactions could fail to qualify as highly effective cash flow hedges under Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. Further, our derivatives counterparties may be subject to new capital, margin and business conduct requirements imposed as a result of the legislation, which may increase our transaction costs or make it more difficult for us to enter into additional hedging transactions on favorable terms. Our inability to enter into future hedging transactions on favorable terms, or at all, could increase our operating expenses and put us at increased exposure to interest rate risks.
Our unsecured credit facility, unsecured notes and certain of our other secured loans contain, and any other future indebtedness we incur may contain, various covenants, including business activity restrictions, and the failure to comply with those covenants could materially adversely affect us.
Our unsecured credit facility, unsecured notes and certain of our other secured loans contain, and any other future indebtedness we incur may contain, certain covenants, which, among other things, restrict our activities, including, as applicable, our ability to sell the underlying property without the consent of the holder of such indebtedness, to repay or defease such indebtedness, to incur additional indebtedness, to make certain investments or capital expenditures or to engage in mergers or consolidations that result in a change in control of our company. We are also subject to financial and operating covenants including, as applicable, requirements to maintain certain financial coverage ratios and restrictions on our ability to make distributions to stockholders. Failure to comply with any of these covenants would likely result in a default under the applicable indebtedness that would permit the acceleration of amounts due thereunder and under other indebtedness and foreclosure of properties, if any, serving as collateral therefor.
The business activity limitations contained in the various covenants will restrict our ability to engage in some business activities that may otherwise be in our best interests. In addition, our unsecured credit facility, unsecured notes and secured term loan contain specific cross-default provisions with respect to specified other indebtedness, giving the lenders the right to declare a default if we are in default under other loans in some circumstances.
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Changes in the method of determining LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect interest expense related to outstanding debt.
In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. As a result, the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York organized the Alternative Reference Rates Committee ("ARRC"), which identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") as its preferred alternative rate for U.S. dollar LIBOR (“USD LIBOR”) in derivatives and other financial contracts. Subsequently, in November 2020, the Intercontinental Exchange Benchmark Administration Limited, the administrator of LIBOR, announced that it would consult on its intention to cease the publication of the one-week and two-month USD LIBOR settings immediately following December 31, 2021, and the remaining USD LIBOR settings immediately following the LIBOR publication on June 30, 2023.
We are not able to predict when LIBOR will cease to be available or when there will be sufficient liquidity in the SOFR markets. Any changes adopted by the FCA or other governing bodies in the method used for determining LIBOR may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in reported LIBOR. If that were to occur, our interest payments could change. In addition, uncertainty about the extent and manner of future changes may result in interest rates and/or payments that are higher or lower than if LIBOR were to remain available in its current form.
We have contracts that are indexed to LIBOR and are monitoring and evaluating the related risks, which include interest on loans and amounts received and paid on derivative instruments. These risks arise in connection with transitioning contracts to an alternative rate, including any resulting value transfer that may occur, and are likely to vary by contract. The value of loans or derivative instruments tied to LIBOR, as well as interest rates on our current or future indebtedness, may also be impacted if LIBOR is limited or discontinued. For some instruments the method of transitioning to an alternative reference rate may be challenging, especially if we cannot agree with the respective counterparty about how to make the transition.
While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until at least the end of 2021, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that point. This could result, for example, if sufficient banks decline to make submissions to the LIBOR administrator. In that case, the risks associated with the transition to an alternative reference rate will be accelerated and magnified.
Alternative rates and other market changes related to the replacement of LIBOR, including the introduction of financial products and changes in market practices, may lead to risk modeling and valuation challenges, such as adjusting interest rate accrual calculations and building a term structure for an alternative rate.
The introduction of an alternative rate also may create additional basis risk and increased volatility as alternative rates are phased in and utilized in parallel with LIBOR.
Risks Related to the Real Estate Industry
Our performance and value are subject to risks associated with real estate assets and the real estate industry.
Our ability to pay expected dividends to our stockholders depends on our ability to generate revenues in excess of expenses, scheduled principal payments on debt and capital expenditure requirements. Events and conditions generally applicable to owners and operators of real property that are beyond our control may decrease cash available for distribution and the value of our properties. These events include many of the risks set forth above under “—Risks Related to Our Business and Operations,” as well as the following:
•local oversupply in connection with increased vacancies or reduction in demand for industrial space;
•adverse changes in financial conditions of buyers, sellers and tenants of properties;
•vacancies or our inability to rent space on favorable terms, including possible market pressures to offer tenants rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options, and the need to periodically repair, renovate and re-lease space;
•increased operating costs, including insurance premiums, utilities, real estate taxes and state and local taxes;
•civil unrest, acts of war, terrorist attacks and natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods and wildfires, which may result in uninsured or underinsured losses;
•decreases in the market value of our properties;
•changing submarket demographics; and
•changing traffic patterns.
In addition, periods of economic downturn or recession, rising interest rates or declining demand for real estate, or the public perception that any of these events may occur, could result in a general decline in rents or an increased incidence of defaults under existing leases.
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Illiquidity of real estate investments could significantly impede our ability to sell a property if and when we decide to do so or to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our properties and harm our financial condition.
The real estate investments made, and to be made, by us are relatively difficult to sell quickly. As a result, our ability to promptly sell one or more properties in our portfolio in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions is limited. Our ability to dispose of properties on advantageous terms depends on factors beyond our control, including competition from other sellers and the availability of attractive financing for potential buyers of our properties. Due to the uncertainty of market conditions which may affect the future disposition of our properties, we cannot assure you that we will be able to sell any properties identified for sale at favorable pricing and may not receive net income from the transaction.
Return of capital and realization of gains, if any, from an investment generally will occur upon disposition or refinancing of the underlying property. We may be unable to realize our investment objectives by sale, other disposition or refinancing at attractive prices within any given period of time or may otherwise be unable to complete any exit strategy. In particular, our ability to dispose of one or more properties within a specific time period is subject to certain limitations imposed by our Tax Matters Agreements, as well as weakness in or even the lack of an established market for a property, changes in the financial condition or prospects of prospective purchasers, changes in national or international economic conditions, and changes in laws, regulations or fiscal policies of jurisdictions in which the property is located.
In addition, the Code imposes restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. In particular, the tax laws applicable to REITs effectively require that we hold our properties for investment, rather than primarily for sale in the ordinary course of business, which may cause us to forgo or defer sales of properties that otherwise would be in our best interest. Therefore, we may not be able to vary our portfolio in response to economic or other conditions promptly or on favorable terms.
Declining real estate valuations and impairment charges could materially adversely affect us.
We review the carrying value of our properties when circumstances, such as adverse market conditions, indicate a potential impairment may exist. We base our review on an estimate of the future cash flows (excluding interest charges) expected to result from the property’s use and eventual disposition on an undiscounted basis. We consider factors such as future operating income, trends and prospects, as well as the effects of leasing demand, competition and other factors. If our evaluation indicates that we may be unable to recover the carrying value of a real estate investment, an impairment loss will be recorded to the extent that the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the property.
Impairment losses have a direct impact on our operating results, because recording an impairment loss results in a negative adjustment to our publicly reported operating results. The evaluation of anticipated cash flows is highly subjective and is based in part on assumptions regarding future occupancy, rental rates and capital requirements that could differ materially from actual results in future periods. A worsening real estate market may cause us to reevaluate the assumptions used in our impairment analysis.
Acquired properties may be located in new markets where we may face risks associated with investing in an unfamiliar market.
We have acquired properties in markets that are new to us. For example, our predecessor business acquired properties in Arizona and Illinois as part of an acquisition of a portfolio of properties that included properties located in our target markets. When we acquire properties located in new markets, we may face risks associated with a lack of market knowledge or understanding of the local economy, forging new business relationships in the area and unfamiliarity with local government and permitting procedures. In the past when we have acquired properties outside of our focus market, we have subsequently divested those properties, and at this time we expect to continue this practice.
We may choose not to distribute the proceeds of any sales of real estate to our stockholders, which may reduce the amount of our cash distributions to stockholders.
We may choose not to distribute any proceeds from the sale of real estate investments to our stockholders. Instead, we may elect to use such proceeds to:
•acquire additional real estate investments;
•repay debt;
•create working capital reserves; or
•make repairs, maintenance, tenant improvements or other capital improvements or expenditures on our other properties.
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Any decision to retain or invest the proceeds of any sales, rather than distribute such proceeds to our stockholders, may reduce the amount of cash distributions to equity holders.
If any of our insurance carriers becomes insolvent, we could be adversely affected.
We carry several different lines of insurance, placed with several large insurance carriers that we believe have good ratings at the time our policies are put into effect. If any one of these large insurance carriers were to become insolvent, we would be forced to replace the existing insurance coverage with another suitable carrier, and any outstanding claims would be at significant risk for collection. In such an event, we cannot be certain that we would be able to replace the coverage at similar or otherwise favorable terms. Replacing insurance coverage at unfavorable rates and the potential of uncollectible claims due to carrier insolvency would likely adversely affect us.
Our property taxes could increase due to property tax rate changes or reassessment, which could adversely impact our cash flows.
Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we will be required to pay some state and local taxes on our properties. The real property taxes on our properties may increase as property tax rates change or as our properties are assessed or reassessed by taxing authorities. All our properties located in California may be reassessed as a result of various factors including, without limitation, changes in California laws that contain certain limitations on annual increases of assessed value of real property. In recent years, there have been calls for a so called “split roll” under which commercial and industrial property owners would no longer receive the benefits of California Proposition 13 caps to property tax increases. During the November 2020 election, there was a California ballot initiative to create such as “split roll” and remove the property tax increase caps for commercial and industrial real estate. This ballot initiative failed by a margin of less than four percent. There is a risk future ballot initiatives will succeed. If the property taxes we pay increase, our cash flow would be adversely impacted to the extent that we are not reimbursed by tenants for those taxes.
We face certain risks in connection with Section 1031 Exchanges.
We often dispose of properties in transactions that are intended to qualify for federal income tax deferral as a “like-kind exchange” under Section 1031 of the Code (a “1031 Exchange”). It is possible that a transaction intended to qualify as a 1031 Exchange could later be determined to have been taxable or that we may be unable to identify and complete the acquisition of a suitable replacement property to complete a 1031 Exchange. If this occurs, we could face adverse tax consequences. Additionally, it is possible that legislation could be enacted that could modify or repeal the laws with respect to 1031 Exchanges, which could impact our ability to dispose of properties on a tax deferred basis.
We could incur significant costs related to government regulation and litigation over environmental matters.
Under various federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the environment, as a current or former owner or operator of real property, we may be liable for costs and damages resulting from the presence or discharge of hazardous or toxic substances, waste or petroleum products at, on, in, under or migrating to or from such property, including costs to investigate, clean up such contamination and liability for harm to natural resources. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such contamination, and the liability may be joint and several. These liabilities could be substantial and the cost of any required remediation, removal, fines or other costs could exceed the value of the property and in some cases our aggregate net asset value. In addition, the presence of contamination or the failure to remediate contamination at our properties may expose us to third-party liability for costs of remediation and/or personal, property, or natural resources damage or materially adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or develop our properties or to borrow using the properties as collateral. In addition, environmental laws may create liens on contaminated sites in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs to address such contamination. Moreover, if contamination is discovered on our properties, environmental laws may impose restrictions on the manner in which property may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures.
We obtain Phase I, or Phase II as recommended, or similar environmental site assessments conducted by independent environmental consultants on most of our properties at the time of their acquisition or in connection with subsequent financings, however, these assessments are limited in scope and are not updated in the ordinary course of business absent a specific need and therefore may not reveal all environmental conditions affecting a property. This may expose us to liability related to unknown or unanticipated environmental matters. Unless required by applicable laws or regulations, we may not further investigate, remedy or ameliorate the liabilities disclosed in the existing Phase Is or similar environmental site assessments, and this failure may expose us to liability in the future. While we maintain portfolio environmental and some site-specific insurance policies, they may be insufficient to cover any such environmental costs and liabilities.
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Some of our properties have been or may be impacted by contamination arising from current or prior uses of the property, or adjacent properties, for commercial or industrial purposes. Such contamination may arise from spills of petroleum or hazardous substances or releases from tanks used to store such material known or suspected to exist at a number of our properties which may result in further investigation, remediation, or deed restrictions. Further, certain of our properties are adjacent to or near other properties that have contained or currently contain petroleum or other hazardous substances, or at which others have engaged or may engage in activities that may release such hazardous substances. Adjacent property uses are identified in standard ASTM procedures in Phase I environmental studies, and if warranted based on adjacent property concerns a Phase II environmental study may be obtained. In addition to a blanket environmental insurance policy, as needed, we may obtain environmental insurance policies on commercially reasonable terms that provide coverage for potential environmental liabilities, subject to the policy’s coverage conditions and limitations. However, these policies are subject to certain limits, deductibles and exclusions, and insurance may not fully compensate us for any environmental liability. From time to time, we may acquire properties with known adverse environmental conditions where we believe that the environmental liabilities associated with these conditions are quantifiable and that the acquisition will yield a superior risk-adjusted return. We usually perform a Phase I environmental site assessment at any property we are considering acquiring. Phase I environmental site assessments are limited in scope and do not involve sampling of soil, soil vapor, or groundwater, and these assessments may not include or identify all potential environmental liabilities or risks associated with the property. Even where subsurface investigation is performed, it can be very difficult to ascertain the full extent of environmental contamination or the costs that are likely to flow from such contamination. We cannot assure you that the Phase I environmental site assessment or other environmental studies identified all potential environmental liabilities, or that we will not face significant remediation costs or other environmental contamination that makes it difficult to sell any affected properties. Also, we have not always implemented actions recommended by these assessments, and recommended investigation and remediation of known or suspected contamination has not always been performed. Contamination may exist at many of our properties, and governmental regulators or third parties could seek to force us to contribute to investigation or remediation or known or suspected contamination. As a result, we could potentially incur material liability for these issues.
Environmental laws also govern the presence, maintenance and removal of asbestos-containing building materials, or ACBM, and may impose fines and penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. Such laws require that owners or operators of buildings containing ACBM (and employers in such buildings) properly manage and maintain the asbestos, adequately notify or train those who may come into contact with asbestos, and undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, if asbestos would be disturbed during renovation or demolition of a building. In addition, the presence of ACBM in our properties may expose us to third-party liability (e.g., liability for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos).
In addition, the properties in our portfolio also are subject to various federal, state and local environmental, health and safety requirements, such as state and local fire requirements. Moreover, some of our tenants routinely handle and use hazardous or regulated substances and wastes as part of their operations at our properties, which are subject to regulation. Such environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could subject us or our tenants to liability resulting from these activities. Environmental liabilities could affect a tenant’s ability to make rental payments to us. In addition, changes in laws could increase the potential liability for noncompliance. This may result in significant unanticipated expenditures or may otherwise materially and adversely affect our operations, or those of our tenants, which could in turn have an adverse effect on us. Further, these environmental, health and safety laws could become more stringent in the future, and this could subject us or our tenants to new or greater liability.
We cannot assure you that remedial measures and other costs or liabilities incurred as a result of environmental issues will be immaterial to our overall financial position. If we do incur material environmental liabilities in the future, we may face significant remediation costs, and we may find it difficult to sell any affected properties.
Our properties may contain or develop harmful mold or suffer from other air quality issues, which could lead to liability for adverse health effects and costs of remediation.
When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth may occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Some molds may produce airborne toxins or irritants. Indoor air quality issues can also stem from inadequate ventilation, chemical contamination from indoor or outdoor sources, and other biological contaminants such as pollen, viruses and bacteria. Indoor exposure to airborne toxins or irritants above certain levels can be alleged to cause a variety of adverse health effects and symptoms, including allergic or other reactions. As a result, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants at any of our properties could require us to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold or other airborne contaminants from the affected property or increase indoor ventilation. In addition, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants could expose us to liability from our tenants, employees of our tenants or others if property damage or personal injury is alleged to have occurred.
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We may incur significant costs complying with various federal, state and local laws, regulations and covenants that are applicable to our properties.
Our properties are subject to various covenants and federal, state and local laws and regulatory requirements, including permitting and licensing requirements. Local regulations, including municipal or local ordinances and zoning restrictions, may restrict our use of our properties and may require us to obtain approval from local officials of community standards organizations at any time with respect to our properties, including prior to acquiring a property or when undertaking renovations to any of our existing properties. Among other things, these restrictions may relate to fire and safety, seismic or hazardous material abatement requirements. There can be no assurance that existing laws and regulatory policies will not adversely affect us or the timing or cost of any future acquisitions or renovations, or that additional regulations will not be adopted that increase such delays or result in additional costs. Our growth strategy may be affected by our ability to obtain permits, licenses and zoning relief.
In addition, federal and state laws and regulations, including laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and parallel California Statutes, or ADA, and the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988, or FHAA, impose further restrictions on our properties and operations. Under the ADA and the FHAA, all public accommodations must meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Some of our properties may currently be in non-compliance with the ADA or the FHAA. If one or more of the properties in our portfolio is not in compliance with the ADA, the FHAA or any other regulatory requirements, we may be required to incur additional costs to bring the property into compliance, including the removal of access barriers, and we might incur governmental fines or the award of damages to private litigants. In addition, we do not know whether existing requirements will change or whether future requirements will require us to make significant unanticipated expenditures.
Furthermore, while leases with our tenants generally include provisions to obligate the tenants to comply with all laws and operate within a defined use, there is no guaranty that the tenants will comply with the terms of their leases. We may incur costs to bring a property into legal compliance even though the tenant may have been contractually required to comply and pay for the cost of compliance. Our tenants may disregard the use restrictions contained in the leases and conduct operations not contemplated by the lease, such as prohibited uses related to cannabis or highly hazardous uses, for example, despite our efforts to prohibit certain uses.
Under California energy efficiency standards, enacted and periodically amended, including, without limitation, Title 24 or The Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings, building owners may incur increased costs to renovate properties in order to meet changing energy efficiency standards and make energy usage disclosures. If we are required to make unanticipated expenditures or substantial modifications to our properties, our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, the market price of our shares of common stock and preferred stock and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders could be adversely affected. We may incur additional costs collecting and reporting energy usage data from our tenants and properties in order to comply with such energy efficiency standards.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
Conflicts of interest may exist or could arise in the future between the interests of our stockholders and the interests of holders of common units, which may impede business decisions that could benefit our stockholders.
Conflicts of interest may exist or could arise in the future as a result of the relationships between us and our affiliates, on the one hand, and our Operating Partnership or any partner thereof, on the other. Our directors and officers have duties to our company under Maryland law in connection with their management of our company. At the same time, we, as the general partner of our Operating Partnership, have fiduciary duties and obligations to our Operating Partnership and its limited partners under Maryland law and the partnership agreement of our Operating Partnership in connection with the management of our Operating Partnership. Our fiduciary duties and obligations as the general partner of our Operating Partnership may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and officers to our company.
Under Maryland law, a general partner of a Maryland limited partnership has fiduciary duties of loyalty and care to the partnership and its partners and must discharge its duties and exercise its rights as general partner under the partnership agreement or Maryland law consistent with the obligation of good faith and fair dealing. The partnership agreement provides that, in the event of a conflict between the interests of our Operating Partnership or any partner, on the one hand, and the separate interests of our company or our stockholders, on the other hand, we, in our capacity as the general partner of our Operating Partnership, may give priority to the separate interests of our company or our stockholders (including with respect to tax consequences to limited partners, assignees or our stockholders), and, in the event of such a conflict, any action or failure to act on our part or on the part of our directors that gives priority to the separate interests of our company or our stockholders that does not result in a violation of the contract rights of the limited partners of our Operating Partnership under its partnership agreement does not violate the duty of loyalty or any other duty that we, in our capacity as the general partner of our Operating Partnership, owe to our Operating Partnership and its partners or violate the obligation of good faith and fair dealing.
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Additionally, the partnership agreement provides that we generally will not be liable to our Operating Partnership or any partner for any action or omission taken in our capacity as general partner, for the debts or liabilities of our Operating Partnership or for the obligations of the Operating Partnership under the partnership agreement, except for liability for our fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence, pursuant to any express indemnity we may give to our Operating Partnership or in connection with a redemption. Our Operating Partnership must indemnify us, our directors and officers, officers of our Operating Partnership and our designees from and against any and all claims that relate to the operations of our Operating Partnership, unless (1) an act or omission of the person was material to the matter giving rise to the action and either was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (2) the person actually received an improper personal benefit in violation or breach of the partnership agreement or (3) in the case of a criminal proceeding, the indemnified person had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. Our Operating Partnership must also pay or reimburse the reasonable expenses of any such person in advance of a final disposition of the proceeding upon its receipt of a written affirmation of the person’s good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification has been met and a written undertaking to repay any amounts paid or advanced if it is ultimately determined that the person did not meet the standard of conduct for indemnification. Our Operating Partnership is not required to indemnify or advance funds to any person with respect to any action initiated by the person seeking indemnification without our approval (except for any proceeding brought to enforce such person’s right to indemnification under the partnership agreement) or if the person is found to be liable to our Operating Partnership on any portion of any claim in the action. No reported decision of a Maryland appellate court has interpreted provisions similar to the provisions of the partnership agreement of our Operating Partnership that modify and reduce our fiduciary duties or obligations as the general partner or reduce or eliminate our liability to our Operating Partnership and its partners, and we have not obtained an opinion of counsel as to the enforceability of the provisions set forth in the partnership agreement that purport to modify or reduce the fiduciary duties and obligations that would be in effect were it not for the partnership agreement.
Some of our directors and executive officers have outside business interests, including interests in real estate-related businesses, and, therefore, may have conflicts of interest with us.
Certain of our executive officers and directors have outside business interests, including interests in real estate-related businesses, and may own equity securities of public and private real estate companies. Our executive officers’ and directors’ interests in these entities could create a conflict of interest, especially when making determinations regarding our renewal of leases with tenants subject to these leases. Our executive officers’ involvement in other businesses and real estate-related activities could divert their attention from our day-to-day operations, and state law may limit our ability to enforce any non-compete agreements.
We could increase the number of authorized shares of stock, classify and reclassify unissued stock and issue stock without stockholder approval.
Our board of directors, without stockholder approval, has the power under our charter to amend our charter to increase the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we are authorized to issue, to authorize us to issue authorized but unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock into one or more classes or series of stock and set the terms of such newly classified or reclassified shares. As a result, we may issue classes or series of common stock or preferred stock with preferences, powers and rights, voting or otherwise, that are senior to, or otherwise conflict with, the rights of holders of our common stock. Although our board of directors has no such intention at the present time, it could establish a class or series of preferred stock that could, depending on the terms of such series, delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.
Certain provisions of Maryland law could inhibit changes in control, which may discourage third parties from conducting a tender offer or seeking other change of control transactions that could involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.
Certain provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (“MGCL”), may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or of impeding a change of control under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of shares of our common stock with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of such shares, including:
•“Business combination” provisions that, subject to certain exceptions, prohibit certain business combinations between us and an “interested stockholder” (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of our shares or an affiliate or associate of ours who was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of our then outstanding voting stock at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to the date in question) or an affiliate thereof for five years after the most recent date on
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which the stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, and thereafter impose fair price or supermajority stockholder voting requirements on these combinations; and
•“Control share” provisions that provide that holders of “control shares” of our company (defined as shares that, when aggregated with other shares controlled by the stockholder, entitle the stockholder to exercise voting power in the election of directors within one of three increasing ranges) acquired in a “control share acquisition” (defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of ownership or control of the voting power of issued and outstanding “control shares,” subject to certain exceptions) have no voting rights with respect to their control shares, except to the extent approved by our stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding all interested shares.
As permitted by the MGCL, our bylaws provide that we will not be subject to the control share provisions of the MGCL and our board of directors has, by resolution, exempted us from the business combination between us and any other person. However, we cannot assure you that our board of directors will not revise the bylaws or such resolution in order to be subject to such business combination and control share provisions in the future. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an alteration or repeal of the board resolution exempting such business combinations will not have any effect on any business combinations that have been consummated or upon any agreements existing at the time of such modification or repeal.
Certain provisions of the MGCL permit the board of directors of a Maryland corporation with at least three independent directors and a class of stock registered under the Exchange Act without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in its charter or bylaws, to implement certain corporate governance provisions, some of which (for example, a classified board) are not currently applicable to us. These provisions may have the effect of limiting or precluding a third party from making an unsolicited acquisition proposal for our company or of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of shares of our stock with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then current market price. Our charter contains a provision whereby it elects to be subject to the provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL relating to the filling of vacancies on the board of directors.
Certain provisions in the partnership agreement of our Operating Partnership may delay or prevent unsolicited acquisition of us.
Provisions of the partnership agreement of our Operating Partnership may delay or make more difficult unsolicited acquisitions of us or changes of our control. These provisions could discourage third parties from making proposals involving an unsolicited acquisition of us or change of our control, although some stockholders or limited partners might consider such proposals, if made, desirable. These provisions include, among others:
•redemption rights of qualifying parties;
•a requirement that we may not be removed as the general partner of our Operating Partnership without our consent;
•transfer restrictions on common units;
•our ability, as general partner, in some cases, to amend the partnership agreement and to cause our Operating Partnership to issue additional partnership interests with terms that could delay, defer or prevent a merger or other change of control of us or our Operating Partnership without the consent of our stockholders or the limited partners; and
•the right of the limited partners to consent to certain transfers of our general partnership interest (whether by sale, disposition, statutory merger or consolidation, liquidation or otherwise).
Our charter and bylaws, the partnership agreement of our Operating Partnership and Maryland law also contain other provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.
Tax Matters Agreements limit our ability to sell or otherwise dispose of certain properties, even though a sale or disposition may otherwise be in our stockholders’ best interest.
In connection with certain tax-deferred property contribution transactions in exchange for partnership interests in our Operating Partnership and also in connection with our formation transactions, we entered into Tax Matters Agreements with certain limited partners of our Operating Partnership, including Messrs. Ziman, Schwimmer and Frankel in connection with the IPO, that provide that if we dispose of any interest with respect to certain properties in our portfolio in a taxable transaction during a certain period after the applicable transaction, our Operating Partnership will indemnify such limited partners for their tax liabilities attributable to their share of the built-in gain that exists with respect to such property interest as of the time of the applicable transaction and tax liabilities incurred as a result of the indemnification payment; provided that, subject to certain exceptions and limitations, such indemnification rights will terminate for any such protected partner that sells, exchanges or
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otherwise disposes of more than 50% of his or her common units or other applicable units. We have no present intention to sell or otherwise dispose of these properties or interest therein in taxable transactions during the restriction period. If we were to trigger the tax protection provisions under any such agreement, our Operating Partnership would be required to pay damages in the amount of the taxes owed by these limited partners (plus additional damages in the amount of the taxes incurred as a result of such payment). As a result, although it may otherwise be in our stockholders’ best interest that we sell one of these properties, it may be economically prohibitive for us to do so because of these obligations.
Tax Matters Agreements may require our Operating Partnership to maintain certain debt levels that otherwise would not be required to operate our business.
Certain Tax Matters Agreements provides that, during a certain period after the applicable transaction (in the case of the IPO, the period beginning from the date of the completion of our IPO (July 24, 2013) through the period ending on the twelfth anniversary of our IPO (July 24, 2025)), our Operating Partnership will offer certain limited partners the opportunity to guarantee its debt, and following such period, our Operating Partnership will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide such limited partners who continue to own at least 50% of the common units or other applicable units they originally received in the applicable transactions with debt guarantee opportunities. Our Operating Partnership will be required to indemnify such limited partners for their tax liabilities resulting from our failure to make such opportunities available to them (plus an additional amount equal to the taxes incurred as a result of such indemnity payment). Among other things, this opportunity to guarantee debt is intended to allow the participating limited partners to defer the recognition of gain in connection with the applicable transactions. These obligations may require us to maintain more or different indebtedness than we would otherwise require for our business.
Our board of directors may change our investment and financing policies without stockholder approval and we may become more highly leveraged, which may increase our risk of default under our debt obligations.
Our investment and financing policies are exclusively determined by our board of directors. Accordingly, our stockholders do not control these policies. Further, our charter and bylaws do not limit the amount or percentage of indebtedness, funded or otherwise, that we may incur. Our board of directors may alter or eliminate our current policy on borrowing at any time without stockholder approval. If this policy changed, we could become more highly leveraged which could result in an increase in our debt service. Higher leverage also increases the risk of default on our obligations. In addition, a change in our investment policies, including the manner in which we allocate our resources across our portfolio or the types of assets in which we seek to invest, may increase our exposure to interest rate risk, real estate market fluctuations and liquidity risk.
Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to take action against our directors and officers are limited.
As permitted by Maryland law, our charter eliminates the liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from:
•actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services; or
•active and deliberate dishonesty by the director or officer that was established by a final judgment and was material to the cause of action adjudicated.
In addition, our charter authorizes us to obligate our company, and our bylaws require us, to indemnify our directors and officers for actions taken by them in those and certain other capacities to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time. Generally, Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers except in instances where the person seeking indemnification acted in bad faith or with active and deliberate dishonesty, actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services or, in the case of a criminal proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his or her actions were unlawful. Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation also may not indemnify a director or officer in a suit by or on behalf of the corporation in which the director or officer was adjudged liable to the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that a personal benefit was improperly received. A court may order indemnification if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, even though the director or officer did not meet the prescribed standard of conduct; however, indemnification for an adverse judgment in a suit by us or on our behalf, or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, is limited to expenses. As a result, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against our directors and officers than might otherwise exist. Accordingly, in the event that actions taken in good faith by any of our directors or officers impede the performance of our company, our stockholders’ ability to recover damages from such director or officer will be limited.
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We are a holding company with no direct operations and, as such, we will rely on funds received from our Operating Partnership to pay liabilities, and the interests of our stockholders will be structurally subordinated to all liabilities and obligations of our Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries.
We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our operations through our Operating Partnership. We do not have, apart from an interest in our Operating Partnership, any independent operations. As a result, we rely on distributions from our Operating Partnership to continue to pay any dividends we might declare on shares of our common stock. We also rely on distributions from our Operating Partnership to meet any of our obligations, including any tax liability on taxable income allocated to us from our Operating Partnership. In addition, because we are a holding company, stockholder claims will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations (whether or not for borrowed money) of our Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries. Therefore, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization, our assets and those of our Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries will be available to satisfy the claims of our stockholders only after all of our and our Operating Partnership’s and its subsidiaries’ liabilities and obligations have been paid in full.
Our Operating Partnership may issue additional common units to third parties without the consent of our stockholders, which would reduce our ownership percentage in our Operating Partnership and would have a dilutive effect on the amount of distributions made to us by our Operating Partnership and, therefore, the amount of distributions we can make to our stockholders.
As of December 31, 2020, we own 95.2% of the outstanding common units in our Operating Partnership and we may, in connection with future acquisitions of properties or otherwise, cause our Operating Partnership to issue additional common units to third parties. In addition, in connection with our issuances of preferred stock, our Operating Partnership has issued to us preferred units and may issue additional preferred units to us in the future. In addition, the Operating Partnership has issued and in the future may issue additional common units and/or preferred units to third parties in connection with acquisitions or otherwise. Existing preferred units have and any future preferred units may have preferences, powers and rights, voting or otherwise, that are senior to, or otherwise conflict with the common units and are structurally senior to our common stock. Such issuances would reduce our ownership percentage in our Operating Partnership and affect the amount of distributions made to us by our Operating Partnership and, therefore, the amount of distributions we can make to our stockholders.
Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT
Failure to maintain our qualification as a REIT would have significant adverse consequences to us and the per share trading price of our common stock.
We have elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our initial taxable year ended December 31, 2013. We intend to continue to meet the requirements for taxation as a REIT. We have not requested and do not plan to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that we qualify as a REIT, and the statements in this Form 10-K are not binding on the IRS or any court. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that we will qualify as a REIT, or that we will remain qualified as such in the future. If we were to fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will face serious tax consequences that would substantially reduce the funds available for distribution to you for each of the years involved because:
•we would not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income and would be subject to regular federal corporate income tax;
•we also could be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax for tax years prior to 2018 and possibly increased state and local taxes; and
•unless we are entitled to relief under applicable statutory provisions, we could not elect to be taxed as a REIT for four taxable years following the year during which we were disqualified.
Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce our cash available for, among other things, our operations and distributions to stockholders. In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will not be required to make distributions to our stockholders. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT also could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital and could materially and adversely affect the value of our common stock.
Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations. The complexity of these provisions and of the applicable Treasury regulations that have been promulgated under the Code, or the Treasury Regulations, is greater in the case of a REIT that, like us, holds its assets through a partnership. The determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT. In order to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy a number of requirements, including requirements regarding the ownership of our stock, requirements regarding the composition of our assets and requirements regarding the sources of our gross income. Also, we must make distributions to stockholders aggregating annually at
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least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gains. In addition, legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may materially adversely affect our investors, our ability to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes or the desirability of an investment in a REIT relative to other investments.
Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to some federal, state and local income, property and excise taxes on our income or property and, in certain cases, a 100% penalty tax, in the event we sell property as a dealer. In addition, our taxable REIT subsidiary will be subject to tax as a regular corporation in the jurisdictions it operates.
If our Operating Partnership failed to qualify as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, we would cease to qualify as a REIT and suffer other adverse consequences.
We believe that our Operating Partnership will be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. As a partnership, our Operating Partnership will not be subject to federal income tax on its income. Instead, each of its partners, including us, will be allocated, and may be required to pay tax with respect to, its share of our Operating Partnership’s income. We cannot assure you, however, that the IRS will not challenge the status of our Operating Partnership or any other subsidiary partnership in which we own an interest as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If the IRS were successful in treating our Operating Partnership or any such other subsidiary partnership as an entity taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would fail to meet the gross income tests and certain of the asset tests applicable to REITs and, accordingly, we would likely cease to qualify as a REIT. Also, the failure of our Operating Partnership or any subsidiary partnerships to qualify as a partnership could cause it to become subject to federal and state corporate income tax, which would reduce significantly the amount of cash available for debt service and for distribution to its partners, including us.
Our taxable REIT subsidiaries will be subject to federal income tax, and we will be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on certain income or deductions if our transactions with our taxable REIT subsidiaries are not conducted on arm’s length terms.
We own an interest in one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries, and may acquire securities in additional taxable REIT subsidiaries in the future. A taxable REIT subsidiary is a corporation other than a REIT in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds stock, and that has made a joint election with such REIT to be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. If a taxable REIT subsidiary owns more than 35% of the total voting power or value of the outstanding securities of another corporation, such other corporation will also be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. Other than some activities relating to lodging and health care facilities, a taxable REIT subsidiary may generally engage in any business, including the provision of customary or non-customary services to tenants of its parent REIT. A taxable REIT subsidiary is subject to federal income tax as a regular C corporation. In addition, a 100% excise tax will be imposed on certain transactions between a taxable REIT subsidiary and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s length basis.
Not more than 20% of the value of our total assets may be represented by securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries. We anticipate that the aggregate value of the stock and other securities of any taxable REIT subsidiaries that we own will be less than 20% of the value of our total assets, and we will monitor the value of these investments to ensure compliance with applicable asset test limitations.
To maintain our REIT qualification, we may be forced to borrow funds during unfavorable market conditions.
To qualify as a REIT, we generally must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income each year, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gains, and we will be subject to regular corporate income taxes to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) each year. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which distributions paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. Accordingly, we may not be able to retain sufficient cash flow from operations to meet our debt service requirements and repay our debt. Therefore, we may need to raise additional capital for these purposes, and we cannot assure you that a sufficient amount of capital will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all, when needed. Further, in order to maintain our REIT qualification and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, we may need to borrow funds to meet the REIT distribution requirements even if the then prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings. These borrowing needs could result from, among other things, differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and inclusion of income for federal income tax purposes, or the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures, the creation of reserves or required debt or amortization payments. These sources, however, may not be available on favorable terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends on a number of factors, including the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current debt levels, the per share trading price of our common stock, and our
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current and potential future earnings. We cannot assure you that we will have access to such capital on favorable terms at the desired times, or at all, which may cause us to curtail our investment activities and/or to dispose of assets at inopportune times.
Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.
The maximum tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates is 20%. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for these reduced rates. Under current law, however, U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates generally may deduct up to 20% of the ordinary dividends (e.g., 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 (generally to 29.6% assuming the shareholder is subject to the 37% maximum rate), such tax rate is still higher than the tax rate applicable to corporate dividends that constitute qualified dividend income. Accordingly, investors who are individuals, trusts and estates may perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs.
The tax imposed on REITs engaging in “prohibited transactions” may limit our ability to engage in transactions which would be treated as sales for federal income tax purposes.
A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. Although we do not intend to hold any properties that would be characterized as held for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business, unless a sale or disposition qualifies under certain statutory safe harbors, such characterization is a factual determination and no guarantee can be given that the IRS would agree with our characterization of our properties or that we will always be able to make use of the available safe harbors.
Complying with REIT requirements may affect our profitability and may force us to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments.
To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the nature and diversification of our assets, the sources of our income and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. We may be required to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments in order to satisfy the asset and income tests or to qualify under certain statutory relief provisions. We also may be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. As a result, having to comply with the distribution requirement could cause us to: (1) sell assets in adverse market conditions; (2) borrow on unfavorable terms; or (3) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures or repayment of debt. Accordingly, satisfying the REIT requirements could have an adverse effect on our business results, profitability and ability to execute our business plan. Moreover, if we are compelled to liquidate our investments to meet any of these asset, income or distribution tests, or to repay obligations to our lenders, we may be unable to comply with one or more of the requirements applicable to REITs or may be subject to a 100% tax on any resulting gain if such sales constitute prohibited transactions.
Legislative or other actions affecting REITs could have a negative effect on us.
The rules dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Changes to the tax laws, with or without retroactive application, could adversely affect our investors or us. We cannot predict how changes in the tax laws might affect our investors or us. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences of such qualification, or the federal income tax consequences of an investment in us. Also, the law relating to the tax treatment of other entities, or an investment in other entities, could change, making an investment in such other entities more attractive relative to an investment in a REIT.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
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Item 2. Properties
As of December 31, 2020, our consolidated portfolio consisted of 248 wholly-owned properties located in Southern California infill markets totaling approximately 31.5 million rentable square feet.
The table below sets forth relevant information with respect to the operating properties in our consolidated portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
Los Angeles - Greater San Fernando Valley
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Los Angeles - San Gabriel Valley
30
Los Angeles - Central
31
Los Angeles - Mid-Counties
Los Angeles - South Bay
32
33
Orange County - North
Orange County - West
Orange County - South
34
Orange County - Airport
San Bernardino - Inland Empire West
35
San Bernardino - Inland Empire East
Ventura County
San Diego - North County
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San Diego - Central
(1)Year renovated reflects the most recent year in which a material upgrade, alteration or addition to building systems was completed, resulting in increased marketability of the property.
(2)Calculated as rentable square feet for such property divided by rentable square feet for the total consolidated portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
(3)Calculated as monthly contracted base rent (before rent abatements) per the terms of the lease(s) at such property, as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12. Excludes tenant reimbursements.
(4)Calculated as annualized base rent for such property divided by annualized base rent for the total consolidated portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
(5)Calculated as annualized base rent for such property divided by occupied square feet for such property as of December 31, 2020.
(6)This property is undergoing repositioning, redevelopment, or lease-up as of December 31, 2020.
(7)Safari Business Park consists of 16 buildings with the following addresses: 1845, 1885, 1901-1957 and 2037-2077 Vineyard Avenue; 1906-1946 and 2048-2058 Cedar Street; 1900-1956, 1901-1907, 1911-1951, 2010-2020 and 2030-2071 Lynx Place; 1810, 1840-1898, 1910-1960 and 2030-2050 Carlos Avenue; 2010-2057 and 2060-2084 Francis Street.
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Property Diversification
The following table sets forth information relating to diversification by property type in our portfolio based on total annualized rent as of December 31, 2020.
(1)Calculated as the average occupancy at such properties as of December 31, 2020, based on building square feet.
(2)Calculated as building square feet divided by land square feet.
(3)Calculated for each property as the monthly contracted base rent (before rent abatements) per the terms of the lease(s) at such property, as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12, and then aggregated by property type. Excludes tenant reimbursements. Amounts in thousands.
(4)Calculated for each property type as annualized base rent for such property type divided by annualized base rent for the total consolidated portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
(5)Calculated for each property type as annualized base rent for such property type divided by occupied square feet for such property type as of December 31, 2020.
(6)Includes 901 West Alameda Avenue with 44,924 rentable square feet that is classified as Creative Office.
(7)Includes annualized base rent related to land leases.
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Uncommenced Leases
Uncommenced leases as of December 31, 2020, reflect signed new and renewal leases that had not yet commenced as of December 31, 2020. Differences between our occupancy rates and leased rates as disclosed throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K, are attributed to our uncommenced leases. The following table sets forth information relating to our uncommenced leases as of December 31, 2020.
(1)Represents the square footage of renewal leases that had been signed but had not yet commenced as of December 31, 2020.
(2)Represents the square footage of new leases that had been signed but had not yet commenced as of December 31, 2020.
(3)Calculated as square footage under commenced and uncommenced leases (net of renewal space) as of December 31, 2020, divided by total rentable square feet.
(4)Represents annualized base rent for leases that had commenced as of December 31, 2020, at each property (calculated as monthly contracted base rent (before rent abatements) per the terms of the lease(s) at such property, as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12), aggregated by market. Excludes tenant reimbursements. Amounts in thousands.
(5)Annualized base rent from uncommenced leases includes: (i) $2.9 million of annualized base rent under uncommenced new leases (calculated by multiplying the first full month of contractual base rents (before rent abatements) to be received under uncommenced new leases, by 12) and (ii) $2.1 million of incremental annualized base rent under uncommenced renewal leases (calculated as the difference between (a) the first full month of contractual base rents (before rent abatements) to be received under uncommenced renewal leases and (b) the monthly contracted base rents under commenced leases (for the same space) as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12.). Amounts in thousands.
(6)Calculated by adding annualized base rent for commenced leases (as described in note (4) above) and annualized base rent from uncommenced leases (as described in note (5) above). Amounts in thousands.
(7)Calculated by dividing annualized base rent from commenced leases and uncommenced leases (as described in note (6) above), by leased square footage under commenced and uncommenced leases (net of renewal space) as of December 31, 2020.
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Geographic Diversification
The following table sets forth information relating to geographic diversification by county and submarket in our portfolio based on total annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020.
Los Angeles County
Orange County
San Bernardino County
Ventura County
San Diego County
(1)Calculated as the average occupancy at such properties as of December 31, 2020.
(2)Represents annualized base rent for each property (calculated as monthly contracted base rent (before rent abatements) per the terms of the lease(s) at such property, as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12), aggregated by market. Excludes tenant reimbursements. Amounts in thousands.
(3)Calculated as annualized base rent for such market divided by annualized base rent for the total consolidated portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
(4)Calculated as annualized base rent for such market divided by occupied square feet for such market as of December 31, 2020.
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Industry Diversification
The following table sets forth information relating to tenant diversification by industry in our portfolio based on total annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020.
(1)A single lease may cover space in more than one building.
(2)Calculated for each lease as the monthly contracted base rent (before rent abatements) per the terms of such lease, as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12, and then aggregated by industry. Excludes tenant reimbursements. Amounts in thousands.
(3)Calculated as annualized base rent for tenants in such industry divided by annualized base rent for the total consolidated portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
(4)Calculated as annualized base rent for tenants in such industry divided by occupied square feet for tenants in such industry as of December 31, 2020.
Tenants
Our portfolio of properties has a stable and diversified tenant base. As of December 31, 2020, our consolidated properties were 96.2% leased to tenants in a variety of industries, with no single tenant accounting for more than 2.7% of our total annualized in-place base rent. Our average lease size is approximately 20,000 square feet, and approximately 43% of our total leased square feet consists of leases that are less than 50,000 square feet each. Our 10 largest tenants combined accounted for 11.4% of our annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020. We intend to continue to maintain a diversified mix of tenants in order to limit our exposure to any single tenant or industry.
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The following table sets forth information about the 10 largest tenants in our portfolio based on total annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020.
(1)Calculated for each tenant as the monthly contracted base rent (before rent abatements) per the terms of such tenant’s lease as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12. Excludes tenant reimbursements. Amounts in thousands.
(2)Calculated as annualized base rent for such tenant divided by annualized base rent for the total consolidated portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
(3)Calculated as annualized base rent for such tenant divided by occupied square feet for such tenant as of December 31, 2020.
(4)Includes (i) one land lease in North Orange County expiring January 31, 2021, (ii) 30,160 rentable square feet in Ventura expiring September 30, 2027, (iii) one land lease in LA - Mid-Counties expiring June 30, 2029, (iv) 42,270 rentable square feet in LA - South Bay expiring October 31, 2030, (iii) 311,995 rentable square feet in SD - North County expiring February 28, 2031, and (iv) 143,436 rentable square feet in LA - South Bay expiring November 30, 2032.
(5)Includes (i) 78,280 rentable square feet expiring September 30, 2025, and (ii) 70,877 rentable square feet expiring March 31, 2026.
Leases
Overview
Triple net lease. In our triple net leases, the tenant is responsible for all aspects of and costs related to the property and its operation during the lease term. The landlord may have responsibility under the lease to perform or pay for certain capital repairs or replacements to the roof, structure or certain building systems, such as heating and air conditioning and fire suppression. The tenant may have the right to terminate the lease or abate rent due to a major casualty or condemnation affecting a significant portion of the property or due to the landlord’s failure to perform its obligations under the lease. As of December 31, 2020, there were 423 triple net leases in our consolidated portfolio, representing approximately 64.7% of our total annualized base rent.
Modified gross lease. In our modified gross leases, the landlord is responsible for some property-related expenses during the lease term, but a significant amount of the expenses is passed through to the tenant for reimbursement to the landlord. Modified gross leases often include base year amounts, and expense increases over these amounts are recoverable. The tenant
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may have the right to terminate the lease or abate rent due to a major casualty or condemnation affecting a significant portion of the property or due to the landlord’s failure to perform its obligations under the lease. As of December 31, 2020, there were 887 modified gross leases in our consolidated portfolio, representing approximately 27.7% of our total annualized base rent.
Gross lease. In our gross leases, the landlord is responsible for all aspects of and costs related to the property and its operation during the lease term. The tenant may have the right to terminate the lease or abate rent due to a major casualty or condemnation affecting a significant portion of the property or due to the landlord’s failure to perform its obligations under the lease. As of December 31, 2020, there were 223 gross leases in our consolidated portfolio, representing approximately 7.6% of our total annualized base rent.
The following table provides information regarding our lease segmentation by size as of December 31, 2020:
(1)Calculated for each lease as the monthly contracted base rent (before rent abatements) per the terms of such lease, as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12, and then aggregated by square feet. Excludes tenant reimbursements. Amounts in thousands.
(2)Calculated as annualized base rent for such leases divided by annualized base rent for the total consolidated portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
(3)Calculated as annualized base rent for such leases divided by occupied square feet for such leases as of December 31, 2020.
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Lease Expirations
As of December 31, 2020, our weighted average in-place remaining lease term was approximately 4.0 years. The following table sets forth a summary schedule of lease expirations for leases in place as of December 31, 2020, plus available space, for each of the 10 full calendar years commencing December 31, 2020 and thereafter in our portfolio. The information set forth in the table assumes that tenants exercise no renewal options and no early termination rights.
Current Repositioning(6) — 120,800 0.4 % — — % $ —
(1)Represents the contracted square footage upon expiration.
(2)Calculated as monthly contracted base rent (before rent abatements) per the terms of such lease, as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12, and then aggregated by year of lease expiration. Excludes tenant reimbursements. Amounts in thousands.
(3)Calculated as annualized base rent set forth in this table divided by annualized base rent for the total portfolio as of December 31, 2020.
(4)Calculated as annualized base rent for such leases divided by occupied square feet for such leases as of December 31, 2020.
(5)Represents vacant space (not under repositioning) as of December 31, 2020. Includes leases aggregating 316,381 rentable square feet that had been signed but had not yet commenced as of December 31, 2020. Adjusting for such leases, we had 1,073,471 of available vacant space representing 3.4% of our total owned square feet as of December 31, 2020.
(6)Represents space at properties that were classified as current repositioning as of December 31, 2020. Excludes redevelopment properties, stabilized properties and properties in lease-up. See Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Factors That May Influence Future Results of Operations – Acquisitions and Value-Add Repositioning and Redevelopment of Properties,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details related to these properties.
(7)Represents tenants under month-to-month (“MTM”) leases or having holdover tenancy. Includes 56 MTM leases totaling 58,490 rentable square feet at our property located at 14723-14825 Oxnard Street, where due to the number and the small size of spaces, we typically only enter into MTM leases.
Historical Tenant Improvements and Leasing Commissions
The following table sets forth certain historical information regarding leasing related (revenue generating) tenant improvement and leasing commission costs for tenants at the properties in our portfolio as follows:
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Year Ended December 31,
Tenant Improvements
Leasing Commissions
Total Tenant Improvements & Leasing Commissions $ 12,162 $ 11,269 $ 6,702
(1)Cost is reported in thousands. Costs of tenant improvements include contractual tenant allowances.
(2)Per square foot (“PSF”) amounts calculated by dividing the aggregate tenant improvement and/or leasing commission cost by the aggregate square footage of the leases in which we incurred such costs, excluding new/renewal leases in which there were no tenant improvements and/or leasing commissions.
(3)New leases represent all leases other than renewal leases.
(4)Tenant improvements and leasing commissions related to our initial leasing of vacant space in acquired properties or leasing of a space that has been vacant for more than 12 months, are considered first generation costs.
(5)Tenant improvements and leasing commissions related to leasing of a space that has been previously occupied by a tenant during the prior 12 months, are considered second generation costs.
Historical Capital Expenditures
The following table sets forth certain information regarding historical maintenance (non-revenue generating) capital expenditures at the properties in our portfolio as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
(1)Cost is reported in thousands.
(2)For non-recurring capital expenditures, reflects the aggregate square footage of the properties in which we incurred such capital expenditures. For recurring capital expenditures, reflects the weighted average square footage of our consolidated portfolio for the period.
(3)PSF amounts calculated by dividing the aggregate capital expenditure costs by the square footage as defined in (1) and (2) above.
(4)Non-recurring capital expenditures are expenditures made in respect of a property for repositioning, redevelopment, or other major upgrade or renovation of such property, and further includes capital expenditures for seismic upgrades, roof or parking lot replacements or capital expenditures for deferred maintenance existing at the time such property was acquired.
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(5)Recurring capital expenditures are expenditures made in respect of a property for maintenance of such property and replacement of items due to ordinary wear and tear including, but not limited to, expenditures made for maintenance of parking lot, roofing materials, mechanical systems, HVAC systems and other structural systems.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we are party to various lawsuits, claims and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business. We are not currently a party to any legal proceedings that we believe would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “REXR”. As of February 16, 2021, there were 173 holders of record of our common stock. Certain shares of our Company are held in “street” name and accordingly, the number of beneficial owners of such shares is not known or included in the foregoing numbers.
Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Repurchases of Equity Securities
(1)In October 2020, November 2020 and December 2020, these shares were tendered by certain of our employees to satisfy minimum statutory tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of restricted shares.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
Our equity compensation plan information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the information in Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Performance Graph
The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock from December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2020, with the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and a selection of appropriate “peer group” indexes (assuming the investment of $100 in our common stock and in each of the indexes on December 31, 2015, and that all dividends were reinvested into additional shares of common stock at the frequency with which dividends are paid on the common stock during the applicable fiscal year). The total return performance shown in this graph is not necessarily indicative of, and is not intended to suggest, future total return performance.
Period Ending
Item 6. Selected Financial Data.
The following table sets forth selected financial and operating data and should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our audited financial statements and related notes, elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All consolidated financial data has been restated, as appropriate, to reflect the impact of activity classified as discontinued operations for all periods presented.
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Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands except for share and per share data)
Statement of Operations Data:
Per Share Data:
Balance Sheet Data (End of Period):
Other Data:
(1)See Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Non-GAAP Supplemental Measure: Funds From Operations,” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a reconciliation to net income and a discussion of why we believe FFO is a useful supplemental measure of operating performance, ways in which investors might use FFO when assessing our financial performance, and FFO’s limitations as a measurement tool.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the sections of this Annual Report on Form 10-K entitled “Risk Factors,” “Forward-Looking Statements,” “Business” and our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements reflecting current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Company Overview
Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed full-service REIT focused on owning and operating industrial properties in Southern California infill markets. We were formed as a Maryland corporation on January 18, 2013 and Rexford Industrial Realty, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”), of which we are the sole general partner, was formed as a Maryland limited partnership on January 18, 2013. Through our controlling interest in our Operating Partnership and its
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subsidiaries, we own, manage, lease, acquire and develop industrial real estate primarily located in Southern California infill markets, and from time to time, acquire or provide mortgage debt secured by industrial property. We are organized and conduct our operations to qualify as a REIT under the Code, and generally are not subject to federal taxes on our income to the extent we distribute our income to our shareholders and maintain our qualification as a REIT.
As of December 31, 2020, our consolidated portfolio consisted of 248 properties with approximately 31.5 million rentable square feet. In addition, we currently manage an additional 20 properties with approximately 1.0 million rentable square feet.
Our goal is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders by providing superior access to industrial property investments and mortgage debt secured by industrial property in high barrier Southern California infill markets. Our target markets provide us with opportunities to acquire both stabilized properties generating favorable cash flow, as well as properties or land parcels where we can enhance returns through value-add renovations and redevelopment of new industrial buildings. Scarcity of available space and high barriers limiting new construction of for-lease product all contribute to create superior long-term supply/demand fundamentals within our target infill Southern California industrial property markets. With our vertically integrated operating platform and extensive value-add investment and management capabilities, we believe we are positioned to capitalize upon the opportunities in our markets to achieve our objectives.
Highlights
Acquisitions
•During 2020, we acquired 38 properties, with a combined 5.0 million rentable square feet, for an aggregate cost of $1.2 billion.
Repositioning & Redevelopment
•During 2020, we completed repositioning and lease-up of eight of our repositioning properties located at 2455 Conejo Spectrum Street, 635 8th Street, 16121 Carmenita Road, 10015 Waples Court, 1210 North Red Gum Street, 7110 Rosecrans Avenue, 29003 Avenue Sherman and 727 Kingshill Place with a combined 0.6 million rentable square feet.
•In October 2020, we completed the construction of the redevelopment project branded as “The Merge,” which contains six industrial buildings with a total of 333,544 rentable square feet. As of December 31, 2020, the project was 18% leased.
Dispositions
•During 2020, we sold four properties with a combined 0.3 million rentable square feet, for a total gross sales price of $45.5 million and total net cash proceeds of $43.6 million.
Equity
•During 2020, we issued 17,253,161 shares of common stock as follows:
◦We sold 3,165,661 shares of common stock under our various at-the-market equity offering programs, for gross proceeds of $126.5 million, or approximately $39.96 per share, and net proceeds of $124.7 million after deducting the sales agents’ fee.
◦During the second quarter we completed an underwritten public offering of 7,187,500 shares of our common stock at a price to the underwriters of $39.67 per share, for net proceeds of approximately $285.0 million after deducting offering costs.
◦During the fourth quarter we completed an underwritten public offering of 6,900,000 shares of our common stock at a price to the underwriters of $47.15 per share, for net proceeds of approximately $325.0 million after deducting offering costs.
•During 2020, our acquisition activity included three UPREIT transactions, whereby we issued a combined 3,798,356 common units of limited partnership interests in the Operating Partnership representing $179.3 million of purchase price value and 906,374 newly issued 4.00% cumulative redeemable convertible preferred units of partnership interest in the Operating Partnership (the “Series 2 CPOP Units”) valued at $40.8 million.
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Financing
•In February 2020, we amended our senior unsecured credit facility to, among other changes, increase the aggregate commitment for our unsecured revolving credit facility to $500 million from $350 million and extend the maturity date of the unsecured revolving credit facility to February 2024 from February 2021.
•In November 2020, we completed an underwritten public offering of $400.0 million of 2.125% senior notes due 2030. The notes were issued to the public at 99.211% of the principal amount. The net proceeds from the offering, after deducting the underwriting discount, were approximately $394.2 million and were partially used to repay our $100.0 million term loan due February 14, 2022.
•During 2020, we assumed total debt of $63.2 million as part of the consideration for the acquisition of 11 properties during 2020. The $63.2 million is comprised of 11 secured fixed-rate mortgage loans with interest rates ranging from 3.70% to 5.24% and with maturities ranging from 3.0 years to 8.3 years from the date assumed.
•In October 2020, we received investment grade ratings of Baa3 from Moody’s Investors Services (“Moody’s) and BBB from Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”), complementing our current BBB rating received from Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”). As a result of obtaining these ratings, we elected to convert the pricing structure under our unsecured revolving credit facility and unsecured term loan facilities to be based on such ratings, resulting in an overall reduction in our interest rate spreads.
Factors That May Influence Future Results of Operations
COVID-19 Update
The outbreak of COVID-19and the related responses by public health and governmental authorities to contain its outbreak and spread has significantly impacted the global and national economies, our industry and the industries in which our tenants operate.
In Southern California, where all of our industrial properties are located, local government authorities reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic early on by instituting quarantines, restrictions on travel, “shelter in place” rules, restrictions on types of businesses that may continue to operate, and/or restrictions on the types of construction projects that may continue. Since the onset of the pandemic, state and local government restrictions have gone through a cycle of easing and tightening in response to resurgences in COVID-19 cases, causing some businesses to close and resume operations in tandem with changes in restrictions. The State of California is currently under a risk-based four-tier system which is used to determine on a county-by-county basis which types of businesses are allowed to reopen or required to restrict activities. We cannot predict when restrictions currently in place will expire or if additional restrictions will be added. Most municipalities in Southern California, including many municipalities in which we own properties, have mandated a moratorium on all commercial evictions and have given tenants impacted by COVID-19 the unilateral right to defer rent while the emergency orders are in effect, with repayment generally within six to twelve months after the end of the local emergency. Only a small number of municipalities have allowed their local orders to expire or modified the orders to exclude some tenants (based on the tenant’s number of employees, being a publicly traded company or multinational company, or other characteristics), and in many of the local municipalities in which we operate, the eviction restrictions and rent deferment rights are set to expire by March 31, 2021, while in other municipalities the restrictions expire when the local emergency is lifted. We cannot currently predict whether or not these restrictions may be extended or for how long. Some of the orders have been extended multiple times. A number of our tenants have taken advantage of the relief provided by the local government mandates authorizing deferral of rent, irrespective of such tenants’ actual ability to pay such rent, and we are currently unable to predict the ultimate impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our tenants or the number of tenants that will take advantage of the relief provided by the local government mandates authorizing the deferral of rent.
While we are currently unable to completely estimate the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain its spread, as well as the California emergency orders authorizing tenant deferral of rent, will have on our business and our tenants during 2021, as of February 16, 2021 we have taken the following steps and seen the following impact on our portfolio (using tenant counts and in-place annualized base rent (defined below) as of December 31, 2020):
•We had 1,533 leases representing in-place annualized base rent (“ABR”) of $310.4 million. ABR is defined/calculated as the monthly contractual base rent per the leases, excluding any rent abatements, as of December 31, 2020, multiplied by 12.
•During 2020, we executed rent relief agreements (which comprise application of security deposits, acceleration of concessions and deferral of base rent) with 270 tenants, including 120 tenants that received deferred base rent of $4.6 million or 1.5% of ABR. See the table below for a summary of rent relief provided to tenants applicable to the second,
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third and fourth quarters of 2020 and January 2021.
•We have executed rent relief agreements with two of our top ten tenants as of December 31, 2020, including one that received a deferral of contractual base rent for approximately three months. As of December 31, 2020, all of our top ten tenants were current on their rent payments.
•We cannot be certain of the number of tenants not paying or deferring rent out of need versus those merely taking advantage of their local California government-mandated right to unilaterally defer rent without an agreement.
•We may in the future amend or enter into additional rent relief agreements.
The following table sets forth the following information regarding contractual rent for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020 and January 2021 (dollars in thousands): (i) amount billed, (ii) percentage collected (as of February 16, 2021) prior to the impact of consummated rent relief agreements, (iii) the amount of rent relief provided to tenants by the (a) application of security deposits to contractual base rent, (b) acceleration of future existing contractual rent concessions to cover contractual base rent and (c) deferral of contractual base rent and (iv) percentage collected (as of February 16, 2021) after adjusting for rent relief provided by rent relief agreements.
Rent Relief
(1)Contractual Billings include contractual base rent and tenant reimbursements (including prior year recoverable expense reconciliation adjustments) charged to in-place tenants before the impact of consummated COVID-19 related rent relief agreements, as well as COVID-19 deferral billings (see footnote (7) below for details).
(2)Represents the cash collection percentage of Contractual Billings.
(3)Reflects collections through February 16, 2021, for all periods presented.
(4)The typical deferral period has been approximately one to two months with repayment generally beginning in the third or fourth quarter of 2020.
(5)Represents the cash collection percentage of Contractual Billings after adjusting for Rent Relief provided by rent relief agreements.
(6)During the second quarter of 2020, $96,000 of rent relief was provided to a tenant in the form of a base rent deferral with repayment scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2020. During the third quarter of 2020, this base rent deferral was waived in connection with the execution of an early renewal lease.
(7)The following table provides a breakdown of third and fourth quarter 2020 and January 2021 Contractual Billings between regular billings and COVID-19 deferral billings and percentage collected through February 16, 2021 (dollars in thousands):
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While the volume of rent relief requests and rent relief agreements executed has significantly decreased and tapered off from its peak in April 2020, for any rent relief requests we might receive in the future, we will continue to perform an evaluation of each tenant’s individual circumstances prior to executing such rent relief agreements. Not all tenant rent relief requests will ultimately result in rent relief agreements, nor are we forgoing our contractual rights under any of our lease agreements. Rent collections and rent relief requests received to-date may not be indicative of collections or requests in any future period.
The long-term impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain its spread, as well as the actions of many California municipalities enabling tenants impacted by COVID-19 to unilaterally defer their rent, on our operations is uncertain. A continuing outbreak could have a material adverse impact on our financial results and business operations, including our timing and ability to collect rents, including rents that have been deferred pursuant to consummated rent relief agreements. Further, the impacts of a potential worsening of global economic conditions and the continued disruptions to, and volatility in, the credit and financial markets, consumer spending as well as other unanticipated consequences remain unknown. The situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic remains fluid, and we are actively managing our ongoing response in collaboration with tenants and government officials and assessing potential impacts to our financial position and operating results, as well as potential adverse developments in our business. For further information regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the Company, see Part II, Item 1A titled “Risk Factors.”
Market and Portfolio Fundamentals
Our operating results depend upon the infill Southern California industrial real estate market.