Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
The Company
Aimco, a Maryland corporation incorporated on January 10, 1994, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”). Aimco, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, is the general partner and directly is the special limited partner of Aimco Operating Partnership, a Delaware Limited Partnership. Aimco conducts all of its business and owns all of its assets through Aimco Operating Partnership.
On December 15, 2020, we completed the Separation, creating two separate and distinct, publicly traded companies, Aimco and AIR.
Please refer to Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8 for discussion regarding our business segments.
Executive Overview
Our mission is to make real estate investments, primarily focused on the multifamily sector within targeted U.S. markets, where outcomes are enhanced through our human capital and substantial value is created for investors, teammates, and the communities in which we operate.
Our value proposition includes our:
• Platform, consisting of a cohesive, talented, and tenured team with diverse real estate industry experience combined with a disciplined and proven investment process;
• Diversified portfolio, consisting of $0.6 billion of in-process value-add investments, a pipeline of 13 million square feet of potential future development, a national portfolio of stabilized multifamily real estate and limited indirect and passive investments; and
• Capital redeployment plan which includes the prudent recycling of capital, reallocating our equity to higher returning investments, and return of capital to stockholders when appropriate.
Our primary goal is outsized risk-adjusted returns and accelerating growth for our stockholders. We are focused on providing superior total-return performance to stockholders, primarily through capital appreciation driven by accretive investment and active portfolio management over multi-year periods. We do not presently intend to pay a regular quarterly cash dividend, but may periodically pay dividends for REIT tax purposes or to return a portion of profits to stockholders.
Our financial objectives are to create value and produce superior, asset level, risk-adjusted returns on equity as measured by the investment period Internal Rate of Return (“IRR”) and the project-level Multiple on Invested Capital (“MOIC”). We measure broader performance based on Net Asset value (“NAV”) growth over time.
Our capital allocation strategy was designed to leverage our investment platform and optimize risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders.
We target a balanced allocation, which includes investments in “Value Add” and “Opportunistic” multifamily real estate, primarily located in Southeast Florida, the Washington, D.C. Metro Area and Colorado’s Front Range, plus investment in a geographically diversified portfolio of “Core” and “Core-Plus” apartment communities.
In addition, we currently hold select alternative assets, consisting primarily of indirect, real estate related debt and equity investments. We have reduced our allocation to these investments and plan to continue to significantly reduce our allocation over time.
We have policies in place that support our stated strategy, guide our investment allocations, and manage risk, including to hold at all times a sizeable portion of our net equity in stabilized cash-flowing assets and to require cash or committed credit necessary for completion of development and redevelopment projects prior to their commencement.
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Given our stated strategy, it is expected that at any point in time the value-creation process will be ongoing at various of our investments. Over time, we expect our enterprise to produce superior returns on equity on a risk-adjusted basis and it is our plan to do so by:
• Benefiting from a national platform while leveraging local and regional expertise
We have corporate headquarters in Denver, Colorado and Washington, D.C. Our investment platform is managed by experienced professionals based in three regions, where we will focus our new investment activity: Southeast Florida, the Washington, D.C. Metro Area and Colorado's Front Range. By regionalizing this platform, we are able to leverage the in-depth local market knowledge of each regional leader, creating a comparative advantage when sourcing, evaluating, and executing investment opportunities.
• Managing and investing in value-add and opportunistic real estate
Our dedicated team will source and execute development and redevelopment projects, and various other direct investment strategies. Our development and redevelopment portfolio currently includes projects in construction and lease-up. In addition, our team has secured significant, high-quality, future development opportunities, including total potential of 13 million square feet, located in high-growth markets. Generally, we seek direct investment opportunities in locations where barriers to entry are high, target customers can be clearly defined and where we have a comparative advantage over others in the market. From time to time, we may choose to monetize certain pipeline assets prior to vertical construction in an effort to maximize value and risk adjusted returns. In any time period, the amount of our capital that is allocated to development activities may vary based on market conditions and other factors.
• Owning a portfolio of stabilized core and core plus real estate
Our entire portfolio of operating properties includes 26 apartment communities (22 consolidated properties and four unconsolidated properties) with average rents in line with local market averages (generally defined as B class). We also own one commercial office building that is part of an assemblage with an adjacent apartment building. The target composition of our stabilized portfolio will continue to include primarily B multifamily assets, spread across geographically diversified markets, with a bias toward long established residential neighborhoods that rank highly in regard to schools, employment fundamentals and state and regional governance. Core-Plus opportunities offer the opportunity for incremental capital investment while maintaining stabilized cashflow to accelerate income growth and improve asset values.
• Managing and continuing to reduce our allocation to alternative investments, over time
We currently hold select alternative investments, the majority of which originated with Aimco Predecessor and, over time, plan to significantly reduce capital allocated to these investments. Our current allocation to alternative investments includes: our mezzanine loan to the Parkmerced partnership, which owns 3,165 apartment homes and future development rights in San Francisco, California, and our passive equity investments in IQHQ, Inc. (“IQHQ”), a privately-held life sciences real estate development company, and in property technology funds consisting of entities that develop technology related to the real estate industry.
• Maintaining sufficient liquidity and utilizing safe financial leverage
We will guard our liquidity at all times by maintaining sufficient cash and committed credit.
From time-to-time, we will allocate capital to financial assets designed to mitigate risks. Existing examples include our use of interest rate caps to provide protection against increases in interest rates on in-place loans.
We expect to capitalize our activities through a combination of non-recourse property debt, construction loans, third-party equity, and the recycling of our equity, including retained earnings. We plan to limit the use of recourse leverage, with a strong preference towards non-recourse property-level debt to limit risk to our enterprise. When warranted, we plan to seek equity capital from joint venture partners to improve our cost of capital, further leverage our equity, reduce exposure to a single investment and, in certain cases, for strategic benefits.
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Competition
There are many developers, managers, and owners of apartment real estate and underdeveloped land, as well as REITs, private real estate companies, and investors, that compete with us in acquiring, developing, obtaining financing for, and disposing of apartment communities. This competition affects our ability to realize our real estate development and transactional objectives.
In addition, our apartment communities compete for residents with other housing alternatives, including other rental apartments and condominiums, and single-family homes that are available for rent, as well as new and existing condominiums and single-family homes for sale. Competitive residential housing, as well as household formation and job creation in a particular area, could adversely affect our ability to lease apartment homes and to increase or maintain rental rates.
Taxation
Aimco
Aimco has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), commencing with its initial taxable year, and intends to continue to operate in such a manner. The Code imposes various requirements related to organizational structure, distribution levels, diversity of stock ownership, and certain restrictions with regard to owned assets and categories of income that must be met in order to continue to qualify as a REIT. If Aimco continues to qualify for taxation as a REIT, it will generally not be subject to United States federal corporate income tax on its taxable income that is currently distributed to stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” (at the corporate and stockholder levels) that generally results from an investment in a corporation.
Certain of our operations, or a portion thereof, are conducted through taxable REIT subsidiaries, each of which we refer to as a “TRS”. A TRS is a corporate subsidiary that has elected to be a TRS instead of a REIT and, as such, is subject to United States federal corporate income tax.
Aimco Operating Partnership
Aimco Operating Partnership is treated as a “pass-through” entity for United States federal income tax purposes and is not subject to United States federal income taxation. Partners in Aimco Operating Partnership, however, are subject to tax on their allocable share of partnership income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits, regardless of whether the partners receive any actual distributions of cash or other property from Aimco Operating Partnership during the taxable year. Generally, the characterization of any particular item is determined by Aimco Operating Partnership rather than at the partner level, and the amount of a partner’s allocable share of such item is governed by the terms of Aimco Operating Partnership’s Partnership Agreement. Aimco Operating Partnership is subject to tax in certain states.
Regulation
General
Apartment development is subject to various laws, ordinances, and regulations, including those concerning entitlement, building, health and safety, site and building design, environment, zoning, and sales, and similar matters apply to or affect the real estate development industry.
Apartment communities and their owners are subject to various laws, ordinances, and regulations, including those related to real estate broker licensing and regulations relating to recreational facilities such as swimming pools, activity centers, and other common areas.
Changes in laws increasing the potential liability for environmental conditions existing on communities or increasing the restrictions on discharges or other conditions, as well as changes in laws affecting development, construction, and safety requirements, may result in significant unanticipated expenditures, which could adversely affect our net income and cash flows from operating activities.
In addition, existing rent control laws, as well as future enactment of rent control or rent stabilization laws, or other laws and ordinances regulating multifamily housing, may reduce rental revenue or increase operating costs in particular markets.
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Environmental
Various federal, state, and local laws subject real estate owners or operators to liability for management, and the costs of removal or remediation, of certain potentially hazardous materials that may be present. These materials may include lead-based paint, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, and petroleum-based fuels. Such laws often impose liability without regard to fault or whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release or presence of such materials. In connection with the ownership of real estate, we could potentially be liable for environmental liabilities or costs associated with our real estate, whether currently owned, acquired in the future, or owned in the past. These and other risks related to environmental matters are described in more detail in Item 1A. Risk Factors .
Corporate Responsibility
Corporate responsibility is an important part of our business. As with all other aspects of our business, our corporate responsibility program focuses on continuous improvement, to the benefit of our stockholders, our residents, our teammates, our communities, and the environment. We actively discuss these matters with our stockholders and solicit their feedback on our program.
Environmental, Social, Governance Policies
We update our Environmental, Social, Governance ("ESG") policies and publish a Corporate Responsibility Report reflecting our ESG priorities and performance on an annual basis.
We remain committed to providing best-in-class living environments that mitigate risk while reducing environmental impacts and creating value. Our ESG policies are in place to guide this commitment and are applicable to all new construction, existing assets, and corporate operations. These policies are also taken into consideration when hiring suppliers and procuring materials.
Human Capital and Culture
We believe our most valuable asset is our human capital, and are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a welcoming and inclusive culture for all teammates. Our success is reliant on the collective sum of individual talents.
We continuously invest in our teammates and company culture to ensure employee satisfaction, health, and well-being.
We hire and promote employees based upon their unique experiences, abilities, talents, and drive. This naturally leads to a workforce rich with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, leading to improved outcomes.
We focus on succession planning and talent development to produce a strong, stable team that is the foundation of our success. We are responsible for and implement succession planning in all leadership positions, both in the short term and the long term.
We offer benefits and support reinforcing our emphasis on the health and well-being of our teammates, including 16 weeks of paid time for parental leave to new mothers and fathers, a longstanding policy of workplace flexibility for our teammates to attend to personal and family matters during the workweek, office environments focused on natural light and ergonomic office furniture including adjustable height desks, access to Company-provided healthy snacks and drinks, paid time annually to volunteer in local communities, and a bonus structure at all levels of the organization.
We evaluate team engagement and retention and include those in our goals on which all teammates are compensated. Every teammate is surveyed annually via a third-party confidential survey. The teammate engagement score consists of the average of the responses to the questions that comprise the engagement index, on a scale of 1 to 5, for all teammates who complete the survey during the year. Our overall team engagement score for the 2023 Annual Lifecycle Surveys was 4.74, with a 100% overall response rate, compared to the target score of 4.25.
As of December 31, 2023, we had 61 full-time teammates performing asset management, development or transactional services and managing corporate and area functions. None of our employees are represented by labor unions.
In 2023, we were recognized with Healthiest Employers Awards in South Florida, Washington, D.C., and Denver, ranking #1 in our category for South Florida and #2 in our category for Colorado and Washington, D.C. The Healthiest Employers Awards honor companies with policies and initiatives promoting the health and well-being of their employees. Healthiest Employers takes a holistic view of worksite health, evaluating the extent of leadership team buy-in, including how well they understand the needs of the employee population and how they proactively support well-being.
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Available Information
Our combined Annual Report on Form 10-K, our combined Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K filed by us or Aimco Operating Partnership, and any amendments to any of those reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after filing through our website at www.aimco.com. The information contained on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report.