Broadstone Net Lease, Inc. 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors Summary Risk Factors You should carefully consider the matters discussed in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 25 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for factors you should consider before investing in our Common Stock: • Single-tenant leases involve significant risks of tenant default and tenant vacancies, which could materially and adversely affect us. • Actual or perceived threats associated with epidemics, pandemics or public health crises, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the businesses of our tenants. • We have limited opportunities to increase rents under our long-term leases with tenants, which could impede our growth and materially and adversely affect us. • We may not be able to achieve growth through acquisitions at a rate that is comparable to our historical results, which could materially and adversely affect us. • We may not be able to effectively manage our growth and any failure to do so could materially and adversely affect us. • The departure of any of our key personnel with long-standing business relationships could materially and adversely affect us. • Our portfolio is concentrated in certain states, and any adverse developments and economic downturns in these geographic markets could materially and adversely affect us. • The decrease in demand for restaurant, retail, and/or office space may materially and adversely affect us. • We may be unable to renew leases, re-lease properties as leases expire, or lease vacant spaces on favorable terms or at all, which, in each case, could materially and adversely affect us. • We could face potential material adverse effects from the bankruptcies or insolvencies of our tenants. • Global and U.S. financial markets and economic conditions may materially and adversely affect us and the ability of our tenants to make rental payments to us pursuant to our leases. • Inflation may materially and adversely affect us and our tenants. • As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $1.7 billion principal balance of indebtedness outstanding, which may expose us to the risk of default under our debt obligations. • Market conditions could adversely affect our ability to refinance existing indebtedness on acceptable terms or at all, which could materially and adversely affect us. • Our Revolving Credit Facility and term loan agreements contain various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate our repayment obligations, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. • We are a holding company with no direct operations and rely on funds received from the OP to pay liabilities. • Failure to qualify as a REIT would materially and adversely affect us and the value of our Common Stock. • The market price and trading volume of shares of our Common Stock may be volatile. • We may not be able to make distributions to our stockholders at the times or in the amounts we expect, or at all. 24 Table of Contents Risk Factors The following are some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements. You should consider carefully the risks described below and the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business. Risks Related to Our Business and Properties Single-tenant leases involve significant risks of tenant default and tenant vacancies, which could materially and adversely affect us. Our portfolio consists primarily of single-tenant net leased properties and we are dependent on our tenants for substantially all of our revenue. As a result, our success depends on the financial stability of our tenants. The ability of our tenants to meet their obligations to us, including their obligations to pay rent, maintain certain insurance coverage, pay real estate taxes, and maintain the properties in a manner so as not to jeopardize their operating licenses or regulatory status depends on the performance of their business and industry, as well as general market and economic conditions, which are outside of our control. At any given time, any tenant may experience a downturn in its business that may weaken its operating results or the overall financial condition of individual properties or its business as whole. As a result, a tenant may fail to make rental payments when due, decline to extend a lease upon its expiration, become insolvent, or declare bankruptcy. The financial failure of, or default in payment by, a single tenant under its lease is likely to cause a significant or complete reduction in our rental revenue from that property and a reduction in the value of the property. We may also experience difficulty or a significant delay in re-leasing or selling such property. The occurrence of one or more tenant defaults could materially and adversely affect us. This risk is magnified in situations where we lease multiple properties to a single tenant under a master lease. As of December 31, 2021, master leases contributed approximately 32.7% of our overall ABR (our largest master lease by ABR related to 43 properties and contributed 2.1% of our ABR, and our smallest master lease by ABR related to two properties and contributed 0.1% of our ABR), 73.7% of our restaurant property ABR (156 of our 235 restaurant properties), and 37.9% of our retail property ABR (84 of our 191 retail properties). A tenant failure or default under a master lease could reduce or eliminate rental revenue from multiple properties and reduce the value of such properties. Although the master lease structure may be beneficial to us because it restricts the ability of tenants to remove individual underperforming assets, there is no guarantee that a tenant will not default in its obligations to us or decline to renew its master lease upon expiration. The default of a tenant that leases multiple properties from us or its decision not to renew its master lease upon expiration could materially and adversely affect us. Actual or perceived threats associated with epidemics, pandemics or public health crises, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the businesses of our tenants. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries and U.S. states, including the areas in which we operate, adopted certain measures to mitigate the ongoing public health crises. While such restrictions have largely been lifted, restrictions on day-to-day activities are still prevalent in many countries and U.S. states. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted nearly every industry directly or indirectly. 25 Table of Contents The COVID-19 pandemic, and future epidemics, pandemics, and other public health crises could materially and adversely affect us and our tenants’ results of operations, liquidity, and ability to access capital markets or pay distributions due to, among other factors: • an ongoing reduction in general economic activity, which may cause one or more of our tenants to be unable to maintain profitability and make timely rental payments to us pursuant to their leases, request rent relief requests, or declare bankruptcy; • an increase in property vacancies, which could result in our obligation to pay the associated real estate taxes, insurance, and general property operating expenses; • a continuing complete or partial closure of, or other operational issues at, one or more of our properties resulting from government or tenant action; • delays in the supply of material products or services to us or our tenants from vendors; • a reduction in our tenants’ available workforce as a result of local, state or federal “shelter in place” or “stay at home” rules and restrictions; • indications of a tenant’s inability to continue as a going concern, changes in our view of strategy relative to a tenant’s business or industry, or changes in our long-term hold strategies, which could be indicative of an impairment triggering event with respect to a particular property or properties; • a general decline in business activity and demand for real estate transactions, which could adversely affect our ability to grow our portfolio or sell properties upon desirable terms; • difficulty accessing debt and equity capital on attractive terms, if at all; and • an inability to maintain compliance with financial covenants of credit facility, senior notes, and other loan agreements, which may result in a default of such arrangements and potentially result in an acceleration of indebtedness, or increased interest expense should a waiver be required from the lending institutions. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our investments and operations will depend on future developments, including, among others, the duration of the pandemic, the emergence of additional SARS-CoV-2 variants, new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19, and the actions taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic or treat the disease. These developments and the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic and any future epidemics, pandemics or public health crises could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, as well as our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders, for the reasons discussed above. We have limited opportunities to increase rents under our long-term leases with tenants, which could impede our growth and materially and adversely affect us. We typically lease our properties pursuant to long-term net leases with initial terms of 10 years or more that often have renewal options. As of December 31, 2021, the ABR weighted average remaining term of our leases was approximately 10.5 years, excluding renewal options. Substantially all of our leases provide for periodic rent escalations, but these built-in increases may be less than what we otherwise could achieve in the market. Most of our leases contain rent escalators that increase rent at a fixed amount on fixed dates, which may be less than prevailing market rates over the lease duration. For those leases that contain rent escalators based on CPI changes, our rent increases during periods of low inflation or deflation may be less than what we otherwise could achieve in the market. As a result, the long-term nature of our leases could impede our growth and materially and adversely affect us. 26 Table of Contents We may not be able to achieve growth through acquisitions at a rate that is comparable to our historical results, which could materially and adversely affect us. Our growth strategy depends significantly on acquiring new properties. From 2015 to 2019, and in 2021, our team acquired more than $500 million of net leased real estate each year, including approximately $1 billion during 2019. Our ability to continue to grow requires us to identify and complete acquisitions that meet our investment criteria and depends on general market and economic conditions. Changes in the volume of real estate transactions, the availability of acquisition financing, capitalization rates, interest rates, competition, or other factors may negatively impact our acquisition opportunities in 2021 and beyond. If we are unable to achieve growth through acquisitions at a rate that is comparable to our historical results, it could materially and adversely affect us. Furthermore, our acquisition volume within each year has not always been consistent on a quarterly basis, nor can we guarantee it will be consistent in the future. As a result, our acquisition results that we report on a quarterly basis may not meet investors’ expectations and could negatively impact the value of our Common Stock. We may not achieve the total returns we expect from our future acquisitions, which could materially and adversely affect us. As we pursue our growth strategy, we may encounter increasingly difficult market conditions that place downward pressure on the total returns we can achieve on our investments. Accordingly, future acquisitions may have lower yield characteristics than past and present opportunities. To the extent that our future growth is achieved through acquisitions that yield lower returns, it could materially and adversely affect us. In addition, if we fund future acquisitions with equity issuances, the dilutive impact could outweigh the benefits of acquisitions that achieve lower returns, which could materially and adversely affect us. We may not be able to obtain acquisition financing or obtain other capital from third-party sources on favorable terms or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our growth prospects and our business. In order to qualify 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 income tax at the corporate rate to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and including any net capital gain. Because of these distribution requirements, we may not be able to fund future capital needs, including any necessary acquisition financing, or repay debt obligations from operating cash flow. Consequently, we expect to rely, in part, on third-party sources to fund our capital needs. We may not be able to obtain the financing on favorable terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends, in part, on: • general market conditions, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; • the market’s perception of our growth potential; • our current debt levels; • our current and expected future earnings; • the performance of our portfolio; • our cash flow and cash distributions; and • the market price per share of our Common Stock. If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources, we may not be able to acquire properties when strategic opportunities exist, meet the capital and operating needs of our existing properties, or satisfy our debt service obligations, which could materially and adversely affect us. 27 Table of Contents Security breaches and other technology disruptions could compromise our information systems and expose us to liability, which could materially and adversely affect us. Information security risks generally have increased in recent years due to the increased technological sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyber-attacks. Our business involves the storage and transmission of numerous classes of sensitive and confidential information and intellectual property, including tenants’ information, private information about our stockholders and our employees, and financial and strategic information about us. We face risks associated with security breaches through cyber-attacks or cyber-intrusions, 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. If we fail to assess and identify cybersecurity risks associated with our operations, we may become increasingly vulnerable to such risks. Additionally, the measures we have implemented to prevent security breaches and cyber incidents may not be effective. The theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation, or release of sensitive or confidential information or intellectual property, or interference with or disruptions of our IT networks and related systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely, could result in business disruption, negative publicity, brand damage, violation of privacy laws, loss of tenants, potential liability, and competitive disadvantage. Laws and regulations governing data privacy are constantly evolving. Many of these laws and regulations, including the California Consumer Protection Act, contain detailed requirements regarding collecting and processing personal information, restrict the use and storage of such information, and govern the effectiveness of consumer consent. Any of the above risks could materially and adversely affect us. Any expansion into adjacent opportunities to our core property types may prove to be unsuccessful, which could harm our growth prospects and materially and adversely affect us. We may seek to capture adjacent opportunities to our core property types in the net lease space. Adjacent property types may not provide us with the opportunity to earn higher returns relative to more traditional assets in our core property types. In order to be successful in capturing adjacent opportunities, we will be required to carefully analyze and develop selection criteria taking into account different competitive and operating conditions. As a result, pursuing adjacent opportunities inherently involves more risk. If we are unsuccessful in identifying compelling opportunities, it could harm our growth prospects and materially and adversely affect us. We may not be able to effectively manage our growth and any failure to do so could materially and adversely affect us. We have grown rapidly and our growth strategy depends significantly on continued growth through acquisitions. Our future operating results will depend on our ability to effectively manage this growth. To accomplish this, we will need to: • invest in enhanced operational systems that can scale as our portfolio grows in size; • attract, integrate, and retain operations personnel as our Company grows in complexity; and • identify and supervise a number of suitable third-parties to provide services to us. We cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to effectively manage our growth, which could materially and adversely affect us. As we continue to acquire properties pursuant to our growth strategy, our portfolio may become less diversified which could materially and adversely affect us. In pursuing our growth strategy, we may acquire properties that cause our portfolio to become less diversified. If our portfolio becomes less diverse, our business may become subject to greater risk, including 28 Table of Contents tenant bankruptcies, adverse industry trends, and economic downturns in a particular geographic area. As a result, if any such risks of a less diversified portfolio are realized, we could be materially and adversely affected. We face increasing competition for acquiring properties from both publicly-traded REITs and private investors that have greater resources than we do, which could materially and adversely affect us. We are facing increasing competition from other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, including publicly traded REITs, private and institutional real estate investors, sovereign wealth funds, banks, insurance companies, investment banking firms, lenders, specialty finance companies, and other entities. Some of our competitors are larger and may have considerably greater financial, technical, leasing, underwriting, marketing, and other resources than we do. Some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that may not be available to us. In addition, other competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments and may not be subject to the same operating constraints, including maintaining REIT status. This competition may result in fewer acquisitions, higher prices, lower yields, less desirable property types, and acceptance of greater risk. As a result, we cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to successfully execute our growth strategy. Any failure to grow through acquisitions as a result of the increasing competition we face could materially and adversely affect us. We face significant competition for tenants, which could materially and adversely affect us, including our occupancy, rental rates, results of operations, and business. We compete with numerous developers, owners, and operators of properties, many of which own properties similar to ours in the same markets 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 or to offer more substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights, or below-market renewal options to retain tenants when our leases expire. Competition for tenants could decrease or prevent increases of the occupancy and rental rates of our properties, which could materially and adversely affect us. The departure of any of our key personnel with long-standing business relationships could materially and adversely affect us. Our success and our ability to manage anticipated future growth depend, in large part, upon the efforts of our key personnel, particularly our Chief Executive Officer, Christopher J. Czarnecki. Mr. Czarnecki has extensive market knowledge and relationships and exercises substantial influence over our operational, financing, acquisition, and disposition activity. If we lost his services, our network of external relationships and resources would be materially diminished. Our senior management team has worked together and collectively managed our business, operations, and portfolio since 2015 and has a strong investment track record. Many of our other key executive personnel, particularly our senior management team, also have extensive experience and strong reputations in the real estate industry and have been instrumental in setting our strategic direction, operating our business, identifying, recruiting, and training key personnel, and arranging necessary financing. The departure of any member of our senior management team, or our inability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, could adversely affect our business, diminish our investment opportunities, and weaken our relationships with lenders, business partners, existing and prospective tenants, and industry personnel, which could materially and adversely affect us. Our portfolio is concentrated in certain states, and any adverse developments and economic downturns in these geographic markets could materially and adversely affect us. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 32.3% of our ABR came from properties in our top five states: Texas (10.6%), Illinois (6.0%), Wisconsin (5.9%), Florida (4.9%), and Michigan (4.9%). These geographic 29 Table of Contents concentrations could adversely affect our operating performance if conditions become less favorable in any of the states or markets within which we have a concentration of properties. We can provide no assurance that any of our markets will grow, not experience adverse developments, or that underlying real estate fundamentals will be favorable to owners and operators of industrial, healthcare, restaurant, office, and retail properties. A downturn in the economy in the states or regions in which we have a concentration of properties, or markets within such states or regions, or a slowdown in the demand for our tenants’ businesses caused by adverse economic, regulatory, or other conditions, including the current economic downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely affect our tenants operating businesses in those states and impair their ability to pay rent to us, which, in turn could materially and adversely affect us. Our portfolio is also concentrated in certain property types and any adverse developments relating to one or more of these property types could materially and adversely affect us. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 47.4% of our ABR came from industrial properties, 19.8% from healthcare properties, 13.8% from restaurant properties, 11.2% from retail properties, and 7.8% from office properties. Any adverse developments in one or more of these property types could materially and adversely affect us. For example, if our restaurant or retail tenants suffer weakening demand for their goods or services, it could adversely affect their ability to meet their rent and other obligations under their leases with us. It also may be difficult and expensive to re-tenant a property designed for a particular property type with a new tenant that operates in an industry requiring a different property type. As a result, any adverse developments in one or more of our concentrated property types could materially and adversely affect us. The decrease in demand for restaurant, retail, and/or office space may materially and adversely affect us. As of December 31, 2021, leases with tenants in the restaurant industry represented approximately 13.8% of our ABR, leases with tenants in the retail industry represented approximately 11.2% of our ABR, and leases with tenants for office space represented approximately 7.8% of our ABR. In the future, we may acquire additional restaurant, retail, and office properties. Accordingly, decreases in the demand for restaurant, retail, and/or office properties may have a greater adverse effect on us than if we had fewer investments in these industries. The market for restaurant, retail, and office properties has been, and could continue to be, adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional, and local economies including the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse financial condition of some large restaurant and retail companies, the ongoing consolidation in the restaurant and retail industries, and the excess amount of restaurant, retail and office space in a number of markets. For example, in recent years a number of companies in the restaurant industry have declared bankruptcy, gone out of business, or significantly reduced the number of their locations. As a result, we have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, challenges with some of our restaurant tenants, and have recorded asset impairments, which were immaterial on a consolidated basis, on certain assets as a result of increased credit losses. Similarly, the ongoing impacts of the disruption in the retail industry, particularly adverse changes in consumer spending and consumer preferences for particular goods, services, or store-based retailing could severely impact retail tenants’ ability to pay rent. Shifts from in-store to online shopping could increase due to changing consumer shopping patterns and the increase in consumer adoption and use of mobile electronic devices. Further, our assessment that certain businesses are insulated from such e-commerce pressure may prove to be incorrect. To the extent that these conditions continue in the retail and restaurant industries, they are likely to negatively affect market rents for such properties and could materially and adversely affect us. In recent years, the market for office space has seen a shift in the use of space due to the widespread practices of telecommuting, videoconferencing, and renting shared workspaces, which accelerated at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. These trends have led, and may in the future lead, to more efficient office layouts and a decrease in square feet leased per employee. The impact of alternative workspaces and technology could result in tenant downsizings upon renewal, or tenants seeking office space outside of typical central business districts. 30 Table of Contents These trends could cause an increase in vacancy rates at office buildings and a decrease in demand for new supply, and could materially and adversely affect us. If one or more of our top 20 tenants, which together represented approximately 30.3% of our ABR as of December 31, 2021, suffers a downturn in their business, it could materially and adversely affect us. As of December 31, 2021, our top 20 tenants together represented 30.3% of our ABR. Our largest tenant is Jack’s Family Restaurants, a quick service restaurant chain, which leases 43 properties that in the aggregate represent approximately 2.1% of our ABR. Our top 20 tenants may experience a material business downturn weakening their financial position resulting in their failure to make timely rent payments and/or default under their leases. As a result, our revenue and cash flow could be materially and adversely affected. We may be unable to renew leases, re-lease properties as leases expire, or lease vacant spaces on favorable terms or at all, which, in each case, could materially and adversely affect us. Our results of operations depend on our ability to continue to successfully lease our properties, including renewing expiring leases, re-leasing properties as leases expire, leasing vacant space, optimizing our tenant mix, or leasing properties on more economically favorable terms. As of December 31, 2021, one lease representing approximately 0.5% of our ABR will expire during 2022. Current tenants may decline, or may not have the financial resources available, to renew current leases and we cannot assure you that leases that are renewed will have terms that are as economically favorable to us as the expiring lease terms. If tenants do not renew the leases as they expire, we cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to find new tenants or that our properties will be re-leased at rental rates equal to or above the current average rental rates or that substantial rent abatements, tenant improvement allowances, early termination rights, or below-market renewal options will not be required to attract new tenants. We may experience significant costs in connection with re-leasing a significant number of our properties, which could materially and adversely affect us. As of December 31, 2021, two of our properties, representing approximately 0.2% of our portfolio, were unoccupied. We may experience difficulties in leasing this vacant space on favorable terms or at all. Any failure to renew leases, re-lease properties as leases expire, or lease vacant space could materially and adversely affect us. Our business is subject to significant re-leasing risk, particularly for specialty properties that are suitable for only one use. The loss of a tenant, either through lease expiration or tenant bankruptcy or insolvency, may require us to spend significant amounts of capital to renovate the property before it is suitable for a new tenant and cause us to incur significant costs. In particular, our specialty properties are designed for a particular type of tenant or tenant use. If tenants of specialty properties do not renew or default on their leases, we may not be able to re-lease properties without substantial capital improvements, which may require significant cost and time to complete. Alternatively, we may not be able to re-lease or sell the property without such improvements or may be required to reduce the rent or selling price significantly. This potential illiquidity may limit our ability to modify quickly our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions, including tenant demand. Such occurrences could materially and adversely affect us. We may experience a higher number of tenant defaults because we lease most of our properties to tenants who do not have an investment grade credit rating. We depend on the ability of our tenants to meet their obligations to pay rent to us due under our lease for substantially all of our revenue. As of December 31, 2021, only approximately 15.7% of our ABR came from tenants who had an investment grade credit rating. A substantial majority of our properties are leased to unrated tenants. Our investments in properties leased to such tenants may have a greater risk of default than investments in properties leased exclusively to investment grade tenants. The ability of an unrated tenant to meet its rent and other obligations under its lease with us may be subject to greater risk than our tenants that have an investment 31 Table of Contents grade rating. When we invest in properties where the tenant does not have a publicly available credit rating, we will use certain credit-assessment tools as well as rely on our own estimates of the tenant’s credit rating which includes reviewing the tenant’s financial information (e.g., financial ratios, net worth, revenue, cash flows, leverage and liquidity, if applicable). Our methods, however, may not adequately assess the risk of an investment and, if our assessment of credit quality proves to be inaccurate, we may be subject to defaults and investors may view our cash flows as less stable. If one or more of our unrated tenants defaults, it could have a material adverse effect on us. Our underwriting and risk management procedures that we use to evaluate a tenant’s credit risk may be faulty, deficient, or otherwise fail to accurately reflect the risk of our investment, which could materially and adversely affect us. Our underwriting and risk management procedures that we use to evaluate a tenant’s credit risk may not be sufficient to identify tenant problems in a timely manner or at all. To evaluate tenant credit risk, we utilize a third-party model, S&P Capital IQ, to help us determine a tenant’s implied credit rating when a public rating is not available. However, a rating from S&P Capital IQ is not the same as a published credit rating and lacks extensive company participation that is typically involved when a rating agency publishes a rating. Therefore, such rating may not be as indicative of creditworthiness as a rating published by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. Tenant credit ratings, public or implied, however, are only one component of how we assess the risk of tenant insolvency. We also use our own internal estimate of the likelihood of an insolvency or default, based on the regularly monitored performance of our properties, our assessment of each tenant’s financial health, including profitability, liquidity, indebtedness, and leverage profile, and our assessment of the health and performance of the tenant’s particular industry. If our assessment of credit quality proves to be inaccurate, we may experience one or more tenant defaults, which could have a material adverse effect on us. Any failure of one or more tenants to provide accurate or complete financial information could prevent us from identifying tenant problems that could materially and adversely affect us. We rely on information from our tenants to determine a potential tenant’s credit risk as well as for on-going risk management. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 84.6% of our ABR is received from tenants that are required to provide us with specified financial information on a periodic basis. An additional 9.4% of our ABR is received from tenants who are not required to provide us with specified financial information under the terms of our lease, but whose financial statements are available publicly, either through SEC filings or otherwise. Ratings or conclusions derived from both S&P Capital IQ and our internal teams rely on such information provided to us by our tenants and prospective tenants without independent verification on our part, and we must assume the appropriateness of estimates and judgments that were made by the party preparing the financial information. A tenant’s failure to provide appropriate information may interfere with our ability to accurately evaluate a potential tenant’s credit risk or determine an existing tenant’s default risk, the occurrence of either could materially and adversely affect us. We could face potential material adverse effects from the bankruptcies or insolvencies of our tenants. If a tenant, or the guarantor of a lease of a tenant, commences, or has commenced against it, any legal or equitable proceeding under any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership, or other debtor’s relief statute or law (collectively, a “bankruptcy proceeding”), we may be unable to collect all sums due to us under that tenant’s lease or be forced to “take back” a property as a result of a default or a rejection of a lease by a tenant in a bankruptcy proceeding. If a tenant becomes bankrupt or insolvent, federal law may prohibit us from evicting such tenant based solely upon such bankruptcy or insolvency. In addition, a bankrupt or insolvent tenant may be authorized to reject and terminate its lease or leases with us. Any claims against such bankrupt tenant for unpaid future rent would be subject to statutory limitations that would likely result in our receipt of rental revenues that are substantially less than the contractually specified rent we are owed under the lease or leases. Any or all of the lease obligations of our tenants, or any guarantor of our tenants, could be subject to a bankruptcy proceeding 32 Table of Contents which may bar our efforts to collect pre-bankruptcy debts from these entities or their properties, unless we are able to obtain an enabling order from the bankruptcy court. If our lease is rejected by a tenant in bankruptcy, we may only have a general unsecured claim against the tenant and may not be entitled to any further payments under the lease. We may also be unable to re-lease a terminated or rejected space or to re-lease it on comparable or more favorable terms. A bankruptcy proceeding could hinder or delay our efforts to collect past due balances and ultimately preclude collection of these sums, resulting in a decrease or cessation of rental payments, which could materially and adversely affect us. An increase in market interest rates could increase our interest costs on existing and future debt and could adversely affect our stock price, and a decrease in market interest rates could lead to additional competition for the acquisition of real estate, which could adversely affect our results of operations. If interest rates increase, so could our interest costs for any new debt and our existing variable-rate debt obligations. Absent a simultaneous increase in acquisition yields, this increased cost could make the financing of any acquisition more expensive and lower our current period earnings. Rising interest rates could limit our ability to refinance existing debt when it matures or cause us to pay higher interest rates upon refinancing. See “Risks Related to Debt Financing” for additional information. In addition, an increase in interest rates could decrease the access current and prospective tenants have to credit, thereby decreasing the amount they are willing to pay to lease our assets and consequently limiting our ability, if necessary, to reposition our portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions. Furthermore, the distribution yield on our Common Stock will influence the price of such Common Stock. Thus, an increase in market interest rates may lead prospective purchasers of our Common Stock to expect a higher distribution yield, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. See “Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock” for more information. In addition, decreases in interest rates may lead to additional competition for the acquisition of real estate due to a reduction in desirable alternative income-producing investments. Increased competition for the acquisition of real estate may lead to a decrease in the yields on real estate we have targeted for acquisition. In such circumstances, if we are not able to offset the decrease in yields by obtaining lower interest costs on our borrowings, our results of operations will be adversely affected. Our properties may be subject to impairment charges. We routinely evaluate our real estate investments for impairment indicators. The judgment regarding the existence of impairment indicators is based on factors such as market conditions and tenant performance. For example, the early termination of, or default under, a lease by a tenant may lead to an impairment charge. Since our investment focus is on properties net leased to a single tenant, the financial failure of, or other default by, a single tenant under its lease(s) may result in a significant impairment loss. If we determine that an impairment has occurred, we would be required to make a downward adjustment to the net carrying value of the property, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which the impairment charge is recorded. Management has recorded impairment charges related to certain properties in each of the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, and may record future impairments based on actual results and changes in circumstances. Negative developments in the real estate market may cause management to reevaluate the business and macro-economic assumptions used in its impairment analysis. Changes in management’s assumptions based on actual results may have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements. See “Critical Accounting Polices – Long-Lived Asset Impairment” in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a discussion of real estate impairment charges. Changes in accounting standards may materially and adversely affect us. From time to time the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), and the SEC, who create and interpret appropriate accounting standards, may change the financial accounting and reporting standards or their interpretation and application of these standards that will govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes could materially and adversely affect our reported financial condition and results of operations. In 33 Table of Contents some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in restating prior period financial statements. Similarly, these changes could materially and adversely affect our tenants’ reported financial condition or results of operations and affect their preferences regarding leasing real estate. 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. In the future we may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions in exchange for OP Units, which may result in stockholder dilution. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we could 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 debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. As of December 31, 2021, we were party to tax protection agreements covering three properties. Based on values as of December 31, 2021, taxable sales of the applicable properties would trigger liability under the agreements of approximately $12.3 million. In addition, in connection with the Internalization, we entered into a tax protection agreement with Amy L. Tait, the Company’s founder, and certain members of her family (the “Founding Owners’ Tax Protection Agreement”), which has a potential liability of up to $10 million based on values as of December 31, 2021. These restrictions could limit our ability to sell certain assets or the OP (or our interest in the OP) at a time, or on terms, that would be favorable absent such restrictions. Certain provisions of our leases or loan agreements may be unenforceable, which could materially and adversely affect us. Our rights and obligations with respect to the leases at our properties, mortgage loans, or other loans are governed by written agreements. A court could determine that one or more provisions of such agreements are unenforceable, such as a particular remedy, a master lease covenant, a loan prepayment provision, or a provision governing our security interest in the underlying collateral of a borrower or lessee. We could be adversely impacted if this were to happen with respect to an asset or group of assets. We may become subject to litigation, which could materially and adversely affect us. In the future we may become subject to litigation, including, but not limited to, claims relating to our operations, past and future securities offerings, corporate transactions, and otherwise in the ordinary course of business. Some of these claims may result in significant defense costs and potentially significant judgments against us, some of which are not, or cannot be, insured against. We generally intend to vigorously defend ourselves. However, we cannot be certain of the ultimate outcomes of any claims that may arise in the future. Resolution of these types of matters against us may result in our having to pay significant fines, judgments, or settlements, which, if uninsured, or if the fines, judgments, and settlements exceed insured levels, could adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. Certain litigation or the resolution of certain litigation may affect the availability or cost of some of our insurance coverage, which could materially and adversely impact us, expose us to increased risks that would be uninsured, and materially and adversely impact our ability to attract directors and officers. A failure to maintain effective internal controls could materially and adversely affect us. Effective internal controls over financial reporting, disclosures, and operations are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and public disclosures, effectively prevent fraud, and operate successfully. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports and public disclosures or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. Our internal controls over financial reporting and our operating internal controls may not prevent or detect financial misstatements or loss of assets because of inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, management override of controls, or fraud. Effective internal controls can provide 34 Table of Contents only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement accuracy, public disclosures, and safeguarding of assets. Any failure of these internal controls, including any failure to implement required new or improved controls as a result of changes to our business or otherwise, or if we experience difficulties in their implementation, could result in decreased investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and public disclosures, civil litigation, or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, and we could fail to meet our reporting obligations, which could materially and adversely affect us. A limited number of our leases may require us to pay property-related expenses that are not the obligations of our tenants, which could materially and adversely affect us. Under the terms of substantially all of our leases, our tenants are responsible for the payment or reimbursement of property expenses such as real estate taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs, and capital costs in addition to satisfying their rent obligations. Under the provisions of a limited number of our existing leases and leases that we may enter into in the future, however, we may be required to pay some or all of the expenses of the property, such as the costs of environmental liabilities, roof and structural repairs, real estate taxes, insurance, certain non-structural repairs, and maintenance. If our properties incur significant expenses that must be paid by us under the terms of our leases, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected and the amount of cash available to meet expenses and to make distributions to our stockholders and unitholders may be reduced. The costs of environmental contamination or liabilities related to environmental laws may materially and adversely affect us. There may be known or unknown environmental liabilities associated with properties we previously owned, currently own, or may acquire in the future. 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 environmental matters, including the presence or discharge of hazardous or toxic substances, waste, or petroleum products at, on, in, under or migrating from such property, including costs to investigate or clean up such contamination and liability for personal injury, property damage, or harm to natural resources. Certain uses of some properties may have a heightened risk of environmental liability because of the hazardous materials used in performing services on those properties, such as industrial properties or auto parts and auto service businesses using petroleum products, paint, machine solvents, and other hazardous materials. We typically undertake customary environmental diligence prior to our acquisition of any property, including obtaining Phase I environmental site assessments. The Phase I environmental site assessments are limited in scope and therefore may not reveal all environmental conditions affecting a property. Therefore, there could be undiscovered environmental liabilities on the properties we own. The known or potential presence of hazardous substances on a property may adversely affect our ability to sell, lease, or improve the property, or to borrow using the property as collateral. In addition, environmental laws may create liens on contaminated properties 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 they may be used or which businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures. Our environmental liabilities may include property and natural resources damage, personal injury, investigation, and clean-up costs, among other potential environmental liabilities. These costs could be substantial. Although we may obtain insurance for environmental liability for certain properties that are deemed to warrant coverage, our insurance may be insufficient to address any particular environmental situation and we may be unable to continue to obtain insurance for environmental matters, at a reasonable cost or at all, in the future. If our environmental liability insurance is inadequate, we may become subject to material losses for environmental liabilities. Our ability to receive the benefits of any environmental liability insurance policy will depend on the financial stability of our insurance company and the position it takes with respect to our insurance 35 Table of Contents policies. If we were to become subject to significant environmental liabilities, we could be materially and adversely affected. Although our leases generally require our tenants to operate in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws, ordinances, and regulations, and to indemnify us against any environmental liabilities arising from the tenants’ activities on the property, we could nevertheless be subject to liability, as a current or previous owner of real estate, including strict liability, by virtue of our ownership interest and may be required to remove or remediate hazardous or toxic substances on, under, or in a property. Further, there can be no assurance that our tenants, or the guarantor of a lease, could or would satisfy their indemnification obligations under their leases. We may face liability regardless of our knowledge of the contamination, the timing of the contamination, the cause of the contamination, or the party responsible for the contamination of the property. The cost of compliance or defense against claims from a contaminated property could materially and adversely affect us. We could become subject to liability for asbestos-containing building materials in the buildings on our property, which could cause us to incur additional expenses. Some of our properties may contain, or may have contained, asbestos-containing building materials. Environmental, health, and safety laws require that owners or operators of or employers in buildings with asbestos-containing materials (“ACM”) properly manage and maintain these materials, adequately inform or train those who may come into contact with ACM, and undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, in the event that ACM is disturbed during building maintenance, renovation, or demolition. These laws may impose fines and penalties on employers, building owners, or operators for failure to comply with these laws. In addition, third parties may seek recovery from employers, owners, or operators for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos. If we become subject to any of these penalties or other liabilities as a result of ACM at one or more of our properties, it could have a material adverse effect on us. Our properties may contain or develop harmful mold or suffer from other adverse conditions, 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 also can 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, and others if property damage or personal injury occurs. Thus, conditions related to mold or other airborne contaminants could have a material adverse effect on us. Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate Our operating results are affected by economic and regulatory changes that impact the commercial real estate market in general. Our core business is the ownership of commercial real estate that is net leased on a long-term basis to businesses in the industrial, healthcare, restaurant, retail, and office sectors. Accordingly, our performance is subject to risks generally attributable to the ownership of commercial real property, including: • changes the supply and demand for single-tenant space in the industrial, healthcare, restaurant, office, and retail sectors; 36 Table of Contents • increased competition for real property investments targeted by our investment strategy; • changes in consumer trends and preferences that affect the demand for products and services offered by our tenants; • inability to lease or sell properties upon expiration or termination of existing leases and renewal of leases at lower rental rates; • the subjectivity of real estate valuations and changes in such valuations over time; • the potential risk of functional obsolescence of properties over time; • competition from other properties. The factors described above are out of our control, and we are unable to predict future changes in such factors. Any negative changes in these factors may cause the value of our real estate to decline, which could materially and adversely affect us. Global and U.S. financial markets and economic conditions may materially and adversely affect us and the ability of our tenants to make rental payments to us pursuant to our leases. A significant portion of our portfolio is leased to tenants operating businesses that rely on discretionary consumer spending. The success of most of these businesses depends on the willingness of consumers to use discretionary income to purchase their products or services. Our results of operations are sensitive to changes in the overall economic conditions that impact our tenants’ financial condition and leasing practices. and a downturn in the economy could cause consumers to reduce their discretionary spending, which could result in tenant bankruptcies or otherwise have an adverse impact on our tenants’ ability to successfully manage their businesses and pay us amounts due under our lease agreements, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. Accordingly, adverse economic conditions such as high unemployment levels, an increase in interest rates, a decrease in available financing, high inflation, labor and workforce shortages, supply chain issues, tax rates, and fuel and energy costs may have an impact on the results of operations and financial conditions of our tenants. During periods of economic slowdown, rising interest rates and declining demand for real estate may result in a general decline in rents or an increased incidence of defaults under existing leases. A lack of demand for rental space could adversely affect our ability to maintain our current tenants and gain new tenants, which may affect our growth and results of operations. Accordingly, a decline in economic conditions could materially and adversely affect us. Our real estate investments are illiquid. Because real estate investments are relatively illiquid, our ability to adjust our portfolio promptly in response to economic, financial, investment, or other conditions may be limited. 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 objective by sale, other disposition, or refinancing at attractive prices within any given period of time, or we may otherwise be unable to complete any exit strategy. In particular, these risks could arise from 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 the jurisdiction in which the property is located. Further, certain significant expenditures generally do not change in response to economic or other conditions, such as (i) debt service, (ii) real estate taxes, and (iii) operating and maintenance costs. The inability to dispose of a property at an acceptable price or at all, as well as the combination of variable revenue and relatively fixed expenditures may result, under certain market conditions, in reduced earnings and could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. 37 Table of Contents We face risks associated with climate change, which could materially and adversely impact us. As a result of climate change, our properties in certain markets could experience increases in storm intensity, flooding, drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, and extreme temperatures. The potential physical impacts of climate change on our properties are uncertain and would be particular to the geographic circumstances in areas in which we own property. Over time, these conditions could result in volatile or decreased demand for certain of our properties or, in extreme cases, the inability of our tenants to operate the properties at all. Climate change may also have indirect effects on our business by increasing the cost of insurance (or making insurance unavailable), increasing the cost of energy at our properties, or requiring us to spend funds to repair and protect our properties against such risks. Moreover, compliance with new laws or regulations related to climate change, including compliance with “green” building codes or other laws or regulations relating to reduction of carbon footprints and/or greenhouse gas emissions, may require us to make improvements to our existing properties or increase taxes and fees assessed on us or our properties. Any of these occurrences could materially and adversely impact us. Inflation may materially and adversely affect us and our tenants. Increased inflation could lead to interest rate increases that could have a negative impact on variable rate debt we currently have or that we may incur in the future. During times when inflation is greater than the increases in rent provided by many of our leases, rent increases will not keep up with the rate of inflation. Increased costs may have an adverse impact on our tenants if increases in their operating expenses exceed increases in revenue, which may adversely affect the tenants’ ability to pay rent owed to us, which in turn could materially and adversely affect us. Inflation may also have an adverse effect on consumer spending, which could impact our tenants’ revenues and their ability to pay rent owed to us, which in turn could materially and adversely affect us. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war, or other unexpected events could materially and adversely impact us. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war, or other catastrophic events ( e.g. , hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or other types of natural disasters or wars or other acts of violence) could cause damage to our properties, materially interrupt our business operations (or those of our tenants), cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease, or result in increased volatility in the U.S. and worldwide financial markets and economy. Such occurrences also could result in or prolong an economic recession in the United States. We own properties in regions that have historically been impacted by natural disasters and it is probable such regions will continue to be impacted by such events. If a disaster occurs, we could suffer a complete loss of capital invested in, and any profits expected from, the affected properties. Any of these occurrences could materially and adversely affect us. Insurance on our properties may not adequately cover all losses and uninsured losses could materially and adversely affect us. Our tenants are generally required to maintain comprehensive insurance coverage for the properties they lease from us pursuant to our net leases. Pursuant to such leases, our tenants are required to name us (and any of our lenders that have a mortgage on the property leased by the tenant) as additional insureds on their liability policies and additional named insured and/or loss payee (or mortgagee, in the case of our lenders) on their property policies. Additionally, most tenants are required to maintain casualty coverage and most carry limits at 100% of replacement cost. Depending on the location of the property, losses of a catastrophic nature, such as those caused by earthquakes and floods, may be covered by insurance policies that are held by our tenant with limitations such as large deductibles or co-payments that a tenant may not be able to meet. In addition, losses of a catastrophic nature, such as those caused by wind/hail, hurricanes, terrorism, or acts of war, may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. In the event there is damage to our properties that is not covered by insurance and 38 Table of Contents such properties are subject to recourse indebtedness, we will continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these properties are irreparably damaged. In addition, if uninsured damages to a property occur or a loss exceeds policy limits and we do not have adequate cash to fund repairs, we may be forced to sell the property at a loss or to borrow capital to fund the repairs. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations, and other factors, including terrorism or acts of war, may make any insurance proceeds we receive insufficient to repair or replace a property if it is damaged or destroyed. In that situation, the insurance proceeds received may not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to the affected real property. Furthermore, in the event 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 without significant capital expenditures which may exceed any amounts received pursuant to insurance policies, as reconstruction or improvement of such a property would likely require significant upgrades to meet zoning and building code requirements. The loss of our capital investment in or anticipated future returns from our properties due to material uninsured losses could materially and adversely affect us. Our costs of compliance with laws and regulations may require us or our tenants to make unanticipated expenditures that could reduce the investment return of our stockholders. All real property and the operations conducted on real property are subject to numerous federal, state, and local laws and regulations. We cannot predict what laws or regulations will be enacted in the future, how future laws or regulations will be administered or interpreted, or how future laws or regulations will affect us or our properties. For example, we may be required to make substantial capital expenditures to comply with applicable fire and safety regulations, building codes, environmental regulations, and other land use regulations, and may be required to obtain approvals from various authorities with respect to our properties, including prior to acquiring a property or when undertaking improvements of any of our existing properties. Additionally, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), all public accommodations must meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Compliance with ADA requirements could require property-level expenditures and non-compliance could result in imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants, or both. In most instances, our tenants are obligated to comply with these types of laws and regulations pursuant to our leases and cover costs associated with compliance. However, if required changes involve greater expenditures than anticipated or if the changes must be made on a more accelerated basis than anticipated, the ability of our tenants to cover such costs could be adversely affected and we may be required to expend our own funds. Further, there can be no assurance that existing laws and regulations will not adversely affect us or the timing or cost of any future acquisitions or improvements, or that additional regulations will not be adopted that increase such delays or result in additional costs. Accordingly, Compliance with new laws or regulations, or stricter interpretation of existing laws, may require us or our tenants to incur significant expenditures, impose significant liability, restrict or prohibit business activities, and could cause a material adverse effect on us. Risks Related to Debt Financing As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $1.7 billion principal balance of indebtedness outstanding, which may expose us to the risk of default under our debt obligations. As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $1.7 billion principal balance of indebtedness outstanding. We have incurred, and plan to incur in the future, financing through borrowings under term loans, senior notes, our Revolving Credit Facility, and mortgage loans secured by some or all of our properties. In some cases, the mortgage loans we incur are guaranteed by us, the OP, or both. We may also borrow funds if necessary to satisfy the requirement that we distribute to stockholders as dividends at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gains), or otherwise as is necessary or advisable to assure that we maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. 39 Table of Contents Payments of principal and interest on borrowings may leave us with insufficient cash resources to meet our cash needs or make the distributions to our common stockholders currently contemplated or necessary to qualify as a REIT. 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; • cash interest expense and financial covenants relating to our indebtedness, including a covenant in our Revolving Credit Facility that restricts us from paying distributions if an event of default exists, other than distributions required to maintain our REIT status, may limit or eliminate our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders; • we may be forced to dispose of properties, possibly on unfavorable terms or in violation of certain covenants to which we may be subject; • we may default on our obligations and the lenders or mortgagees may foreclose on our properties or our interests in the entities that own the properties that secure their loans and receive an assignment of rents and leases; • we may be restricted from accessing some of our excess cash flow after debt service if certain of our tenants fail to meet certain financial performance metric thresholds; • our default under any loan with cross default provisions could result in a default on other indebtedness. The occurrence of any of these events could materially and adversely affect us. 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. Disruptions in the financial markets and deteriorating economic conditions could adversely affect our ability to obtain debt financing on commercially reasonable terms and adversely impact our ability to implement our investment strategy and achieve our investment objectives. The United States and global financial markets have experienced significant volatility and disruption in the past. During the mid-2000s, there was a widespread tightening in overall credit markets, devaluation of the assets underlying certain financial contracts, and increased borrowing by governmental entities. The turmoil in the capital markets resulted in constrained equity and debt capital available for investment in the real estate market, resulting in fewer buyers seeking to acquire properties, increases in capitalization rates, and lower property values. While, capital has generally become more available, future events or sustained negative conditions may also reduce the availability of financing, make financing terms less attractive, as well as impact the value of our investments in properties. If sufficient sources of external financing are not available to us on cost effective terms, we could be forced to limit our planned business activities or take other actions to fund our business activities and repayment of debt such as selling assets or reducing our cash distributions. Uncertainty in the credit markets also could negatively impact our ability to make acquisitions, make it more difficult or impossible for us to sell properties, or may adversely affect the price we receive for properties that we do sell, as prospective buyers may experience increased costs of debt financing or difficulties in obtaining debt financing. Market conditions could adversely affect our ability to refinance existing indebtedness on acceptable terms or at all, which could materially and adversely affect us. We use external financing to refinance indebtedness as it matures and to partially fund our acquisitions. Credit markets may experience significant price volatility, displacement, and liquidity disruptions, including the bankruptcy, insolvency, or restructuring of certain financial institutions. As a result, we may be unable to fully refinance maturing indebtedness with new indebtedness, which could materially and adversely affect us. Furthermore, if prevailing interest rates or other factors at the time of refinancing result in higher interest rates upon refinancing, then the interest expense relating to that refinanced indebtedness would increase. Higher 40 Table of Contents interest rates on newly incurred debt may negatively impact us as well. If interest rates increase, our interest costs and overall costs of capital will increase, which could materially and adversely affect us and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. We may incur mortgage debt on a particular property, which may subject us to certain risks, and the occurrence of any such risk could materially and adversely affect us. We may incur mortgage debt on a particular property, especially if we believe the property’s projected cash flow is sufficient to service the mortgage debt. In addition, incurring mortgage debt may increase the risk of loss since defaults on indebtedness secured by a property may result in foreclosure actions initiated by lenders and our loss of the property securing the loan that is in default. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties 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 of the proceeds. We may give full or partial guarantees to lenders to the OP or its affiliates. If we give a guaranty on behalf of the OP, we will be responsible to the lender for satisfaction of the debt if it is not paid by the OP. If any mortgages contain cross-collateralization or cross-default provisions, there is a risk that more than one of our real properties may be affected by a default. If any of our properties are foreclosed upon due to a default, we could be materially and adversely affected. Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes may materially and adversely affect us. To reduce our exposure to variable-rate debt, we enter into interest rate swap agreements to fix the rate of interest as a hedge against interest rate fluctuations on floating-rate debt. These arrangements involve risks and may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes. In addition, the counterparties to any hedging arrangements we enter into may not honor their obligations. Failure to hedge effectively against changes in interest rates relating to the interest expense of our future floating-rate borrowings may materially and adversely affect us. Our Revolving Credit Facility and term loan agreements contain various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate our repayment obligations, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. We are subject to various financial and operational covenants and financial reporting requirements pursuant to the agreements we have entered into governing our Revolving Credit Facility, term loans, and senior notes. These covenants require us to, among other things, maintain certain financial ratios, including leverage, fixed charge coverage, and debt service coverage, among others. As of December 31, 2021, we believe we were in compliance with all of our loan covenants. Our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors and could be impacted by current or future economic conditions, and thus there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with these covenants. Failure to comply with these covenants would result in a default which, if we were unable to cure or obtain a waiver from the lenders, could accelerate our repayment obligations and thereby have a material and adverse impact on us. Further, these covenants, as well as any additional covenants to which we may be subject in the future because of additional borrowings, could cause us to forego investment opportunities, reduce or eliminate distributions to our common stockholders, or obtain financing that is more expensive than financing we could obtain if we were not subject to the covenants. Additionally, these restrictions may adversely affect our operating and financial flexibility and may limit our ability to respond to changes in our business or competitive environment, all of which may materially and adversely affect us. Failure to maintain our current credit ratings could materially and adversely affect our cost of capital, liquidity, and access to capital markets. The spread we pay over applicable reference rates for our unsecured credit facilities is determined based upon our credit ratings. In March 2016, Moody’s assigned the OP an investment grade credit rating of Baa3 with 41 Table of Contents a stable outlook, which was re-affirmed most recently in July 2020. On January 21, 2021, S&P assigned both the Company and the OP an initial investment grade credit rating of ‘BBB’ with a stable outlook. On September 14, 2021, Moody’s upgraded our credit rating to ‘Baa2’ with a stable outlook. The ratings are based on a number of factors, including an assessment of our financial strength, portfolio size and diversification, credit and operating metrics, and sustainability of cash flow and earnings. If we are unable to maintain our current credit ratings it could adversely affect our cost of capital, liquidity, and access to capital markets. Factors that could negatively impact our credit ratings include, but are not limited to: a significant increase in our leverage on a sustained basis; a significant increase in the proportion of secured debt levels; a significant decline in our unencumbered asset base; and a significant decline in our portfolio diversification. We may be adversely affected by changes in LIBOR reporting practices or the method in which LIBOR is determined. As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $752.0 million of debt outstanding for which the interest rate was tied to LIBOR. Additionally, as of December 31, 2021, we had entered into interest rate swaps totaling $640.0 million that fix the LIBOR component of our debt through various tenors. On July 27, 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) which regulates LIBOR, announced its intention to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after June 30, 2023. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”) has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as its preferred alternative rate for USD LIBOR in derivatives and other financial contracts. Our variable-interest debt instruments, including our unsecured revolving credit and term loan agreements, provide for alternate interest rate calculations using SOFR if LIBOR is no longer widely available or should the alternative interest rate prove more favorable. There can be no assurances as to what alternative interest rates may be and whether such interest rates, will be more or less favorable than LIBOR and any other unforeseen impacts of the potential discontinuation of LIBOR Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure Our Charter contains provisions, including ownership and transfer restrictions, that may delay, discourage, or prevent a takeover or change of control transaction that could otherwise result in a premium price to our stockholders. Our Charter contains various provisions that are intended to facilitate our qualification as a REIT. For example, our Charter restricts the direct or indirect ownership by one person or entity to no more than 9.8% of the value of our then outstanding shares of capital stock and no more than 9.8% of the value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our then outstanding Common Stock unless exempted by our board of directors. This restriction may discourage a change of control of us and may deter individuals or entities from making tender offers for shares of our Common Stock on terms that might be financially attractive to stockholders or which may cause a change in our management. In addition to deterring potential change of control transactions that may be favorable to our stockholders, these provisions may also decrease our stockholders’ ability to sell their shares of our Common Stock. As a result, these charter provisions may negatively impact the market price of our Common Stock. We may issue preferred stock or separate classes or series of Common Stock, which could adversely affect the holders of our Common Stock. Our Charter authorizes us to issue up to 520,000,000 shares of stock, and our board of directors, without any action by our stockholders, may amend our Charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares or the number of shares of any class or series of stock that we have authority to issue. Holders of shares of our Common Stock do not have preemptive rights to acquire any shares issued by us in the future. In addition, our board of directors may classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our Common Stock or preferred stock and establish the preferences, rights, and powers of any such stock. As a result, our board of 42 Table of Contents directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock or separate classes or series of Common Stock with terms and conditions that could have priority, with respect to distributions and amounts payable upon our liquidation, over the rights of our Common Stock. The issuance of shares of such preferred or separate classes or series of Common Stock could dilute the value of an investment in shares of our Common Stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock or a separate class or series of Common Stock could provide the holders thereof with specified dividend payments and payments upon liquidation prior or senior to those of the Common Stock, and could also have the effect of delaying, discouraging, or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our Common Stock. Termination of the Employment Agreements with certain members of our senior management team could be costly. The Employment Agreements with certain members of our senior management team provide that if their employment with us terminates under certain circumstances (including in connection with a change in control of our Company), we may be required to pay them significant amounts of severance compensation, thereby making it costly to terminate their employment. Our board of directors may change our investment and financing policies without stockholder approval, which could materially and adversely alter the nature of an investment in us. The methods of implementing our investment policies and strategy may vary as new real estate development trends emerge, new investment techniques are developed, and market conditions evolve. Our investment and financing policies are exclusively determined by our board of directors and senior management team. Accordingly, our stockholders do not control these policies. Further, our organizational documents do not limit the amount or percentage of indebtedness, funded or otherwise, that we may incur. Although we are not required to maintain a particular leverage ratio, we generally intend to maintain on a sustained basis a level of Net Debt that is generally less than 6.0x our Annualized Adjusted EBITDAre. However, from time to time, our ratio of Net Debt to our Annualized Adjusted EBITDAre may exceed 6.0x. 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 costs and obligations. 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. Changes to our policies with regard to the foregoing could materially and adversely affect us. Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to take action against our directors and officers are limited. Maryland law provides that a director of a Maryland corporation will not have any liability in that capacity if he or she performs his or her duties in accordance with the applicable standard of conduct. Our Charter limits the liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for money damages to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law. Therefore, our directors and officers are subject to monetary liability resulting only 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 as being material to the cause of action adjudicated. As a result, we and our stockholders have rights against our directors and officers that are more limited than might otherwise exist. Accordingly, in the event that actions taken by any of our directors or officers impede the performance of our Company, your and our ability to recover damages from such director or officer will be limited. Our Charter and Second Amended and Restated Bylaws also require us to indemnify and advance 43 Table of Contents expenses to our directors and our officers for losses they may incur by reason of their service in those capacities subject to any limitations under Maryland law or in our Charter. Moreover, we have entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. As a result, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against these persons than might otherwise exist under common law, which could reduce our stockholders’ and our recovery against such persons. In addition, we may be obligated to fund the defense costs incurred by these persons in some cases, which would reduce the cash available for distributions. We are a holding company with no direct operations and rely on funds received from the OP to pay liabilities. We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our operations through the OP. We do not have, apart from an interest in the OP, any independent operations. As a result, we rely on distributions from the OP to pay any distributions we might declare on shares of our Common Stock. We will also rely on distributions from the OP to meet any of our obligations, including any tax liability on taxable income allocated to us from the OP. In addition, because we are a holding company, your claims as stockholders are structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations (whether or not for borrowed money) of the OP and its subsidiaries. Therefore, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation, or reorganization, our assets and those of the OP and its subsidiaries will be able to satisfy the claims of our stockholders only after all of our and the OP and its subsidiaries’ liabilities and obligations have been paid in full. Our UPREIT structure may result in potential conflicts of interest between the interests of our stockholders and members in the OP, which may materially and adversely impede business decisions that could benefit our stockholders. Conflicts of interest could arise in the future as a result of the relationships between us and our affiliates, on the one hand, and the OP or any future member thereof, on the other. Our directors and officers have duties to our Company under applicable Maryland law in connection with the management of our Company. At the same time, we, as the managing member of the OP, will have fiduciary duties and obligations to the OP and its members under New York law and the limited liability company agreement of the OP in connection with the management of the OP. Our fiduciary duties and obligations, as the managing member of the OP, and its members may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and officers to our Company. While we intend to avoid situations involving conflicts of interest, there may be situations in which the interests of the OP may conflict with our interests. Our activities specifically authorized by or described in the OP Agreement may be performed by us and will not, in any case or in the aggregate, be deemed a breach of the OP Agreement or any duty owed by us to the OP or any member. In exercising our authority under the OP Agreement, we may, but are under no obligation to, take into account the tax consequences of any action we take. We and the OP have no liability to a non-managing member under any circumstances as a result of an income tax liability incurred by such non-managing member as a result of an action (or inaction) by us pursuant to our authority under the OP Agreement. The OP Agreement provides that the managing member will not be liable to the OP, its members, or any other person bound by the OP Agreement for monetary damages for losses sustained, liabilities incurred, or benefits not derived by the OP or any member, except for liability for the member’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. Moreover, the OP Agreement provides that the OP is required to indemnify the managing member, its affiliates, and certain related persons, and any manager, officer, stockholder, director, member, employee, representative, or agent of the managing member or its affiliates from and against any and all claims that relate to the operations of the OP, except if (i) the act was committed in bad faith, (ii) the act was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action involved, or (iii) it personally gained in fact a financial income or other advantage to which it was not entitled under law. 44 Table of Contents The value of an investment in our Common Stock may be reduced if we, the OP, or any of our subsidiaries are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”) and, if we are subject to registration under the Investment Company Act, we will not be able to continue our business. Neither we, the OP, nor any of our subsidiaries intend to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we were obligated to register as an investment company, we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act that would impose significant and onerous limitations on our operations, as well as require us to comply with various reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy disclosure, and other rules and regulations that would significantly alter our operations and significantly increase our operating expenses. We believe that we, the OP, and the subsidiaries of the OP do not and will not fall within the definition of investment company under Section 3(a)(1) of the Investment Company Act as we intend to invest primarily in real property through our wholly or majority-owned subsidiaries. Accordingly, we believe that we and the OP are and will be primarily engaged in the non-investment company business of such subsidiaries and therefore will not fall within the aforementioned definition of investment company. To ensure that neither we nor any of our subsidiaries, including the OP, are required to register as an investment company, each entity may be unable to sell assets that it would otherwise want to sell and may need to sell assets that it would otherwise wish to retain. In addition, we, the OP, or our subsidiaries may be required to acquire additional income- or loss-generating assets that we might not otherwise acquire or forego opportunities to acquire interests in companies that we would otherwise want to acquire. Although we, the OP, and our subsidiaries intend to monitor our portfolio periodically and prior to each acquisition and disposition, any of these entities may not be able to remain outside the definition of investment company or maintain an exclusion from the definition of investment company. If we, the OP, or our subsidiaries are required to register as an investment company but fail to do so, the unregistered entity would be prohibited from engaging in our business, and criminal and civil actions could be brought against such entity. In addition, the contracts of such entity would be unenforceable unless a court required enforcement, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of the entity and liquidate its business. U.S. Federal Income Tax Risks Failure to qualify as a REIT would materially and adversely affect us and the value of our Common Stock. We elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code and the applicable U.S. Treasury regulations, which contain the requirements for qualifying as a REIT, which we refer to in this Form 10-K as the “REIT Requirements,” beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 2008. We believe that we have been organized and operated in a manner to qualify for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with such year, and we intend to continue operating in such a manner. However, we cannot assure you that we have qualified as a REIT, or that we will remain qualified as such in the future. If we lose our REIT status, we will face significant tax consequences that would substantially reduce our cash available for distribution to our stockholders 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 U.S. federal income tax at the corporate rate; • we could be subject to increased state and local income taxes; • unless we are entitled to relief under applicable statutory provisions of the Code, we could not elect to be taxed as a REIT for four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost; and • for the five years following re-election of REIT status, upon a taxable disposition of an asset owned as of such re-election, we would be subject to corporate level tax with respect to any built-in gain inherent in such asset at the time of re-election. 45 Table of Contents 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. If this occurs, we may need to borrow funds or liquidate some of our properties in order to pay any applicable taxes. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT also could impair our ability to execute our growth strategy and raise capital, and could materially and adversely affect the trading price of our Common Stock. Qualification as a REIT involves the application of technical and complex Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations. 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 a requirement that at least 95% of our gross income in any year must be derived from qualifying sources, such as “rents from real property.” Also, we must make distributions to stockholders aggregating annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gains. In addition, legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations, or court decisions may materially and adversely affect our investors, our ability to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or the desirability of an investment in a REIT relative to other investments. Even if we remain qualified as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. Even if we remain qualified as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may still be subject to some U.S. federal, state, and local income, property, and excise taxes on our income or property. For example: • In order to qualify as a REIT, we must distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income to our stockholders (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain), and to the extent that we satisfy the distribution requirement but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and including our net capital gain), we will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on the undistributed income, as well as applicable state and local income taxes. • If we should fail to distribute, or fail to be treated as having distributed, with respect to each calendar year at least the sum of (i) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (ii) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year, and (iii) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (a) the amounts actually distributed and (b) the amounts we retained and upon which we paid U.S. federal income tax at the corporate level. • If we have (i) net income from the sale or other disposition of “foreclosure property” that is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business or (ii) other non-qualifying net income from foreclosure property, we will be subject to tax at the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate on such income. To the extent that income from “foreclosure property” is otherwise qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, this tax is not applicable. • If we have net income from prohibited transactions (which are, in general, certain sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than sales of foreclosure property and sales that qualify for certain statutory safe harbors), such income will be subject to a 100% tax. • We may be subject to tax on gain recognized in a taxable disposition of assets acquired from a non-REIT C corporation by way of a carryover basis transaction, when such gain is recognized on a disposition of an asset during a 5-year period beginning on the date on which we acquired the asset. To the extent of any “built-in gain,” such gain will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the federal 46 Table of Contents corporate income tax rate. Built-in gain means the excess of (i) the fair market value of the asset as of the beginning of the applicable recognition period over (ii) our adjusted basis in such asset as of the beginning of such recognition period. • If we should fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test (which are discussed below), but have nonetheless maintained our qualification as a REIT because certain other requirements have been met, we will be subject to a 100% tax on the greater of the gross income amount by which we fail the 75% or the 95% test multiplied in either case by a fraction generally intended to reflect our profitability without regard to our long-term capital gain. • Similarly, if we should fail to satisfy the asset tests or other requirements applicable to REITs, as described below, yet nonetheless qualify as a REIT because there is reasonable cause for the failure and other applicable requirements are met, we may be subject to a penalty. The amount of the penalty will be at least $50,000 per failure, and, in the case of certain asset test failures, will be equal to the amount of net income generated by the assets in question multiplied by the highest corporate tax rate if that amount exceeds $50,000 per failure. • We may perform additional, non-customary services for tenants of our buildings through a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”), including real estate or non-real estate related services; however, any earnings related to such services are subject to federal and state income taxes. • We will be subject to a 100% tax on transactions with our TRSs if such transactions are not at arm’s length. If the OP fails to qualify as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would cease to qualify as a REIT and suffer other adverse consequences. We believe that the OP will be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a partnership, the OP would generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, if the OP is treated as a partnership, each of its partners, including us, would be allocated, and may be required to pay tax with respect to, such partner’s share of its income. The OP may be required to determine and pay an imputed underpayment of tax (plus interest and penalties) resulting from an adjustment of the OP’s items of income, gain, loss, deduction, or credit at the partnership level. We cannot assure you that the IRS will not challenge the status of the OP or any other subsidiary in which we own an interest as a disregarded entity or partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If the IRS were successful in treating the OP or any such other subsidiary as an entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. 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 the OP or any subsidiary to qualify as a disregarded entity or partnership could cause it to become subject to U.S. federal and state corporate income tax, which would significantly reduce the amount of cash available for debt service and for distribution to its partners, including us. To satisfy the REIT distribution requirements, we may be forced to take certain actions to raise funds if we have insufficient cash flow which could materially and adversely affect us and the trading price of our Common Stock. To qualify as a REIT, we generally must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income each year, computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gains, and we will be subject to corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income each year, computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction. 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. In order to satisfy these distribution requirements to maintain our REIT status and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, we may need to 47 Table of Contents take certain actions to raise funds if we have insufficient cash flow, such as borrowing funds, raising additional equity capital, selling a portion of our assets or finding another alternative to make distributions to our stockholders. We may be forced to take those actions even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for those actions. This situation could arise from, among other things, differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and recognition of income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures or other non-deductible expenses, the creation of reserves, or required debt or amortization payments. Such actions could increase our costs and reduce the value of our Common Stock. 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 market price of our Common Stock, and our 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, and could materially and adversely affect us and the trading price of our Common Stock. Further, to qualify as a REIT, we must also satisfy tests on an ongoing basis concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, nature of our assets, and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. We may be required to make distributions to stockholders at times when it would be more advantageous to reinvest cash in our business or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Compliance with the REIT Requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits. The IRS may treat sale-leaseback transactions as loans, which could jeopardize our REIT status or require us to make an unexpected distribution. We may purchase properties and lease them back to the sellers of such properties. The IRS may take the position that certain of these sale-leaseback transactions that we treat as leases are not “true leases” but are, instead, financing arrangements or loans for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If a sale-leaseback transaction were so re-characterized, we might fail to satisfy the REIT asset tests, the income tests, or distribution requirements and consequently lose our REIT status effective with the year of re-characterization unless we elect to make an additional distribution to maintain our REIT status. The primary risk relates to the disallowance of deductions for depreciation and cost recovery relating to such property, which could affect the calculation of our REIT taxable income and could cause us to fail the REIT distribution requirement that requires a REIT to distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and any net capital gain. In this circumstance, we may elect to distribute an additional dividend of the increased taxable income so as not to fail the REIT distribution test. This distribution would be paid to all stockholders at the time of declaration rather than the stockholders that held our shares in the taxable year affected by the re-characterization. Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends. The maximum U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to income from “qualified dividends” payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts, and estates is 20%. Ordinary dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the 20% rate applicable to “qualified dividends” except to the extent the REIT dividends are attributable to “qualified dividends” received by the REIT itself or generally attributable to income upon which we (or a predecessor) have paid U.S. federal corporate income tax. However, for non-corporate U.S. stockholders, ordinary dividends payable by REITs that are not designated as capital gain dividends or treated as “qualified dividends” generally are eligible for a deduction of 20% of the amount of such ordinary REIT dividends, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026. More favorable rates will nevertheless continue to apply for regular corporate “qualified dividends.” Although these rules do not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, to the extent that the 20% rate continues to apply to regular corporate qualified dividends, investors who are individuals, trusts and estates may regard investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations. 48 Table of Contents The tax imposed on REITs engaging in “prohibited transactions” may limit our ability to engage in transactions which would be treated as sales for U.S. 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 the REIT Requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively and may cause us to incur tax liabilities. The REIT provisions of the Code substantially limit our ability to hedge our assets and liabilities. Any income from a hedging transaction that we enter into to manage the risk of interest rate changes with respect to borrowings made or to be made to acquire or carry real estate assets, or from certain terminations of such hedging positions, does not constitute “gross income” for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests that apply to REITs, provided that certain identification requirements are met. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions or fail to properly identify such transaction as a hedge, the income is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. As a result of these rules, we may be required to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through a TRS. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because any TRS in which we own an interest may be subject to tax on gains or expose us to greater risks associated with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, losses in any TRS in which we own an interest will generally not provide any tax benefit, except that such losses in some cases may be carried back against past taxable income in the TRS and may be carried forward against future taxable income in the TRS (subject to certain limitations). Complying with the REIT Requirements 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. In connection with the Internalization, we were treated as having acquired substantial amounts of goodwill that may not qualify for the 75% asset test. Compliance with these limitations, particularly given the goodwill that we acquired in the Internalization, may hinder our ability to make, and, in certain cases, maintain ownership of certain attractive investments that might not qualify for the 75% asset test. If we fail to comply with the REIT asset test requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification and suffering adverse tax consequences. As a result, 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. These actions could have the effect of reducing our income, increasing our income tax liability, and reducing amounts available for distribution to our stockholders. In addition, we may be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution, and may be unable to pursue investments (or, in some cases, forego the sale of such investments) that would be otherwise advantageous to us in order to satisfy the REIT Requirements. Accordingly, satisfying the REIT Requirements could materially and adversely affect us. 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. In certain circumstances, we may be liable for certain tax obligations of certain of the members of the OP. In certain circumstances, we may be liable for tax obligations of certain of the members of the OP. In connection with certain UPREIT transactions, we have entered or will enter into tax protection agreements under 49 Table of Contents which we have agreed to indemnify members of the OP against adverse tax consequences if we were to sell, convey, transfer, or otherwise dispose of our assets in taxable transactions, with specific exceptions and limitations. Pursuant to the tax protection agreements, we have also agreed to ensure that such members of the OP are allocated minimum amounts of the OP’s indebtedness. If we fail to meet our obligations under the tax protection agreements, we may be required to reimburse those members of the OP for the amount of the tax liabilities they incur, subject to certain limitations. We may enter into additional tax protection agreements in the future in connection with other UPREIT transactions. Although it may be in our stockholders’ best interest that we sell a property, it may be economically disadvantageous for us to do so because of these obligations. In order to limit our exposure to a tax obligation, our use of proceeds from any sales or dispositions of certain properties will be limited. With respect to the existing tax protection agreements with property contributors (excluding the Internalization), as of December 31, 2021, our potential indemnification obligation for the taxable sale of those properties is approximately $12.3 million. In connection with the Internalization, we entered into the Founding Owners’ Tax Protection Agreement, pursuant to which we have agreed to indemnify the Founding Owners against the applicable income tax liabilities resulting from: (1) the sale, exchange, transfer, conveyance, or other disposition of the assets of BRE that we acquired in the Internalization (the “Contributed Property”) in a taxable transaction prior to February 7, 2030; and (2) our failure to offer the Founding Owners the opportunity to guarantee specific types of the OP’s indebtedness in order to enable them to continue to defer the applicable income tax liabilities associated with the allocation of that indebtedness. Our maximum liability under the Founding Owners’ Tax Protection Agreement is capped at $10 million. The Blocker Corp Mergers may have adverse tax consequences. As a general matter, notwithstanding that we qualify to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, if we acquire appreciated assets from a non-REIT C corporation in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in its hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of the C corporation, we will be subject to entity-level tax on any gain recognized in connection with a disposition (such as a taxable sale) of any such assets during the 5-year period following such acquisition. In addition, in order to qualify as a REIT, we must not have, at the end of any taxable year, any earnings and profits accumulated in a non-REIT year. Because each of Trident BRE Holdings I, Inc. and Trident BRE Holdings II, Inc. (the “Blocker Corps”) were taxable as a non-REIT C corporation and we acquired their appreciated assets in connection with the Internalization in transactions (the “Blocker Corp Mergers”) in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands was determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of each of the Blocker Corps prior to the Blocker Corp Mergers, we will be subject to corporate income tax on the “built-in gain” with respect to the Blocker Corps’ assets at the time of the Blocker Corp Mergers if we dispose of those assets in a taxable transaction within five years following the Blocker Corp Mergers. This built-in gain is measured by the difference between the value of the Blocker Corps’ assets at the time of the Blocker Corp Mergers and the adjusted basis in those assets. We estimate this built-in gain to be approximately $56.4 million. The assets of the Blocker Corps we acquired in the Blocker Corp Mergers are the Blocker Corps’ interests in BRE. When BRE merged into the OP in a tax-deferred transaction and the Blocker Corps received OP Units, the built-in gain associated with the Blocker Corps’ assets became represented as part of an intangible asset on our balance sheet. The disposition of that intangible asset in a taxable transaction within five years following the Blocker Corp Mergers could trigger a corporate income tax on that built-in gain. The most likely transaction in which that intangible asset is disposed of would be a sale of the OP (or our interest in the OP) in a taxable transaction. Thus, if the OP (or our interest in the OP) is sold in a taxable transaction within five years following the Blocker Corp Mergers, we could incur a corporate income tax on approximately $56.4 million of built-in gain. Because the Blocker Corps were each taxable as a regular C corporation, we assumed any earnings and profits accumulated by the Blocker Corps for taxable periods prior to and including the Blocker Corp Mergers, 50 Table of Contents referred to as “C corporation earnings and profits.” To qualify as a REIT, we cannot have any C corporation earnings and profits at the end of any taxable year. We estimated the C corporation earnings and profits of the Blocker Corps to be approximately $2.3 million in total at the time of the Blocker Corp Mergers and we used a nationally recognized accounting firm to prepare a study to assist management in confirming that calculation. During 2020, we made sufficient distributions in excess of our earnings and profits (including the C corporation earnings and profits from the Blocker Corps) so we would not have to pay a special dividend to eliminate such C corporation earnings and profits. In effect, the inclusion of the C corporation earnings and profits from the Blocker Corps increased the portion of our distributions during 2020 that were taxable as dividends. However, if we were determined to succeed to more C corporation earnings and profits as a result of the Blocker Corp Mergers, we may have to pay a special dividend and/or employ applicable deficiency dividend procedures to eliminate such earnings and profits. If we need to make a special dividend or pay a deficiency dividend and do not otherwise have cash on hand to do so, we may need to (i) sell assets at unfavorable prices, (ii) borrow on unfavorable terms, (iii) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures, or repayment of debt, or (iv) make a taxable distribution of Common Stock as part of a distribution in which stockholders may elect to receive Common Stock or cash (subject to a limit measured as a percentage of the total distribution), in order to comply with REIT Requirements. These alternatives could increase our costs or reduce our equity. In addition, if we were to rely upon the remedial deficiency dividend procedures, we would be required to pay interest based on the amount of any such deficiency dividends. In addition to the foregoing, as a result of the Blocker Corp Mergers, we inherited any liability with respect to unpaid taxes of each of the Blocker Corps for any periods prior to the Blocker Corp Mergers. Changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws, including the recent enactment of certain tax reform measures, could have a material and adverse effect on us. The rules dealing with U.S. 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, which may result in revisions to regulations and interpretations and changes to the application of existing tax rules by U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign governments, in addition to statutory changes, including those contemplated by the new presidential administration in the United States. No assurance can be given as to whether, or in what form, any proposals affecting REITs or their stockholders will be enacted. There may also be future changes in U.S. federal tax laws, regulations, rules, and judicial and administrative interpretations applicable to us and our business, the effect of which cannot be predicted. Our stockholders and prospective investors are urged to consult with their own tax advisors with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory, or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in shares of our Common Stock. Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock The market price and trading volume of shares of our Common Stock may be volatile. The market price of shares of our Common Stock may fluctuate. In addition, the trading volume in shares of our Common Stock, may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. Historically, these changes frequently appear to occur without regard to the operating performance of the affected companies. Hence, the price of our Common Stock could fluctuate based upon factors that have little or nothing to do with us in particular. If the market price of shares of our Common Stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares of our Common Stock at or above the public offering price. We cannot assure you that the market price of shares of our Common Stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly, including a decline below the public offering price, in the future. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the market price or trading volume of shares of our Common Stock include: • actual or anticipated declines in our quarterly operating results or distributions; 51 Table of Contents • changes in government regulations; • changes in laws affecting REITs and related tax matters; • the announcement of new contracts by us or our competitors; • reductions in our FFO, AFFO, or earnings estimates; • publication of research reports about us or the real estate industry; • increases in market interest rates that lead purchasers of shares of our Common Stock to demand a higher yield; • future equity issuances, or the perception that they may occur, including issuances of Common Stock upon exercise or vesting of equity awards or redemption of OP Units; • changes in market valuations of similar companies; • adverse market reaction to any increased indebtedness we incur in the future; • additions or departures of key management personnel; • actions by institutional stockholders; • differences between our actual financial and operating results and those expected by investors and analysts; • changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections; • speculation in the press or investment community; and • the realization of any of the other risk factors presented herein. In the past, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the price of their common stock. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, our ability to execute our business strategy, and our ability to make distributions to our stockholder. We may not be able to make distributions to our stockholders at the times or in the amounts we expect, or at all. We intend to make cash distributions to our stockholders in amounts such that all or substantially all of our taxable income in each year, subject to adjustments, is distributed. However, we may not be able to continue to generate sufficient cash flow from our properties to permit us to make the distributions we expect. Our ability to continue to make distributions in the future may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to make or maintain distributions and certain agreements relating to our indebtedness may, under certain circumstances, limit or eliminate our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders. For instance, our Revolving Credit Facility contains provisions that restrict us from paying distributions if an event of default exists, other than distributions required to maintain our REIT status. We can give no assurance that rents from our properties will increase, or that future acquisitions of real properties or other investments will increase our cash available for distributions to stockholders. In addition, any distributions will be authorized at the sole discretion of our board of directors, and their form, timing, and amount, if any, will depend upon a number of factors, including our actual and projected results of operations, FFO, AFFO, liquidity, cash flows and financial condition, the revenue we actually receive from our properties, our operating expenses, our debt service requirements, our capital expenditures, prohibitions and other limitations under our financing arrangements, our REIT taxable income, the annual REIT distribution requirements, applicable law, and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. Distributions are expected to be based upon our FFO, AFFO, financial condition, cash flows and liquidity, debt service requirements, and capital expenditure requirements for our properties. If we do not have sufficient 52 Table of Contents cash available for distributions, we may need to fund the shortage out of working capital or borrow to provide funds for such distributions, which would reduce the amount of proceeds available for real estate investments and increase our future interest costs. Our inability to make distributions, or to make distributions at expected levels, could result in a decrease in trading price of our Common Stock. We may change the dividend policy for our Common Stock in the future. The decision to declare and pay dividends on our Common Stock, as well as the form, timing, and amount of any such future dividends, will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition, capital requirements, contractual prohibitions or other limitations under our indebtedness, the annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Code, state law, and such other factors as our board of directors considers relevant. Any change in our dividend policy could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our Common Stock. Increases in market interest rates may result in a decrease in the value of shares of our Common Stock. One of the factors that will influence the price of shares of our Common Stock will be the distribution yield on shares of our Common Stock (as a percentage of the price of shares of our Common Stock) relative to market interest rates. An increase in market interest rates, which are currently at low levels relative to historical rates, may lead prospective purchasers of shares of our Common Stock to expect a higher distribution yield and higher interest rates would likely increase our borrowing costs and potentially decrease funds available for distribution. Thus, higher market interest rates could cause the per share trading price of our Common Stock to decrease. There may be future dilution to earnings related to shares of our Common Stock. The market price of shares of our Common Stock could decline as a result of issuances or sales of a large number of shares of our Common Stock in the market, or the perception that such issuances or sales could occur. Additionally, future issuances or sales of substantial amounts of shares of our Common Stock may be at prices below the initial public offering price of the shares of our Class A Common Stock and may result in further dilution in our earnings and FFO per share and/or materially and adversely impact the per share trading price of our Common Stock. Future offerings of debt, which would be senior to shares of our Common Stock upon liquidation, and/or preferred equity securities that may be senior to shares of our Common Stock for purposes of distributions or upon liquidation, may materially and adversely affect the market price of shares of our Common Stock. In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of debt or preferred equity securities (or causing the OP to issue debt securities). Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and preferred stock and lenders with respect to other borrowings will receive distributions of our available assets prior to our stockholders. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences, and privileges more favorable than those of our Common Stock and may result in dilution to owners of our Common Stock. Our stockholders are not entitled to preemptive rights or other protections against dilution. Our preferred stock, if issued, could have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on distribution payments that could limit our right to make distributions to our stockholders. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, or nature of our future offerings. Our stockholders bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the per share trading price of our Common Stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our capital stock in the public markets may dilute your voting power and your ownership interest in us. Our Charter provides that we may issue up to 500,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.00025 par value, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. Moreover, under Maryland law and as 53 Table of Contents provided in our Charter, a majority of our entire board of directors has the power to amend our Charter to increase or decrease 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 without stockholder approval. Future issuances of shares of our Common Stock, securities convertible or exchangeable into Common Stock, or shares of our preferred stock may dilute the ownership interest of our common stockholders. Because our decision to issue additional equity or convertible or exchangeable securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future issuances. In addition, we are not required to offer any such securities to existing stockholders on a preemptive basis. Therefore, it may not be possible for existing stockholders to participate in such future issuances, which may dilute the existing stockholders’ interests in us. 54 Table of Contents Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments. There are no unresolved staff comments. Item 2. Properties. Please refer to Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information concerning our properties.