Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following additional risk factor relating to COVID-19 should be read in conjunction with the risk factors set forth under Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 (“2019 Form 10-K”). The developments described in this additional risk factor have heightened, or in some cases manifested, certain of the risks disclosed in the risk factor section of the 2019 Form 10-K, and such risk factors are further qualified by the information relating to COVID-19 that is described in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including in the additional risk factor below. Except as described herein, there have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in the 2019 Form 10-K. In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the risks discussed below and in the 2019 Form 10-K, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. The risks described below and in the 2019 Form 10-K are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. and global economies and is expected to have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations. This impact could be materially adverse to the extent that the current COVID-19 pandemic, or future pandemics, cause tenants to be unable to pay their rent or reduce the demand for commercial real estate, or cause other impacts described below .
The COVID-19 pandemic in many countries, including the United States, continues to adversely impact global economic activity and has contributed to significant volatility and negative pressure in financial markets. The global impact of the pandemic has been evolving and many countries, including the United States, have reacted by instituting quarantines and restrictions on travel.
Many U.S. cities and states, including cities and states where our properties are located, have also reacted by instituting quarantines, restrictions on travel, restrictions on types of business that may continue to operate, and/or restrictions on types of construction projects that may continue. There can be no assurances as to the length of time these restrictions will remain in place.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or another future pandemic could adversely affect us and/or our tenants due to, among other factors:
● the unavailability of personnel, including our executive officers and other leaders that are part of our management team, and the inability to recruit, attract and retain skilled personnel;
● difficulty accessing debt and equity capital on attractive terms, or at all—a severe disruption and instability in the global financial markets or deteriorations in credit and financing conditions may affect our and our tenants’ ability to access capital necessary to fund business operations or replace or renew maturing liabilities on a timely basis on attractive terms, and may adversely affect the valuation of financial assets and liabilities, any of which could affect our ability to meet liquidity and capital expenditure requirements or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows;
● an inability to operate in affected areas, or delays in the supply of products or services from the vendors that are needed to operate effectively, including without limitation, the ability to complete construction on time and on budget;
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● a reduction in demand for oil as a result of decreased economic activity and travel restrictions which, if sustained, could have an adverse impact on occupancy and rental rates in the markets where we own properties, including energy-influenced markets such as Dallas, Denver and Houston, where we have a significant concentration of properties;
● tenants’ inability to pay rent on their leases or our inability to re-lease space that is or becomes vacant, which inability, if extreme, could cause us to: (i) no longer be able to maintain our current level of dividends in order to preserve liquidity and (ii) be unable to meet our debt obligations to lenders, which could cause us to be unable to meet debt covenants, which could trigger a default or defaults and cause us to have to sell properties or refinance debt on unattractive terms; and
● our inability to maintain an investment grade corporate credit rating could lead to increased borrowing costs and adversely affect our access to funding sources and the terms of any available funding sources.
COVID-19 has impacted our properties and operating results and will continue to do so to the extent it reduces occupancy, increases the cost of operation, results in limited hours, results in decreased rental receipts, results in increased borrowings or necessitates the closure of such properties. In addition, quarantines, states of emergencies and other measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19 may negatively impact the ability of our properties to continue to obtain necessary goods and services or provide adequate staffing, which may also adversely affect our properties and operating results.
Some of our existing tenants and potential tenants operate in industries that are being adversely affected by the disruption to business caused by this pandemic. Tenants have been, and may in the future be, required to suspend operations at our properties for an extended periods of time. For example, some of our retail tenants have been, and may continue to be, closed for an extended period of time or only open certain hours of the day. Some of our tenants have requested rent concessions and more tenants may request rent concessions or may not pay rent in the future. This could lead to increased rent delinquencies and/or defaults under leases, a lower demand for rentable space leading to increased concessions or lower occupancy, increased tenant improvement capital expenditures, or reduced rental rates to maintain occupancies. Our operations could be materially negatively affected if the economic downturn is prolonged, which could adversely affect our operating results, ability to pay dividends, our ability to repay or refinance our existing indebtedness, and the price of our common stock.
The continuing evolution of this situation precludes any prediction as to the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full extent of the impact and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our future financial performance, as a whole, and, specifically, on our real estate property holdings are uncertain at this time. The impact will depend on future developments, including, among other factors, the duration and spread of the outbreak, along with related travel advisories and restrictions, and the uncertainty with respect to the duration of the global economic slowdown. COVID-19 and the current financial, economic and capital markets environment, and future developments in these and other areas present uncertainty and risk with respect to our performance, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and the price of our common stock .
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
None.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.