American Homes 4 Rent S-3ASR, filed Jun 17, 2020
American Homes 4 Rent (AMH)
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 17, 2020
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
AMERICAN HOMES 4 RENT
AMERICAN HOMES 4 RENT, L.P.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| Maryland (American Homes 4 Rent) Delaware (American Homes 4 Rent, L.P.) |
46-1229660 80-0860173 | |
| (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200
Agoura Hills, California 91031
(805) 413-5300
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
Sara H. Vogt-Lowell
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
American Homes 4 Rent
30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200
Agoura Hills, California 91301
(805) 413-5300
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)
Copy to:
Michael E. McTiernan
Hogan Lovells US LLP
555 Thirteenth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
(202) 637-5600
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
American Homes 4 Rent:
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
American Homes 4 Rent, L.P.:
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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| Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered(1) |
Amount to be Registered |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share |
Proposed Maximum |
Amount of Registration Fee(1)(2) | ||||
| Common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share(3) |
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| Preferred shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share(3) |
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| Depositary Shares, representing preferred shares of beneficial interest(3) |
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Warrants(3)(4) |
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Rights(3) |
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| Debt Securities(3)(5) |
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| Guarantees of Debt Securities of American Homes 4 Rent, L.P.(5) |
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Total |
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| (1) | The securities covered by this registration statement may be sold or otherwise distributed separately, together or as units with other securities covered by this registration statement. This registration statement covers offers, sales and other distributions of the securities listed in this table from time to time at prices to be determined. This registration statement also covers common shares, preferred shares, depositary shares, warrants, rights and debt securities and any related guarantees that may be offered or sold under delayed delivery contracts pursuant to which the counterparty may be required to purchase such securities, as well as such contracts themselves. Such contracts would be issued with the specific securities to which they relate. |
| (2) | In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, American Homes 4 Rent and American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. are deferring payment of all of the registration fee. American Homes 4 Rent intends to rely on Rule 415(a)(6) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with the filing of a prospectus supplement to this registration statement, to carry-forward (i) $500 million of common shares from its Form S-3 (File No. 333-219720) for which registration fees of $57,950 were previously paid, and (ii) up to 3,792,922 common shares from its Form S-3 (File No. 333-219720) for which registration fees of $10,265 were previously paid. |
| (3) | This registration statement covers an indeterminate amount of the securities of each identified class of securities, including such indeterminate amount of each identified class of securities as may be issued upon conversion of, or in exchange for, or upon exercise of, or pursuant to, convertible or exchangeable securities that provide for exercise or conversion into or purchase of such securities of American Homes 4 Rent or American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. An unspecified aggregate initial offering price or number of the securities of each identified class is being registered as may from time to time be offered at unspecified prices. Separate consideration may or may not be received for securities that are issuable on exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities or that are represented by depositary shares. |
| (4) | The warrants covered by this registration statement may be warrants for common shares, preferred shares or depositary shares. |
| (5) | Debt securities issued by American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. Such debt securities may be accompanied by guarantees to be issued by American Homes 4 Rent. |
PROSPECTUS
Common Shares, Preferred Shares, Depositary Shares, Warrants, Rights, Debt Securities and Guarantees
We may offer, from time to time, one or more series or classes of:
| • | Common shares of beneficial interest; |
| • | Preferred shares of beneficial interest; |
| • | Depositary shares representing our preferred shares; |
| • | Warrants exercisable for our common shares of beneficial interest, preferred shares of beneficial interest or depositary shares representing preferred shares of beneficial interest; and |
| • | Rights to purchase common shares of beneficial interest. |
American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. (“our operating partnership”) may offer, from time to time, one or more series or classes of debt securities. American Homes 4 Rent may guarantee the payment of principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on debt securities issued by American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. to the extent and on the terms described herein and in the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus.
We refer to our common shares of beneficial interest, preferred shares of beneficial interest, depositary shares, warrants and rights, together with the debt securities of our operating partnership and any related guarantees, collectively as the “securities.” This prospectus describes some of the general terms that may apply to these securities and the general manner in which they may be offered. The prices and terms of any securities to be offered, the net proceeds that we expect to receive from the sale of such securities and the specific manner in which such securities may be offered will be set forth in one or more supplements to this prospectus.
We will deliver this prospectus together with a prospectus supplement setting forth the specific terms of the securities we are offering. The applicable prospectus supplement also will contain information, where applicable, about U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to, and any listing on a securities exchange of, the particular securities covered by the prospectus supplement.
We and our operating partnership may offer the securities directly to investors, through agents designated from time to time by them or us, or to or through underwriters or dealers on a delayed or continuous basis. If any agents, underwriters, or dealers are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names, and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement with, between or among them, will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in an accompanying prospectus supplement. For more detailed information, see “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. No securities may be sold without delivery of a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of those securities.
Our Class A common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “AMH.” On June 16, 2020, the last reported sale price of our Class A common shares on the NYSE was $27.93 per share. Our principal executive offices are located at 30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200, Agoura Hills, California 91301, and our telephone number is (805) 413-5300.
You should carefully read this entire prospectus, the documents that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement before you invest in any of these securities.
Investing in our securities involves risks. You should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” on page 6 of this prospectus, as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, before making a decision to invest in our securities.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This prospectus is dated June 17, 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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i
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we and our operating partnership may offer at any time, from time to time, in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides only a general description of the securities we and our operating partnership may offer and is not meant to provide a complete description of each security. As a result, each time we and our operating partnership offer securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the terms of those securities, which we will attach to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. To the extent there are any inconsistencies between the information in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the applicable prospectus supplement. You should rely only on the information provided or information to which we have referred you, including any information incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We and our operating partnership are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of these securities is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any free writing prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement prepared by us or the other documents incorporated by reference herein or therein is accurate only as of their respective dates or on the date or dates that are specified in these documents. Our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
You should read carefully the entire prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference in the prospectus, which we have referred you to in “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” below, before making an investment decision. Information incorporated by reference after the date of this prospectus may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Statements contained or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement as to the content of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete, and in each instance we refer you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or such prospectus supplement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference. Any information in such subsequent filings that is inconsistent with this prospectus will supersede the information in this prospectus or any earlier prospectus supplement.
Unless the context requires otherwise, we define certain terms in this prospectus as follows:
| • | “We,” “our company,” “the Company,” “the REIT,” “our” and “us” refer to American Homes 4 Rent, a Maryland real estate investment trust, and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (including our operating partnership and its subsidiaries). |
| • | “Our operating partnership” refers to American Homes 4 Rent, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and its subsidiaries taken as a whole. |
| • | “You” refers to a prospective investor. |
1
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Various statements contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus, including those that express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may include projections and estimates concerning the timing and success of specific projects and our future operations, revenues, income and capital spending. Our forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by words such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “plan,” “goal” or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions about future events. While our management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies, trends and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control.
Currently, one of the most significant factors that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from our forward-looking statements is the potential adverse effect of the current pandemic of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows and on our tenants, the real estate market, the global economy and the financial markets. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts us and our tenants will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the scope, severity and duration of the pandemic and the direct and indirect economic effects of the pandemic and containment measures, among others.
These and other important factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors,” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2020, and our subsequently filed periodic reports (which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus) and elsewhere in this prospectus, and in other documents that we may file from time to time with the SEC, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition to those related to the COVID-19 pandemic noted above, these risks, contingencies and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:
| • | We may not be able to successfully operate our business or generate sufficient cash flows to make or sustain distributions on our preferred and common shares. |
| • | We may not be able to effectively manage our growth, and any failure to do so may have an adverse effect on our business and operating results. |
| • | We intend to continue to expand and develop properties and make acquisitions even if the rental and housing markets are not as favorable as they were when we commenced operations, which could adversely impact anticipated yields. |
| • | Our future growth depends, in part, on the availability of additional debt or equity financing. If we cannot obtain additional financing on terms favorable or acceptable to us, our growth may be limited. |
| • | Our revenues and expenses are not directly correlated, and because a large percentage of our costs and expenses are fixed, we may not be able to adapt our cost structure to offset declines in our revenues. |
| • | Our revolving credit facility, unsecured senior notes and securitizations contain financial and operating covenants that could restrict our business and investment activities. Failure to satisfy these covenants could result in a default under our revolving credit facility and unsecured senior notes that could accelerate the maturity of our debt obligations or, with respect to our securitizations, also require that all cash flow generated from operations service only the indebtedness and the possible foreclosure of the properties securing the indebtedness, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make distributions on our preferred and common shares and our operating partnership’s ability to make distributions on its operating partnership units. |
2
| • | We are dependent on our executive officers and dedicated personnel, and the departure of any of our key personnel could materially and adversely affect us. We also face intense competition for highly skilled managerial, investment, financial and operational personnel. |
| • | Our investments are, and are expected to continue to be, concentrated in our markets and in the single-family properties sector of the real estate industry, which exposes us to seasonal fluctuations in rental demand and downturns in our markets or in the single-family properties sector. |
| • | We may not be able to effectively control the timing and costs relating to the renovation of properties, which may adversely affect our operating results and our ability to make distributions on our preferred and Class A common shares. |
| • | We face significant competition for acquisitions of our target properties, which may limit our strategic opportunities and increase the cost to acquire those properties. |
| • | We face significant competition in the leasing market for quality tenants, which may limit our ability to rent our single-family homes on favorable terms or at all. |
| • | Our evaluation of properties involves a number of assumptions that may prove inaccurate, which could result in us paying too much for properties we acquire or overvaluing our properties or our properties failing to perform as we expect. |
| • | Our expanded development activities expose us to additional operational and real estate risks, which may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. |
| • | We rely on subcontractors to construct our homes and on building supply companies to supply components for the construction of our homes. The failure of our subcontractors to properly construct our homes or defects in the components we obtain from building supply companies could have an adverse effect on us. |
| • | If occupancy levels and rental rates in our target markets do not increase sufficiently to keep pace with rising costs of operations, our net income and distributable cash will decline. |
| • | We depend on our tenants for substantially all of our revenues. Poor tenant selection and defaults and nonrenewals by our tenants may adversely affect our reputation, financial performance and ability to make distributions on our preferred and Class A common shares. |
| • | We are self-insured against many potential losses, and uninsured or underinsured losses relating to properties may adversely affect our financial condition, operating results, cash flows and ability to make distributions on our preferred and Class A common shares. |
| • | Our fiduciary duties as the general partner of our operating partnership could create conflicts of interest, which may impede business decisions that could benefit our shareholders. |
| • | The market price and trading volume of our Class A common shares may fluctuate substantially and be volatile due to numerous factors beyond our control. |
| • | The availability and timing of cash distributions is uncertain. |
| • | Our ability to pay dividends is limited by the requirements of Maryland law. |
| • | Failure to qualify as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”), or failure to remain qualified as a REIT, would cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, which would substantially reduce funds available for distribution to our shareholders. |
While forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, they are not guarantees of future performance, and you should not unduly rely on them. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus speak only as of the date of this prospectus. We are not obligated to update or revise these statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.
3
American Homes 4 Rent is an internally managed Maryland REIT focused on acquiring, developing, renovating, leasing and operating single-family homes as rental properties. We commenced operations in November 2012. We have an integrated operating platform that consists of approximately 1,331 personnel as of March 31, 2020, dedicated to property management, acquisitions, development, marketing, leasing, financial and administrative functions.
As of March 31, 2020, we held 52,776 single-family properties in selected sub-markets of metropolitan statistical areas within 22 states, including 960 properties classified as held for sale, and 49,029, or 94.6%, of our total properties (excluding properties held for sale) were occupied.
We believe we have become a leader in the single-family home rental industry by aggregating a geographically diversified portfolio of high-quality single-family homes and developing “American Homes 4 Rent” into a nationally recognized brand that is well-known for quality, value and tenant satisfaction and is well respected in our communities. Our investments may be made directly or through investment vehicles with third-party investors. We began adding newly constructed “built-for-rental” single-family properties to our portfolio in 2017 through our internal “AMH Development Program” and through acquisitions from third-party developers via our “National Builder Program.” Our objective is to generate attractive, risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders through dividends and capital appreciation.
We believe that we have been organized and operate in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under U.S. federal income tax laws for each of our taxable years commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2012, through the taxable year ended December 31, 2019. We expect to satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2020 and subsequent taxable years.
Our principal executive office is located at 30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200, Agoura Hills, California 91301. Our main telephone number is (805) 413-5300. Our website address is www.americanhomes4rent.com. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement.
4
Our operating partnership is a Delaware limited partnership, which was formed in October 2012. Substantially all of our consolidated assets are held by our operating partnership, and we conduct substantially all of our activities through our operating partnership and its wholly owned subsidiaries. We are the general partner of, and as of March 31, 2020, owned approximately 85.2% of the common partnership interest in our operating partnership with the remaining 14.8% of the common partnership interest owned by limited partners. Our operating partnership’s principal executive offices are located at 30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200, Agoura Hills, California 91301. Our operating partnership’s main telephone number is (805) 413-5300.
5
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risk factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2020, together with all the other risks contained in documents we file with the SEC after the date of this prospectus which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and the risks we have highlighted in other sections of this prospectus, before making an investment decision to purchase our securities. The occurrence of any of the events described could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to make cash distributions to our shareholders, which could cause you to lose all or a significant part of your investment in our securities. Some statements in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements. Please refer to the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
6
Unless otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus used to offer specific securities, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, including, without limitation, acquisitions of additional properties, the repayment of outstanding indebtedness, capital expenditures, the expansion, redevelopment and/or improvement of properties in our portfolio, the development of new properties, working capital and other general purposes, including repurchases of the Company’s securities.
7
The following is a summary of the material terms of our equity shares and certain terms of our declaration of trust and bylaws. The following summary does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the applicable provisions of Maryland law, our declaration of trust and our bylaws.
General
We are authorized to issue 500,000,000 common shares, consisting of 450,000,000 Class A common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share (“Class A common shares”), and 50,000,000 Class B common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share (“Class B common shares,” and together with the Class A common shares, the “common shares”), and 100,000,000 preferred shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share (“preferred shares”). Except as provided below, the Class A common shares and Class B common shares have the same rights and privileges, rank equally and are otherwise identical in all respects. Our declaration of trust authorizes our board of trustees, with the approval of a majority of the entire board and without any action on the part of our shareholders, to amend our declaration of trust to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares or the number of authorized shares of any class or series without shareholder approval. Maryland law provides, and our declaration of trust provides, that none of our shareholders are personally liable for any of our obligations solely as a result of that shareholder’s status as a shareholder.
As of March 31, 2020, 300,315,609 Class A common shares, 635,075 Class B common shares, 10,750,000 preferred shares designated as “Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares,” 9,200,000 preferred shares designated as “Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares,” 6,200,000 preferred shares designated as “Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares,” 4,600,000 preferred shares designated as “Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares” and 4,600,000 preferred shares designated as “Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares” are outstanding. The actual number of holders of our Class A common shares and our preferred shares is greater than the record number of holders and includes shareholders who are beneficial owners but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees.
8
Subject to the preferential rights, if any, of holders of any other class or series of shares and to the provisions of our declaration of trust regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares, holders of our common shares:
| • | have the right to receive ratably any distributions from funds legally available therefor, when, as and if authorized by our board of trustees and declared by us; and |
| • | are entitled to share ratably in the assets of our company legally available for distribution to the holders of our common shares in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs. |
There are generally no redemption, sinking fund, conversion, preemptive or appraisal rights with respect to our common shares.
Under Title 8 of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”), a Maryland REIT generally cannot amend its declaration of trust or merge with another entity unless declared advisable by a majority of the board of trustees and approved by the affirmative vote of shareholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage, but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, is set forth in the REIT’s declaration of trust. Our declaration of trust provides that such actions (other than certain amendments to the provisions of our declaration of trust related to the removal of trustees, the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares and termination of the trust) may be taken if declared advisable by a majority of our board of trustees and approved by the vote of shareholders holding a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
Subject to the provisions of our declaration of trust regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares and except as may otherwise be specified in our declaration of trust, each outstanding Class A common share entitles the holder to one vote, and each outstanding Class B common share entitles the holder to 50 votes, on all matters on which the shareholders of Class A common shares are entitled to vote, including the election of trustees, and, except as provided with respect to any other class or series of shares, the holders of Class A common shares and Class B common shares will vote together as a single class and will possess the exclusive voting power. Notwithstanding the foregoing, holders of Class B common shares are not entitled to vote on any matter requiring “Partnership Approval.” “Partnership Approval” is defined in the agreement of limited partnership of our operating partnership, as amended, as approval obtained when the sum of the (1) the percentage interest of partners consenting to the transaction, plus (2) the product of (a) the percentage of the outstanding Class A units held by the general partner entity multiplied by (b) the percentage of the votes that were cast in favor of the transaction by the holders of the common shares of beneficial interest (or other comparable equity interest) of the general partner entity equals or exceeds the percentage required for the general partner entity’s shareholders to approve the transaction. In addition, in no event may holders of shares beneficially owned by Mr. Hughes or HF Investments 2010, LLC, as determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), vote more than 30% of the total votes entitled to be cast on any particular matter nor more than 18% of the total votes of the Class A common shares. There is no cumulative voting in the election of our trustees, which means that the shareholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes of the outstanding common shares can elect all of the trustees then standing for election, and the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any trustees. Each Trustee shall be elected by the vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to the Trustee at any meeting for the election of Trustees at which a quorum is present, provided that if the number of persons lawfully nominated exceeds the number of Trustees to be elected, the Trustees shall be elected by the vote of a plurality of the votes cast at the meeting at which a quorum is present. Under a plurality voting standard, trustees who receive the greatest number of votes cast in their favor are elected to the board of trustees. A majority of the votes cast at a meeting of shareholders duly called and at which a quorum is present shall be sufficient to approve any other matter which may properly come before the meeting, unless a higher vote is required herein or by statute or by our declaration of trust.
9
Power to Reclassify and Issue Shares
Our board of trustees may classify any unissued preferred shares, and reclassify any unissued common shares or any previously classified but unissued preferred shares into other classes or series of shares, including one or more classes or series of shares that have priority over our common shares with respect to voting rights or distributions or upon liquidation, and authorize us to issue the newly classified shares. Prior to the issuance of shares of each class or series, our board of trustees is required by Title 8 of the MGCL and our declaration of trust to set, subject to the provisions of our declaration of trust regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption for each such class or series. These actions can be taken without shareholder approval, unless shareholder approval is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of our shares or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our shares may be then listed or quoted.
Conversion of Class B Common Shares
The holder of our Class B common shares also owns the units of limited partnership, or OP units, in our operating partnership. In the event a holder of Class B common shares transfers its OP units to a transferee, other than a “qualified transferee,” which includes family members and affiliates of or other entities controlled by such holder, then one Class B common share held by such holder automatically converts into one Class A common share for every 49 OP units transferred by the holder. If the holder of Class B common shares transfers any OP units to a qualified trustee, and then such qualified trustee in turn transfers the same OP units to another qualified trustee of the original transferor, then one Class B common share held by the first qualified transferee will automatically convert into one Class A common share for every 49 OP units transferred by the first qualified transferee. In such case, if the first qualified transferee does not own a sufficient number of Class B common shares, then the initial transferor will be responsible for the deficiency in Class B common shares, and a number of Class A common shares equal to such deficiency held by the initial transferor (or, if the initial transferor does now own sufficient Class B common shares, then one or more other qualified transferees of such initial transferor) will automatically convert into one Class A common share for every 49 OP units. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Class B common shares transferred to a transferee other than a qualified transferee will automatically convert into an equal number of Class A common shares.
Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Shares and Issue Additional Shares of Our Common and Preferred Shares
Our declaration of trust authorizes our board of trustees, with the approval of a majority of the entire board, to amend our declaration of trust to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares or the number of authorized shares of any class or series without shareholder approval. We believe that the power of our board of trustees to increase or decrease the number of authorized shares and to classify or reclassify unissued common shares or preferred shares and thereafter to cause us to issue such shares will provide us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs which might arise. The additional classes or series, as well as the additional shares, will be available for issuance without further action by our shareholders, unless such action is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of shares or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. Although our board of trustees does not intend to do so, it could authorize us to issue a class or series that could, depending upon the terms of the particular class or series, delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control of our company that might involve a premium price for our shareholders or otherwise be in their best interests.
Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer
Due to limitations on the concentration of ownership of REIT shares imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, subject to certain exceptions, our declaration of trust provides that no person may beneficially own more than 8.0% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of our
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outstanding common shares. In addition, our declaration of trust prohibits any person from, among other matters, beneficially owning equity shares if such ownership would result in our being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a year); transferring equity shares if such transfer would result in our equity shares being owned by less than 100 persons; and beneficially owning equity shares if such beneficial ownership would otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT under the Code. Our board of trustees may exempt a person from the ownership limits if such person submits to the board of trustees certain information satisfactory to the board of trustees. See “Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
We have retained American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC as the transfer agent and registrar for our common shares.
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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED SHARES
The following description sets forth certain general terms of the preferred shares to which any prospectus supplement may relate and the material terms of our outstanding series of preferred shares. This description and the description contained in any prospectus supplement are not complete and are in all respects subject to and qualified in their entirety by reference to our declaration of trust, the applicable articles supplementary that describes the terms of the related class or series of preferred shares, and our bylaws, each of which we will make available upon request.
As of March 31, 2020, 10,750,000 preferred shares designated as “Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares,” 9,200,000 preferred shares designated as “Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares,” 6,200,000 preferred shares designated as “Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares,” 4,600,000 preferred shares designated as “Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares” and 4,600,000 preferred shares designated as “Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares” are outstanding.
General
Subject to the limitations prescribed by Maryland law and our declaration of trust and bylaws, our board of trustees is authorized to establish the number of shares constituting each series of preferred shares and to fix the designations and powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including such provisions as may be desired concerning voting, redemption, dividends, dissolution or the distribution of assets, conversion or exchange, and such other subjects or matters as may be fixed by resolution of the board of trustees or duly authorized committee thereof. The preferred shares will, when issued, be fully paid and nonassessable and will not have or be subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.
The prospectus supplement relating to the series of preferred shares offered thereby will describe the specific terms of such securities, including:
| • | the title and stated value of such preferred shares; |
| • | the number of such preferred shares offered, the liquidation preference per share and the offering price of such preferred shares; |
| • | the dividend rate(s), period(s) and/or payment date(s) or method(s) of calculation thereof applicable to such preferred shares; |
| • | whether dividends shall be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends on such preferred shares shall accumulate; |
| • | the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any, for such preferred shares; |
| • | the provisions for a sinking fund, if any, for such preferred shares; |
| • | the provisions for redemption, if applicable, of such preferred shares; |
| • | any listing of such preferred shares on any securities exchange; |
| • | the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which such preferred shares will be convertible into our common shares, including the conversion price (or manner of calculation thereof) and conversion period; |
| • | a discussion of federal income tax considerations applicable to such preferred shares; |
| • | any limitations on issuance of any series of preferred shares ranking senior to or on a parity with such series of preferred shares as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs; |
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| • | in addition to those limitations described below, any other limitations on actual and constructive ownership and restrictions on transfer, in each case as may be appropriate to preserve our status as a REIT; and |
| • | any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of such preferred shares. |
Restrictions on Ownership
Due to limitations on the concentration of ownership of REIT shares imposed by the Code, subject to certain exceptions, our declaration of trust provides that no person may beneficially own more than 9.9% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of our outstanding preferred shares. In addition, our declaration of trust prohibits any person from, among other matters, beneficially owning equity shares if such ownership would result in our being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a year); transferring equity shares if such transfer would result in our equity shares being owned by less than 100 persons; and beneficially owning equity shares if such beneficial ownership would otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT under the Code. Our board of trustees may exempt a person from the ownership limits if such person submits to the board of trustees certain information satisfactory to the board of trustees. See “Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our preferred shares will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Charter and Bylaws
See “Material Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Declaration of Trust and Bylaws.”
Description of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares
General
The following description of certain terms and conditions of our 6.5% Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares does not purport to be complete and is in all respects subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary setting forth the terms of our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, our bylaws and Maryland law. Our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary for our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, and our bylaws are incorporated by reference into this prospectus from our SEC filings. Capitalized terms used in the following description shall have the meanings set forth in the Articles Supplementary for the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares.
Maturity and Preemptive Rights
The Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares have no stated maturity and are not subject to any sinking fund or mandatory redemption and will remain outstanding indefinitely unless (i) we redeem such Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares at our option as described below in “—Redemption” or (ii) they are converted by the holder of such Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares in the event of a Change of Control as described below in “—Conversion Rights.”
There are generally no preemptive rights with respect to our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares.
Ranking
The Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares rank, with respect to dividend rights and rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up:
| • | senior to our common shares and to any other class or series of our equity shares expressly designated as ranking junior to the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares; |
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| • | on parity with any other preferred or convertible preferred securities, including the Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares; and |
| • | junior to all equity shares issued by us with terms specifically providing that those equity shares rank senior to the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares with respect to rights of dividend payments and the distribution of assets upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our company, or Liquidation Event, which issuance is subject to the approval of the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and any parity preference shares. |
The term “equity shares” does not include convertible debt securities, which debt securities would rank senior to the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares.
Dividends
Holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are entitled to receive cumulative cash dividends payable quarterly in arrears on the last day of March, June, September and December of each year, at the rate of 6.5% per annum on the initial liquidation preference per share. The first dividend was paid on June 30, 2016 to holders of record as of June 15, 2016 and was a pro rata dividend from and including May 24, 2016, or the original issue date, to but excluding June 30, 2016. If any dividend payment date falls on any day other than a business day as defined in the Articles Supplementary for our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, the dividend due on such dividend payment date is paid on the first business day immediately following such dividend payment date, and no dividends will accrue as a result of such delay. Dividends accrue and are cumulative from, and including, the prior dividend payment date (or, if no prior dividend payment date, the original issue date of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares) to, but excluding, the next dividend payment date, to holders of record as of 5:00 p.m., New York time, on the related record date. The record dates for the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are the March 15, June 15, September 15 or December 15 immediately preceding the relevant dividend payment date, regardless of whether that day is a business day.
Our board of trustees will not authorize and we will not pay or set apart for payment dividends on our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares at any time when the terms and provisions of any agreement of ours, including any agreement relating to our indebtedness, prohibits the authorization, payment or setting apart for payment or provides that the authorization, payment or setting apart for payment would constitute a breach of the agreement or a default under the agreement, or if the authorization, payment or setting apart for payment shall be restricted or prohibited by law. We also have the right to withhold, from any amounts otherwise payable to you, with respect to all distributions (deemed or actual) to the extent that withholding is or was required for such distributions under applicable tax withholding rules. You should review the information appearing in the last paragraph under the caption “ —Dividends” for information regarding the circumstances under which the terms of our revolving credit facility may limit or prohibit the payment of dividends on the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, dividends on the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares accrue whether or not there are funds legally available for the payment of those dividends, whether or not we have earnings and whether or not those dividends are authorized. No interest, or sum in lieu of interest, is payable in respect of any dividend payment or payments on the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares that may be in arrears, and holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are not entitled to any dividends in excess of full cumulative dividends described above. Any dividend payment made on the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, including any Capital Gains Amounts, as described in the paragraph below, is first credited against the earliest accrued but unpaid dividend due with respect to those shares.
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If, for any taxable year, we designate as a “capital gain dividend,” as defined in Section 857 of the Code, any portion of the dividends, or the Capital Gains Amount, as determined for federal income tax purposes, paid or made available for that year to holders of all classes of our shares of beneficial interest, then, except as otherwise required by applicable law, the portion of the Capital Gains Amount that shall be allocable to the holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares will be in proportion to the amount that the total dividends, as determined for federal income tax purposes, paid or made available to holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares for the year bears to the total dividends paid or made available for that year to holders of all classes of our shares of beneficial interest. In addition, except as otherwise required by applicable law, we will make a similar allocation with respect to any undistributed long-term capital gains that are to be included in our shareholders’ long-term capital gains, based on the allocation of the Capital Gains Amount that would have resulted if those undistributed long-term capital gains had been distributed as “capital gain dividends” by us to our shareholders.
Future distributions on our common shares and preferred shares, will be at the discretion of our board of trustees and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, funds from operations, cash flow from operations, financial condition and capital requirements, the annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Code, our debt service requirements and any other factors our board of trustees deems relevant. In addition, our revolving credit facility contains provisions that could limit or, in certain cases, prohibit the payment of distributions on our common shares and preferred shares. Accordingly, although we expect to pay quarterly cash distributions on our common shares and scheduled cash dividends on our preferred shares, we cannot guarantee that we will maintain these distributions or what the actual distributions will be for any future period.
Voting Rights
Holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares generally have no voting rights. However, in the event we are in arrears on dividends, whether or not authorized or declared, on the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares for six or more quarterly periods, whether or not consecutive, holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares (voting separately as a class together with the holders of all other classes or series of parity preferred shares and upon which like voting rights have been conferred and are exercisable) will be entitled to elect two additional trustees at a special meeting called upon the request of at least 10% of such holders or at our next annual meeting and each subsequent annual meeting of shareholders, each additional trustee being referred to as a “Preferred Share Trustee,” until all unpaid dividends with respect to the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and such other classes or series of preferred shares with like voting rights, have been paid or declared and set aside for payment. Preferred Share Trustees will be elected by a vote of holders of record of a majority of the outstanding Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and any other series of parity equity shares with like voting rights, voting together as a class. Special meetings called in accordance with the provisions described in this paragraph shall be subject to the procedures in our bylaws, except that we, rather than the holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, or any other class or series of parity preferred shares entitled to vote thereon when they have the voting rights described above (voting together as a single class), will pay all costs and expenses of calling and holding the meeting.
Any Preferred Share Trustee may be removed at any time with or without cause by the vote of, and may not be removed otherwise than by the vote of, the holders of record of a majority of the outstanding Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and all other classes or series of parity preferred shares entitled to vote thereon when they have the voting rights described above (voting together as a single class). So long as a dividend arrearage continues, any vacancy in the office of a Preferred Share Trustee may be filled by written consent of the Preferred Share Trustee remaining in office, or if none remains in office, by a vote of the holders of record of a majority of the outstanding Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares when they have the voting rights described above (voting as a single class with all other classes or series of parity preferred shares upon which like voting rights have been conferred and are exercisable).
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So long as any Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares remain outstanding, we will not, without the affirmative vote or written consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the then-outstanding Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and each other class or series of parity preferred shares with like voting rights (voting together as a single class), authorize, create, or increase the number of authorized or issued shares of, any class or series of equity shares ranking senior to the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares with respect to rights of dividend payments and the distribution of assets upon a Liquidation Event, or reclassify any of our authorized capital stock into such capital stock, or create, authorize or issue any obligation or security convertible into or evidencing the right to purchase such capital stock.
In addition, the affirmative vote or written consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and each other class or series of parity preferred shares with like voting rights (voting together as a single class), is required for us to amend, alter or repeal any provision of our declaration of trust so as to materially and adversely affect the terms of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares. If such amendment to our declaration of trust does not equally affect the terms of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and the terms of one or more other classes or series of parity preferred shares, the affirmative vote or written consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the shares outstanding at the time of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, voting separately as a class, is required. Holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares also have the exclusive right to vote on any amendment to our declaration of trust on which holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are otherwise entitled to vote and that would alter only the rights, as expressly set forth in our declaration of trust, of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares.
In any matter in which holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares may vote (as expressly provided in the articles supplementary setting forth the terms of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares), each Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Share is entitled to one vote per share.
Liquidation Preference
If we experience a Liquidation Event, holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are entitled to receive out of or assets available for distribution to shareholders, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors, if any, and subject to the rights of holders of any shares of beneficial interest then outstanding ranking senior to or pari passu with the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares in respect of distributions upon a Liquidation Event, and before any distribution of assets is made to holders of common shares or of any of our other classes or series of shares of beneficial interest ranking junior to the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares as to such a distribution, a liquidating distribution in the amount of $25.00 per share, plus accumulated and unpaid dividends (whether or not authorized or declared). Holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares will not be entitled to any other amounts from us after they have received their full liquidation preference.
In any such distribution, if our assets are not sufficient to pay the liquidation preferences in full to all holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and all holders of any of our other shares of beneficial interest ranking equally as to such distribution with the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, the amounts paid to the holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and to the holders of all such other shares will be paid pro rata in accordance with the respective aggregate liquidation preferences of those holders. In any such distribution, the “liquidation preference” of any holder of preferred shares means the amount otherwise payable to such holder in such distribution (assuming no limitation on our assets available for such distribution), including any accumulated but unpaid dividends (whether or not authorized or declared). If the liquidation preference has been paid in full to all holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares and any of our other shares of beneficial interest ranking equally as to the liquidation preference, the holders of our shares of beneficial interest ranking junior as to the liquidation
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preference shall be entitled to receive all of our remaining assets according to their respective rights and preferences. Our consolidation or merger with or into any other corporation, trust or other entity, or the voluntary sale, transfer or conveyance of all or substantially all of our property or business, will not be deemed to constitute a Liquidation Event.
Redemption
Redemption at Our Option
The Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are perpetual and have no maturity date, and are not subject to any mandatory redemption, sinking fund or other similar provisions. We may, at our option, redeem the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares for cash in whole or in part, from time to time, at any time on or after May 24, 2021, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice at a redemption price equal to $25.00 per share, plus any accumulated and unpaid dividends to, but excluding, the date fixed for redemption. Holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares will have no right to require the redemption or repurchase of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares. Investors should not expect us to redeem the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares on or after the date such shares become redeemable at our option.
If Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are to be redeemed, the notice of redemption shall be given by first class mail to the holders of record of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares to be redeemed, mailed not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption thereof (provided that, if the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are held in book-entry form through The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) we may give such notice in any manner permitted by DTC). Each notice of redemption will include a statement setting forth: (i) the redemption date, (ii) the number of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares to be redeemed and, if less than all the shares held by such holder are to be redeemed, the number of such shares to be redeemed from such holder, (iii) the redemption price and (iv) the place or places where holders may surrender certificates evidencing Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares for payment of the redemption price. If notice of redemption of any Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares has been given and if the funds necessary for such redemption have been set aside by us for the benefit of the holders of any Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares so called for redemption, then, from and after the redemption date, dividends will cease to accrue on such Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, such Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares shall no longer be deemed outstanding and all rights of the holders of such shares will terminate, except the right to receive the redemption price, without interest.
In the case of any redemption of only part of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares at the time outstanding, the shares to be redeemed shall be selected either pro rata or by lot.
We may also redeem the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares in limited circumstances relating to maintaining our qualification as a REIT, as described below in “—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
Special Redemption Option upon a Change of Control
Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control (as defined below), we may redeem for cash, in whole or in part, the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares within 120 days after the date on which such Change of Control occurred, by paying $25.00 per share, plus any accumulated and unpaid dividends to, but excluding, the date fixed for redemption. If, prior to the Change of Control Conversion Date (as defined below under the caption “—Conversion Rights”), we have provided or provide notice of redemption with respect to the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares (whether pursuant to our optional redemption right
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or our special redemption option), the holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares will not be permitted to exercise the conversion right described below under “—Conversion Rights” with respect to the shares subject to such notice.
We will mail to you, if you are a record holder of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, a notice of redemption no fewer than 30 days nor more than 60 days before the redemption date. We will send the notice to your address shown on our transfer books. A failure to give notice of redemption or any defect in the notice or in its mailing will not affect the validity of the redemption of any Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares except as to the holder to whom notice was defective. Each notice will state the following:
| • | the redemption date; |
| • | the special redemption price; |
| • | a statement setting forth the calculation of such special redemption price; |
| • | the number of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares to be redeemed; |
| • | the place or places where the certificates, if any, representing Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are to be surrendered for payment of the redemption price; |
| • | procedures for surrendering noncertificated Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares for payment of the redemption price; |
| • | that dividends on the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares to be redeemed will cease to accrue on such redemption date unless we fail to pay the redemption price on such date; |
| • | that payment of the redemption price and any accrued and unpaid dividends will be made upon presentation and surrender of such Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares; |
| • | that the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are being redeemed pursuant to our special redemption option right in connection with the occurrence of a Change of Control and a brief description of the transaction or transactions constituting such Change of Control; and |
| • | that the holders of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares to which the notice relates will not be able to tender such Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares for conversion in connection with the Change of Control and each Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Share tendered for conversion that is selected, prior to the Change of Control Conversion Date, for redemption will be redeemed on the related date of redemption instead of converted on the Change of Control Conversion Date. |
A “Change of Control” means, after the initial issuance of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, the following have occurred and are continuing:
| • | the acquisition by any person, including any syndicate or group deemed to be a “person” under Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act, of beneficial ownership, directly or indirectly, through a purchase, merger or other acquisition transaction or series of purchases, mergers or other acquisition transactions of securities of the Company entitling that person to exercise more than 50% of the total voting power of all shares of beneficial interest of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of our trustees (except that such person will be deemed to have beneficial ownership of all securities that such person has the right to acquire, whether such right is currently exercisable or is exercisable only upon the occurrence of a subsequent condition); and |
| • | following the closing of any transaction referred to in the bullet point above, neither we nor the acquiring or surviving entity has a class of common securities (or American Depositary Receipts representing such securities) listed on the NYSE, the NYSE MKT or the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”), or listed or quoted on an exchange or quotation system that is a successor to the NYSE, the NYSE MKT or Nasdaq. |
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Conversion Rights
Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control, each holder of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares will have the right (unless, prior to the Change of Control Conversion Date (as defined below), we have provided or provide notice of our election to redeem, in whole or in part, the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares as described above under “-Redemption”) to convert some or all of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares held by such holder (the “Change of Control Conversion Right”), on the Change of Control Conversion Date (as defined below) into a number of our Class A common shares per Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Share to be converted equal to the lesser of:
| • | the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the sum of (x) the liquidation preference amount of $25.00 per Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Share, plus (y) any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon (whether or not declared) to, but excluding, the Change of Control Conversion Date (unless the Change of Control Conversion Date is after a record date for a Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares dividend payment for which dividends have been declared and prior to the corresponding Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares dividend payment date, in which case no additional amount for such accrued and unpaid dividend will be included in this sum and such declared dividend will instead be paid, on such dividend payment date, to the holder of record of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares to be converted as of 5:00 p.m. New York City time, on such record date) by (ii) the Class A Share Price (as defined below); and |
| • | 3.16 (the “Share Cap”), subject to certain adjustments; |
subject, in each case, to provisions for the receipt of alternative consideration.
The Share Cap is subject to pro rata adjustments for any share splits (including those effected pursuant to a distribution of our common shares), subdivisions or combinations (in each case, a “Share Split”) with respect to our common shares as follows: the adjusted Share Cap as the result of a Share Split will be the number of common shares that is equivalent to the product obtained by multiplying (i) the Share Cap in effect immediately prior to such Share Split by (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of common shares outstanding after giving effect to such Share Split and the denominator of which is the number of our common shares outstanding immediately prior to such Share Split.
In the case of a Change of Control pursuant to which our common shares will be converted into cash, securities or other property or assets (including any combination thereof) (the “Alternative Form Consideration”), a holder of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares will receive upon conversion of such Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares the kind and amount of Alternative Form Consideration that such holder would have owned or to which that holder would have been entitled to receive upon the Change of Control had such holder held a number of shares of our common shares equal to the Common Share Conversion Consideration immediately prior to the effective time of the Change of Control (the “Alternative Conversion Consideration,” and the Common Share Conversion Consideration or the Alternative Conversion Consideration, as may be applicable to a Change of Control, is referred to as the “Conversion Consideration”).
If the holders of our common shares have the opportunity to elect the form of consideration to be received in the Change of Control, the Conversion Consideration will be deemed to be the kind and amount of consideration actually received by holders of a majority of our common shares that voted for such an election (if electing between two types of consideration) or holders of a plurality of our common shares that voted for such an election (if electing between more than two types of consideration), as the case may be, and will be subject to any limitations to which all holders of our common shares are subject, including, without limitation, pro rata reductions applicable to any portion of the consideration payable in the Change of Control.
Within 15 days following the occurrence of a Change of Control, we will provide to holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares a notice of occurrence of the Change of Control that describes the resulting Change of Control Conversion Right. This notice will state the following:
| • | the events constituting the Change of Control; |
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| • | the date of the Change of Control; |
| • | the last date and time by which the holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares may exercise their Change of Control Conversion Right; |
| • | the method and period for calculating the Class A Share Price; |
| • | the Change of Control Conversion Date; |
| • | that if, prior to the Change of Control Conversion Date, we have provided or provide notice of our election to redeem all or any portion of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, holders will not be able to convert Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares designated for redemption and such shares will be redeemed on the related redemption date, even if such shares have already been tendered for conversion pursuant to the Change of Control Conversion Right; |
| • | if applicable, the type and amount of Alternative Conversion Consideration entitled to be received per Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Share; |
| • | the name and address of the paying agent and the conversion agent; and |
| • | the procedures that the holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares must follow to exercise the Change of Control Conversion Right. |
We will issue a press release for publication on the Dow Jones & Company, Inc., Business Wire, PR Newswire or Bloomberg Business News (or, if these organizations are not in existence at the time of issuance of the press release, such other news or press organization as is reasonably calculated to broadly disseminate the relevant information to the public), or post a notice on our website, in any event prior to the opening of business on the first business day following any date on which we provide the notice described above to the holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares.
To exercise the Change of Control Conversion Right, the holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares will be required to deliver, on or before the close of business on the Change of Control Conversion Date, the certificates (if any) or book entries representing Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares to be converted, duly endorsed for transfer (if certificates are delivered), together with a completed written conversion notice to our transfer agent. The conversion notice must state:
| • | the relevant Change of Control Conversion Date; |
| • | the number of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares to be converted; and |
| • | that the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are to be converted pursuant to the change of control conversion right held by holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares. |
We will not issue fractional Class A common shares upon the conversion of the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares s. Instead, we will pay the cash value of any fractional share otherwise due, computed on the basis of the applicable Class A Share Price.
The “Change of Control Conversion Date” is the date on which the Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are to be converted, which will be a business day selected by us that is no fewer than 20 days nor more than 35 days after the date on which we provide the notice described above to the holders of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares.
The “Class A Share Price” will be (i) if the consideration to be received in the Change of Control by the holders of our Class A common shares is solely cash, the amount of cash consideration per Class A common share or (ii) if the consideration to be received in the Change of Control by holders of our Class A common shares is other
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than solely cash (x) the average of the closing sale prices per share of our Class A common shares (or, if no closing sale price is reported, the average of the closing bid and ask prices or, if more than one in either case, the average of the average closing bid and the average closing ask prices) for the 10 consecutive trading days immediately preceding, but not including, the effective date of the Change of Control as reported on the principal U.S. securities exchange on which our Class A common shares are then traded, or (y) the average of the last quoted bid prices for our Class A common shares in the over-the-counter market as reported by OTC Markets Group, Inc. or similar organization for the 10 consecutive trading days immediately preceding, but not including, the effective date of the Change of Control, if our Class A common shares are not then listed for trading on a U.S. securities exchange.
Listing
Our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “AMHPRD.”
Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares
The following description of certain terms and conditions of our 6.35% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares does not purport to be complete and is in all respects subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary setting forth the terms of our Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, our bylaws and Maryland law. Our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary for our Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, and our bylaws are incorporated by reference into this prospectus from our SEC filings. The terms and provisions of our Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are substantially the same as those of our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares as described in “—Description of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares” above, except that the original issue date for the Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares was June 29, 2016, the first dividend on the Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares was paid on September 30, 2016 to holders of record as of September 15, 2016 and the share cap is 2.6596. Our Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “AMHPRE.”
Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares
The following description of certain terms and conditions of our 5.875% Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares does not purport to be complete and is in all respects subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary setting forth the terms of our Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, our bylaws and Maryland law. Our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary for our Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, and our bylaws are incorporated by reference into this prospectus from our SEC filings. The terms and provisions of our Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are substantially the same as those of our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares as described in “—Description of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares” above, except that the original issue date for the Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares was April 24, 2017, the first dividend on the Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares was paid on June 30, 2017 to holders of record as of June 15, 2017 and the share cap is 2.1044. Our Series F Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “AMHPRF.”
Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares
The following description of certain terms and conditions of our 5.875% Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares does not purport to be complete and is in all respects subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary setting forth the terms of our Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, our bylaws and Maryland law. Our declaration
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of trust, including the Articles Supplementary for our Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, and our bylaws are incorporated by reference into this prospectus from our SEC filings. The terms and provisions of our Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are substantially the same as those of our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares as described in “—Description of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares” above, except that the original issue date for the Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares was July 17, 2017, the first dividend on the Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares was paid on September 30, 2017 to holders of record as of September 15, 2017 and the share cap is 2.2242. Our Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “AMHPRG.”
Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares
The following description of certain terms and conditions of our 6.25% Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares does not purport to be complete and is in all respects subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary setting forth the terms of our Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, our bylaws and Maryland law. Our declaration of trust, including the Articles Supplementary for our Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares, and our bylaws are incorporated by reference into this prospectus from our SEC filings. The terms and provisions of our Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are substantially the same as those of our Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares as described in “—Description of Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares” above, except that the original issue date for the Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares was September 19, 2018, the first dividend on the Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares was paid on December 31, 2018 to holders of record as of December 14, 2018 and the share cap is 2.2173. Our Series H Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “AMHPRH.”
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DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
General
We may issue receipts for depositary shares, each of which will represent a fractional interest of a preferred share of a particular series, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Preferred shares of each series represented by depositary shares will be deposited under a separate deposit agreement among us, the depositary named therein and the holders from time to time of the depositary receipts. Subject to the terms of the applicable deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary receipt will be entitled, in proportion to the fractional interest of a preferred share of a particular series represented by the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipt, to all the rights and preferences of the preferred shares represented by such depositary shares (including dividend, voting, conversion, redemption and liquidation rights).
The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the applicable deposit agreement. Immediately following the issuance and delivery of the preferred shares by us to a preferred share depositary, we will cause such preferred shares depositary to issue, on our behalf, the depositary receipts. Copies of the applicable form of deposit agreement and depositary receipt may be obtained from us upon request, and the statements made hereunder relating to the deposit agreement and the depositary receipts to be issued thereunder are summaries of certain provisions thereof and do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the applicable deposit agreement and related depositary receipts.
Dividends and Other Distributions
The preferred share depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions received in respect of the preferred shares to the record holders of depositary receipts evidencing the related depositary shares in proportion to the number of such depositary receipts owned by such holders, subject to certain obligations of holders to file proofs, certificates and other information and to pay certain charges and expenses to the preferred shares depositary.
In the event of a distribution other than in cash, the preferred shares depositary will distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary receipts entitled thereto, subject to certain obligations of holders to file proofs, certificates and other information and to pay certain charges and expenses to the preferred shares depositary, unless the preferred shares depositary determines that it is not feasible to make such distribution, in which case the preferred shares depositary may, with our approval, sell such property and distribute the net proceeds from such sale to such holders.
No distribution will be made in respect of any depositary share to the extent that it represents any preferred shares converted into other securities.
Withdrawal of Shares
Upon surrender of the depositary receipts at the corporate trust office of the applicable preferred shares depositary (unless the related depositary shares have previously been called for redemption or converted into other securities), the holders thereof will be entitled to delivery at such office, to or upon such holder’s order, of the number of whole or fractional preferred shares and any money or other property represented by the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipts. Holders of depositary receipts will be entitled to receive whole or fractional preferred shares on the basis of the proportion of preferred shares represented by each depositary share as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, but holders of such preferred shares will not thereafter be entitled to receive depositary shares therefor. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing the number of preferred shares to be withdrawn, the preferred shares depositary will deliver to such holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing such excess number of depositary shares.
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Redemption of Depositary Shares
Whenever we redeem preferred shares held by the preferred shares depositary, the preferred shares depositary will redeem as of the same redemption date the number of depositary shares representing preferred shares so redeemed, provided we shall have paid in full to the preferred shares depositary the redemption price of the preferred shares to be redeemed plus an amount equal to any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon to the date fixed for redemption. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the corresponding proportion of the redemption price and any other amounts per share payable with respect to the preferred shares. If fewer than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected pro rata (as nearly as may be practicable without creating fractional depositary shares) or by any other equitable method determined by us that will not result in a violation of the ownership restrictions in our declaration of trust. See “Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
From and after the date fixed for redemption, all dividends in respect of the preferred shares so called for redemption will cease to accrue, the depositary shares so called for redemption will no longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights of the holders of the depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares so called for redemption will cease, except the right to receive any moneys payable upon such redemption and any money or other property to which the holders of such depositary receipts were entitled upon such redemption and surrender thereof to the preferred shares depositary.
Voting of the Depositary Shares
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the applicable preferred shares are entitled to vote, the preferred shares depositary will mail the information contained in such notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares which represent such preferred shares. Each record holder of depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares on the record date (which will be the same date as the record date for the preferred shares) will be entitled to instruct the preferred shares depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount of preferred shares represented by such holder’s depositary shares. The preferred shares depositary will vote the amount of preferred shares represented by such depositary shares in accordance with such instructions, and we will agree to take all reasonable action which may be deemed necessary by the preferred shares depositary in order to enable the preferred shares depositary to do so. The preferred shares depositary will abstain from voting the amount of preferred shares represented by such depositary shares to the extent it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary receipts evidencing such depositary shares. The preferred shares depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instruction to vote, or for the manner or effect of any such vote made, as long as any such action or non-action is in good faith and does not result from negligence or willful misconduct of the preferred shares depositary.
Liquidation Preference
In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of each depositary receipt will be entitled to the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each preferred share represented by the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipt, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Conversion of the Depositary Shares
The depositary shares, as such, are not convertible into common shares or any of our other securities or property. Nevertheless, if so specified in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to an offering of depositary shares, the depositary receipts may be surrendered by holders thereof to the preferred shares depositary with written instructions to the preferred shares depositary to instruct us to cause conversion of the preferred shares represented by the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipts into whole common shares, other preferred shares, and we have agreed that upon receipt of such instructions and any amounts payable in respect
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thereof, we will cause the conversion thereof utilizing the same procedures as those provided for delivery of preferred shares to effect such conversion. If the depositary shares evidenced by a depositary receipt are to be converted in part only, a new depositary receipt or receipts will be issued for any depositary shares not to be converted. No fractional common shares will be issued upon conversion, and if such conversion would result in a fractional share being issued, an amount will be paid in cash by us equal to the value of the fractional interest based upon the closing price of the common shares on the last business day prior to the conversion.
Amendment and Termination of Deposit Agreement
The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares which represent the preferred shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may at any time be amended by agreement between us and the preferred shares depositary. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary receipts or that would be materially and adversely inconsistent with the rights granted to the holders of the related preferred shares will not be effective unless such amendment has been approved by the existing holders of at least two-thirds of the applicable depositary shares evidenced by the applicable depositary receipts then outstanding. No amendment shall impair the right, subject to certain exceptions in the deposit agreement, of any holder of depositary receipts to surrender any depositary receipt with instructions to deliver to the holder the related preferred shares and all money and other property, if any, represented thereby, except in order to comply with law. Every holder of an outstanding depositary receipt at the time any such amendment becomes effective shall be deemed, by continuing to hold such receipt, to consent and agree to such amendment and to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended thereby.
The deposit agreement may be terminated by us upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice to the preferred shares depositary if (i) such termination is necessary to preserve our status as a REIT or (ii) a majority of each series of preferred shares affected by such termination consents to such termination, whereupon the preferred shares depositary shall deliver or make available to each holder of depositary receipts, upon surrender of the depositary receipts held by such holder, such number of whole or fractional preferred shares as are represented by the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipts together with any other property held by the preferred shares depositary with respect to such depositary receipts. We have agreed that if the deposit agreement is terminated to preserve our status as a REIT, then we will use our best efforts to list the preferred shares issued upon surrender of the related depositary shares on a national securities exchange. In addition, the deposit agreement will automatically terminate if (i) all outstanding depositary shares shall have been redeemed, (ii) there shall have been a final distribution in respect of the related preferred shares in connection with our liquidation, dissolution or winding up and such distribution shall have been distributed to the holders of depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares representing such preferred shares or (iii) each related preferred share shall have been converted into our securities not so represented by depositary shares.
Charges of Preferred Shares Depositary
We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the deposit agreement. In addition, we will pay the fees and expenses of the preferred shares depositary in connection with the performance of its duties under the deposit agreement. However, holders of depositary receipts will pay the fees and expenses of the preferred shares depositary for any duties requested by such holders to be performed which are outside of those expressly provided for in the deposit agreement.
Resignation and Removal of Depositary
The preferred shares depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may at any time remove the preferred shares depositary, any such resignation or removal to take effect upon the appointment of a successor preferred shares depositary. A successor preferred shares depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having a combined capital and surplus of at least $10,000,000.
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Miscellaneous
The preferred shares depositary will forward to holders of depositary receipts any reports and communications from the Company which are received by the preferred shares depositary with respect to the related preferred shares.
Neither the preferred shares depositary nor the Company will be liable if it is prevented from or delayed in, by law or any circumstances beyond its control, performing its obligations under the deposit agreement. The obligations of us and the preferred shares depositary under the deposit agreement will be limited to performing their duties thereunder in good faith and without negligence (in the case of any action or inaction in the voting of preferred shares represented by the depositary shares), gross negligence or willful misconduct, and we and the preferred shares depositary will not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary receipts, depositary shares or preferred shares represented thereby unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the preferred shares depositary may rely on written advice of counsel or accountants, or information provided by persons presenting preferred shares represented thereby for deposit, holders of depositary receipts or other persons believed in good faith to be competent to give such information, and on documents believed in good faith to be genuine and signed by a proper party.
In the event the preferred shares depositary shall receive conflicting claims, requests or instructions from any holders of depositary receipts, on the one hand, and us, on the other hand, the preferred shares depositary shall be entitled to act on such claims, requests or instructions received from us.
Restrictions on Ownership
Holders of depositary receipts will be subject to the ownership restrictions set forth in the declaration of trust. See “Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
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We may offer by means of this prospectus warrants for the purchase of our preferred shares, depositary shares representing preferred shares or common shares. We may issue warrants separately or together with any other securities offered by means of this prospectus, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from such securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent specified therein. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants of such series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants.
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the following terms, where applicable, of the warrants in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered:
| • | the title and issuer of such warrants; |
| • | the aggregate number of such warrants; |
| • | the price or prices at which such warrants will be issued; |
| • | the currencies in which the price or prices of such warrants may be payable; |
| • | the designation, amount and terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants; |
| • | the designation and terms of the other securities with which such warrants are issued and the number of such warrants issued with each such security; |
| • | if applicable, the date on and after which such warrants and the securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants will be separately transferable; |
| • | the price or prices at which and currency or currencies in which the securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants may be purchased; |
| • | the date on which the right to exercise such warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire; |
| • | the minimum or maximum amount of such warrants which may be exercised at any one time; |
| • | information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; |
| • | a discussion of material federal income tax considerations; and |
| • | any other material terms of such warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of such warrants. |
Restrictions on Ownership
Holders of warrants will be subject to the ownership restrictions set forth in the declaration of trust. See “Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
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We may issue rights to our shareholders for the purchase of common shares. Each series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as rights agent, all as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular issue of rights. The rights agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the certificates relating to the rights of such series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders of rights certificates or beneficial owners of rights. The rights agreement and the rights certificates relating to each series of rights will be filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the rights to be issued, including the following, where applicable:
| • | the date for determining the shareholders entitled to the rights distribution; |
| • | the aggregate number of common shares purchasable upon exercise of such rights and the exercise price; |
| • | the aggregate number of rights being issued; |
| • | the date, if any, on and after which such rights may be transferable separately; |
| • | the date on which the right to exercise such rights shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire; |
| • | any special U.S. federal income tax consequences; and |
| • | any other terms of such rights, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the distribution, exchange and exercise of such rights. |
Restrictions on Ownership
Holders of rights will be subject to the ownership restrictions set forth in the declaration of trust. See “Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
Our operating partnership may issue debt securities in one or more series under the indenture, dated as of February 7, 2018, between our operating partnership, as issuer, and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. References herein to the “Indenture” refer to such indenture and references to the “Trustee” refer to such trustee or any other trustee for any particular series of debt securities issued under the Indenture. The terms of the debt securities of any series will be those specified in or pursuant to the Indenture and in the applicable debt securities of that series and those made part of the Indenture by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”).
The following description of selected provisions of the Indenture and the debt securities that may be issued thereunder is not complete, and the description of selected terms of the debt securities of a particular series included in the applicable prospectus supplement also will not be complete. You should review the Indenture, any supplemental indentures and the form of the applicable debt securities, which forms have been or will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or as exhibits to documents which have been or will be incorporated by reference in this prospectus. To obtain a copy of the Indenture or the form of the applicable debt securities, see “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus. The following description of debt securities and the description of the debt securities of the particular series in the applicable prospectus supplement are qualified in their entirety by reference to all of the provisions of the Indenture, any supplemental indentures and the applicable debt securities, which provisions, including defined terms, are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this section shall have the meanings assigned to those terms in the Indenture.
The following description of debt securities describes general terms and provisions of the series of debt securities to which any prospectus supplement may relate. When the debt securities of a particular series are offered for sale, the specific terms of such debt securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If any particular terms of such debt securities described in a prospectus supplement are inconsistent with any of the terms of the debt securities generally described in this prospectus, then the terms described in the applicable prospectus supplement will supersede the terms described in this prospectus.
General
Our operating partnership may issue an unlimited principal amount of debt securities under the Indenture. The Indenture provides that debt securities of any series may be issued up to the aggregate principal amount which may be authorized from time to time by our operating partnership. Please read the applicable prospectus supplement relating to the debt securities of the particular series being offered thereby for the specific terms of such debt securities, including, where applicable:
| • | the title of the series of debt securities and whether the debt securities are senior or subordinated; |
| • | the aggregate principal amount of debt securities of the series and any limit thereon; |
| • | whether such debt securities are to be issuable in global form or as registered securities; |
| • | the date or dates on which our operating partnership will pay the principal of and premium, if any, on debt securities of the series, or the method used to determine such date or dates; |
| • | the rate or rates, which may be fixed or variable, at which debt securities of the series will bear interest, if any, or the method or methods, if any, used to determine such rate or rates; |
| • | the basis used to calculate interest, if any, on the debt securities of the series if other than a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months; |
| • | the date or dates, if any, from which interest on the debt securities of the series will accrue, or the method or methods, if any, used to determine such date or dates; |
| • | the date or dates, if any, on which the interest on the debt securities of the series will be payable and the record dates for any such payment of interest; |
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| • | the terms and conditions, if any, upon which our operating partnership is required to, or may, at its option, redeem debt securities of the series; |
| • | the terms and conditions, if any, upon which our operating partnership will be required to repurchase debt securities of the series at the option of the holders of debt securities of the series; |
| • | the terms of any sinking fund or analogous provision; |
| • | if other than the entire principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the debt securities of the series which will be payable upon acceleration if other than the full principal amount; |
| • | the authorized denominations in which debt securities of the series will be issued, if other than minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof; |
| • | the place or places where (1) amounts due on the debt securities of the series will be payable, (2) the debt securities of the series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, (3) the debt securities of the series may be surrendered for conversion or exchange and (4) notices or demands to or upon our operating partnership in respect of the debt securities of the series or the Indenture may be served, if different than the corporate trust office of the Trustee; |
| • | the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities will be convertible into and/or exchangeable for equity or other securities or property of our operating partnership or any other Person; |
| • | if other than Dollars, the currency or currencies in which purchases of, and payments on, the debt securities of the series must be made, the manner of determining the equivalent thereof in Dollars for any purpose, and the ability, if any, of our operating partnership or the holders of debt securities of the series to elect for payments to be made in any other currency or currencies and the terms and conditions upon which such election may be made; |
| • | whether the amount of payments on the debt securities of the series may be determined with reference to an index, formula, or other method or methods (any of those debt securities being referred to as “Indexed Securities”) and the manner used to determine those amounts; |
| • | any addition to, modification of, or deletion of, any covenant or Event of Default with respect to debt securities of the series or any guarantee; |
| • | whether the securities will be secured; |
| • | the covenants subject to covenant defeasance; |
| • | the terms and conditions, if any, upon which debt securities are to be issuable upon the exercise of warrants; |
| • | the identity of the depositary for the global debt securities; |
| • | the circumstances under which our operating partnership or any guarantor will pay Additional Amounts on the debt securities of the series in respect of any tax, assessment, or other governmental charge and whether our operating partnership will have the option to redeem such debt securities rather than pay the Additional Amounts; |
| • | if there is more than one trustee, the identity of the trustee that has any obligations, duties and remedies with respect to the debt securities and, if not the trustee, the identity of each security registrar, paying agent or authenticating agent with respect to the debt securities; |
| • | the terms of any guarantee of the debt securities and the identity of any guarantor or guarantors of the debt securities; |
| • | if the principal amount payable at the stated maturity of the debt securities of the series will not be determinable as of any one or more dates prior to the stated maturity, the amount which shall be deemed to be the principal amount of such debt securities as of any date; |
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| • | whether the debt securities will not be issued in a transaction registered under the Securities Act and any restriction or condition on the transferability of the debt securities of such series; |
| • | the exchanges, if any, on which the debt securities of the series may be listed; |
| • | the price or prices at which the debt securities of the series will be sold; |
| • | if debt securities issuable in global form are to be issuable in definitive form, then the forms and terms related to such issuance; |
| • | the Person to whom any interest on any registered security shall be payable, if other than the person in whose name such security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such payment and the manner in which any interest payable on a temporary global security will be paid if other than in the manner provided in the Indenture; |
| • | any additional covenants subject to waiver by the act of the holders of debt securities pursuant to the Indenture; and |
| • | any other terms of debt securities of the series and any deletions from or modifications or additions to the Indenture in respect of such securities. |
As used in this prospectus, references to the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the debt securities of a series include Additional Amounts, if any, payable on the debt securities of such series in that context.
Our operating partnership may issue debt securities as original issue discount securities to be sold at a substantial discount below their principal amount. In the event of an acceleration of the maturity of any original issue discount security, the amount payable to the holder upon acceleration will be determined in the manner described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Important federal income tax and other considerations applicable to original issue discount securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The terms of the debt securities of any series may be inconsistent with the terms of the debt securities of any other series. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, our operating partnership may, without the consent of, or notice to, the holders of the debt securities of any series, reopen an existing series of debt securities and issue additional debt securities of that series.
Other than to the extent provided with respect to the debt securities of a particular series and described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the Indenture will not contain any provisions that would limit the ability of our operating partnership to incur indebtedness or to substantially reduce or eliminate our operating partnership’s consolidated assets, which may have a material adverse effect on the ability of our operating partnership to service our operating partnership’s indebtedness (including the debt securities) or that would afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event of:
| (1) | a highly leveraged or similar transaction involving our operating partnership’s management, or any affiliate of any of those parties, |
| (2) | a change of control, or |
| (3) | a reorganization, restructuring, merger, or similar transaction involving our operating partnership or its affiliates. |
Registration, Transfer, Payment and Paying Agent
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, each series of debt securities will be issued in registered form only, without coupons.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will be payable and may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange at an office of our operating partnership or an agent of our
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operating partnership in the continental United States. However, our operating partnership, at its option, may make payments of interest on any interest payment date on any debt security by check mailed to the address of the person entitled to receive that payment or by wire transfer to an account maintained by the payee with a bank located in the United States.
Any interest not punctually paid or duly provided for on any interest payment date with respect to the debt securities of any series will forthwith cease to be payable to the holders of those debt securities on the applicable regular record date and may either be paid to the persons in whose names those debt securities are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of the interest not punctually paid or duly provided for to be fixed by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to the holders of those debt securities not less than 10 days prior to the special record date, or may be paid at any time in any other lawful manner, all as completely described in the Indenture.
Subject to certain limitations imposed on debt securities issued in book-entry form, the debt securities of any series will be exchangeable for other debt securities of the same series and of a like aggregate principal amount and tenor of different authorized denominations upon surrender of those debt securities at the designated place or places. In addition, subject to certain limitations imposed upon debt securities issued in book-entry form, the debt securities of any series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange thereof at the designated place or places if duly endorsed or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer. No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange, redemption or repayment of debt securities, but our operating partnership may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with certain of those transactions.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, our operating partnership will not be required to:
| • | issue, register the transfer of or exchange debt securities of any series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before any selection of debt securities of that series of like tenor and terms to be redeemed and ending at the close of business on the day of that selection; |
| • | register the transfer of or exchange any debt security, or portion of any debt security, called for redemption, except the unredeemed portion of any debt security being redeemed in part; or |
| • | issue, register the transfer of or exchange a debt security which has been surrendered for repurchase at the option of the holder, except the portion, if any, of the debt security not to be repurchased. |
Outstanding Debt Securities
In determining whether the holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding debt securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, or waiver under the Indenture:
| • | the principal amount of an original issue discount security that shall be deemed to be outstanding for these purposes shall be that portion of the principal amount of the original issue discount security that would be due and payable upon acceleration of the original issue discount security as of the date of the determination, |
| • | the principal amount of any Indexed Security that shall be deemed to be outstanding for these purposes shall be the principal amount of the Indexed Security determined on the date of its original issuance, unless otherwise provided in the Indenture, |
| • | the principal amount of a debt security denominated in a foreign currency shall be the U.S. dollar equivalent, determined on the date of its original issuance, of the principal amount of the debt security, and |
| • | a debt security owned by our operating partnership, the Company or any obligor on the debt security or any affiliate of our operating partnership, the Company or such other obligor shall be deemed not to be outstanding. |
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Redemption and Repurchase
The debt securities of any series may be redeemable at our operating partnership’s option or may be subject to mandatory redemption by our operating partnership as required by a sinking fund or otherwise. In addition, the debt securities of any series may be subject to repurchase by our operating partnership at the option of the holders. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms and conditions regarding any optional or mandatory redemption or option to repurchase the debt securities of the related series.
Covenants
Existence
Except as permitted under “—Merger, Consolidation or Sale,” each of our operating partnership and any guarantor will do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its existence, and rights (charter and statutory) and franchises. However, neither our operating partnership nor any guarantor shall be required to preserve any such right or franchise if the Board of Trustees (or any duly authorized committee of the Board of Trustees), as applicable, shall determine that the preservation of the right or franchise is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of our operating partnership or any guarantor, as applicable.
Maintenance of Properties
Our operating partnership will cause all of its material properties used or useful in the conduct of its business or any of its Subsidiaries’ businesses to be maintained and kept in good condition, repair and working order, normal wear and tear, casualty and condemnation excepted, and supplied with all necessary equipment and cause all necessary repairs, renewals, replacements, betterments and improvements to be made, all as in our operating partnership’s judgment may be necessary in order for our operating partnership to at all times properly and advantageously conduct its business carried on in connection with such properties. Our operating partnership will not be prevented from (1) removing permanently any property that has been condemned or suffered a casualty loss, if it is in its best interests, (2) discontinuing maintenance or operation of any property if, in its reasonable judgment, doing so is in its best interest and is not disadvantageous in any material respect to the holders of the debt securities, or (3) selling or otherwise disposing for value its properties in the ordinary course of business.
Insurance
Our operating partnership will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, keep in force upon all of our operating partnership’s and each of its Subsidiaries’ properties and operations insurance policies carried with responsible companies in such amounts and covering all such risks as is customary in the industry in which our operating partnership and its Subsidiaries do business in accordance with prevailing market conditions and availability.
Payment of Taxes and Other Claims
Our operating partnership will pay or discharge or cause to be paid or discharged before it becomes delinquent:
| • | all material taxes, assessments and governmental charges levied or imposed on our operating partnership or any of its Subsidiaries or on its or any such Subsidiary’s income, profits or property; and |
| • | all material lawful claims for labor, materials and supplies that, if unpaid, might by law become a material Lien upon its property or the property of its Subsidiaries. |
However, our operating partnership will not be required to pay or discharge or cause to be paid or discharged any tax, assessment, charge or claim the amount, applicability or validity of which is being contested in good faith.
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Additional Covenants
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe any additional material covenants relating to such series of debt securities.
Events of Default
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of any series is defined in the Indenture as being:
| (1) | default for thirty (30) days in the payment of any installment of interest or Additional Amounts payable with respect to such interest under the debt securities of that series; |
| (2) | default in the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, on or, any Additional Amounts payable in respect of any principal of or premium, if any, on the debt securities of that series, when the same becomes due and payable or default is made in the deposit of any sinking fund payment with respect to the debt securities of that series when due; |
| (3) | our operating partnership fails to comply with any of our operating partnership’s other agreements contained in the debt securities or the Indenture (other than an agreement a default in whose performance or whose breach is elsewhere specifically dealt with in the Indenture or which has expressly been included in the Indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series) upon receipt by our operating partnership of notice of such default by the Trustee or receipt by our operating partnership and the Trustee of written notice of such default by holders of not less than twenty five percent (25%) in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding and our operating partnership fails to cure (or obtain a waiver of) such default within ninety (90) days after our operating partnership receives such notice; |
| (4) | the guarantee of any guarantor ceases to be in full force and effect or such guarantor denies or disaffirms in writing its obligations under the Indenture or its guarantee, unless otherwise permitted under the Indenture; |
| (5) | failure to pay any recourse indebtedness for monies borrowed by our operating partnership in an outstanding principal amount in excess of $100,000,000 at final maturity or upon acceleration after the expiration of any applicable notice and grace period, which recourse indebtedness is not discharged, or such default in payment or acceleration is not cured or rescinded, within thirty (30) days after written notice of such failure to our operating partnership from the Trustee (or to our operating partnership and the Trustee from holders of at least twenty five percent (25%) in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series); |
| (6) | specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency, or reorganization with respect to our operating partnership, any guarantor or any Significant Subsidiary. |
No Event of Default with respect to any particular series of debt securities necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. The Trustee is required to give notice to holders of the debt securities of the applicable series within 90 days after the Trustee has actual knowledge (as such knowledge is described in the Indenture) of a default relating to such debt securities; provided, however, that the Trustee may withhold notice to the holders of the debt securities of such series of any default, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any debt securities of such series, or in the payment of any sinking fund installment, if and so long as specified responsible officers of the Trustee determine in good faith that the withholding of the notice is in the interest of the holders; and provided further that in the case of an Event of Default as described in (3) above, the Trustee will not give notice to the holders until at least 90 days after the occurrence thereof.
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If an Event of Default specified in clause (6) above occurs, then the principal of, and premium, if any, on all the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series and unpaid interest, if any, accrued thereon shall automatically become immediately due and payable. If any other Event of Default with respect to the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series occurs and is continuing, either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding may declare the principal of, and premium, if any, on, or if debt securities of that series are original issue discount securities such lesser amount as may be specified in the terms of that series of debt securities, and unpaid interest, if any, accrued thereon to be due and payable immediately. However, upon specified conditions, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series then outstanding may rescind and annul any such declaration of acceleration and its consequences if:
| • | our operating partnership has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum of money sufficient to pay all required payments as specified in the Indenture, including payments of the principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to the debt securities of such series, and specified compensation, expenses, disbursement and advances of the Trustee; and |
| • | all Events of Default with respect to the debt securities of such series, other than the non-payment of principal of, any premium and interest on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to the debt securities of such series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in the Indenture. |
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series may waive any past default with respect to the debt securities of such series and its consequences, except:
| • | a continuing default in the payment of the principal of, any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to, any debt security of such series, or |
| • | in the case of any debt securities which are convertible into or exchangeable for common equity or other securities or property, a continuing default in any such conversion or exchange, or |
| • | a continuing default in respect of a covenant or provision contained in the Indenture that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security of such series affected. |
The Indenture provides that no holders of debt securities of any series may institute any proceedings, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the Indenture or the debt securities of such series, or for the appointment of a receiver or Trustee, or for any remedy thereunder, except in the case of failure of the Trustee, for 60 days, to act after it has received written notice of an Event of Default with respect to such series from a holder of a debt security of such series, a written request to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default from the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, as well as an offer of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it, and no inconsistent direction has been given to the Trustee during such 60 day period by the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Indenture, each holder of a debt security will have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, and any Additional Amounts on that debt security on the respective due dates for those payments, and in the case of any debt security which is convertible into or exchangeable for other securities or property, to convert or exchange as the case may be, such debt security in accordance with its terms, and to institute suit for the enforcement of those payments and any such right to convert or exchange, and this right shall not be impaired without the consent of such holder.
Subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act requiring the Trustee, during the continuance of an Event of Default under the Indenture, to act with the requisite standard of care, the Trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the Indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of debt securities of any series unless those holders have offered the Trustee indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of
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any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or of exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, provided that the direction would not conflict with any rule or law or with the Indenture or with any series of debt securities or involve the Trustee in personal liability, such direction would not be unduly prejudicial to the rights of any other holder of debt securities of that series (or the debt securities of any other series) not joining in such action, and the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction. In the event the Trustee takes any action or follows any direction pursuant to the Indenture, the Trustee is entitled to indemnification or security satisfactory to it against any loss or expense caused by taking or not taking such action or following such direction.
Within 120 calendar days after the close of each fiscal year, our operating partnership must deliver to the Trustee an officer’s certificate stating whether or not such certifying officer has knowledge of any default under the Indenture and, if so, specifying each such default and the nature and status thereof.
Modification, Waivers and Meetings
The Indenture permits our operating partnership and the Trustee, with the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series issued under the Indenture and affected by a modification or amendment (voting as separate classes), to modify or amend any of the provisions of the Indenture or of the debt securities of the applicable series or the rights of the holders of the debt securities of the applicable series under the Indenture. However, no modification or amendment shall, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security affected thereby:
| • | change the stated maturity of the principal of, or premium, if any, or any installment of interest, if any, on, or any Additional Amounts, if any, with respect to, any debt securities; or |
| • | reduce the principal of or any premium on any debt securities or reduce the rate (or modify the calculation of such rate) of interest on or the redemption or repurchase price of any debt securities, or any Additional Amounts payable with respect to any debt securities or related guarantee or change our operating partnership’s or any guarantor’s obligation to pay Additional Amounts; or |
| • | reduce the amount of principal of any original issue discount securities that would be due and payable upon acceleration of the maturity of any debt security; or |
| • | adversely affect any right of repayment or repurchase at the option of any holder; or |
| • | change any place where, or the currency in which, the principal of, any premium or interest on, or any Additional Amounts with respect to any debt securities or guarantees are payable; or |
| • | impair the holder’s right to institute suit to enforce the payment of any debt securities or guarantee on or after their stated maturity (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the redemption date, or on or after the date for a repayment or repurchase); or |
| • | reduce the percentage of the outstanding debt securities of any series whose holders must consent to any modification or amendment or any waiver of compliance with specific provisions of the Indenture or specified defaults under the Indenture and their consequences; or |
| • | reduce the requirements for a quorum or voting at a meeting of holders of the applicable debt securities; or |
| • | modify the sections of the Indenture setting forth the provisions of the Indenture that may not be amended without the consent of holders, or providing for the waiver of past defaults and the waiver of certain covenants, except to increase any such percentage or provide that certain other provisions of the Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of holder of each outstanding debt security of such series; or |
| • | release a guarantor from any of the obligations under a guarantee except as permitted under the Indenture, or |
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| • | make any change that adversely affects the right, if any, to convert or exchange any debt security for common equity or other securities or property; or |
| • | in the case of any debt security which is convertible into or exchangeable for common equity or other securities or property, impair the right to institute suit to enforce the right to convert or exchange such debt security in accordance with its terms; or |
| • | change the ranking of the debt securities of any series. |
The Indenture also contains provisions permitting our operating partnership and any guarantor, as applicable, and the Trustee, without the consent of the holders of any debt securities, to modify or amend the Indenture, among other things:
| • | to evidence a successor to our operating partnership or any guarantor, if applicable, as under the Indenture, or successive successions, and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of our operating partnership or any guarantor; or |
| • | to add to the covenants of our operating partnership or any guarantor for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities or to surrender any right or power conferred upon our operating partnership or any guarantor in the Indenture; or |
| • | to change or eliminate any restrictions on the payment of principal of or any premium or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any debt securities or any guarantee, provided any such action does not adversely affect the interest of the holders of debt securities of any series; or |
| • | to add to the Events of Default in a manner that benefits the holders of all or any series of debt securities issued under the Indenture; or |
| • | to establish the form or terms of debt securities of any series, and the form of the guarantee of debt securities of any series (provided that any such deletions, additions and changes shall not be applicable to any other series of debt securities then outstanding); or |
| • | to make any change necessary to comply with any requirement of the SEC in connection with the Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; or |
| • | to provide for any guarantee of the holders of debt securities of a series, to secure the debt securities or to confirm and evidence the release, termination or discharge of any guarantee of or lien securing the debt securities which such release, termination or discharge is permitted by the Indenture; or |
| • | to provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee or facilitate the administration of the trusts under the Indenture by more than one trustee; or |
| • | to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the Indenture; or |
| • | to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the holders of debt securities or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the Indenture of any holder in any material respect; or |
| • | to supplement any of the provisions of the Indenture to the extent necessary to permit or facilitate defeasance and discharge of any series of debt securities; provided, that the action shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of debt securities in any material respect; or |
| • | to provide for the issuance of additional debt securities, subject to the limitations established in the Indenture; or |
| • | to comply with the rules of any applicable depository or the rules or regulations of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which any of the debt securities may be listed or traded; or |
| • | to add to or change any provisions of the Indenture to such extent as is necessary to permit or facilitate the issuance of debt securities in uncertificated form; or |
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| • | to amend or supplement any provision contained in the Indenture, in any supplemental indenture or in any debt securities, provided that the amendment or supplement (i) does not (a) apply to any outstanding debt securities issued before the date of the amendment or supplement and entitled to the benefits of that provision, or (b) modify the rights of holders of any such debt securities with respect to such provision, or (ii) becomes effective only when no security described in clause (i)(a) is outstanding; or |
| • | to conform the terms of the Indenture or the debt securities of a series, as applicable, to the description thereof contained in any prospectus, prospectus supplement or other offering document relating to the offer and sale of such debt securities. |
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may waive our operating partnership’s compliance with some of the restrictive provisions of the Indenture, which may include covenants, if any, which are specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may, on behalf of all holders of debt securities of that series, waive any past default under the Indenture with respect to the debt securities of that series and its consequences, except a default which is continuing (i) in the payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on, and any Additional Amounts with respect to, the debt securities of that series, (ii) with respect to the conversion or exchange of a series of debt securities convertible or exchangeable into common equity of our operating partnership, or (iii) in respect of a covenant or provision which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security of the affected series.
The Indenture contains provisions for convening meetings of the holders of a series of debt securities. A meeting may be called at any time by the Trustee, and also, upon our operating partnership’s or any guarantor’s request, or the request of holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series. Notice of a meeting must be given in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture. Except for any consent which must be given by the holder of each outstanding debt security affected in the manner described above, any resolution presented at a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum, as described below, is present may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series. However, any resolution with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver, or other action which may be made, given or taken by the holders of a specified percentage, other than a majority, in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series may be adopted at a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present by the affirmative vote of the holders of that specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series. Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of holders of debt securities of any series duly held in accordance with the Indenture will be binding on all holders of debt securities of that series. The quorum at any meeting called to adopt a resolution, and at any reconvened meeting, will be persons holding or representing a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series, subject to exceptions; provided, however, that if any action is to be taken at that meeting with respect to a consent or waiver which may be given by the holders of a supermajority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series, the persons holding or representing that specified supermajority percentage in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series will constitute a quorum.
Merger, Consolidation or Sale
The Indenture provides that our operating partnership may merge or consolidate with or into, or sell, assign, convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of its property and assets to, any other entity, provided that the following conditions are met:
| • | our operating partnership shall be the continuing entity, or the successor entity (if other than our operating partnership) formed by or resulting from such consolidation or merger or which shall have |
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| received such sale, assignment, conveyance, transfer or lease of property and assets shall be domiciled in the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia and shall expressly assume by supplemental indenture payment of the principal of and interest on all of the debt securities and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions in the Indenture; |
| • | immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing; and |
| • | either our operating partnership or the successor Person, in either case, shall have delivered to the Trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, sale, assignment, conveyance, transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection with such transaction, such supplemental indenture comply with the Indenture and that all conditions precedent provided for relating to such transaction have been complied with. |
In the event of any transaction described in and complying with the conditions listed in the immediately preceding paragraphs in which our operating partnership is not the continuing entity, the successor person formed or remaining shall succeed, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of ours, and (except in the case of a lease) our operating partnership shall be discharged from its obligations under the debt securities and the Indenture.
Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
Satisfaction and Discharge
Upon our operating partnership’s direction, the Indenture shall cease to be of further effect with respect to the debt securities of any series specified by our operating partnership, subject to the survival of specified provisions of the Indenture (except for provisions that survive pursuant to the terms of the Indenture and the debt securities of such series), including (unless the accompanying prospectus supplement provides otherwise) our operating partnership’s obligation to repurchase such debt securities at the option of the holders thereof, if applicable, and our operating partnership’s, or any guarantor’s, if applicable, obligation to pay Additional Amounts in respect of such debt securities to the extent described below, when:
| • | either |
| (A) | all outstanding debt securities of that series have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, subject to exceptions, or |
| (B) | all debt securities of that series have become due and payable or will become due and payable at their maturity within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year, and our operating partnership has irrevocably deposited with the Trustee, in trust, funds in the currency in which the debt securities of that series are payable in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the debt securities of that series, including the principal thereof and, premium, if any, and interest, if any, thereon, and, to the extent that (x) the debt securities of that series provide for the payment of Additional Amounts and (y) the amount of any Additional Amounts which are or will be payable is at the time of deposit reasonably determinable by our operating partnership, in the exercise of its sole discretion, those Additional Amounts, to the date of such deposit, if the debt securities of that series have become due and payable, or to the maturity or redemption date of the debt securities of that series, as the case may be; |
and, in either case
| • | our operating partnership has paid all other sums payable under the Indenture with respect to the debt securities of that series (including amounts payable to the Trustee); and |
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| • | the Trustee has received an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel to the effect that all conditions precedent to the satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture in respect of the debt securities of such series have been satisfied. |
If the debt securities of any series provide for the payment of Additional Amounts, our operating partnership or any guarantor, as applicable, will remain obligated, following the deposit described above, to pay Additional Amounts on those debt securities to the extent that they exceed the amount deposited in respect of those Additional Amounts as described above.
Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, our operating partnership may elect with respect to the debt securities of the particular series either:
| • | to defease and discharge itself and any guarantor from any and all obligations with respect to those debt securities (“legal defeasance”), except for, among other things: |
| (A) | the obligation to pay Additional Amounts, if any, upon the occurrence of specified events of taxation, assessment, or governmental charge with respect to payments on those debt securities to the extent that those Additional Amounts exceed the amount deposited in respect of those amounts as provided below; |
| (B) | the obligations to register the transfer or exchange of those debt securities; |
| (C) | the obligation to replace mutilated, destroyed, lost, or stolen debt securities; |
| (D) | the obligation to maintain an office or agent of our operating partnership in the continental United States, in respect of those debt securities; |
| (E) | the rights of holders of such outstanding debt securities to receive payments from moneys held in trust when such payments are due; |
| (F) | the obligation, if applicable, to repurchase those debt securities at the option of the holders thereof; and |
| (G) | the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the trustee; or |
| • | to be released from its obligations and the obligations of any guarantor with respect to those debt securities under (A) certain covenants in the Indenture related to the preservation of the rights (charter and statutory) and franchises of our operating partnership and (B) if applicable, other covenants as may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, and any omission to comply with those obligations shall not constitute a default or an Event of Default with respect to those debt securities (“covenant defeasance”), in either case upon the irrevocable deposit with the Trustee, in trust for that purpose, of an amount in the currency in which those debt securities are payable at maturity or, if applicable, upon redemption, and/or government obligations (as defined in the Indenture) which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms will provide money, in an amount sufficient, in the written opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay the principal of and any premium and any interest on, and, to the extent that (x) those debt securities provide for the payment of Additional Amounts and (y) the amount of the Additional Amounts which are or will be payable is at the time of deposit reasonably determinable by our operating partnership, in the exercise of its reasonable discretion, the Additional Amounts with respect to, those debt securities, and any mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments on those debt securities, on the due dates for those payments. If the cash and government obligations deposited are sufficient to pay the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series on a particular redemption date, our operating partnership shall have given the Trustee irrevocable instructions to redeem those debt securities on that date. |
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The legal defeasance or covenant defeasance described above shall only be effective if, among other things:
| • | it shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, the Indenture or any other material agreement or instrument to which our operating partnership is a party or is bound; |
| • | in the case of legal defeasance, our operating partnership shall have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of independent counsel confirming that: |
| (A) | our operating partnership has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling; or |
| (B) | since the date of the Indenture, there has been a change in applicable federal income tax law, |
in either case to the effect that, and based on this ruling or change the opinion of counsel shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of the applicable series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the legal defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the legal defeasance had not occurred;
| • | in the case of covenant defeasance, our operating partnership shall have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of independent counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of the applicable series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the covenant defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the covenant defeasance had not occurred; |
| • | no Event of Default or default which with notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of the applicable series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of the deposit into trust; |
| • | solely in the case of legal defeasance, no Event of Default arising from specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency, or reorganization with respect to our operating partnership or any guarantor or default which with notice or lapse of time or both would become such an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing during the period ending on the 91st day after the date of the deposit into trust; and |
| • | our operating partnership shall have delivered to the Trustee an officer’s certificate and legal opinion to the effect that all conditions precedent to the legal defeasance or covenant defeasance, as the case may be, have been satisfied. |
In the event our operating partnership effects covenant defeasance with respect to debt securities of any series and those debt securities are declared due and payable because of the occurrence of any Event of Default other than an Event of Default with respect to the covenants as to which covenant defeasance has been effected, which covenants would no longer be applicable to the debt securities of that series after covenant defeasance, the amount of monies and/or government obligations deposited with the Trustee to effect covenant defeasance may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the debt securities of that series at the time of any acceleration resulting from that Event of Default. However, our operating partnership would remain liable to make payment of those amounts due at the time of acceleration.
The applicable prospectus supplement may further describe the provisions, if any, permitting or restricting legal defeasance or covenant defeasance with respect to the debt securities of a particular series.
Concerning the Trustee
The Indenture provides that there may be more than one Trustee under the Indenture, each with respect to one or more series of debt securities. If there are different Trustees for different series of debt securities, each Trustee will be a Trustee of a trust or trusts separate and apart from the trust or trusts administered by any other Trustee under the Indenture. Unless otherwise indicated in any applicable prospectus supplement, any action permitted to
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be taken by a Trustee may be taken by such Trustee only with respect to the one or more series of debt securities for which it is the Trustee under the Indenture. Any Trustee under the Indenture may resign or be removed with respect to one or more series of debt securities. All payments of principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on, and all registration, transfer, exchange, authentication and delivery (including authentication and delivery on original issuance of the debt securities) of, the debt securities of a series will be effected by the Trustee with respect to that series at an office designated by the Trustee.
We may maintain corporate trust relationships in the ordinary course of business with the Trustee. The Trustee shall have and be subject to all the duties and responsibilities specified with respect to an indenture trustee under the Trust Indenture Act. Subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers vested in it by the Indenture at the request of any holder of debt securities, unless offered indemnity or security satisfactory to it by the holder against the losses, damages, costs, expense and liabilities which might be incurred thereby.
Under the Trust Indenture Act, the Indenture is deemed to contain limitations on the right of the Trustee, should it become a creditor of our operating partnership, to obtain payment of claims in some cases or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise. The Trustee may engage in other transactions with our operating partnership. If it acquires any conflicting interest under the Trust Indenture Act relating to any of its duties with respect to the debt securities, however, it must eliminate the conflict or resign as Trustee.
Governing Law
The Indenture, the debt securities and any related guarantees will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, including New York General Obligations Law Section 5-1401.
Notices
All notices to holders of debt securities shall be validly given if in writing and mailed, first-class postage prepaid, or delivered electronically pursuant to the applicable procedures of the depositary, to them at their respective addresses in the register maintained by the trustee.
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American Homes 4 Rent may guarantee (either fully and unconditionally or in a limited manner) the due and punctual payment of the principal of, and any premium and interest on, or other obligations related to, one or more series of debt securities of American Homes 4 Rent, L.P., whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption, repayment or otherwise, in accordance with the terms of such guarantee and the applicable indenture. In case of the failure of American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. punctually to pay any principal, premium or interest on any guaranteed debt security, we will cause any such payment to be made as it becomes due and payable, whether at maturity, upon acceleration, redemption, repayment or otherwise, and as if such payment were made by American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. The particular terms of the guarantee, if any, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to the guaranteed securities.
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MATERIAL PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OF OUR DECLARATION OF TRUST AND BYLAWS
The following summary of certain provisions of Maryland law and our declaration of trust and bylaws does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to Maryland law and to our declaration of trust and bylaws, copies of which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Our Board of Trustees
Our declaration of trust and bylaws provide that the number of trustees of our company will not be less than two and, unless our bylaws are amended, not more than 15, and the number of trustees of our company may be increased or decreased pursuant to our bylaws by a vote of the majority of our entire board of trustees.
Pursuant to our declaration of trust and bylaws, each member of our board of trustees is elected by our shareholders to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Holders of our common shares have no right to cumulative voting in the election of trustees. Each trustee is elected by the vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to the trustee at any meeting for the election of trustees at which a quorum is present, provided that if the number of persons lawfully nominated exceeds the number of trustees to be elected, the trustees shall be elected by the vote of a plurality of the votes cast at the meeting at which a quorum is present. Consequently, at each annual meeting of shareholders, the holders of a majority of our common shares are able to elect all of our trustees.
Removal of Trustees
In general, our declaration of trust provides that, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred shares to elect or remove one or more trustees, a trustee may be removed only for cause (as defined in our declaration of trust) and only by the affirmative vote of holders of shares entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of trustees. Except as described below, this provision, when coupled with the exclusive power of our board of trustees to fill vacant trusteeships, may preclude shareholders from removing incumbent trustees except for cause and by a substantial affirmative vote and filling the vacancies created by such removal with their own nominees.
Business Combinations
Under provisions of the MGCL that apply to Maryland real estate investment trusts, certain “business combinations” (including a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in certain circumstances specified under the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities) between a Maryland real estate investment trust and any interested shareholder, or an affiliate of such an interested shareholder, are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. Maryland law defines an interested shareholder as:
| • | any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of the trust’s outstanding voting shares; or |
| • | an affiliate or associate of the trust who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the then-outstanding voting shares of the trust. |
A person is not an interested shareholder under the statute if the board of trustees approves in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested shareholder. In approving a transaction, however, the board of trustees may provide that its approval is subject to compliance at or after the time of the approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board of trustees.
After the five-year prohibition, unless, among other conditions, the trust’s common shareholders receive a minimum price (as described under Maryland law) for their shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested shareholder for its shares, any business combination between the trust and
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an interested shareholder generally must be recommended by the board of trustees and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:
| • | 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding voting shares of the trust; and |
| • | two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting shares of the trust other than shares held by the interested shareholder with whom (or with whose affiliate) the business combination is to be effected or shares held by an affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder. |
These provisions of the MGCL do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by a trust’s board of trustees prior to the time that the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. As permitted by the MGCL, our board of trustees has adopted a resolution exempting any business combination between us and any other person from the provisions of this statute, provided that the business combination is first approved by our board of trustees (including a majority of trustees who are not affiliates or associates of such persons). However, our board of trustees may repeal or modify this resolution at any time in the future, in which case the applicable provisions of this statute will become applicable to business combinations between us and interested shareholders.
Control Share Acquisitions
Maryland law provides that “control shares” of a Maryland real estate investment trust acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved at a special meeting of shareholders by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares in a Maryland real estate investment trust in respect of which any of the following persons is entitled to exercise or direct the exercise of the voting power of such shares in the election of trustees: (1) a person who makes or proposes to make a control share acquisition; (2) an officer of the trust; or (3) an employee of the trust who is also a trustee of the trust. “Control shares” are voting shares that, if aggregated with all other such shares previously acquired by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing trustees within one of the following ranges of voting power:
| • | one-tenth or more but less than one-third; |
| • | one-third or more but less than a majority; or |
| • | a majority or more of all voting power. |
Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained shareholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition, directly or indirectly, of ownership of, or the power to direct the exercise of voting power with respect to, issued and outstanding control shares, subject to certain exceptions.
A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses and making an “acquiring person statement” as described in the MGCL), may compel our board of trustees to call a special meeting of shareholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the control shares. If no request for a special meeting is made, we may present the question at any shareholders meeting.
If voting rights of control shares are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an “acquiring person statement” as required by Maryland law, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the trust may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value. Fair value is determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or of any meeting of shareholders at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a shareholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other shareholders may exercise appraisal rights, unless appraisal rights are eliminated under the declaration of trust. Our declaration of trust eliminates all appraisal rights of shareholders. The control share acquisition statute does not
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apply (1) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if we are a party to the transaction or (2) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the declaration of trust or bylaws of the trust.
Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any acquisition by any person of our shares. There can be no assurance that such provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future.
Maryland Unsolicited Takeovers Act
Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL permits a Maryland real estate investment trust with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent trustees to elect to be subject, by provision in its declaration of trust or bylaws or a resolution of its board of trustees and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the declaration of trust or bylaws, to any or all of the following five provisions:
| • | a classified board; |
| • | a two-thirds shareholder vote requirement for removing a trustee; |
| • | a requirement that the number of trustees be fixed only by vote of the trustees; |
| • | a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining trustees and for the remainder of the full term of the class of trustees in which the vacancy occurred; and |
| • | a requirement that requires the request of the holders of at least a majority of all votes entitled to be cast to call a special meeting of shareholders. |
Our declaration of trust provides that, at such time as we become eligible to make a Subtitle 8 election, we elect to be subject to the provisions of Subtitle 8 relating to the filling of vacancies on our board of trustees. In July 2013, our board of trustees and our shareholders approved an amendment to our declaration of trust under which we elected not to be subject to these provisions.
Through provisions in our declaration of trust and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we also (1) require the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter for the removal of any trustee from our board, which removal will be allowed only for cause, (2) vest in our board the exclusive power to fix the number of trusteeships, subject to limitations set forth in our declaration of trust and bylaws, and fill vacancies and (3) require, unless called by the Chairman of our board of trustees, the President or Chief Executive Officer or our board of trustees, the written request of shareholders entitled to cast a majority of all votes entitled to be cast at such meeting to call a special meeting. We have not elected to create a classified board.
Meetings of Shareholders
Pursuant to our bylaws, an annual meeting of our shareholders for the purpose of the election of trustees and the transaction of any business will be held on a date and at the time and place set by our board of trustees. Each of our trustees is elected by our shareholders to serve until the next annual meeting and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies under Maryland law. The next annual meeting of our shareholders will be held in 2021. In addition, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President or our board of trustees may call a special meeting of our shareholders. Subject to the provisions of our bylaws, a special meeting of our shareholders to act on any matter that may properly be considered by our shareholders will also be called by our secretary upon the written request of shareholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting on such matter, accompanied by the information required by our bylaws. Our secretary will inform the requesting shareholders of the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice of meeting (including our proxy materials), and the requesting shareholder must pay such estimated cost before our secretary may prepare and mail the notice of the special meeting.
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Amendment of Our Declaration of Trust and Extraordinary Transactions
Under Title 8 of the MGCL, a Maryland real estate investment trust generally cannot amend its declaration of trust or merge with another entity unless declared advisable by a majority of the board of trustees and approved by the affirmative vote of shareholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage, but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, is set forth in the real estate investment trust’s declaration of trust. Our declaration of trust provides that such actions (other than certain amendments to the provisions of our declaration of trust related to the removal of trustees, the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares and termination of the trust) may be taken if declared advisable by a majority of our board of trustees and approved by the vote of shareholders holding a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
Our board of trustees has the exclusive power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and to make new bylaws.
Bylaws Amendments
Except as described below, our board of trustees has the exclusive power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and to make new bylaws.
Our bylaws also require shareholder approval prior to adoption of any shareholder rights plan—or “poison pill”—except under limited circumstances. This provision cannot be amended, altered or repealed without prior shareholder approval. We do not intend to adopt a shareholder rights plan.
Advance Notice of Trustee Nominations and New Business
Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of shareholders, nominations of individuals for election to our board of trustees and the proposal of other business to be considered by our shareholders at an annual meeting of shareholders may be made only (1) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (2) by or at the direction of our board of trustees or (3) by a shareholder who was a shareholder of record both at the time of giving of notice and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting on the election of the individual so nominated or such other business and who has complied with the advance notice procedures set forth in our bylaws, including a requirement to provide certain information about the shareholder and its affiliates and the nominee or business proposal, as applicable.
With respect to special meetings of shareholders, only the business specified in our notice of meeting may be brought before the meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to our board of trustees may be made at a special meeting of shareholders at which trustees are to be elected only (1) by or at the direction of our board of trustees or (2) provided that the special meeting has been properly called for the purpose of electing trustees, by a shareholder who was a shareholder of record both at the time of giving of notice and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting on the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the advance notice provisions set forth in our bylaws, including a requirement to provide certain information about the shareholder and its affiliates and the nominee.
Anti-Takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Declaration of Trust and Bylaws
Our declaration of trust and bylaws and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for our common shares or otherwise be in the best interests of our shareholders, including:
| • | business combination provisions; |
| • | supermajority vote and cause requirements for removal of trustees; |
| • | requirement that shareholders holding at least a majority of our outstanding common shares must act together to make a written request before our shareholders can require us to call a special meeting of shareholders; |
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| • | provisions that vacancies on our board of trustees may be filled only by the remaining trustees for the full term of the trusteeship in which the vacancy occurred; |
| • | the power of our board to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares or the number of shares of any class or series of shares; |
| • | the power of our board of trustees to cause us to issue additional shares of any class or series and to fix the terms of one or more classes or series of shares without shareholder approval; |
| • | the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares; and |
| • | advance notice requirements for trustee nominations and shareholder proposals. |
Likewise, if the resolution opting out of the business combination provisions of the MGCL were repealed or the provision in the bylaws opting out of the control share acquisition provisions of the MGCL were rescinded, these provisions of the MGCL could have similar anti-takeover effects.
Our bylaws require shareholder approval prior to adoption of any shareholder rights plan—or “poison pill”—except under limited circumstances. This provision cannot be amended, altered or repealed without prior shareholder approval. We do not intend to adopt a shareholder rights plan.
Limitation of Trustees’ and Officers’ Liability and Indemnification
Title 8 of the MGCL permits a Maryland real estate investment trust to include in its declaration of trust a provision limiting the liability of its trustees and officers to the trust and its shareholders for money damages except for liability resulting from actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action. Our declaration of trust contains such a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
Title 8 of the MGCL permits a Maryland real estate investment trust to indemnify and advance expenses to its trustees, officers, employees and agents to the same extent as permitted by the MGCL for directors and officers of a Maryland corporation. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or are threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
| • | the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; |
| • | the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or |
| • | in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. |
However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify a director or officer for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or if the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses.
In addition, the MGCL permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of:
| • | a written affirmation by such director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and |
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| • | a written undertaking by such director or officer or on such director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director did not meet the standard of conduct. |
Our declaration of trust and bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to:
| • | any individual who is a present or former trustee or officer of the trust and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; and |
| • | any individual who, while a trustee or officer of the trust and at the request of the trust, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, trustee, member or manager of another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. |
Our declaration of trust and bylaws also permit us, with the approval of our board of trustees, to indemnify and advance expenses to any person who served a predecessor of ours in any of the capacities described above and to any employee or agent of our company or a predecessor of our company.
In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our trustees and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
Insofar as the foregoing provisions permit indemnification of trustees, officers or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
REIT Qualification
Our declaration of trust provides that our board of trustees may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our shareholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT.
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RESTRICTIONS ON OWNERSHIP AND TRANSFER
In order to qualify as a REIT under the Code, our shares must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of the outstanding shares (after taking into account options to acquire shares) may be owned, directly, indirectly or through attribution, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) at any time during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made).
Due to limitations on the concentration of ownership of REIT shares imposed by the Code, subject to certain exceptions, our declaration of trust provides that:
| • | no person may beneficially own more than 8.0% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding common shares, other than an “excepted holder” and a “designated investment entity”; |
| • | no “excepted holder,” which refers to certain members of the Hughes family, certain trusts established for the benefit of members of the Hughes family, certain related entities, as well as persons whose ownership of shares would cause members of the Hughes family to be deemed to own shares pursuant to application attribution rules under the Code, may own directly or indirectly common shares if, under the applicable tax attribution rules of the Code, (i) any single excepted holder who is treated as an individual would beneficially own more than 17.9% (in value or number, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of the outstanding common shares; (ii) any two excepted holders treated as individuals would beneficially own more than 25.9% (in value or number, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of the outstanding common shares; (iii) any three excepted holders treated as individuals would beneficially own more than 33.9% (in value or number, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of the outstanding common shares; (iv) any four excepted holders treated as individuals would beneficially own more than 41.9% (in value or number, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of the outstanding common shares; or (v) any five excepted holders treated as individuals would beneficially own more than 49.9% (in value or number, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of the outstanding common shares; |
| • | no “designated investment entity,” which refers to certain pension trusts, regulated investment companies and qualified investment managers may own no more than 9.9% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding common shares; and |
| • | no person may beneficially own more than 9.9% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of outstanding preferred shares. |
Our declaration of trust defines a “designated investment entity” as:
| • | an entity that is a pension trust that qualifies for look-through treatment under Section 856(h) of the Code; |
| • | an entity that qualifies as a regulated investment company under Section 851 of the Code; or |
| • | an entity (referred to in our declaration of trust as a “qualified investment manager”) that (i) for compensation engages in the business of advising others as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities; (ii) purchases securities in the ordinary course of its business and not with the purpose or effect of changing or influencing control of the Company, nor in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having such purpose or effect, including any transaction subject to Rule 13d-3(b) of the Exchange Act; and (iii) has or shares voting power and investment power under the Exchange Act; so long as each beneficial owner of such entity, or in the case of a qualified investment manager holding shares solely for the benefit of its customers, each such customer, would satisfy the ownership limit described above, if such beneficial owner owned directly its proportionate share of the common shares that are held by such designated investment entity. |
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Our declaration of trust also prohibits any person from, among other matters:
| • | beneficially owning equity shares if such ownership would result in our being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a year); |
| • | transferring equity shares if such transfer would result in our equity shares being owned by less than 100 persons, effective beginning on the date on which we first have 100 shareholders; and |
| • | beneficially owning equity shares if such beneficial ownership would otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT under the Code. |
Beneficial ownership means ownership of our shares through the application of Section 544 of the Code, as modified by Sections 856(h)(1)(B) and 856(h)(3). Under Section 544 of the Code, if a person has an option to acquire stock, such stock is considered as owned by such person. Thus, the ownership limit in our declaration of trust applies to warrants for the purchase of our preferred shares, depositary shares representing preferred shares or common shares, as well as rights to purchase our common shares.
Our board of trustees may exempt a person from the 8.0% common share ownership limit, the 9.9% preferred share ownership limit, or the 9.9% designated investment entity limit, if such person submits to the board of trustees information satisfactory to the board of trustees, in its sole and absolute discretion:
| • | demonstrating that such person is not an individual for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code (determined taking into account Section 856(h)(3)(A) of the Code); and |
| • | relevant to demonstrating that no person who is an individual for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code (determined taking into account Section 856(h)(3)(A) of the Code) would be considered to beneficially own equity shares in excess of the common share ownership limit, the preferred share ownership limit, the excepted holder limit, or the designated investment entity limit, as applicable, by reason of such person’s ownership of equity shares in excess of the common share ownership limit, the preferred share ownership limit, or the designated investment entity limit, as the case may be, pursuant to an exemption granted under the declaration of trust. |
Prior to granting an exemption, our board of trustees, in its sole and absolute discretion, may require a ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or an opinion of counsel, in either case in form and substance satisfactory to our board of trustees, in its sole and absolute discretion as it may deem necessary or advisable in order to determine or ensure our status as a REIT. Notwithstanding the receipt of any ruling or opinion, our board of trustees may impose such conditions or restrictions as it deems appropriate in connection with granting such exception; provided, however, that our board of trustees will not be obligated to require obtaining a favorable ruling or opinion in order to grant an exemption hereunder.
Our declaration of trust also provides that any ownership or purported transfer of our shares (whether or not such transfer is the result of a transaction entered into through the facilities of the NYSE or any other national securities exchange or automated inter-dealer quotation system) in violation of the foregoing restrictions will result in the shares owned or transferred in such violation being automatically transferred to one or more charitable trusts for the benefit of a charitable beneficiary and the purported owner or transferee acquiring no rights in such shares, except that any transfer that results in the violation of the restriction relating to our equity shares being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons will be void ab initio. In either case, the proposed transferee will not acquire any rights in those shares. The automatic transfer will be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the purported transfer or other event that results in the transfer to the trust. Shares held in the trust will be issued and outstanding shares. The proposed transferee will not benefit economically from ownership of any shares held in the trust, will have no rights to dividends or other distributions and will have no rights to vote or other rights attributable to the shares held in the trust. The trustee of the trust will have all voting rights and rights to dividends or other distributions with respect to shares held in the trust. These rights will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the charitable beneficiary. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares have been transferred to the trust will be paid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand. Any dividend or
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other distribution authorized but unpaid will be paid when due to the trustee. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the trustee will be held in trust for the charitable beneficiary. Subject to Maryland law, the trustee will have the authority (i) to rescind as void any vote cast by the proposed transferee prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trust and (ii) to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. However, if we have already taken irreversible corporate action, then the trustee will not have the authority to rescind and recast the vote.
Within 20 days of receiving notice from us that our shares have been transferred to the trust, the trustee will sell the shares to a person, designated by the trustee, whose ownership of the shares will not violate the above ownership and transfer limitations. Upon the sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee and to the charitable beneficiary as follows. The proposed transferee will receive the lesser of (i) the price paid by the proposed transferee for the shares or, if the proposed transferee did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust (e.g., a gift, devise or other similar transaction), the market price (as defined in our declaration of trust) of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust and (ii) the price per share received by the trustee (net of any commission and other expenses of sale) from the sale or other disposition of the shares. The trustee may reduce the amount payable to the proposed transferee by the amount of dividends and other distributions that have been paid to the proposed transferee and are owed by the proposed transferee to the trustee. Any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the proposed transferee will be paid immediately to the charitable beneficiary. If, prior to our discovery that our shares have been transferred to the trust, the shares are sold by the proposed transferee, then (i) the shares shall be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and (ii) to the extent that the proposed transferee received an amount for the shares that exceeds the amount he or she was entitled to receive, the excess shall be paid to the trustee upon demand.
In addition, shares held in the trust will be deemed to have been offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the trust (or, in the case of a devise or gift, the market price at the time of the devise or gift) and (ii) the market price on the date we, or our designee, accept the offer, which we may reduce by the amount of dividends and distributions that have been paid to the proposed transferee and are owed by the proposed transferee to the trustee. We will have the right to accept the offer until the trustee has sold the shares. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee.
If a transfer to a charitable trust, as described above, would be ineffective for any reason to prevent a violation of the restriction, the transfer that would have resulted in such violation will be void ab initio, and the proposed transferee shall acquire no rights in those shares.
Any certificate representing our equity shares, and any notices delivered in lieu of certificates with respect to the issuance or transfer of uncertificated shares, will bear a legend referring to the restrictions described above. We do not expect to issue certificates representing our equity shares.
Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of our equity shares that will or may violate any of the foregoing restrictions on ownership and transfer, or any person who would have owned our equity shares that resulted in a transfer of shares to a charitable trust, is required to give written notice immediately to us, or in the case of a proposed or attempted transaction, to give at least 15 days’ prior written notice, and provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect of the transfer on our status as a REIT. The foregoing restrictions on ownership and transfer will not apply if our board of trustees determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT.
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Every owner of more than 5% (or any lower percentage as required by the Code or the regulations promulgated thereunder) in number or value of the outstanding equity shares, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, is required to give us written notice, stating his or her name and address, the number of shares of each class and series of our equity shares that he or she beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which the shares are held. Each of these owners must provide us with additional information that we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of his or her beneficial ownership on our status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limits. In addition, each shareholder will upon demand be required to provide us with information that we may request in good faith in order to determine our status as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine our compliance.
These ownership limitations could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our common shares or otherwise be in the best interest of our shareholders.
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We may issue the securities offered by means of this prospectus in whole or in part in book-entry form, meaning that beneficial owners of the securities will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the securities, except in the event the book-entry system for the securities is discontinued. If securities are issued in book entry form, they will be evidenced by one or more global securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, a depositary identified in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to the securities. DTC is expected to serve as depository. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole or in part for the individual securities represented thereby, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depository for the global security to a nominee of such depository or by a nominee of such depository to such depository or another nominee of such depository or by the depository or any nominee of such depository to a successor depository or a nominee of such successor. Global securities may be issued in either registered or bearer form and in either temporary or permanent form. The specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to a class or series of securities that differ from the terms described here will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we anticipate that the following provisions will apply to depository arrangements.
Upon the issuance of a global security, the depository for the global security or its nominee will credit on its book-entry registration and transfer system the respective principal amounts of the individual securities represented by such global security to the accounts of persons that have accounts with such depository, who are called “participants.” Such accounts shall be designated by the underwriters, dealers or agents with respect to the securities or by us if the securities are offered and sold directly by us. Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be limited to the depository’s participants or persons that may hold interests through such participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in the global security will be shown on, and the transfer of that ownership will be effected only through, records maintained by the applicable depository or its nominee (with respect to beneficial interests of participants) and records of the participants (with respect to beneficial interests of persons who hold through participants). The laws of some states require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such limits and laws may impair the ability to own, pledge or transfer beneficial interest in a global security.
So long as the depository for a global security or its nominee is the registered owner of such global security, such depository or nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities represented by such global security for all purposes under the applicable instrument defining the rights of a holder of the securities. Except as provided below or in the applicable prospectus supplement, owners of beneficial interest in a global security will not be entitled to have any of the individual securities of the series represented by such global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of any such securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders thereof under the applicable instrument defining the rights of the holders of the securities.
Payments of amounts payable with respect to individual securities represented by a global security registered in the name of a depository or its nominee will be made to the depository or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the global security representing such securities. None of us, our officers and board members or any trustee, paying agent or security registrar for an individual series of securities will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the global security for such securities or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.
We expect that the depository for a series of securities offered by means of this prospectus or its nominee, upon receipt of any payment of principal, premium, interest, dividend or other amount in respect of a permanent global security representing any of such securities, will immediately credit its participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the principal amount of such global security for
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such securities as shown on the records of such depository or its nominee. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in such global security held through such participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Such payments will be the responsibility of such participants.
If a depository for a series of securities is at any time unwilling, unable or ineligible to continue as depository and a successor depository is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue individual securities of such series in exchange for the global security representing such series of securities. In addition, we may, at any time and in our sole discretion, subject to any limitations described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to such securities, determine not to have any securities of such series represented by one or more global securities and, in such event, will issue individual securities of such series in exchange for the global security or securities representing such series of securities.
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Unless otherwise set forth in a prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, we and our operating partnership may sell the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus to or through one or more underwriters or dealers, or we and our operating partnership may sell the securities to investors directly or through agents. Any such underwriter, dealer or agent involved in the offer and sale of the securities will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement. We and our operating partnership may sell securities directly to investors on our own behalf in those jurisdictions where we are authorized to do so.
Underwriters may offer and sell the securities at a fixed price or prices which may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. We and our operating partnership also may, from time to time, authorize dealers or agents to offer and sell the securities upon such terms and conditions as may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. In connection with the sale of any of the securities, underwriters may receive compensation from us or our operating partnership in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of the securities for whom they may act as agents. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents.
The securities may also be sold in one or more of the following transactions: (i) block transactions (which may involve crosses) in which a broker-dealer may sell all or a portion of such shares as agent, but may position and resell all or a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; (ii) purchases by any such broker-dealer as principal, and resale by such broker-dealer for its own account pursuant to a prospectus supplement; (iii) a special offering, an exchange distribution or a secondary distribution in accordance with applicable NYSE or other stock exchange, quotation system or over-the-counter market rules; (iv) ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which any such broker-dealer solicits purchasers; (v) sales “at the market” to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise, for such shares; and (vi) sales in other ways not involving market makers or established trading markets, including direct sales to purchasers.
Any underwriting compensation paid by us or our operating partnership to underwriters or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts or concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers, will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions.
Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us and/or our operating partnership, to indemnification against and contribution toward certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Unless otherwise set forth in an accompanying prospectus supplement, the obligations of any underwriters to purchase any of the securities will be subject to certain conditions precedent, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of such securities, if any are purchased.
Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us, our operating partnership and our affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
If indicated in the prospectus supplement, we or our operating partnership may authorize underwriters or other agents to solicit offers by institutions to purchase securities from us or our operating partnership pursuant to contracts providing for payment and delivery on a future date. Institutions with which we may make these delayed delivery contracts include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and others. The obligations of any purchaser under any such delayed delivery contract will be subject to the condition that the purchase of the securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which the purchaser is subject. The underwriters and other agents will not have any responsibility with regard to the validity or performance of these delayed delivery contracts.
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Any securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. In connection with the offering of the securities hereby which are listed on a national securities exchange, certain underwriters and selling group members and their respective affiliates may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the applicable securities. Such transactions may include stabilization transactions effected in accordance with Rule 104 of Regulation M promulgated by the SEC pursuant to which such persons may bid for or purchase securities for the purpose of stabilizing their market price. The underwriters in an offering of securities may also create a “short position” for their account by selling more securities in connection with the offering than they are committed to purchase from us or our operating partnership. In such case, the underwriters could cover all or a portion of such short position by either purchasing securities in the open market following completion of the offering of such securities or by exercising any over-allotment option granted to them by us or our operating partnership. In addition, the managing underwriter may impose “penalty bids” under contractual arrangements with other underwriters, which means that they can reclaim from an underwriter (or any selling group member participating in the offering) for the account of the other underwriters, the selling concession with respect to securities that are distributed in the offering but subsequently purchased for the account of the underwriters in the open market. Any of the transactions described in this paragraph or comparable transactions that are described in any accompanying prospectus supplement may result in the maintenance of the price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. None of such transactions described in this paragraph or in an accompanying prospectus supplement are required to be taken by any underwriters and, if they are undertaken, may be discontinued at any time.
We and our operating partnership may sell the securities in exchange in whole or part for consideration other than cash. This consideration may consist of services or products, whether tangible or intangible, and including services or products we may use in our business; outstanding debt or equity securities of our company or one or more of its subsidiaries; debt or equity securities or assets of other companies, including in connection with investments, joint ventures or other strategic transactions, or acquisitions; release of claims or settlement of disputes; and satisfaction of obligations, including obligations to make payments to distributors or other suppliers and payment of interest on outstanding obligations. We or our operating partnership may sell the securities as part of a transaction in which outstanding debt or equity securities of our company or one or more of our subsidiaries are surrendered, converted, exercised, canceled or transferred.
Our Class A common shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “AMH.” Any securities that we or our operating partnership issue, other than Class A common shares, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market and may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange, quotation system or over-the-counter market. Any underwriters or agents to or through which securities are sold by us or our operating partnership may make a market in such securities, but such underwriters or agents will not be obligated to do so and any of them may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of or trading market for any securities sold by us or our operating partnership.
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CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to our qualification and taxation as a REIT, and the acquisition, holding, and disposition of our Class A common shares, preferred shares, and depositary shares (together with our common shares and preferred shares, the “shares”), as well as our warrants and rights. A summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations to you as a prospective holder of a particular series of our operating partnership’s debt securities will be included in the applicable prospectus supplement. For purposes of the following discussion, references to “our Company,” “the Company,” “we,” and “us” mean only American Homes 4 Rent and not its subsidiaries or affiliates. This discussion is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the U.S. Treasury Regulations, rulings and other administrative interpretations and practices of the IRS (including administrative interpretations and practices expressed in private letter rulings which are binding on the IRS only with respect to the particular taxpayers who requested and received those rulings), and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect, and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences described below. We have not sought and will not seek an advance ruling from the IRS regarding any matter discussed in this section. The discussion is also based upon the assumption that we will operate the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliated entities in accordance with their applicable organizational documents. This discussion is for general information only, and does not purport to discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular investor in light of its investment or tax circumstances, or to investors subject to special tax rules, including:
| • | financial institutions; |
| • | pass-through entities (such as entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes); |
| • | persons acting as nominees or otherwise not as beneficial owners; |
| • | insurance companies; |
| • | broker-dealers; |
| • | except to the extent described in the discussion below entitled “—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders—Taxation of Tax-Exempt Shareholders,” tax-exempt organizations; |
| • | dealers in securities or currencies; |
| • | traders in securities that elect to use a mark to market method of accounting; |
| • | persons that hold shares as part of a straddle, hedge, constructive sale, conversion transaction, or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
| • | regulated investment companies (“RICs”); |
| • | REITs; |
| • | certain U.S. expatriates; |
| • | foreign (non-U.S.) governments; |
| • | except to the extent described in the discussion below entitled “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders,” non-U.S. shareholders (as defined below); |
| • | U.S. shareholders whose “functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar; |
| • | persons who acquired their shares through the exercise of stock options or otherwise in connection with compensation; |
| • | persons who do not hold their shares as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code; and |
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| • | for purposes of the discussion below entitled “—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders,” persons subject to the alternative minimum tax under the Code. |
For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. shareholder” means a beneficial owner of shares that is:
| • | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
| • | an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
| • | a trust that (A) is subject to the supervision of a court within the United States and the control of one or more U.S. persons or (B) was in existence on August 20, 1996, was treated as a U.S. person prior to such date and has a valid election in place to continue to be treated as a U.S. person, as defined in the Code. |
If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Any partnership or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the partners in such partnership (as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes), should consult their tax advisors.
This discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations is not binding on the IRS. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any described herein.
THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX RULES APPLICABLE TO HOLDING AND DISPOSING SHARES, AND TO REITS GENERALLY, ARE HIGHLY TECHNICAL AND COMPLEX. HOLDERS OF SHARES ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE SPECIFIC TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE OWNERSHIP OF SHARES, AND THE COMPANY’S QUALIFICATION AS A REIT, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME AND OTHER TAX LAWS, AND POTENTIAL CHANGES IN APPLICABLE TAX LAWS, IN LIGHT OF THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of holders of our shares depends in some instances on determinations of fact and interpretations of complex provisions of U.S. federal income tax law for which no clear precedent or authority is available. In addition, the tax consequences to any particular shareholder of holding our shares will depend on the shareholder’s particular tax circumstances. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax consequences to you in light of your particular investment or tax circumstances of acquiring, holding, exchanging, or otherwise disposing of our shares, our election to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and potential changes in applicable law.
Tax Reform Legislation Enacted December 22, 2017
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”), which generally took effect for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018 (subject to certain exceptions), was signed into law. This legislation made many changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws that significantly impact the taxation of individuals, corporations (both non-REIT “C” corporations as well as corporations that have elected to be taxed as REITs), and the taxation of taxpayers with overseas assets and operations. However, a number of changes that reduce the tax rates applicable to non-corporate taxpayers (including a 20% deduction for qualified REIT dividends that reduces the effective rate of ordinary income tax on such income), and also limit the ability of such taxpayers to claim certain deductions, will expire for taxable years beginning after 2025 unless Congress acts to extend them.
These changes impact us and our shareholders in various ways, some of which are adverse relative to prior law, and this summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations incorporates these changes where material. To date, the IRS has issued only some guidance with respect to certain provisions of the new law. There are
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numerous interpretive issues and ambiguities that still require guidance and that are not clearly addressed in the legislative history that accompanied the TCJA or the General Explanation released by the Joint Committee on Taxation and additional technical corrections legislation is still needed to clarify certain of the new provisions and give proper effect to Congressional intent. There can be no assurance, however, that technical clarifications or other legislative changes that may be needed to prevent unintended or unforeseen tax consequences will be enacted by Congress anytime soon.
New Tax Legislation Enacted March 27, 2020
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was signed into law. Among other changes, the CARES Act modifies certain provisions of the Code, including those amended by the TCJA. Under the CARES Act, net operating losses arising in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2021 may generally be carried back up to five taxable years preceding the tax year of such loss. However, this change under the CARES Act does not apply to REITs, so that net operating losses of a REIT may not be carried back to any previous taxable year. The treatment of net operating losses arising in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020 is not affected by the CARES Act, and such losses may not be carried back to any prior taxable year. In addition, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the TCJA had limited the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of current year taxable income. The CARES Act eliminates this 80% limitation for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2021. Additionally, the TCJA limited the deductibility of net interest expense paid or accrued on debt properly allocable to a trade or business to 30% of “adjusted taxable income,” subject to certain exceptions. The CARES Act increases the maximum amount of interest expense that may be deducted to 50% of adjusted taxable income for taxable years beginning in 2019 or 2020. These changes impact us and our shareholders in various ways, and this summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations incorporates these changes where material.
Taxation of the Company as a REIT
General
We elected to be taxed as a REIT commencing with our first taxable year ended December 31, 2012. A REIT generally is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on the income that it distributes to shareholders provided that the REIT meets the applicable REIT distribution requirements and other requirements for qualification as a REIT under the Code. We believe that we have been organized and operated in a manner so as to satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and we intend to continue to be organized and operated in a manner that will allow us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code.
Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends upon our ability to meet the various qualification tests imposed under the Code, including through our actual annual (or in some cases quarterly) operating results, requirements relating to income, asset ownership, distribution levels and diversity of share ownership, and the various other REIT qualification requirements imposed under the Code. Given the complex nature of the REIT qualification requirements, the ongoing importance of factual determinations and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, we cannot provide any assurances that we have been or will be organized or operated in a manner so as to satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, or that we will meet in the future the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT. See “—Failure to Qualify as a REIT.”
The sections of the Code that relate to our qualification and operation as a REIT are highly technical and complex. This discussion sets forth the material aspects of the sections of the Code that govern the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a REIT and its shareholders.
Taxation
For each taxable year in which we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our “REIT taxable income” (generally, taxable income subject to specified adjustments,
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including a deduction for dividends paid and excluding our net capital gain) that is distributed currently to our shareholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” at the corporate and shareholder levels that generally results from an investment in a non-REIT “C” corporation. A non-REIT “C” corporation is a corporation that generally is required to pay tax at the corporate level. Double taxation means taxation once at the corporate level when the income is earned and once again at the shareholder level when the income is distributed. In general, the income that we generate is taxed only at the shareholder level upon a distribution of dividends to our shareholders.
U.S. shareholders generally will be subject to taxation on dividends distributed by us (other than designated capital gain dividends and “qualified dividend income”) at rates applicable to ordinary income, instead of at lower capital gain rates. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2026, generally, U.S. shareholders that are individuals, trusts or estates may deduct 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary dividends distributed by us, subject to certain limitations. Capital gain dividends and qualified dividend income will continue to be subject to a maximum 20% rate.
Any net operating losses, foreign tax credits and other tax attributes of a REIT generally do not pass through to our shareholders, subject to special rules for certain items such as the capital gains that we recognize.
Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the following circumstances:
| 1. | We will be taxed at regular corporate rates on any undistributed “REIT taxable income.” |
| 2. | For taxable years beginning prior to January 1, 2018, we may be subject to the “alternative minimum tax” on our undistributed items of tax preference, if any. |
| 3. | If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with certain leasehold terminations as “foreclosure property,” we may thereby avoid (a) the 100% tax on gain from a resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction) as discussed below; and (b) the inclusion of any income from such property not qualifying for purposes of the gross income tests discussed below. Income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax at the highest applicable rate (currently 21%). |
| 4. | Our net income from “prohibited transactions” will be subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business other than foreclosure property. See “—Gross Income Tests—Income from Prohibited Transactions.” |
| 5. | If we fail to satisfy either the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but our failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and we nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because of specified cure provisions, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount equal to (a) the greater of (1) the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or (2) the amount by which we fail the 95% gross income test, as the case may be, multiplied by (b) a fraction intended to reflect our profitability. |
| 6. | We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of amounts actually distributed, excess distributions from the preceding taxable year and amounts retained for which U.S. federal income tax was paid, if we fail to make the required distributions by the end of a calendar year. The required distributions for each calendar year is equal to the sum of: 85% of our REIT ordinary income for the year; 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for the year other than capital gains we elect to retain and pay tax on as described below; and any undistributed taxable income from prior taxable years. |
| 7. | We will be subject to a 100% penalty tax on certain rental income we receive when a taxable REIT subsidiary provides services to our tenants, on certain expenses deducted by a taxable REIT subsidiary on payments made to us and, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, on income |
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| for services rendered to us by a taxable REIT subsidiary, if the arrangements among us, our tenants, and our taxable REIT subsidiaries do not reflect arm’s-length terms. |
| 8. | If we acquire any assets from a non-REIT “C” corporation in a transaction in which the basis of the assets in our hands is determined by reference to the basis of the asset in the hands of the non-REIT “C” corporation, we would be liable for corporate income tax, at the highest applicable corporate rate, for the “built-in gain” with respect to those assets if we dispose of those assets in a taxable transaction during the five-year period beginning on the day the asset was transferred to us by the non-REIT “C” corporation. To the extent that assets are transferred to us in a carry-over basis transaction by a partnership in which a corporation owns an interest, we will be subject to this tax in proportion to the non-REIT “C” corporation’s interest in the partnership. Built-in gain is the amount by which an asset’s fair market value exceeds its adjusted tax basis at the time we acquire the asset. The results described in this paragraph assume that the non-REIT “C” corporation will not elect, in lieu of this treatment, to be subject to an immediate tax when the asset is acquired by us. Any gain from the sale of property acquired by us in an exchange under Section 1031 (a like kind exchange) or Section 1033 (an involuntary conversion) of the Code would be excluded from the application of this built-in gain tax. |
| 9. | We may elect to retain and pay U.S. federal income tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a U.S. shareholder would include its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain (to the extent that we make a timely designation of such gain to the shareholder) in its income, would be deemed to have paid the tax we paid on such gain, and would be allowed a credit for its proportionate share of the tax deemed to have been paid, and an adjustment would be made to increase the basis of the U.S. shareholder in our shares. |
| 10. | If we violate the asset tests (other than certain de minimis violations) or other requirements applicable to REITs, as described below, but our failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and we nevertheless maintain our REIT qualification because of specified cure provisions, we will be subject to a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the amount determined by multiplying the net income generated by such non-qualifying assets by the highest rate of tax applicable to non-REIT “C” corporations during periods when such assets would have caused us to fail the asset test. |
| 11. | If we fail to satisfy a requirement under the Code which would result in the loss of our REIT qualification, other than a failure to satisfy a gross income test, or an asset test as described in paragraph 10 above, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because the requirements of certain relief provisions are satisfied, we will be subject to a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. |
| 12. | If we fail to comply with the requirements to send annual letters to our shareholders requesting information regarding the actual ownership of our shares and the failure was not due to reasonable cause or was due to willful neglect, we will be subject to a $25,000 penalty or, if the failure is intentional, a $50,000 penalty. |
| 13. | The earnings of any subsidiaries that are subchapter “C” corporations, including any taxable REIT subsidiary, are subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax. |
Notwithstanding our qualification as a REIT, we and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of taxes, including payroll taxes and state, local, and foreign income, property and other taxes on our assets, operations and/or net worth. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for Qualification as a REIT
The Code defines a “REIT” as a corporation, trust or association:
| 1. | that is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
| 2. | that issues transferable shares or transferable certificates to evidence its beneficial ownership; |
| 3. | that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for Sections 856 through 859 of the Code; |
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| 4. | that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company within the meaning of certain provisions of the Code; |
| 5. | that is beneficially owned by 100 or more persons; |
| 6. | in which not more than 50% in value of the outstanding shares or other beneficial interest of which is owned, actually or constructively, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities and as determined by applying certain attribution rules) during the last half of each taxable year; |
| 7. | that makes an election to be a REIT for the current taxable year, or has made such an election for a previous taxable year that has not been revoked or terminated, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to elect and maintain REIT status; |
| 8. | that uses a calendar year for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
| 9. | that meets other applicable tests, described below, regarding the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions; and |
| 10. | that has no earnings and profits from any non-REIT taxable year at the close of any taxable year. |
The Code provides that conditions (1), (2), (3) and (4) above must be met during the entire taxable year and condition (5) above must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months. Conditions (5) and (6) do not apply until after the first taxable year for which an election is made to be taxed as a REIT. Condition (6) must be met during the last half of each taxable year. For purposes of determining share ownership under condition (6) above, a supplemental unemployment compensation benefits plan, a private foundation or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes generally is considered an individual. However, a trust that is a qualified trust under Code Section 401(a) generally is not considered an individual, and beneficiaries of a qualified trust are treated as holding shares of a REIT in proportion to their actuarial interests in the trust for purposes of condition (6) above. If we fail to satisfy these share ownership requirements, we will fail to qualify as a REIT unless we qualify for certain relief provisions described in the following paragraph.
To monitor our compliance with condition (6) above, we are generally required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our shares. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record holders of certain specified percentages of our shares pursuant to which the record holders must disclose the actual owners of the shares (i.e., the persons required to include in gross income the dividends paid by us). We must maintain a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand as part of our records. We could be subject to monetary penalties if we fail to comply with these record-keeping requirements. A shareholder that fails or refuses to comply with the demand is required by Treasury Regulations to submit a statement with its tax return disclosing the actual ownership of our shares and other information. If we comply with the record-keeping requirement and we do not know or, exercising reasonable diligence, would not have known of our failure to meet condition (6) above, then we will be treated as having met condition (6) above.
For purposes of condition (8), we adopted December 31 as our year end, and thereby satisfy this requirement.
Effect of Subsidiary Entities
Ownership of Interests in Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies. In the case of a REIT which is a partner in a partnership or a member in a limited liability company treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Treasury Regulations provide that the REIT will be deemed to own its pro rata share of the assets of the partnership or limited liability company, as the case may be, based on its capital interest in such partnership or limited liability company. Also, the REIT will be deemed to be entitled to the income of the partnership or limited liability company attributable to its pro rata share of the assets of that entity. The assets and gross income of the partnership or limited liability company retain the same character in the hands of the REIT for purposes of
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Section 856 of the Code, including satisfying the gross income tests and the asset tests. Thus, our pro rata share of the assets and items of income of our operating partnership, including our operating partnership’s share of these items of any partnership or limited liability company in which our operating partnership owns an interest, are treated as our assets and items of income for purposes of applying the requirements described in this prospectus, including the income and asset tests described below.
We have included a brief summary of the rules governing the U.S. federal income taxation of partnerships and limited liability companies and their partners or members below in “—Tax Aspects of Our Ownership of Interests in our Operating Partnership and other Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies.” We believe that we have operated and we intend to continue to operate our operating partnership and the subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies in which our operating partnership invests in a manner consistent with the requirements for our qualification and taxation as a REIT. We have interests in several joint ventures in which we are a non-managing member in a limited liability company. In the future, we may be a limited partner or non-managing member in some of our partnerships and limited liability companies. If such a partnership or limited liability company were to take actions which could jeopardize our qualification as a REIT or require us to pay tax, we may be forced to dispose of our interest in such entity. In addition, it is possible that a partnership or limited liability company could take an action which could cause us to fail a REIT income or asset test, and that we would not become aware of such action in a time frame that would allow us to dispose of our interest in the partnership or limited liability company or take other corrective action on a timely basis. In that case, we could fail to qualify as a REIT unless entitled to relief, as described below.
Under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, liability is imposed on the partnership (rather than its partners) for adjustments to reported partnership taxable income resulting from audits or other tax proceedings. The liability can include an imputed underpayment of tax, calculated by using the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate, as well as interest and penalties on such imputed underpayment of tax. Using certain rules, partnerships may be able to transfer these liabilities to their partners. In the event any adjustments are imposed by the IRS on the taxable income reported by any subsidiary partnerships, we intend to utilize certain rules to the extent possible to allow us to transfer any liability with respect to such adjustments to the partners of the subsidiary partnerships who should properly bear such liability. However, there is no assurance that we will qualify under those rules or that we will have the authority to use those rules under the operating agreements for certain of our subsidiary partnerships.
Ownership of Interests in Qualified REIT Subsidiaries. We may own 100% of the stock of one or more corporations that are qualified REIT subsidiaries. We currently do not have any qualified REIT subsidiaries. A corporation will qualify as a qualified REIT subsidiary if we own 100% of its stock and it is not a taxable REIT subsidiary. A qualified REIT subsidiary will not be treated as a separate corporation, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of a qualified REIT subsidiary will be treated as our assets, liabilities and such items (as the case may be) for all purposes of the Code, including the REIT qualification tests. For this reason, references in this discussion to our income and assets should be understood to include the income and assets of any qualified REIT subsidiary we own. Our ownership of the voting stock of a qualified REIT subsidiary will not violate the restrictions against ownership of securities of any one issuer which constitute more than 10% of the voting power or value of such issuer’s securities or more than 5% of the value of our total assets, as described below in “—Asset Tests.”
Ownership of Interests in Taxable REIT Subsidiaries. In general, we may jointly elect with a subsidiary corporation, whether or not wholly owned, to treat such subsidiary corporation as a taxable REIT subsidiary. We currently have one taxable REIT subsidiary. A taxable REIT subsidiary of ours is a corporation other than a REIT in which we directly or indirectly hold stock, and that has made a joint election with us to be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary under Section 856(l) of the Code. A taxable REIT subsidiary also includes any corporation other than a REIT in which a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours owns, directly or indirectly, securities (other than certain “straight debt” securities), which represent more than 35% of the total voting power or value of the outstanding securities of such corporation. For purposes of the following discussion, the term “taxable
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REIT subsidiary” includes subsidiaries of the taxable REIT subsidiaries. Other than some activities relating to lodging and health care facilities, a taxable REIT subsidiary may generally engage in any business, including the provision of customary or non-customary services to our tenants without causing us to receive impermissible tenant service income under the REIT gross income tests. A taxable REIT subsidiary is required to pay regular U.S. federal income tax, and state and local income tax where applicable, as a non-REIT “C” corporation. In addition, a taxable REIT subsidiary may be prevented from deducting interest on debt funded directly or indirectly by us if certain tests regarding the taxable REIT subsidiary’s debt to equity ratio and interest expense are not satisfied. If dividends are paid to us by our taxable REIT subsidiaries, then a portion of the dividends we distribute to shareholders who are taxed at individual rates will generally be eligible for taxation at lower capital gains rates, rather than at ordinary income rates. See “—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Shareholders—Qualified Dividend Income.”
Generally, a taxable REIT subsidiary can perform impermissible tenant services without causing us to receive impermissible tenant services income under the REIT income tests. However, several provisions applicable to the arrangements between us and our taxable REIT subsidiaries ensure that such taxable REIT subsidiaries will be subject to an appropriate level of U.S. federal income taxation. For example, taxable REIT subsidiaries are limited in their ability to deduct interest payments in excess of a certain amount made directly or indirectly to us. In addition, we will be obligated to pay a 100% penalty tax on some payments we receive from, or on certain expenses deducted by, or service income imputed to, our taxable REIT subsidiaries if the economic arrangements between us, our tenants and such taxable REIT subsidiaries are not comparable to similar arrangements among unrelated parties. Our taxable REIT subsidiaries, and any future taxable REIT subsidiaries acquired by us, may make interest and other payments to us and to third parties in connection with activities related to our properties. There can be no assurance that our taxable REIT subsidiaries will not be limited in their ability to deduct interest payments made to us. In addition, there can be no assurance that the IRS might not seek to impose the 100% excise tax on a portion of payments received by us from, or expenses deducted by, or service income imputed to, our taxable REIT subsidiaries. See “—Interest Deduction Limitations.”
As discussed in greater detail below, in certain circumstances, we transfer to our taxable REIT subsidiaries homes or portfolios of homes the sale of which may not qualify for the safe harbor for prohibited transactions. In connection with those transfers, any post-transfer operating income recognized by the applicable taxable REIT subsidiary in respect of such homes and any gain recognized by the applicable taxable REIT subsidiary on a subsequent sale of such homes will be subject to a corporate level tax. In addition, if such homes are transferred by our operating partnership to one of our taxable REIT subsidiaries in a tax-deferred transaction under Section 351 of the Code and there is built-in loss in such homes, the applicable taxable REIT subsidiary would not recognize the built-in loss on a subsequent sale of such homes, unless our operating partnership were to elect to reduce its stock basis in the applicable taxable REIT subsidiary (and the partners of our operating partnership were to reduce their bases in their partnership interests) by the amount of the built-in loss. See “—Gross Income Tests—Income from Prohibited Transactions.”
Gross Income Tests
To qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy two gross income tests which are applied on an annual basis. First, in each taxable year at least 75% of our gross income, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in “prohibited transactions” and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must be derived from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including:
| • | “rents from real property”; |
| • | dividends or other distributions on, and gain from the sale of, shares in other REITs; |
| • | gain from the sale of real property or mortgages on real property, in either case, not held for sale to customers; |
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| • | interest income derived from mortgage loans secured by real property and interests in real property(and effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, certain loans partially secured by personal property); |
| • | income attributable to temporary investments of new capital in stocks and debt instruments during the one-year period following our receipt of new capital that we raise through equity offerings or issuance of debt obligations with at least a five-year term; and |
| • | effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, gain from the sale of a debt instrument issued by a “publicly offered REIT” (i.e., a REIT that is required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act) unless the debt instrument is secured by real property or an interest in real property, is not treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 75% income test. |
Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging transactions, must be derived from some combination of income that qualifies under the 75% gross income test described above, as well as (a) other dividends, (b) interest, and (c) gain from the sale or disposition of shares or securities, in either case, not held for sale to customers.
Rents from Real Property. Rents we receive will qualify as “rents from real property” for the purpose of satisfying the gross income requirements for a REIT described above only if several conditions are met. These conditions relate to the identity of the tenant, the computation of the rent payable, and the nature of the property lease.
| • | First, the amount of rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount we receive or accrue generally will not be excluded from the term “rents from real property” solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales; |
| • | Second, we, or an actual or constructive owner of 10% or more in value of our shares, must not actually or constructively own 10% or more of the interests in the tenant, or, if the tenant is a corporation, 10% or more of the voting power or value of all classes of stock of the tenant. Rents received from such tenant that is a taxable REIT subsidiary, however, will not be excluded from the definition of “rents from real property” as a result of this condition if either (i) at least 90% of the space at the property to which the rents relate is leased to third parties, and the rents paid by the taxable REIT subsidiary are comparable to rents paid by our other tenants for comparable space or (ii) the property is a qualified lodging or qualified health care facility and such property is operated on behalf of the taxable REIT subsidiary by a person who is an “eligible independent contractor” (as described below) and certain other requirements are met; |
| • | Third, rent attributable to personal property, leased in connection with a lease of real property, must not be greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease. If this requirement is not met, then the portion of rent attributable to personal property will not qualify as “rents from real property”; and |
| • | Fourth, for rents to qualify as rents from real property for the purpose of satisfying the gross income tests, we generally must not operate or manage the property or furnish or render services to the tenants of such property, other than through an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated and from whom we derive no revenue or through a taxable REIT subsidiary. To the extent that impermissible services are provided by an independent contractor, the cost of the services generally must be borne by the independent contractor. We anticipate that any services we provide directly to tenants will be “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and not otherwise considered to be provided for the tenants’ convenience. We may provide a minimal amount of “non-customary” services to tenants of some of our properties, other than through an independent contractor or taxable REIT subsidiary, but we believe that our income from these services has not and will not in the future exceed 1% of our total gross income from any such property. If the impermissible tenant services income exceeds 1% of our total income from a property, then all of the income from that property will fail to qualify as rents from real property. If the total amount of |
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| impermissible tenant services income does not exceed 1% of our total income from the property, the services will not “taint” the other income from the property (that is, it will not cause the rent paid by tenants of that property to fail to qualify as rents from real property), but the impermissible tenant services income will not qualify as rents from real property. We are deemed to have received income from the provision of impermissible services in an amount equal to at least 150% of our direct cost of providing the service. |
We generally lease our properties to tenants that are individuals. Our leases typically have a term of at least one year and require the tenant to pay fixed rent. We do not currently lease and we do not anticipate leasing significant amounts of personal property pursuant to our leases.
We monitor (and intend to continue to monitor) the activities provided at, and the non-qualifying income arising from, our properties and believe that we have not provided services at levels that will cause us to fail to meet the gross income tests. We provide services and may provide access to third party service providers at some or all of our properties. Based upon our experience in the markets where the properties are located, we believe that all access to service providers and services provided to tenants by us (other than through a qualified independent contractor or a taxable REIT subsidiary) either are usually or customarily rendered in connection with the rental of real property and not otherwise considered rendered to the occupant, or, if considered impermissible services, will not result in an amount of impermissible tenant service income that will cause us to fail to meet the gross income test requirements. However, we cannot provide any assurance that the IRS will agree with these positions.
Interest Income. Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test to the extent that the obligation upon which such interest is paid is secured by a mortgage on real property or an interest in real property. Except as provided in the next sentence below, if we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and other property, and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date that we acquired or originated the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned between the real property and the other collateral, and our income from the arrangement will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, in the case of real estate mortgage loans that are secured by both real property and personal property, if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all property securing the loan, then the personal property securing the loan will be treated as real property for purposes of determining whether the interest income on such loan is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test.
Under the Code, if the terms of a loan are modified in a manner constituting a “significant modification,” such modification triggers a deemed exchange of the original loan for the modified loan. Revenue Procedure 2014-51 provides a safe harbor pursuant to which we will not be required to redetermine the fair market value of the real property securing a loan for purposes of the gross income and asset tests in connection with a loan modification that is: (1) occasioned by a borrower default; or (2) made at a time when we reasonably believe that the modification to the loan will substantially reduce a significant risk of default on the original loan. If we modify a mortgage loan in the future, no assurance can be provided that all of our loan modifications will qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2014-51.
To the extent that we derive interest income from a mortgage loan, or income from the rental of real property, where all or a portion of the amount of interest or rental income payable is contingent, such income generally will qualify for purposes of the gross income tests only if it is based upon the gross receipts or sales, and no part is based on the net income or profits, of the borrower or lessee, a tenant or subtenant of the borrower or lessee, or any other person. However, this limitation does not apply where the borrower or lessee derives substantially all of its income from leasing substantially all of its interest in the property to tenants or subtenants, to the extent that the rental income derived by the borrower or lessee, as the case may be, would qualify as rents from real property had we earned the income directly, such income will qualify for purposes of the gross income tests.
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We invest in certain private mortgage loans. Those mortgage loans are generally secured by a first lien on real property. To the extent we significantly modify a private mortgage loan in a manner that does not qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2014-51, we will be required to redetermine the value of the real property securing the loan at the time it was significantly modified. If the fair market value of the real property securing a loan has decreased, a portion of the interest income from the loan would not be qualifying income for the 75% gross income test. We anticipate that the interest on those private mortgage loans will generally be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test.
We do not currently and we do not expect in the future to derive significant amounts of interest that will not qualify under the 75% and 95% gross income tests.
Other Income. We may receive various fees in connection with our operations. The fees generally will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests if they are received in consideration for entering into an agreement to make a loan secured by real property and the fees are not determined by income and profits. Other fees are not qualifying income for purposes of either the 75% or the 95% gross income tests. Any fees earned by a taxable REIT subsidiary will not be included for purposes of determining whether we have satisfied the gross income tests. Fee income received from performing property management or other services to third parties and joint ventures with third parties (to the extent of the third party’s interest in the joint venture) is treated as nonqualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests.
Dividend Income. Our share of any dividends received from any corporations in which we own an interest (including taxable REIT subsidiaries but excluding qualified REIT subsidiaries) will qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. We do not anticipate that we will receive sufficient dividends from such corporations to cause us to exceed the limit on non-qualifying income under the 75% gross income test. Dividends that we receive from other qualifying REITs will qualify for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests.
Income from Hedging Transactions. From time to time we may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Any such hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including the use of derivative instruments such as interest rate swap or cap agreements, option agreements, and futures or forward contracts. Income of a REIT, including income from a pass-through subsidiary, arising from “clearly identified” hedging transactions that are entered into to manage the risk of interest rate or price changes with respect to borrowings, including gain from the disposition of such hedging transactions, to the extent the hedging transactions hedge indebtedness incurred, or to be incurred, by the REIT to acquire or carry real estate assets (each such hedge, a “Borrowings Hedge”), will not be treated as gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, and will not be treated as gross income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Income of a REIT arising from hedging transactions that are entered into to manage the risk of currency fluctuations with respect to our investments (each such hedge, a “Currency Hedge”) will not be treated as gross income for purposes of either the 95% gross income test or the 75% gross income test, provided that the transaction is “clearly identified.” Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, this exclusion from the 95% and 75% gross income tests also will apply if we previously entered into a Borrowings Hedge or a Currency Hedge, a portion of the hedged indebtedness or property is disposed of, and in connection with such extinguishment or disposition we enter into a new “clearly identified” hedging transaction to offset the prior hedging position. In general, for a hedging transaction to be “clearly identified,” (1) it must be identified as a hedging transaction before the end of the day on which it is acquired, originated, or entered into; and (2) the items of risks being hedged must be identified “substantially contemporaneously” with entering into the hedging transaction (generally not more than 35 days after entering into the hedging transaction). To the extent that we hedge with other types of financial instruments or in other situations, the resultant income will be treated as income that does not qualify under the 95% or 75% gross income tests unless the hedge meets certain requirements and we elect to integrate it with a specified asset and to treat the integrated position as a synthetic debt instrument. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT but there can be no assurance we will be successful in this regard.
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Income from Prohibited Transactions. Any gain that we realize on the sale of any property held as inventory or otherwise held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business (commonly referred to as “dealer property”) including our share of any such gain realized by our operating partnership, either directly or through its subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies, will be treated as income from a prohibited transaction that is subject to a 100% penalty tax. For purposes of determining the amount of income subject to the penalty tax, gains from sales of dealer property may not be offset by losses from such sales. Whether property is held as dealer property is a question of fact that depends on all the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction. Among the factors considered by the IRS and the courts in making the dealer determination are the nature and purpose of the acquisition of the property; the duration of ownership of the property; the extent and nature of the taxpayer’s efforts to sell the property; the number, extent, continuity, substantiality of the property sales; the extent of subdividing, developing, and advertising the property to increase sales; the use of a business office for the sale of the property; the character and degree of supervision or control exercised by the taxpayer over any representative selling the property; and the time and effort the taxpayer habitually devotes to the sale. The frequency and substantiality of sales is often cited by the courts as the most important objective factor in determining whether the taxpayer is engaged in the business of selling real estate to customers. The fact that the taxpayer holds some or even a substantial portion of its properties for lease and for long-term investment (i.e., not as dealer property) does not necessarily preclude other properties from being viewed as dealer property if the specific facts and circumstances relating thereto indicate that such properties were acquired and held for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business.
However, we will not be treated as a dealer in real property with respect to a property which is a real estate asset that we sell for the purposes of the 100% tax if (i) we have held the property for at least two years for the production of rental income prior to the sale, (ii) capitalized expenditures on the property in the two years preceding the sale are less than 30% of the net selling price of the property, and (iii) we either (a) have seven or fewer sales of property (excluding certain property obtained through foreclosure) for the year of sale, or (b) the aggregate adjusted basis of property sold during the year is 10% or less of the aggregate adjusted basis of all of our assets as of the beginning of the taxable year, or (c) the fair market value of property sold during the year is 10% or less of the aggregate fair market value of all of our assets as of the beginning of the taxable year, or (d) effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, the aggregate adjusted basis of property sold during the year is 20% or less of the aggregate adjusted basis of all of our assets as of the beginning of the taxable year and the aggregate adjusted basis of property sold during the three-year period ending with the year of sale is 10% or less of the aggregate tax basis of all of our assets as of the beginning of each of the three taxable years ending with the year of sale, or (e) effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, the fair market value of property sold during the year is 20% or less of the aggregate fair market value of all of our assets as of the beginning of the taxable year and the fair market value of property sold during the three-year period ending with the year of sale is 10% or less of the aggregate fair market value of all of our assets as of the beginning of each of the three taxable years ending with the year of sale. If we rely on clauses (b), (c), (d), or (e) in the preceding sentence, substantially all of the marketing and development expenditures with respect to the property sold must be made through an independent contractor from whom we derive no income or, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, our taxable REIT subsidiary. The sale of more than one property to one buyer as part of one transaction constitutes one sale for purposes of this “safe harbor.”
We structure our activities to avoid transactions that are prohibited transactions. However, the avoidance of this tax on prohibited transactions could cause us to undertake less substantial sales of property than we would otherwise undertake in order to maximize our profits. In addition, we may have to sell numerous properties to a single or a few purchasers, which could cause us to be less profitable than would be the case if we sold properties on a property-by-property basis. In certain circumstances, we transfer one or more homes or portfolio of homes to one of our taxable REIT subsidiaries prior to marketing them for sale. In connection with those transfers, any post-transfer, pre-sale operating income and gain recognized by the applicable taxable REIT subsidiary on a subsequent sale thereof will be subject to a corporate level income tax, as discussed above in “—Effect of Subsidiary Entities—Ownership of Interests in Taxable REIT Subsidiaries,” but generally should not be subject to the 100% penalty tax. Further, in the event that the IRS were to assert successfully that any such subsequent
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sale should be treated as having been made by the REIT (instead of our taxable REIT subsidiary), we could be subject to the penalty tax on gain recognized on such sales if the homes are otherwise determined to have been held by the REIT as dealer property and the safe harbor does not apply. In addition, the extent to which we can transfer homes to a taxable REIT subsidiary for subsequent lease and sale is subject to the constraint that the aggregate value of the equity and non-mortgage debt securities of all taxable REIT subsidiaries in which we hold an interest cannot exceed 25% (20% for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017) of the Company’s total assets at the end of any calendar quarter. Further, because dividends that we receive from the applicable taxable REIT subsidiary constitute nonqualifying gross income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, we could be constrained in our ability to cause the applicable taxable REIT subsidiary to pay dividends to reduce its equity value.
We have interests in several joint ventures that acquired mortgage loans. Those joint ventures have agreed not to sell or dispose of property if such sale or disposition would constitute a prohibited transaction. However, we do not control, or have consents rights with respect to the operation of, those joint ventures so there can be no assurance that the joint ventures will not engage in prohibited transactions.
Income from Foreclosure Property. We generally will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate (currently 21%) on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that constitutes qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property (1) that we acquire as the result of having bid on the property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after a default (or upon imminent default) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by us and secured by the property, (2) for which we acquired the related loan or lease at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated, and (3) with respect to which we made a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise constitute inventory or dealer property. To the extent that we receive any income from foreclosure property that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test, we intend to make an election to treat the related property as foreclosure property if the election is available (which may not be the case with respect to acquired “distressed loans”).
Cash/Income Differences/Phantom Income. Due to the nature of the assets in which we may invest, we may be required to recognize taxable income from those assets in advance of our receipt of cash flow on or proceeds from disposition of such assets, and may be required to report taxable income in early periods that exceeds the economic income ultimately realized on such assets.
We may invest in mortgages, including non-performing loans, or NPLs, in the secondary market for less than their face amount. The amount of such discount generally will be treated as “market discount” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We may elect to include in taxable income accrued market discount as it accrues rather than as it is realized for economic purposes, resulting in phantom income. Principal payments on certain loans are made monthly, and consequently accrued market discount may have to be included in income each month as if the debt instrument were assured of ultimately being collected in full. If we collect less on the debt instrument than our purchase price plus the market discount we had previously reported as income, we may not be able to benefit from any offsetting loss deductions.
We may acquire distressed debt investments that are subsequently modified by agreement with the borrower. If the amendments to the outstanding debt are “significant modifications” under the applicable Treasury Regulations, the modified debt may be considered to have been reissued to us in a debt-for-debt exchange with the borrower. In that event, we may be required to recognize income to the extent the principal amount of the modified debt exceeds our adjusted tax basis in the unmodified debt, and would hold the modified loan with a cost basis equal to its principal amount for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the extent that such modifications are made with respect to a debt instrument held by a taxable REIT subsidiary treated as a dealer as
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described above, such a taxable REIT subsidiary would be required at the end of each taxable year, including the taxable year in which such modification was made, to mark the modified debt instrument to its fair market value as if the debt instrument were sold. In that case, the taxable REIT subsidiary would recognize a loss at the end of the taxable year in which the modifications were made to the extent the fair market value of such debt instrument were less than its principal amount after the modification.
In addition, in the event that any debt instruments acquired by us are delinquent as to mandatory principal and interest payments, or in the event payments with respect to a particular debt instrument are not made when due, we may nonetheless be required to continue to recognize the unpaid interest as taxable income. Similarly, we may be required to accrue interest income with respect to subordinate mortgage-backed securities at the stated rate regardless of whether corresponding cash payments are received.
In addition to the rules described above where we could be required to recognize taxable income in advance of a corresponding receipt of cash, we generally will be required to include certain amounts in income no later than the time that the amounts are reflected on our financial statements, which could cause us to be required to take income into account earlier than under the general tax principals otherwise discussed herein.
Finally, we may be required under the terms of indebtedness that we incur to private lenders to use cash received from interest payments to make principal payments on that indebtedness, with the effect of recognizing income but not having a corresponding amount of cash available for distribution to our shareholders.
Due to each of these potential timing differences between income recognition or expense deduction and the related cash receipts or disbursements, there is a significant risk that we may have substantial taxable income in excess of cash available for distribution. In that event, we may need to borrow funds or take other action to satisfy the REIT distribution requirements for the taxable year in which this “phantom income” is recognized. See “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Annual Distribution Requirements.”
Failure to Satisfy the Gross Income Tests. If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may nevertheless qualify as a REIT for that year if we are entitled to relief under the Code. These relief provisions will be generally available if (1) our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and (2) following our identification of the failure to meet the 75% and/or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we file a schedule with the IRS setting forth a description of each item of our gross income that satisfies the gross income tests for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income test for such taxable year in accordance with Treasury Regulations. It is not possible, however, to state whether in all circumstances we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances, we will fail to qualify as a REIT. As discussed above, under “—Taxation of the Company as a REIT—General,” even if these relief provisions apply, a tax would be imposed based on the amount of non-qualifying income. We intend to take advantage of any and all relief provisions that are available to us to cure any violation of the income tests applicable to REITs.
Redetermined Rents; Redetermined Deductions; Excess Interest; or Redetermined Taxable REIT Subsidiary Service Income. Any redetermined rents, redetermined deductions, excess interest or, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, redetermined taxable REIT subsidiary service income will be subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, redetermined rents are rents from real property that are overstated as a result of services furnished by one of our taxable REIT subsidiaries to any of our tenants, and redetermined deductions and excess interest represent amounts that are deducted by a taxable REIT subsidiary for amounts paid to us that are in excess of the amounts that would have been deducted based on arm’s-length negotiations. Redetermined taxable REIT subsidiary service income means gross income (less allocable deductions) of a taxable REIT subsidiary attributable to services provided to, or on behalf of, the REIT (other than to tenants) to the extent the taxable REIT subsidiary’s income (less deductions) attributable thereto is increased to clearly reflect income.
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Rents we receive will not constitute redetermined rents if they qualify for the safe harbor provisions contained in the Code. Safe harbor provisions are provided where:
| • | amounts are excluded from the definition of impermissible tenant service income as a result of satisfying the 1% de minimis exception; |
| • | a taxable REIT subsidiary renders a significant amount of similar services to unrelated parties and the charges for such services are substantially comparable; |
| • | rents paid to us by tenants leasing at least 25% of the net leasable space of the REIT’s property who are not receiving services from the taxable REIT subsidiary are substantially comparable to the rents paid by the REIT’s tenants leasing comparable space who are receiving such services from the taxable REIT subsidiary and the charge for the service is separately stated; or |
| • | the taxable REIT subsidiary’s gross income from the service is not less than 150% of the taxable REIT subsidiary’s direct cost of furnishing the service. |
While we believe that any fees paid to our taxable REIT subsidiaries for tenant services have and will continue to reflect arm’s-length rates, a taxable REIT subsidiary may under certain circumstances provide tenant services which do not satisfy any of the safe-harbor provisions described above. Nevertheless, these determinations are inherently factual, and the IRS has broad discretion to assert that amounts paid between related parties should be reallocated to clearly reflect their respective incomes. If the IRS successfully made such an assertion, we would be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on the redetermined rent, redetermined deductions, excess interest or redetermined taxable REIT subsidiary service income, as applicable.
Asset Tests
At the close of each calendar quarter, we must satisfy the following tests relating to the nature and diversification of our assets. For purposes of the asset tests, a REIT is not treated as owning the stock of a qualified REIT subsidiary, an equity interest in any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or an equity interest in any entity that is disregarded as separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes (a “disregarded entity”). Instead, a REIT is treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets held by such entity.
| • | At least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of “real estate assets,” cash, cash items and U.S. government securities. For purposes of this test, real estate assets include interests in real property, such as land and buildings, leasehold interests in real property, stock of other corporations that qualify as REITs, some types of mortgage-backed securities, mortgage loans on real property or on interests in real property, property attributable to the temporary investment of new capital (but only if such property is stock or a debt instrument, and only for the one-year period beginning on the date we receive such capital), and, effective for each calendar quarter beginning with the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2016: (i) personal property leased in connection with real property to the extent that rents attributable to such personal property are treated as “rents from real property,” and (ii) debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs. Assets that do not qualify for purposes of the 75% asset test are subject to the additional asset tests described below. |
| • | Not more than 25% of our total assets may be represented by securities other than those described in the first bullet above. |
| • | Except for securities described in the first bullet above and securities in qualified REIT subsidiaries and taxable REIT subsidiaries, the value of any one issuer’s securities owned by us may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets. |
| • | Except for securities described in the first bullet above and securities in qualified REIT subsidiaries and taxable REIT subsidiaries, we may not own more than 10% of any one issuer’s outstanding voting securities. |
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| • | Except for securities described in the first bullet above and securities in qualified REIT subsidiaries and taxable REIT subsidiaries, and certain types of indebtedness that are not treated as securities for purposes of this test, as discussed below, we may not own more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. |
| • | Effective for calendar quarters beginning with the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2016, real estate assets include debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs to the extent not secured by real property or interests in real property, but the value of such debt instruments cannot exceed 25% of the value of our total assets. |
| • | Not more than 20% (25% for calendar quarters beginning prior to the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2018) of the value of our total assets may be represented by the securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries. |
The 10% value test does not apply to certain “straight debt” and other excluded securities, as described in the Code, including (1) loans to individuals or estates; (2) obligations to pay rent from real property; (3) rental agreements described in Section 467 of the Code; (4) any security issued by other REITs; (5) certain securities issued by a state, the District of Columbia, a foreign government, or a political subdivision of any of the foregoing, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and (6) any other arrangement as determined by the IRS. In addition, (1) a REIT’s interest as a partner in a partnership is not considered a security for purposes of the 10% value test; (2) any debt instrument issued by a partnership (other than straight debt or other excluded security) will not be considered a security issued by the partnership if at least 75% of the partnership’s gross income is derived from sources that would qualify for the 75% gross income test; and (3) any debt instrument issued by a partnership (other than straight debt or other excluded security) will not be considered a security issued by a partnership to the extent of the REIT’s interest as a partner in the partnership.
For purposes of the 10% value test, debt will meet the “straight debt” safe harbor if (1) neither us, nor any of our controlled taxable REIT subsidiaries (i.e., taxable REIT subsidiaries more than 50% of the vote or value of the outstanding stock of which is directly or indirectly owned by us), own any securities not described in the preceding paragraph that have an aggregate value greater than one percent of the issuer’s outstanding securities, as calculated under the Code, (2) the debt is a written unconditional promise to pay on demand or on a specified date a sum certain in money, (3) the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into stock, and (4) the interest rate and the interest payment dates of the debt are not contingent on the borrower’s profits, the borrower’s discretion or similar factors. However, contingencies regarding time of payment and interest are permissible for purposes of qualifying as a straight debt security if either (1) such contingency does not have the effect of changing the effective yield of maturity, as determined under the Code, other than a change in the annual yield to maturity that does not exceed the greater of (i) 5% of the annual yield to maturity and (ii) 0.25%, or (2) neither the aggregate issue price nor the aggregate face amount of the issuer’s debt instruments held by the REIT exceeds $1,000,000 and not more than 12 months of unaccrued interest can be required to be prepaid thereunder. In addition, debt will not be disqualified from being treated as “straight debt” solely because the time or amount of payment is subject to a contingency upon a default or the exercise of a prepayment right by the issuer of the debt, provided that such contingency is consistent with customary commercial practice.
We may invest in mortgages, including NPLs. A real estate mortgage loan that we own (including, effective for calendar quarters beginning with the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2016, mortgages on interests in real property) generally will be treated as a real estate asset for purposes of the 75% asset test if, on the date that we acquire or originate the mortgage loan, the value of the real property securing the loan is equal to or greater than the principal amount of the loan. Effective for calendar quarters beginning with the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2016, in the case of real estate mortgage loans that are secured by both real property and personal property, if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, then the personal property securing the loan will be treated as real property for purposes of determining whether and what portion of the mortgage qualifies as a real estate asset for purposes of the 75% asset test. Existing IRS guidance provides that certain rules described above that are applicable to the gross
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income tests may apply to determine what portion of a mortgage loan will be treated as a real estate asset if the mortgage loan is secured both by real property and other assets. Revenue Procedure 2014-51 provides a safe harbor under which the IRS has stated that it will not challenge a REIT’s treatment of a loan as being, in part, a qualifying real estate asset in an amount equal to the lesser of: (1) the fair market value of the loan on the date of the relevant quarterly REIT asset testing date and (2) the greater of (a) the fair market value of the real property securing the loan on the date of the relevant quarterly REIT testing date or (b) the fair market value of the real property securing the loan determined as of the date the REIT committed to acquire the loan. It is unclear how the Revenue Procedure 2014-51 safe harbor is affected by the prospective legislative changes regarding treatment of personal property that is mortgaged in connection with real property. Until additional guidance is issued, we intend to apply the Revenue Procedure safe harbor without taking into account the legislative changes regarding the treatment of mortgages secured by both real and personal property.
We may invest in distressed loans or NPLs with the intent to foreclose on the investments and acquire the underlying residential real estate assets, which we refer to as residential REOs. We expect to hold these distressed loans or NPLs in our taxable REIT subsidiaries and then transfer the residential REO to the Company. Our taxable REIT subsidiaries will pay regular U.S. federal income tax, and state, and local income tax, where applicable, as a non-REIT “C” corporation, on gain from the foreclosure, if any.
As discussed above under “—Gross Income Tests—Interest Income,” we invest in certain private mortgage loans that are secured by first liens on real property. We anticipate that those private mortgage loans will generally be treated as qualifying assets for the 75% asset test.
We believe that the assets that we hold and intend to hold will satisfy the foregoing asset test requirements. However, we have not and will not obtain independent appraisals to support our conclusions as to the value of our assets. Moreover, the value of some assets may not be susceptible to a precise determination. As a result, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contend that our ownership of assets violates one or more of the asset tests applicable to REITs in which case we might not satisfy the 75% asset test and the other asset tests and could fail to qualify as a REIT.
Failure to Satisfy the Asset Tests. The asset tests must be satisfied not only on the last day of the calendar quarter in which we, directly or through pass-through subsidiaries, acquire securities in the applicable issuer, but also on the last day of the calendar quarter in which we increase our ownership of securities of such issuer, including as a result of increasing our interest in pass-through subsidiaries. After initially meeting the asset tests at the close of any quarter, we will not lose our status as a REIT for failure to satisfy the asset tests solely by reason of changes in the relative values of our assets. If failure to satisfy the asset tests results from an acquisition of securities or other property during a quarter, we can cure this failure by disposing of sufficient non-qualifying assets within 30 days after the close of that quarter. We believe that we have maintained, and we intend to continue to maintain, adequate records of the value of our assets to ensure compliance with the asset tests, and we intend to take any available action within 30 days after the close of any quarter as may be required to cure any noncompliance with the asset tests. Although we plan to take steps to ensure that we satisfy such tests for any quarter with respect to which testing is to occur, there can be no assurance that such steps will always be successful. If we fail to timely cure any noncompliance with the asset tests, we would cease to qualify as a REIT, unless we satisfy certain relief provisions.
The failure to satisfy the 5% asset test, or the 10% vote or value asset tests can be remedied even after the 30-day cure period under certain circumstances. Specifically, if we fail these asset tests at the end of any quarter and such failure is not cured within 30 days thereafter, we may dispose of sufficient assets (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure to satisfy these asset tests occurred) to cure such a violation that does not exceed the lesser of 1% of our assets at the end of the relevant quarter or $10,000,000. If we fail any of the other asset tests or our failure of the 5% and 10% asset tests is in excess of the de minimis amount described above, as long as such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, we are permitted to avoid disqualification as a REIT, after the 30-day cure period, by taking steps
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including the disposing of sufficient assets to meet the asset test (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure to satisfy the REIT asset test occurred), paying a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 and the highest corporate income tax rate of the net income generated by the non-qualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset test, and filing in accordance with applicable Treasury Regulations a schedule with the IRS that describes the assets that caused us to fail to satisfy the asset test(s). We intend to take advantage of any and all relief provisions that are available to us to cure any violation of the asset tests applicable to REITs. In certain circumstances, utilization of such provisions could result in us being required to pay an excise or penalty tax, which could be significant in amount.
Sale-Leaseback Transactions
We have certain investments in the form of sale-leaseback transactions. We will treat these transactions as true leases for federal income tax purposes. However, depending on the terms of any specific transaction, the IRS might take the position that the transaction is not a true lease but is more properly treated in some other manner. If such recharacterization were successful, we would not be entitled to claim the depreciation deductions available to an owner of the property. In addition, the recharacterization of one or more of these transactions might cause us to fail to satisfy the asset tests or the income tests described above and such failure could result in our failing to qualify as a REIT. Alternatively, the amount or timing of income inclusion or the loss of depreciation deductions resulting from the recharacterization might cause us to fail to meet the distribution requirement described below for one or more taxable years absent the availability of the deficiency dividend procedure or might result in a larger portion of our dividends being treated as ordinary income to our shareholders.
Annual Distribution Requirements
To qualify as a REIT, we are required to distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our shareholders each year in an amount at least equal to:
| • | the sum of: (1) 90% of our “REIT taxable income,” computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain; and (2) 90% of our after tax net income, if any, from foreclosure property; minus |
| • | the sum of specified items of non-cash income. |
For purposes of this test, non-cash income means income attributable to leveled stepped rents, original issue discount included in our taxable income without the receipt of a corresponding payment, cancellation of indebtedness or a like-kind exchange that is later determined to be taxable.
We generally must make dividend distributions in the taxable year to which they relate. Dividend distributions may be made in the following year in two circumstances. First, if we declare a dividend in October, November, or December of any year with a prospective record date in one of these months and pay the dividend on or before January 31 of the following year, such distributions are treated as both paid by us and received by each shareholder on December 31 of the year in which they are declared. Second, distributions (“858 spill-over dividends”) may be made in the following year if (A) the distributions are (i) declared before we timely file our tax return for the prior year, (ii) distributed within the 12-month period following the close of the prior taxable year to which they relate back, and (iii) distributed with or before the “first regular dividend payment” after such declaration, and (B) we elect in our tax return to have a specified dollar amount of such dividend (or dividends) treated as if paid in the prior year. The maximum dollar amount that we may elect to treat as an 858 spill-over dividend is the amount by which the earnings and profits for the taxable year exceed the total amount of distributions out of such earnings and profits that were actually made during the taxable year to which they relate back. These distributions are taxable to our shareholders in the year in which paid, even though the distributions relate to our prior taxable year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement.
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For taxable years ending on or before December 31, 2014, in order for distributions to be counted as satisfying the annual distribution requirement for REITs, and to provide us with a REIT-level tax deduction, the distributions must not have been “preferential dividends.” A dividend is not a preferential dividend if the distribution is (1) pro rata among all outstanding shares within a particular class, and (2) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of shares as set forth in our organizational documents. Beginning with the taxable year that began on January 1, 2015, so long as we continue to be a “publicly offered REIT” (i.e., a REIT which is required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act), the preferential dividend rule has not and will not apply to us.
To the extent that we do not distribute all of our net capital gain or distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our “REIT taxable income,” as adjusted, we will be required to pay tax on that amount at regular corporate tax rates. We believe that we have made, and we intend to continue to make, timely distributions sufficient to satisfy these annual distribution requirements. In certain circumstances, we may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, we could elect for our shareholders to include their proportionate share of such undistributed long-term capital gains in income, and to receive a corresponding credit for their share of the tax that we paid. Our shareholders would then increase their adjusted basis of their shares by the difference between (1) the amounts of capital gain dividends that we designated and that they included in their taxable income, minus (2) the tax that we paid on their behalf with respect to that income.
To the extent that in the future we may have available net operating losses carried forward from prior taxable years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. Such losses, however, (1) will generally not affect the character, in the hands of our shareholders, of any distributions that are actually made as ordinary dividends or capital gains; and (2) cannot be passed through or used by our shareholders. See “—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Shareholders—Distributions Generally.”
If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year, and (c) any undistributed taxable income (ordinary and capital gain) from all prior periods, we would be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (x) the amounts “actually distributed,” and (y) the amounts of income we retained and on which we paid corporate income tax.
We expect that our REIT taxable income (determined before our deduction for dividends paid) will be less than our cash flow because of depreciation and other non-cash charges included in computing REIT taxable income. Accordingly, we anticipate that we will generally have sufficient cash or liquid assets to enable us to satisfy the distribution requirements described above. However, from time to time, we may not have sufficient cash or other liquid assets to meet these distribution requirements due to timing differences between the actual receipt of income and actual payment of deductible expenses, and the inclusion of income and deduction of expenses in arriving at our taxable income. If these timing differences occur, we may need to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings or need to pay dividends in the form of taxable dividends in order to meet the distribution requirements. Under Revenue Procedure 2017-45, we are also permitted to qualify for the dividends paid deduction by paying dividends with up to 80% of the value in stock and at least 20% of the value in cash. Revenue Procedure 2020-19 modifies Revenue Procedure 2017-45 for distributions declared from April 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020 such that we are permitted to pay dividends with up to 90% of the value in stock and at least 10% of the value in cash.
Furthermore, under amendments to the Code made by the TCJA, subject to certain exceptions, we must accrue income for U.S. federal income tax purposes no later than when such income is taken into account as revenue in our financial statements, which could create additional differences between our REIT taxable income and the receipt of cash attributable to such income. In addition, Section 162(m) of the Code places a per-employee limit of $1 million on the amount of compensation that a publicly held corporation may deduct in any one year with respect to its chief executive officer and certain other highly compensated executive officers. Amendments to
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Section 162(m) made by the TCJA eliminated an exception that formerly permitted certain performance-based compensation to be deducted even if in excess of $1 million, which may have the effect of increasing our REIT taxable income.
We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirement for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to our shareholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. Thus, we may be able to avoid being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. However, we will be required to pay interest to the IRS based upon the amount of any deduction claimed for deficiency dividends.
Interest Deduction Limitations
Commencing in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, Section 163(j) of the Code, as amended by the TCJA, limits the deductibility of net interest expense paid or accrued on debt properly allocable to a trade or business to 30% of “adjusted taxable income” (increased by the CARES Act to 50% for tax years 2019 and 2020), subject to certain exceptions. Any deduction in excess of the limitation is carried forward and may be used in a subsequent year, subject to the 30% (or 50%, as applicable) limitation. Adjusted taxable income is determined without regard to certain deductions, including those for net interest expense, net operating loss carryforwards and, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2022, depreciation, amortization and depletion. Provided the taxpayer makes a timely election (which is generally irrevocable except as provided in Revenue Procedure 2020-22 with respect to tax years 2018, 2019, and 2020), the 30% (or 50%, as applicable) limitation does not apply to a trade or business involving real property development, redevelopment, construction, reconstruction, rental, operation, acquisition, conversion, disposition, management, leasing or brokerage, within the meaning of Section 469(c)(7)(C) of the Code. If this election is made, depreciable real property (including certain improvements) held by the relevant trade or business must be depreciated under the alternative depreciation system under the Code, which is generally less favorable than the generally applicable system of depreciation under the Code. If we do not make the election or if the election is determined not to be available with respect to all or certain of our business activities, the new interest deduction limitation could result in us having more REIT taxable income and thus increase the amount of distributions we must make to comply with the REIT requirements and avoid incurring corporate level tax. Similarly, the limitation could cause our taxable REIT subsidiaries to have greater taxable income and thus potentially greater corporate tax liability.
Proposed Regulations Under Section 162(m)
On December 16, 2019, the IRS issued proposed regulations under Section 162(m) of the Code. We, like many umbrella partnership REITs, have taken the position that Section 162(m) does not apply to payments to their employees from an “operating partnership,” based on private letter rulings issued by the IRS to several umbrella partnership REITs. These proposed regulations include a provision that could cause Section 162(m) to apply to us, depending on how it is finally written. As a result of the proposed regulations, the Company is currently evaluating arrangements under which covered employees are compensated to determine the impact of these proposed regulations on our compensation arrangements and our resulting REIT taxable income (and required distributions to shareholders).
Record-Keeping Requirements
We are required to comply with applicable record-keeping requirements. Failure to comply could result in monetary fines.
Failure to Qualify as a REIT
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification other than gross income and asset tests that have the specific savings clauses, we can avoid termination of our REIT qualification by paying a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure, provided that our noncompliance was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.
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If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year and the relief provisions do not apply, we will be subject to tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax for taxable years beginning prior to January 1, 2018, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT, we will not be required to make any distributions to our shareholders, and any distributions that are made to our shareholders will not be deductible by us. As a result, our failure to qualify for taxation as a REIT would significantly reduce the cash available for distributions by us to our shareholders. In addition, if we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT, all distributions to our shareholders, to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, will be taxable as regular corporate dividends. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2026, generally U.S. shareholders that are individuals, trusts or estates may deduct 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary dividends distributed by us, subject to certain limitations. Alternatively, such dividends. paid to U.S. shareholders that are individuals, trusts and estates may be taxable at the preferential income tax rates for qualified dividends.
Unless entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we also will be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost. There can be no assurance that we would be entitled to any statutory relief. We intend to take advantage of any and all relief provisions that are available to us to cure any violation of the requirements applicable to REITs.
Tax Aspects of Our Ownership of Interests in our Operating Partnership and other Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies
General
Substantially all of our investments are and will continue to be owned indirectly through our operating partnership, American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. In addition, our operating partnership holds certain of its investments indirectly through subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies that are classified as partnerships or as disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In general, entities that are classified as partnerships or as disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes are “pass-through” entities which are not required to pay U.S. federal income tax. Rather, partners or members of such entities are allocated their pro rata shares of the items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the entity, and are required to include these items in calculating their U.S. federal income tax liability, without regard to whether the partners or members receive a distribution of cash from the entity. We include in our income our pro rata share of the foregoing items for purposes of the various REIT gross income tests and in the computation of our REIT taxable income. Moreover, for purposes of the REIT asset tests, we include our pro rata share of assets, based on capital interests, of assets held by our operating partnership, including its share of its subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies. See “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Effect of Subsidiary Entities—Ownership of Interests in Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies.”
Entity Classification
Our interests in our operating partnership and the subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies involve special tax considerations, including the possibility that the IRS might challenge the status of one or more of these entities as a partnership or disregarded entity, and assert that such entity is an association taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If our operating partnership, or a subsidiary partnership or limited liability company, were treated as an association, it would be taxable as a corporation and would be required to pay an entity-level tax on its income. In this situation, the character of our assets and items of gross income could change and could preclude us from satisfying the REIT asset tests and possibly the REIT income tests. See “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Gross Income Tests” and “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Asset Tests.” This, in turn, would prevent us from qualifying as a REIT. See “—Failure to Qualify as a REIT” for a discussion of the effect of our failure to meet these tests for a taxable year. In addition, a change in our operating partnership’s or a subsidiary partnership’s or limited liability company’s status as a partnership for tax purposes might be treated as a taxable event. If so, we might incur a tax liability without any related cash distributions.
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We believe each of our operating partnership and our other partnerships and limited liability companies (other than our taxable REIT subsidiaries) is properly treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a partnership or disregarded entity. Pursuant to Treasury Regulations under Section 7701 of the Code, a partnership is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes unless it elects to be treated as a corporation or would be treated as a corporation because it is a “publicly traded partnership.” A “publicly traded partnership” is any partnership (i) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market or (ii) the interests in which are readily tradable on a “secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof.”
Our company and our operating partnership intend to take the reporting position for U.S. federal income tax purposes that our operating partnership is not a publicly traded partnership. There is a risk, however, that the right of a holder of OP units to redeem the units for Class A common shares could cause OP units to be considered readily tradable on the substantial equivalent of a secondary market. Under the relevant Treasury Regulations, interests in a partnership will not be considered readily tradable on a secondary market or on the substantial equivalent of a secondary market if the partnership qualifies for specified “safe harbors,” which are based on the specific facts and circumstances relating to the partnership. We and our operating partnership believe that our operating partnership has qualified and will qualify for at least one of these safe harbors at all times in the foreseeable future. Our operating partnership cannot provide any assurance that it will continue to qualify for one of the safe harbors mentioned above.
If our operating partnership is a publicly traded partnership, it will be taxed as a corporation unless at least 90% of its gross income consists of “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the Code. Qualifying income is generally real property rents and other types of passive income. We believe that our operating partnership has sufficient qualifying income so that it would be taxed as a partnership, even if it were a publicly traded partnership. The income requirements applicable to us in order for us to qualify as a REIT under the Code and the definition of qualifying income under the publicly traded partnership rules are very similar. Although differences exist between these two income tests, we do not believe that these differences would cause our operating partnership not to satisfy the 90% gross income test applicable to publicly traded partnerships.
If our operating partnership were taxable as a corporation, most, if not all, of the tax consequences described herein would be inapplicable. In particular, we would not qualify as a REIT because the value of our ownership interest in our operating partnership would exceed 5% of our assets and we would be considered to hold more than 10% of the voting securities (and more than 10% of the value of the outstanding securities) of another corporation (see “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Asset Tests” above). In this event, the value of our shares could be materially adversely affected (see “—Failure to Qualify as a REIT” above).
Allocations of Partnership Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction
The partnership agreement of our operating partnership generally provides that items of operating income and loss will be allocated to reflect the distribution and liquidation preferences of certain holders of OP units, and then to the holders of units in proportion to the number of units held by each such unit holder. Certain limited partners may agree in the future to guarantee debt of our operating partnership, either directly or indirectly through an agreement to make capital contributions to our operating partnership under limited circumstances. As a result of these guarantees or contribution agreements, such limited partners could under limited circumstances be allocated net loss that would have otherwise been allocable to us.
If an allocation of partnership income or loss does not comply with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the partners’ interests in the partnership. This reallocation will be determined by taking into account all of the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the partners with respect to such item. Our operating partnership’s allocations of taxable income and loss are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
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Tax Allocations with Respect to the Properties
Under Section 704(c) of the Code, income, gain, loss and deduction attributable to appreciated or depreciated property that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership, must be allocated in a manner so that the contributing partner is charged with the unrealized gain or benefits from the unrealized loss associated with the property at the time of the contribution. The amount of the unrealized gain or unrealized loss is generally equal to the difference between the fair market value or book value and the adjusted tax basis of the property at the time of contribution. These allocations are solely for U.S. federal income tax purposes and do not affect the book capital accounts or other economic or legal arrangements among the partners. The partnership agreement requires that these allocations be made in a manner consistent with Section 704(c) of the Code.
Treasury Regulations issued under Section 704(c) of the Code provide partnerships with a choice of several methods of accounting for book-tax differences. We and our operating partnership have used the “traditional method” for accounting for book-tax differences for properties contributed to our operating partnership. Under the traditional method, which is the least favorable method from our perspective, the carryover basis of contributed properties in the hands of our operating partnership (i) may cause us to be allocated lower amounts of depreciation and other deductions for tax purposes than would be allocated to us if all contributed properties were to have a tax basis equal to their fair market value at the time of the contribution and (ii) in the event of a sale of such properties, could cause us to be allocated taxable gain in excess of our corresponding economic or book gain (or taxable loss that is less than our economic or book loss) with respect to the sale, with a corresponding benefit to the contributing partners. Therefore, the use of the traditional method could result in our having taxable income that is in excess of economic income and our cash distributions from our operating partnership. This excess taxable income is sometimes referred to as “phantom income” and will be subject to the REIT distribution requirements described in “—Annual Distribution Requirements.” Because we rely on our cash distributions from our operating partnership to meet the REIT distribution requirements, the phantom income could adversely affect our ability to comply with the REIT distribution requirements and cause our shareholders to recognize additional dividend income without an increase in distributions. See “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT” and “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Annual Distribution Requirements.” We and our operating partnership may use the traditional method to account for book-tax differences for other properties acquired by our operating partnership in the future. Any property acquired by our operating partnership in a taxable transaction will initially have a tax basis equal to its fair market value and, accordingly, Section 704(c) of the Code will not apply.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders
Taxation of Taxable U.S. Shareholders
This section summarizes the taxation of U.S. shareholders that are not tax-exempt organizations.
If an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our shares, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A partner of a partnership holding our shares should consult its tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to the partner of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our shares by the partnership.
Distributions Generally. So long as we qualify as a REIT, distributions out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits that are not designated as capital gains dividends or “qualified dividend income” will be taxable to our taxable U.S. shareholders as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction in the case of U.S. shareholders that are corporations. However, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and prior to 2026, generally U.S. shareholders that are individuals, trusts or estates may deduct 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary dividends distributed by us, subject to certain limitations. For purposes of determining whether distributions to holders of our shares are out of current or accumulated earnings and profits, our earnings and profits will be allocated first to any preferred shares then to our common shares.
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Dividends received from REITs are generally not eligible to be taxed at the preferential qualified dividend income rates currently available to individual U.S. shareholders who receive dividends from taxable subchapter “C” corporations.
Capital Gain Dividends. We may elect to designate distributions of our net capital gain as “capital gain dividends.” Distributions that we properly designate as “capital gain dividends” will be taxable to our taxable U.S. shareholders as long-term capital gains without regard to the period for which the U.S. shareholder that receives such distribution has held its shares, to the extent that such distributions do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year (and, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, do not exceed our dividends paid with respect to the taxable year, taking Section 858 of the Code into account). Designations made by us will only be effective to the extent that they comply with Revenue Ruling 89-81, which requires that distributions made to different classes of shares be composed proportionately of dividends of a particular type. If we designate any portion of a dividend as a capital gain dividend, a U.S. shareholder will receive an IRS Form 1099-DIV indicating the amount that will be taxable to the shareholder as capital gain. Corporate shareholders, however, may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain dividends as ordinary income. Recipients of capital gain dividends from us that are taxed at corporate income tax rates will be taxed at the normal corporate income tax rates on these dividends.
We may elect to retain and pay taxes on some or all of our net long-term capital gains, in which case U.S. shareholders will be treated as having received, solely for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains as well as a corresponding credit or refund, as the case may be, for taxes that we paid on such undistributed capital gains. A U.S. shareholder will increase the basis in its shares by the difference between the amount of capital gain included in its income and the amount of tax it is deemed to have paid. A U.S. shareholder that is a corporation will appropriately adjust its earnings and profits for the retained capital gain in accordance with Treasury Regulations to be prescribed by the IRS. Our earnings and profits will be adjusted appropriately.
We will classify portions of any designated capital gain dividend or undistributed capital gain as either:
| • | a long-term capital gain distribution, which would be taxable to non-corporate U.S. shareholders at a maximum rate of 20%, and taxable to U.S. shareholders that are corporations at a maximum rate of 21%; or |
| • | an “unrecaptured Section 1250 gain” distribution, which would be taxable to non-corporate U.S. shareholders at a maximum rate of 25%, to the extent of previously claimed depreciation deductions. |
Distributions from us in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will not be taxable to a U.S. shareholder to the extent that they do not exceed the adjusted basis of the U.S. shareholder’s shares in respect of which the distributions were made. Rather, the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of these shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted basis of a U.S. shareholder’s shares, the U.S. shareholder generally must include such distributions in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less. In addition, any dividend that we declare in October, November or December of any year and that is payable to a shareholder of record on a prospective date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the shareholder on December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the dividend before the end of January of the following calendar year.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior taxable years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. Under amendments made by the TCJA to the Code, our deduction for any net operating loss carryforwards arising from losses we sustain in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, is limited to 80% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid). The CARES Act eliminates this 80% limitation for taxable years 2018, 2019 and 2020. In addition, under the TCJA, any unused portion of losses arising in taxable years ending after December 31, 2017 may not be carried back, but may be carried forward indefinitely. See “—Taxation of the Company as a REIT” and “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Annual Distribution Requirements.” Such losses, however, are
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not passed through to U.S. shareholders and do not offset income of U.S. shareholders from other sources, nor would such losses affect the character of any distributions that we make, which are generally subject to tax in the hands of U.S. shareholders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.
Qualified Dividend Income. With respect to U.S. shareholders who are taxed at the rates applicable to individuals, we may elect to designate a portion of our distributions paid to shareholders as “qualified dividend income.” A portion of a distribution that is properly designated as qualified dividend income is taxable to non-corporate U.S. shareholders as capital gain, provided that the shareholder has held the shares with respect to which the distribution is made for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such shares become ex-dividend with respect to the relevant distribution. The maximum amount of our distributions eligible to be designated as qualified dividend income for a taxable year is equal to the sum of:
| • | the qualified dividend income received by us during such taxable year from non-REIT “C” corporations (including our taxable REIT subsidiaries); |
| • | the excess of any “undistributed” REIT taxable income recognized during the immediately preceding year over the U.S. federal income tax paid by us with respect to such undistributed REIT taxable income; and |
| • | the excess of (i) any income recognized during the immediately preceding year attributable to the sale of a built-in-gain asset that was acquired in a carry-over basis transaction from a “C” corporation with respect to which the Company is required to pay U.S. federal income tax, over (ii) the U.S. federal income tax paid by us with respect to such built-in gain. |
Generally, dividends that we receive will be treated as qualified dividend income for purposes of the first bullet above if (A) the dividends are received from (i) a U.S. corporation (other than a REIT or a RIC), (ii) any of our taxable REIT subsidiaries, or (iii) a “qualifying foreign corporation,” and (B) specified holding period requirements and other requirements are met. A foreign corporation (other than a “foreign personal holding company,” a “foreign investment company,” or a “passive foreign investment company”) will be a qualifying foreign corporation if it is incorporated in a possession of the United States, the corporation is eligible for benefits of an income tax treaty with the United States that the Secretary of Treasury determines is satisfactory, or the stock of the foreign corporation on which the dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. We generally expect that an insignificant portion, if any, of our distributions from us will consist of qualified dividend income. If we designate any portion of a dividend as qualified dividend income, a U.S. shareholder will receive an IRS Form 1099-DIV indicating the amount that will be taxable to the shareholder as qualified dividend income.
Passive Activity Losses and Investment Interest Limitations. Distributions we make and gain arising from the sale or exchange by a U.S. shareholder of our shares will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, U.S. shareholders generally will not be able to apply any “passive losses” against this income or gain. Distributions we make, to the extent they do not constitute a return of capital, generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation. A U.S. shareholder may elect, depending on its particular situation, to treat capital gain dividends, capital gains from the disposition of our shares and income designated as qualified dividend income as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitation, in which case the applicable capital gains will be taxed at ordinary income rates. We will notify shareholders regarding the portions of our distributions for each year that constitute ordinary income, return of capital and qualified dividend income.
Distributions to Holders of Depositary Shares. Owners of depositary shares will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as if they were owners of the underlying preferred shares represented by such depositary shares. Accordingly, such owners will be entitled to take into account, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, income and deductions to which they would be entitled if they were direct holders of underlying preferred shares.
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In addition, (i) no gain or loss will be recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the withdrawal of certificates evidencing the underlying preferred shares in exchange for depositary receipts, (ii) the tax basis of each share of the underlying preferred shares to an exchanging owner of depositary shares will, upon such exchange, be the same as the aggregate tax basis of the depositary shares exchanged therefor, and (iii) the holding period for the underlying preferred shares in the hands of an exchanging owner of depositary shares will include the period during which such person owned such depositary shares.
Dispositions of Our Shares. If a U.S. shareholder sells or otherwise disposes of our shares in a taxable transaction (other than redemption), it will recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received on the sale or other disposition and the holder’s adjusted basis in the shares for tax purposes. In general, a U.S. shareholder’s adjusted basis will equal the U.S. shareholder’s acquisition cost, increased by the excess for net capital gains deemed distributed to the U.S. shareholder (discussed above) less tax deemed paid on it and reduced by returns on capital.
In general, capital gains recognized by individuals and other non-corporate U.S. shareholders upon the sale or disposition of our shares will be subject to a maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of 20%, if our shares are held for more than one year, and will be taxed at ordinary income rates (of up to 37%) if our shares are held for one year or less. Gains recognized by U.S. shareholders that are corporations are subject to U.S. federal income tax at a maximum rate of 21%, whether or not such gains are classified as long-term capital gains. The IRS has the authority to prescribe, but has not yet prescribed, Treasury Regulations that would apply a capital gain tax rate of 25% (which is higher than the long-term capital gain tax rates for non-corporate U.S. shareholders) to a portion of capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. shareholder on the sale of our shares that would correspond to our “unrecaptured Section 1250 gain.” U.S. shareholders should consult with their tax advisors with respect to their capital gain tax liability.
Capital losses recognized by a U.S. shareholder upon the disposition of our shares that were held for more than one year at the time of disposition will be considered long-term capital losses, and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the shareholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). Similarly, capital losses recognized by a U.S. shareholder upon the disposition of our shares that were held for one year or less at the time of disposition will be considered short-term capital losses, and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the shareholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of our shares by a U.S. shareholder who has held the shares for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions that we make that are required to be treated by the U.S. shareholder as long-term capital gain.
If a shareholder recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our shares in an amount that exceeds a prescribed threshold, it is possible that the provisions of Treasury Regulations involving “reportable transactions” could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss-generating transaction to the IRS. These regulations, though directed towards “tax shelters,” are broadly written, and may apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. The Code imposes significant penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisors concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our shares, or transactions that we might undertake directly or indirectly.
Medicare Tax on Unearned Income. The Health Care and Reconciliation Act of 2010 requires certain U.S. shareholders that are individuals, estates or trusts to pay an additional 3.8% tax on “net investment income,” which includes, among other things, dividends on and gains from the sale or other disposition of REIT shares. The temporary 20% deduction allowed by Section 199A of the Code, as added by the TCJA, with respect to ordinary REIT dividends received by non-corporate taxpayers is allowed only for purposes of Chapter 1 of the Code and thus is apparently not allowed as a deduction allocable to such dividends for purposes of determining the amount of net investment income subject to the 3.8% Medicare tax, which is imposed under Chapter 2A of the Code. U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding this legislation.
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Legislation Relating To Foreign Accounts. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), which was enacted in 2010, imposes a 30% withholding tax on certain types of payments made to “foreign financial institutions” and certain other non-U.S. entities unless certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations requirements are satisfied. Investors are advised to consult their tax advisors regarding this legislation. See “—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding Tax Applicable to Shareholders—U.S. Shareholders—Legislation Relating To Foreign Accounts.”
Redemption of Preferred Shares and Depositary Shares. Whenever we redeem any preferred shares or depositary shares, the treatment accorded to any redemption by us for cash (as distinguished from a sale, exchange or other disposition) of our preferred shares or depositary shares to a holder of such shares can only be determined on the basis of the particular facts as to each holder at the time of redemption. In general, a holder of our preferred shares or depositary shares will recognize capital gain or loss measured by the difference between the amount received by the holder of such shares upon the redemption and such holder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares redeemed (provided the preferred shares are held as a capital asset) if such redemption (i) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the holder of the preferred shares under Section 302(b)(1) of the Code, (ii) is a “substantially disproportionate” redemption with respect to the shareholder under Section 302(b)(2) of the Code, or (iii) results in a “complete termination” of the holder’s interest in all classes of our shares under Section 302(b)(3) of the Code. In applying these tests, there must be taken into account not only any series or class of the shares being redeemed, but also such holder’s ownership of other classes of our shares and any options (including share purchase rights) to acquire any of the foregoing. The holder of our preferred shares or depositary shares also must take into account any such securities (including options) which are considered to be owned by such holder by reason of the constructive ownership rules set forth in Sections 318 and 302(c) of the Code.
If the holder of preferred shares or depositary shares owns (actually or constructively) none of our voting shares, or owns an insubstantial amount of our voting shares, based upon current law, it is probable that the redemption of preferred shares from such a holder would be considered to be “not essentially equivalent to a dividend.” However, whether a distribution is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” depends on all of the facts and circumstances, and a holder of our preferred shares or depositary shares intending to rely on any of these tests at the time of redemption should consult its tax advisor to determine their application to its particular situation.
Satisfaction of the “substantially disproportionate” and “complete termination” exceptions is dependent upon compliance with the respective objective tests set forth in Section 302(b)(2) and Section 302(b)(3) of the Code. A distribution to a holder of preferred shares or depositary shares will be “substantially disproportionate” if the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the shareholder immediately following the redemption of shares (treating preferred shares redeemed as not outstanding) is less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the shareholder immediately before the redemption, and immediately following the redemption the shareholder actually and constructively owns less than 50% of the total combined voting power of the Company. Because the Company’s preferred shares and depositary shares are nonvoting shares, a shareholder would have to reduce such holder’s holdings (if any) in our classes of voting shares to satisfy this test.
If the redemption does not meet any of the tests under Section 302 of the Code, then the redemption proceeds received from our preferred shares or depositary shares will be treated as a distribution on our shares as described under “Taxation of U.S. Shareholders—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Shareholders—Distributions Generally.” If the redemption of a holder’s preferred shares or depositary shares is taxed as a dividend, the adjusted basis of such holder’s redeemed shares will be transferred to any other shares held by the holder. If the holder owns no other shares, under certain circumstances, such basis may be transferred to a related person, or it may be lost entirely.
Conversion of Our Preferred Shares into Class A Common Shares. Except as provided below, a U.S. shareholder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the conversion of our preferred shares into our Class A common shares. Except as provided below, a U.S. shareholder’s basis and holding period in the Class A common shares
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received upon conversion generally will be the same as those of the converted preferred shares (but the basis will be reduced by the portion of adjusted tax basis allocated to any fractional share of common stock exchanged for cash). Any Class A common shares received in a conversion that is attributable to accumulated and unpaid dividends on the converted preferred shares will be treated as a distribution on our shares as described above in “—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Shareholders—Distributions Generally.” Cash received upon conversion in lieu of a fractional share of common stock generally will be treated as a payment in a taxable exchange for such fractional share of common stock, and gain or loss will be recognized on the receipt of cash in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash received and the adjusted tax basis allocable to the fractional share of common stock deemed exchanged. This gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. shareholder has held the preferred shares for more than one year. See “—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders—Dispositions of Our Shares.” U.S. shareholders should consult with their tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of any transaction by which such holder exchanges Class A common shares received on a conversion of preferred shares for cash or other property.
Taxation of Tax Exempt Shareholders
U.S. tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. Such entities, however, may be subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income, or UBTI. While some investments in real estate may generate UBTI, the IRS has ruled that dividend distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt entity generally do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, and provided that (1) a tax-exempt shareholder has not held our shares as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the Code (i.e., where the acquisition or holding of the property is financed through a borrowing by the U.S. tax-exempt shareholder), (2) our shares are not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business, and (3) we do not hold an asset that gives rise to “excess inclusion income,” distributions that we make and income from the sale of our shares generally should not give rise to UBTI to a U.S. tax-exempt shareholder.
Tax-exempt shareholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, or qualified group legal services plans exempt from U.S. federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9), (c)(17) or (c)(20) of the Code, respectively, or single parent title-holding corporations exempt under Section 501(c)(2) and whose income is payable to any of the aforementioned tax-exempt organizations, are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally require such shareholders to characterize distributions from us as UBTI unless the organization is able to properly claim a deduction for amounts set aside or placed in reserve for certain purposes so as to offset the income generated by its investment in our shares. These shareholders should consult with their tax advisors concerning these set aside and reserve requirements.
In certain circumstances, a pension trust (1) that is described in Section 401(a) of the Code, (2) is tax exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code, and (3) that owns more than 10% of our shares could be required to treat a percentage of the dividends as UBTI, if we are a “pension-held REIT.” We will not be a pension-held REIT unless:
| • | either (1) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our shares, or (2) one or more pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our shares, collectively own more than 50% of the value of our shares; and |
| • | we would not have qualified as a REIT but for the fact that Section 856(h)(3) of the Code provides that shares owned by such trusts shall be treated, for purposes of the requirement that not more than 50% of the value of the outstanding shares of a REIT are owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer “individuals” (as defined in the Code to include certain entities), as owned by the beneficiaries of such trusts. |
The percentage of any REIT dividend from a “pension-held REIT” that is treated as UBTI is equal to the ratio of the UBTI earned by the REIT, treating the REIT as if it were a pension trust and therefore subject to tax on
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UBTI, to the total gross income of the REIT. An exception applies where the percentage is less than 5% for any year, in which case none of the dividends would be treated as UBTI. The provisions requiring pension trusts to treat a portion of REIT distributions as UBTI will not apply if the REIT is able to satisfy the “not closely held requirement” without relying upon the “look-through” exception with respect to pension trusts. As a result of certain limitations on the transfer and ownership of our common and preferred shares contained in our declaration of trust, we do not expect to be classified as a “pension-held REIT,” and accordingly, the tax treatment described above with respect to pension-held REITs should be inapplicable to our tax-exempt shareholders.
Prospective shareholders who are tax-exempt organizations should consult with their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of investing in our shares.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders
The following discussion addresses the rules governing U.S. federal income taxation of non-U.S. shareholders. For purposes of this discussion, “non-U.S. shareholder” is a beneficial owner of our shares that is not a U.S. shareholder (as defined above) or an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. These rules are complex, and no attempt is made herein to provide more than a brief summary of such rules. Accordingly, the discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation and does not address state, local, foreign, or other tax consequences that may be relevant to a non-U.S. shareholder in light of its particular circumstances.
Distributions Generally. As described in the discussion below, distributions paid by us with respect to our shares will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as either:
| • | ordinary income dividends; |
| • | long-term capital gain; or |
| • | return of capital distributions. |
This discussion assumes that our shares will be considered regularly traded on an established securities market for purposes of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, or FIRPTA, provisions described below. Generally, FIRPTA treats gain from the disposition of U.S. real property interests, or USRPIs, (and certain distributions received, that are attributable to gain from disposition of USRPIs) as income effectively connected with a non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, and subjects such income to U.S. federal income tax at rates applicable to U.S. individuals or corporations. If our shares are no longer regularly traded on an established securities market, the tax considerations described below would materially differ.
Ordinary Income Dividends. A distribution paid by us to a non-U.S. shareholder will be treated as an ordinary income dividend if the distribution is payable out of our earnings and profits and:
| • | the distribution is not attributable to our net capital gain; or |
| • | the distribution is attributable to our net capital gain from the sale of USRPIs, and the non-U.S. shareholder owns 10% or less of the value of our shares at all times during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution. |
In general, non-U.S. shareholders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our shares. In cases where the dividend income from a non-U.S. shareholder’s investment in our shares is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. shareholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. shareholders are taxed with respect to such dividends. Such income must generally be reported on a U.S. federal income tax return filed by or on behalf of the non-U.S. shareholder. The income may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder that is a corporation.
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Generally, we will withhold and remit to the IRS 30% of dividend distributions (including distributions that may later be determined to have been made in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits) that could not be treated as capital gain distributions with respect to the non-U.S. shareholder (and that are not deemed to be capital gain dividends for purposes of the FIRPTA withholding rules described below) unless:
| • | a lower treaty rate applies and the non-U.S. shareholder files an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, evidencing eligibility for that reduced treaty rate with us; or |
| • | the non-U.S. shareholder files an IRS Form W-8ECI with us claiming that the distribution is income effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s trade or business. |
Return of Capital Distributions. Unless (A) our shares constitute a USRPI, as described in “—Dispositions of Our Shares” below, or (B) either (1) the non-U.S. shareholder’s investment in our shares is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. shareholder (in which case the non-U.S. shareholder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. shareholders with respect to such gain) or (2) the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States (in which case the non-U.S. shareholder will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual’s net capital gain for the year), distributions that we make which are not dividends out of our earnings and profits will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. If we cannot determine at the time a distribution is made whether or not the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to dividends. The non-U.S. shareholder may seek a refund from the IRS of any amounts withheld if it subsequently is determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. If our shares constitute a USRPI, as described below, distributions that we make in excess of the sum of (1) the non-U.S. shareholder’s proportionate share of our earnings and profits, and (2) the non-U.S. shareholder’s basis in its shares, will be taxed under FIRPTA at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a U.S. shareholder of the same type (e.g., an individual or a corporation, as the case may be), and the collection of the tax will be enforced by a refundable withholding tax at a rate of 15% of the amount by which the distribution exceeds the shareholder’s share of our earnings and profits.
Capital Gain Dividends. A distribution paid by us to a non-U.S. shareholder will be treated as long-term capital gain if the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits and:
| • | the distribution is attributable to our net capital gain (other than from the sale of USRPIs) and we timely designate the distribution as a capital gain dividend; or |
| • | the distribution is attributable to our net capital gain from the sale of USRPIs and the non-U.S. shareholder owns more than 10% of the value of shares at any point during the one-year period ending on the date on which the distribution is paid. |
Long-term capital gain that a non-U.S. shareholder is deemed to receive from a capital gain dividend that is not attributable to the sale of USRPIs generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the hands of the non-U.S. shareholder unless:
| • | the non-U.S. shareholder’s investment in our shares is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. shareholder, in which case the non-U.S. shareholder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. shareholders with respect to any gain, except that a non-U.S. shareholder that is a corporation also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax; or |
| • | the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States in which case the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on his capital gains. |
Subject to the discussion below regarding distributions to “qualified shareholders” and “qualified foreign pension funds,” under FIRPTA, distributions that are attributable to net capital gain from the sale by us of USRPIs and
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paid to a non-U.S. shareholder that owns more than 10% of the value of our shares at any time during the one-year period ending on the date on which the distribution is paid will be subject to U.S. tax as income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. The FIRPTA tax will apply to these distributions whether or not the distribution is designated as a capital gain dividend, and, in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder that is a corporation, such distributions also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax.
Subject to the discussion below regarding distributions to “qualified shareholders” and “qualified foreign pension funds,” any distribution paid by us that is treated as a capital gain dividend or that could be treated as a capital gain dividend with respect to a particular non-U.S. shareholder will be subject to special withholding rules under FIRPTA. We will withhold and remit to the IRS 21% of any distribution that could be treated as a capital gain dividend with respect to the non-U.S. shareholder, to the extent that the distribution is attributable to the sale by us of USRPIs. The amount withheld is creditable against the non-U.S. shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability or refundable when the non-U.S. shareholder properly and timely files a tax return with the IRS.
Qualified Shareholders. Subject to the exception discussed below, any distribution to a “qualified shareholder” who holds REIT stock directly (or indirectly through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. tax under FIRPTA with respect to that REIT stock and thus will not be subject to withholding rules under FIRPTA. If a foreign investor in a “qualified shareholder” directly or indirectly, whether or not by reason of such investor’s ownership interest in the “qualified shareholder,” holds more than 10% of the stock of the REIT, then a portion of the REIT stock held by the “qualified shareholder” (based on the foreign investor’s percentage ownership of the “qualified shareholder”) will be treated as a USRPI in the hands of the “qualified shareholder” and will be subject to FIRPTA.
A “qualified shareholder” is a foreign person that (i) either is eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States that includes an exchange of information program and whose principal class of interests is listed and regularly traded on one or more recognized stock exchanges (as defined in such comprehensive income tax treaty), or is a foreign partnership that is created or organized under foreign law as a limited partnership in a jurisdiction that has an agreement for the exchange of information with respect to taxes with the United States and has a class of limited partnership units representing greater than 50% of the value of all the partnership units that is regularly traded on the NYSE or Nasdaq markets, (ii) is a “qualified collective investment vehicle” (defined below), and (iii) maintains records on the identity of each person who, at any time during the foreign person’s taxable year, is the direct owner of 5% or more of the class of interests or units (as applicable) described in (i), above.
A “qualified collective investment vehicle” is a foreign person that (i) would be eligible for a reduced rate of withholding under the comprehensive income tax treaty described above, even if such entity holds more than 10% of the stock of such REIT, (ii) is publicly traded, is treated as a partnership under the Code, is a withholding foreign partnership, and would be treated as a U.S. real property holding corporation (“USRPHC”) if it were a domestic corporation, or (iii) is designated as such by the Secretary of the Treasury and is either (a) fiscally transparent within the meaning of section 894 of the Code, or (b) required to include dividends in its gross income, but is entitled to a deduction for distributions to its investors.
Qualified Foreign Pension Funds. Any distribution to a “qualified foreign pension fund” or an entity all of the interests of which are held by a “qualified foreign pension fund” who holds REIT stock directly (or indirectly through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. tax under FIRPTA and thus will not be subject to the withholding rules under FIRPTA.
A qualified foreign pension fund is any trust, corporation, or other organization or arrangement (A) that is created or organized under the law of a country other than the United States, (B) that is established to provide retirement or pension benefits to participants or beneficiaries that are current or former employees (or persons designated by such employees) of one or more employers in consideration for services rendered, (C) that does not have a single participant or beneficiary with a right to more than 5% of its assets or income, (D) that is
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subject to government regulation and provides annual information reporting about its beneficiaries to the relevant tax authorities in the country in which it is established or operates, and (E) with respect to which, under the laws of the country in which it is established or operates, (i) contributions to such organization or arrangement that would otherwise be subject to tax under such laws are deductible or excluded from the gross income of such entity or taxed at a reduced rate, or (ii) taxation of any investment income of such organization or arrangement is deferred or such income is taxed at a reduced rate.
Undistributed Capital Gain. Although the law is not entirely clear on the matter, it appears that amounts designated by us as undistributed capital gains in respect of our shares held by non-U.S. shareholders generally should be treated in the same manner as actual distributions by us of capital gain dividends. Under this approach, the non-U.S. shareholder would be able to offset as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax liability resulting therefrom their proportionate share of the tax paid by us on the undistributed capital gains treated as long-term capital gains to the non-U.S. shareholder, and generally receive from the IRS a refund to the extent their proportionate share of the tax paid by us were to exceed the non-U.S. shareholder’s actual U.S. federal income tax liability on such long-term capital gain. If we were to designate any portion of our net capital gain as undistributed capital gain, a non-U.S. shareholder should consult its tax advisors regarding taxation of such undistributed capital gain.
Dispositions of Our Shares. Unless our shares constitute a USRPI, a sale of our shares by a non-U.S. shareholder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation under FIRPTA.
Generally, subject to the discussion below regarding dispositions by “qualified shareholders” and “qualified foreign pension funds,” with respect to any particular shareholder, our shares will constitute a USRPI only if each of the following three statements is true:
| • | Fifty percent or more of our assets on any of certain testing dates during a prescribed testing period consist of interests in real property located within the United States, excluding for this purpose, interests in real property solely in a capacity as creditor (which we expect to be the case); |
| • | We are not a “domestically-controlled qualified investment entity.” A domestically-controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT, less than 50% of the value of which is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. shareholders at all times during a specified testing period. Although we believe that we are and will remain a domestically-controlled REIT, because our shares are publicly traded we cannot make any assurance that we are or will remain a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity; and |
| • | Either (a) our shares are not “regularly traded,” as defined by applicable Treasury Regulations, on an established securities market; or (b) our shares are “regularly traded” on an established securities market and the selling non-U.S. shareholder has held over 10% of our outstanding shares any time during the five-year period ending on the date of the sale. |
A sale of our shares by a “qualified shareholder” or a “qualified pension fund” that holds our shares directly (or indirectly through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation under FIRPTA. However, if a foreign investor in a “qualified shareholder” directly or indirectly, whether or not by reason of such investor’s ownership interest in the “qualified shareholder,” holds more than 10% of the stock of the REIT, then a portion of the REIT stock held by the “qualified shareholder” (based on the foreign investor’s percentage ownership of the “qualified shareholder”) will be treated as a USRPI in the hands of the “qualified shareholder” and will be subject to FIRPTA.
Specific wash sales rules applicable to sales of shares in a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity could result in gain recognition, taxable under FIRPTA, upon the sale of our shares even if we are a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity. These rules would apply if a non-U.S. shareholder (1) disposes of our shares within a 30-day period preceding the ex-dividend date of a distribution, any portion of
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which, but for the disposition, would have been taxable to such non-U.S. shareholder as gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI, and (2) acquires, or enters into a contract or option to acquire, other shares during the 61-day period that begins 30 days prior to such ex-dividend date.
If gain on the sale of our shares was subject to taxation under FIRPTA, the non-U.S. shareholder would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return and would be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. shareholder with respect to such gain, subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of non-resident alien individuals, and the purchaser of the shares could be required to withhold 15% of the purchase price and remit such amount to the IRS.
Gain from the sale of our shares that would not otherwise be subject to FIRPTA will nonetheless be taxable in the United States to a non-U.S. shareholder as follows: (1) if the non-U.S. shareholder’s investment in our shares is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. shareholder, the non-U.S. shareholder will be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. shareholder with respect to such gain, or (2) if the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States, the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual’s capital gain.
Legislation Relating to Payments to Certain Foreign Entities. FATCA imposes a 30% withholding tax on certain types of payments made to “foreign financial institutions” and certain other non-U.S. entities unless certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations requirements are satisfied. Investors are advised to consult their tax advisors regarding this legislation. See “—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding Tax Applicable to Shareholders—Non-U.S. Shareholders—Withholding on Payments to Certain Foreign Entities.”
Redemption of Preferred Shares and Depositary Shares. See discussion above under “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Shareholders—Redemption of Preferred Shares and Depositary Shares.” If the redemption does not meet any of the tests described in “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Shareholders—Redemption of Preferred Shares and Depositary Shares,” then the redemption proceeds received from our shares will be treated as a distribution on our shares as described under “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders—Distributions Generally.” If a redemption of shares of is not treated as a distribution taxable as a dividend, it will be treated as a taxable sale or exchange in the manner described under “Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders—Dispositions of Our Shares.”
Conversion of Our Preferred Shares into Class A Common Shares. Except as provided below, a non-U.S. shareholder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the conversion of our preferred shares into our Class A common shares, provided our preferred shares do not constitute a USRPI. Even if our preferred shares do constitute a USRPI, provided our Class A common shares also constitutes a USRPI, a non-U.S. shareholder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon a conversion of our preferred shares into our Class A common shares provided certain reporting requirements are satisfied. Except as provided below, a non-U.S. shareholder’s basis and holding period in the Class A common shares received upon conversion will be the same as those of the converted preferred shares (but the basis will be reduced by the portion of adjusted tax basis allocated to any fractional share of common stock exchanged for cash). Any Class A common shares received in a conversion that is attributable to accumulated and unpaid dividends on the converted preferred shares will be treated as a distribution on our shares as described under “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders—Ordinary Income Dividends.” Cash received upon conversion in lieu of a fractional share of common stock generally will be treated as a payment in a taxable exchange for such fractional share of common stock as described under “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders—Dispositions of Our Shares.” Non-U.S. shareholders should consult with their tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of any transaction by which such holder exchanges Class A common shares received on a conversion of preferred shares for cash or other property.
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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding Tax Applicable to Shareholders
U.S. Shareholders—Generally
In general, information reporting requirements will apply to payments of distributions on our shares and payments of the proceeds of the sale of our shares to some U.S. shareholders, unless an exception applies. Further, the payor will be required to withhold backup withholding tax on such payments (currently at the rate of 28%) if:
| 1. | the payee fails to furnish a taxpayer identification number, or TIN, to the payor or to establish an exemption from backup withholding; |
| 2. | the IRS notifies the payor that the TIN furnished by the payee is incorrect; |
| 3. | there has been a notified payee under-reporting with respect to interest, dividends or original issue discount described in Section 3406(c) of the Code; or |
| 4. | there has been a failure of the payee to certify under the penalty of perjury that the payee is not subject to backup withholding under the Code. |
Some shareholders may be exempt from backup withholding. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules from a payment to a shareholder will be allowed as a credit against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle the shareholder to a refund, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS.
U.S. Shareholders—Legislation Relating To Foreign Accounts
Under FATCA certain payments made to “foreign financial institutions” and “non-financial foreign entities” may be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%. U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this legislation on their ownership and disposition of their shares. See “—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding Tax Applicable to Shareholders—Non-U.S. Shareholders—Withholding on Payments to Certain Foreign Entities.”
Non-U.S. Shareholders—Generally
Generally, information reporting will apply to payments of distributions on our shares, and backup withholding may apply unless the payee certifies that it is not a U.S. person or otherwise establishes an exemption. The backup withholding rate is 24% for tax years 2018 through 2025, and under current law will increase to 28% in tax year 2026.
The proceeds from a disposition by a non-U.S. shareholder of shares to or through a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, if the broker is a U.S. person, a controlled foreign corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income from all sources for specified periods is from activities that are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, a foreign partnership if partners who hold more than 50% of the interest in the partnership are U.S. persons, or a foreign partnership that is engaged in the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, then information reporting generally will apply as though the payment were made through a U.S. office of a U.S. or foreign broker. Generally, backup withholding does not apply in such a case.
Generally, non-U.S. shareholders will satisfy the information reporting requirements by providing a proper IRS withholding certificate (such as the Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E). In the absence of a proper withholding certificate, applicable Treasury Regulations provide presumptions regarding the status of holders of our shares when payments to the holders cannot be reliably associated with appropriate documentation provided to the payor. If a non-U.S. shareholder fails to comply with the information reporting requirement, payments to such person may be subject to the full withholding tax even if such person might have been eligible for a reduced rate of withholding or no withholding under an applicable income tax treaty. Any payment subject to a withholding
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tax will not be again subject to backup withholding. Because the application of these Treasury Regulations varies depending on the holder’s particular circumstances, a non-U.S. shareholder is advised to consult its tax advisor regarding the information reporting requirements applicable to it.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts that we withhold under the backup withholding rules may be refunded or credited against the non-U.S. shareholder’s federal income tax liability if certain required information is furnished to the IRS. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding application of backup withholding in their particular circumstances and the availability of and procedure for obtaining an exemption from backup withholding under current Treasury Regulations.
Non-U.S. Shareholders—Withholding on Payments to Certain Foreign Entities
FATCA imposes a 30% withholding tax on certain types of payments to “foreign financial institutions” and certain non-U.S. entities unless certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligation requirements are satisfied.
Under the applicable Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance, FATCA imposes a 30% withholding tax on dividends on, and (subject to the proposed Treasury Regulations discussed below) gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our shares if paid to a foreign entity unless: (i) the foreign entity is a “foreign financial institution” that undertakes certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations, or in the case of a foreign financial institution that is a resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement to implement FATCA, the entity complies with the diligence and reporting requirements of such agreement, (ii) the foreign entity is not a “foreign financial institution” and either certifies it does not have any “substantial United States owners” (as defined in the Code) or identifies certain of its U.S. investors, or (iii) the foreign entity otherwise is exempted under FATCA. While withholding under FATCA would have applied also to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our shares on or after January 1, 2019, proposed Treasury Regulations eliminate FATCA withholding on payments of gross proceeds entirely. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued.
If withholding is required under FATCA on a payment related to our shares, investors that otherwise would not be subject to withholding (or that otherwise would be entitled to a reduced rate of withholding) generally will be required to seek a refund or credit from the IRS to obtain the benefit of such exemption or reduction (provided that such benefit is available). Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect of FATCA in their particular circumstances.
Taxation of Holders of Our Warrants and Rights
Holders will not generally recognize gain or loss upon the exercise of a warrant. A holder’s basis in the preferred shares, depositary shares representing preferred shares or common shares, as the case may be, received upon the exercise of the warrant will be equal to the sum of the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the warrant and the exercise price paid. A holder’s holding period in the preferred shares, depositary shares representing preferred shares or common shares, as the case may be, received upon the exercise of the warrant will not include the period during which the warrant was held by the holder. Upon the expiration of a warrant, a holder will recognize a capital loss in an amount equal to his or her adjusted tax basis in the warrant. Upon the sale or exchange of a warrant to a person other than us, a holder will recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale or exchange and the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the warrant. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the warrant was held for more than one year. Upon the sale of the warrant to us, the IRS may argue that a holder should recognize ordinary income on the sale. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors as to the consequences of a sale of a warrant to us.
In the event of a rights offering, the tax consequences of the receipt, expiration, and exercise of the rights we issue will be addressed in detail in a prospectus supplement. Prospective investors should review the applicable
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prospectus supplement in connection with the ownership of any rights, and consult their tax advisors as to the consequences of investing in the rights.
Treatment of Depositary Shares
Owners of depositary shares will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as if they are owners of the preferred shares represented by such depositary shares. Accordingly, such owners will be entitled to take into account, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, income and deductions to which they would be entitled if they were holders of such preferred shares. In addition, (i) no gain or loss will be recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the withdrawal of preferred shares to an exchange owner of depositary shares, (ii) the tax basis of each share of preferred stock to an exchanging owner of depositary shares will, upon such exchange, be the same as the aggregate tax basis of the depositary shares exchanged therefor, and (iii) the holding period for preferred shares in the hands of an exchanging owner of depositary shares will include the period during which such person owned such depositary shares.
Other Tax Consequences
Legislative or other actions affecting REITs
The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of REITs may be modified, possibly with retroactive effect, by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time. The REIT rules are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department which may result in statutory changes as well as revisions to regulations and interpretations. Changes to the federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could adversely affect an investment in our shares. Investors should consult with their tax advisors regarding the effect of potential changes to the federal tax laws and on an investment in our shares.
State, Local and Foreign Taxes
We may be required to pay tax in various state or local jurisdictions, including those in which we transact business, and our shareholders may be required to pay tax in various state or local jurisdictions, including those in which they reside. Our state and local tax treatment may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax consequences discussed above. In addition, a shareholder’s state and local tax treatment may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax consequences discussed above. Consequently, investors should consult with their tax advisors regarding the effect of state and local tax laws on an investment in our shares.
Tax Shelter Reporting
If a holder recognizes a loss as a result of a transaction with respect to our shares of at least (i) for a holder that is an individual, S corporation, trust or a partnership with at least one non-corporate partner, $2 million or more in a single taxable year or $4.0 million or more in a combination of taxable years, or (ii) for a holder that is either a corporation or a partnership with only corporate partners, $10 million or more in a single taxable year or $20 million or more in a combination of taxable years, such holder may be required to file a disclosure statement with the IRS on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempt from this reporting requirement, but shareholders of a REIT currently are not excepted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Investors should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
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The consolidated financial statements of American Homes 4 Rent and American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. appearing in American Homes 4 Rent’s and American Homes 4 Rent, L.P.’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the effectiveness of American Homes 4 Rent’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements are, and audited financial statements to be included in subsequently filed documents will be, incorporated herein in reliance upon the reports of Ernst & Young LLP pertaining to such financial statements and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the respective dates (to the extent covered by consents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission) given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
Our website address is http://www.americanhomes4rent.com. We and our operating partnership make our SEC filings available on our website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are filed with, or furnished to the SEC. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider information contained on our website to be part of this prospectus.
We and our operating partnership file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. For further information with respect to our company, our operating partnership and the securities to be registered, we refer you to the registration statement, including the exhibits, schedules and information incorporated by reference into the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to in this prospectus are not necessarily complete and, where that contract or other document has been filed as an exhibit to or incorporated by reference into the registration statement, each statement in this prospectus is qualified in all respects by the exhibit to which the reference relates. The SEC maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us and our operating partnership to “incorporate by reference” certain information that we file with the SEC, which means that we and our operating partnership can disclose important information to you by referring to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Any statement contained in a document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus is automatically updated and superseded if information contained in this prospectus modifies or replaces this information. In this prospectus, we are incorporating by reference the following documents that we filed with the SEC:
| • | our and our operating partnership’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019; |
| • | our and our operating partnership’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020; |
| • | the portions of our Definitive Proxy Statement for our 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, filed with the SEC on April 1, 2020, incorporated by reference in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019; |
| • | our and our operating partnership’s Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments thereto filed with the SEC on February 27, 2020 (solely with respect to Item 5.02), March 10, 2020 and May 8, 2020; and |
| • | the descriptions of our capital stock included in our Registration Statements on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on July 19, 2013, May 17, 2016, June 23, 2016, April 21, 2017, July 12, 2017 and September 14, 2018, as amended by the description of our capital stock contained in Exhibit 4.7 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and including any other amendment or reports filed for the purpose of updating such descriptions. |
We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act from the date of this prospectus until we have sold all of the securities to which this prospectus relates or the offering is otherwise terminated; provided, however that we are not incorporating any information furnished under either Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, unless otherwise indicated therein.
We will provide free of charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, on written or oral request of that person, a copy of any or all of the documents we are incorporating by reference into this prospectus, other than exhibits to those documents unless those exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into those documents. You may request a copy of these filings by contacting Investor Relations, 30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200, Agoura Hills, California 91301, by telephone at (855)-794-AH4R (2447), by e-mail at info@ah4r.com, or by visiting our website, http://americanhomes4rent.com. The information contained on our website is not part of this prospectus.
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PART II. INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
| ITEM 14. | OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION. |
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, payable by us and our operating partnership in connection with the sale and distribution of the securities being registered. All amounts except the SEC registration fee are estimated.
| SEC Registration Fee |
$ | * | ||||
| Accountant’s Fees and Expenses |
** | |||||
| Legal Fees and Expenses |
** | |||||
| Printing Expenses |
** | |||||
| Miscellaneous |
** | |||||
|
|
||||||
| TOTAL |
$ | ** | ||||
|
|
||||||
| * | In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act of 1933, the registrants are deferring payment of all of the registration fee. |
| ** | The calculation of these fees and expenses is dependent on the number of issuances and amount of securities offered and, accordingly, cannot be estimated at this time. |
| ITEM 15. | INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. |
Section 17-108 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (“DRULPA”) empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other person from and against all claims and demands whatsoever, subject to such standards and restrictions, if any, as are set forth in its partnership agreement. The Agreement of Limited Partnership, as amended, of American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. (the “Partnership Agreement”) provides for indemnification of us and our officers and trustees to the fullest extent provided by the DRULPA, unless it is established by a final determination of a court of competent jurisdiction that (i) the act or omission of either of us and our officers and trustees was material in the matter giving rise to the proceeding and either was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (ii) either of us and our officers and trustees actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services, or (iii) in the case of any criminal proceeding, either of us and our officers and trustees had reasonable cause to believe the act or omission was unlawful. The indemnity shall extend to any liability of us and our officers and trustees pursuant to a loan guarantee, contractual obligation for indebtedness or other obligation or otherwise, for any indebtedness of our operating partnership or any subsidiary of our operating partnership. Further, the indemnification provided in the Partnership Agreement shall not limit any other right to indemnification of us and our officers and trustees provided under any agreement, pursuant to a vote of our operating partnership, as a matter of law or otherwise. Set forth below are the indemnification arrangements applicable to us.
The Maryland statute governing REITs formed under the laws of that state, or the Maryland REIT law, permits a Maryland REIT to include in its declaration of trust a provision limiting the liability of its trustees and officers to the trust and its shareholders for money damages except for liability resulting from actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action. Our declaration of trust contains such a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
The Maryland REIT law permits a Maryland REIT to indemnify and advance expenses to its trustees, officers, employees and agents to the same extent as permitted by the MGCL for directors and officers of a Maryland corporation. The MGCL requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in that
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capacity. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or are threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
| • | the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; |
| • | the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or |
| • | in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. |
However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify a director or officer for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or if the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses.
In addition, the MGCL permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of:
| • | a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and |
| • | a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct. |
Our declaration of trust and bylaws obligate us, to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to:
| • | any present or former trustee or officer who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; or |
| • | any individual who, while a trustee or officer of our company and at our request, serves or has served another corporation, REIT, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or any other enterprise as a director, officer, partner, trustee, member or manager of such corporation, REIT, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. |
Our declaration of trust and bylaws also permit us, with the approval of our board of trustees, to indemnify and advance expenses to any person who served a predecessor of ours in any of the capacities described above and to any employee or agent of our company or a predecessor of our company.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our trustees and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
Insofar as the foregoing provisions permit indemnification of trustees, officers or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we and our operating partnership have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
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| ITEM 16. | EXHIBITS. |
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| ITEM 17. | UNDERTAKINGS. |
| (a) | The undersigned registrants hereby undertake: |
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this registration statement or any material change to such information in this registration statement; |
provided, however, that subparagraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the registrant pursuant to
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Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of this registration statement.
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser: |
| (i) | Each prospectus filed by either registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in this registration statement; and |
| (ii) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in this registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of this registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into this registration statement or prospectus that is part of this registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in this registration statement or prospectus that was part of this registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date. |
| (5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrants under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, each of the undersigned registrants undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of such undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, such undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
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| (b) | The undersigned registrants hereby undertake that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrants’ annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (c) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of either of the registrants pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrants have been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by either or both of the registrants of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of either registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrants will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, each registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and each registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Agoura Hills, State of California, on June 17, 2020.
| AMERICAN HOMES 4 RENT | ||
| By: |
/s/ David P. Singelyn | |
| David P. Singelyn Chief Executive Officer | ||
| AMERICAN HOMES 4 RENT, L.P. | ||
| By: American Homes 4 Rent, its general partner | ||
| By: |
/s/ David P. Singelyn | |
| David P. Singelyn Chief Executive Officer | ||
Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints David P. Singelyn, Christopher C. Lau, Sara H. Vogt-Lowell and Stephanie Heim, and each of them, as his or her attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments or post-effective amendments to this Registration Statement, or any Registration Statement for the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith or in connection with the registration of the shares under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto such attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary in connection with such matters and hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact and agent or his or her substitutes may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated. Each person listed below has signed this registration statement as an officer or trustee of American Homes 4 Rent, including in its capacity as the sole general partner of American Homes 4 Rent, L.P.
| /s/ David P. Singelyn David P. Singelyn |
Chief Executive Officer and Trustee (Principal Executive Officer) | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ Christopher C. Lau Christopher C. Lau |
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) |
June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ Kenneth M. Woolley Kenneth M. Woolley |
Chairman of the Board | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ Douglas N. Benham Douglas N. Benham |
Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ John Corrigan John Corrigan |
Chief Investment Officer and Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ David Goldberg David Goldberg |
Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ Tamara Hughes Gustavson Tamara Hughes Gustavson |
Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ Matthew J. Hart Matthew J. Hart |
Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ James H. Kropp James H. Kropp |
Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ Winifred M. Webb Winifred M. Webb |
Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ Jay Willoughby Jay Willoughby |
Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
| /s/ Matthew R. Zaist Matthew R. Zaist |
Trustee | June 17, 2020 | ||
Exhibit 5.1
|
Hogan Lovells US LLP Columbia Square 555 Thirteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20004 T +1 202 637 5600 F +1 202 637 5910 www.hoganlovells.com |
June 17, 2020
American Homes 4 Rent
American Homes 4 Rent, L.P.
30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200
Agoura Hills, California 91301
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are acting as counsel to American Homes 4 Rent, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the “Company”), and American Homes 4 Rent, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”), in connection with a registration statement on Form S-3, as amended (the “Registration Statement”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed public offering of an unlimited amount of one or more series of the following securities of the Company: (i) debt securities of the Operating Partnership (the “Debt Securities”), (ii) guarantees by the Company of the Debt Securities (the “Guarantees”), (iii) shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Shares”), (iv) shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Preferred Shares”), (v) depositary shares representing interests in Preferred Shares (the “Depositary Shares”), (vi) warrants to purchase Common Shares, Preferred Shares, or Depositary Shares (the “Warrants”), and (vii) rights to purchase Common Shares (the “Rights” and, together with the Debt Securities, Guarantees, Common Shares, Preferred Shares, Depositary Shares and Warrants, the “Securities”), all of which may be sold from time to time and on a delayed or continuous basis as set forth in the prospectus which forms a part of the Registration Statement, and as to be set forth in one or more supplements to the prospectus. This opinion letter is furnished to you at your request to enable you to fulfill the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K, 17 C.F.R. § 229.601(b)(5), in connection with the Registration Statement.
For purposes of this opinion letter, we have examined copies of such agreements, instruments and documents as we have deemed an appropriate basis on which to render the opinions hereinafter expressed. In our examination of the aforesaid documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the accuracy and completeness of all documents submitted to us, the authenticity of all original documents, and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies (including pdfs). As to all matters of fact, we have relied on the representations and statements of fact made in the documents so reviewed, and we have not independently established the facts so relied on. This opinion letter is given, and all statements herein are made, in the context of the foregoing.
For purposes of this opinion letter, we have assumed that (i) the issuance, sale, amount and terms of any Securities of the Company or the Operating Partnership to be offered from time to time will have been duly authorized and established by proper action of the board of trustees of the Company or a duly authorized committee of such board (“Board Action”), consistent with the procedures and terms described in the Registration Statement and in accordance with, in the case of the Company, the Company’s charter and bylaws and applicable Maryland law, and in the case of the Operating Partnership, the Operating Partnership’s certificate of limited partnership and partnership agreement and applicable Delaware law, in a manner that does not violate any law, government or court-imposed order or restriction or agreement or instrument then binding on the Company or the Operating Partnership or otherwise impair the legal or binding nature of the obligations represented by the applicable Securities; (ii) at the time of the offer, issuance and sale of any Securities, the Registration Statement will have been declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and no stop order suspending its effectiveness will have
Hogan Lovells US LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in the District of Columbia. “Hogan Lovells” is an international legal practice that includes Hogan Lovells US LLP and Hogan Lovells International LLP, with offices in: Alicante Amsterdam Baltimore Beijing Birmingham Boston Brussels Colorado Springs Denver Dubai Dusseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City Hong Kong Houston Johannesburg London Los Angeles Luxembourg Madrid Mexico City Miami Milan Minneapolis Monterrey Moscow Munich New York Northern Virginia Paris Perth Philadelphia Rome San Francisco São Paulo Shanghai Silicon Valley Singapore Sydney Tokyo Warsaw Washington, D.C. Associated Offices: Budapest Jakarta Riyadh Shanghai FTZ Ulaanbaatar Zagreb. Business Service Centers: Johannesburg Louisville. Legal Services Center: Berlin. For more information see www.hoganlovells.com
| American Homes 4 Rent American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. |
- 2 - | June 17, 2020 |
been issued and remain in effect; (iii) any Debt Securities and Guarantees will be issued pursuant to an indenture for Debt Securities and Guarantees substantially in the form of such indenture filed as Exhibit 4.2 to the Registration Statement, with items shown in such exhibit as subject to completion being completed in a satisfactory manner; (iv) the indenture under which any Debt Securities are issued will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended; (v) any Warrants will be issued under one or more equity warrant agreements, each to be between the Company and a financial institution identified therein as a warrant agent; (vi) prior to any issuance of Preferred Shares or Depositary Shares, appropriate articles supplementary shall be filed and accepted for record by the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation; (vii) any Depositary Shares will be issued under one or more deposit agreements by the financial institution identified therein as a depositary, each deposit agreement to be between the Company and the financial institution identified therein as a depositary; (viii) if being sold by the Company or the Operating Partnership, the Securities will be delivered against payment of valid consideration therefor and in accordance with the terms of the applicable Board Action authorizing such sale and any applicable underwriting agreement or purchase agreement and as contemplated by the Registration Statement and/or the applicable prospectus supplement; (ix) the Securities will not be issued in violation of the ownership limit contained in the Company’s charter; (x) any Rights associated with the Common Shares will be issued under one or more rights agreements, each to be between the Company and a financial institution identified therein as a rights agent, and the members of the board of trustees of the Company have acted and will act in a manner consistent with their fiduciary duties as required under applicable law in adopting the rights agreement; (xi) the laws of the State of New York will be the governing law under any warrant agreement, deposit agreement or rights agreement; (xii) the Company will remain a Maryland real estate investment trust; and (xiii) the Operating Partnership will remain a Delaware limited partnership.
To the extent that the obligations of the Company or the Operating Partnership, as applicable, with respect to the Securities may be dependent upon such matters, we assume for purposes of this opinion that the other party under the indenture for any Debt Securities or Guarantees, under the warrant agreement for any Warrants, under the deposit agreement for any Depositary Shares, and under any rights agreement for any Rights associated with Common Shares, namely, the trustee, the warrant agent, the depositary or the rights agent, respectively, is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization; that such other party is duly qualified to engage in the activities contemplated by such indenture, warrant agreement, deposit agreement or rights agreement, as applicable; that such indenture, warrant agreement, deposit agreement or rights agreement, as applicable, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the other party and constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the other party enforceable against the other party in accordance with its terms; that such other party is in compliance with respect to performance of its obligations under such indenture, warrant agreement, deposit agreement or rights agreement, as applicable, with all applicable laws and regulations; and that such other party has the requisite organizational and legal power and authority to perform its obligations under such indenture, warrant agreement, deposit agreement or rights agreement, as applicable.
This opinion letter is based as to matters of law solely on the applicable provisions of the following, as currently in effect: (i) as to the opinions given in paragraphs (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f), the Maryland General Corporation Law, as amended; (ii) as to the opinion given in paragraph (a), the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, as amended; and (iii) as to the opinions given in paragraphs (a), (b), (e) and (f), the laws of the State of New York (but not including any laws, statutes, ordinances, administrative decisions, rules or regulations of any political subdivision below the state level). We express no opinion herein as to any other statutes, rules or regulations (and in particular, we express no opinion as to any effect that such other statutes, rules or regulations may have on the opinions expressed herein).
Based upon, subject to and limited by the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
(a) The Debt Securities, upon due execution and delivery of an indenture relating thereto on behalf of the Operating Partnership and the trustee named therein, and upon authentication by such trustee and due execution and delivery on behalf of the Operating Partnership in accordance with the indenture and any supplemental indenture relating thereto, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Operating Partnership.
(b) Assuming due execution, authentication, issuance and delivery of the Debt Securities pursuant to the terms of the indenture and any supplemental indenture relating thereto, the Guarantees relating thereto will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company.
| American Homes 4 Rent American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. |
- 3 - | June 17, 2020 |
(c) The Common Shares (including any Common Shares that are duly issued upon the exchange or conversion of Debt Securities or Preferred Shares that are exchangeable for or convertible into Common Shares or upon the exercise of Warrants and, if applicable, receipt by the Company of any additional consideration payable upon such conversion, exchange or exercise), upon due execution and delivery on behalf of the Company of certificates therefor, including global certificates, or the entry of the issuance thereof in the books and records of the Company, as the case may be, and upon receipt by the Company of the consideration for the Common Shares specified in the applicable Board Action, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and the Rights associated with the Common Shares, upon due execution and delivery of a rights agreement relating thereto on behalf of the Company and the rights agent named therein and the valid issuance of the Common Shares, will be valid and binding obligations of the Company.
(d) The Preferred Shares (including any Preferred Shares represented by Depositary Shares or that are duly issued upon the exercise of Warrants and, if applicable, receipt by the Company of any additional consideration payable upon such exercise), upon due execution and delivery on behalf of the Company of certificates therefor, including global certificates, or the entry of the issuance thereof in the books and records of the Company, as the case may be, and upon receipt by the Company of the consideration for the Preferred Shares specified in the applicable Board Action, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(e) The depositary receipts evidencing the Depositary Shares, upon due countersignature thereof and issuance against a deposit of duly authorized and validly issued Preferred Shares in accordance with the deposit agreement relating thereto, will be validly issued and entitle the holders thereof to the rights specified in such depositary receipts and deposit agreement.
(f) The Warrants, upon due execution and delivery of a warrant agreement relating thereto on behalf of the Company and the warrant agent named therein and due authentication of the Warrants by such warrant agent, and upon due execution and delivery of the Warrants on behalf of the Company, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company.
The opinions expressed in paragraphs (a), (b), (e) and (f) above with respect to the valid and binding nature of obligations may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights (including, without limitation, the effect of statutory and other law regarding fraudulent conveyances, fraudulent transfers and preferential transfers) and by the exercise of judicial discretion and the application of principles of equity, good faith, fair dealing, reasonableness, conscionability and materiality (regardless of whether the Securities are considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
This opinion letter has been prepared for use in connection with the Registration Statement. We assume no obligation to advise of any changes in the foregoing subsequent to the effective date of the Registration Statement.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and to the reference to this firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus constituting a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are an “expert” within the meaning of the Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Hogan Lovells US LLP
HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP
Exhibit 8.1
| Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
801 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 Tel: +1.202.639.7000 Fax: +1.202.639.7003 www.friedfrank.com |
|
June 17, 2020
American Homes 4 Rent
30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200
Agoura Hills, California 91031
Re: American Homes 4 Rent
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as tax counsel to American Homes 4 Rent, a Maryland corporation (the “Company”) and American Homes 4 Rent, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”) in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on June 17, 2020 (as so filed and together with the attachments thereto and all documents incorporated by reference therein and all amendments thereto, the “Registration Statement”), relating to the proposed public offering of an unlimited amount of one or more series or classes of the following securities: (i) common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Shares”), (ii) preferred shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share (“Preferred Shares”), (iii) depositary shares representing preferred shares of beneficial interest (“Depositary Shares”), (iv) warrants exercisable for Common Shares, Preferred Shares, or Depositary Shares, (v) rights to purchase Common Shares, and (vi) debt securities of the Operating Partnership (“Debt Securities”) and (ii) guarantees by the Company of the Debt Securities, all of which may be sold from time to time and on a delayed or continuous basis, as set forth in the prospectus which forms a part of the Registration Statement (the “Prospectus”), and as to be set forth in one or more supplements to the Prospectus.
You have requested our opinion concerning certain of the federal income tax considerations relating to the Company, including with respect to its election to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”).
Bases for Opinions
The opinions set forth in this letter are based on relevant current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), Treasury Regulations thereunder (including proposed and temporary Treasury Regulations), and interpretations of the foregoing as expressed in court decisions, applicable legislative history, and the administrative rulings and practices of the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), including its practices and policies in issuing private letter rulings,
New York • Washington • London • Frankfurt
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is a Delaware Limited Liability Partnership
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
American Homes 4 Rent
June 17, 2020
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which are not binding on the IRS except with respect to the taxpayer that receives such a ruling, all as of the date hereof. These provisions and interpretations are subject to change by the IRS, Congress and the courts (as applicable), which may or may not be retroactive in effect and which might result in material modifications of our opinions. We assume no obligation to advise you of any such subsequent changes. Our opinions do not foreclose the possibility of a contrary determination by the IRS or a court of competent jurisdiction, or of a contrary position taken by the IRS or the Treasury Department in regulations or rulings issued in the future. In this regard, an opinion of counsel with respect to an issue represents counsel’s best professional judgment with respect to the outcome on the merits with respect to such issue, if such issue were to be litigated, but an opinion is not binding on the IRS or the courts, and is not a guarantee that the IRS will not assert a contrary position with respect to such issue or that a court will not sustain such a position asserted by the IRS.
The opinions set forth in this letter are also based on various facts and assumptions, including the facts set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, concerning the business, assets and governing documents of the Company and its subsidiaries. We have also been furnished with, and with your consent have relied on, certain written representations made by the Company and its subsidiaries with respect to certain factual matters through a certificate of an officer of the Company dated as of the date hereof (the “Officer’s Certificate” and together with the documents referred to in the preceding sentence, the “Reviewed Documents”).
In our capacity as tax counsel to the Company, we have made such legal and factual examinations and inquiries, including an examination of originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction of such documents, corporate records and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for purposes of these opinions. For purposes of rendering our opinions, we have not made an independent investigation or audit of the facts set forth in the Reviewed Documents, including the Registration Statement or the Officer’s Certificate. We consequently have relied upon the representations and statements of the Company as described in the Reviewed Documents, and assumed that the information presented in such documents or otherwise furnished to us is accurate and complete in all material respects.
In this regard, we have assumed with your consent the following:
| 1. | all of the factual representations and statements set forth in the Reviewed Documents and the Officer’s Certificate are true, correct, and complete in all material respects as of the date hereof; |
| 2. | any representation or statement in the Reviewed Documents and the Officer’s Certificate made as a belief or made “to the knowledge of” or similarly qualified is correct and accurate in all material respects as of the date hereof, without such qualification; |
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
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| 3. | each agreement described in the Reviewed Documents is valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms; |
| 4. | each of the obligations of the Company and its subsidiaries, as described in the Reviewed Documents and the Officer’s Certificate, has been or will be performed or satisfied in accordance with its terms; |
| 5. | the genuineness of all signatures, the proper execution of all documents, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to originals of documents submitted to us as copies, and the authenticity of the originals from which any copies were made; and |
| 6. | any documents as to which we have reviewed only a form or draft were or will be duly executed without material changes from the form or draft reviewed by us. |
Any material variation or difference in the facts from those set forth in the documents that we have reviewed and upon which we have relied (including, in particular, the Prospectus and the Officer’s Certificate) may adversely affect the conclusions stated herein.
Opinions
Based upon, subject to, and limited by the assumptions and qualifications set forth herein and in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, and the Officer’s Certificate, we are of the opinion that
| 1. | the Company has been organized and has operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for each of its taxable years beginning with its taxable year ended December 31, 2012, and the Company’s current organization and current and proposed method of operation (as defined in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, and the Officer’s Certificate) will enable it to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for its taxable year ending December 31, 2020, and future taxable years; and |
| 2. | the statements in the Prospectus under the heading “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” insofar as such statements purport to summarize matters of U.S. federal income tax laws or legal conclusions with respect thereto, and subject to the limitations, qualifications and assumptions set forth therein, fairly and accurately summarize in all material respects the matters set forth therein. |
This opinion letter addresses only the specific U.S. federal income tax matters set forth above and does not address any other U.S. federal, state or local or non-U.S. tax issues. No opinion is expressed as to any matter not discussed herein. Furthermore, the Company’s qualification as a REIT will depend upon the Company’s meeting, in its actual operations, the applicable asset
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
American Homes 4 Rent
June 17, 2020
Page 4
composition, source of income, shareholder diversification, distribution and other requirements of the Code and Treasury Regulations necessary for a corporation to qualify as a REIT. In addition, the opinions set forth above do not foreclose the possibility that the Company may have to pay a deficiency dividend, or an excise or penalty tax, which could be significant in amount, in order to maintain its REIT qualification.
Moreover, we have not participated in the preparation of the Registration Statement, except with respect to the statements in the Prospectus under the heading “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” and we do not assume any responsibility for, and make no representation that we have independently verified, the accuracy, completeness, or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement, except with respect to the statements in the Prospectus under the heading “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
These opinions are rendered only to you and are solely for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement. These opinions may not be used for any other purpose without our prior written consent. We assume no obligation by reason of this opinion letter or otherwise to advise you of any changes in our opinions subsequent to the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the filing of these opinions as Exhibit 8.1 to the Registration Statement and to the reference to Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in the Prospectus under the heading “Legal Matters.” In giving such consent we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Very truly yours,
| /s/ Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP |
| FRIED, FRANK, HARRIS, SHRIVER & JACOBSON LLP |
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” in the Registration Statement (Form S-3) and related Prospectus of American Homes 4 Rent and American Homes 4 Rent, L.P. for the registration of common shares, preferred shares, depositary shares, warrants, rights, debt securities and guarantees of debt securities and to the incorporation by reference therein of our reports dated February 28, 2020, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of American Homes 4 Rent and American Homes 4 Rent, L.P., and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of American Homes 4 Rent, included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Los Angeles, California
June 17, 2020
Exhibit 25.1
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM T-1
STATEMENT OF ELIGIBILITY UNDER
THE TRUST INDENTURE ACT OF 1939 OF A
CORPORATION DESIGNATED TO ACT AS TRUSTEE
| ☐ | Check if an Application to Determine Eligibility of a Trustee Pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) |
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
(Exact name of Trustee as specified in its charter)
31-0841368
I.R.S. Employer Identification No.
| 800 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, Minnesota |
55402 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Bradley E. Scarbrough
U.S. Bank National Association
633 West 5th Street, 24th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 615-6047
(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)
American Homes 4 Rent, L.P.
(Issuer with respect to the Securities)
| Delaware | 80-0860173 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| 30601 Agoura Road, Suite #200 Agoura Hills, CA |
91301 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
Debt Securities
(Title of the Indenture Securities)
FORM T-1
| Item 1. | GENERAL INFORMATION. Furnish the following information as to the Trustee. |
| a) | Name and address of each examining or supervising authority to which it is subject. |
Comptroller of the Currency
Washington, D.C.
| b) | Whether it is authorized to exercise corporate trust powers. |
Yes
| Item 2. | AFFILIATIONS WITH OBLIGOR. If the obligor is an affiliate of the Trustee, describe each such affiliation. |
None
| Items 3-15 | Items 3-15 are not applicable because to the best of the Trustee’s knowledge, the obligor is not in default under any Indenture for which the Trustee acts as Trustee. |
| Item 16. | LIST OF EXHIBITS: List below all exhibits filed as a part of this statement of eligibility and qualification. |
| 1. | A copy of the Articles of Association of the Trustee.* |
| 2. | A copy of the certificate of authority of the Trustee to commence business, attached as Exhibit 2. |
| 3.A | copy of the certificate of authority of the Trustee to exercise corporate trust powers, attached as Exhibit 3. |
| 4. | A copy of the existing bylaws of the Trustee.** |
| 5.A | copy of each Indenture referred to in Item 4. Not applicable. |
| 6. | The consent of the Trustee required by Section 321(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, attached as Exhibit 6. |
| 7. | Report of Condition of the Trustee as of March 31, 2020 published pursuant to law or the requirements of its supervising or examining authority, attached as Exhibit 7. |
| * | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 25.1 to Amendment No. 2 to registration statement on S-4, Registration Number 333-128217 filed on November 15, 2005. |
| ** | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 25.1 to registration statement on form S-3ASR, Registration Number 333-199863 filed on November 5, 2014. |
2
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, the Trustee, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a national banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, has duly caused this statement of eligibility and qualification to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, all in the City of Los Angeles, State of California, on the 17th day of June, 2020.
| By: | /s/ Bradley E. Scarbrough | |
| Bradley E. Scarbrough | ||
| Vice President |
3
Exhibit 2
4
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Washington, DC 20219
CERTIFICATE OF THE CORPORATE EXISTENCE
I, Joseph Otting, Comptroller of the Currency, do
hereby certify that:
1. The Comptroller of the Currency, pursuant to Revised Statues 324, et seq, as amended, and 12 USC 1, et seq, as amended, has possession,
custody, and control of all records pertaining to the chartering, regulation, and supervision of all national banking associations.
2. “U.S. Bank National
Association,” Cincinnati, Ohio (Charter No. 24), is a national banking association formed under the laws of the United States and is authorized thereunder to transact the business of banking the date of this certificate.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, today, February 24, 2020, I have hereunto subscribed my name and caused my seal of office to be affixed to these presents at the U.S. Department of the
Treasury, in the City of Washington, District of Columbia.
Comptroller of the Currency
Exhibit 3
5
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Washington, DC 20219
CERTIFICATE OF FIDUCIARY POWERS
I, Joseph Otting, Comptroller of the Currency, do hereby
certify that:
1. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, pursuant to Revised Statues 324, et seq, as amended, and 12 USC 1, et seq, as amended, has
possession, custody, and control of all records pertaining to the chartering, regulation, and supervision of all national banking associations.
2. “U.S. Bank
National Association,” Cincinnati, Ohio (Charter No. 24), was granted, under the hand and seal of the Comptroller, the right to act in all fiduciary capacities authorized under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved
September 28, 1962, 76 Stat. 668, 12 USC 92a, and that the authority so granted remains in full force and effect on the date of this certificate.
IN TESTIMONY
WHEREOF, today, December 10, 2019, I have hereunto subscribed my name and caused my seal of office to be affixed to these presents at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in the City of Washington, District of Columbia.
Comptroller of the Currency
Exhibit 6
CONSENT
In accordance with Section 321(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the undersigned, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION hereby consents that reports of examination of the undersigned by Federal, State, Territorial or District authorities may be furnished by such authorities to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon its request therefor.
Dated: June 17, 2020
| By: | /s/ Bradley E. Scarbrough | |
| Bradley E. Scarbrough | ||
| Vice President |
6
Exhibit 7
U.S. Bank National Association
Statement of Financial Condition
As of 3/31/2020
($000’s)
| 3/31/2020 | ||||
| Assets |
||||
| Cash and Balances Due From |
$ | 46,699,020 | ||
| Depository Institutions |
||||
| Securities |
122,149,987 | |||
| Federal Funds |
2,807 | |||
| Loans & Lease Financing Receivables |
316,711,655 | |||
| Fixed Assets |
9,075,777 | |||
| Intangible Assets |
12,477,802 | |||
| Other Assets |
26,012,043 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Assets |
$ | 533,129,091 | ||
| Liabilities |
||||
| Deposits |
$ | 405,823,094 | ||
| Fed Funds |
1,428,527 | |||
| Treasury Demand Notes |
0 | |||
| Trading Liabilities |
1,392,214 | |||
| Other Borrowed Money |
55,078,404 | |||
| Acceptances |
0 | |||
| Subordinated Notes and Debentures |
3,850,000 | |||
| Other Liabilities |
14,338,298 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Liabilities |
$ | 481,910,537 | ||
| Equity |
||||
| Common and Preferred Stock |
18,200 | |||
| Surplus |
14,266,915 | |||
| Undivided Profits |
36,132,907 | |||
| Minority Interest in Subsidiaries |
800,532 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Equity Capital |
$ | 51,218,554 | ||
| Total Liabilities and Equity Capital |
$ | 533,129,091 | ||
7