10-Q
National Storage Affiliates Trust (NSA)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2022
OR
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission file number: 001-37351
National Storage Affiliates Trust
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| Maryland | 46-5053858 |
|---|---|
| (State or other jurisdiction of<br><br>incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer<br><br>Identification No.) |
8400 East Prentice Avenue, 9th Floor
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
(720) 630-2600
(Registrant's telephone number including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:Title of each classTrading symbolsName of each exchange on which registeredCommon Shares of Beneficial Interest, $0.01 par value per shareNSANew York Stock ExchangeSeries A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest, par value $0.01 per shareNSA Pr ANew York Stock Exchange
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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.
| 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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes ☐ No ☒
As of August 3, 2022, 91,761,601 common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share, were outstanding.
| NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST | ||
|---|---|---|
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | ||
| FORM 10-Q | ||
| Page | ||
| PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION | ||
| ITEM 1. | Financial Statements | 3 |
| Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 (Unaudited) | 3 | |
| Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (Unaudited) | 4 | |
| Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (Unaudited) | 5 | |
| Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (Unaudited) | 6 | |
| Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (Unaudited) | 9 | |
| Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) | 11 | |
| ITEM 2. | Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 29 |
| ITEM 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 48 |
| ITEM 4. | Controls and Procedures | 49 |
| PART II. OTHER INFORMATION | ||
| ITEM 1. | Legal Proceedings | 49 |
| ITEM 1A. | Risk Factors | 49 |
| ITEM 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds | 49 |
| ITEM 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities | 51 |
| ITEM 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | 51 |
| ITEM 5. | Other Information | 51 |
| ITEM 6. | Exhibits | 51 |
| Signatures | 53 |
ITEM 1. Financial Statements
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
| June 30, | December 31, | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||
| ASSETS | ||||
| Real estate | ||||
| Self storage properties | $ | 6,016,699 | $ | 5,798,188 |
| Less accumulated depreciation | (672,208) | (578,717) | ||
| Self storage properties, net | 5,344,491 | 5,219,471 | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 32,345 | 25,013 | ||
| Restricted cash | 3,271 | 2,862 | ||
| Debt issuance costs, net | 1,858 | 2,433 | ||
| Investment in unconsolidated real estate ventures | 234,075 | 188,187 | ||
| Other assets, net | 121,274 | 102,417 | ||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 21,727 | 22,211 | ||
| Total assets | $ | 5,759,041 | $ | 5,562,594 |
| LIABILITIES AND EQUITY | ||||
| Liabilities | ||||
| Debt financing | $ | 3,142,293 | $ | 2,940,931 |
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 68,166 | 59,262 | ||
| Interest rate swap liabilities | — | 33,757 | ||
| Operating lease liabilities | 23,558 | 23,981 | ||
| Deferred revenue | 23,711 | 22,208 | ||
| Total liabilities | 3,257,728 | 3,080,139 | ||
| Commitments and contingencies (Note 11) | ||||
| Equity | ||||
| Preferred shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share. 50,000,000 authorized, 9,017,588 and 8,736,719 issued and outstanding at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, at liquidation preference | 225,439 | 218,418 | ||
| Common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share. 250,000,000 authorized, 91,755,672 and 91,198,929 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively | 918 | 912 | ||
| Additional paid-in capital | 1,841,880 | 1,866,773 | ||
| Distributions in excess of earnings | (343,834) | (291,263) | ||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | 24,372 | (19,611) | ||
| Total shareholders' equity | 1,748,775 | 1,775,229 | ||
| Noncontrolling interests | 752,538 | 707,226 | ||
| Total equity | 2,501,313 | 2,482,455 | ||
| Total liabilities and equity | $ | 5,759,041 | $ | 5,562,594 |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
| Three Months Ended<br>June 30, | Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| REVENUE | ||||||||
| Rental revenue | $ | 184,636 | $ | 127,310 | $ | 359,105 | $ | 240,437 |
| Other property-related revenue | 6,341 | 4,829 | 12,507 | 8,966 | ||||
| Management fees and other revenue | 7,913 | 6,107 | 14,462 | 11,835 | ||||
| Total revenue | 198,890 | 138,246 | 386,074 | 261,238 | ||||
| OPERATING EXPENSES | ||||||||
| Property operating expenses | 53,188 | 36,654 | 102,546 | 71,258 | ||||
| General and administrative expenses | 14,702 | 12,450 | 28,668 | 23,688 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 57,891 | 36,051 | 115,963 | 68,475 | ||||
| Other | 525 | 310 | 995 | 707 | ||||
| Total operating expenses | 126,306 | 85,465 | 248,172 | 164,128 | ||||
| OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (24,448) | (17,339) | (47,095) | (34,131) | ||||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate ventures | 1,962 | 1,174 | 3,456 | 1,933 | ||||
| Acquisition costs | (682) | (118) | (1,235) | (410) | ||||
| Non-operating expense | (261) | (148) | (373) | (321) | ||||
| Gain on sale of self storage properties | — | — | 2,134 | — | ||||
| Other expense, net | (23,429) | (16,431) | (43,113) | (32,929) | ||||
| Income before income taxes | 49,155 | 36,350 | 94,789 | 64,181 | ||||
| Income tax expense | (730) | (675) | (1,578) | (871) | ||||
| Net income | 48,425 | 35,675 | 93,211 | 63,310 | ||||
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (23,387) | (6,957) | (42,945) | (13,754) | ||||
| Net income attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust | 25,038 | 28,718 | 50,266 | 49,556 | ||||
| Distributions to preferred shareholders | (3,382) | (3,276) | (6,661) | (6,551) | ||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 21,656 | $ | 25,442 | $ | 43,605 | $ | 43,005 |
| Earnings per share - basic | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.33 | $ | 0.48 | $ | 0.58 |
| Earnings per share - diluted | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 0.48 | $ | 0.44 |
| Weighted average shares outstanding - basic | 91,541 | 76,712 | 91,433 | 74,267 | ||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted | 91,541 | 129,578 | 91,433 | 126,396 | ||||
| Dividends declared per common share | $ | 0.55 | $ | 0.38 | $ | 1.05 | $ | 0.73 |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(dollars in thousands)
(Unaudited)
| Three Months Ended<br>June 30, | Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Net income | $ | 48,425 | $ | 35,675 | $ | 93,211 | $ | 63,310 |
| Other comprehensive income | ||||||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on derivative contracts | 14,556 | (6,725) | 53,164 | 14,175 | ||||
| Reclassification of other comprehensive loss to interest expense | 3,286 | 5,124 | 8,260 | 10,081 | ||||
| Other comprehensive income (loss) | 17,842 | (1,601) | 61,424 | 24,256 | ||||
| Comprehensive income | 66,267 | 34,074 | 154,635 | 87,566 | ||||
| Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (28,608) | (6,481) | (60,949) | (21,295) | ||||
| Comprehensive income attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust | $ | 37,659 | $ | 27,593 | $ | 93,686 | $ | 66,271 |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
5
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(dollars in thousands, except number of shares)
(Unaudited)
| Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additional | Distributions | Other | ||||||||||||||
| Preferred Shares | Common Shares | Paid-in | In Excess Of | Comprehensive | Noncontrolling | Total | ||||||||||
| Number | Amount | Number | Amount | Capital | Earnings | (Loss) Income | Interests | Equity | ||||||||
| Balances, December 31, 2020 | 8,732,719 | $ | 218,318 | 71,293,117 | $ | 713 | $ | 1,050,714 | $ | (251,704) | $ | (49,084) | $ | 461,518 | $ | 1,430,475 |
| OP equity issued for property acquisitions: | ||||||||||||||||
| OP units and subordinated performance units, net of offering costs | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22,897 | 22,897 | |||||||
| Redemptions of OP units | — | — | 190,248 | 2 | 2,332 | — | (108) | (2,226) | — | |||||||
| Issuance of common shares, net of offering costs | — | — | 3,692,216 | 37 | 122,375 | — | — | — | 122,412 | |||||||
| Contributions from noncontrolling interests | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 103 | 103 | |||||||
| Effect of changes in ownership for consolidated entities | — | — | — | — | (18,983) | — | (290) | 19,273 | — | |||||||
| Equity-based compensation expense | — | — | — | — | 92 | — | — | 1,194 | 1,286 | |||||||
| Issuance of restricted common shares | — | — | 15,369 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Vesting and forfeitures of restricted common shares, net | — | — | (4,823) | — | (152) | — | — | — | (152) | |||||||
| Preferred share dividends | — | — | — | — | — | (3,275) | — | — | (3,275) | |||||||
| Common share dividends | — | — | — | — | — | (25,014) | — | — | (25,014) | |||||||
| Distributions to noncontrolling interests | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (20,604) | (20,604) | |||||||
| Other comprehensive income | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17,840 | 8,017 | 25,857 | |||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | — | — | 20,838 | — | 6,797 | 27,635 | |||||||
| Balances, March 31, 2021 | 8,732,719 | $ | 218,318 | 75,186,127 | $ | 752 | $ | 1,156,378 | $ | (259,155) | $ | (31,642) | $ | 496,969 | $ | 1,581,620 |
| OP equity issued for property acquisitions: | ||||||||||||||||
| OP units and subordinated performance units, net of offering costs | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24,102 | 24,102 | |||||||
| Redemptions of OP units | — | — | 121,923 | 1 | 1,554 | — | (52) | (1,503) | — | |||||||
| Issuance of common shares, net of offering costs | — | — | 2,390,000 | 24 | 103,646 | — | — | — | 103,670 | |||||||
| Issuance of common shares, share based compensation plans | 4,000 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | (100) | — |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
6
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(dollars in thousands, except number of shares)
(Unaudited)
| Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additional | Distributions | Other | ||||||||||||||
| Preferred Shares | Common Shares | Paid-in | In Excess Of | Comprehensive | Noncontrolling | Total | ||||||||||
| Number | Amount | Number | Amount | Capital | Earnings | (Loss) Income | Interests | Equity | ||||||||
| Effect of changes in ownership for consolidated entities | — | — | — | — | (17,420) | — | (227) | 17,647 | — | |||||||
| Equity-based compensation expense | — | — | — | — | 113 | — | — | 1,235 | 1,348 | |||||||
| Issuance of restricted common shares | — | — | 13,255 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Vesting and forfeitures of restricted common shares, net | — | — | (2,474) | — | (2) | — | — | — | (2) | |||||||
| Preferred share dividends | — | — | — | — | — | (3,276) | — | — | (3,276) | |||||||
| Common share dividends | — | — | — | — | — | (29,404) | — | — | (29,404) | |||||||
| Distributions to noncontrolling interests | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (24,606) | (24,606) | |||||||
| Other comprehensive loss | — | — | — | — | — | — | (1,125) | (476) | (1,601) | |||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | — | — | 28,718 | — | 6,957 | 35,675 | |||||||
| Balances, June 30, 2021 | 8,736,719 | $ | 218,418 | 77,708,831 | $ | 777 | $ | 1,244,269 | $ | (263,117) | $ | (33,046) | $ | 520,225 | $ | 1,687,526 |
| Balances, December 31, 2021 | 8,736,719 | $ | 218,418 | 91,198,929 | $ | 912 | $ | 1,866,773 | $ | (291,263) | $ | (19,611) | $ | 707,226 | $ | 2,482,455 |
| OP equity issued: | ||||||||||||||||
| Internalization of PRO, net of offering costs | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3,217 | 3,217 | |||||||
| Acquisition of properties | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16,576 | 16,576 | |||||||
| Redemptions of OP units | — | — | 258,477 | 3 | 4,601 | — | (44) | (4,560) | — | |||||||
| Redemption of Series A-1 preferred units | 8,216 | 205 | — | — | — | — | — | (205) | — | |||||||
| Effect of changes in ownership for consolidated entities | — | — | — | — | (40,627) | — | 590 | 40,037 | — | |||||||
| Equity-based compensation expense | — | — | — | — | 103 | — | — | 1,441 | 1,544 | |||||||
| Issuance of restricted common shares | — | — | 7,913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Vesting and forfeitures of restricted common shares, net | — | — | (3,599) | — | (118) | — | — | — | (118) | |||||||
| Preferred share dividends | — | — | — | — | — | (3,279) | — | — | (3,279) | |||||||
| Common share dividends | — | — | — | — | — | (45,710) | — | — | (45,710) |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
7
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(dollars in thousands, except number of shares)
(Unaudited)
| Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additional | Distributions | Other | ||||||||||||||
| Preferred Shares | Common Shares | Paid-in | In Excess Of | Comprehensive | Noncontrolling | Total | ||||||||||
| Number | Amount | Number | Amount | Capital | Earnings | (Loss) Income | Interests | Equity | ||||||||
| Distributions to noncontrolling interests | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (33,009) | (33,009) | |||||||
| Other comprehensive income | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30,799 | 12,783 | 43,582 | |||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | — | — | 25,228 | — | 19,558 | 44,786 | |||||||
| Balances, March 31, 2022 | 8,744,935 | $ | 218,623 | 91,461,720 | $ | 915 | $ | 1,830,732 | $ | (315,024) | $ | 11,734 | $ | 763,064 | $ | 2,510,044 |
| OP units and subordinated performance units, net of offering costs | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13,938 | 13,938 | |||||||
| Redemptions of OP units | — | — | 294,573 | 3 | 5,140 | — | 59 | (5,202) | — | |||||||
| Redemptions of Series A-1 preferred units | 272,653 | 6,816 | — | — | — | — | — | (6,816) | — | |||||||
| Effect of changes in ownership for consolidated entities | — | — | — | — | 5,924 | — | (47) | (5,877) | — | |||||||
| Equity-based compensation expense | — | — | — | — | 127 | — | — | 1,453 | 1,580 | |||||||
| Issuance of restricted common shares | — | — | 630 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Vesting and forfeitures of restricted common shares, net | — | — | (1,251) | — | (43) | — | — | — | (43) | |||||||
| Reduction in receivables from partners of the operating partnership | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Preferred share dividends | — | — | — | — | — | (3,382) | — | — | (3,382) | |||||||
| Common share dividends | — | — | — | — | — | (50,466) | — | — | (50,466) | |||||||
| Distributions to noncontrolling interests | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (36,625) | (36,625) | |||||||
| Other comprehensive income | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12,626 | 5,216 | 17,842 | |||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | — | — | 25,038 | — | 23,387 | 48,425 | |||||||
| Balances, June 30, 2022 | 9,017,588 | $ | 225,439 | 91,755,672 | $ | 918 | $ | 1,841,880 | $ | (343,834) | $ | 24,372 | $ | 752,538 | $ | 2,501,313 |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
8
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(dollars in thousands)
(Unaudited)
| Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||
| OPERATING ACTIVITIES | ||||
| Net income | $ | 93,211 | $ | 63,310 |
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 115,963 | 68,475 | ||
| Amortization of debt issuance costs | 2,116 | 1,626 | ||
| Amortization of debt discount and premium, net | (346) | (357) | ||
| Gain on sale of self storage properties | (2,134) | — | ||
| Equity-based compensation expense | 3,124 | 2,634 | ||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate ventures | (3,456) | (1,933) | ||
| Distributions from unconsolidated real estate ventures | 10,905 | 8,899 | ||
| Change in assets and liabilities, net of effects of self storage property acquisitions: | ||||
| Other assets | (282) | (715) | ||
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 7,133 | 1,526 | ||
| Deferred revenue | 809 | 794 | ||
| Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities | 227,043 | 144,259 | ||
| INVESTING ACTIVITIES | ||||
| Acquisition of self storage properties | (174,951) | (383,702) | ||
| Capital expenditures | (20,333) | (13,187) | ||
| Investments in and advances to unconsolidated real estate ventures | (53,335) | — | ||
| Deposits and advances for self storage property and other acquisitions | (1,925) | (1,100) | ||
| Expenditures for corporate furniture, equipment and other | (548) | (147) | ||
| Proceeds from sale of self storage properties | 6,166 | — | ||
| Net Cash Used In Investing Activities | (244,926) | (398,136) | ||
| FINANCING ACTIVITIES | ||||
| Proceeds from issuance of common shares | — | 226,082 | ||
| Borrowings under debt financings | 864,000 | 546,000 | ||
| Principal payments under debt financings | (661,163) | (405,073) | ||
| Contributions from noncontrolling interests | — | 103 | ||
| Payment of dividends to common shareholders | (96,176) | (54,418) | ||
| Distributions to preferred shareholders | (6,661) | (6,551) | ||
| Distributions to noncontrolling interests | (69,841) | (45,336) | ||
| Debt issuance costs | (3,763) | (495) | ||
| Equity offering costs | (772) | (2,161) | ||
| Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities | 25,624 | 258,151 | ||
| Increase in Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash | 7,741 | 4,274 | ||
| CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH | ||||
| Beginning of period | 27,875 | 21,701 | ||
| End of period | $ | 35,616 | $ | 25,975 |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
9
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(dollars in thousands)
(Unaudited)
| Supplemental Cash Flow and Noncash Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash paid for interest | $ | 44,102 | $ | 31,612 |
| Consideration exchanged in investment activity | ||||
| Issuance of OP Units and subordinated performance units | 33,731 | 46,999 | ||
| Deposits on acquisitions applied to purchase price | 800 | 1,087 | ||
| Other net liabilities assumed | 973 | 2,850 |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
10
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
June 30, 2022
(Unaudited)
1. ORGANIZATION AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS
National Storage Affiliates Trust was organized in the state of Maryland on May 16, 2013 and is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust focused on the self storage sector. As used herein, "NSA," the "Company," "we," "our," and "us" refers to National Storage Affiliates Trust and its consolidated subsidiaries, except where the context indicates otherwise. The Company has elected and believes that it has qualified to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes ("REIT") commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2015.
Through its controlling interest as the sole general partner of NSA OP, LP (its "operating partnership"), a Delaware limited partnership formed on February 13, 2013, the Company is focused on the ownership, operation, and acquisition of self storage properties predominantly located within the top 100 metropolitan statistical areas throughout the United States. Pursuant to the Agreement of Limited Partnership (as amended, the "LP Agreement") of its operating partnership, the Company's operating partnership is authorized to issue preferred units, Class A Units ("OP units"), different series of Class B Units ("subordinated performance units"), and Long-Term Incentive Plan Units ("LTIP units"). The Company also owns certain of its self storage properties through other consolidated limited partnership subsidiaries of its operating partnership, which the Company refers to as "DownREIT partnerships." The DownREIT partnerships issue equity ownership interests that are intended to be economically equivalent to the Company's OP units ("DownREIT OP units") and subordinated performance units ("DownREIT subordinated performance units").
The Company owned 892 consolidated self storage properties in 39 states and Puerto Rico with approximately 56.4 million rentable square feet in approximately 439,000 storage units as of June 30, 2022. These properties are managed with local operational focus and expertise by the Company and its participating regional operators ("PROs"). As of June 30, 2022, the Company directly managed 514 of these self storage properties through its corporate brands of iStorage, SecurCare and Northwest, and the PROs managed the remaining 378 self storage properties. These PROs are Optivest Properties LLC and its controlled affiliates ("Optivest"), Guardian Storage Centers LLC and its controlled affiliates ("Guardian"), Move It Self Storage and its controlled affiliates ("Move It"), Arizona Mini Storage Management Company d/b/a Storage Solutions and its controlled affiliates ("Storage Solutions"), Hide-Away Storage Services, Inc. and its controlled affiliates ("Hide-Away"), an affiliate of Shader Brothers Corporation d/b/a Personal Mini Storage ("Personal Mini"), Southern Storage Management Systems, Inc. d/b/a Southern Self Storage ("Southern"), affiliates of Investment Real Estate Management, LLC d/b/a Moove In Self Storage of York, Pennsylvania ("Moove In") and Blue Sky Self Storage, a strategic partnership between Argus Professional Storage Management and GYS Development LLC ("Blue Sky").
Effective January 1, 2022, one of the Company's largest PROs, Kevin Howard Real Estate Inc., d/b/a Northwest Self Storage and its controlled affiliates ("Northwest"), retired as one of the Company's PROs. As a result of the retirement, on January 1, 2022, management of the Company's properties in the Northwest managed portfolio was transferred to the Company and the Northwest brand name and related intellectual property was internalized by the Company, and the Company discontinued payment of any supervisory and administrative fees or reimbursements to Northwest. In addition, on January 1, 2022, we issued a non-voluntary conversion notice to convert all subordinated performance units related to Northwest's managed portfolio into OP units. As part of the internalization, most of Northwest's employees were offered and provided employment by us and continue managing the same portfolio of properties as members of our existing property management platform. See Note 3 and Note 6 for additional information related to the Northwest retirement and internalization.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company also managed through its property management platform an additional portfolio of 184 properties owned by the Company's unconsolidated real estate ventures. These properties contain approximately 13.4 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 111,000 storage units and located across 21 states. The Company owns a 25% equity interest in each of its unconsolidated real estate ventures.
As of June 30, 2022, in total, the Company operated and held ownership interests in 1,076 self storage properties located across 42 states and Puerto Rico with approximately 69.9 million rentable square feet in approximately 549,000 storage units.
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are presented on the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") regarding interim financial reporting. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements have been condensed or omitted in accordance with such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the condensed consolidated financial statements have been included. The Company's results of operations for the quarterly and year to date periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year or any other future period.
Principles of Consolidation
The Company's financial statements include the accounts of its operating partnership and its controlled subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidation of entities.
When the Company obtains an economic interest in an entity, the Company evaluates the entity to determine if the entity is deemed a variable interest entity ("VIE"), and if the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary, in accordance with authoritative guidance issued on the consolidation of VIEs. When an entity is not deemed to be a VIE, the Company considers the provisions of additional guidance to determine whether the general partner controls a limited partnership or similar entity when the limited partners have certain rights. The Company consolidates all entities that are VIEs and of which the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary. The Company has determined that its operating partnership is a VIE. The sole significant asset of National Storage Affiliates Trust is its investment in its operating partnership, and consequently, substantially all of the Company’s assets and liabilities represent those assets and liabilities of its operating partnership.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company's operating partnership was the primary beneficiary of, and therefore consolidated, 22 partnerships that are considered VIEs, which owned 48 self storage properties. The net book value of the real estate owned by these VIEs was $418.4 million and $425.7 million as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. For certain DownREIT partnerships which are subject to fixed rate mortgages payable, the carrying value of such fixed rate mortgages payable held by these VIEs was $188.7 million and $188.7 million as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The creditors of the consolidated VIEs do not have recourse to the Company's general credit.
Revenue Recognition
Rental revenue
Rental revenue consists of space rentals and related fees. Management has determined that all of the Company's leases are operating leases. Substantially all leases may be terminated on a month-to-month basis and rental income is recognized ratably over the lease term using the straight-line method. Rents received in advance are deferred and recognized on a straight-line basis over the related lease term associated with the prepayment. Promotional discounts and other incentives are recognized as a reduction to rental income over the applicable lease term.
Other property-related revenue
Other property-related revenue primarily consists of ancillary revenues such as tenant insurance and/or tenant warranty protection-related access fees, sales of storage supplies and truck rentals which are recognized in the period earned.
The Company and certain of the Company’s PROs have tenant insurance- and/or tenant warranty protection plan-related arrangements with insurance companies and the Company’s tenants. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized $4.9 million and $3.6 million, respectively, of tenant insurance and tenant warranty protection plan revenues and during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized $9.8 million and $6.7 million, respectively, of tenant insurance and tenant warranty protection plan revenues.
The Company sells boxes, packing supplies, locks, other retail merchandise and rents moving trucks at its properties. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized retail sales of $0.7 million and $0.7 million, respectively and during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized retail sales of $1.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively.
Management fees and other revenue
Management fees and other revenue consist of property management fees, platform fees, call center fees, acquisition fees, amounts related to the facilitation of tenant warranty protection or tenant insurance programs for certain stores in the Company's consolidated portfolio and unconsolidated real estate ventures, access fees associated with tenant insurance-related arrangements, and profit distributions from the Company's interest in a reinsurance company.
With respect to both the 2018 Joint Venture and the 2016 Joint Venture (as each is defined in Note 5), the Company provides supervisory and administrative property management services, centralized call center services, and technology platform and revenue management services to the properties in the unconsolidated real estate ventures. The property management fees are equal to 6% of monthly gross revenues and net sales revenues from the assets of the unconsolidated real estate ventures, and the platform fees are equal to $1,250 per month per unconsolidated real estate venture property. With respect to the 2016 Joint Venture only, the call center fee is equal to 1% of each of monthly gross revenues and net sales revenues from the 2016 Joint Venture properties. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized property management fees, call center fees and platform fees of $4.1 million and $3.6 million, respectively and during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized property management fees, call center fees and platform fees of $7.9 million and $7.1 million, respectively.
For acquisition fees, the Company provides sourcing, underwriting and administration services to the unconsolidated real estate ventures. The 2018 Joint Venture paid the Company a $4.0 million acquisition fee related to the initial acquisition of properties by the 2018 Joint Venture (the "Initial 2018 JV Portfolio") in 2018, at the time of the Initial 2018 JV Portfolio acquisition. This fee is refundable to the 2018 Joint Venture, on a prorated basis, if the Company is removed as the managing member during the initial four year life of the 2018 Joint Venture and as such, the Company's performance obligation for this acquisition fee is satisfied over a four year period. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company had deferred revenue related to the acquisition fee of $0.1 million and $0.5 million, respectively.
The Company also earns acquisition fees for properties acquired by the unconsolidated real estate ventures subsequent to the Initial 2016 JV Portfolio and the Initial 2018 JV Portfolio. These fees are based on a percentage of the gross capitalization of the acquired assets determined by the members of the 2016 Joint Venture and the 2018 Joint Venture, and are generally earned when the unconsolidated real estate ventures obtain title and control of an acquired property. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized acquisition fees of $0.9 million and $0.2 million and during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized acquisition fees of $1.1 million and $0.4 million, respectively.
The Company provides or makes available tenant insurance or tenant warranty protection programs for tenants at its properties. For certain of the properties in the Company’s consolidated portfolio and one of its unconsolidated real estate ventures that participate in tenant insurance, the Company provides such tenant insurance through the Company’s wholly-owned captive insurance company and a separate reinsurance company in which the Company has a partial ownership interest. With respect to properties in both of the Company’s unconsolidated real estate ventures, the Company receives 50% of all proceeds from tenant insurance and tenant warranty protection programs at each unconsolidated real estate venture property in exchange for facilitating the programs at those properties. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized $2.8 million and $2.2 million, respectively, of revenue related to these activities and during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized $5.2 million and $4.1 million, respectively, of revenue related to these activities.
Gain on sale of self storage properties
The Company recognizes gains from disposition of facilities only upon closing in accordance with the guidance on sales of nonfinancial assets. Profit on real estate sold is recognized upon closing when all, or substantially all, of the promised consideration has been received and is nonrefundable and the Company has transferred control of the facilities to the purchaser.
Investments in Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures
The Company’s investments in its unconsolidated real estate ventures are recorded under the equity method of accounting in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. Under the equity method, the Company’s investments in unconsolidated real estate ventures are stated at cost and adjusted for the Company’s share of net earnings or losses and reduced by distributions. Equity in earnings (losses) is recognized based on the Company’s ownership interest in the earnings (losses) of the unconsolidated real estate ventures. The Company follows the "nature of the distribution approach" for classification of distributions from its unconsolidated real estate ventures in its condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. Under this approach, distributions are reported on the basis of the nature of the activity or activities that generated the distributions as either a return on investment, which are classified as operating cash flows, or a return of investment (e.g., proceeds from the unconsolidated real estate ventures' sale of assets) which are reported as investing cash flows.
Noncontrolling Interests
All of the limited partner equity interests ("OP equity") in the operating partnership not held by the Company are reflected as noncontrolling interests. Noncontrolling interests also include ownership interests in DownREIT partnerships held by entities other than the operating partnership or its subsidiaries. In the condensed consolidated statements of operations, the Company allocates net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests to arrive at net income (loss) attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust.
For transactions that result in changes to the Company's ownership interest in its operating partnership, the carrying amount of noncontrolling interests is adjusted to reflect such changes. The difference between the fair value of the consideration received or paid and the amount by which the noncontrolling interest is adjusted is reflected as an adjustment to additional paid-in capital on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Allocation of Net Income (Loss)
The distribution rights and priorities set forth in the operating partnership's LP Agreement differ from what is reflected by the underlying percentage ownership interests of the unitholders. Accordingly, the Company allocates GAAP income (loss) utilizing the hypothetical liquidation at book value ("HLBV") method, in which the Company allocates income or loss based on the change in each unitholders’ claim on the net assets of its operating partnership at period end after adjusting for any distributions or contributions made during such period. The HLBV method is commonly applied to equity investments where cash distribution percentages vary at different points in time and are not directly linked to an equity holder’s ownership percentage.
The HLBV method is a balance sheet-focused approach to income (loss) allocation. A calculation is prepared at each balance sheet date to determine the amount that unitholders would receive if the operating partnership were to liquidate all of its assets (at GAAP net book value) and distribute the resulting proceeds to its creditors and unitholders based on the contractually defined liquidation priorities. The difference between the calculated liquidation distribution amounts at the beginning and the end of the reporting period, after adjusting for capital contributions and distributions, is used to derive each unitholder's share of the income (loss) for the period. Due to the stated liquidation priorities and because the HLBV method incorporates non-cash items such as depreciation expense, in any given period, income or loss may be allocated disproportionately to unitholders as compared to their respective ownership percentage in the operating partnership, and net income (loss) attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust could be more or less net income than actual cash distributions received and more or less income or loss than what may be received in the event of an actual liquidation. Additionally, the HLBV method could result in net income (or net loss) attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust during a period when the Company reports consolidated net loss (or net income), or net income (or net loss) attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust in excess of the Company's consolidated net income (or net loss). The computations of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share may be materially affected by these disproportionate income (loss) allocations, resulting in volatile fluctuations of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share.
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
The Company has cash flow hedge derivative instruments that are measured at fair value with unrealized gains or losses recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) with a corresponding adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within equity, as discussed further in Note 12. Under the HLBV method of allocating income (loss) discussed above, a calculation is prepared at each balance sheet date by applying the HLBV method including, and excluding, the assets and liabilities resulting from the Company's cash flow hedge derivative instruments to determine comprehensive income (loss) attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust. As a result of the distribution rights and priorities set forth in the operating partnership's LP Agreement, in any given period, other comprehensive income (loss) may be allocated disproportionately to unitholders as compared to their respective ownership percentage in the operating partnership and as compared to their respective allocation of net income (loss).
Restricted Cash
The Company's restricted cash consists of escrowed funds deposited with financial institutions for real estate taxes, insurance and other reserves for capital improvements in accordance with the Company's loan agreements.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
3. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS
Shareholders' Equity
At the Market ("ATM") Program
On February 27, 2019, the Company entered into a sales agreement with certain sales agents, pursuant to which the Company may sell from time to time up to an aggregate of $250.0 million of common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share of the Company ("common shares") and 6.000% Series A cumulative redeemable preferred shares of beneficial interest ("Series A preferred shares") in sales deemed to be "at the market" offerings (the "sales agreement"). On May 19, 2021, the Company entered into an amendment to the sales agreement with certain sales agents, whereby the Company increased the aggregate gross sale price under the program to $400.0 million, which included $31.0 million of the remaining available offered shares. The sales agreement contemplates that, in addition to the issuance and sale by the Company of offered shares to or through the sale agents, the Company may enter into separate forward sale agreements with any forward purchaser. Forward sale agreements, if any, will include only the Company's common shares and will not include any Series A preferred shares. If the Company enters into a forward sale agreement with any forward purchaser, such forward purchaser will attempt to borrow from third parties and sell, through the related agent, acting as sales agent for such forward purchaser (each, a "forward seller"), offered shares, in an amount equal to the offered shares subject to such forward sale agreement, to hedge such forward purchaser’s exposure under such forward sale agreement. The Company may offer the common shares and Series A preferred shares through the agents, as the Company's sales agents, or, as applicable, as forward seller, or directly to the agents or forward sellers, acting as principals, by means of, among others, ordinary brokers’ transactions on the NYSE or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale or at negotiated prices.
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company did not sell any common shares through the ATM program. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had $169.1 million of capacity remaining under its ATM Program.
Noncontrolling Interests
All of the OP equity in the Company's operating partnership not held by the Company are reflected as noncontrolling interests. Noncontrolling interests also include ownership interests in DownREIT partnerships held by entities other than the Company's operating partnership. NSA is the general partner of its operating partnership and is authorized to cause its operating partnership to issue additional partner interests, including OP units and subordinated performance units, at such prices and on such other terms as it determines in its sole discretion.
As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, units reflecting noncontrolling interests consisted of the following:
| June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Series A-1 preferred units | 712,208 | 640,047 |
| OP units | 35,461,296 | 31,893,105 |
| Subordinated performance units | 7,853,367 | 9,754,482 |
| LTIP units | 725,069 | 775,447 |
| DownREIT units | ||
| DownREIT OP units | 1,924,918 | 1,924,918 |
| DownREIT subordinated performance units | 4,337,111 | 4,337,111 |
| Total | 51,013,969 | 49,325,110 |
Series A-1 Preferred Units
The 6.000% Series A-1 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units ("Series A-1 preferred units") rank senior to OP units and subordinated performance units in the Company's operating partnership with respect to distributions and liquidation. The Series A-1 preferred units have a stated value of $25.00 per unit and receive distributions at an annual rate of 6.000%. These distributions are cumulative. The Series A-1 preferred units are redeemable at the option of the holder after the first anniversary of the date of issuance, which redemption obligations may be satisfied at the Company’s option in cash in an amount equal to the market value of an equivalent number of the Series A preferred shares or the issuance of Series A preferred shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustments. The Series A preferred shares are redeemable by the Company for a cash redemption price of $25.00 per share, plus accrued but unpaid dividends beginning in October 2022. The increase in Series A-1 preferred units outstanding from December 31, 2021 to June 30, 2022 was due to the issuance of 353,030 Series A-1 preferred units in connection with the acquisition of self storage properties, partially offset by the redemption of 280,869 Series A-1 preferred units for an equal number of Series A preferred shares.
OP Units and DownREIT OP units
OP units in the Company's operating partnership are redeemable for cash or, at the Company's option, exchangeable for the Company's common shares on a one-for-one basis, and DownREIT OP units are redeemable for cash or, at the Company's option, exchangeable for OP units in its operating partnership on a one-for-one basis, subject to certain adjustments in each case. The holders of OP units are generally not entitled to elect redemption until one year after the issuance of the OP units. The holders of DownREIT OP units are generally not entitled to elect redemption until five years after the date of the contributor's initial contribution.
The increase in OP units outstanding from December 31, 2021 to June 30, 2022 was due to (i) 3,911,260 OP units issued upon the non-voluntary conversion of 2,078,357 subordinated performance units (as discussed further below) in connection with Northwest's retirement, (ii) 235,241 OP units issued upon the voluntary conversion of 82,611 subordinated performance units, (iii) the conversion of 192,296 LTIP units into an equivalent number of OP units, (iv) the issuance of 387,638 OP units in connection with the acquisition of self storage properties, and (v) the issuance of 46,540 OP units in connection with the acquisition of Northwest's rights to property management contracts, brand, intellectual property, and certain tangible assets, partially offset by the conversion of 651,734 OP units into 244,792 subordinated performance units, and the redemption of 553,050 OP units for an equal number of common shares.
Subordinated Performance Units and DownREIT Subordinated Performance Units
Subordinated performance units may also, under certain circumstances, be convertible into OP units which are exchangeable for common shares as described above, and DownREIT subordinated performance units may, under certain circumstances, be exchangeable for subordinated performance units on a one-for-one basis. Subordinated performance units are only convertible into OP units after a two year lock-out period and then generally (i) at the holder’s election only upon the achievement of certain performance thresholds relating to the properties to which such subordinated performance units relate or (ii) at the Company's election upon a retirement event of a PRO that holds such subordinated performance units or upon certain qualifying terminations. The holders of DownREIT subordinated performance units are generally not entitled to elect redemption until at least five years after the date of the contributor's initial contribution.
Following such lock-out period, a holder of subordinated performance units in the Company's operating partnership may elect a voluntary conversion one time each year on or prior to December 1st to convert a pre-determined portion of such subordinated performance units into OP units in the Company's operating partnership, with such conversion effective January 1st of the following year, with each subordinated performance unit being converted into the number of OP units determined by dividing the average cash available for distribution, or CAD, per unit on the series of specific subordinated performance units over the one-year period prior to conversion by 110% of the CAD per unit on the OP units determined over the same period. CAD per unit on the series of specific subordinated performance units and OP units is determined by the Company based generally upon the application of the provisions of the LP Agreement applicable to the distributions of operating cash flow and capital transactions proceeds.
The decrease in subordinated performance units outstanding from December 31, 2021 to June 30, 2022 was due to the conversion of 2,078,357 subordinated performance units into 3,911,260 OP units in connection with the retirement of Northwest, and the voluntary conversion of 82,611 subordinated performance units into 235,241 OP units, partially offset by the issuance of 244,792 subordinated performance units upon conversion of 651,234 OP units, and the issuance of 15,061 subordinated performance units for co-investment by the Company's PROs in connection with the acquisition of self storage properties.
LTIP Units
LTIP units are a special class of partnership interest in the Company's operating partnership that allow the holder to participate in the ordinary and liquidating distributions received by holders of the OP units (subject to the achievement of specified levels of profitability by the Company's operating partnership or the achievement of certain events). LTIP units may also, under certain circumstances, be convertible into OP units on a one-for-one basis, which are then exchangeable for common shares as described above.
The decrease in LTIP units outstanding from December 31, 2021 to June 30, 2022 was due to the conversion of 192,296 LTIP units into an equivalent number of OP units, partially offset by the issuance of 141,918 compensatory LTIP units to employees, net of forfeitures.
4. SELF STORAGE PROPERTIES
Self storage properties are summarized as follows (dollars in thousands):
| June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land | $ | 1,059,231 | $ | 1,028,431 |
| Buildings and improvements | 4,947,321 | 4,760,567 | ||
| Furniture and equipment | 10,147 | 9,190 | ||
| Total self storage properties | 6,016,699 | 5,798,188 | ||
| Less accumulated depreciation | (672,208) | (578,717) | ||
| Self storage properties, net | $ | 5,344,491 | $ | 5,219,471 |
Depreciation expense related to self storage properties amounted to $47.8 million and $31.5 million during the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively and $94.5 million and $60.9 million during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
5. INVESTMENT IN UNCONSOLIDATED REAL ESTATE VENTURES
2018 Joint Venture
As of June 30, 2022, the Company's unconsolidated real estate venture, formed in September 2018 with an affiliate of Heitman America Real Estate REIT LLC (the "2018 Joint Venture"), owned and operated a portfolio of 103 self storage properties containing approximately 7.8 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 64,000 storage units and located across 17 states.
2016 Joint Venture
As of June 30, 2022, the Company's unconsolidated real estate venture, formed in September 2016 with a state pension fund advised by Heitman Capital Management LLC (the "2016 Joint Venture"), owned and operated a portfolio of 81 properties containing approximately 5.6 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 47,000 storage units and located across 13 states.
On April 12, 2022, the 2016 Joint Venture acquired seven self storage properties for approximately $207.6 million. The 2016 Joint Venture financed the acquisition with capital contributions from venture members, of which the Company contributed approximately $51.9 million.
The following table presents the combined condensed financial position of the Company's unconsolidated real estate ventures as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 (in thousands):
| June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSETS | ||||
| Self storage properties, net | $ | 1,916,189 | $ | 1,741,538 |
| Other assets | 37,770 | 23,562 | ||
| Total assets | $ | 1,953,959 | $ | 1,765,100 |
| LIABILITIES AND EQUITY | ||||
| Debt financing | $ | 1,001,839 | $ | 1,001,378 |
| Other liabilities | 23,553 | 19,493 | ||
| Equity | 928,567 | 744,229 | ||
| Total liabilities and equity | $ | 1,953,959 | $ | 1,765,100 |
The following tables present the combined condensed operating information of the Company's unconsolidated real estate ventures for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):
| Three Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 53,601 | $ | 46,086 | ||||||
| Property operating expenses | 14,335 | 12,523 | ||||||||
| Net operating income | 39,266 | 33,563 | ||||||||
| Supervisory, administrative and other expenses | (3,540) | (3,014) | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | (17,298) | (15,360) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (10,416) | (10,415) | ||||||||
| Acquisition and other expenses | (233) | (136) | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 7,779 | $ | 4,638 | Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 102,599 | $ | 89,781 | ||||||
| Property operating expenses | 28,144 | 24,311 | ||||||||
| Net operating income | 74,455 | 65,470 | ||||||||
| Supervisory, administrative and other expenses | (6,742) | (5,896) | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | (32,680) | (30,882) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (20,826) | (20,820) | ||||||||
| Acquisition and other expenses | (507) | (257) | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 13,700 | $ | 7,615 |
6. ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS
Acquisitions
The Company acquired 20 self storage properties for $207.5 million during the six months ended June 30, 2022. Of these acquisitions, one self storage property totaling $6.6 million was acquired by the Company from one of its PROs. The 20 self storage property acquisitions were accounted for as asset acquisitions and accordingly, $2.6 million of transaction costs related to the acquisitions were capitalized as part of the basis of the acquired properties. The Company recognized the estimated fair value of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities on the respective dates of such acquisitions. The Company allocated the total purchase price to the estimated fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company allocated a portion of the purchase price to identifiable intangible assets consisting of customer in-place leases which were recorded at an estimated value of $3.8 million, resulting in a total value of $203.7 million allocated to real estate.
The following table summarizes the investment in self storage property acquisitions completed by the Company during the six months ended June 30, 2022 (dollars in thousands):
| Acquisitions Closed During the Three Months Ended: | Number of Properties | Summary of Investment | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and Acquisition Costs | Value of OP Equity(1) | Other Liabilities | Total | ||||||||||
| March 31, 2022 | 12 | $ | 76,027 | $ | 16,576 | $ | 332 | $ | 92,935 | ||||
| June 30, 2022 | 8 | 99,954 | 13,938 | 641 | 114,533 | ||||||||
| Total | 20 | $ | 175,981 | $ | 30,514 | $ | 973 | $ | 207,468 |
(1)Value of OP equity represents the fair value of OP units, subordinated performance units, and Series A-1 preferred units.
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, in connection with the retirement of Northwest as a PRO as discussed in Note 1 and Note 3, the Company acquired Northwest's rights to its asset management agreements, the Northwest brand, intellectual property, and certain tangible assets for $3.2 million, which was paid for by the issuance of 46,540 OP units.
Dispositions
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company disposed of one self storage property and an undeveloped land parcel for net proceeds of $6.2 million. The Company recorded a net gain on the dispositions of $2.1 million.
7. OTHER ASSETS
Other assets consist of the following (dollars in thousands):
| June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer in-place leases, net of accumulated amortization of $23,579 and $14,336, respectively | $ | 13,156 | $ | 29,427 |
| Receivables: | ||||
| Trade, net | 7,695 | 6,228 | ||
| PROs and other affiliates | 2,926 | 2,878 | ||
| Receivables from unconsolidated real estate ventures | 4,371 | 4,028 | ||
| Property acquisition and other deposits | 1,925 | 800 | ||
| Interest rate swaps | 27,674 | — | ||
| Prepaid expenses and other | 11,632 | 9,552 | ||
| Corporate furniture, equipment and other, net | 1,518 | 1,422 | ||
| Trade names | 7,442 | 6,380 | ||
| Management contracts, net of accumulated amortization of $4,814 and $4,237, respectively | 12,697 | 10,983 | ||
| Tenant reinsurance intangible, net of accumulated amortization of $1,985 and $1,504, respectively | 22,056 | 22,537 | ||
| Goodwill | 8,182 | 8,182 | ||
| Total | $ | 121,274 | $ | 102,417 |
Amortization expense related to customer in-place leases amounted to $9.3 million and $4.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively and $20.0 million and $6.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Amortization expense related to management contracts amounted to $0.2 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $0.4 million and $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Amortization expense related to the tenant reinsurance intangible amounted to $0.2 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $0.5 million and $0.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
8. DEBT FINANCING
The Company's outstanding debt as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 is summarized as follows (dollars in thousands):
| Interest Rate(1) | June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Facility: | |||||
| Revolving line of credit | 3.04% | $ | 285,000 | $ | 490,000 |
| Term loan A | 3.69% | 125,000 | 125,000 | ||
| Term loan B | 2.89% | 250,000 | 250,000 | ||
| Term loan C | 2.86% | 225,000 | 225,000 | ||
| Term loan D | 3.07% | 175,000 | 175,000 | ||
| Term loan E | 2.94% | 125,000 | 125,000 | ||
| 2023 Term loan facility | 2.83% | 175,000 | 175,000 | ||
| 2028 Term loan facility | 4.62% | 75,000 | 75,000 | ||
| April 2029 term loan facility | 4.27% | 100,000 | 100,000 | ||
| June 2029 term loan facility | 3.34% | 285,000 | — | ||
| 2026 Senior Unsecured Notes | 2.16% | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||
| 2029 Senior Unsecured Notes | 3.98% | 100,000 | 100,000 | ||
| August 2030 Senior Unsecured Notes | 2.99% | 150,000 | 150,000 | ||
| November 2030 Senior Unsecured Notes | 2.72% | 75,000 | 75,000 | ||
| May 2031 Senior Unsecured Notes | 3.00% | 90,000 | 90,000 | ||
| August 2031 Senior Unsecured Notes | 4.08% | 50,000 | 50,000 | ||
| November 2031 Senior Unsecured Notes | 2.81% | 175,000 | 175,000 | ||
| 2032 Senior Unsecured Notes | 3.09% | 100,000 | 100,000 | ||
| May 2033 Senior Unsecured Notes | 3.10% | 55,000 | 55,000 | ||
| November 2033 Senior Unsecured Notes | 2.96% | 125,000 | — | ||
| 2036 Senior Unsecured Notes | 3.06% | 75,000 | 75,000 | ||
| Fixed rate mortgages payable | 3.82% | 301,781 | 303,944 | ||
| Total principal | 3,151,781 | 2,948,944 | |||
| Unamortized debt issuance costs and debt premium, net | (9,488) | (8,013) | |||
| Total debt | $ | 3,142,293 | $ | 2,940,931 |
(1)Represents the effective interest rate as of June 30, 2022. Effective interest rate incorporates the stated rate plus the impact of interest rate cash flow hedges and discount and premium amortization, if applicable. For the revolving line of credit, the effective interest rate excludes fees for unused borrowings.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company's unsecured credit facility provided for total borrowings of $1.550 billion (the "credit facility") consisting of the following components: (i) a revolving line of credit (the "Revolver") which provides for a total borrowing commitment up to $650.0 million, under which the Company may borrow, repay and re-borrow amounts, (ii) a $125.0 million tranche A term loan facility (the "Term Loan A"), (iii) a $250.0 million tranche B term loan facility (the "Term Loan B"), (iv) a $225.0 million tranche C term loan facility (the "Term Loan C"), (v) a $175.0 million tranche D term loan facility (the "Term Loan D") and (vi) a $125.0 million tranche E term loan facility (the "Term Loan E"). As of June 30, 2022, the Company had an expansion option under the credit facility, which, if exercised in full, would provide for a total credit facility of $1.750 billion.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had outstanding letters of credit totaling $5.7 million and would have had the capacity to borrow remaining Revolver commitments of $359.3 million while remaining in compliance with the credit facility's financial covenants. At June 30, 2022, the Company was in compliance with all such covenants.
June 2029 Term Loan Facility
On June 24, 2022, the Company entered into a credit agreement with a syndicated group of lenders to make available a term loan facility that matures in June 2029 in an aggregate amount of $285.0 million, the entire amount of which was drawn on June 24, 2022. The outstanding principal amount, and all accrued but unpaid interest, is due on the maturity date. The June 2029 Term Loan Facility provides for an expansion of up to $15.0 million for a total amount of up to $300.0 million.
Interest rates applicable to loans under the June 2029 Term Loan Facility are payable monthly in arrears on the first day of each month at either a base rate plus applicable margin or SOFR plus applicable margin. As of June 30, 2022, the June 2029 Term Loan Facility had a variable effective interest rate of 3.34%. The base rate is the greater of (i) prime rate, (ii) 0.50% plus the Federal Funds Effective Rate, and (iii) 1.0% plus adjusted term secured overnight financing rate ("SOFR"). The applicable margin for the June 2029 Term Loan Facility is leverage and credit rating-based and ranges from 0.55% to 1.2% for base rate loans and 1.55% to 2.2% for SOFR based loans; provided that after such time as the Company achieves an investment grade rating from at least two rating agencies, the Company may elect (but is not required to elect) that the June 2029 Term Loan Facility subject to rating-based margins ranging from 0.075% to 1.2% for base rate loans and 1.075% to 2.2% for SOFR based loans.
The Company is required to comply with the same financial covenants under the June 2029 Term Loan Facility as it does with the credit facility, the April 2029 Term Loan Facility, the 2023 Term Loan Facility and the 2028 Term Loan Facility. In addition, the terms of the June 2029 Term Loan Facility contain customary affirmative and negative covenants that are consistent with those contained in the credit facility, the April 2029 Term Loan Facility, the 2023 Term Loan Facility and the 2028 Term Loan Facility, and, among other things, limit the Company's ability to make distributions, make certain investments, incur debt, incur liens and enter into certain transactions.
November 2030, November 2031, November 2033 and 2036 Senior Unsecured Notes
On November 9, 2021, the operating partnership as issuer, and the Company, entered into a Note Purchase Agreement (the "November 2021 Note Purchase Agreement") which provides for the private placement of $75.0 million of 2.72% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2030 (the "November 2030 Notes"), $175.0 million of 2.81% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2031 (the "November 2031 Notes"), $125.0 million of 2.96% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2033 (the "November 2033 Notes") and $75.0 million of 3.06% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2036 (the "2036 Notes" and together with the November 2030 Notes, November 2031 Notes, and November 2033 Notes, the "November 2021 Senior Unsecured Notes") to certain institutional investors. The November 2021 Senior Unsecured Notes are governed by the November 2021 Note Purchase Agreement. On December 14, 2021 the operating partnership issued the November 2030 Notes, November 2031 Notes and the 2036 Notes. On January 28, 2022 the operating partnership issued the November 2033 Notes.
Future Debt Obligations
Based on existing debt agreements in effect as of June 30, 2022, the scheduled principal and maturity payments for the Company's outstanding borrowings are presented in the table below (in thousands):
| Year Ending December 31, | Scheduled Principal and Maturity Payments | Amortization of Premium and Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remainder of 2022 | $ | 2,211 | $ | (1,288) | $ | 923 |
| 2023 | 376,813 | (2,213) | 374,600 | |||
| 2024 | 556,964 | (1,828) | 555,136 | |||
| 2025 | 512,185 | (1,253) | 510,932 | |||
| 2026 | 212,322 | (1,090) | 211,232 | |||
| 2027 | 212,369 | (759) | 211,610 | |||
| Thereafter | 1,278,917 | (1,057) | 1,277,860 | |||
| $ | 3,151,781 | $ | (9,488) | $ | 3,142,293 |
9. EARNINGS PER SHARE
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands, except per share amounts):
| Three Months Ended<br>June 30, | Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Earnings per common share - basic and diluted | ||||||||
| Numerator | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 48,425 | $ | 35,675 | $ | 93,211 | $ | 63,310 |
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (23,387) | (6,957) | (42,945) | (13,754) | ||||
| Net income attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust | 25,038 | 28,718 | 50,266 | 49,556 | ||||
| Distributions to preferred shareholders | (3,382) | (3,276) | (6,661) | (6,551) | ||||
| Distributed and undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities | (14) | (16) | (28) | (27) | ||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders - basic | 21,642 | 25,426 | 43,577 | 42,978 | ||||
| Effect of assumed conversion of dilutive securities | — | 6,593 | — | 13,045 | ||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders - diluted | $ | 21,642 | $ | 32,019 | $ | 43,577 | $ | 56,023 |
| Denominator | ||||||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding - basic | 91,541 | 76,712 | 91,433 | 74,267 | ||||
| Effect of dilutive securities: | ||||||||
| Weighted average effect of outstanding forward offering agreement | — | — | — | 199 | ||||
| Weighted average OP units outstanding | — | 29,963 | — | 29,857 | ||||
| Weighted average DownREIT OP unit equivalents outstanding | — | 1,925 | — | 1,925 | ||||
| Weighted average LTIP units outstanding | — | 91 | — | 112 | ||||
| Weighted average subordinated performance units and DownREIT subordinated performance unit equivalents | — | 20,887 | — | 20,036 | ||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted | 91,541 | 129,578 | 91,433 | 126,396 | ||||
| Earnings per share - basic | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.33 | $ | 0.48 | $ | 0.58 |
| Earnings per share - diluted | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 0.48 | $ | 0.44 |
As discussed in Note 2, the Company allocates GAAP income utilizing the HLBV method, in which the Company allocates income or loss based on the change in each unitholders' claim on the net assets of its operating partnership at period end after adjusting for any distributions or contributions made during such period. Due to the stated liquidation priorities and because the HLBV method incorporates non-cash items such as depreciation expense, in any given period, income or loss may be allocated disproportionately to National Storage Affiliates Trust and noncontrolling interests, resulting in volatile fluctuations of basic and diluted earnings per share.
Outstanding equity interests of the Company's operating partnership and DownREIT partnerships are considered potential common shares for purposes of calculating diluted earnings per share as the unitholders may, through the exercise of redemption rights, obtain common shares, subject to various restrictions. Basic earnings per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated by further adjusting for the dilutive impact using the treasury stock method for unvested LTIP units subject to a service condition outstanding during the period and the if-converted method for any convertible securities outstanding during the period.
Generally, following certain lock-out periods, OP units in the Company's operating partnership are redeemable for cash or, at the Company's option, exchangeable for common shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to certain adjustments and DownREIT OP units are redeemable for cash or, at the Company's option, exchangeable for OP units in its operating partnership on a one-for-one basis, subject to certain adjustments in each case.
LTIP units may also, under certain circumstances, be convertible into OP units on a one-for-one basis, which are then exchangeable for common shares as described above. Certain LTIP units vested prior to or upon the completion of the Company's initial public offering and certain LTIP units have vested upon the satisfaction of a service or market condition or will vest upon the satisfaction of future service and market conditions. Vested LTIP units and unvested LTIP units that vest based on a service or market condition are allocated income or loss in a similar manner as OP units. Unvested LTIP units subject to a service or market condition are evaluated for dilution using the treasury stock method. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, 411,448 unvested LTIP units that vest based on a service or market condition are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as they are not dilutive to earnings per share. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, 252,894 LTIP units that vest upon the future acquisition of properties are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share because the contingency for the units to vest has not been attained as of the end of the reported period.
Subordinated performance units may also, under certain circumstances, be convertible into OP units which are exchangeable for common shares as described above, and DownREIT subordinated performance units may, under certain circumstances, be exchangeable for subordinated performance units on a one-for-one basis. Subordinated performance units are only convertible into OP units, after a two year lock-out period and then generally (i) at the holder’s election only upon the achievement of certain performance thresholds relating to the properties to which such subordinated performance units relate or (ii) at the Company's election upon a retirement event of a PRO that holds such subordinated performance units or upon certain qualifying terminations. Although subordinated performance units may only be convertible after a two year lock-out period, the Company assumes a hypothetical conversion of each subordinated performance unit (including each DownREIT subordinated performance unit) into OP units (with subsequently assumed redemption into common shares) for the purposes of calculating diluted weighted average common shares. This hypothetical conversion is calculated using historical financial information, and as a result, is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations, cash flows or financial position of the Company upon expiration of the two-year lock out period on conversions.
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, potential common shares totaling 58.4 million and 58.3 million, respectively, related to OP units, DownREIT OP units, subordinated performance units, DownREIT subordinated performance units and vested LTIP units have been excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as they are not dilutive to earnings per share.
Participating securities, which consist of unvested restricted common shares, receive dividends equal to those received by common shares. The effect of participating securities for the periods presented above is calculated using the two-class method of allocating distributed and undistributed earnings.
10. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Supervisory and Administrative Fees
For the self storage properties that are managed by the PROs, the Company has entered into asset management agreements with the PROs to provide leasing, operating, supervisory and administrative services. The asset management agreements generally provide for fees ranging from 5% to 6% of gross revenue for the managed self storage properties. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $5.6 million and $4.9 million, respectively, for supervisory and administrative fees to the PROs and during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $10.9 million and $9.1 million, respectively, for supervisory and administrative fees to the PROs. Such fees are included in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Payroll Services
For the self storage properties that are managed by the PROs, the employees responsible for operations are employees of the PROs who charge the Company for the costs associated with the respective employees. For the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $7.1 million and $6.6 million, respectively, for payroll and related costs reimbursable to these PROs and for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $14.1 million and $13.0 million, respectively, for payroll and related costs reimbursable to these PROs. Such costs are included in property operating expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Due Diligence Costs
During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $0.2 million and $0.2 million of expenses payable to certain PROs related to self storage property acquisitions sourced by the PROs and during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $0.4 million and $0.5 million, respectively, of expenses payable to certain PROs related to self storage property acquisitions sourced by the PROs. These expenses, which are based on the volume of transactions sourced by the PROs, are intended to reimburse the PROs for due diligence costs incurred in the sourcing and underwriting process. These due diligence costs are capitalized as part of the basis of the acquired self storage properties.
PRO Retirement
In connection with the retirement of Northwest as a PRO as discussed in Note 1, Note 3, and Note 6, effective as of January 1, 2022, 2,078,357 Series NW subordinated performance units converted into 3,911,260 OP units as a non-voluntary conversion. Of these, (i) a company owned and controlled by J. Timothy Warren, a trustee of the Company, received 13,213 OP units with a value of $0.9 million upon conversion of 7,021 Series NW subordinated performance units and (ii) a company controlled by J. Timothy Warren, but owned by Mr. Warren's adult children, received 295,739 OP units with a value of $20.5 million upon the conversion of 157,149 Series NW subordinated performance units.
11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Legal Proceedings
The Company is subject to litigation, claims, and assessments that may arise in the ordinary course of its business activities. Such matters include contractual matters, employment related issues, and regulatory proceedings. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, the Company believes that the final disposition of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or liquidity.
12. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
Recurring Fair Value Measurements
The Company sometimes limits its exposure to interest rate fluctuations by entering into interest rate swap agreements. The interest rate swap agreements moderate the Company's exposure to interest rate risk by effectively converting the interest on variable rate debt to a fixed rate. The Company measures its interest rate swap derivatives at fair value on a recurring basis. The changes in the fair value of derivatives designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and are subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period that the hedged transaction affects earnings.
Information regarding the Company's interest rate swaps measured at fair value, which are classified within Level 2 of the GAAP fair value hierarchy, is presented below (dollars in thousands):
| Fair Value | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Contracts | Notional Amount | Other Assets, net | Interest Rate Swap Liabilities | ||||
| As of June 30, 2022 | |||||||
| Interest Rate Swaps | 15 | $ | 1,125,000 | $ | 27,674 | $ | — |
| As of December 31, 2021 | |||||||
| Interest Rate Swaps | 19 | $ | 1,125,000 | $ | — | $ | 33,757 |
The following table presents the effect of our derivative instruments on our consolidated financial statements (dollars in thousands):
| Fair value at December 31, 2020 | $ | (77,918) |
|---|---|---|
| Swap ineffectiveness | 24 | |
| Losses on interest rate swaps reclassified into interest expense from accumulated other comprehensive loss | 10,081 | |
| Unrealized losses on interest rate swaps included in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income | 14,175 | |
| Fair value at June 30, 2021 | $ | (53,638) |
| Fair value at December 31, 2021 | $ | (33,757) |
| Swap ineffectiveness | 2 | |
| Losses on interest rate swaps reclassified into interest expense from accumulated other comprehensive income | 8,260 | |
| Unrealized gains on interest rate swaps included in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income | 53,169 | |
| Fair value at June 30, 2022 | $ | 27,674 |
As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company had outstanding interest rate swaps with aggregate notional amounts of $1,125.0 million and $1,125.0 million, respectively, designated as cash flow hedges. As of June 30, 2022, the Company's swaps had a weighted average remaining term of approximately 2.7 years. The fair value of these swaps are presented as interest rate swap assets and liabilities in the Company's balance sheets, and the Company recognizes any changes in the fair value as an adjustment of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within equity. If the forward rates at June 30, 2022 remain constant, the Company estimates that during the next 12 months, the Company would reclassify into earnings approximately $12.9 million of the unrealized gains included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
There were no transfers between levels of the three-tier fair value measurement hierarchy during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021. For financial assets and liabilities that utilize Level 2 inputs, the Company utilizes both direct and indirect observable price quotes, including LIBOR yield curves. The Company uses valuation techniques for Level 2 financial assets and liabilities which include LIBOR yield curves at the reporting date as well as assessing counterparty credit risk. Counterparties to these contracts are highly rated financial institutions. Although the Company has determined that the majority of the inputs used to value its derivatives fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the credit valuation adjustments associated with the Company's derivatives utilize Level 3 inputs, such as estimates of current credit spreads, to evaluate the likelihood of default by the Company and the counterparties. As of June 30, 2022, the Company determined that the effect of credit valuation adjustments on the overall valuation of its derivative positions are not significant to the overall valuation of its derivatives. Therefore, the Company has determined that its derivative valuations are appropriately classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
Fair Value Disclosures
The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, trade receivables, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities reflected in the balance sheets at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, approximate fair value due to the short term nature of these financial assets and liabilities. The carrying value of variable rate debt financing reflected in the balance sheets at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 approximates fair value as the changes in their associated interest rates reflect the current market and credit risk is similar to when the loans were originally obtained.
The fair values of fixed rate private placement notes and mortgages were estimated using the discounted estimated future cash payments to be made on such debt; the discount rates used approximated current market rates for loans, or groups of loans, with similar maturities and credit quality (categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy). The combined principal balance of the Company’s fixed rate private placement notes was approximately $1.03 billion as of June 30, 2022, with a fair value of approximately $871.3 million. In determining the fair value, the Company estimated a weighted average market interest rate of approximately 5.22%, compared to the weighted average contractual interest rate of 3.08%. The combined principal balance of the Company’s fixed rate private placement notes was approximately $905.0 million as of December 31, 2021, with a fair value of approximately $931.1 million. In determining the fair value, the Company estimated a weighted average market interest rate of approximately 2.81%, compared to the weighted average contractual interest rate of 3.09%. The combined principal balance of the Company's fixed rate mortgages payable was approximately $301.8 million as of June 30, 2022 with a fair value of approximately $295.7 million. In determining the fair value, the Company estimated a weighted average market interest rate of approximately 4.66%, compared to the weighted average contractual interest rate of 4.11%. The combined principal balance of the Company's fixed rate mortgages was approximately $303.9 million as of December 31, 2021 with a fair value of approximately $319.9 million. In determining the fair value as of December 31, 2021, the Company estimated a weighted average market interest rate of approximately 2.55%, compared to the weighted average contractual interest rate of 4.12%.
13. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
Self Storage Property Acquisitions
Subsequent to June 30, 2022, the Company acquired six self storage properties for approximately $71.6 million. Consideration for these acquisitions included approximately $66.0 million of net cash, the assumption of approximately $0.3 million of other working capital liabilities, and OP equity of approximately $5.3 million (consisting of the issuance of 71,320 OP Units and 10,971 subordinated performance units).
Common Share Repurchase Program
On July 11, 2022, the Company approved a share repurchase program authorizing, but not obligating, the repurchase of up to $400.0 million of the Company's common shares of beneficial interest from time to time. The Company expects to acquire shares through open market or privately negotiated transactions. The timing and amount of repurchase transactions will be determined by the Company's management based on its evaluation of market conditions, share price, legal requirements and other factors.
ITEM 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Forward-Looking Statements
We make forward-looking statements in this report that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When we use the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may," or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements contained in this report reflect our current views about future events and are subject to numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and changes in circumstances that may cause our actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.
Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking:
•market trends in our industry, including unfavorable changes to economic conditions that could adversely affect occupancy levels and rental rates, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, interest rates, inflation, the debt and lending markets or the general economy;
•our business and investment strategy;
•the acquisition of properties, including those under contract, and the ability of our acquisitions to achieve underwritten capitalization rates and our ability to execute on our acquisition pipeline;
•the timing of acquisitions;
•the internalization of retiring PROs into the Company;
•our relationships with, and our ability and timing to attract additional, PROs;
•our ability to effectively align the interests of our PROs with us and our shareholders;
•the integration of our PROs and their managed portfolios into the Company, including into our financial and operational reporting infrastructure and internal control framework;
•our operating performance and projected operating results, including our ability to achieve market rents and occupancy levels, reduce operating expenditures and increase the sale of ancillary products and services;
•our ability to access additional off-market acquisitions;
•actions and initiatives of the U.S. federal, state and local government and changes to U.S. federal, state and local government policies and the execution and impact of these actions, initiatives and policies;
•the state of the U.S. economy generally or in specific geographic regions, states, territories or municipalities;
•economic trends and economic recoveries;
•our ability to obtain and maintain financing arrangements on favorable terms;
•general volatility of the securities markets in which we participate;
•changes in the value of our assets;
•projected capital expenditures;
•the impact of technology on our products, operations, and business;
•the implementation of our technology and best practices programs (including our ability to effectively implement our integrated Internet marketing strategy);
•changes in interest rates and the degree to which our hedging strategies may or may not protect us from interest rate volatility;
•impact of and changes in governmental regulations, tax law and rates, accounting guidance and similar matters;
•our ability to continue to qualify and maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
•availability of qualified personnel, including constraints resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic;
•the timing of conversions of subordinated performance units in our operating partnership and subsidiaries of our operating partnership into OP units in our operating partnership, the conversion ratio in effect at such time and the impact of such convertibility on our diluted earnings (loss) per share;
•the risks of investing through joint ventures, including whether the anticipated benefits from a joint venture are realized or may take longer to realize than expected;
•estimates relating to our ability to make distributions to our shareholders in the future; and
•our understanding of our competition.
The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events. These beliefs, assumptions, and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. Readers should carefully review our financial statements and the notes thereto, as well as the sections entitled "Business," "Risk Factors," "Properties," and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," described in the Company's Annual Report, and the other documents we file from time to time with the SEC. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to, and do not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Overview
National Storage Affiliates Trust is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust organized in the state of Maryland on May 16, 2013. We have elected and we believe that we have qualified to be taxed as a REIT commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2015. We serve as the sole general partner of our operating partnership, a Delaware limited partnership formed on February 13, 2013 to conduct our business, which is focused on the ownership, operation, and acquisition of self storage properties located predominantly within the top 100 metropolitan statistical areas throughout the United States.
Our executive chairman of the board of trustees and former chief executive officer, Arlen D. Nordhagen, co-founded SecurCare Self Storage, Inc. in 1988 to invest in and manage self storage properties. While growing SecurCare to over 150 self storage properties, Mr. Nordhagen recognized a market opportunity for a differentiated public self storage REIT that would leverage the benefits of national scale by integrating multiple experienced regional self storage operators with local operational focus and expertise. We believe that his vision, which is the foundation of the Company, aligns the interests of our participating regional operators ("PROs"), with those of our public shareholders by allowing our PROs to participate alongside our shareholders in our financial performance and the performance of our PROs' managed portfolios. This structure offers our PROs a unique opportunity to serve as regional property managers for their managed portfolios and directly participate in the potential upside of those properties while simultaneously diversifying their investment to include a broader portfolio of self storage properties. Over time, largely through the acquisition of the iStorage brand and internalization of two of our largest PROs, SecurCare and Northwest, we have created a corporate property management platform to complement our PRO structure.
Our Structure
Through our property management platform, we direct, manage and control the day-to-day operations and affairs of a majority of our consolidated properties and our unconsolidated real estate ventures. As of June 30, 2022, our property management platform managed and controlled 514 of our consolidated properties and 184 of our unconsolidated real estate venture properties. The properties are managed by us under the brands of iStorage, SecurCare and Northwest.
We earn certain customary fees for managing and operating the properties in the unconsolidated real estate ventures and we facilitate tenant insurance and/or tenant warranty protection programs for tenants at these properties in exchange for half of all proceeds from such programs.
For the properties that are managed by our PROs, our structure promotes operator accountability as subordinated performance units issued to our PROs in exchange for the contribution of their properties are entitled to distributions only after those properties satisfy minimum performance thresholds. In the event of a material reduction in operating cash flow, distributions on our subordinated performance units will be reduced before or disproportionately to distributions on our common shares held by our common shareholders. In addition, we expect our PROs will generally co-invest subordinated equity in the form of subordinated performance units in each acquisition that they source, and the value of these subordinated performance units will fluctuate with the performance of their managed portfolios. Therefore, our PROs are incentivized to select acquisitions that are expected to exceed minimum performance thresholds, thereby increasing the value of their subordinated equity stake. We expect that our shareholders will benefit from the higher levels of property performance that our PROs are incentivized to deliver.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had nine PROs: Optivest, Guardian, Move It, Storage Solutions, Hide Away, Personal Mini, Southern, Moove In and Blue Sky. We seek to further expand our platform by continuing to recruit additional established self storage operators, while integrating our operations through the implementation of centralized initiatives, including management information systems, revenue enhancement, and cost optimization programs. Our national platform allows us to capture cost savings by eliminating redundancies and utilizing economies of scale across the property management platforms of our PROs while also providing greater access to lower-cost capital.
As discussed in Note 1, during the year ended December 31, 2021, one of our largest PROs, Kevin Howard Real Estate, Inc., d/b/a Northwest Self Storage and its controlled affiliates ("Northwest"), notified us of Northwest's election to retire as one of our PROs effective January 1, 2022. As a result of the retirement, on January 1, 2022, management of our properties in the Northwest managed portfolio was transferred to us and the related Northwest brand name and intellectual property was internalized by us, and we discontinued payment of any supervisory and administrative fees or reimbursements to Northwest. As part of the internalization, most of Northwest's employees were offered and provided employment by us and continue managing the same portfolio of properties as members of our existing property management platform.
Our Consolidated Properties
We seek to own properties that are well located in high quality sub-markets with highly accessible street access and attractive supply and demand characteristics, providing our properties with strong and stable cash flows that are less sensitive to the fluctuations of the general economy. Many of these markets have multiple barriers to entry against increased supply, including zoning restrictions against new construction and new construction costs that we believe are higher than our properties' fair market value. We have an attractive, high quality potential acquisition pipeline that we expect will continue to drive our future growth.
As of June 30, 2022, we owned a geographically diversified portfolio of 892 self storage properties, located in 39 states and Puerto Rico, comprising approximately 56.4 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 439,000 storage units. Of these properties, 298 were acquired by us from our current and former PROs, 593 were acquired from third-party sellers and one was acquired from the 2016 Joint Venture.
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, we acquired 20 self storage properties for $207.5 million, comprising approximately 1.4 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 10,000 storage units. Of these acquisitions, one was acquired from one of our PROs and 19 were acquired from third-party sellers. During the six months ended June 30, 2022, we disposed of one self storage property that we had acquired from one of our PROs.
Our Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures
We seek to opportunistically partner with institutional funds and other institutional investors to acquire attractive portfolios utilizing a promoted return structure. We believe there is significant opportunity for continued external growth by partnering with institutional investors seeking to deploy capital in the self storage industry. In addition, we consider the 75% third-party interest in the Company's unconsolidated real estate ventures, which currently own 184 properties, to present a potential acquisition opportunity. This 75% third-party share of gross real estate assets is approximately $1.6 billion based on the historical book value of the joint ventures. Were we to pursue an acquisition of these interests, it could potentially drive our future growth.
2018 Joint Venture
As of June 30, 2022, our 2018 Joint Venture, in which we have a 25% interest, owned and operated a portfolio of 103 properties containing approximately 7.8 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 64,000 storage units and located across 17 states.
2016 Joint Venture
As of June 30, 2022, our 2016 Joint Venture, in which we have a 25% ownership interest, owned and operated a portfolio of 81 properties containing approximately 5.6 million rentable square feet, configured in approximately 47,000 storage units and located across 13 states. On April 12, 2022, our 2016 Joint Venture acquired seven self storage properties for approximately $207.6 million. Our 2016 Joint Venture financed the acquisition with capital contributions from venture members, of which the Company contributed approximately $51.9 million.
Results of Operations
When reviewing our results of operations it is important to consider the timing of acquisition activity. We acquired 20 self storage properties during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 229 self storage properties during the year ended December 31, 2021. As a result of these and other factors, we do not believe that our historical results of operations discussed and analyzed below are comparable or necessarily indicative of our future results of operations or cash flows.
To help analyze the operating performance of our self storage properties, we also discuss and analyze operating results relating to our same store portfolio. Our same store portfolio is defined as those properties owned and operated on a stabilized basis since the first day of the earliest year presented. We consider a property to be stabilized once it has achieved an occupancy rate that is representative of similar properties in the applicable market. We exclude any properties sold, expected to be sold or subject to significant changes such as expansions or casualty events which cause the portfolio's year-over-year operating results to no longer be comparable. The 2022 same store pool changed from 631 stores at March 31, 2022 to 629 stores at June 30, 2022, due to significant expansions at two of our consolidated self storage properties.
The following discussion and analysis of the results of our operations and financial condition should be read in conjunction with the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements in Item 1. Certain figures, such as interest rates and other percentages, included in this section have been rounded for ease of presentation. Percentage figures included in this section have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of such rounded figures but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts in this section may vary slightly from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our condensed consolidated financial statements or in the associated text. Certain other amounts that appear in this section may similarly not sum due to rounding.
Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 compared to the Three Months Ended June 30, 2021
Net income was $48.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to $35.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, an increase of $12.7 million. The increase was primarily due to an increase in net operating income ("NOI") generated from 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 and same store NOI growth, partially offset by increases in depreciation and amortization and interest expense. For a description of NOI, see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures – NOI".
The following table illustrates the changes in rental revenue, other property-related revenue, management fees and other revenue, property operating expenses, and other expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021 (dollars in thousands):
| Three Months Ended June 30, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | ||||
| Rental revenue | ||||||
| Same store portfolio | $ | 133,057 | $ | 115,443 | $ | 17,614 |
| Non-same store portfolio | 51,579 | 11,867 | 39,712 | |||
| Total rental revenue | 184,636 | 127,310 | 57,326 | |||
| Other property-related revenue | ||||||
| Same store portfolio | 4,282 | 4,384 | (102) | |||
| Non-same store portfolio | 2,059 | 445 | 1,614 | |||
| Total other property-related revenue | 6,341 | 4,829 | 1,512 | |||
| Property operating expenses | ||||||
| Same store portfolio | 35,602 | 33,080 | 2,522 | |||
| Non-same store portfolio | 17,586 | 3,574 | 14,012 | |||
| Total property operating expenses | 53,188 | 36,654 | 16,534 | |||
| Net operating income | ||||||
| Same store portfolio | 101,737 | 86,747 | 14,990 | |||
| Non-same store portfolio | 36,052 | 8,738 | 27,314 | |||
| Total net operating income | 137,789 | 95,485 | 42,304 | |||
| Management fees and other revenue | 7,913 | 6,107 | 1,806 | |||
| General and administrative expenses | (14,702) | (12,450) | (2,252) | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | (57,891) | (36,051) | (21,840) | |||
| Other | (525) | (310) | (215) | |||
| Other (expense) income | ||||||
| Interest expense | (24,448) | (17,339) | (7,109) | |||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate ventures | 1,962 | 1,174 | 788 | |||
| Acquisition costs | (682) | (118) | (564) | |||
| Non-operating expense | (261) | (148) | (113) | |||
| Other expense, net | (23,429) | (16,431) | (6,998) | |||
| Income before income taxes | 49,155 | 36,350 | 12,805 | |||
| Income tax expense | (730) | (675) | (55) | |||
| Net income | 48,425 | 35,675 | 12,750 | |||
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (23,387) | (6,957) | (16,430) | |||
| Net income attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust | 25,038 | 28,718 | (3,680) | |||
| Distributions to preferred shareholders | (3,382) | (3,276) | (106) | |||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 21,656 | $ | 25,442 | $ | (3,786) |
Total Revenue
Our total revenue, including management fees and other revenue, increased by $60.6 million, or 43.9%, for the three months ended June 30, 2022, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021. This increase was primarily attributable to incremental revenue from 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 (partially offset by the disposition of one self storage property) and an 10.6% increase, from $12.78 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 to $14.13 for the three months ended June 30, 2022, in annualized rental revenue (including fees and net of any discounts and uncollectible customer amounts) divided by average occupancy ("average annualized rental revenue per occupied square foot"), driven primarily by increased contractual lease rates for in-place tenants. Average occupancy is calculated based on the average of the month-end occupancy immediately preceding the period presented and the month-end occupancies included in the respective period presented.
Rental Revenue
Rental revenue increased by $57.3 million, or 45.0%, for the three months ended June 30, 2022, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021. The increase in rental revenue was due to a $39.7 million increase in non-same store rental revenue which was primarily attributable to incremental rental revenue from 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. For the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021, same store portfolio rental revenues increased $17.6 million, or 15.3%, due to a 14.9% increase in average annualized rental revenue per occupied square foot which increased from $12.66 for the three months ended June 30, 2021, to $14.55, for the three months ended June 30, 2022.
Other Property-Related Revenue
Other property-related revenue represents ancillary income from our self storage properties, such as tenant insurance-related access fees and sales of storage supplies. Other property-related revenue increased by $1.5 million, or 31.3%, for the three months ended June 30, 2022, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021. This increase primarily resulted from a $1.6 million increase in non-same store other property-related revenue primarily due to the 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
Management Fees and Other Revenue
Management fees and other revenue primarily relates to managing and operating the unconsolidated real estate ventures. Management fees and other revenue increased $1.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021. This increase was primarily attributable to (i) property acquisition fees of approximately $0.7 million related to property acquisitions made by our 2016 Joint Venture and (ii) an increase in management fees due to growth in unconsolidated real estate venture revenue.
Property Operating Expenses
Property operating expenses were $53.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to $36.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, an increase of $16.5 million, or 45.1%. The increase in property operating expense of $12.4 million primarily resulted from additional expense from the 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. Same store portfolio operating expenses increased $2.5 million, or 7.6%, due primarily to increases in property taxes, utilities, and payment processing fees, partially offset by decreases in personnel expenses.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses increased $2.3 million, or 18.1%, for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021. This increase was primarily attributable to increases in supervisory and administrative fees charged by our PROs resulting from the increase in the number of properties managed by our PROs, and personnel costs.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization increased $21.8 million, or 60.6%, for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021. This increase was primarily attributable to incremental depreciation expense related to the 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, and an increase in amortization of customer in-place leases from $4.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 to $9.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022.
Interest Expense
Interest expense increased $7.1 million, or 41.0%, for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021. The increase in interest expense was primarily attributable to additional borrowings consisting of (i) the May 2021 issuance of the $55.0 million of 3.10% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2033, (ii) the July 2021 issuance of the $35.0 million of 2.16% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2026 and $90.0 million of 3.00% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2031, (iii) the September 2021 issuance of $125.0 million of term loan debt under our credit facility with an effective interest rate of 2.94% as of June 30, 2022, (iv) the December 14, 2021 issuance of $75.0 million of 2.72% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2030, $175.0 million of 2.81% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2031 and $75.0 million of 3.06% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2036, (v) the January 2022 issuance of $125.0 million of 2.96% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2033 and (vi) an increase in average borrowings outstanding under our revolving line of credit with an effective interest rate of 3.04% as of June 30, 2022.
Equity In Earnings Of Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate ventures represents our share of earnings and losses incurred through our 25% ownership interests in the 2018 Joint Venture and the 2016 Joint Venture. During the three months ended June 30, 2022, we recorded $2.0 million of equity in earnings from our unconsolidated real estate ventures compared to $1.2 million of earnings for the three months ended June 30, 2021.
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests
As discussed in Note 1, we allocate GAAP income utilizing the HLBV method, in which we allocate income or loss based on the change in each unitholders' claim on the net assets of our operating partnership at period end after adjusting for any distributions or contributions made during such period.
Due to the stated liquidation priorities and because the HLBV method incorporates non-cash items such as depreciation expense, in any given period, income or loss may be allocated disproportionately to noncontrolling interests. Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests was $23.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to $7.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021.
Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 compared to the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021
Net income was $93.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to $63.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, an increase of $29.9 million. The increase was primarily due to an increase in net operating income ("NOI") generated from 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 and same store NOI growth, partially offset by increases in depreciation and amortization and interest expense. For a description of NOI, see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures – NOI".
The following table illustrates the changes in rental revenue, other property-related revenue, management fees and other revenue, property operating expenses, and other expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021 (dollars in thousands):
| Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | ||||
| Rental revenue | ||||||
| Same store portfolio | $ | 260,872 | $ | 224,717 | $ | 36,155 |
| Non-same store portfolio | 98,233 | 15,720 | 82,513 | |||
| Total rental revenue | 359,105 | 240,437 | 118,668 | |||
| Other property-related revenue | ||||||
| Same store portfolio | 8,582 | 8,415 | 167 | |||
| Non-same store portfolio | 3,925 | 551 | 3,374 | |||
| Total other property-related revenue | 12,507 | 8,966 | 3,541 | |||
| Property operating expenses | ||||||
| Same store portfolio | 69,833 | 66,275 | 3,558 | |||
| Non-same store portfolio | 32,713 | 4,983 | 27,730 | |||
| Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | ||||
| Total property operating expenses | 102,546 | 71,258 | 31,288 | |||
| Net operating income | ||||||
| Same store portfolio | 199,621 | 166,857 | 32,764 | |||
| Non-same store portfolio | 69,445 | 11,288 | 58,157 | |||
| Total net operating income | 269,066 | 178,145 | 90,921 | |||
| Management fees and other revenue | 14,462 | 11,835 | 2,627 | |||
| General and administrative expenses | (28,668) | (23,688) | (4,980) | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | (115,963) | (68,475) | (47,488) | |||
| Other | (995) | (707) | (288) | |||
| Other (expense) income | ||||||
| Interest expense | (47,095) | (34,131) | (12,964) | |||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate ventures | 3,456 | 1,933 | 1,523 | |||
| Acquisition costs | (1,235) | (410) | (825) | |||
| Non-operating expense | (373) | (321) | (52) | |||
| Gain on sale of self storage properties | 2,134 | — | 2,134 | |||
| Other expense, net | (43,113) | (32,929) | (10,184) | |||
| Income before income taxes | 94,789 | 64,181 | 30,608 | |||
| Income tax expense | (1,578) | (871) | (707) | |||
| Net income | 93,211 | 63,310 | 29,901 | |||
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (42,945) | (13,754) | (29,191) | |||
| Net income attributable to National Storage Affiliates Trust | 50,266 | 49,556 | 710 | |||
| Distributions to preferred shareholders | (6,661) | (6,551) | (110) | |||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 43,605 | $ | 43,005 | $ | 600 |
Total Revenue
Our total revenue, including management fees and other revenue, increased by $124.8 million, or 47.8%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. This increase was primarily attributable to incremental revenue from 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 (partially offset by the disposition of one self storage property), and a 10.5% increase in average annualized rental revenue per occupied square foot, from $12.56 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 to $13.88 for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
Rental Revenue
Rental revenue increased by $118.7 million, or 49.4%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase in rental revenue was due to a $82.5 million increase in non-same store rental revenue which was primarily attributable to incremental rental revenue from 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. Same store portfolio rental revenues increased $36.2 million, or 16.1%, due to a 14.3% increase, from $12.51 to $14.30, in average annualized rental revenue per occupied square foot.
Other Property-Related Revenue
Other property-related revenue represents ancillary income from our self storage properties, such as tenant insurance-related access fees and sales of storage supplies. Other property-related revenue increased by $3.5 million, or 39.5%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022, as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021, which was primarily attributable to incremental other property-related revenue from 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
Management Fees and Other Revenue
Management fees and other revenue, which are primarily related to managing and operating the unconsolidated real estate ventures, were $14.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to $11.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, an increase of $2.6 million. This increase was primarily attributable to increased property management fees due to (i) acquisition fees of approximately $0.7 million related to property acquisitions made by our 2016 Joint Venture and (ii) growth in unconsolidated real estate venture revenue.
Property Operating Expenses
Property operating expenses were $102.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to $71.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, an increase of $31.3 million, or 43.9%. The increase in property operating expenses primarily resulted from a $27.7 million increase in non-same store property operating expenses that was primarily attributable to incremental property operating expenses from 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. Same store portfolio operating expenses increased $3.6 million, due primarily to increases in property taxes, utilities, repairs and maintenance, and payment processing fees, partially offset by decreases in personnel expenses.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses increased $5.0 million, or 21.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. This increase was primarily attributable to increases in supervisory and administrative fees charged by our PROs resulting from the increase in the number of properties managed by our PROs, and personnel costs.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization increased $47.5 million, or 69.4%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. This increase was primarily attributable to incremental depreciation expense related to the 206 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, and an increase in amortization of customer in-place leases from $6.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 to $20.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
Interest Expense
Interest expense increased $13.0 million, or 38.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase in interest expense was primarily attributable to additional borrowings consisting of (i) the July 2021 issuance of the $35.0 million of 2.16% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2026 and $90.0 million of 3.00% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2031, (ii) the September 2021 issuance of $125.0 million of term loan debt under our credit facility with an effective interest rate of 2.94% as of June 30, 2022, (iii) the December 14, 2021 issuance of $75.0 million of 2.72% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2030, $175.0 million of 2.81% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2031 and $75.0 million of 3.06% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2036, (iv) the January 2022 issuance of $125.0 million of 2.96% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2033 and (v) an increase in average borrowings outstanding under our revolving line of credit with an effective interest rate of 3.04% as of June 30, 2022.
Gain on Sale of Self Storage Properties
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, we disposed of one self storage property and an undeveloped land parcel for net proceeds of $6.2 million. We recorded a net gain on the dispositions of $2.1 million.
Equity In Earnings Of Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate ventures represents our share of earnings and losses incurred through our 25% ownership interests in the 2018 Joint Venture and the 2016 Joint Venture. During the six months ended June 30, 2022, we recorded $3.5 million of equity in earnings from our unconsolidated real estate ventures compared to $1.9 million of earnings for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests
As discussed in Note 2, we allocate GAAP income utilizing the HLBV method, in which we allocate income or loss based on the change in each unitholders' claim on the net assets of our operating partnership at period end after adjusting for any distributions or contributions made during such period.
Due to the stated liquidation priorities and because the HLBV method incorporates non-cash items such as depreciation expense, in any given period, income or loss may be allocated disproportionately to noncontrolling interests. Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests was $42.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to $13.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
FFO and Core FFO
Funds from operations, or FFO, is a widely used performance measure for real estate companies and is provided here as a supplemental measure of our operating performance. The December 2018 Nareit Funds From Operations White Paper - 2018 Restatement, which we refer to as the White Paper, defines FFO as net income (as determined under GAAP), excluding: real estate depreciation and amortization, gains and losses from the sale of certain real estate assets, gains and losses from change in control, mark-to-market changes in value recognized on equity securities, impairment write-downs of certain real estate assets and impairment of investments in entities when it is directly attributable to decreases in the value of depreciable real estate held by the entity and after items to record unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures on the same basis. Distributions declared on subordinated performance units and DownREIT subordinated performance units represent our allocation of FFO to noncontrolling interests held by subordinated performance unitholders and DownREIT subordinated performance unitholders. For purposes of calculating FFO attributable to common shareholders, OP unitholders, and LTIP unitholders, we exclude distributions declared on subordinated performance units, DownREIT subordinated performance units, preferred shares and preferred units. We define Core FFO as FFO, as further adjusted to eliminate the impact of certain items that we do not consider indicative of our core operating performance. These further adjustments consist of acquisition costs, organizational and offering costs, gains on debt forgiveness, gains (losses) on early extinguishment of debt, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures.
Management uses FFO and Core FFO as key performance indicators in evaluating the operations of our properties. Given the nature of our business as a real estate owner and operator, we consider FFO and Core FFO as key supplemental measures of our operating performance that are not specifically defined by GAAP. We believe that FFO and Core FFO are useful to management and investors as a starting point in measuring our operational performance because FFO and Core FFO exclude various items included in net income (loss) that do not relate to or are not indicative of our operating performance such as gains (or losses) from sales of self storage properties and depreciation, which can make periodic and peer analyses of operating performance more difficult. Our computation of FFO and Core FFO may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs or real estate companies.
FFO and Core FFO should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP, such as total revenues, operating income and net income (loss). FFO and Core FFO do not represent cash generated from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP and are not a measure of liquidity or an indicator of our ability to make cash distributions. We believe that to further understand our performance, FFO and Core FFO should be compared with our reported net income (loss) and considered in addition to cash flows computed in accordance with GAAP, as presented in our consolidated financial statements.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net income to FFO and Core FFO for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands, except per share and unit amounts):
| Three Months Ended<br>June 30, | Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Net income | $ | 48,425 | $ | 35,675 | $ | 93,211 | $ | 63,310 | ||
| Add (subtract): | ||||||||||
| Real estate depreciation and amortization | 57,581 | 35,698 | 115,340 | 67,768 | ||||||
| Company's share of unconsolidated real estate venture real estate depreciation and amortization | 4,324 | 3,840 | 8,170 | 7,721 | ||||||
| Gain on sale of self storage properties | — | — | (2,134) | — | ||||||
| Distributions to preferred shareholders and unitholders | (3,652) | (3,517) | (7,204) | (7,034) | ||||||
| FFO attributable to subordinated performance unitholders(1) | (15,746) | (12,093) | (29,595) | (21,255) | ||||||
| FFO attributable to common shareholders, OP unitholders, and LTIP unitholders | 90,932 | 59,603 | 177,788 | 110,510 | ||||||
| Add: | ||||||||||
| Acquisition costs | 682 | 118 | 1,235 | 410 | ||||||
| Core FFO attributable to common shareholders, OP unitholders, and LTIP unitholders | $ | 91,614 | $ | 59,721 | $ | 179,023 | $ | 110,920 | ||
| Weighted average shares and units outstanding - FFO and Core FFO:(2) | ||||||||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding - basic | 91,541 | 76,712 | 91,433 | 74,267 | ||||||
| Weighted average restricted common shares outstanding | 28 | 33 | 28 | 29 | ||||||
| Weighted average effect of forward offering agreement(3) | — | — | — | 199 | ||||||
| Weighted average OP units outstanding | 35,390 | 29,963 | 35,370 | 29,858 | ||||||
| Weighted average DownREIT OP unit equivalents outstanding | 1,925 | 1,925 | 1,925 | 1,925 | ||||||
| Weighted average LTIP units outstanding | 501 | 536 | 552 | 561 | ||||||
| Total weighted average shares and units outstanding - FFO and Core FFO | 129,385 | 109,169 | 129,308 | 106,839 | ||||||
| FFO per share and unit | $ | 0.70 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 1.37 | $ | 1.03 | ||
| Core FFO per share and unit | $ | 0.71 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 1.38 | $ | 1.04 | (1) Amounts represent distributions declared for subordinated performance unitholders and DownREIT subordinated performance unitholders for the periods presented. | |
| --- | ||||||||||
| (2) NSA combines OP units and DownREIT OP units with common shares because, after the applicable lock-out periods, OP units in the Company's operating partnership are redeemable for cash or, at NSA's option, exchangeable for common shares on a one-for-one basis and DownREIT OP units are also redeemable for cash or, at NSA's option, exchangeable for OP units in our operating partnership on a one-for-one basis, subject to certain adjustments in each case. Subordinated performance units, DownREIT subordinated performance units, and LTIP units may also, under certain circumstances, be convertible into or exchangeable for common shares (or other units that are convertible into or exchangeable for common shares). See footnote(1) in the following table for additional discussion of subordinated performance units, DownREIT subordinated performance units, and LTIP units in the calculation of FFO and Core FFO per share and unit. | ||||||||||
| (3) Represents the dilutive effect of the forward offering from the application of the treasury stock method. |
The following table presents a reconciliation of earnings per share - diluted to FFO and Core FFO per share and unit for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021:
| Three Months Ended<br>June 30, | Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Earnings per share - diluted | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 0.48 | $ | 0.44 | ||
| Impact of the difference in weighted average number of shares(1) | (0.07) | 0.04 | (0.14) | 0.09 | ||||||
| Impact of GAAP accounting for noncontrolling interests, two-class method and treasury stock method(2) | 0.18 | — | 0.33 | — | ||||||
| Add real estate depreciation and amortization | 0.44 | 0.33 | 0.89 | 0.63 | ||||||
| Add Company's share of unconsolidated venture real estate depreciation and amortization | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.07 | ||||||
| Subtract gain on sale of self storage properties | — | — | (0.02) | — | ||||||
| FFO attributable to subordinated performance unitholders | (0.12) | (0.11) | (0.23) | (0.20) | ||||||
| FFO per share and unit | 0.70 | 0.55 | 1.37 | 1.03 | ||||||
| Add acquisition costs | 0.01 | — | 0.01 | 0.01 | ||||||
| Core FFO per share and unit | $ | 0.71 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 1.38 | $ | 1.04 | (1) Adjustment accounts for the difference between the weighted average number of shares used to calculate diluted earnings per share and the weighted average number of shares used to calculate FFO and Core FFO per share and unit. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using the two-class method for the company's restricted common shares and the treasury stock method for certain unvested LTIP units, and assumes the conversion of vested LTIP units into OP units on a one-for-one basis and the hypothetical conversion of subordinated performance units, and DownREIT subordinated performance units into OP units, even though such units may only be convertible into OP units (i) after a lock-out period and (ii) upon certain events or conditions. For additional information about the conversion of subordinated performance units, DownREIT subordinated performance units and LTIP units into OP units, see Note 9 in Item 1. The computation of weighted average shares and units for FFO and Core FFO per share and unit includes all restricted common shares and LTIP units that participate in distributions and excludes all subordinated performance units and DownREIT subordinated performance units because their effect has been accounted for through the allocation of FFO to the related unitholders based on distributions declared. | |
| --- | ||||||||||
| (2) Represents the effect of adjusting the numerator to consolidated net income (loss) prior to GAAP allocations for noncontrolling interests, after deducting preferred share and unit distributions, and before the application of the two-class method and treasury stock method, as described in footnote(1). |
NOI
Net operating income, or NOI, represents rental revenue plus other property-related revenue less property operating expenses. NOI is not a measure of performance calculated in accordance with GAAP.
We believe NOI is useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance because:
•NOI is one of the primary measures used by our management and our PROs to evaluate the economic productivity of our properties, including our ability to lease our properties, increase pricing and occupancy and control our property operating expenses;
•NOI is widely used in the real estate industry and the self storage industry to measure the performance and value of real estate assets without regard to various items included in net income that do not relate to or are not indicative of operating performance, such as depreciation and amortization, which can vary depending upon accounting methods, the book value of assets, and the impact of our capital structure; and
•We believe NOI helps our investors to meaningfully compare the results of our operating performance from period to period by removing the impact of our capital structure (primarily interest expense on our outstanding indebtedness) and depreciation of the cost basis of our assets from our operating results.
There are material limitations to using a non-GAAP measure such as NOI, including the difficulty associated with comparing results among more than one company and the inability to analyze certain significant items, including depreciation and interest expense, that directly affect our net income (loss). We compensate for these limitations by considering the economic effect of the excluded expense items independently as well as in connection with our analysis of net income (loss). NOI should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP, such as total revenues and net income (loss).
The following table presents a reconciliation of net income to NOI for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (dollars in thousands):
| Three Months Ended<br>June 30, | Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Net income | $ | 48,425 | $ | 35,675 | $ | 93,211 | $ | 63,310 |
| (Subtract) Add: | ||||||||
| Management fees and other revenue | (7,913) | (6,107) | (14,462) | (11,835) | ||||
| General and administrative expenses | 14,702 | 12,450 | 28,668 | 23,688 | ||||
| Other | 525 | 310 | 995 | 707 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 57,891 | 36,051 | 115,963 | 68,475 | ||||
| Interest expense | 24,448 | 17,339 | 47,095 | 34,131 | ||||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate ventures | (1,962) | (1,174) | (3,456) | (1,933) | ||||
| Acquisition costs | 682 | 118 | 1,235 | 410 | ||||
| Income tax expense | 730 | 675 | 1,578 | 871 | ||||
| Gain on sale of self storage properties | — | — | (2,134) | — | ||||
| Non-operating expense | 261 | 148 | 373 | 321 | ||||
| Net Operating Income | $ | 137,789 | $ | 95,485 | $ | 269,066 | $ | 178,145 |
Our consolidated NOI shown in the table above does not include our proportionate share of NOI for our unconsolidated real estate ventures. For additional information about our 2018 Joint Venture and 2016 Joint Venture see Note 5 to the condensed consolidated financial statements in Item 1.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
We define EBITDA as net income (loss), as determined under GAAP, plus interest expense, loss on early extinguishment of debt, income taxes, depreciation and amortization expense and the Company's share of unconsolidated real estate venture depreciation and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA plus acquisition costs, organizational and offering expenses, equity-based compensation expense, losses on sale of properties and impairment of long-lived assets, minus gains on sale of properties and debt forgiveness, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. These further adjustments eliminate the impact of items that we do not consider indicative of our core operating performance. In evaluating EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation. Our presentation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.
We present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because we believe they assist investors and analysts in comparing our performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as an analytical tool. Some of these limitations are:
•EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect our cash expenditures, or future requirements, for capital expenditures, contractual commitments or working capital needs;
•EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the significant interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debts;
•although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements;
•Adjusted EBITDA excludes equity-based compensation expense, which is and will remain a key element of our overall long-term incentive compensation package, although we exclude it as an expense when evaluating our ongoing operating performance for a particular period;
•EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the impact of certain cash charges resulting from matters we consider not to be indicative of our ongoing operations; and
•other companies in our industry may calculate EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.
We compensate for these limitations by considering the economic effect of the excluded expense items independently as well as in connection with our analysis of net income (loss). EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP, such as total revenues and net income (loss).
The following table presents a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (dollars in thousands):
| Three Months Ended<br>June 30, | Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Net income | $ | 48,425 | $ | 35,675 | $ | 93,211 | $ | 63,310 |
| Add: | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 57,891 | 36,051 | 115,963 | 68,475 | ||||
| Company's share of unconsolidated real estate venture depreciation and amortization | 4,324 | 3,840 | 8,170 | 7,721 | ||||
| Interest expense | 24,448 | 17,339 | 47,095 | 34,131 | ||||
| Income tax expense | 730 | 675 | 1,578 | 871 | ||||
| EBITDA | 135,818 | 93,580 | 266,017 | 174,508 | ||||
| Add: | ||||||||
| Acquisition costs | 682 | 118 | 1,235 | 410 | ||||
| Gain on sale of self storage properties | — | — | (2,134) | — | ||||
| Equity-based compensation expense | 1,580 | 1,348 | 3,124 | 2,634 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 138,080 | $ | 95,046 | $ | 268,242 | $ | 177,552 |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity Overview
Liquidity is the ability to meet present and future financial obligations. Our primary source of liquidity is cash flow from our operations. Additional sources are proceeds from equity and debt offerings, debt financings including additional borrowing capacity under the credit facility, and expansion options available under the 2023 Term Loan Facility, the 2028 Term Loan Facility, the June 2029 Term Loan Facility, and our credit facility.
Our short-term liquidity requirements consist primarily of property operating expenses, property acquisitions, capital expenditures, general and administrative expenses and principal and interest on our outstanding indebtedness. A further short-term liquidity requirement relates to distributions to our common and preferred shareholders and holders of preferred units, OP units, LTIP units, subordinated performance units, DownREIT OP units and DownREIT subordinated performance units. We expect to fund short-term liquidity requirements from our operating cash flow, cash on hand and borrowings under our credit facility.
Our long-term liquidity needs consist primarily of the repayment of debt, property acquisitions, and capital expenditures. We acquire properties through the use of cash, preferred units, OP units and subordinated performance units in our operating partnership or DownREIT partnerships. We expect to meet our long-term liquidity requirements with operating cash flow, cash on hand, secured and unsecured indebtedness, and the issuance of equity and debt securities.
The availability of credit and its related effect on the overall economy may affect our liquidity and future financing activities, both through changes in interest rates and access to financing. Currently, interest rates are low compared to historical levels, but have increased in recent periods. Our ability to access capital on favorable terms as well as to use cash from operations to continue to meet our liquidity needs, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, could be affected by various risks and uncertainties. We believe that, as a publicly-traded REIT, we will have access to multiple sources of capital to fund our long-term liquidity requirements, including the incurrence of additional debt and the issuance of debt and additional equity securities. However, we cannot assure you that this will be the case.
Cash Flows
At June 30, 2022, we had $32.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and $3.3 million of restricted cash, an increase in cash and cash equivalents of $7.3 million and a increase in restricted cash of $0.4 million from December 31, 2021. Restricted cash primarily consists of escrowed funds deposited with financial institutions for real estate taxes, insurance, and other reserves for capital improvements in accordance with our loan agreements. The following discussion relates to changes in cash due to operating, investing, and financing activities, which are presented in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows included in Item 1 of this report.
Operating Activities
Cash provided by our operating activities was $227.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to $144.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, an increase of $82.7 million. Our operating cash flow increased primarily due to the 186 self storage properties acquired between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 that generated cash flow for the entire six months ended June 30, 2022, an additional 20 self storage properties acquired during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and same store NOI growth. Because 206 self storage properties were acquired after June 30, 2021, our operating results for the six months ended June 30, 2021 were not impacted by them. The increase in our operating cash flows was partially offset by higher cash payments for interest expense.
Investing Activities
Cash used in investing activities was $244.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to $398.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The primary uses of cash for the six months ended June 30, 2022 were for our acquisition of 20 self storage properties for cash consideration of $175.0 million, capital contributions of $53.3 million to fund the self storage property acquisitions of our 2016 Joint Venture, capital expenditures of $20.3 million, and deposits for potential acquisitions of $1.9 million, partially offset by $6.2 million of proceeds from the disposition of one self storage property and an undeveloped land parcel.
Capital expenditures totaled $20.3 million and $13.2 million during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We generally fund post-acquisition capital additions from cash provided by operating activities.
We categorize our capital expenditures broadly into three primary categories:
•recurring capital expenditures, which represent the portion of capital expenditures that are deemed to replace the consumed portion of acquired capital assets and extend their useful life;
•value enhancing capital expenditures, which represent the portion of capital expenditures that are made to enhance the revenue and value of an asset from its original purchase condition; and
•acquisitions capital expenditures, which represent the portion of capital expenditures capitalized during the current period that were identified and underwritten prior to a property's acquisition.
A summary of the capital expenditures for these categories, along with a reconciliation of the total for these categories to the capital expenditures reported in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, are presented below (dollars in thousands):
| Six Months Ended<br>June 30, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||
| Recurring capital expenditures | $ | 4,972 | $ | 4,359 |
| Value enhancing capital expenditures | 5,968 | 4,880 | ||
| Acquisitions capital expenditures | 8,775 | 4,051 | ||
| Total capital expenditures | 19,715 | 13,290 | ||
| Change in accrued capital spending | 618 | (103) | ||
| Capital expenditures per statement of cash flows | $ | 20,333 | $ | 13,187 |
Financing Activities
Cash provided by our financing activities was $25.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to cash provided by financing activities of $258.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Our sources of financing cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2022 primarily consisted of $454.0 million of borrowings under our Revolver, $285.0 million of borrowings under our June 2029 Term Loan, and $125.0 million from the issuance of the November 2033 Notes. Our primary uses of financing cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2022 were for principal payments on existing debt of $661.2 million (which included $659.0 million of principal repayments under the Revolver and $2.2 million of fixed rate mortgage principal payments), distributions to noncontrolling interests of $69.8 million, payments of dividends to common shareholders of $96.2 million and distributions to preferred shareholders of $6.7 million.
Credit Facility and Term Loan Facilities
As of June 30, 2022, our credit facility provided for total borrowings of $1.550 billion, consisting of six components: (i) a Revolver which provides for a total borrowing commitment up to $650.0 million, whereby we may borrow, repay and re-borrow amounts under the Revolver, (ii) a $125.0 million Term Loan A, (iii) a $250.0 million Term Loan B, (iv) a $225.0 million Term Loan C, (v) a $175.0 million Term Loan D and (vi) a $125.0 million Term Loan E. The Revolver matures in January 2024; provided that we may elect to extend the maturity to July 2024 by paying an extension fee of 0.075% of the total borrowing commitment thereunder at the time of extension and meeting other customary conditions with respect to compliance. The Term Loan A matures in January 2023, the Term Loan B matures in July 2024, the Term Loan C matures in January 2025, the Term Loan D matures in July 2026 and the Term Loan E matures in March 2027. The Revolver, Term Loan A, Term Loan B, Term Loan C, Term Loan D and Term Loan E are not subject to any scheduled reduction or amortization payments prior to maturity. As of June 30, 2022, we have an expansion option under the credit facility, which, if exercised in full, would provide for a total credit facility of $1.750 billion. As of June 30, 2022, we would have had the capacity to borrow remaining Revolver commitments of $359.3 million while remaining in compliance with the credit facility's financial covenants.
We have a 2023 Term Loan Facility that matures in June 2023 and is separate from the credit facility in an aggregate amount of $175.0 million. As of June 30, 2022 the entire amount was outstanding under the 2023 Term Loan Facility with an effective interest rate of 2.83%. We have an expansion option under the 2023 Term Loan Facility, which, if exercised in full, would provide for total borrowings in an aggregate amount of $400.0 million.
We have a 2028 Term Loan Facility that matures in December 2028 and is separate from the credit facility and 2023 Term Loan Facility in an aggregate amount of $75.0 million. As of June 30, 2022 the entire amount was outstanding under the 2028 Term Loan Facility with an effective interest rate of 4.62%. We have an expansion option under the 2028 Term Loan Facility, which, if exercised in full, would provide for total borrowings in an aggregate amount up to $125.0 million.
We have a April 2029 Term Loan Facility that matures in April 2029 and is separate from the credit facility, 2023 Term Loan Facility and 2028 Term Loan Facility in an aggregate amount of $100.0 million. As of June 30, 2022 the entire amount was outstanding under the April 2029 Term Loan Facility with an effective interest rate of 4.27%.
We have a June 2029 Term Loan Facility that matures in June 2029 and is separate from the credit facility, 2023 Term Loan Facility, 2028 Term Loan Facility, and April 2029 Term Loan Facility in an aggregate amount of $285.0 million. As of June 30, 2022 the 2029 Term Loan Facility had a variable effective interest rate of 3.34%. We have an expansion option under the June 2029 Term Loan Facility, which, if exercised in full, would provide for total borrowings in an aggregate amount up to $300.0 million.
2029 and August 2031 Senior Unsecured Notes
On August 30, 2019, our operating partnership issued $100.0 million of 3.98% senior unsecured notes due August 30, 2029 and $50.0 million of 4.08% senior unsecured notes due August 30, 2031 in a private placement to certain institutional investors.
August 2030 and 2032 Senior Unsecured Notes
On October 22, 2020, our operating partnership issued $150.0 million of 2.99% senior unsecured notes due August 5, 2030 and $100.0 million of 3.09% senior unsecured notes due August 5, 2032 in a private placement to certain institutional investors.
2026, May 2031 and May 2033 Senior Unsecured Notes
On May 3, 2021, our operating partnership entered into an agreement to issue the 2026 Notes, the May 2031 Notes and the May 2033 Notes to certain institutional investors. On May 26, 2021, our operating partnership issued $55.0 million of 3.10% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2033. On July 26, 2021, our operating partnership issued $35.0 million of 2.16% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2026 and $90.0 million of 3.00% senior unsecured notes due May 4, 2031.
November 2030, November 2031, November 2033, and 2036 Senior Unsecured Notes
On November 9, 2021, our operating partnership entered an agreement to issue $75.0 million of 2.72% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2030, $175.0 million of 2.81% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2031, $125.0 million of 2.96% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2033, and $75.0 million of 3.06% senior unsecured notes due November 30, 2036. On December 14, 2021 the operating partnership issued the November 2030 Notes, November 2031 Notes and the 2036 Notes. On January 28, 2022, our operating partnership issued the November 2033 Notes.
Fixed Rate Mortgage Payable
On July 9, 2021, we entered into an agreement with a single lender for an $88.0 million debt financing secured by eight of our self storage properties. This interest-only loan matures in July 2028 and has a fixed interest rate of 2.77%.
Equity Transactions
Issuance of Common Shares
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, after receiving notices of redemption from certain OP unitholders, we elected to issue 553,050 common shares to such holders in exchange for 553,050 OP units in satisfaction of the operating partnership's redemption obligations.
Issuance of OP Equity
In connection with the 20 properties acquired during the six months ended June 30, 2022, we issued $30.5 million of OP equity (consisting of 353,030 Series A-1 perpetual preferred units, 387,638 OP units and 15,061 subordinated performance units). We also issued $3.2 million of OP equity (consisting of 46,540 OP units) as consideration for Northwest's rights to property management contracts, brand, intellectual property, and certain intangible assets in connection with the PRO retirement.
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, we also issued (i) 3,911,260 OP units upon the non-voluntary conversion of 2,078,357 subordinated performance units in connection with Northwest's retirement, (ii) 235,241 OP units upon the conversion of 82,611 subordinated performance units and (iii) 192,296 OP units upon the conversion of an equivalent number of LTIP units. We also issued 244,792 subordinated performance units upon the conversion of 651,734 OP units.
Dividends and Distributions
On May 25, 2022, our board of trustees declared a cash dividend and distribution, respectively, of $0.55 per common share and OP unit to shareholders and OP unitholders of record as of June 15, 2022. On May 25, 2022, our board of trustees also declared cash distributions of $0.375 per Series A Preferred Share and Series A-1 preferred unit to shareholders and unitholders of record as of June 15, 2022. On March 11, 2022, our board of trustees declared cash distributions of $15.7 million, in aggregate, to subordinated performance unitholders of record as of June 15, 2022. Such dividends and distributions were paid on June 30, 2022.
Cash Distributions from our Operating Partnership
Under the LP Agreement of our operating partnership, to the extent that we, as the general partner of our operating partnership, determine to make distributions to the partners of our operating partnership out of the operating cash flow or capital transaction proceeds generated by a real property portfolio managed by one of our PROs, the holders of the series of subordinated performance units that relate to such portfolio are entitled to share in such distributions. Under the LP Agreement of our operating partnership, operating cash flow with respect to a portfolio of properties managed by one of our PROs is generally an amount determined by us, as general partner of our operating partnership, equal to the excess of property revenues over property related expenses from that portfolio. In general, property revenue from the portfolio includes:
(i)all receipts, including rents and other operating revenues;
(ii)any incentive, financing, break-up and other fees paid to us by third parties;
(iii)amounts released from previously set aside reserves; and
(iv)any other amounts received by us, which we allocate to the particular portfolio of properties.
In general, property-related expenses include all direct expenses related to the operation of the properties in that portfolio, including real property taxes, insurance, property-level general and administrative expenses, employee costs, utilities, property marketing expense, property maintenance and property reserves and other expenses incurred at the property level. In addition, other expenses incurred by our operating partnership will also be allocated by us, as general partner, to the property portfolio and will be included in the property-related expenses of that portfolio. Examples of such other expenses include:
(i)corporate-level general and administrative expenses;
(ii)out-of-pocket costs, expenses and fees of our operating partnership, whether or not capitalized;
(iii)the costs and expenses of organizing and operating our operating partnership;
(iv)amounts paid or due in respect of any loan or other indebtedness of our operating partnership during such period;
(v)extraordinary expenses of our operating partnership not previously or otherwise deducted under item (ii) above;
(vi)any third-party costs and expenses associated with identifying, analyzing, and presenting a proposed property to us and/or our operating partnership; and
(vii)reserves to meet anticipated operating expenditures, debt service or other liabilities, as determined by us.
To the extent that we, as the general partner of our operating partnership, determine to make distributions to the partners of our operating partnership out of the operating cash flow of a real property portfolio managed by one of our PROs, operating cash flow from a property portfolio is required to be allocated to OP unitholders and to the holders of series of subordinated performance units that relate to such property portfolio as follows:
First, an amount is allocated to OP unitholders in order to provide OP unitholders (together with any prior allocations of capital transaction proceeds) with a cumulative preferred allocation on the unreturned capital contributions attributed to the OP units in respect of such property portfolio. The preferred allocation for all of our existing portfolios is 6%. As of June 30, 2022, our operating partnership had an aggregate of $2,972.6 million of unreturned capital contributions with respect to common shareholders and OP unitholders, with respect to the various property portfolios.
Second, an amount is allocated to the holders of the series of subordinated performance units relating to such property portfolio in order to provide such holders with an allocation (together with prior distributions of capital transaction proceeds) on their unreturned capital contributions. Although the subordinated allocation for the subordinated performance units is non-cumulative from period to period, if the operating cash flow from a property portfolio related to a series of subordinated performance units is sufficient, in the judgment of the general partner (with the approval of a majority of our independent trustees), to fund distributions to the holders of such series of subordinated performance units, but we, as the general partner of our operating partnership, decline to make distributions to such holders, the amount available but not paid as distributions will be added to the subordinated allocation corresponding to such series of subordinated performance units. The subordinated allocation for the outstanding subordinated performance units is 6%. As of June 30, 2022, an aggregate of $218.6 million of unreturned capital contributions has been allocated to the various series of subordinated performance units.
Thereafter, any additional operating cash flow is allocated to OP unitholders and the applicable series of subordinated performance units equally.
Following the allocation described above, we as the general partner of our operating partnership, will generally cause our operating partnership to distribute the amounts allocated to the relevant series of subordinated performance units to the holders of such series of subordinated performance units. We, as the general partner, may cause our operating partnership to distribute the amounts allocated to OP unitholders or may cause our operating partnership to retain such amounts to be used by our operating partnership for any purpose. Any operating cash flow that is attributable to amounts retained by our operating partnership pursuant to the preceding sentence will generally be available to be allocated as an additional capital contribution to the various property portfolios.
The foregoing description of the allocation of operating cash flow between the OP unitholders and subordinated performance unitholders is used for purposes of determining distributions to holders of subordinated performance units but does not necessarily represent the operating cash flow that will be distributed to OP unitholders (or paid as dividends to holders of our common shares). Any distribution of operating cash flow allocated to the OP unitholders will be made at our discretion (and paid as dividends to holders of our common shares at the discretion of our board of trustees).
Under the LP Agreement of our operating partnership, capital transactions are transactions that are outside the ordinary course of our operating partnership's business, involve the sale, exchange, other disposition, or refinancing of any property, and are designated as capital transactions by us, as the general partner. To the extent the general partner determines to distribute capital transaction proceeds, the proceeds from capital transactions involving a particular property portfolio are required to be allocated to OP unitholders and to the series of subordinated performance units that relate to such property portfolio as follows:
First, an amount determined by us, as the general partner, of such capital transaction proceeds is allocated to OP unitholders in order to provide OP unitholders (together with any prior allocations of operating cash flow) with a cumulative preferred allocation on the unreturned capital contributions attributed to the OP unitholders in respect of such property portfolio that relate to such capital transaction plus an additional amount equal to such unreturned capital contributions.
Second, an amount determined by us, as the general partner, is allocated to the holders of the series of subordinated performance units relating to such property portfolio in order to provide such holders with a non-cumulative subordinated allocation on the unreturned capital contributions made by such holders in respect of such property portfolio that relate to such capital transaction plus an additional amount equal to such unreturned capital contributions.
The preferred allocation and subordinated allocation with respect to capital transaction proceeds for each portfolio is equal to the preferred allocation and subordinated allocation for distributions of operating cash flow with respect to that portfolio.
Thereafter, any additional capital transaction proceeds are allocated to OP unitholders and the applicable series of subordinated performance units equally.
Following the allocation described above, we, as the general partner of our operating partnership, will generally cause our operating partnership to distribute the amounts allocated to the relevant series of subordinated performance units to the holders of such series of subordinated performance units. We, as general partner of our operating partnership, may cause our operating partnership to distribute the amounts allocated to the OP unitholders or may cause our operating partnership to retain such amounts to be used by our operating partnership for any purpose. Any capital transaction proceeds that are attributable to amounts retained by our operating partnership pursuant to the preceding sentence will generally be available to be allocated as an additional capital contribution to the various property portfolios.
The foregoing allocation of capital transaction proceeds between the OP unitholders and subordinated performance unitholders is used for purposes of determining distributions to holders of subordinated performance units but does not necessarily represent the capital transaction proceeds that will be distributed to OP unitholders (or paid as dividends to holders of our common shares). Any distribution of capital transaction proceeds allocated to the OP unitholders will be made at our discretion (and paid as dividends to holders of our common shares at the discretion of our board of trustees).
Allocation of Capital Contributions
We, as the general partner of our operating partnership, in our discretion, have the right to increase or decrease, as appropriate, the amount of capital contributions allocated to our operating partnership in general and to each series of subordinated performance units to reflect capital expenditures made by our operating partnership in respect of each portfolio, the sale or refinancing of all or a portion of the properties comprising the portfolio, the distribution of capital transaction proceeds by our operating partnership, the retention by our operating partnership of cash for working capital purposes and other events impacting the amount of capital contributions allocated to the holders. In addition, to avoid conflicts of interests, any decision by us to increase or decrease allocations of capital contributions must also be approved by a majority of our independent trustees.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Except as disclosed in the notes to our financial statements, as of June 30, 2022, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purposes entities, which typically are established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. Further, except as disclosed in the notes to our financial statements, as of June 30, 2022, we have not guaranteed any obligations of unconsolidated entities, nor made any commitments to provide funding to any such entities, that creates any material exposure to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risk.
Seasonality
The self storage business is subject to minor seasonal fluctuations. A greater portion of revenues and profits are generally realized from May through September. Historically, our highest level of occupancy has typically been in July, while our lowest level of occupancy has typically been in February. Results for any quarter may not be indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full fiscal year.
ITEM 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market risk refers to the risk of loss from adverse changes in market prices and interest rates. Our future income, cash flows, and fair values of financial instruments are dependent upon prevailing market interest rates. The primary market risk to which we believe we are exposed is interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations, and other factors beyond our control. We use interest rate swaps to moderate our exposure to interest rate risk by effectively converting the interest on variable rate debt to a fixed rate. We make limited use of other derivative financial instruments and we do not use them for trading or other speculative purposes.
As of June 30, 2022, we had $695.0 million of debt subject to variable interest rates (excluding variable-rate debt subject to interest rate swaps). If our reference rates (currently one-month LIBOR and Term SOFR) were to increase or decrease by 100 basis points, the increase or decrease in interest expense on the variable-rate debt (excluding variable-rate debt subject to interest rate swaps) would decrease or increase future earnings and cash flows by approximately $7.0 million annually.
Interest rate risk amounts were determined by considering the impact of hypothetical interest rates on our financial instruments. These analyses do not consider the effect of any change in overall economic activity that could occur. Further, in the event of a change of that magnitude, we may take actions to further mitigate our exposure to the change. However, due to the uncertainty of the specific actions that would be taken and their possible effects, these analyses assume no changes in our financial structure.
ITEM 4. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company's management, with the participation of the Company's chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report, are effective.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the three months ended June 30, 2022 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute assurance that it will detect or uncover failures within the Company to disclose material information otherwise required to be set forth in our periodic reports.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. Legal Proceedings
We are not currently subject to any legal proceedings that we consider to be material.
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
For a discussion of our potential risks and uncertainties, see the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the SEC under the heading Item 1A. "Risk Factors" beginning on page 15, which is accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
ITEM 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
During the three months ended June 30, 2022, the Company, in its capacity as general partner of its operating partnership, caused the operating partnership to issue 294,573 common shares to satisfy redemption requests from certain limited partners.
On May 6, 2022, the operating partnership issued 76,632 OP units to unrelated third parties as partial consideration for the acquisition of a self storage property.
On June 6, 2022, the operating partnership issued 983 OP units to unrelated third parties as partial consideration for the acquisition of a self storage property.
On June 16, 2022, the operating partnership issued 217,456 OP units to unrelated third parties as partial consideration for the acquisition of a self storage property.
Effective as of July 1, 2022, 148,822 Class A OP units were converted into 148,822 Series BL subordinated performance units in a voluntary conversion.
On July 5, 2022, the operating partnership issued 19,523 subordinated performance units to certain affiliates of Blue Sky, one of the Company's existing PROs, in exchange for cash.
On July 11, 2022, the operating partnership issued 10,971 subordinated performance units to an affiliate of Moove In, one of the Company's existing PROs, as partial consideration for the acquisition of a self storage property.
On July 20, 2022, the operating partnership issued 71,320 OP units to unrelated third parties as partial consideration for the acquisition of a self storage property.
Following a specified lock up period after the date of issuance set forth above, the OP units issued by the operating partnership may be redeemed from time to time by holders for a cash amount per OP unit equal to the market value of an equivalent number of common shares. The Company has the right, but not the obligation, to assume and satisfy the redemption obligation of the operating partnership described above by issuing one common share in exchange for each OP unit tendered for redemption.
The Company has elected to report early the private placement of its common shares that may occur if the Company elects to assume the redemption obligation of the operating partnership as described above in the event that OP units are in the future tendered for redemption.
Following a two-year lock-up period, holders of subordinated performance units may elect, only upon the achievement of certain performance thresholds relating to the properties to which such subordinated performance units relate, to convert all or a portion of such subordinated performance units into OP units one time each year by submitting a completed conversion notice prior to December 1 of such year. All duly submitted conversion notices will become effective on the immediately following January 1. For additional information about the conversion or exchange of subordinated performance units into OP units, see Note 9 in Item 1 of this report.
As of August 3, 2022, other than those OP units held by the Company, after reflecting the transactions described herein, 38,022,594 OP units of its operating partnership were outstanding (including 721,544 outstanding LTIP units in the operating partnership and 1,924,918 outstanding OP units ("DownREIT OP units") in certain consolidated subsidiaries of the operating partnership, which are convertible into, or exchangeable for, OP units on a one-for-basis, subject to certain conditions) and 12,369,794 subordinated performance units (including 4,337,111 subordinated performance units in certain subsidiaries of the operating partnership ("DownREIT subordinated performance units").
These issuances were exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Use of Proceeds
Not applicable.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
During the three months ended June 30, 2022, certain of our employees surrendered common shares owned by them to satisfy their statutory minimum federal and state tax obligations associated with the vesting of restricted shares issued to them. The table below summarizes all of our repurchases of common shares during the quarter ended June 30, 2022:
| Period | Total number of shares purchased | Total number of shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans or programs | Maximum numbers of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2022 - April 30, 2022 | — | n/a | n/a | |||
| May 1 - May 31, 2022 | — | n/a | n/a | |||
| June 1 - June 30, 2022 | 178 | (1) | n/a | n/a | (1) The number of shares purchased represents restricted common shares surrendered by certain of our employees to satisfy their statutory minimum federal and state tax obligations associated with the vesting of restricted common shares issued to them. The price paid per share was $48.70 and is based on the closing price of our common shares as of June 10, 2022, the date prior to the date of withholding. | |
| --- |
ITEM 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
Not applicable.
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. Other Information
On July 29, 2022, the Company, the operating partnership and certain of its subsidiaries entered into an amendment (the "Amendment") to its second amended and restated credit agreement dated as of July 29, 2019 (as amended, the "Credit Agreement") with KeyBank National Association, as Administrative Agent (the "Administrative Agent"), and the lenders party thereto, to permit the Company to repurchase the Company's common shares and other equity interests in connection with a general repurchase program or other repurchase authorized by the Company's board of trustees so long as immediately prior to the repurchase, and immediately after giving effect to the repurchase, no default or event of default has occurred or would result from the repurchase. Substantially similar amendments were made to each of the Company's term loans and senior unsecured notes.
The Amendment does not impact any of the Credit Agreement's previously disclosed terms, including its covenants, events of default, or terms of payment.
The description above is only a summary of the material provisions of the Amendment and is qualified in its entirety by reference to a copy of the Amendment, which has been filed with the Company's Form 10‑Q for the three months ended June 30, 2022. The Credit Agreement was filed on November 1, 2019 as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's quarterly report on Form 10‑Q for the three months ended September 30, 2019.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| National Storage Affiliates Trust | |
|---|---|
| By: | /s/ TAMARA D. FISCHER |
| Tamara D. Fischer | |
| chief executive officer | |
| (principal executive officer) | |
| By: | /s/ BRANDON S. TOGASHI |
| Brandon S. Togashi | |
| chief financial officer | |
| (principal accounting and financial officer) |
Date: August 4, 2022
53
Document
Exhibit 10.2
FIFTH AMENDMENT TO CREDIT AGREEMENT
This FIFTH AMENDMENT TO CREDIT AGREEMENT (the “Fifth Amendment”) is made and entered into as of the 29th day of July, 2022, by and among NSA OP, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Borrower”), certain Subsidiaries of the Borrower party to the Credit Agreement referred to below (collectively, the “Guarantors” and together with the Borrower, collectively, the “Loan Parties”), NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST, a Maryland real estate investment trust (“NSA REIT”), KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as the Administrative Agent (the “Administrative Agent”) and in its capacity as Swingline Lender and as issuer of Letters of Credit, and those financial institutions which are a party to the Credit Agreement (defined below) as Lenders (together representing the Requisite Lenders) that are signatories to this Fifth Amendment.
WHEREAS, the Loan Parties, NSA REIT, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent are parties to that certain Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of July 29, 2019 (as amended by that certain First Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of January 14, 2021, as further amended by that certain Second Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of August 9, 2021, as further amended by that certain First Increase Agreement and Third Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of September 21, 2021, as further amended by that certain Second Increase and Fourth Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of December 17, 2021 and as further amended, modified, supplemented or restated and in effect from time to time prior to the date hereof, the “Credit Agreement”), pursuant to which the Lenders have extended credit to the Borrower on the terms set forth therein;
WHEREAS, in connection with a general repurchase program (the “Repurchase Plan”), NSA REIT proposes to repurchase certain of its outstanding common shares of beneficial interest (“Common Shares”) from time to time; and
WHEREAS, the Repurchase Plan is conditioned upon the Borrower making certain amendments to its debt agreements, including the Credit Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
1.Definitions; Loan Document. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in the Credit Agreement. This Fifth Amendment shall constitute a Loan Document for all purposes of the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
2.Amendment to Section 10.2 (Restricted Payments) of the Credit Agreement. Sub-clause (b) of Section 10.2 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety, to read as follows:
“(b) NSA REIT may directly or indirectly redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire for value (including with proceeds of the Loans distributed from the Borrower in accordance with the terms of this Agreement), directly or indirectly, any Equity Interest of NSA REIT now or hereafter outstanding in connection with a general repurchase program or other repurchase authorized by the governing board of NSA REIT so long as immediately prior thereto, and immediately thereafter and after giving effect thereto, no Default or Event of Default has occurred or would result therefrom.”
3.No Waiver. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to (i) constitute a waiver of any Default or Event of Default that may heretofore or hereafter occur or have occurred and be continuing or, except as expressly set forth herein, to otherwise modify any provision of the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document, or (ii) give rise to any defenses or counterclaims to the Administrative Agent’s or any Lender’s right to compel payment of the Obligations when due or to otherwise enforce their respective rights and remedies under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents. The execution, delivery and effectiveness of this Fifth Amendment shall not, except as expressly provided herein, operate as a waiver of any right, power or remedy of any Lender or the Administrative Agent under any of the Loan Documents, nor constitute a waiver of any provision of any of the Loan Documents.
4.Conditions to Effectiveness. This Fifth Amendment shall become effective as of the date when each of the following conditions is satisfied:
a.The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals (or, if permitted by the Administrative Agent, telecopies), each dated as of the date hereof and each in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
i.counterparts of this Fifth Amendment, properly executed by a Responsible Officer of each of the Loan Parties, NSA REIT and Lenders constituting Requisite Lenders;
ii.counterparts of amendments to each of the Material Credit Facilities, that contain amendments that are substantially similar to those set forth in Section 2 hereof, properly executed by a Responsible Officer of each of the Loan Parties, NSA REIT and each of the lenders under the terms of each of the Material Credit Facilities; and
iii.such other assurances, certificates, documents, consents or opinions as the Administrative Agent reasonably may require.
5.Representations and Warranties. NSA REIT, Borrower and each of the Guarantors jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders as follows:
a.The execution, delivery and performance of this Fifth Amendment and the transactions contemplated hereby (i) are within the corporate (or the equivalent limited liability company or partnership) authority of NSA REIT and each of the Loan Parties, (ii) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, limited liability company or partnership (or other) proceedings of NSA REIT and each applicable Loan Party, (iii) do not conflict with or result in any material breach or contravention of any provision of any Applicable Law applicable to NSA REIT or any Loan Party or of any judgment, order, writ, injunction, license or permit applicable to NSA REIT or any of the Loan Parties, (iv) do not conflict with, result in a breach of or constitute a default under the organizational documents of NSA REIT or any Loan Party, or any material indenture, agreement or other instrument to which NSA REIT, any Loan Party or any of their respective Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective properties may be bound, (v) do not require any Governmental Approval and (vi) do not contravene any provisions of, or constitute a Default or Event of Default under the Credit Agreement or a failure to comply with any term, condition or provision of, any other agreement, instrument, judgment, order, decree, permit, license or undertaking binding upon or applicable to NSA REIT or such Loan Party or any of NSA REIT’s or such Loan Party’s properties or in the creation of any mortgage, pledge, security interest, lien, encumbrance or charge upon any of the properties or assets of NSA REIT or such Loan Party.
b.This Fifth Amendment has been duly executed and delivered by NSA REIT and each of the Loan Parties and constitutes the legal, valid and legally binding obligations of NSA REIT and each of the Loan Parties enforceable against each of them in accordance with the respective terms and provisions hereof, except as the same may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, and other similar laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and the availability of equitable remedies for the enforcement of certain obligations (other than the payment of principal) contained herein or therein and as may be limited by equitable principles generally. The Obligations are not subject to any offsets, defenses or counterclaims.
c.Other than approvals or consents which have been obtained or filings which have been made (in each case, written copies of which have been furnished to the Administrative Agent) and are in full force and effect, the execution, delivery and performance by the NSA REIT and each of the Loan Parties of this Fifth Amendment, and the transactions contemplated hereby, do not require any approval or consent of, or filing with, any third party or any governmental agency or authority.
d.The representations and warranties made or deemed made by NSA REIT and each Loan Party in the Loan Documents to which it is a party are true and correct in all material respects (or in all respects to the extent that such representations and warranties are already subject to concepts of materiality) on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if made on and as of such date except to the extent that such representations and warranties expressly relate solely to an earlier date (in which case such representations and warranties shall have been true and correct in all material respects on and as of such earlier date). For purposes of this Paragraph 5(d), the representations and warranties contained in Section 7.11 of the Credit Agreement shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to Sections 9.1 and 9.2 of the Credit Agreement.
e.Both before and after giving effect to this Fifth Amendment, no Default or Event of Default under the Credit Agreement has occurred and is continuing.
6.Ratification, etc. Except as expressly amended hereby, the Credit Agreement, the other Loan Documents and all documents, instruments and agreements related thereto are hereby ratified and
confirmed in all respects and shall continue in full force and effect. This Fifth Amendment and the Credit Agreement shall hereafter be read and construed together as a single document, and all references in the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument related to the Credit Agreement shall hereafter refer to the Credit Agreement as amended by this Fifth Amendment. NSA REIT and each Loan Party hereby ratifies the Credit Agreement and acknowledges and reaffirms (a) that it is bound by all terms of the Credit Agreement applicable to it and (b) that it is responsible for the observance and full performance of its respective Obligations.
7.Further Assurances. NSA REIT and the Loan Parties agree to promptly take such action, upon the request of the Administrative Agent, as is necessary to carry out the intent of this Fifth Amendment.
8.No Actions, Claims, etc. As of the date hereof, NSA REIT and each of the Loan Parties hereby acknowledges and confirms that it has no knowledge of any actions, causes of action, claims, demands, damages and liabilities of whatever kind or nature, in law or in equity, against the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, or the Administrative Agent’s or the Lenders’ respective officers, employees, representatives, agents, counsel or directors arising from any action by such Persons, or failure of such Persons to act under the Credit Agreement or other Loan Documents on or prior to the date hereof.
9.GOVERNING LAW. THIS FIFTH AMENDMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK APPLICABLE TO CONTRACTS EXECUTED, AND TO BE FULLY PERFORMED, IN SUCH STATE.
10.Successors and Assigns. This Fifth Amendment shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.
11.Consent to Jurisdiction; Venue; Waiver of Jury Trial. The jurisdiction, venue and waiver of jury trial provisions set forth in Section 13.4 of the Credit Agreement are hereby incorporated by reference, mutatis mutandis.
12.Counterparts. This Fifth Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties hereto on separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original, but all of which counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes. The existence of this Fifth Amendment may be established by the introduction into evidence of counterparts that are separately signed, provided they are otherwise identical in all material respects. This Fifth Amendment shall constitute a “Loan Document” for all purposes under the Loan Agreement.
[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has duly executed this Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement as a sealed instrument as of the date first set forth above.
BORROWER:
NSA OP, LP, as Borrower
By: NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES
TRUST, its general partner
,;
By: /s/ Brandon S. Togashi
Name: Brandon S. Togashi
Title: Chief Financial Officer
NSAREIT:
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
By: /s/ Brandon S. Togashi
Name: Brandon S. Togashi
Title: Chief Financial Officer
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
Each of the undersigned Guarantors hereby absolutely and unconditionally reaffirms its continuing obligations to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders under its respective Guaranty and agrees that the transactions contemplated by the Increase Agreement shall not in any way affect the validity and enforceability of its Guaranty or reduce, impair or discharge the obligations of any Guarantor thereunder.
SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS:
All Stor Carolina Beach, LLC,
All Stor Durham, LLC,
All Stor Indian Trail, LLC,
All Stor Prospect, LLC
All Store Prospect, LLC
All Stor Swansboro, LLC,
American Mini Storage-San Antonio, LLC, Eagle Bow Wakefield, LLC,
Great American Storage Partners, LLC,
NSA All Stor, LLC,
NSA-C Holdings, LLC,
NSA-G Holdings, LLC.
NSA Northwest Holdings II, LLC,
NSA - Optivest Acquisition Holdings. LLC, NSA Property Holdings, LLC,
NSA Puerto Rico, LLC,
NSA Storage Solutions, LLC, SecurCare Colorado III, LLC, SecurCare Moveit McAllen, LLC, SecurCare Oklahoma I, LLC, SecurCare Oklahoma II, LLC,
SecurCare Portfolio Holdings, LLC,
SecurCare Properties I, LLC,
SecurCare Properties II, LLC,
SS Norwood, LLC,
StoreMore Self Storage - Pecos Road, LLC, SS
each, a Delaware limited liability company
By: /s/ Brandon S. Togashi
Name: Brandon S. Togashi
Title: Authorized Person
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
Bullhead Freedom Storage, L.L.C., an Arizona limited liability company
By: /s/ Brandon S. Togashi
Name: Brandon S. Togashi
Title: Authorized Person
GAK, LLC,
Washington Murrieta II, LLC, Washington Murrieta IV, LLC,
each a California limited liability company
By: /s/ Brandon S. Togashi
Name: Brandon S. Togashi
Title: Authorized Person
WCAL, LLC,
a Texas limited liability company
By: /s/ Brandon S. Togashi
Name: Brandon S. Togashi
Title: Authorized Person
Big Bend Xpress Storage, LLC,
Southern Self Storage of Pensacola, LLC, Southern Self Storage of PCB, LLC, Southern Self Storage of Grayton, LLC, Southern Self Storage, LLC,
each a Florida limited liability company
By: /s/ Brandon S. Togashi
Name: Brandon S. Togashi
Title: Authorized Person
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
Villages Storage Partners, Ltd., a Florida limited partnership
By: NSA VILLAGES STORAGE GP, LLC,
a Delaware limited liability Company, its
General Partner
By: /s/ Brandon S. Togashi
Name: Brandon S. Togashi
Title: Authorized Person
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT:
KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Administrative Agent
By: /s/ Micheal Szuba
Name: Michael Szuba
Title: Senior Vice President
KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as issuer of Letters of Credi1
By: /s/ Micheal Szuba
Name: Michael Szuba
Title: Senior Vice President
KEY BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Swingline Lender
By: /s/ Micheal Szuba
Name: Michael Szuba
Title: Senior Vice President
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
LENDERS:
KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as a Lender
By: /s/ Micheal Szuba
Name: Michael Szuba
Title: Senior Vice President
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as a Lender
By: /s/ Helen Chan
Name: Helen Chan
Title: Vice President
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as a Lender
By: /s/ James A Harmann
Name: James A. Harmann
Title: Senior Vice President
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as a Lender
By: /s/ Travis Myers
Name: Travis Myers
Title: Vice President
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
BMO Harris Bank, N.A., as a Lender
By: /s/ Jonas L. Robinson
Name: Jonas L. Robinson
Title: Director
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION, as a Lender
By: /s/ Jordan Mendell
Name: Jordan Mendell
Title: Director
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022]
CITIBANK, N.A., as a Lender
By: /s/ Chris Albano
Name: Chris Albano
Title: Authorized Signatory
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
CAPITAL ONE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as a Lender
By: /s/ Dennis J. Haydel
Name: Dennis J. Haydel
Title: Vice President
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
THE HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK, a
National Banking Association, as a Lender
By: /s/ Rebecca Stirnkab
Name: Rebecca Stirnkab
Title: AVP
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
REGIONS BANK, as a Lender
By: /s/ Walter E. Rivadeneira
Name: Walter E. Rivadeneira
Title: Senior Vice President
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
TRUIST BANK, as a Lender
By: /s/ Ryan Almond
Name: Ryan Almond
Title: Director
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
MORGAN STANLEY BANK, N.A., as a Lender
By: /s/ Jack Kuhns
Name: Jack Kuhns
Title: Authorized Signatory
MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING,
INC., as a Lender
By: /s/ Jack Kuhns
Name: Jack Kuhns
Title: Authorized Signatory
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
ASSOCIATED BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as a Lender
By: /s/ Mitchell Vega
Name: Mitchell Vega
Title: Senior Vice President
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, as a Lender
By: /s/ Jake Sigmund
Name: Jake Sigmund
Title: Authorized Signatory
[Signature Pages to Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement – KeyBank (NSA 2022)]
Document
Exhibit 10.3
AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Amended and Restated Employment Agreement (this "Agreement") is dated as of August 1, 2022, by and between National Storage Affiliates Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the "Company"), and Tamara D. Fischer, residing at the address set forth in the Company’s records (the "Executive").
WHEREAS, the Executive previously entered into an employment agreement with the Company dated April 28, 2015, as amended (the "Prior Agreement"), which the Company and the Executive amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2020 (the "Amended Agreement");
WHEREAS, under the Amended Agreement the Executive served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company; and
WHEREAS, the Executive has resigned from the office of President of the Company effective July 1, 2022 but remains the Chief Executive Officer of the Company; and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Executive have agreed to amend and restate the Amended Agreement to reflect the resignation of the Executive as President, to be effective as of July 1, 2022.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
Section 1. Term. The Company hereby employs the Executive, and the Executive hereby accepts such employment, for an initial term commencing as of the January 1, 2020 and continuing for a one-year period (the "Initial Term"), unless sooner terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4 or Section 5; with such employment to automatically continue following the Initial Term for additional successive one-year periods (each, a "Subsequent Term") in accordance with the terms of this Agreement (subject to termination as aforesaid) unless either party notifies the other party in writing of its intention not to continue such employment at least 90 days prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or any Subsequent Term, as applicable (the Initial Term, together with all Subsequent Terms hereunder, shall hereinafter be referred to as the "Term").
Section 2. Duties. Effective July 1, 2022 and during the remainder of Term, the Executive shall be employed by the Company as Chief Executive Officer, and, as such, the Executive shall have such responsibilities and authority as are customary for a Chief Executive Officer of a company of similar size and nature as the Company and shall faithfully perform for the Company the duties of each such office and shall report directly to the board of directors of the Company (the "Board"). The Executive shall devote substantially all of her business time and effort to the performance of her duties hereunder; provided, however, that the Executive shall be permitted to continue service as set forth in Exhibit A and, subject to the approval of the Board, that the Executive may serve on the boards of directors or trustees of any business corporations or charitable organizations and such service shall not be a violation of this Agreement; provided that such other activities do not materially interfere with the performance of the Executive's duties hereunder.
Section 3. Compensation.
3.1 Salary. The Company shall pay the Executive during the Term a salary at the minimum rate of $700,000 per annum, in accordance with the customary payroll practices of the Company applicable to senior executives from time to time. The Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board (the "Compensation Committee") shall review the Executive's Annual Salary in good faith on an annual basis and may provide for increases therein as it may in its sole discretion deem appropriate (such annual salary, as increased,
the "Annual Salary"). Once increased, the Annual Salary shall not thereafter be decreased.
3.2 Bonus. During the Term, Executive shall be eligible to participate in any annual incentive or bonus plan or plans maintained by the Company for senior management executives of the Company generally, in accordance with the terms, conditions, and provisions of each such plan as the same may be adopted, changed, amended, or terminated, from time to time in the discretion of the Compensation Committee. Executive shall be
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eligible to earn a target bonus (the "Annual Bonus") pursuant to a program as established by the Compensation Committee and subject to the achievement of performance goals determined by the Compensation Committee.
3.3 Benefits – In General. The Executive shall be permitted during the Term to participate in any group life, hospitalization or disability insurance plans, health programs, equity incentive plans, long-term incentive programs, 401(k) and other retirement plans, fringe benefit programs and similar benefits that may be available (currently or in the future) to other senior executives of the Company generally, in each case to the extent that the Executive is eligible under the terms of such plans or programs.
3.4 Specific Benefits. Without limiting the generality of Section 3.3, the Executive shall be entitled to paid vacation of not less than the greater of (a) twenty-five (25) business days per year or (b) the number of paid business vacation days provided to other senior executives of the Company (to be taken at reasonable times in accordance with the Company's policies). Any accrued vacation not taken during any year may be carried forward to subsequent years; provided that the Executive may not carry forward more than twenty-five (25) business days of unused vacation in any one year.
3.5 Expenses. The Company shall promptly pay or reimburse the Executive for all ordinary and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses actually incurred (and, in the case of reimbursement, paid) by the Executive during the Term in the performance of the Executive's services under this Agreement; provided that the Executive documents such expenses with the properly completed forms as prescribed from time to time by the Company in accordance with the Company's policies, plans and/or programs.
Section 4. Termination upon Death or Disability. If the Executive dies during the Term, the Term shall terminate as of the date of death. If there is a good faith determination by the Board that the Executive has become physically or mentally incapable of performing her duties under the Agreement and such disability has disabled the Executive for a cumulative period of 180 days within any 12-month period (a "Disability"), the Company shall have the right, to the extent permitted by law, to terminate the employment of the Executive upon notice in writing to the Executive. Upon Executive's death or in the event that Executive's employment is terminated dueto her Disability, Executive or her estate or her beneficiaries, as the case may be, shall be entitled to: (a) all accrued but unpaid Annual Salary or Annual Bonus through the date of termination of Executive's employment, (b) any unpaid or unreimbursed expenses incurred in accordance with Section 3.5 hereof, (c) any benefits provided under the Company's employee benefit plans upon a termination of employment for such reason, in accordance with the terms contained therein (the payments and benefits referred to in clauses (a) through (c) above, collectively, the "Accrued Obligations"), (d) an amount equal to the target Annual Bonus, prorated to reflect the partial year of employment, which amount shall be paid at such time annual bonuses are paid to other senior executives of the Company, but in no event later than March 15 of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which such termination occurred (subject to Section 7.15 of this Agreement), (e) for a period of 24 months after termination of employment (subject to a reduction to the extent the Executive receives comparable benefits from a subsequent employer) (the "Continuation Period"), such continuing medical benefits for the Executive and/or the Executive's eligible family members under the Company's health plans and programs applicable to senior executives of the Company generally as the Executive would have received under this Agreement (and at such costs to the Executive) in the absence of such termination (but not taking into account any post-termination increases in Annual Salary that may otherwise have occurred without regard to such termination and that may have affected such benefits) (the "Continuation Benefits"), (f) any unvested outstanding equity (or equity-based) awards held by the Executive that vest on the basis of performance ("Performance-Based Awards") shall vest based on the terms set forth in the applicable award agreements underlying such Performance-Based Awards, and (g) a prorated portion (based on the number of days of employment since the immediately prior January 1st until the date of the Executive's death or Disability, as applicable, over 365) of the unvested outstanding equity (or equity-based) awards held by the Executive that vest on the basis of time ("Time-Based Awards") that would have vested on the next vesting date applicable to such Time-Based Awards shall thereupon vest and become free of restrictions and any remaining unvested Time-Based Awards shall be forfeited.
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Following the Executive's death or a termination of the Executive's employment by reason of a Disability, except as set forth in this Section 4, the Executive shall have no further rights to any compensation or any other benefits under this Agreement.
Section 5. Certain Terminations of Employment.
5.1 Termination by the Company for Cause; Termination by the Executive without Good Reason.
(a) For purposes of this Agreement, "Cause" shall mean, the Executive's:
(i) conviction of, or plea of nolo contendere to, a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude or fraud (but excluding traffic violations) that is injurious to the business or reputation of the Company;
(ii) willful failure to perform her material duties hereunder (other than any such failure resulting from Executive’s incapacity due to injury or physical or mental illness) which failure continues for a period of thirty (30) business days after written demand for corrective action is delivered by the Company specifically identifying the manner in which the Company believes the Executive has not performed her duties;
(iii) conduct constituting an act of willful misconduct or gross negligence in connection with the performance of her duties that are injurious to the business, including, without limitation, embezzlement or the misappropriation of funds or property of the Company;
(iv) failure to adhere to the lawful directions of the Board which continues for a period of thirty (30) business days after written demand for corrective action is delivered by the Company; or
(v) intentional and material breach of (x) any covenant contained in Section 6 of this Agreement or any other material agreement between the Executive and the Company; or (y) the other terms and provisions of this Agreement and, in each case, failure to cure such breach within ten (10) days following written notice from the Company specifying such breach;
provided that the Company shall not be permitted to terminate the Executive for Cause except on written notice given to the Executive at any time within thirty (30) days following the occurrence of any of the events described above (or, if later, the Company's knowledge thereof). Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Executive shall not be deemed to have been terminated for Cause unless and until there shall have been delivered to the Executive a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the Board at a meeting of the Board called and held for such purposes (after reasonable notice to the Executive and an opportunity for her, together with her counsel, to be heard before the Board), finding that in the good faith opinion of the Board after reasonable investigation that the Executive has engaged in acts or omissions constituting Cause. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no act or failure to act on the part of the Executive shall be considered “willful” unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that the Executive’s action or omission was in the best interests of the Company.
(b) The Company may terminate the Executive's employment hereunder for Cause on at least ten (10) days’ notice, and the Executive may terminate her employment on at least thirty (30) days' written notice. If the Company terminates the Executive for Cause, or the Executive terminates her employment and the termination by the Executive is not covered by Section 4 or 5.2, the Executive shall receive the Accrued Obligations in a lump sum payment (subject to Section 7.15 of this Agreement) within thirty (30) days following Executive’s termination of employment, and the Executive shall have no further rights to any compensation or any other benefits under this Agreement.
5.2 Termination by the Company without Cause; Termination by the Executive for Good Reason.
(a) For purposes of this Agreement, "Good Reason" shall mean the following, unless consented to by the Executive:
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(i) any material change in job title or material diminution in the Executive's roles, reporting lines and responsibilities from those set forth in this Agreement or assignment of duties inconsistent with such position;
(ii) a material reduction in the Executive's Annual Salary or Annual Bonus potential or failure to promptly pay such amounts when due;
(iii) if the Company relocates Executive’s office outside a 30-mile radius of Executive's primary office;
(iv) a material breach by the Company of this Agreement or any other material agreement between the Executive and the Company; or
(v) the Company's notice to the Executive of non‑renewal of the Initial Term or any Subsequent Term in accordance with Section 1 of this Agreement.
Good Reason shall also include on or following a Change in Control (as defined in the National Storage Affiliates Trust 2015 Equity Incentive Plan), any change in job title or diminution of roles, reporting lines or responsibilities and any reduction in the Executive's Annual Salary or Annual Bonus potential.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) Good Reason shall not be deemed to exist unless written notice of termination on account thereof is given by the Executive no later than sixty (60) days after the time at which the event or condition purportedly giving rise to Good Reason first occurs or arises (or, if later, the Executive’s knowledge thereof); and (ii) if there exists (without regard to this clause (ii)) an event or condition that constitutes Good Reason (pursuant to Section 5.2(a)(i), Section 5.2(a)(ii), Section 5.2(a)(iii) or Section 5.2(a)(iv)), the Company shall have thirty (30) days from the date written notice of such a termination is given by the Executive to cure such event or condition and, if the Company does so, such event or condition shall not constitute Good Reason hereunder.
(c) The Company may terminate the Executive's employment without Cause at any time for any reason or no reason. The Executive may terminate the Executive's employment with the Company at any time for any reason or no reason, and for Good Reason under this Section 5.2. If (x) the Company terminates the Executive's employment and the termination is not covered by Section 4 or 5.1, or (y) the Executive terminates her employment for Good Reason, (i) the Executive shall be entitled to receive, in a lump sum payment (subject to Section 7.15 of this Agreement) on the thirtieth (30th) day following the Executive's termination of employment, (A) the Accrued Obligations, (B) the amount equal to three times the sum of (x) the Executive's Annual Salary and (y) the amount equal to the greater of (1) the Executive's average Annual Bonus actually received in respect of the two fiscal years (or such fewer number of fiscal years with respect to which Executive received an Annual Bonus) prior to the year of termination and (2) the Executive's target Annual Bonus for the fiscal year in which such termination of employment occurs; (ii) the Continuation Benefits for the Continuation Period; and (iii) all outstanding equity (or equity-based) incentives and awards held by the Executive shall thereupon vest and become free of restrictions and all stock options shall be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
(d) No Mitigation/No Offset. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Company’s obligation to pay the Executive the amounts provided and to make the arrangements provided hereunder shall not be subject to set‑off, counterclaim, or recoupment of amounts owed by the Executive to the Company or its affiliates. The Company agrees that, if the Executive's employment is terminated during the Term, the Executive is not required to seek other employment or to attempt in any way to reduce any amounts payable to the Executive by the Company.
5.3 Continuation of Benefits. Notwithstanding Sections 4(e) and 5.2(c)(ii), (i) nothing herein shall restrict the ability of the Company to amend or terminate the health and welfare plans and programs referred to in such Sections 4(e) and 5.2(c)(ii) from time to time in its sole discretion; provided that any such amendments or termination are made applicable generally on the same terms to all actively employed senior executives of the Company and does not result in a proportionately greater reduction in the rights of or benefits to the Executive compared with any other officers of the Company, but the Company may not reduce benefits already
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earned and accrued by, but not yet paid to, the Executive and (ii) the Company shall in no event be required to provide any benefits otherwise required by such Sections 4(e) and 5.2(c)(ii) after such time as the Executive becomes entitled to receive benefits of the same type and at least as favorable to the Executive from another employer or recipient of the Executive's services (such entitlement being determined without regard to any individual waivers or other similar arrangements). Notwithstanding Sections 4(e) and 5.2(c)(ii), if at any time the Company determines that its payment of Continuation Benefits on the Executive’s behalf would result in a violation of applicable law (including, but not limited to, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended), then in lieu of paying Continuation Benefits pursuant to Section 4(e) or 5.2(c)(ii), the Company shall pay the Executive on the last day of each remaining month of the Continuation Period, a fully taxable cash payment equal to the Continuation Benefits for such month, subject to applicable withholdings and deductions.
5.4 Release. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company shall not be required to make the payments and provide the benefits provided for under Section 4 (in the event of Disability) or Section 5.2(c) unless the Executive executes and delivers to the Company a waiver and release substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B within twenty-one (21) days following the date of the Executive's termination of employment and such waiver and release becomes effective and irrevocable. If the time period to consider and revoke the waiver and release spans two taxable years, then any payment or benefit under Section 4 or Section 5.2(c) shall not occur until the second taxable year.
Section 6. Covenants of the Executive.
6.1 Covenant Against Competition; Other Covenants. The Executive acknowledges that (i) the principal business of the Company (which expressly includes for purposes of this Section 6 (and any related enforcement provisions hereof), its successors and assigns) is to own, operate and acquire self‑storage properties in the top 100 metropolitan statistical areas throughout the United States (such businesses, and any and all other businesses in which, at the time of the Executive's termination, the Company is actively and regularly engaged or actively pursuing, herein being collectively referred to as the "Business"); (ii) the Company is one of the limited number of persons who have developed such a business; (iii) the Company's Business is national in scope; (iv) the Executive's work for NSA and the Company has given and will continue to give her access to the confidential affairs and proprietary information of the Company; (v) the covenants and agreements of the Executive contained in this Section 6 are essential to the business and goodwill of the Company; and (vi) the Company would not have entered into this Agreement but for the covenants and agreements set forth in this Section 6. Accordingly, the Executive covenants and agrees that:
(a) By and in consideration of the salary and benefits to be provided by the Company hereunder, including the severance arrangements set forth herein, and further in consideration of the Executive's exposure to the proprietary information of the Company, and without limiting or expanding the terms and conditions set forth in any other agreement between the Company and any of its subsidiaries and the Executive and her affiliates, the Executive covenants and agrees that, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending six (6) months following the date upon which the Executive shall cease to be an employee of the Company and its affiliates (the "Restricted Period"), she shall not in the Restricted Territory (as defined below), directly or indirectly, whether as an owner, partner, shareholder, principal, agent, employee, consultant or in any other relationship or capacity, (i) engage in the Business (other than for the Company or its affiliates) or otherwise compete with the Company or its affiliates in the Business or (ii) render to a person, corporation, partnership or other entity engaged in the Business the same services that the Executive renders to the Company; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, (A) the Executive may invest in securities of any entity, solely for investment purposes and without participating in the business thereof, if (x) such securities are listed on any national securities exchange, (y) the Executive is not a controlling person of, or a member of a group which controls, such entity, and (z) the Executive does not, directly or indirectly, own 5% or more of any class of securities of such entity; and (B) the Executive shall be permitted to continue service as set forth in Exhibit A and, subject to the approval of the Board, that the Executive may serve on the boards of directors or trustees of any business corporations or charitable organizations on which the Executive was serving as of the date of the Executive's termination of employment and such service shall not be a violation of this Agreement.
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For purposes of this Agreement, the "Restricted Territory" shall mean any (i) state in the United States and (ii) foreign country or jurisdiction, in the case of clause (i) or (ii), in which the Company (x) is actively conducting the Business during the Term or (y) has initiated a plan adopted by the Board to conduct the Business in the two years following the Term.
(b) Confidentiality.
(i) During and after the Term, the Executive shall keep secret and retain in strictest confidence, and shall not use for her benefit or the benefit of others, except in connection with the business and affairs of the Company and its affiliates, all non- public confidential matters relating to the Company's Business and the business of any of its affiliates and to the Company and any of its affiliates, learned by the Executive heretofore or hereafter directly or indirectly from the Company or any of its affiliates (the "Confidential Company Information"), and shall not disclose such Confidential Company Information to anyone outside of the Company except in the course of her duties as Chief Executive Officer or with the Board's express written consent and except for Confidential Company Information which is at the time of receipt or thereafter becomes publicly known through no wrongful act of the Executive or is received from a third party not under an obligation to keep such information confidential and without breach of this Agreement or which is independently developed or obtained by the Executive without reliance upon any confidential information of the Company or use of any Company resources. Notwithstanding anything in this agreement to the contrary, the Executive may disclose Confidential Company Information where the Executive is required to do so by law, regulation, court order, subpoena, summons or other valid legal process; provided that the Executive first (i) promptly notifies the Company, (ii) uses commercially reasonable efforts to consult with the Company with respect to and in advance of the disclosure thereof, and (iii) reasonably cooperates with the Company to narrow the scope of the disclosure required to be made, in each case, solely at the Company’s expense.
(ii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, nothing in this Agreement shall prohibit or interfere with the Executive exercising protected rights, including rights under the National Labor Relations Act; filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or OSHA; reporting possible violations of law to or participating in an investigation by any federal, state or local government agency or commission such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor or the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Executive, however, waives any right to receive any monetary award or benefit resulting from such a charge, report, or investigation, except that the Executive may receive and fully retain a monetary award from a government-administered whistle-blower award program.
(iii) The Executive is hereby notified that 18 U.S.C. § 1833(b) states as follows: “An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.” Accordingly, notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Executive has the right to (1) disclose in confidence trade secrets to federal, state, and local government officials, or to an attorney, for the sole purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of the law or (2) disclose trade secrets in a document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding so long as that filing is made under seal and protected from public disclosure. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to conflict with 18 U.S.C. § 1833(b) or create liability for disclosures of trade secrets that are expressly allowed by 18 U.S.C. § 1833(b).
(c) During the Restricted Period, the Executive shall not, without the Company's prior written consent, directly or indirectly, solicit or encourage to leave the employment or other service of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any person or entity who is or was during the six-month period preceding the Executive’s termination of employment, an employee, agent or independent contractor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries. During the Restricted Period, the Executive shall not, whether for her own account or for the account of any other person, firm, corporation or other business organization, solicit for a competing business or intentionally interfere with the Company's or any of its subsidiaries’ relationship with, or endeavor to entice away from the Company for a competing business, any person who is or was during the six month period preceding the Executive's termination of employment, a customer, client, agent, or independent contractor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
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(d) All memoranda, notes, lists, records, property and any other tangible product and documents (and all copies thereof), whether visually perceptible, machine-readable or otherwise, made, produced or compiled by the Executive or made available to the Executive containing Confidential Company Information (i) shall at all times be the property of the Company (and, as applicable, any affiliates) and shall be delivered to the Company at any time upon its request, and (ii) upon the Executive's termination of employment, shall be promptly returned to the Company. This section shall not apply to materials that the Executive possessed prior to her business relationship with NSA or the Company, to the Executive's personal effects and documents, and to materials prepared by the Executive for the purposes of seeking legal or other professional advice.
(e) Other than in connection with either party enforcing its rights under this Agreement, at no time during the Executive's employment by the Company or at any time thereafter shall the Executive, on one hand, or the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other hand, publish any statement or make any statement under circumstances reasonably likely to become public that is critical of the other party, or in any way otherwise be materially injurious to the Business or reputation of the other party, unless otherwise required by applicable law or regulation or by judicial order.
6.2 Rights and Remedies upon Breach.
(a) The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that any breach of any of the provisions of Section 6 or any subparts thereof (individually or collectively, the "Restrictive Covenants") may result in irreparable injury and damage for which money damages would not provide an adequate remedy. Therefore, if the either party breaches, or threatens to commit a breach of, any of the provisions of Section 6 or any subpart thereof, the other party and its affiliates, in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other rights and remedies available to the other party and its affiliates under law or in equity (including, without limitation, the recovery of damages), shall have the right and remedy to seek to have the Restrictive Covenants or other obligations herein specifically enforced (without posting bond and without the need to prove damages) by any court having equity jurisdiction, including, without limitation, the right to an entry of restraining orders and injunctions (preliminary, mandatory, temporary and permanent) against violations, threatened or actual, and whether or not then continuing, of such covenants.
(b) The Executive agrees that the provisions of Section 6 of this Agreement and each subsection thereof are reasonably necessary for the protection of the Company’s legitimate business interests and if enforced, will not prevent the Executive from obtaining gainful employment should her employment with the Company end. The Executive agrees that in any action seeking specific performance or other equitable relief, the Executive will not assert or contend that any of the provisions of this Section 6 are unreasonable or otherwise unenforceable as drafted. The existence of any claim or cause of action by the Executive, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement of the Restrictive Covenants.
Section 7. Other Provisions.
7.1 Severability. The Executive acknowledges and agrees that (i) she has had an opportunity to seek advice of counsel in connection with this Agreement and (ii) the Restrictive Covenants are reasonable in geographical and temporal scope and in all other respects as drafted. If it is determined that any of the provisions of this Agreement, including, without limitation, any of the Restrictive Covenants, or any part thereof, is invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of the provisions of this Agreement shall not thereby be affected and shall be given full effect, without regard to the invalid portions.
7.2 Duration and Scope of Covenants. If any court or other decision-maker of competent jurisdiction determines that any of the Executive's covenants contained in this Agreement, including, without limitation, any of the Restrictive Covenants, or any part thereof, is unenforceable because of the duration or geographical scope of such provision, then the duration or scope of such provision, as the case may be, shall be reduced so that such provision becomes enforceable and, in its reduced form, such provision shall then be enforceable and shall be enforced.
7.3 Enforceability; Jurisdiction; Arbitration.
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(a) The Company and the Executive intend to and hereby confer jurisdiction to enforce the Restrictive Covenants set forth in Section 6 upon the courts of any jurisdiction within the geographical scope of the Restrictive Covenants. If the courts of any one or more of such jurisdictions hold the Restrictive Covenants wholly unenforceable by reason of breadth of scope or otherwise it is the intention of the Company and the Executive that such determination not bar or in any way affect the Company's right, or the right of any of its affiliates, to the relief provided above in the courts of any other jurisdiction within the geographical scope of such Restrictive Covenants, as to breaches of such Restrictive Covenants in such other respective jurisdictions, such Restrictive Covenants as they relate to each jurisdiction's being, for this purpose, severable, diverse and independent covenants, subject, where appropriate, to the doctrine of res judicata. The parties hereby agree to waive any right to a trial by jury for any and all disputes hereunder (whether or not relating to the Restricted Covenants).
(b) Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach of this Agreement (other than a controversy or claim arising under Section 6, to the extent necessary for the Company (or its affiliates, where applicable) to avail itself of the rights and remedies referred to in Section 6.2) that is not resolved by the Executive and the Company (or its affiliates, where applicable) shall be submitted to arbitration in Denver, Colorado in accordance with Colorado law and the employment arbitration rules and procedures of the American Arbitration Association, before an arbitrator experienced in employment disputes who is licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado. The determination of the arbitrator shall be conclusive and binding on the Company (or its affiliates, where applicable) and the Executive and judgment may be entered on the arbitrator(s)' award in any court having jurisdiction. The arbitration shall be held in Denver, Colorado.
(c) In the event of any dispute between the parties with respect to the terms of this Agreement, the prevailing party in any legal proceeding or other action to enforce the terms of this Agreement will be entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with such proceeding or action.
7.4 Notices. Any notice or other communication required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and shall be delivered personally, sent by facsimile transmission or sent by certified, registered or express mail, or overnight courier, postage prepaid. Any such notice shall be deemed given when so delivered personally, sent by facsimile transmission or, if mailed, five (5) days after the date of deposit in the United States mails as follows:
(i) If to the Company or NSA, to:
National Storage Affiliates Trust 8400 East Prentice Avenue, 9th Floor
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Attention: Tiffany Kenyon
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice to the Company):
Clifford Chance US LLP 31 West 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019-6131
Attention: Andrew Epstein
(ii) If to the Executive, to the address in the records of the Company.
Any such person may by notice given in accordance with this Section 7.4 to the other parties hereto designate another address or person for receipt by such person of notices hereunder.
7.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements, written or oral, with respect thereto.
7.6 Waivers and Amendments. This Agreement may be amended, superseded, canceled, renewed or extended, and the terms hereof may be waived, only by a written instrument signed by the parties or, in the case of a waiver, by the party waiving compliance. Except as expressly provided herein, no delay on the part of any party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any waiver on the part of any party of any such right, power or privilege nor any single or partial exercise of any such right, power or privilege, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other such right, power or privilege.
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7.7 GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND WITHOUT REGARD TO ANY PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW WHICH COULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANY JURISDICTION OTHER THAN THE STATE OF MARYLAND.
7.8 Assignment. This Agreement, and the Executive's rights and obligations hereunder, may not be assigned by the Executive; any purported assignment by the Executive in violation hereof shall be null and void. Except as otherwise provided by operation of law, in the event of any sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company's assets or business, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, the Company may assign this Agreement and its rights hereunder; provided that the successor or purchaser agrees in writing, as a condition of such transaction, to assume all of the Company's obligations hereunder.
7.9 Withholding. The Company shall be entitled to withhold from any payments or deemed payments any amount of tax withholding it determines to be required by law.
7.10 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors, permitted assigns, heirs, executors and legal representatives.
7.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original but all such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Each counterpart may consist of two copies hereof each signed by one of the parties hereto.
7.12 Survival. Anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, the provisions of Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7, shall survive any termination of the Executive's employment hereunder and continue in full force until performance of the obligations thereunder, if any, in accordance with their respective terms.
7.13 Existing Agreements. The Executive represents to the Company that she is not subject or a party to any employment or consulting agreement, non‑competition covenant or other agreement, covenant or understanding which might prohibit her from executing this Agreement or limit her ability to fulfill her responsibilities hereunder.
7.14 Headings. The headings in this Agreement are for reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement.
7.15 Section 409A Compliance. Any payments under this Agreement that are deemed to be deferred compensation subject to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A and this Agreement shall be interpreted accordingly. To this end and notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if at the time of the Executive's termination of employment with the Company, (i) the Company's securities are publicly traded on an established securities market; (ii) Executive is a "specified employee" (as defined in Section 409A); and (iii) the deferral of the commencement of any payments or benefits otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement as a result of such termination of employment is necessary in order to prevent any accelerated or additional tax under Section 409A, then the Company will defer the commencement of such payments (without any reduction in amount ultimately paid or provided to the Executive). Such deferral shall last until the date that is six months following the Executive's termination of employment with the Company (or the earliest date as is permitted under Section 409A). Any amounts the payment of which are so deferred shall be paid in a lump sum payment on the first day of the seventh month following the end of such deferral period. If the Executive dies during the deferral period prior to the payment of any deferred amount, then the unpaid deferred amount shall be paid to the personal representative of the Executive's estate within sixty (60) days after the date of the Executive's death. For purposes of Section 409A, the Executive's right to receive installment payments pursuant to this Agreement including, without limitation, any COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) continuation reimbursement shall be treated as a right to receive a series of separate and distinct payments. The Executive will be deemed to have a date of termination for purposes of determining the timing of any payments or benefits hereunder that are classified as deferred compensation only upon a "separation from service" within the meaning of Section 409A. Any amount that the Executive is entitled to be reimbursed
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under this Agreement will be reimbursed to the Executive as promptly as practical and in any event not later than the last day of the calendar quarter after the calendar quarter in which the expenses are incurred, any right to reimbursement or in kind benefits will not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit, and the amount of the expenses eligible for reimbursement during any taxable year will not affect the amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement in any other taxable year. Whenever a payment under this Agreement specifies a payment period with reference to a number of days (e.g., "payment shall be made within thirty (30) days following the date of termination"), the actual date of payment within the specified period shall be within the reasonable discretion of the Company. For purposes of Section 409A, any payment to be made to the Executive after receipt of an executed and irrevocable release within any specified period, in which such period begins in one taxable year of Executive and ends in a second taxable year of Executive, will be made in the second taxable year.
The parties agree to consider any amendments or modifications to this Agreement or any other compensation arrangement between the parties, as reasonably requested by the other party, that is necessary to cause such agreement or arrangement to comply with Section 409A (or an exception thereto); provided that such proposed amendment or modification does not change the economics of the agreement or arrangement and does not provide for any additional cost to either party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties will not be obligated to make any amendment or modification and the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to compliance with Section 409A and shall have no liability to the Executive or any other person if any provision of this Agreement or such other arrangement are determined to constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A that does not satisfy an exemption from, or the conditions of, such Section.
7.16 Parachute Payments. If there is a change in ownership or control of the Company that would cause any payment or distribution by the Company or any other person or entity to the Executive or for the Executive's benefit (whether paid or payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or otherwise) (a "Payment") to be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") (such excise tax, together with any interest or penalties incurred by the Executive with respect to such excise tax, the "Excise Tax"), then the Executive will receive the greatest of the following, whichever gives the Executive the highest net after-tax amount (after taking into account federal, state, local and social security taxes): (a) the Payments or (b) one dollar less than the amount of the Payments that would subject the Executive to the Excise Tax (the "Safe Harbor Amount"). If a reduction in the Payments is necessary so that the Payments equal the Safe Harbor Amount and none of the Payments constitutes non‑qualified deferred compensation (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code), then the reduction shall occur in the manner the Executive elects in writing prior to the date of payment. If any Payment constitutes non‑qualified deferred compensation or if the Executive fails to elect an order, then the Payments to be reduced will be determined in a manner which has the least economic cost to the Executive and, to the extent the economic cost is equivalent, will be reduced in the inverse order of when payment would have been made to the Executive, until the reduction is achieved. All determinations required to be made under this Section 7.16, including whether and when the Safe Harbor Amount is required and the amount of the reduction of the Payments and the assumptions to be utilized in arriving at such determination, shall be made by a certified public accounting firm designated by the Company (the "Accounting Firm"). All fees and expenses of the Accounting Firm shall be borne solely by the Company. Any determination by the Accounting Firm shall be binding upon Company and the Executive.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have signed their names as of the day and year first above written.
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
By: /s/ Arlen D. Nordhagen
Name: Arlen D. Nordhagen
Title: Executive Chairman
TAMARA D. FISCHER
/s/ Tamara D. Fischer
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EXHIBIT A
Exh. A-1
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF WAIVER AND RELEASE
This WAIVER AND GENERAL RELEASE OF ALL CLAIMS (this "Agreement") is entered into by TAMARA D. FISCHER (the "Executive") and NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the "Company"), effective as of ____________________ (the "Effective Date").
In consideration of the promises set forth in the Employment Agreement between the Executive and the Company, dated __________________ (the "Employment Agreement"), the Executive and the Company agree as follows:
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General Releases and Waivers of Claims.
(a) Executive's Release of Company. In consideration of the payments and benefits provided to the Executive under [Section 4/5.2(c)] of the Employment Agreement and after consultation with counsel, the Executive (or her estate, as applicable) hereby irrevocably and unconditionally releases and forever discharges the Company and its past, present and future parent entities, subsidiaries, divisions, affiliates and related business entities, any of its or their successors and assigns, assets, employee benefit plans or funds, and any of its or their respective past, present and/or future directors, officers, fiduciaries, agents, trustees, administrators, managers, supervisors, stockholders, employees and assigns, whether acting on behalf of the Company or in their individual capacities (collectively, "Company Parties") from any and all claims, actions, causes of action, rights, judgments, obligations, damages, demands, accountings or liabilities of whatever kind or character (collectively, "Claims"), including, without limitation, any Claims under any federal, state, local or foreign law, that the Executive (or her estate, as applicable) may have, or in the future may possess, arising out of the Executive's employment relationship with and service as an employee, officer or director of the Company, and the termination of such relationship or service; provided, however, that the Executive (or her estate, as applicable) does not release, discharge or waive (A) any rights to payments and benefits provided under the Employment Agreement, (B) any right the Executive (or her estate, as applicable) may have to enforce this Agreement, the Award Agreements or the Employment Agreement or any other rights as a member, shareholder or partner of the Company or its affiliates, (C) the Executive’s rights under any indemnification agreement with the Company and rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses in accordance with the Company’s certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other corporate governance document, or any applicable insurance policy, (D) any claims for benefits under any employee benefit or pension plan of the Company Parties subject to the terms and conditions of such plan and applicable law including, without limitation, any such claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or (E) any right or claim that the Executive (or her estate, as applicable) may have to obtain contributions as permitted by applicable law in an action in which both the Executive on the one hand or any Company Party on the other hand are held jointly liable.
(b) Executive's Specific Release of ADEA Claims. In further consideration of the payments and benefits provided to the Executive under [Section 4/5.2(c)] of the Employment Agreement, the Executive hereby unconditionally release and forever discharge the Company Parties from any and all Claims that the Executive may have as of the date the Executive signs this Agreement arising under the Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder ("ADEA"). By signing this Agreement, the Executive hereby acknowledges and confirms the following: (i) the Executive was advised by the Company in connection with her termination to consult with an attorney of her choice prior to signing this Agreement and to have such attorney explain to the Executive the terms of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the terms relating to the Executive’s release of claims arising under ADEA, and the Executive has been given the opportunity to do so; (ii) the Executive was given a period of not fewer than twenty-one (21) days to consider the terms of this Agreement and to consult with an attorney of her choosing with respect thereto; and (iii) the Executive knowingly and voluntarily accepts the terms of this Agreement. The Executive also understands that she has seven days following the date on which he signs this Agreement within which to revoke the release contained in this paragraph, by providing the Company a written notice of her revocation of the release and waiver contained in this paragraph.
Exh. B-1
(c) No Assignment. The Executive (or her estate, as applicable) represents and warrants that she has not assigned any of the Claims being released under this Agreement.
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Waiver of Relief. The Executive \(or her estate, as applicable\) acknowledges and agrees that by virtue of the foregoing, the Executive \(or her estate, as applicable\) has waived any relief available to her/it \(including without limitation, monetary damages and equitable relief, and reinstatement\) under any of the Claims waived in paragraph 2. Therefore the Executive \(or her estate, as applicable\) agrees that he/it will not accept any award or settlement from any source or proceeding \(including but not limited to any proceeding brought by any other person or by any government agency\) with respect to any Claim or right waived in this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent the Executive \(or her estate, as applicable\) from cooperating with or participating in an investigation conducted by, any governmental agency, to the extent required or permitted by law. -
Severability Clause. In the event any provision or part of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, only that particular provision or part so found, and not the entire Agreement, will be inoperative.
4. Non‑admission. Nothing contained in this Agreement will be deemed or construed as an admission of wrongdoing or liability on the part of the Company or any other Company Party or the Executive.
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Governing Law. All matters affecting this Agreement, including the validity thereof, are to be governed by, and interpreted and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Maryland applicable to contracts executed in and to be performed in that State. -
Arbitration. Any dispute or controversy arising under or in connection with this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with Section 7.3 of the Employment Agreement. -
Notices. All notices or communications hereunder shall be made in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Employment Agreement.
THE EXECUTIVE (OR HER ESTATE, AS APPLICABLE) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT SHE HAS READ THIS AGREEMENT AND THAT HE/IT FULLY KNOWS, UNDERSTANDS AND APPRECIATES ITS CONTENTS, AND THAT HE/IT HEREBY EXECUTES THE SAME AND MAKES THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RELEASE AND AGREEMENTS PROVIDED FOR HEREIN VOLUNTARILY AND OF HER/ITS OWN FREE WILL.
By:
Date:
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
By:
Name:
Title:
Exh. B-1
Document
Exhibit 10.4
AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Amended and Restated Employment Agreement (this "Agreement") is dated as of August 1, 2022 by and between National Storage Affiliates Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the "Company"), and David Cramer, residing at the address set forth in the Company’s records (the "Executive").
WHEREAS, the Company originally offered the Executive employment in the position of Chief Operating Officer and the Executive accepted such offer on the terms set forth below; and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Executive have agreed to amend and restate this Agreement to reflect the expansion of the Executive's title and responsibilities to include the title and office of President, effective July 1, 2022.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
Section 1. Term. The Company hereby employs the Executive, and the Executive hereby accepts such employment, for an initial term commencing as of April 1, 2020 and continuing for a one-year period (the "Initial Term"), unless sooner terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4 or Section 5; with such employment to automatically continue following the Initial Term for additional successive one-year periods (each, a “Subsequent Term”) in accordance with the terms of this Agreement (subject to termination as aforesaid) unless either party notifies the other party in writing of its intention not to continue such employment at least 90 days prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or any Subsequent Term, as applicable (the Initial Term, together with all Subsequent Terms hereunder, shall hereinafter be referred to as the "Term").
Section 2. Duties. Effective July 1, 2022 and during the remainder of the Term, the Executive shall be employed by the Company as President and Chief Operating Officer and, as such, the Executive shall have such responsibilities and authority as are customary for a President and Chief Operating Officer of a company of similar size and nature as the Company and shall faithfully perform for the Company the duties of each such office and shall report directly to the chief executive officer of the Company. The Executive shall devote substantially all of his business time and effort to the performance of his duties hereunder; provided, however, that, subject to the approval of the board of directors of the Company (the "Board"), the Executive may serve on the boards of directors or trustees of any business corporations or charitable organizations and such service shall not be a violation of this Agreement; provided that such other activities do not materially interfere with the performance of the Executive's duties hereunder.
Section 3. Compensation.
3.1 Salary. The Company shall pay the Executive during the Term a salary at the minimum rate of $550,000 per annum, in accordance with the customary payroll practices of the Company applicable to senior executives from time to time. The Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board (the "Compensation Committee") shall review the Executive's Annual Salary in good faith on an annual basis and may provide for increases therein as it may in its sole discretion deem appropriate (such annual salary, as increased, the "Annual Salary"). Once increased, the Annual Salary shall not thereafter be decreased.
3.2 Bonus. During the Term, Executive shall be eligible to participate in any annual incentive or bonus plan or plans maintained by the Company for senior management executives of the Company generally, in accordance with the terms, conditions, and provisions of each such plan as the same may be adopted, changed, amended, or terminated, from time to time in the discretion of the Compensation Committee. Executive shall be eligible to earn a target bonus (the "Annual Bonus") pursuant to a program as established by the Compensation Committee and subject to the achievement of performance goals determined by the Compensation Committee.
3.3 Benefits – In General. The Executive shall be permitted during the Term to participate in any group life, hospitalization or disability insurance plans, health programs, equity incentive plans, long-term
incentive programs, 401(k) and other retirement plans, fringe benefit programs and similar benefits that may be available (currently or in the future) to other senior executives of the Company generally, in each case to the extent that the Executive is eligible under the terms of such plans or programs.
3.4 Specific Benefits. Without limiting the generality of Section 3.3, the Executive shall be entitled to paid vacation of not less than the greater of (a) twenty (20) business days per year or (b) the number of paid business vacation days provided to other senior executives of the Company (to be taken at reasonable times in accordance with the Company's policies). Any accrued vacation not taken during any year may be carried forward to subsequent years; provided that the Executive may not carry forward more than twenty (20) business days of unused vacation in any one year.
3.5 Expenses. The Company shall promptly pay or reimburse the Executive for all ordinary and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses actually incurred (and, in the case of reimbursement, paid) by the Executive during the Term in the performance of the Executive's services under this Agreement; provided that the Executive documents such expenses with the properly completed forms as prescribed from time to time by the Company in accordance with the Company's policies, plans and/or programs.
Section 4. Termination upon Death or Disability. If the Executive dies during the Term, the Term shall terminate as of the date of death. If there is a good faith determination by the Board that the Executive has become physically or mentally incapable of performing his duties under the Agreement and such disability has disabled the Executive for a cumulative period of one hundred eighty (180) days within any 12‑month period (a "Disability"), the Company shall have the right, to the extent permitted by law, to terminate the employment of the Executive upon notice in writing to the Executive. Upon Executive’s death or in the event that Executive’s employment is terminated due to his Disability, Executive or his estate or his beneficiaries, as the case may be, shall be entitled to: (a) all accrued but unpaid Annual Salary or Annual Bonus through the date of termination of Executive’s employment, (b) any unpaid or unreimbursed expenses incurred in accordance with Section 3.5 hereof, (c) any benefits provided under the Company’s employee benefit plans upon a termination of employment for such reason, in accordance with the terms contained therein (the payments and benefits referred to in clauses (a) through (c) above, collectively, the "Accrued Obligations"), (d) an amount equal to the target Annual Bonus, prorated to reflect the partial year of employment, which amount shall be paid at such time annual bonuses are paid to other senior executives of the Company, but in no event later than March 15 of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which such termination occurred (subject to Section 7.15 of this Agreement), (e) for a period of 24 months after termination of employment (subject to a reduction to the extent the Executive receives comparable benefits from a subsequent employer) (the "Continuation Period"), such continuing medical benefits for the Executive and/or the Executive's eligible family members under the Company's health plans and programs applicable to senior executives of the Company generally as the Executive would have received under this Agreement (and at such costs to the Executive) in the absence of such termination (but not taking into account any post‑termination increases in Annual Salary that may otherwise have occurred without regard to such termination and that may have affected such benefits) (the "Continuation Benefits"), (f) any unvested outstanding equity (or equity-based) awards held by the Executive that vest on the basis of performance ("Performance-Based Awards") shall vest based on the terms set forth in the applicable award agreements underlying such Performance-Based Awards, and (g) a prorated portion (based on the number of days of employment since the immediately prior January 1st until the date of the Executive's death or Disability, as applicable, over 365) of the unvested outstanding equity (or equity-based) awards held by the Executive that vest on the basis of time ("Time-Based Awards") that would have vested on the next vesting date applicable to such Time-Based Awards shall thereupon vest and become free of restrictions and any remaining unvested Time-Based Awards shall be forfeited.
Following the Executive’s death or a termination of the Executive’s employment by reason of a Disability, except as set forth in this Section 4, the Executive shall have no further rights to any compensation or any other benefits under this Agreement.
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Section 5. Certain Terminations of Employment.
5.1 Termination by the Company for Cause; Termination by the Executive without Good Reason.
(a) For purposes of this Agreement, "Cause" shall mean, the Executive's:
(i) conviction of, or plea of nolo contendere to, a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude or fraud (but excluding traffic violations) that is injurious to the business or reputation of the Company;
(ii) willful failure to perform his material duties hereunder (other than any such failure resulting from Executive’s incapacity due to injury or physical or mental illness) which failure continues for a period of thirty (30) business days after written demand for corrective action is delivered by the Company specifically identifying the manner in which the Company believes the Executive has not performed his duties;
(iii) conduct constituting an act of willful misconduct or gross negligence in connection with the performance of his duties that are injurious to the business, including, without limitation, embezzlement or the misappropriation of funds or property of the Company;
(iv) failure to adhere to the lawful directions of the chief executive officer of the Company which continues for a period of thirty (30) business days after written demand for corrective action is delivered by the Company; or
(v) intentional and material breach of (x) any covenant contained in Section 6 of this Agreement or any other material agreement between the Executive and the Company; or (y) the other terms and provisions of this Agreement and, in each case, failure to cure such breach within ten (10) days following written notice from the Company specifying such breach;
provided that the Company shall not be permitted to terminate the Executive for Cause except on written notice given to the Executive at any time within thirty (30) days following the occurrence of any of the events described above (or, if later, the Company's knowledge thereof). Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Executive shall not be deemed to have been terminated for Cause unless and until there shall have been delivered to the Executive a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the Board at a meeting of the Board called and held for such purposes (after reasonable notice to the Executive and an opportunity for him, together with his counsel, to be heard before the Board), finding that in the good faith opinion of the Board after reasonable investigation that the Executive has engaged in acts or omissions constituting Cause. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no act or failure to act on the part of the Executive shall be considered “willful” unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that the Executive’s action or omission was in the best interests of the Company.
(b) The Company may terminate the Executive's employment hereunder for Cause on at least ten (10) days’ notice, and the Executive may terminate his employment on at least thirty (30) days' written notice. If the Company terminates the Executive for Cause, or the Executive terminates his employment and the termination by the Executive is not covered by Section 4 or 5.2, the Executive shall receive the Accrued Obligations in a lump sum payment (subject to Section 7.15 of this Agreement) within thirty (30) days following Executive’s termination of employment, and the Executive shall have no further rights to any compensation or any other benefits under this Agreement.
5.2 Termination by the Company without Cause; Termination by the Executive for Good Reason.
(a) For purposes of this Agreement, "Good Reason" shall mean the following, unless consented to by the Executive:
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(i) any material change in job title or material diminution in the Executive's roles, reporting lines and responsibilities from those set forth in this Agreement or assignment of duties inconsistent with such position;
(ii) a material reduction in the Executive's Annual Salary or Annual Bonus potential or failure to promptly pay such amounts when due;
(iii) if the Company relocates Executive’s office outside a 30-mile radius of Executive's primary office;
(iv) a material breach by the Company of this Agreement or any other material agreement between the Executive and the Company; or
(v) the Company's notice to the Executive of non‑renewal of the Initial Term or any Subsequent Term in accordance with Section 1 of this Agreement.
Good Reason shall also include on or following a "Change in Control" (as defined in the National Storage Affiliates Trust 2015 Equity Incentive Plan), any change in job title or diminution of roles, reporting lines or responsibilities and any reduction in the Executive's Annual Salary or Annual Bonus potential.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) Good Reason shall not be deemed to exist unless written notice of termination on account thereof is given by the Executive no later than sixty (60) days after the time at which the event or condition purportedly giving rise to Good Reason first occurs or arises (or, if later, the Executive’s knowledge thereof); and (ii) if there exists (without regard to this clause (ii)) an event or condition that constitutes Good Reason (pursuant to Section 5.2(a)(i), Section 5.2(a)(ii), Section 5.2(a)(iii) or Section 5.2(a)(iv)), the Company shall have thirty (30) days from the date written notice of such a termination is given by the Executive to cure such event or condition and, if the Company does so, such event or condition shall not constitute Good Reason hereunder.
(c) The Company may terminate the Executive's employment without Cause at any time for any reason or no reason. The Executive may terminate the Executive's employment with the Company at any time for any reason or no reason, and for Good Reason under this Section 5.2. If (x) the Company terminates the Executive's employment and the termination is not covered by Section 4 or 5.1, or (y) the Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason, (i) the Executive shall be entitled to receive, in a lump sum payment (subject to Section 7.15 of this Agreement) on the thirtieth (30th) day following the Executive's termination of employment, (A) the Accrued Obligations, (B) the amount equal to two times the sum of (x) the Executive's Annual Salary and (y) the amount equal to the greater of (1) the Executive's average Annual Bonus actually received in respect of the two fiscal years (or such fewer number of fiscal years with respect to which Executive received an Annual Bonus) prior to the year of termination and (2) the Executive's target Annual Bonus for the fiscal year in which such termination of employment occurs; (ii) the Continuation Benefits for the Continuation Period; and (iii) all outstanding equity (or equity-based) incentives and awards held by the Executive shall thereupon vest and become free of restrictions and all stock options shall be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
(d) No Mitigation/No Offset. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Company’s obligation to pay the Executive the amounts provided and to make the arrangements provided hereunder shall not be subject to set‑off, counterclaim, or recoupment of amounts owed by the Executive to the Company or its affiliates. The Company agrees that, if the Executive's employment is terminated during the Term, the Executive is not required to seek other employment or to attempt in any way to reduce any amounts payable to the Executive by the Company.
5.3 Continuation of Benefits. Notwithstanding Sections 4(e) and 5.2(c)(ii), (i) nothing herein shall restrict the ability of the Company to amend or terminate the health and welfare plans and programs referred to in such Sections 4(e) and 5.2(c)(ii) from time to time in its sole discretion; provided that any such amendments or termination are made applicable generally on the same terms to all actively employed senior executives of the Company and does not result in a proportionately greater reduction in the rights of or benefits to the Executive compared with any other officers of the Company, but the Company may not reduce benefits already
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earned and accrued by, but not yet paid to, the Executive and (ii) the Company shall in no event be required to provide any benefits otherwise required by such Sections 4(e) and 5.2(c)(ii) after such time as the Executive becomes entitled to receive benefits of the same type and at least as favorable to the Executive from another employer or recipient of the Executive's services (such entitlement being determined without regard to any individual waivers or other similar arrangements). Notwithstanding Sections 4(e) and 5.2(c)(ii), if at any time the Company determines that its payment of Continuation Benefits on the Executive’s behalf would result in a violation of applicable law (including, but not limited to, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended), then in lieu of paying Continuation Benefits pursuant to Section 4(e) or 5.2(c)(ii), the Company shall pay the Executive on the last day of each remaining month of the Continuation Period, a fully taxable cash payment equal to the Continuation Benefits for such month, subject to applicable withholdings and deductions.
5.4 Release. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company shall not be required to make the payments and provide the benefits provided for under Section 4 (in the event of Disability) or Section 5.2(c) unless the Executive executes and delivers to the Company a waiver and release substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A within twenty-one (21) days following the date of the Executive's termination of employment and such waiver and release becomes effective and irrevocable. If the time period to consider and revoke the waiver and release spans two taxable years, then any payment or benefit under Section 4 or Section 5.2(c) shall not occur until the second taxable year.
Section 6. Covenants of the Executive.
6.1 Covenant Against Competition; Other Covenants. The Executive acknowledges that (i) the principal business of the Company (which expressly includes for purposes of this Section 6 (and any related enforcement provisions hereof), its successors and assigns) is to own, operate and acquire self‑storage properties in the top 100 metropolitan statistical areas throughout the United States (such businesses, and any and all other businesses in which, at the time of the Executive's termination, the Company is actively and regularly engaged or actively pursuing, herein being collectively referred to as the "Business"); (ii) the Company is one of the limited number of persons who have developed such a business; (iii) the Company's Business is national in scope; (iv) the Executive's work for NSA and the Company has given and will continue to give him access to the confidential affairs and proprietary information of the Company; (v) the covenants and agreements of the Executive contained in this Section 6 are essential to the business and goodwill of the Company; and (vi) the Company would not have entered into this Agreement but for the covenants and agreements set forth in this Section 6. Accordingly, the Executive covenants and agrees that:
(a) By and in consideration of the salary and benefits to be provided by the Company hereunder, including the severance arrangements set forth herein, and further in consideration of the Executive's exposure to the proprietary information of the Company, and without limiting or expanding the terms and conditions set forth in any other agreement between the Company and any of its subsidiaries and the Executive and his affiliates, the Executive covenants and agrees that, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending six (6) months following the date upon which the Executive shall cease to be an employee of the Company and its affiliates (the "Restricted Period"), he shall not in the Restricted Territory (as defined below), directly or indirectly, whether as an owner, partner, shareholder, principal, agent, employee, consultant or in any other relationship or capacity, (i) engage in the Business (other than for the Company or its affiliates) or otherwise compete with the Company or its affiliates in the Business or (ii) render to a person, corporation, partnership or other entity engaged in the Business the same services that the Executive renders to the Company; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, (A) the Executive may invest in securities of any entity, solely for investment purposes and without participating in the business thereof, if (x) such securities are listed on any national securities exchange, (y) the Executive is not a controlling person of, or a member of a group which controls, such entity, and (z) the Executive does not, directly or indirectly, own 5% or more of any class of securities of such entity; and (B) subject to the approval of the Board, the Executive may serve on the boards of directors or trustees of any business corporations or charitable organizations on which the Executive was serving as of the date of the Executive's termination of employment and such service shall not be a violation of this Agreement.
For purposes of this Agreement, the "Restricted Territory" shall mean any (i) state in the United States and (ii) foreign country or jurisdiction, in the case of clause (i) or (ii), in which the Company (x) is actively
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conducting the Business during the Term or (y) has initiated a plan adopted by the Board to conduct the Business in the two years following the Term.
(b) Confidentiality.
(i) During and after the Term, the Executive shall keep secret and retain in strictest confidence, and shall not use for his benefit or the benefit of others, except in connection with the business and affairs of the Company and its affiliates, all non- public confidential matters relating to the Company's Business and the business of any of its affiliates and to the Company and any of its affiliates, learned by the Executive heretofore or hereafter directly or indirectly from the Company or any of its affiliates (the "Confidential Company Information"), and shall not disclose such Confidential Company Information to anyone outside of the Company except in the course of his duties as President and Chief Operating Officer or with the Board's express written consent and except for Confidential Company Information which is at the time of receipt or thereafter becomes publicly known through no wrongful act of the Executive or is received from a third party not under an obligation to keep such information confidential and without breach of this Agreement or which is independently developed or obtained by the Executive without reliance upon any confidential information of the Company or use of any Company resources. Notwithstanding anything in this agreement to the contrary, the Executive may disclose Confidential Company Information where the Executive is required to do so by law, regulation, court order, subpoena, summons or other valid legal process; provided that the Executive first (i) promptly notifies the Company, (ii) uses commercially reasonable efforts to consult with the Company with respect to and in advance of the disclosure thereof, and (iii) reasonably cooperates with the Company to narrow the scope of the disclosure required to be made, in each case, solely at the Company’s expense.
(ii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, nothing in this Agreement shall prohibit or interfere with the Executive exercising protected rights, including rights under the National Labor Relations Act; filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or OSHA; reporting possible violations of law to or participating in an investigation by any federal, state or local government agency or commission such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor or the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Executive, however, waives any right to receive any monetary award or benefit resulting from such a charge, report, or investigation, except that the Executive may receive and fully retain a monetary award from a government-administered whistle-blower award program.
(iii) The Executive is hereby notified that 18 U.S.C. § 1833(b) states as follows: “An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.” Accordingly, notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Executive has the right to (1) disclose in confidence trade secrets to federal, state, and local government officials, or to an attorney, for the sole purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of the law or (2) disclose trade secrets in a document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding so long as that filing is made under seal and protected from public disclosure. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to conflict with 18 U.S.C. § 1833(b) or create liability for disclosures of trade secrets that are expressly allowed by 18 U.S.C. § 1833(b).
(c) During the Restricted Period, the Executive shall not, without the Company's prior written consent, directly or indirectly, solicit or encourage to leave the employment or other service of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any person or entity who is or was during the six-month period preceding the Executive’s termination of employment, an employee, agent or independent contractor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries. During the Restricted Period, the Executive shall not, whether for his own account or for the account of any other person, firm, corporation or other business organization, solicit for a competing business or intentionally interfere with the Company's or any of its subsidiaries’ relationship with, or endeavor to entice away from the Company for a competing business, any person who is or was during the six month period preceding the Executive's termination of employment, a customer, client, agent, or independent contractor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
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(d) All memoranda, notes, lists, records, property and any other tangible product and documents (and all copies thereof), whether visually perceptible, machine-readable or otherwise, made, produced or compiled by the Executive or made available to the Executive containing Confidential Company Information (i) shall at all times be the property of the Company (and, as applicable, any affiliates) and shall be delivered to the Company at any time upon its request, and (ii) upon the Executive's termination of employment, shall be promptly returned to the Company. This section shall not apply to materials that the Executive possessed prior to his business relationship with NSA or the Company, to the Executive's personal effects and documents, and to materials prepared by the Executive for the purposes of seeking legal or other professional advice.
(e) Other than in connection with either party enforcing its rights under this Agreement, at no time during the Executive's employment by the Company or at any time thereafter shall the Executive, on one hand, or the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other hand, publish any statement or make any statement under circumstances reasonably likely to become public that is critical of the other party, or in any way otherwise be materially injurious to the Business or reputation of the other party, unless otherwise required by applicable law or regulation or by judicial order.
6.2 Rights and Remedies upon Breach.
(a) The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that any breach of any of the provisions of Section 6 or any subparts thereof (individually or collectively, the "Restrictive Covenants") may result in irreparable injury and damage for which money damages would not provide an adequate remedy. Therefore, if the either party breaches, or threatens to commit a breach of, any of the provisions of Section 6 or any subpart thereof, the other party and its affiliates, in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other rights and remedies available to the other party and its affiliates under law or in equity (including, without limitation, the recovery of damages), shall have the right and remedy to seek to have the Restrictive Covenants or other obligations herein specifically enforced (without posting bond and without the need to prove damages) by any court having equity jurisdiction, including, without limitation, the right to an entry of restraining orders and injunctions (preliminary, mandatory, temporary and permanent) against violations, threatened or actual, and whether or not then continuing, of such covenants.
(b) The Executive agrees that the provisions of Section 6 of this Agreement and each subsection thereof are reasonably necessary for the protection of the Company’s legitimate business interests and if enforced, will not prevent the Executive from obtaining gainful employment should his employment with the Company end. The Executive agrees that in any action seeking specific performance or other equitable relief, the Executive will not assert or contend that any of the provisions of this Section 6 are unreasonable or otherwise unenforceable as drafted. The existence of any claim or cause of action by the Executive, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement of the Restrictive Covenants.
Section 7. Other Provisions.
7.1 Severability. The Executive acknowledges and agrees that (i) he has had an opportunity to seek advice of counsel in connection with this Agreement and (ii) the Restrictive Covenants are reasonable in geographical and temporal scope and in all other respects as drafted. If it is determined that any of the provisions of this Agreement, including, without limitation, any of the Restrictive Covenants, or any part thereof, is invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of the provisions of this Agreement shall not thereby be affected and shall be given full effect, without regard to the invalid portions.
7.2 Duration and Scope of Covenants. If any court or other decision-maker of competent jurisdiction determines that any of the Executive's covenants contained in this Agreement, including, without limitation, any of the Restrictive Covenants, or any part thereof, is unenforceable because of the duration or geographical scope of such provision, then the duration or scope of such provision, as the case may be, shall be reduced so that such provision becomes enforceable and, in its reduced form, such provision shall then be enforceable and shall be enforced.
7.3 Enforceability; Jurisdiction; Arbitration.
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(a) The Company and the Executive intend to and hereby confer jurisdiction to enforce the Restrictive Covenants set forth in Section 6 upon the courts of any jurisdiction within the geographical scope of the Restrictive Covenants. If the courts of any one or more of such jurisdictions hold the Restrictive Covenants wholly unenforceable by reason of breadth of scope or otherwise it is the intention of the Company and the Executive that such determination not bar or in any way affect the Company's right, or the right of any of its affiliates, to the relief provided above in the courts of any other jurisdiction within the geographical scope of such Restrictive Covenants, as to breaches of such Restrictive Covenants in such other respective jurisdictions, such Restrictive Covenants as they relate to each jurisdiction's being, for this purpose, severable, diverse and independent covenants, subject, where appropriate, to the doctrine of res judicata. The parties hereby agree to waive any right to a trial by jury for any and all disputes hereunder (whether or not relating to the Restricted Covenants).
(b) Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach of this Agreement (other than a controversy or claim arising under Section 6, to the extent necessary for the Company (or its affiliates, where applicable) to avail itself of the rights and remedies referred to in Section 6.2) that is not resolved by the Executive and the Company (or its affiliates, where applicable) shall be submitted to arbitration in Denver, Colorado in accordance with Colorado law and the employment arbitration rules and procedures of the American Arbitration Association, before an arbitrator experienced in employment disputes who is licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado. The determination of the arbitrator shall be conclusive and binding on the Company (or its affiliates, where applicable) and the Executive and judgment may be entered on the arbitrator(s)' award in any court having jurisdiction. The arbitration shall be held in Denver, Colorado.
(c) In the event of any dispute between the parties with respect to the terms of this Agreement, the prevailing party in any legal proceeding or other action to enforce the terms of this Agreement will be entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with such proceeding or action.
7.4 Notices. Any notice or other communication required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and shall be delivered personally, sent by facsimile transmission or sent by certified, registered or express mail, or overnight courier, postage prepaid. Any such notice shall be deemed given when so delivered personally, sent by facsimile transmission or, if mailed, five (5) days after the date of deposit in the United States mails as follows:
(i) If to the Company or NSA, to:
National Storage Affiliates Trust 8400 East Prentice Avenue, 9th Floor
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Attention: Tamara Fischer and Tiffany Kenyon
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice to the Company):
Clifford Chance US LLP 31 West 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019-6131
Attention: Andrew Epstein
(ii) If to the Executive, to the address in the records of the Company.
Any such person may by notice given in accordance with this Section 7.4 to the other parties hereto designate another address or person for receipt by such person of notices hereunder.
7.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements, written or oral, with respect thereto.
7.6 Waivers and Amendments. This Agreement may be amended, superseded, canceled, renewed or extended, and the terms hereof may be waived, only by a written instrument signed by the parties or, in the case of a waiver, by the party waiving compliance. Except as expressly provided herein, no delay on the part of any party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any waiver on the part of any party of any such right, power or privilege nor any single or partial exercise of any such right, power or privilege, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other such right, power or privilege.
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7.7 GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND WITHOUT REGARD TO ANY PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW WHICH COULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANY JURISDICTION OTHER THAN THE STATE OF MARYLAND.
7.8 Assignment. This Agreement, and the Executive's rights and obligations hereunder, may not be assigned by the Executive; any purported assignment by the Executive in violation hereof shall be null and void. Except as otherwise provided by operation of law, in the event of any sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company's assets or business, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, the Company may assign this Agreement and its rights hereunder; provided that the successor or purchaser agrees in writing, as a condition of such transaction, to assume all of the Company's obligations hereunder.
7.9 Withholding. The Company shall be entitled to withhold from any payments or deemed payments any amount of tax withholding it determines to be required by law.
7.10 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors, permitted assigns, heirs, executors and legal representatives.
7.11 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original but all such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Each counterpart may consist of two copies hereof each signed by one of the parties hereto.
7.12 Survival. Anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, the provisions of Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7, shall survive any termination of the Executive's employment hereunder and continue in full force until performance of the obligations thereunder, if any, in accordance with their respective terms.
7.13 Existing Agreements. The Executive represents to the Company that he is not subject or a party to any employment or consulting agreement, non‑competition covenant or other agreement, covenant or understanding which might prohibit him from executing this Agreement or limit his ability to fulfill his responsibilities hereunder.
7.14 Headings. The headings in this Agreement are for reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement.
7.15 Section 409A Compliance. Any payments under this Agreement that are deemed to be deferred compensation subject to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A and this Agreement shall be interpreted accordingly. To this end and notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if at the time of the Executive's termination of employment with the Company, (i) the Company's securities are publicly traded on an established securities market; (ii) Executive is a "specified employee" (as defined in Section 409A); and (iii) the deferral of the commencement of any payments or benefits otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement as a result of such termination of employment is necessary in order to prevent any accelerated or additional tax under Section 409A, then the Company will defer the commencement of such payments (without any reduction in amount ultimately paid or provided to the Executive). Such deferral shall last until the date that is six months following the Executive's termination of employment with the Company (or the earliest date as is permitted under Section 409A). Any amounts the payment of which are so deferred shall be paid in a lump sum payment on the first day of the seventh month following the end of such deferral period. If the Executive dies during the deferral period prior to the payment of any deferred amount, then the unpaid deferred amount shall be paid to the personal representative of the Executive's estate within sixty (60) days after the date of the Executive's death. For purposes of Section 409A, the Executive's right to receive installment payments pursuant to this Agreement including, without limitation, any COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) continuation reimbursement shall be treated as a right to receive a series of separate and distinct payments. The Executive will be deemed to have a date of termination for purposes of determining the timing of any payments or benefits hereunder that are classified as deferred compensation only upon a "separation from service" within the meaning of Section 409A. Any amount that the Executive is entitled to be reimbursed
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under this Agreement will be reimbursed to the Executive as promptly as practical and in any event not later than the last day of the calendar quarter after the calendar quarter in which the expenses are incurred, any right to reimbursement or in kind benefits will not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit, and the amount of the expenses eligible for reimbursement during any taxable year will not affect the amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement in any other taxable year. Whenever a payment under this Agreement specifies a payment period with reference to a number of days (e.g., "payment shall be made within thirty (30) days following the date of termination"), the actual date of payment within the specified period shall be within the reasonable discretion of the Company. For purposes of Section 409A, any payment to be made to the Executive after receipt of an executed and irrevocable release within any specified period, in which such period begins in one taxable year of Executive and ends in a second taxable year of Executive, will be made in the second taxable year.
The parties agree to consider any amendments or modifications to this Agreement or any other compensation arrangement between the parties, as reasonably requested by the other party, that is necessary to cause such agreement or arrangement to comply with Section 409A (or an exception thereto); provided that such proposed amendment or modification does not change the economics of the agreement or arrangement and does not provide for any additional cost to either party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties will not be obligated to make any amendment or modification and the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to compliance with Section 409A and shall have no liability to the Executive or any other person if any provision of this Agreement or such other arrangement are determined to constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A that does not satisfy an exemption from, or the conditions of, such Section.
7.16 Parachute Payments. If there is a change in ownership or control of the Company that would cause any payment or distribution by the Company or any other person or entity to the Executive or for the Executive's benefit (whether paid or payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or otherwise) (a "Payment") to be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") (such excise tax, together with any interest or penalties incurred by the Executive with respect to such excise tax, the "Excise Tax"), then the Executive will receive the greatest of the following, whichever gives the Executive the highest net after-tax amount (after taking into account federal, state, local and social security taxes): (a) the Payments or (b) one dollar less than the amount of the Payments that would subject the Executive to the Excise Tax (the "Safe Harbor Amount"). If a reduction in the Payments is necessary so that the Payments equal the Safe Harbor Amount and none of the Payments constitutes non‑qualified deferred compensation (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code), then the reduction shall occur in the manner the Executive elects in writing prior to the date of payment. If any Payment constitutes non‑qualified deferred compensation or if the Executive fails to elect an order, then the Payments to be reduced will be determined in a manner which has the least economic cost to the Executive and, to the extent the economic cost is equivalent, will be reduced in the inverse order of when payment would have been made to the Executive, until the reduction is achieved. All determinations required to be made under this Section 7.16, including whether and when the Safe Harbor Amount is required and the amount of the reduction of the Payments and the assumptions to be utilized in arriving at such determination, shall be made by a certified public accounting firm designated by the Company (the "Accounting Firm"). All fees and expenses of the Accounting Firm shall be borne solely by the Company. Any determination by the Accounting Firm shall be binding upon Company and the Executive.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have signed their names as of the day and year first above written.
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
By: /s/ Tamara D. Fischer
Name: Tamara D. Fischer
Title: Chief Executive Officer
DAVID CRAMER
/s/ David Cramer
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EXHIBIT A
FORM OF WAIVER AND RELEASE
This WAIVER AND GENERAL RELEASE OF ALL CLAIMS (this "Agreement") is entered into by DAVID CRAMER (the "Executive") and NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the "Company"), effective as of ____________________ (the "Effective Date").
In consideration of the promises set forth in the Employment Agreement between the Executive and the Company, dated __________________ (the "Employment Agreement"), the Executive and the Company agree as follows:
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General Releases and Waivers of Claims.
(a) Executive's Release of Company. In consideration of the payments and benefits provided to the Executive under [Section 4/5.2(c)] of the Employment Agreement and after consultation with counsel, the Executive (or his estate, as applicable) hereby irrevocably and unconditionally releases and forever discharges the Company and its past, present and future parent entities, subsidiaries, divisions, affiliates and related business entities, any of its or their successors and assigns, assets, employee benefit plans or funds, and any of its or their respective past, present and/or future directors, officers, fiduciaries, agents, trustees, administrators, managers, supervisors, stockholders, employees and assigns, whether acting on behalf of the Company or in their individual capacities (collectively, "Company Parties") from any and all claims, actions, causes of action, rights, judgments, obligations, damages, demands, accountings or liabilities of whatever kind or character (collectively, "Claims"), including, without limitation, any Claims under any federal, state, local or foreign law, that the Executive (or his estate, as applicable) may have, or in the future may possess, arising out of the Executive's employment relationship with and service as an employee, officer or director of the Company, and the termination of such relationship or service; provided, however, that the Executive (or his estate, as applicable) does not release, discharge or waive (A) any rights to payments and benefits provided under the Employment Agreement, (B) any right the Executive (or his estate, as applicable) may have to enforce this Agreement, the Award Agreements or the Employment Agreement or any other rights as a member, shareholder or partner of the Company or its affiliates, (C) the Executive’s rights under any indemnification agreement with the Company and rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses in accordance with the Company’s certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other corporate governance document, or any applicable insurance policy, (D) any claims for benefits under any employee benefit or pension plan of the Company Parties subject to the terms and conditions of such plan and applicable law including, without limitation, any such claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or (E) any right or claim that the Executive (or his estate, as applicable) may have to obtain contributions as permitted by applicable law in an action in which both the Executive on the one hand or any Company Party on the other hand are held jointly liable.
(b) Executive's Specific Release of ADEA Claims. In further consideration of the payments and benefits provided to the Executive under [Section 4/5.2(c)] of the Employment Agreement, the Executive hereby unconditionally release and forever discharge the Company Parties from any and all Claims that the Executive may have as of the date the Executive signs this Agreement arising under the Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder ("ADEA"). By signing this Agreement, the Executive hereby acknowledges and confirms the following: (i) the Executive was advised by the Company in connection with his termination to consult with an attorney of his choice prior to signing this Agreement and to have such attorney explain to the Executive the terms of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the terms relating to the Executive’s release of claims arising under ADEA, and the Executive has been given the opportunity to do so; (ii) the Executive was given a period of not fewer than twenty-one (21) days to consider the terms of this Agreement and to consult with an attorney of his choosing with respect thereto; and (iii) the Executive knowingly and voluntarily accepts the terms of this Agreement. The Executive also understands that he has seven days following the date on which he signs this Agreement within which to revoke the release contained in this paragraph, by providing the Company a written notice of his revocation of the release and waiver contained in this paragraph.
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(c) No Assignment. The Executive (or his estate, as applicable) represents and warrants that he has not assigned any of the Claims being released under this Agreement.
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Waiver of Relief. The Executive \(or his estate, as applicable\) acknowledges and agrees that by virtue of the foregoing, the Executive \(or his estate, as applicable\) has waived any relief available to him/it \(including without limitation, monetary damages and equitable relief, and reinstatement\) under any of the Claims waived in paragraph 2. Therefore the Executive \(or his estate, as applicable\) agrees that he/it will not accept any award or settlement from any source or proceeding \(including but not limited to any proceeding brought by any other person or by any government agency\) with respect to any Claim or right waived in this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent the Executive \(or his estate, as applicable\) from cooperating with or participating in an investigation conducted by, any governmental agency, to the extent required or permitted by law. -
Severability Clause. In the event any provision or part of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, only that particular provision or part so found, and not the entire Agreement, will be inoperative.
4. Non‑admission. Nothing contained in this Agreement will be deemed or construed as an admission of wrongdoing or liability on the part of the Company or any other Company Party or the Executive.
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Governing Law. All matters affecting this Agreement, including the validity thereof, are to be governed by, and interpreted and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Maryland applicable to contracts executed in and to be performed in that State. -
Arbitration. Any dispute or controversy arising under or in connection with this Agreement shall be resolved in accordance with Section 7.3 of the Employment Agreement. -
Notices. All notices or communications hereunder shall be made in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Employment Agreement.
THE EXECUTIVE (OR HIS ESTATE, AS APPLICABLE) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HE HAS READ THIS AGREEMENT AND THAT HE/IT FULLY KNOWS, UNDERSTANDS AND APPRECIATES ITS CONTENTS, AND THAT HE/IT HEREBY EXECUTES THE SAME AND MAKES THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RELEASE AND AGREEMENTS PROVIDED FOR HEREIN VOLUNTARILY AND OF HIS/ITS OWN FREE WILL.
By:
Date:
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST
By:
Name:
Title:
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Document
Exhibit 31.1
Chief Executive Officer Certification Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
I, Tamara D. Fischer, certify that:
1.I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of National Storage Affiliates Trust;
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a)Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b)Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(c)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(d)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of trustees (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Date: August 4, 2022
| By: | /s/ Tamara D. Fischer |
|---|---|
| Tamara D. Fischer | |
| Chief Executive Officer |
Document
Exhibit 31.2
Chief Financial Officer Certification Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
I, Brandon S. Togashi, certify that:
1.I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of National Storage Affiliates Trust;
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a)Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b)Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(c)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(d)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of trustees (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Date: August 4, 2022
| By: | /s/ Brandon S. Togashi |
|---|---|
| Brandon S. Togashi | |
| Chief Financial Officer |
Document
Exhibit 32.1
Certification, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant To
18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as Adopted Pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
In connection with the Quarterly Report of National Storage Affiliates Trust (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2022 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Tamara D. Fischer, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and I, Brandon S. Togashi, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, hereby certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
(1)the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
(2)the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
Date: August 4, 2022
| By: | /s/ Tamara D. Fischer |
|---|---|
| Tamara D. Fischer | |
| Chief Executive Officer | |
| By: | /s/ Brandon S. Togashi |
| --- | --- |
| Brandon S. Togashi | |
| Chief Financial Officer |
Pursuant to the Securities and Exchange Commission Release 33-8238, dated June 5, 2003, this certification is being furnished and shall not be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or incorporated by reference in any registration statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.