PART I

owns 3.2 million square feet of low-rise office space, generally either in business parks that combine office and flex space or in submarkets where the market demand is more office focused.

We generally seek to own and operate multi-tenant buildings in multi-building business parks which accommodate various businesses and uses. Our business parks average 14 buildings and 800,000 rentable square feet per park, located on parcels of various sizes, ranging from one to 49 buildings and 12,000 to 3.5 million square feet of rentable space. Parking is generally open but in some instances is covered. The ratio of parking spaces to rentable square feet generally ranges from two to six per thousand square feet depending upon the use of the property and its location. Office space generally requires a greater parking ratio than most industrial uses.

The customer base for our facilities is diverse. The portfolio can be bifurcated into those facilities that service small to medium-sized businesses and those that service larger businesses. Approximately 36.8% of in-place rents from the portfolio are derived from facilities that generally serve small to medium-sized businesses. A property in this facility type is typically divided into units under 5,000 square feet and leases generally range from one to three years. The remaining 63.2% of in-place rents from the portfolio are generally derived from facilities that serve larger businesses, with units 5,000 square feet and larger. The Company also has several customers that lease space in multiple buildings and locations. As of December 31, 2019, the U.S. Government is the largest customer with multiple leases encompassing approximately 521,000 square feet and 3.1% of the Company’s annualized rental income.

We operate in six states and we may expand our operations to other states or reduce the number of states in which we operate. However, we have no current plans to expand into additional markets or exit existing markets. Properties are acquired for both income and capital appreciation potential; we place no limitation on the amount that can be invested in any specific property.

The Company owns approximately 14.0 acres and 6.4 acres of land in Dallas and Northern Virginia, respectively, which are reflected on our consolidated balance sheets as land and building held for development. The Company will seek to develop these parcels and possibly seek redevelopment of other assets in the future.

See “Objectives and Strategies” below for further information.

Our principal executive offices are located at 701 Western Avenue, Glendale, California 91201-2349, and our telephone number is (818) 244-8080. We maintain a website with the address www.psbusinessparks.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We make available free of charge through our website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such material to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Recent Company Developments

Acquisition of Real Estate Facilities: Subsequent to December 31, 2019, we acquired a multi-tenant industrial park comprised of approximately 73,000 rentable square feet in La Mirada, California, for a total purchase price of $13.5 million, inclusive of capitalized transaction costs. The park consists of five buildings and was 100.0% occupied at acquisition with suites ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 square feet.

On December 20, 2019, we acquired a multi-tenant flex park comprised of approximately 79,000 rentable square feet in Santa Clara, California, for a total purchase price of $16.8 million, inclusive of capitalized transaction costs. The park consists of nine buildings and was 95.6% occupied at acquisition with suites ranging from 200 to 3,500 square feet.

On September 5, 2019, we acquired a multi-tenant industrial park comprised of approximately 543,000 rentable square feet in Santa Fe Springs, California, for a total purchase price of $104.3 million, inclusive of capitalized transaction costs. The park consists of ten buildings and was 100.0% occupied at acquisition with suites ranging from 5,000 to 288,000 square feet.

On April 18, 2019, we acquired a multi-tenant industrial park comprised of approximately 74,000 rentable square feet in Signal Hill, California, for a total purchase price of $13.8 million, inclusive of capitalized transaction costs. The park consists of eight buildings and was 98.4% occupied at acquisition with suites ranging from 1,200 to 8,000 square feet. The eight buildings are located in the Signal Hill industrial submarket where we already own five industrial parks totaling 268,000 square feet.

Development of Multifamily Real Estate: In 2019, we successfully rezoned our 628,000 square foot office park known as The Mile in Tysons, Virginia. The rezoning will allow us to develop, at our election, up to 3,000 additional multifamily units and approximately 500,000 square feet of other commercial uses. We leveraged the expertise of a well-regarded local developer and operator of multifamily real estate to develop our first multifamily development at The Mile which completed in 2017, a 395-unit multifamily property known as Highgate. We are currently seeking to demolish a 123,000 square foot vacant office building in order to construct our second multifamily property, for which we will likely enter into a similar joint venture with the same well-regarded local developer. There could be several phases of the development at The Mile beyond that, but the scope, timing and construction of all future phases of development of The Mile are subject to a variety of contingencies, including site plan approvals and building permits. See “Objectives and Strategies” below for further information regarding our development and redevelopment activities.

Sales of Real Estate Facilities: On October 8, 2019, we sold three business parks located in Montgomery County, Maryland: Metro Park North, Meadow Business Park and WesTech Business Park. The parks, consisting of 28 buildings totaling approximately 1.3 million rentable square feet, sold for net sale proceeds of $144.6 million, which resulted in a gain of $16.6 million.

Also subsequent to December 31, 2019, the Company completed the sale of a single-tenant building totaling 113,000 square feet in Montgomery County, Maryland, for a gross sales price of $30.0 million. The building had been marketed previously as part of a broader portfolio of suburban Maryland office properties sold in 2019, but was excluded from the 1.3 million square foot sale which closed October 8, 2019 and as such was the Company’s only remaining office asset at Metro Park North.

Tax and Corporate Structure

For all periods presented herein, we have elected REIT status under the Code. As a REIT, we generally do not incur federal income tax if we distribute substantially all of our “REIT taxable income” (generally, net rents and gains from real property, dividends, and interest) each year, and if we meet certain organizational and operational requirements. To the extent that we continue to qualify as a REIT, we will not be taxed, with certain limited exceptions, on the “REIT taxable income” that is distributed to our shareholders. We believe we have met these requirements in all periods presented herein, and we expect to continue to elect and qualify as a REIT.

PSB is structured as an umbrella partnership REIT (“UPREIT”), with substantially all of our activities conducted through the OP. We acquired interests in certain properties from PS during PSB’s initial formation in exchange for operating partnership units, which allowed PS to defer the recognition of a tax gain on the contributed properties. We have the ability to offer similar tax-efficient transactions to potential sellers of real estate in the future.

We are the sole general partner of the OP, which has equity in the form of common partnership units and preferred partnership units that are identical as to terms, coupon rates, and liquidation amounts as our preferred shares outstanding. As of December 31, 2019, we owned 79.0% of the common partnership units of the OP and 100% of the preferred partnership units. The remainder of the common partnership units are owned by PS. The common units owned by PS may be redeemed, subject to certain limitations, for shares of our common stock on a one-for-one basis or, at our option, an equivalent value in cash.

The Company’s interest in the OP entitles it to share in cash distributions from, and the profits and losses of, the OP in proportion to the Company’s economic interest in the OP (apart from tax allocations of profits and losses to take into account pre-contribution property appreciation or depreciation). The Company, since 1998, has paid per share dividends on its common and preferred stock that track, on a one-for-one basis, the amount of per unit cash distributions the Company receives from the OP in respect of the common and preferred partnership units in the OP that are owned by the Company.

As the general partner of the OP, the Company has the exclusive responsibility under the Operating Partnership Agreement to manage and conduct the business of the OP. The OP is responsible for, and pays when due, its share of all administrative and operating expenses of the properties it owns.

Common Officers and Directors with PS

Ronald L. Havner, Jr., Chairman of the Company, is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PS. Joseph D. Russell, Jr. is a director of the Company and also President and Chief Executive Officer of PS. Gary E. Pruitt, an independent director of the Company, is also a trustee of PS. Other employees of PS render services to the Company pursuant to a cost sharing and administrative services agreement.

Services Provided to and by PS

We manage industrial, office, and retail facilities in the United States for PS under either the “Public Storage” or “PS Business Parks” names (the “PS Management Agreement”). Under PS’s supervision, we coordinate and assist in rental and marketing activities, property maintenance and other operational activities, including the selection of vendors, suppliers, employees and independent contractors. Management fee revenue derived from the PS Management Agreement totaled $287,000, $407,000 and $506,000 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. These amounts are included in “interest and other income” on our consolidated statements of income

PS also provides property management services for the self-storage component of two assets owned by the Company. Management fee expenses under the contract were $98,000, $96,000 and $92,000 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. These amounts are included under “cost of operations” on our consolidated statements of income.

Pursuant to a cost sharing agreement, we share certain administrative services, corporate office space, and certain other third party costs with PS which are allocated based upon fair and reasonable estimates of the cost of the services expected to be provided. We reimbursed PS $1.2 million, $1.2 million and $1.3 million, respectively, in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 for costs paid on our behalf, while PS reimbursed us $39,000, $38,000 and $31,000 for costs we incurred on their behalf for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Management

Maria R. Hawthorne, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, leads the Company’s senior management team. The Company’s senior management includes: John W. Petersen, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Jeffrey D. Hedges, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Trenton A. Groves, Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer; Coby A. Holley, Vice President, Investments; Christopher M. Auth, Vice President (Washington Metro Division); Stuart H. Hutchison, Vice President (Southern California and Pacific Northwest Divisions); Richard E. Scott, Vice President (Northern California Division); David A. Vicars, Vice President (Texas Division); Rich Guertin, Vice President (Florida Division); and Eugene Uhlman, Vice President, Construction Management.

Competition

Our properties compete for tenants with similar properties located in our markets primarily on the basis of location, rent charged, services provided and the design and condition of improvements. Competition in the market areas we operate in is significant and has from time to time negatively impacted occupancy levels and rental rates of, and increased the operating expenses of, certain of our properties. Competition may be accelerated by any increase in availability of funds for investment in real estate, because barriers to entry can be relatively low for those with the necessary capital. The demand for space in our markets is impacted by general economic conditions, which can affect the local competition for tenants. Sublease space and unleased developments have from time to time created competition among operators in certain markets in which the Company operates. We also compete for property acquisitions with entities that have greater financial resources than the Company.

We believe we possess several distinguishing characteristics and strategies, some of which are described below under “Objectives and Strategies,” that enable us to compete effectively. In addition, we believe our personnel are among the most experienced in our real estate markets. The Company’s facilities are part of a comprehensive system encompassing standardized procedures and integrated reporting and information networks.

We believe that the significant operating and financial experience of our executive officers and directors combined with the Company’s capital structure, national investment scope, geographic diversity, financial stability, and economies of scale should enable us to compete effectively.

Objectives and Strategies

Our primary objective is to grow shareholder value in a risk appropriate and stable manner by maximizing the net cash flow generated by our existing properties, as well as prudently seeking growth through acquisitions and development that generate attractive returns on invested capital.

We seek to optimize the net cash flow of our existing properties by maximizing occupancy levels and rental rates, while minimizing capital expenditures and leasehold improvements. Below are the primary elements of our strategy:

Concentration in favorable markets: We believe that our properties generally are located in markets that have favorable characteristics such as above average population, job, and income growth, as well as high education levels. In addition, we believe our business parks are generally in higher barrier to entry markets that are close to critical infrastructure, middle to high income housing or universities and have easy access to major transportation arteries. We believe that these characteristics contribute to favorable cash flow stability and growth.

Standard build outs and finishes: We generally seek to configure our rentable space with standard buildouts and finishes that meet the needs of a wide variety of tenants, minimizing the need for specialized and costly tenant improvements and enabling space to be “move-in ready” quickly upon vacancy. We believe this makes our space more attractive to potential tenants, allows tenants to move in more quickly and seamlessly, and reduces the cost of capital improvements, relative to real estate operators that offer specialized finishes or build outs. Also, such flexibility facilitates our ability to offer diverse sizes and configurations to meet potential customer’s needs, as well as to change space sizes for existing customers when their needs change.

Large, Diverse Parks: Our business parks are generally concentrated in large complexes of diverse buildings, with a variety of available space sizes and configurations that we can offer to tenants. We believe that this allows us to attract a greater number of potential tenants to our parks and minimizes the loss of existing customers when their space requirements change.

Smaller tenants and diverse tenant base with shorter-term leases: By concentrating on smaller spaces, we seek to reach a large number of smaller tenants in the market. We believe this focus gives us a competitive edge as most institutional owners focus on large users. Small users perceive more incremental value from the level of customer service that we offer. We also believe having smaller tenants improves our diversity of tenants across industries, which improves the stability of our cash flows. In addition, our lease term tends to be shorter, generally an average of three and a half years, which we believe allows us to more quickly capture increases in market rents in our high-growth markets. At December 31, 2019, our average suite size was approximately 5,000 rentable square feet, and no individual customer, other than the U.S. Government, represents more than 1% of our annualized rental income.

Decentralized operating strategy: Our local market management is empowered, within a prescribed decision and metrics framework, to make many leasing rate, capital, and lease term decisions in a manner which we believe maximizes the return on investment on leasing transactions. We believe this decentralized approach allows us to be more nimble and efficient in our decision making, and more effectively price and market our space, relative to a more centralized approach.

Superior Service to Customers: We seek to provide a superior level of service to our customers in order to maintain occupancy and increase rental rates, as well as minimize customer turnover. The Company’s property management offices are located on-site, helping the Company maintain its properties and providing customers with convenient access to management, while conveying a sense of quality, order and security. We believe that our personnel are among the most experienced and effective in the real estate industry in our markets. The Company has significant experience in acquiring properties managed by others and thereafter improving customer satisfaction, occupancy levels, retention rates and rental income by implementing established customer service programs.

In addition, we seek to expand through acquisitions or development activities that generate attractive returns on invested capital, as follows:

Acquire facilities in targeted markets at prudent price levels: We have a disciplined capital allocation approach, seeking to purchase properties at prices that are not in excess of the cost to develop similar facilities, which we believe reduces our risk and maximizes long term returns. We seek generally to acquire in our existing markets, which we believe have favorable growth characteristics. We also believe acquiring in our existing markets leverages our operating efficiencies. We would consider expanding to additional markets with similar favorable characteristics of our existing markets, if we could acquire sufficient scale (generally at least 2 million rentable square feet); however, we have no current plans or immediate prospects to do so.

Redevelop existing real estate facilities: Certain of our existing business parks were developed in or near areas that have been undergoing gentrification and an influx of residential development, and, as a result, certain buildings in our business parks may have higher and better uses as residential space. While residential space is generally not a core asset class for us, we will seek to identify potential candidates for redevelopment in our portfolio, and plan to leverage the expertise and scale of existing operators and developers should we pursue redevelopment of any of our properties. For example, at The Mile in Tysons, Virginia, we demolished an existing building and developed Highgate, a 395-unit apartment building, with a joint venture partner. We also have successfully rezoned our 628,000 square foot office

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park located within The Mile and are able to pursue the development of additional multifamily and mixed use projects. There can be no assurance as to the level of conversion opportunities throughout our portfolio in the future.

Financing Strategy

Overview of financing strategy and sources of capital: As a REIT, we generally distribute substantially all of our “REIT taxable income” to our shareholders which, relative to a taxable C corporation, limits the amount of cash flow from operations that we can retain for investment purposes. As a result, in order to expand our asset base, access to capital is important.

Our financial profile is characterized by strong credit metrics, including low leverage relative to our total capitalization and operating cash flows. Our credit profile and ratings enable us to effectively access both the public and private capital markets to raise capital. We will seek to maintain our credit profile and ratings.

Sources of capital available to us include retained cash flow, the issuance of preferred and common equity, the issuance of medium and long-term debt, joint venture financing, the sale of properties, and our revolving line of credit.

Historically, we have financed our cash investment activities primarily with retained operating cash flow and the issuance of preferred equity.

We select from the sources of capital available to us based upon relative cost, availability and the desire for leverage, nature of the investment opportunities for which the capital will be used, as well as intangible factors such as the impact of covenants in the case of debt.

Retained Operating Cash Flow: Although we are required to generally distribute substantially all of our “REIT taxable income” to our shareholders, we have nonetheless been able to retain operating cash flow to the extent that our tax depreciation exceeds our maintenance capital expenditures. In recent years, we have retained approximately $40 to $60 million in operating cash flow per year.

Preferred Equity: We view preferred equity as an important source of capital over the long term, because it reduces interest rate and refinancing risks as the dividend rate is fixed and there are no refinancing requirements. In addition, the consequences of defaulting on required preferred distributions are less severe than with debt. However, rates and market conditions for the issuance of preferred securities can be volatile or inefficient from time to time. The preferred shareholders may elect two additional directors if six quarterly distributions go unpaid, whether or not consecutive. As of December 31, 2019, we have $944.8 million in preferred securities outstanding with an average coupon rate of 5.10%.

Medium or long-term debt: We have broad powers to borrow in furtherance of our objectives. We may consider the public issuance or private placement of senior unsecured debt in the future in an effort to diversify our sources of capital.

Common equity: We believe that the market for our common equity is liquid and, as a result, common equity is a viable potential source of capital.

Tax advantaged equity: As noted above, we have the ability to offer common or preferred operating partnership units with economic characteristics that are similar to our common and preferred stock, but provide the seller the opportunity to defer the recognition of a tax gain.

Credit Facility: We have a $250.0 million unsecured revolving line of credit (the “Credit Facility”), which we use as necessary as temporary financing, along with short-term bank loans, until we are able to raise longer-term capital. As of December 31, 2019, there were no borrowings outstanding on our Credit Facility and we had no short-term bank loans.

Investments in Real Estate Facilities

As of December 31, 2019, the Company owned and operated 27.6 million rentable square feet comprised of 97 business parks in six states compared to 28.2 million rentable square feet comprised of 96 business parks in six states as of December 31, 2018. The Company also held a 95.0% interest in a 395-unit multifamily apartment complex as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Restrictions on Transactions with Affiliates

The Company’s Restated Bylaws provide that the Company may engage in transactions with affiliates provided that a purchase or sale transaction with an affiliate is (i) approved by a majority of the Company’s independent directors and (ii) fair to the Company based on an independent appraisal or fairness opinion.

Employees

As of December 31, 2019, the Company employed 155 individuals, comprised primarily of personnel engaged in property operations.

Insurance

The Company believes that its properties are adequately insured. Facilities operated by the Company have historically been covered by comprehensive insurance, including fire, earthquake, wind damage and liability coverage from nationally recognized carriers, subject to customary deductibles.

Environmental Matters

Compliance with laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, including those regarding the discharge of material into the environment, has not had any material effect upon the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company.

Substantially all of the Company’s properties have received Phase I environmental reviews. Such reviews have not revealed, and management is not aware of, any probable or reasonably possible environmental costs that management believes would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, assets or results of operations, nor is the Company aware of any potentially material environmental liability. See Item 1A, “Risk Factors” for additional information.

natural disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and floods, which could exceed the aggregate limits of our insurance coverage;

the consequences of changes in climate, including severe weather events, and the steps taken to prevent climate change, could result in increased capital expenditures and expenses

the expense of periodically renovating, repairing and re-letting spaces;

the impact of environmental protection laws;

compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations;

increasing operating and maintenance costs, including property taxes, insurance and utilities, if these increased costs cannot be passed through to customers;

the result of a potential November 2020 California statewide ballot initiative (or similar legislative or regulatory actions) that could remove the property tax protections of Proposition 13 with respect to our California real estate and result in substantial increases in our California property tax bills;

adverse changes in tax, real estate and zoning laws and regulations;

increasing competition from other commercial properties in our market;

tenant defaults and bankruptcies;

tenants’ right to sublease space; and

concentration of properties leased to non-rated private companies with uncertain financial strength.

There is significant competition among commercial property operators: Other commercial properties compete with our properties for tenants. Some of the competing properties may be newer and better located than our properties. Competition in the market areas in which many of our properties are located is significant and has affected our occupancy levels, rental rates and operating expenses. We also expect that new properties will be built in our markets. In addition, we compete with other buyers, some of which are larger than us, for attractive commercial properties. Therefore, we may not be able to grow as rapidly as we would like.

We may encounter significant delays and expense in re-letting vacant space, or we may not be able to re-let space at existing rates, in each case resulting in losses of income: When leases expire, we may incur expenses in retrofitting space and we may not be able to re-lease the space on the same terms. Certain leases provide customers with the right to terminate early if they pay a fee. As of December 31, 2019, excluding the asset sold in January, 2020, 2,074 leases, representing 6.5 million, or 24.9%, of the leased square footage of our total portfolio, or 22.7% of annualized rental income, are scheduled to expire in 2020. While we have estimated our cost of renewing leases that expire in 2020, our estimates could be wrong. If we are unable to re-lease space promptly, if the terms are significantly less favorable than anticipated or if the costs are higher, our operating results, cash available for distribution or reinvestment and stock price could be negatively impacted.

Tenant defaults and bankruptcies may reduce our cash flow and distributions: We may have difficulty collecting from customers in default, particularly if they declare bankruptcy. Since many of our customers are non-rated private companies, this risk may be enhanced. There is inherent uncertainty in a customer’s ability to continue paying rent if they are in bankruptcy. This could negatively affect our operating results, cash available for distribution or reinvestment and stock price.

Natural disasters or terrorist attacks could cause damage to our facilities that is not covered by insurance, and could increase costs, reduce revenues, and otherwise impair our operating results: While we maintain insurance coverage for the losses caused by earthquakes, fire or hurricanes, we could suffer uninsured losses or losses in excess of our insurance policy limits for such occurrences. Approximately 40.7% of our properties are located in California and are generally in areas that are subject to risks of earthquake-related damage. In the event of an earthquake, fire, hurricane or other natural disaster, we would remain liable on any mortgage debt or other unsatisfied obligations related to that property. In addition, we may not have sufficient insurance coverage for losses caused by a terrorist attack, or such insurance may not be available or cost-effective. Significant natural disasters, terrorist attacks, threats of future terrorist attacks, or resulting wider armed conflict could have negative impacts on the U.S. economy, reducing

demand for our rental space and impairing our operating results, even if our specific losses were covered. This could negatively affect our operating results, cash available for distribution or reinvestment and stock price.

Consequences of climate change, including severe weather events, and the steps taken to prevent climate change, could result in increased capital expenditures, expenses, and reduced revenues: Direct and indirect impacts of climate change, such as increased destructive weather events, fires, reduced lifespans and population reduction, reduced natural habitats, water, food, arable land, and other resources, as well as resulting armed conflicts, could increase our costs. Governmental, political, and societal pressure could (i) require costly changes to future newly developed facilities, or require retrofitting of our existing facilities, to reduce carbon emissions through multiple avenues including changes to insulation, space configuration, lighting, heating, and air conditioning, and (ii) increase energy costs as a result of switching to less carbon-intensive, but more expensive, sources of energy to operate our facilities.

The illiquidity of our real estate investments may prevent us from adjusting our portfolio to respond to market changes: There may be delays and difficulties in selling real estate. Therefore, we cannot easily change our portfolio when economic conditions change. In addition, when we sell properties at significant gains upon sale, it can increase our distribution requirements, thus making it difficult to retain and reinvest the sales proceeds. Also, REIT tax laws may impose negative consequences if we sell properties held for less than two years.

We may be adversely affected by changes in laws: Increases in income and service taxes may reduce our cash flow and ability to make expected distributions to our shareholders. Additionally, any changes in the tax law applicable to REITs may adversely affect taxation of us and/or our shareholders. Our properties are also subject to various federal, state and local regulatory requirements, such as state and local fire and safety codes. If we fail to comply with these requirements, governmental authorities could fine us or courts could award damages against us. We believe our properties comply with all significant legal requirements. However, these requirements could change in a way that could negatively affect our operating results, cash available for distribution or reinvestment and stock price.

We may incur significant environmental remediation costs: As an owner and operator of real properties, under various federal, state and local environmental laws, we are required to clean up spills or other releases of hazardous or toxic substances on or from our properties. Certain environmental laws impose liability whether or not the owner or buyer knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of the hazardous or toxic substances. In some cases, liability may not be limited to the value of the property. The presence of these substances, or the failure to properly remediate any resulting contamination, whether from environmental or microbial issues, also may adversely affect our ability to sell, lease, operate, or encumber our facilities.

We have conducted preliminary environmental assessments of most of our properties (and conduct these assessments in connection with property acquisitions) to evaluate the environmental condition of, and potential environmental liabilities associated with, our properties. These assessments generally consist of an investigation of environmental conditions at the property (including soil or groundwater sampling or analysis if appropriate), as well as a review of available information regarding the site and publicly available data regarding conditions at other sites in the vicinity. In connection with these property assessments, our operations and recent property acquisitions, we have become aware that prior operations or activities at some properties or from nearby locations have or may have resulted in contamination to the soil or groundwater at these properties. In circumstances where our environmental assessments disclose potential or actual contamination, we may attempt to obtain indemnifications and, in appropriate circumstances, we obtain limited environmental insurance in connection with the properties acquired, but we cannot assure you that such protections will be sufficient to cover actual future liabilities nor that our assessments have identified all such risks. Although we cannot provide any assurance, based on the preliminary environmental assessments, we are not aware of any environmental contamination of our facilities material to our overall business, financial condition or results of operations.

There has been an increasing number of claims and litigation against owners and managers of rental properties relating to moisture infiltration, which can result in mold or other property damage. When we receive a complaint concerning moisture infiltration, condensation or mold problems and/or become aware that an air quality concern exists, we implement corrective measures in accordance with guidelines and protocols we have developed with the assistance of outside experts. We seek to work proactively with our customers to resolve moisture infiltration and mold-related issues, subject to our contractual limitations on liability for such claims. However, we can give no assurance that material legal claims relating to moisture infiltration and the presence of, or exposure to, mold will not arise in the future.

Any such environmental remediation costs or issues, including any potential ongoing impacts on rent or operating expenses, could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price.

Operating costs, including property taxes, could increase: We could be subject to increases in insurance premiums, property and other taxes, repair and maintenance costs, payroll, utility costs, workers compensation, and other operating expenses due to various factors such as inflation, labor shortages, commodity and energy price increases, weather, changes to governmental safety and real estate use limitations, as well as other governmental actions. Our property tax expense, which totaled $45.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2019, generally depends upon the assessed value of our real estate facilities as determined by assessors and government agencies, and accordingly could be subject to substantial increases if such agencies changed their valuation approaches or opinions or if new laws are enacted, especially if new approaches are adopted or laws are enacted that result in increased property tax assessments in states or municipalities where we have a high concentration of facilities.

We have exposure to increased property tax in California: Approximately $126.3 million of our 2019 net operating income is from our properties in California, and we incurred approximately $15.1 million in related property tax expense. Due to the impact of Proposition 13, which generally limits increases in assessed values to 2% per year, the assessed value and resulting property tax we pay is significantly less than it would be if the properties were assessed at current values. From time to time proposals have been made to reduce the beneficial impact of Proposition 13, particularly with respect to commercial and industrial (non-residential) real estate. In late 2018, an initiative qualified for California’s November 2020 statewide ballot that would create a “split roll,” generally making Proposition 13’s protections only applicable to residential real estate. We cannot predict whether the initiative will actually be on the ballot in 2020, or what the prospects for passage might be, or whether other changes to Proposition 13 may be proposed or adopted. If the initiative or a similar proposal were to be adopted, it would end the beneficial effect of Proposition 13 for our properties, and our property tax expense could increase substantially, adversely affecting our cash flow from operations and net income.

We must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, fire and safety regulations and zoning requirements, which can require significant expenditures: All of our properties must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with related regulations (the “ADA”). The ADA has separate compliance requirements for “public accommodations” and “commercial facilities,” but generally requires that buildings be made accessible to persons with disabilities. Various state laws impose similar requirements. A failure to comply with the ADA or similar state laws could lead to government imposed fines on us and/or litigation, which could also involve an award of damages to individuals affected by the non-compliance. In addition, we must operate our properties in compliance with numerous local fire and safety regulations, building codes, zoning requirements and other land use regulations, all of which are subject to change and could become more costly to comply with in the future. The cost of compliance with these requirements can be substantial, and could reduce cash otherwise available for distribution to shareholders. Failure to comply with these requirements could also affect the marketability and rentability of our real estate facilities.

We incur liability from customer and employment-related claims: From time to time we have to make monetary settlements or defend actions or arbitration to resolve customer or employment-related claims and disputes. Settling any such liabilities could negatively impact our earnings and cash available for distribution to shareholders, and could also adversely affect our ability to sell, lease, operate, or encumber affected facilities.

Our development of real estate can subject us to certain risks: As of December 31, 2019, we have a 95% interest in a 395-unit multifamily apartment complex with an aggregate cost of $115.4 million, including the fair value of the land. We also have successfully rezoned our 628,000 square foot office park within The Mile and are able to pursue the development of additional multifamily and mixed use projects. We are also considering the potential redevelopment of other facilities in our portfolio. Development or redevelopment of facilities are subject to a number of risks, including construction delays, complications in obtaining necessary zoning, occupancy and other governmental permits, cost overruns, failures of our development partners, financing risks, and the possible inability to meet expected occupancy and rent levels. In addition, we do not have experience in multifamily development and are relying to some degree on the experience of our joint venture partner. As a result of these risks, our development projects may be worth less or may generate less revenue than we believed at the time of development. Any of the foregoing risks could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price. In addition, we may be unable to successfully integrate and effectively manage the properties we develop, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Global economic conditions can adversely affect our business, financial condition, growth and access to capital.

Economic conditions in the areas we operate, capital markets, global economic conditions, and other events or factors could adversely affect rental demand for our real estate, our ability to grow our business and acquire new facilities, to access capital, as well as the value of our real estate. Such conditions, which could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price, include the following:

Commercial credit markets: Our results of operations and share price are sensitive to volatility in the credit markets. From time to time, the commercial real estate debt markets experience volatility as a result of various factors, including changing underwriting standards by lenders and credit rating agencies. This may result in lenders increasing the cost for debt financing, which could affect the economic viability of any acquisition or development activities we may undertake or otherwise increase our costs of borrowing. Conversely, to the extent that debt becomes cheaper or underwriting terms become more favorable, it could increase the overall amount of capital being invested in real estate, allowing more competitors to bid for facilities that we may wish to acquire, reducing the potential yield from acquisitions or preventing us from acquiring assets we might otherwise wish to acquire.

Capital markets: The issuance of perpetual preferred securities historically has been a significant source of capital to grow our business, and we have considered issuing unsecured debt publicly or in private transactions. We also consider issuance of our common equity a potential source of capital. Our ability to access these sources of capital can be adversely affected by challenging market conditions, which can increase the cost of issuance of preferred equity and debt, and reduce the value of our common shares, making such sources of capital less attractive or not feasible. We believe that we have sufficient working capital and capacity under our credit facilities and our retained cash flow from operations to continue to operate our business as usual and meet our current obligations. However, if we were unable to issue public equity or borrow at reasonable rates, that could limit the earnings growth that might otherwise result from the acquisition and development of real estate facilities.

Asset valuations: Market volatility makes the valuation of our properties difficult. There may be significant uncertainty in the valuation, or in the stability of the value, of our properties, which could result in a substantial decrease in the value of our properties. As a result, we may not be able to recover the carrying amount of our properties, which may require us to recognize an impairment charge in earnings. Reductions in the value of our assets could result in a reduction in the value of our common shares.

Potential negative impacts upon demand for our space and customers’ ability to pay: We believe that our current and prospective customers are susceptible to global and local economic conditions as well as the impact of capital markets, asset valuations, and commercial credit markets, which could result in an impairment of our customers’ existing business operations or curtail plans for growth. Such impairment could reduce demand for our rental space, or make it difficult for customers to fulfill their obligations to us under their leases.

The acquisition of existing properties is a significant component of our long-term growth strategy, and acquisitions of existing properties are subject to risks that may adversely affect our growth and financial results.

We acquire existing properties, either in individual transactions or portfolios offered by other commercial real estate owners. In addition to the general risks related to real estate described above, we are also subject to the following risks associated with the acquisition of real estate facilities which could negatively impact our operating results, cash flow available for distribution or reinvestment and our stock price:

Due diligence could be insufficient: Failure to identify all significant circumstances or conditions that affect the value, rentability, or costs of operation of an acquired facility, such as unidentified structural, environmental, zoning, or marketability issues, could jeopardize realization of anticipated earnings from an acquisition and negatively impact our operating results.

We could fail to successfully integrate acquired properties into our platform: Failures to integrate acquired properties into our operating platform, such as a failure to maintain existing relationships with customers due to changes in processes, standards, customer service, could temporarily or permanently impair our operating results.

We compete with other real estate operators for facilities: We face significant competition for suitable acquisition properties from other real estate investors, including other publicly traded real estate investment trusts and private institutional investors. As a result, we may be unable to acquire additional properties we desire or the purchase price for desirable properties may be significantly increased, reducing potential yields from acquisitions.

Acquired properties are subject to property tax reappraisals, which occur following the acquisition and can be difficult to estimate: Facilities that we acquire are subject to property tax reappraisal, which can substantially increase ongoing property taxes. The reappraisal process is subject to a significant degree of uncertainty, because it involves the judgment of governmental agencies regarding real estate values and other factors. In connection with underwriting future or recent acquisitions of properties, if our estimates of property taxes following reappraisal are too low, we may not realize anticipated earnings from an acquisition.

We would incur adverse tax consequences if we fail to qualify as a REIT.

We believe that we have qualified as a REIT and intend to continue to maintain our REIT status. However, there can be no assurance that we qualify or will continue to qualify as a REIT, because of the highly technical nature of the REIT rules, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, the possibility of unidentified issues in prior periods or changes in our circumstances, as well as share ownership limits in our articles of incorporation that do not necessarily ensure that our shareholder base is sufficiently diverse for us to qualify as a REIT. For any year we fail to qualify as a REIT, unless certain relief provisions apply, we would not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid, we would be subject to corporate tax on our taxable income, and generally we would not be allowed to elect REIT status until the fifth year after such a disqualification. Any taxes, interest, and penalties incurred would reduce our cash available for distributions to shareholders and could negatively affect our stock price. However, for years in which we failed to qualify as a REIT, we would not be subject to REIT rules which require us to distribute substantially all of our taxable income to our shareholders.

We may need to borrow funds to meet our REIT distribution requirements.

As a REIT, we must distribute substantially all of our “REIT taxable income” to our shareholders. Our income consists primarily of our share of our OP’s income. We intend to make sufficient distributions to qualify as a REIT and otherwise avoid corporate tax. However, differences in timing between income and expenses and the need to make nondeductible expenditures such as capital improvements and principal payments on debt could force us to borrow funds to make necessary shareholder distributions. Future dividend levels are not determinable at this time.

Changes in tax laws could negatively impact us.

The United States Treasury Department and Congress frequently review U.S. federal income tax legislation, regulations and other guidance. We cannot predict whether, when or to what extent new U.S. federal tax laws, regulations, interpretations or rulings will be adopted. Any legislative action may prospectively modify our tax treatment and, therefore, may adversely affect taxation of us or our shareholders.

PS has significant influence over us.

As of December 31, 2019, PS owned 7.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock and 7.3 million common units of the OP (100.0% of the common units not owned by the Company). Assuming issuance of the Company’s common stock upon redemption of its partnership units, PS would own 41.6% (or 14.5 million shares) of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock at December 31, 2019. In addition, the PS Business Parks name and logo are owned by PS and licensed to the Company under a non-exclusive, royalty-free license agreement. The license can be terminated by either party for any reason with six months written notice. Ronald L. Havner, Jr., the Company’s chairman, is also Chairman of Trustees of PS. Joseph D. Russell, Jr. is a director and former Chief Executive Officer of the Company and also President and Chief Executive Officer of PS. Gary E. Pruitt, an independent director of the Company, is also a trustee of PS. Consequently, PS has the ability to significantly influence all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including electing directors, changing our articles of incorporation, dissolving and approving other extraordinary transactions such as mergers, and all matters requiring the consent of the limited partners of the OP. PS’s interest in such matters may differ from other shareholders. In addition, PS’s ownership may make it more difficult for another party to take over or acquire our Company without PS’s approval, even if favorable to our public shareholders.

Provisions in our organizational documents may prevent changes in control.

Our articles generally prohibit any person from owning more than 7% of our shares: Our articles of incorporation restrict the number of shares that may be owned by any “person,” and the partnership agreement of our OP contains an anti-takeover provision. No shareholder (other than PS and certain other specified shareholders) may own more than 7% of the outstanding shares of our common stock, unless our Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) waives this limitation. We imposed this limitation to avoid, to the extent possible, a concentration of ownership that might jeopardize our ability to qualify as a REIT. This limitation, however, also makes a change of control much more difficult (if not impossible). These provisions will prevent future takeover attempts not supported by PS even if a majority of our public shareholders consider it to be in their best interests, such as to receive a premium for their shares over market value or for other reasons.

Our Board can set the terms of certain securities without shareholder approval: Our Board is authorized, without shareholder approval, to issue up to 50.0 million shares of preferred stock and up to 100.0 million shares of equity stock, in each case in one or more series. Our Board has the right to set the terms of each of these series of stock.

Consequently, the Board could set the terms of a series of stock that could make it difficult (if not impossible) for another party to take over our Company even if it might be favorable to our public shareholders. Our articles of incorporation also contain other provisions that could have the same effect. We can also cause our OP to issue additional interests for cash or in exchange for property.

The partnership agreement of our OP restricts our ability to enter into mergers: The partnership agreement of our OP generally provides that we may not merge or engage in a similar transaction unless either the limited partners of our OP are entitled to receive the same proportionate consideration as our shareholders, or 60% of the OP’s limited partners approve the merger. In addition, we may not consummate a merger unless the matter is approved by a vote of the OP’s partners, with our interests in the OP voted in proportion to the manner in which our shareholders voted to approve the merger. These provisions have the effect of increasing PS’s influence over us due to PS’s ownership of operating partnership units. These provisions may make it more difficult for us to merge with another entity.

The interests of limited partners of our OP may conflict with the interests of our common stockholders.

Limited partners of our OP, including PS, have the right to vote on certain changes to the partnership agreement. They may vote in a way that is against the interests of our shareholders. Also, as general partner of our OP, we are required to protect the interests of the limited partners of the OP. The interests of the limited partners and of our shareholders may differ.

We depend on external sources of capital to grow our Company.

We are generally required under the Code to annually distribute at least 90% of our “REIT taxable income.” Because of this distribution requirement, we may not be able to fund future capital needs, including any necessary building and tenant improvements, from operating cash flow. Consequently, we may need to rely on third-party sources of capital to fund our capital needs. We may not be able to obtain the financing on favorable terms or at all. Access to third-party sources of capital depends, in part, on general market conditions, the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current and expected future earnings, our cash flow, and the market price per share of our common stock. If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources, we may not be able to acquire properties when strategic opportunities exist, satisfy any debt service obligations, or make cash distributions to shareholders.

We are subject to laws and governmental regulations and actions that affect our operating results and financial condition.

Our business is subject to regulation under a wide variety of U.S. federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies including those applicable to our status as a REIT, and those imposed by the SEC, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), as well as applicable local, state and national labor laws. Although we have policies and procedures designed to comply with applicable laws and regulations, failure to comply with the various laws and regulations may result in civil and criminal liability, fines and penalties, increased costs of compliance and restatement of our financial statements and could also affect the marketability of our real estate facilities.

In response to current economic conditions or the current political environment or otherwise, laws and regulations could be implemented or changed in ways that adversely affect our operating results and financial condition, such as legislation that could otherwise increase operating costs. Such changes could also adversely affect the operations of our customers, which could affect the price and demand for our space as well as our customer’s ability to pay their rent.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”) went into effect on January 1, 2020. The CCPA requires, among other things, companies that collect personal information about California residents to make new disclosures to those residents about their data collection, use and sharing practices, allows residents to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties, and provides a new cause of action for data breaches. However, regulations from the California Attorney General have not been finalized, and it is expected that additional amendments to the CCPA will be introduced in 2020. It therefore remains unclear what, if any, modifications will be made to the CCPA or how it will be interpreted. While we believe we have developed processes to comply with CCPA requirements, a regulatory agency may not agree with certain of our implementation decisions, which could subject us to litigation, regulatory actions or changes to our business practices that could increase costs or reduce revenues. Other states have also considered or are considering privacy laws similar to the CCPA. Similar laws may be implemented in other jurisdictions that we do business in and in ways that may be more restrictive than the CCPA, increasing the cost of compliance, as well as the risk of noncompliance, on our business.

Holders of depositary shares, each representing 1/1,000 of a share of our outstanding preferred stock, have dividend, liquidation and other rights that are senior to the rights of the holders of shares of our common stock.

Holders of our shares of preferred stock are entitled to cumulative dividends before any dividends may be declared or set aside on our common stock. Upon liquidation, before any payment is made to holders of our common stock, shares of our preferred stock are entitled to receive a liquidation preference of $25,000 per share (or $25.00 per depositary share) plus any accrued and unpaid distributions before any payment is made to the common shareholders. These preferences may limit the amount received by our common shareholders for ongoing distributions or upon liquidation. In addition, our preferred stockholders have the right to elect two additional directors to our Board whenever dividends are in arrears in an aggregate amount equivalent to six or more quarterly dividends, whether or not consecutive.

Preferred Shareholders are subject to certain risks.

Holders of our preferred shares have preference rights over our common shareholders with respect to liquidation and distributions, which gives them some assurance of continued payment of their stated dividend rate, and receipt of their principal upon liquidation of the Company or redemption of their securities. However, holders of our preferred shares should consider the following risks:

The Company has in the past, and could in the future, issue or assume additional debt. Preferred shareholders would be subordinated to the interest and principal payments of such debt, which would increase the risk that there would not be sufficient funds to pay distributions or liquidation amounts to the preferred shareholders.

The Company has in the past, and could in the future, issue additional preferred shares that, while pari passu to the existing preferred shares, increases the risk that there would not be sufficient funds to pay distributions to the preferred shareholders.

While the Company has no plans to do so, if the Company were to lose its REIT status or no longer elect REIT status, it would no longer be required to distribute its taxable income to maintain REIT status. If, in such a circumstance, the Company ceased paying dividends, unpaid distributions to the preferred shareholders would continue to accumulate. While the preferred shareholders would have the ability to elect two additional members to serve on our Board until the arrearage was cured. The preferred shareholders would not receive any compensation (such as interest) for the delay in the receipt of distributions, and it is possible that the arrearage could accumulate indefinitely.

We rely on technology in our operations and failures, inadequacies or interruptions to our service could harm our business.

The execution of our business strategy is heavily dependent on the use of technologies and systems, including the Internet, to access, store, transmit, deliver and manage information and processes. We rely extensively on third-party vendors to retain data, process transactions and provide other systems services. The failure, damage or interruption of these systems, including as a result of power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, hackers, computer worms, viruses and other destructive or disruptive security breaches, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other catastrophic events could significantly and have a material adverse effect on our business.

If our confidential information is compromised or corrupted, including as a result of a cybersecurity breach, our reputation and business relationships could be damaged, which could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

In the ordinary course of our business we acquire and store sensitive data, including personally identifiable information of our prospective and current customers and our employees. The secure processing and maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Although we believe we have taken commercially reasonable steps to protect the security of our confidential information, information security risks have generally increased in recent years due to the rise in new technologies and the increased sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyberattacks. Despite our security measures, we have experienced security breaches due to cyberattacks and additional breaches could occur in the future. When we experience security breaches our information technology and infrastructure is vulnerable and our or our customers’ or employees’ confidential information could be compromised or misappropriated. Any such breach could result in serious and harmful consequences for us.

Our confidential information may also be compromised due to programming or human error or malfeasance. We must continually evaluate and adapt our systems and processes to address the evolving threat landscape, and therefore

there is no guarantee that they will be adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches or misuses of data. In addition, as the regulatory environment related to information security, data collection and use, and privacy becomes increasingly rigorous, with new and changing requirements applicable to our business from multiple regulatory agencies at the local, state, federal, or international level, compliance with those requirement could also result in additional costs, or we could fail to comply with those requirements due to various reasons such as not being aware of them.

Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, disruption to our operations and the services we provide to customers or damage our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations, reputation and competitive position. In addition, our customers could lose confidence in our ability to protect their personal information, which could cause them to discontinue leasing our facilities. Such events could lead to lost future revenues and adversely affect our results of operations and could result in remedial and other costs, fines or lawsuits, which could be in excess of any available insurance that we have procured.

Competition exists in each of the market areas in which these properties are located, and we have risks that customers could default on leases and declare bankruptcy. We believe these risks are mitigated in part through the Company’s geographic diversity and our diverse customer base.

Please refer to Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for portfolio information with respect to lease expirations and operating results in 2019, 2018 and 2017 by region and by type of rentable space.