Below are some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to our business, operating results, prospects, and financial condition. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business.

Risks Related to Our Business and Properties

If we are unable to find suitable investments or they become too expensive, we may not be able to achieve our investment objectives, and the returns on our investments will be lower than they otherwise would be; if we are unable to sell a property when we plan to do so, our operational and financial flexibility may become limited, including our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.

We are competing for real estate investments with other REITs; real estate limited partnerships; pension funds and their advisors; bank and insurance company investment accounts; individuals; non U.S. investors; and other entities. The market for high-quality commercial real estate assets is highly competitive, given how infrequently those assets become available for purchase. As a result, many real estate investors, including us, face aggressive competition to purchase quality office real estate assets. A significant number of entities and resources competing for high-quality office properties support relatively high acquisition prices for such properties, which may reduce the number of acquisition opportunities available to, or affordable for, us and could put pressure on

our profitability and our ability to pay distributions to stockholders. We cannot be sure that we will be successful in obtaining suitable investments with financially attractive terms or that, if we make investments, our objectives will be achieved.

Because real estate investments are relatively illiquid, our ability to promptly sell one or more properties in our portfolio in response to changing economic, financial, and investment conditions may be limited. Purchasers may not be willing to pay acceptable prices for properties that we wish to sell. General economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates, capitalization rates, and other factors, including supply and demand, all of which are beyond our control, affect the real estate market. Therefore, we may be unable to sell a property for the price, on the terms, or within the time frame that we want. That inability could reduce our cash flow and cause our results of operations to suffer, limiting our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. Additionally, our properties' market values depend principally upon the value of the properties' leases and the net operating income generated by the leases. A property may incur vacancies either by the default of tenants under their leases or the expiration of tenant leases. If vacancies occur and continue for a prolonged period of time, it may become difficult to locate suitable buyers for any such property, and property resale values may suffer, which could result in lower returns for our stockholders.

Further, timing differences in our acquisitions and dispositions may create temporary fluctuations in our earnings and cash available for distribution to stockholders.

Economic conditions may cause the creditworthiness of our tenants to deteriorate and occupancy and market rental rates to decline.

Although U.S. macroeconomic conditions continued to be relatively stable during 2018, several economic factors, including increases in interest rates, may adversely affect the financial condition and liquidity of many businesses, as well as the demand for office space generally. Should economic conditions worsen, our tenants' ability to honor their contractual obligations may suffer. Further, it may become increasingly difficult to maintain our occupancy rate and achieve future rental rates comparable to the rental rates of our currently in-place leases as we seek to re-lease space and/or renew existing leases.

Our office properties were approximately 97.4% leased at December 31, 2018 , and provisions for uncollectible tenant receivables, net of recoveries, were less than 0.1% of total revenues for the year then ended. As a percentage of 2018 annualized lease revenue, approximately 3% of leases expire in 2019 , 6% of leases expire in 2020 , and 16% of leases expire in 2021 (see Item 2, Properties ). No assurances can be given that economic conditions will not have a material adverse effect on our ability to re-lease space at favorable rates or on our ability to maintain our current occupancy rate and our low provisions for uncollectible tenant receivables.

Changes in general economic conditions and regulatory matters germane to the real estate industry may cause our operating results to suffer and the value of our real estate properties to decline.

Our operating results are subject to risks generally incident to the ownership of real estate, including:

These and other reasons may prevent us from being profitable or from realizing growth or maintaining the value of our real estate properties.

We are dependent upon the economic climates of our markets – New York; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Boston; Los Angeles; and Atlanta.

In addition, market and economic conditions in the metropolitan areas in which we derive a substantial portion of our revenue such as New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Atlanta, may have a significant impact on our overall occupancy levels and rental rates and, therefore, our profitability. Furthermore, our business strategy involves continued focus on select core markets, which will increase the impact of the local economic conditions in such markets on our results of operations in future periods. These and other reasons may prevent us from being profitable or from realizing growth or maintaining the value of our real estate properties.

We depend on tenants for our revenue, and lease defaults or terminations, particularly by a significant tenant, could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations and limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

The success of our investments materially depends on the financial stability of our tenants. A default or termination by a significant tenant on its lease payments to us would cause us to lose the revenue associated with such lease and require us to find an alternative source of revenue to meet debt payments and prevent a foreclosure if the property is subject to a mortgage, could cause us to violate our bank debt covenants, or could impact our credit rating. In the event of a tenant default or bankruptcy, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment and re-letting our property. If a tenant defaults on or terminates a significant lease, we may be unable to lease the property for the rent previously received or sell the property without incurring a loss. In addition, significant expenditures for our properties and our company, such as real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance costs, together with general and administrative costs and debt payments, do not decrease when revenues decrease. Therefore, these events could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or cause us to reduce the amount of distributions to stockholders.

As of December 31, 2018, no more than 6% of our 2018 annualized lease revenue was attributable to any individual tenant. In the future, however, we may have a significant tenant who does account for more than 6% of our 2018 annualized lease revenue, and accordingly, any event of bankruptcy, insolvency, or a general downturn in the business of such tenant may result in the failure or delay of the tenant's rental payments, which may have a substantial adverse effect on our operating performance.

Future acquisitions may fail to perform in accordance with our expectations, may require renovation costs exceeding our estimates or expose us to unknown liabilities, and may be located in new markets where we may face risks associated with investing in an unfamiliar market.

In the normal course of business, we typically evaluate potential acquisitions, enter into nonbinding letters of intent, and may, at any time, enter into contracts to acquire, develop, or redevelop additional properties. Our properties may fail to perform in accordance with our expectations due to lease-up risk, renovation cost risks, and other factors. In addition, the renovation and improvement costs we incur to bring a property up to market standards may exceed our estimates. We may not have the financial resources to make suitable acquisitions or renovations on favorable terms or at all. The properties we acquire, develop, or redevelop may be subject to liabilities for which we have no recourse, or only limited recourse, against the prior owners or other third parties with respect to unknown liabilities. As a result, if a liability were asserted against us based upon ownership of those properties, we might have to pay substantial sums to settle or contest it, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flow. Unknown liabilities with respect to our properties might include:

Furthermore, we may acquire, develop, or redevelop properties located in markets in which we do not have an established presence. We may face risks associated with a lack of market knowledge or understanding of the local economy, forging new business relationships in the area, and unfamiliarity with local government and permitting procedures. As a result, the operating performance of properties acquired, developed, or redeveloped in new markets may be less than we anticipate, and we may have difficulty integrating such properties into our existing portfolio. In addition, the time and resources that may be required to obtain market knowledge and/or integrate such properties into our existing portfolio could divert our management's attention from our existing business or other attractive opportunities in our established markets.

Uninsured losses relating to real property or excessively expensive premiums for insurance coverage could reduce our net income, and materially and adversely affect our business or financial condition.

We may incur losses from time to time that are uninsurable or not economically feasible to insure, or may be insured subject to limitations, such as large deductibles or co-payments. Some of these losses could be catastrophic in nature, such as losses due to earthquakes, acts of terrorism, fire, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, pollution, wars, or environmental matters. For example, we have properties located in San Francisco, California, an area especially susceptible to earthquakes, and, collectively, these properties represent approximately  26% of our 2018 annualized lease revenue, as described in Item 2, Properties . Because several of these properties are located in close proximity to one another, an earthquake in the San Francisco area could materially damage, destroy, or impair the use by tenants of all of these properties. Furthermore, insurance risks associated with potential terrorist acts could sharply increase the premiums we pay for coverage against property and casualty claims. Additionally, mortgage lenders in some cases insist that commercial property owners purchase coverage against terrorism as a condition of providing mortgage loans. Such insurance policies may not be available at a reasonable cost, if at all, which could inhibit our ability to finance or refinance our properties. In such instances, we may be required to provide other financial support, either through financial assurances or

self-insurance, to cover potential losses. In addition, we may not have adequate coverage for losses. If any of our properties incur a loss that is not fully insured, the value of that asset will be reduced by such uninsured loss. Furthermore, other than any working capital reserves or other reserves that we may establish, or our existing line of credit, we do not have additional sources of funding specifically designated for repairs or reconstruction of any our properties. To the extent we incur significant uninsured losses, or are required to pay unexpectedly large amounts for insurance, our results of operations or financial condition could be adversely affected.

If we are unable to fund the future capital needs of our properties, cash distributions to our stockholders and the value of our investments could decline.

When tenants do not renew their leases or otherwise vacate their space, we often need to expend substantial funds for tenant improvements to the vacated space in order to attract replacement tenants. In addition, although we expect that our leases with tenants will require tenants to pay routine property maintenance costs, we will likely be responsible for any major structural repairs, such as repairs to the foundation, exterior walls, and rooftops.

If we need significant capital in the future to improve or maintain our properties or for any other reason, we will have to obtain financing from sources such as cash flow from operations, borrowings, property sales, or future equity offerings. These sources of funding may not be available on attractive terms or at all. If we cannot procure the necessary funding for capital improvements, our investments may generate lower cash flows or decline in value, or both, which would limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

We have incurred and may continue to incur indebtedness, which may increase our business risks.

As of February 4, 2019, our total consolidated indebtedness was approximately $1.3 billion, which includes a $150.0 million term loan and $700.0 million of bonds with fixed interest rates, or with interest rates that are effectively fixed when considered in connection with an interest rate swap agreement; and $498.0 million in outstanding borrowings on our line of credit, with a variable interest rate. We may incur additional indebtedness to acquire, develop, or redevelop properties, to fund property improvements and other capital expenditures, to pay our distributions, and for other purposes.

Significant borrowings by us increase the risks of an investment in us. If there is a shortfall between the cash flow from properties and the cash flow needed to service our indebtedness, then the amount available for distributions to stockholders may be reduced. In addition, incurring mortgage debt increases the risk of loss since defaults on indebtedness secured by a property may result in lenders initiating foreclosure actions. In that case, we could lose the property securing the loan that is in default. If any of our properties are foreclosed due to a default, our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders will be limited. For tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but we would not receive any cash proceeds. We may give full or partial guarantees to lenders of mortgage debt on behalf of the entities that own our properties. When we give a guaranty on behalf of an entity that owns one of our properties, we are responsible to the lender for satisfaction of the debt if it is not paid by such entity.

If any indebtedness contains cross-collateralization or cross-default provisions, a default on a single loan could affect multiple properties. Our unsecured credit facility (the "Revolving Credit Facility") and our two unsecured term loan facilities each include a cross-default provision that provides that a payment default under any recourse obligation of $50 million or more by us, Columbia Property Trust OP, or any of our subsidiaries, constitutes a default under the line of credit and term loan facilities.

Increases in interest rates could increase the amount of our debt payments and make it difficult for us to refinance our unsecured bank debt or bonds, or to finance or refinance properties, which could reduce the number of properties we can acquire, develop, or redevelop, our net income, and the amount of cash distributions we can make.

We expect to incur additional indebtedness in the future, which may include term loans, borrowings under a credit facility, unsecured bonds, or mortgages. Increases in interest rates will increase interest costs on our variable-interest debt instruments, which would reduce our cash flows and our ability to pay distributions. If mortgage debt is unavailable at reasonable interest rates, we may not be able to finance the purchase of properties. If we place mortgage debt on properties, we run the risk of being unable to refinance the properties when the loans become due, or of being unable to refinance on favorable terms. In addition, if we need to repay existing debt during periods of higher interest rates, we may need to sell one or more of our investments in order to repay the debt, which sale at that time might not permit realization of the maximum return on such investments.

Our variable-interest debt instruments may use London Interbank Offering Rate (“LIBOR”) as a benchmark for establishing the rate. LIBOR is the subject of recent national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. These reforms and other pressures may cause LIBOR to disappear entirely or to perform differently than in the past. The consequences of these

developments cannot be entirely predicted but could include an increase in the cost of our variable-interest debt instruments. If LIBOR is no longer widely available, or otherwise at our option, our Revolving Credit Facility and term loan facilities provide for alternate interest rate calculations. 

If any of these events occur, our cash flow would be reduced. This, in turn, would reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders and may hinder our ability to raise capital in the future through additional borrowings or debt or equity offerings. For additional information, please refer to Item 7A, Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk, for additional information regarding interest rate risk.

Lenders may require us to enter into restrictive covenants relating to our operations, which could limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

When providing financing, a lender may impose restrictions on us that affect our distribution and operating policies and our ability to incur additional debt. Loan documents we enter into may contain covenants that limit our ability to further mortgage the property or discontinue insurance coverage. These or other limitations may limit our flexibility and our ability to execute on our operating plans.

A downgrade in the credit rating of our debt could materially adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our senior unsecured debt is rated investment grade by Standard & Poor's Corporation and Moody's Investors Service. In determining our credit ratings, the rating agencies consider a number of both quantitative and qualitative factors, including earnings, fixed charges, cash flows, total debt outstanding, total secured debt, off balance sheet obligations, total capitalization, and various ratios calculated from these factors. The rating agencies also consider predictability of cash flows, business strategy, joint venture activity, property development risks, industry conditions, and contingencies. Therefore, any deterioration in our operating performance could cause our investment-grade rating to come under pressure. Our corporate credit rating at Standard & Poor's Ratings Service is currently "BBB" with a stable outlook, and our corporate credit rating at Moody's Investor Service is currently "Baa2" with a stable outlook. There can be no assurance that our credit ratings will not be lowered or withdrawn in their entirety. A negative change in our ratings outlook or any downgrade in our current investment-grade credit ratings by rating agencies could adversely affect our cost and access to sources of liquidity and capital. Additionally, a downgrade could, among other things, increase the costs of borrowing under our credit facility and term loans, adversely impact our ability to obtain unsecured debt or refinance our unsecured debt on competitive terms in the future, or require us to take certain actions to support our obligations, any of which would adversely affect our business and financial condition.

We face risks relating to the occurrence of cyber incidents, or a deficiency in our cybersecurity, which could negatively impact our business by causing a disruption to our operations, a compromise of confidential information, and/or damage to our business relationships.

A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of our information resources. More specifically, a cyber incident is an intentional attack or an unintentional event that can include gaining unauthorized access to systems to disrupt operations, corrupt data, or steal confidential information. A breach of our privacy or information security systems or our tenants' privacy or information security systems, particularly through cyber attacks or cyber intrusion, could materially adversely affect our business and financial condition. Privacy and information security risks have generally increased in recent years because of the proliferation of new technologies and the increased sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyber attacks. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks of cyber attacks to our systems, both internal and those we have outsourced. Cyber attacks can be both individual and highly organized attempts planned by very sophisticated hacking organizations. Risks that could directly result from the occurrence of a cyber incident include operational interruption, damage to our relationships with our tenants, potential errors from misstated financial reports, missed reporting deadlines, and private data exposure, among others. Any or all of the preceding risks could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

We employ a number of measures to prevent, detect, and mitigate these threats, which include dual factor authentication, frequent password change events, firewall detection systems, frequent backups, a redundant data system for core applications and annual breach testing. While, to date, we have not had a significant cyber breach or attack that has had a material impact on our business or results of operations, there can be no assurance that our efforts to maintain the security and integrity of our systems will be effective, or that we will be able to maintain our systems free from security breaches or other operational interruptions.

A cybersecurity attack could compromise the confidential information of our employees, customers, and vendors. A successful attack could disrupt and affect our business operations, damage our reputation, and result in significant remediation and litigation costs. Further, one or more of our tenants could experience a cyber incident which could impact their operations and ability to perform under the terms of their lease with us. While we maintain insurance coverage that may, subject to policy terms and conditions including deductibles, cover specific aspects of cyber risks, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all

losses. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to enhance our information security measures and to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities.

We are and may continue to be subject to litigation, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

We currently are, and are likely to continue to be, subject to a variety of claims arising in the ordinary course of business. Such claims could include personal injury claims, contract claims, and claims alleging violations of federal and state law regarding workplace and employment matters, discrimination, and similar matters. Some of these claims may result in significant defense costs and potentially significant judgments against us, some of which are not, or cannot be, insured against. Although we defend ourselves against any such claims, we cannot be certain of the ultimate outcomes of currently asserted claims or of those that arise in the future. Resolution of these types of matters against us may result in our having to pay significant fines, judgments, or settlements, which, if uninsured, or if the fines, judgments, and settlements exceed insured levels, would adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby impacting our ability to service debt and make distributions to our stockholders.

Costs of complying with governmental laws and regulations may reduce our net income and the cash available for distributions to our stockholders.

All real property and the operations conducted on real property are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and human health and safety. Some of these laws and regulations may impose joint and several liability on tenants, owners, or operators for the costs to investigate or remediate contaminated properties, regardless of fault or whether the acts causing the contamination were legal. In addition, the presence of hazardous substances, or the failure to properly remediate these substances, may hinder our ability to sell, rent, or pledge such property as collateral for future borrowings.

Compliance with new laws or regulations, or stricter interpretation of existing laws, may require us to incur material expenditures. Future laws, ordinances, or regulations may impose material environmental liability. Additionally, our tenants' operations, the existing condition of land when we buy it, operations in the vicinity of our properties, such as the presence of underground storage tanks or activities of unrelated third parties may affect our properties. Furthermore, there are various local, state, and federal regulatory requirements, such as fire, health, life-safety, and similar regulations, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, with which we may be required to comply, and which may subject us to liability in the form of fines or damages for noncompliance. Any material expenditures, fines, or damages we must pay would adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby impacting our ability to service debt and make distributions to our stockholders.

Compliance or failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act or other safety regulations and requirements could result in substantial costs. 

The Americans with Disabilities Act generally requires that certain buildings, including office buildings, be made accessible to disabled persons. Noncompliance could result in the imposition of fines by the federal government or the award of damages to private litigants. If, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, we are required to make substantial alterations and capital expenditures in one or more of our properties, including the removal of access barriers, it could adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby impacting our ability to service debt and make distributions to our stockholders. 

Our properties are subject to various federal, state, and local regulatory requirements, such as state and local fire and life safety requirements. If we fail to comply with these requirements, we could incur fines or private damage awards. We do not know whether existing requirements will change or whether compliance with future requirements will require significant unanticipated expenditures that will affect our cash flow and results of operations. 

Discovery of previously undetected environmentally hazardous conditions may decrease our revenues and limit our ability to make distributions.

Under various federal, state, and local environmental laws, ordinances, and regulations, a current or previous real property owner or operator may be liable for the cost to remove or remediate hazardous or toxic substances on, under, or in such property. These costs could be substantial. Such laws often impose liability whether or not the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. Environmental laws also may impose restrictions on the manner in which property may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures or prevent us from entering into leases with prospective tenants that may be impacted by such laws. Environmental laws provide for sanctions for noncompliance and may be enforced by governmental agencies or, in certain circumstances, by private parties. Certain environmental laws and common law principles could be used to impose liability for release of and exposure to hazardous substances, including asbestos-containing materials. Third parties may seek recovery from real property owners or operators for personal injury or property damage associated with exposure to released hazardous substances. The cost of defending against claims of liability, of complying with environmental regulatory requirements, of remediating any contaminated property, or of paying personal injury claims could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Property ownership through joint ventures may limit our ability to act exclusively in our interest.

We have entered into six joint venture arrangements and in the future may acquire, develop, or redevelop properties in, or contribute properties to, joint ventures with other persons or entities when we believe circumstances warrant the use of such structures. We could become engaged in a dispute with one or more of our joint venture partners, which might affect our ability to operate a jointly owned property. Moreover, joint venture partners may have business, economic, or other objectives that are inconsistent with our objectives, including objectives that relate to the appropriate timing and terms of any sale or refinancing of a property. In some instances, joint venture partners may have competing interests in our markets that could create conflicts of interest. Also, our joint venture partners might refuse to make capital contributions when due, and we may be responsible to our partners for indemnifiable losses. We and our partners may each have the right to trigger a buy-sell arrangement, which could cause us to sell our interest, or acquire our partners' interest, at a time when we otherwise would not have initiated such a transaction and may result in the valuation of our interest in the joint venture (if we are the seller) or of the other partner's interest in the joint venture (if we are the buyer) at levels which may not be representative of the valuation that would result from an arm's length marketing process. We are also subject to the following risks, the likelihood of which may be higher when our joint venture partner is an institutional owner and required to aggregate approvals from multiple beneficial owners: (i) a deadlock if we and our joint venture partner are unable to agree upon certain major and other decisions, (ii) the limitation of our ability to liquidate our position in the joint venture without the consent of the other joint venture partner, and (iii) the requirement to provide guarantees in favor of lenders with respect to the indebtedness of the joint venture.

If we sell properties and provide financing to purchasers, defaults by the purchasers would decrease our cash flows and limit our ability to make distributions.

In some instances we may sell our properties by providing financing to purchasers. When we provide financing to purchasers, we will bear the risk that the purchaser may default, which could negatively impact our liquidity and results of operations. Even in the absence of a purchaser default, the distribution of the proceeds of sales to our stockholders, or the reinvestment of proceeds in other assets, will be delayed until the promissory notes or other property we may accept upon a sale are actually paid, sold, refinanced, or otherwise disposed.

We are dependent on our executive officers and employees.

We rely on a small number of persons, particularly E. Nelson Mills and James A. Fleming, to carry out our business and investment strategies. Any of our senior management, including Messrs. Mills and Fleming, may cease to provide services to us at any time. The loss of the services of any of our key management personnel or our inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel in the future, could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results. We will continue to try to attract and retain qualified additional senior management and other employees, but may not be able to do so on acceptable terms.

We face risks associated with property development or redevelopment.

We may acquire and develop or redevelop properties, including unimproved real estate, upon which we will construct improvements. Such activities present a number of risks for us, including risks that:

Properties developed or acquired for development or redevelopment may generate little or no cash flow from the date of acquisition

through the date of completion of development. In addition, new development activities, regardless of whether or not they are ultimately successful, may require a substantial portion of management's time and attention.

These risks could result in substantial unanticipated delays or expenses and, under certain circumstances, could prevent completion of development activities once undertaken. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or ability to satisfy our debt service obligations.

If our disclosure controls or internal control over financial reporting are not effective, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could adversely affect the perception of our business and the trading price of our common stock.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of each fiscal year and to include a management report assessing the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Deficiencies, including any material weakness, in our internal control over financial reporting that may occur in the future could result in misstatements of our results of operations, restatements of our financial statements, a decline in the trading price of our common stock, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

We may be unable to pay or maintain cash distributions or increase distributions over time, which could reduce the funds we have available for investment and the return to our investors.

There are many factors that can affect the availability and timing of distributions to stockholders. We expect to continue to fund distributions principally from cash flow from operations; however, from time to time, we may elect to fund a portion of our distributions from borrowings. If we fund distributions from financings, we will have fewer funds available for the investment in, and acquisition of, properties; thus, the overall return to our investors may be reduced. We can give no assurance that we will be able to pay or maintain cash distributions or increase distributions over time.

Our stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and may impede our stockholders' ability to sell their shares at a desirable price.

The market price of our common stock may vary significantly in response to a number of factors, most of which we cannot control, including those described under this section and the following:

In addition, from time to time, the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE"), has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market prices of equity securities of many real estate companies. In the past, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were involved in securities litigation, we could incur substantial costs, and our resources and the attention of management could be diverted from our business. Furthermore, we currently have limited research coverage by securities and industry analysts. If additional securities or industry analysts do not commence coverage of our company, the long-term trading price for our common stock could be negatively impacted. If one or more of present or future analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.

Further issuances of equity securities may be dilutive to current stockholders.  

The interests of our existing stockholders could be diluted if additional equity securities are issued to finance future acquisitions, developments, or redevelopments, or to repay indebtedness. Our ability to execute our business strategy depends on our access to

an appropriate blend of debt financing, including unsecured lines of credit and other forms of secured and unsecured debt, and equity financing.

Our charter limits the number of shares a person may own, which may discourage a takeover that could otherwise result in a premium price to our stockholders.

Our charter, with certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT. Unless exempted by our board of directors, no person may own more than 9.8% of our outstanding common stock. This restriction may have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing a change in control, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.

Our organizational documents contain provisions that may discourage a takeover of us and could depress the price of our shares of common stock.

Our organizational documents contain provisions that may discourage a takeover of us and could depress the price of our common stock. Our organizational documents contain provisions that may have an anti-takeover effect, inhibit a change of our management, or inhibit, in certain circumstances, tender offers for our common stock or proxy contests to change our board. These provisions include: ownership limits and restrictions on transferability that are intended to enable us to continue to qualify as a REIT; broad discretion of our board to take action, without stockholder approval, to issue new classes of securities that may discourage a third party from acquiring us; the ability, through board action or bylaw amendment to opt in to certain provisions of Maryland law that may impede efforts to effect a change in control of us; advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and stockholder nominations of directors; and the absence of cumulative voting rights.

In addition, our board of directors may classify or reclassify any unissued preferred stock and establish the preferences; conversion; or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, or limitations as to distributions, qualifications, and terms or conditions of redemption of any such stock. Thus, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have priority as to distributions and amounts payable upon liquidation over the rights of the holders of our common stock. Such preferred stock could also have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price to holders of our common stock.

Maryland General Corporation Law provides certain protections relating to deterring or defending hostile takeovers, which may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and may prevent our stockholders from receiving a premium price for their stock in connection with a business combination.

Our board of directors has determined to opt out of certain provisions of Maryland law that may impede efforts to effect a change in control of us as further described below; in the case of the business combination provisions of Maryland law, by resolution of our board of directors; in the case of the control share provisions of Maryland law, pursuant to a provision in our bylaws; and in the case of certain provisions of the Maryland Unsolicited Takeover Act, pursuant to Articles Supplementary. Only upon stockholder approval of an amendment to our Articles of Incorporation may our board of directors repeal the foregoing opt-outs from the anti-takeover provisions of Maryland General Corporation Law.

Under Maryland law, "business combinations" between a Maryland corporation and certain interested stockholders or affiliates of interested stockholders are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange, or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. Also under Maryland law, control shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares owned by the acquirer, an officer of the corporation, or an employee of the corporation who is also a director of the corporation are excluded from the vote on whether to accord voting rights to the control shares. These provisions may therefore discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer. Similarly, provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the Maryland General Corporation Law, commonly referred to as the "Maryland Unsolicited Takeover Act," could provide similar anti-takeover protection.

Federal Income Tax Risks

Failure to qualify as a REIT would reduce our net income and cash available for distributions.

Our qualification as a REIT depends upon our ability to meet requirements regarding our organization and ownership, distributions of our income, the nature and diversification of our income and assets, and other tests imposed by the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code"). If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, we will be subject to federal and state income tax on our taxable

income at corporate rates, including interest and any applicable penalties. In addition, we would generally be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year of losing our REIT status. Losing our REIT status would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to stockholders because of the additional tax liability. In addition, distributions to stockholders would no longer qualify for the dividends-paid deduction, and we would no longer be required to make distributions. If this occurs, we might be required to borrow funds or liquidate some investments in order to pay the applicable tax.

Recharacterization of sale-leaseback transactions may cause us to lose our REIT status, which would reduce the return to our stockholders.

We may purchase properties and lease them back to the sellers of such properties. While we will use our best efforts to structure any such sale-leaseback transaction such that the lease will be characterized as a "true lease," thereby allowing us to be treated as the owner of the property for federal income tax purposes, we can give no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will not challenge such characterization. In the event that any such sale-leaseback transaction is challenged and recharacterized as a financing transaction or loan for federal income tax purposes, deductions for depreciation and cost recovery relating to such property would be disallowed. If a sale-leaseback transaction were so recharacterized, we might fail to satisfy the REIT qualification asset tests or income tests and, consequently, lose our REIT status. Alternatively, the amount of our REIT taxable income could be recalculated, which might also cause us to fail to meet the distribution requirement for a taxable year.

Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Even if we remain qualified as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to some federal, state, and local taxes on our income or property. For example:

Legislative or regulatory action could adversely affect investors.

In recent years, numerous legislative, judicial, and administrative changes have been made in the provisions of federal and state income tax laws applicable to investments similar to an investment in our shares. In particular, the comprehensive tax reform legislation enacted in December 2017 and commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, makes many significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws that will profoundly impact the taxation of individuals and corporations (including both regular C corporations and corporations that have elected to be taxed as REITs). A number of changes that affect noncorporate taxpayers will expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts to extend them. These changes will impact us and our stockholders in various ways, some of which are adverse or potentially adverse compared to prior law. Although the IRS has issued guidance with respect to certain of the new provisions, there are numerous interpretive issues that will require further guidance. It is highly likely that technical corrections legislation will be needed to clarify certain aspects of the new law and give proper effect to Congressional intent. There can be no assurance, however, that technical clarifications or changes needed to prevent unintended or unforeseen tax consequences will be enacted by Congress in the near future. Additional changes to tax laws are likely to continue to occur in the future, and we cannot assure investors that any such changes will not adversely affect the taxation of our stockholders. Any such changes could have an adverse effect on an investment in shares or on the market value or the resale potential of our properties. Investors are urged to consult with their own tax advisor with respect to the impact of recent legislation on ownership of shares and the status of legislative, regulatory, or administrative developments and proposals, and their potential effect on ownership of shares.

To maintain our REIT status, we may be forced to borrow funds or dispose of assets during unfavorable market conditions to make distributions to our stockholders, which could increase our operating costs and decrease the value of an investment in us.

We intend to make distributions to our stockholders to comply with the requirements of the Code for REITs and to minimize or eliminate our corporate tax obligations; however, differences between the recognition of taxable income and the actual receipt of cash could require us to sell assets or borrow funds on a short-term or long-term basis to meet the distribution requirements of the Code. Certain types of assets generate substantial disparity between taxable income and available cash, such as real estate that has been financed through financing structures which require some or all of available cash flows to be used to service borrowings. In addition, changes made by TCJA will require us to accrue certain income for U.S. federal income tax purposes no later than when such income is taken into account as revenue on our financial statements (subject to an exception for certain income that is already subject to a special method of accounting under the Internal Revenue Code). This could cause us to recognize taxable income prior to the receipt of the associated cash. TCJA also includes limitations on the deductibility of certain compensation paid to our executives, certain interest payments, and certain net operating loss carryforwards, each of which could potentially increase our taxable income and our required distributions. As a result, the requirement to distribute a substantial portion of our taxable income could cause us to: (1) sell assets in adverse market conditions, (2) borrow on unfavorable terms, or (3) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures, or repayment of debt, in order to comply with REIT requirements. Any such actions could increase our costs and reduce the value of our common stock. Further, we may be required to make distributions to our stockholders when it would be more advantageous to reinvest cash in our business or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Compliance with REIT qualification requirements may, therefore, hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.

To maintain our REIT status, we may be forced to forego otherwise attractive opportunities, which could delay or hinder our ability to meet our investment objectives and lower the return to our stockholders.

To qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy tests on an ongoing basis concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature of our assets, and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. We may be required to make distributions to stockholders at times when it would be more advantageous to reinvest cash in our business or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.