ITEM 1. Business

Forward Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  All statements in this document, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements which may be identified by the use of the words "expects,"  "believes,"  "anticipates," "should," "estimates" and similar expressions. 

These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results and performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.  Factors and risks that may impact future results and performance include, but are not limited to, those described in Part 1, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) including:

These forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this report or as of the dates indicated in the statements.  All of our forward-looking statements, including those in this report, are qualified in their entirety by this statement.  We expressly disclaim any obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, new estimates, or other factors, events or circumstances after the date of these forward looking statements, except when expressly required by law.  Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on any forward-looking statements in this report, or which management may make orally or in writing from time to time, neither as predictions of future events nor guarantees of future performance.

General

Public Storage (referred to herein as “the Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), a Maryland REIT, was organized in 1980.

At December 31, 201 8 , our principal business activities were as follows:

We also manage 33   self-storage facilities for third parties .  We are seeking to expand our third-party management operations to further increase our economies of scale and leverage our brand; however, there is no

assurance that we will be able to do so.  We also own 0.8 million net rentable square feet of commercial space which is managed primarily by PSB .  

For all periods presented herein, we have elected to be treated as a REIT, as defined in the   Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”) .  As a REIT, we do not incur U.S. federal income tax if we distribute 100% of our “ REIT taxable income ” (generally, net rents and gains from real property, dividends, and interest) each year (for this purpose, certain distributions paid in a subsequent year may be considered), and if we meet certain organizational and operational rules.  We believe we met these requirements in all periods presented herein and we expect to continue to elect and qualify as a REIT.   

We report annually to the SEC on Form 10-K, which includes financial statements certified by our independent registered public accountants.  We also report quarterly to the SEC on Form 10-Q, which includes unaudited financial statements.  We expect to continue such reporting.

On our website, www.publicstorage.com , we make available, free of charge , our Annual Reports on Form 10-  K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after the reports and amendments are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC.  The information contained on our website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Competition

We believe that our customers genera lly store their goods within a three to f ive mile radius of their home or business .  Our facilities compete with nearby self-storage facilities owned by other operators using marketing channels similar to ours , including Internet advertising, signage, and banners and offer services similar to ours .  A s a result, competition is significant and affects the occupancy levels, rental rates, rental income and operating expenses of our facilities.    

In the last three years, there has been a marked increase in development of new self-storage facilities in many of the markets we operate in, due to the favorable economics of development which we have also taken advantage of.  These newly developed facilities compete with many of the facilities we own, negatively impacting our occupancies, rental rates, and rental growth.  This increase in supply has been most notable in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York, and Portland.

Ownership and operation of self-storage facilities is highly fragmented.  As the largest owner of self-storage facilities, we believe that we own approximately 7 % of the self-storage square footage in the U.S. and that collectively the five largest self-storage owners in the U.S. own approximately 15 %, with the remaining 8 5 % owned by numerous regional and local operators. 

We generally own facilities in major markets.  We believe that we have significant market share and concentration in major metropolitan centers, with approximately 71 % of our 201 8 same-store revenues generated in the 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (each, an “MSA”, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau) with the highest population levels.  We believe this is a competitive advantage relative to other self-storage operators, which do not have our geographic concentration and market share in the major MSA s . 

Industry fragmentation also provides opportunities for us to acquire additional facilities; however, we compete with a wide variety of institutions and other investors who also view self-storage facilities as attractive investments.  The amount of capital available for real estate investments greatly influences the competition for ownership interests in facilities and, by extension, the yields that we can achieve on newly acquired investments. 

Business Attributes

We believe that we possess several primary business attributes that permit us to compete effectively:

Centralized information networks:  Our centralized reporting and information network enables us to identify changing market conditions and operating trends a s well as analyze customer data and quickly change each of our individual properties’ pricing and promotion s   on an automated basis. 

Convenient shopping experience: Customers can conveniently shop for available storage space, reviewing attributes such as facility location, size, amenities such as climate-control, as well as pricing, through the following marketing channels: 

Managerial e conomies of scale: The size and scope of our operations have enabled us to achieve high operating margins and a low level of administrative costs relative to revenues through the centralization of many functions, such as facility maintenance, employee compensation and benefits programs, revenue management, as well as the development and documentation of standardized operating procedures.  We also believe that our major market concentration provides managerial efficiencies stemming from having a large percentage of our facilities in close proximity to each other. 

Marketing economies of scale : Our major-market concentration relative to the fragmented ownership and operation of the rest of the industry, combined with our well-recognized brand name, improves our prominence in unpaid online search results for self-storage and reduces our average cost per “click” for multiple-keyword advertising.  The large number of facilities we have in major metropolitan centers enables us to efficiently use television advertising from time to time.  Our competitors generally do not use television advertising because they lack the scale in major metropolitan centers. 

Brand name recognition: We believe that the “Public Storage” brand name is the most recognized and established nam e in the self-storage industry , due to our national reach in major markets in 38 states, our highly visible facilities, and our facilities’ distinct o range colored doors and signage .  We believe the “Public Storage” name is one of the most frequently used search terms used by customers using Internet search engines for self-storage.  We believe that the “Shurgard” brand, used by Shurgard Europe, is a well - established and valuable brand in Europe.  We believe that the awareness of our brand name results in a high percentage of potential storage custo mers considering our facilities relative to other operators. 

Growth and Investment Strategies

Our growth strategies consist of: (i) improving the operating performance of our existing self-storage facilities, (ii) acquiring more facilities, (iii) developing new facilities and adding more self-storage space to existing facilities, (iv) participating in the growth of our investment in PSB, and (v) participating in the growth of our

investment in Shurgard Europe.  While our long-term strategy includes each of these elements, in the short run the level of growth in our asset base in any period is dependent upon the cost and availability of capital, as well a s the relative attractiveness of available investment alternatives. 

Improve the operating performance of existing facilities: We seek to increase the net cash flow of our existing self-storage facilities by (i ) regularly analyzing our call volume, reservation activity, Internet activity, move-in/move-out rates and other market supply and demand factors and responding by adjusting our Internet marketing spending and intensity, our promotional and other discounts, and the rental rates   we charge to new and existing customers ,   (ii ) attempting to maximize revenues through evaluating the appropriate balance between occupancy, rental rates, and promotional discounting and (iii ) controlling operating costs.  We believe that our property management personnel, information technology , our convenient shopping options for the customer, our economies of scale, and our Internet marketing and advertising programs will continue to enhance our ability to meet these goals. 

Acquire properties owned by others in the U.S.: We seek to capitalize on the fragmentation of the self-storage business through acquiring attractively priced, well-located existing self-storage facilities.  We believe our presence in and knowledge of substantially all of the major markets in the U.S. enhances our ability to identify attractive acquisition opportunities.  Data on the rental rates and occupancy levels of our existing facilities provide us an advantage in evaluating the potential of acquisition opportunities.     Our aggressiveness in bidd ing for particular marketed facilities depends upon many factors including the potential for future growth, the quality of construction and location, the cash flow we expect from the facility when operated on our platform, how well the facility fits into our current geographic footprint, as well as our yield expectations.     From 2015 through 2018, we acquired an aggregate of 11 9 facilities from third parties at an aggregate cost of $929 million.  We will continue to seek to acquire properties in 201 9 ; however, there is significant competitio n to acquire existing facilities, and self-storage owners’ desire to sell is based upon many variables, including potential reinvestment returns, expectations of future growth, estimated value, the cost of debt financing, as well as personal considerations .  As a result, there can be no assurance as to the level of facilities we may acquire. 

Develop new self-storage facilities and expan d   existing facilities :  The development of new self-storage locations and the expansion of existing facilities has been   an important source of growth.     Since the beginning of 201 3 , we have expanded our development efforts due in part to the significant increase in prices being paid for existing facilities, in many cases well above the cost of developi ng new facilities.  At December  31, 201 8 , we had a development pipeline to develop new self -storage facilities and expand existing self-storage facilitie s, which will add approximately 5.2   million net rentable square feet of self-storage space, at a total cost of $ 607.4 million.  Some of these projects are subject to significant contingencies such as entitlement approval.  We expect to continue to seek additional development projects; however, the level of future development may be limited due to various constraints such as difficulty in finding projects that meet our risk-adjusted yield expectations, challenges in obtaining building permits for self-storage activities in certain municipalities , as well as challenges in sourcing quality construction materials, labor, and design elements. 

Participate in the growth of PS Business Parks, Inc.:   Our investment in PSB provides diversification into another asset type .  PSB is a stand-alone public company traded on the NYSE .  As of December 31, 201 8 , we have a 42% equity interest in PSB.

PSB seeks to grow its a sset base in favorable markets as well as increase the cash flows from its existing portfolio.  As of December 31, 201 8 , PSB owned and operated approximately 28. 2  million rentable square feet of commercial space, and had an enterprise value of approximately $ 5 .5  billion (based upon the trading price of PSB’s common stock combined with the liquidation value of its preferred stock as of December 31, 201 8 ). 

Participate in the growth of Shurgard Europe:  We believe Shurgard Europe is the largest self-storage company in Western Europe.  It owns and operates 2 32   self-storage facilities with approximately 13 millio n net rentable square feet in: France (principally Paris), Sweden (principally Stockholm), the United Kingdom (principally London), the Netherlands, Denmark (principally Copenhagen), Belgium and Germany.  On October 15, 2018, Shurgard Europe completed an initial global offering (the “Offering”) of 25.0 million of its common shares for €575 million in gross proceeds, and its shares commenced trading on Euronext Brussels under the “SHUR” symbol. 

As a result of the Offering (we did not acquire any additional common shares or sell any of our existing shares in the Offering) , our equity interest in Shurgard Europe decreased from 49% to 35.2%.

Customer awareness and availability of self-storage is significantly lower in Europe than in the U.S.  However, w ith more awareness and product supply, we believe there is potential for increased demand for storage space in Europe.  We believe Shurgard Europe c an capitalize on potential increased demand through the development of new facilities and acquiring existing facilities.  From 2014 through 201 8 , Shu rgard Europe acquired 36 facilities with an approximate   1. 8 million net rentable square feet in Germany , the Netherlands , the United Kingdom , Sweden   and France for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $ 380.5   million .  In addition, from 2014 through 201 8 ,   Shurgard Europe opened eight   development properties in the United Kingdom , Germany and Sweden containing 636 ,000 net rentable square feet at a cost of $ 100 . 7 million .

Financing of the Company’s Growth Strategies

Overview of financing strategy and sources of capital :  As a REIT, we generally distribute 100% of our tax able income to our shareholders which , relative to a taxable C corporation, limits the amount of cash flow from operations that we can retain for investments.  As a result, in order to grow 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.  We are one of the highest rated REITs, as rated by major rating agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s.  Our senior debt has an “A” credit rating by Standard & Poor’s and “A2” by Moody’s.  Our credit ratings on each of our series of preferred shares are “A3” by Moody’s and “BBB+” by Standard & Poor’s.  Our credit profile and ratings enable us to effectively access both the public and private capital markets to raise capital.

Sources of capital available to us include retained operating cash flow, the issuance of preferred and common securities, the issuance of medium and long-ter m debt, joint venture financing and the sale of properties.  We view our line of credit, as well as short-term bank loans, as bridge financing.  

Historically, we have financed our cash investment activities primarily with retained operating cash flow and the issuance of preferred securities.  While we have issued common shares, such issuances have been minimal, because preferred securities have had a more attractive cost of capital.  In 2015 and 2016, we issued E uro-denominated medium-term debt primarily as a hedge to our E uro-denominated investment in Shurgard Europe.  On September 18, 2017, we completed a public offering of $1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of unsecured notes in two equal tranches (collectively, the “U.S. Dollar Notes”) , one maturing in September 2022 bearing interest at 2.370%, and another maturing in September 2027 bearing interest at 3.094%.     While we have increase d the level of debt in our capital structure, we expect to continue to remain conservatively capitalized and not subject ourselves to significant refinancing risk.

We have no current plans to use joint venture financing or the sale of pr operties as sources of capital.

We select among the sources of capital available to us based upon relative cost, availability, the desire for leverage, and considering potential constraints caused by certain features of capital sources, such as debt covenants.

Retained operating cash flow :  Although we are generally required to distribute 100% of our taxable income to our shareholders , we are nonetheless 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 $200 million to $300 million per year in cash flow .  

Preferred equity:  As noted above, w e view preferred equity as an important source of capital over the long term.  However, rates and market conditions for the issuance of preferred securities can be volatile or inefficient from time to time, particularly so in the last few years.  Since 2013, we have issued preferred securities at fixed rates ranging from 4.900% to 6.375%.  Most recently, in August 2017 , we issued $3 00 million of preferred securities at a fixed rate of 5 . 05 0%.  We believe that the market coupon rate of our preferred securities is influenced by long-term interest

rates, as well as demand specifically from retail investors.  Institutional investors are generally not buyer s of our preferred securities. 

At December 31, 201 8 , we have approximately $4.0 billion in preferred securities outstanding .  On February 22, 2019, we called for redemption on March 28, 2019 our 6.375% Series Y Preferred Shares, at par ($285 million).  Our preferred securities outstanding at December 31, 2018, excluding the Series Y Preferred Shares that were called for redemption had an average coupon rate of 5. 3 % and an average market yield of 5.9 %.  As of February 27 , 201 9 , we have the option to redeem, with 30 days’ notice , the following additional series of preferred securities ; our 5.625% Series U Preferred Shares  ( $ 288 million) , our 5.375% Series V Preferred Shares ($495 million ) , our 5.200% Series W Preferred Shares ($500 million ) ,   and our 5.200% Series X Preferred Shares ($225 million ).  Our 6.000% Series Z Preferred Shares ($288  million) become callable on June 4, 2019.  Redemption of such preferred shares will depend upon many factors , including the rate at which we could issue replacement preferred securities .  None of our preferred securities is redeemable at the option of the holders. 

Medium or long-term debt:  We have broad powers to issue debt to fund our business.  Our corporate credit ratings are “A” by Standard & Poor’s and “A2” by Moody’s.  We believe th ese high rating s , combined with our current   minimal level of debt, could allow us to issue a dditional unsecured debt at lower interest rates than the coupon rates on preferred securities. 

At December 31, 201 8 ,   we have $1.0 billion of U.S. Dollar Notes   and approximately €342  million of Euro-denominated senior unsecured notes (the “ Euro Notes”) outstanding , which were issued to institutional investors in 2015 and 2016.  

Common equity:  Except in connection with mergers, most notably a merger in 2006 with Shurgard Storage Centers, we have not raised capital throug h the issuance of common equity because lower cost alternatives have been available.  However, we believe that the market for our common equity is liquid and , as a result , common equity is a significant potential source of capital. 

Bridge f inancing :  We have a $500.0 million revolving line of credit which we occasionally use as temporary “bridge” financing , along with short-term bank loans, un til we are able to raise longer- term capital.  As of December  31, 201 8 , there we re no borrowings outstanding on our revolving line of credit and no short-term bank loans .  

Unlikely capital alternatives:     We have issued both our common and preferred securities in exchange for real estate and other investm ents in the past.  We do not expect such issuances to be a material source of capital in the future, though there can be no assurance. 

We have participated in joint ventures with institutional investors in the past to acquire, develop, and operate self-storage facilities, most notably our joint venture to own Shurgard Europe , prior to its Offering .  We do not presently expect joint venture financing to be a material sou rce of capital in the future because we have other sources of c apital that are currently less expensive and because of potential constraints resulting from joint management and ownership .    

Generally, we have disposed of self-storage facilities only when compelled to do so through condemnation proceedings.  Because we believe that we are an optimal operator of self-storage facilities, we have generally found that we cannot obtain sufficient value in selling properties.  As a result, we do not presently expect to raise significant capital selling self-storage facilities; however, there can be no assurance that we will not.

Investments in Real Estate and Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities

Investment Policies and Practices with respect to our investments : Following are our investment practices and policies which, though we do not anticipate any significant alteration, can be changed by our b oard of t rustees (the “Board”) without a shareholder vote:

Facilities Owned by Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities

At December 31, 201 8 , we had ownership interests in PSB and Shurgard Europe ( each discussed above) , which we do not control or consolidate . 

PSB and Shurgard Europe, have debt and other obligations that we do not consolidate in our financial statements.  Such debt or other obligations have no recourse to us .  See Note 4 to our December 31, 201 8 financial statements for further disclosure regarding the assets, liabilities and operating results of PSB and Shurgard Europe .  In addition, PSB’s public filings are available at its website, www.psbusinessparks.com and on the SEC website , and Shurgard Europe’s public filings and publicly reported information can be obtained on its website, https://corporate.shurgard.eu and on the website of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, http://www.bourse.lu .

Canadian self-storage facilities owned by Former Chairman and Member s of Board of Trustees  

At December 31, 2018, B. Wayne Hughes and Tamara Hughes Gustavson together owned and controlled 62 self-storage facilities in Canada.  These facilities operate under the “Public Storage” tradename, which we license to the owners of these facilities for use in Canada on a royalty-free, non-exclusive basis.  We have no ownership interest in these facilities and we do not own or operate any facilities in Canada.  If we chose to acquire or develop our own facilities in Canada, we would have to share the use of the “Public Storage” name in Canada.  We have a right of first refusal, subject to limitations, to acquire the stock or assets of the corporation engaged in the operation of these facilities if their owners agree to sell them.  Our subsidiaries reinsure risks relating to loss of goods stored by customers in these facilities, and have received approximately $1. 3 million, $ 1.1 million and $848,000 for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.  Our right to continue receiving these premiums may be qualified.

Limitations on Debt

Our revolving credit facility , U.S. Dollar Notes and Euro Notes contain various customary financial covenants, including limitations on our ability to encumber our properties with mortgage s and limitations on the level of indebtedness.  We believe we complied with each of these covenants as of December 31, 201 8 .

Employees

We had approximately 5, 6 00 employees in the U.S. at December 31, 201 8 who are engaged primarily in property operations.    

Seasonality

We experience minor seasonal fluctuations in the demand for self-storage space, with demand and rental rates generally higher in the summer months than in the winter months.  We believe that these fluctuations result in part from increased moving activity during the summer months.

Insurance

We carry property, earthquake, general liability, employee medical insurance and workers compensation coverage through internationally recognized insurance carriers, subject to deductibles.  Our deductible for general liability is $2.0 million per occ urrence.  Our annual deductible for property losses is   $25.0  million per occurrence.   This deductible de creases to $5.0 million once we reach $35.0 million in aggregate losses for occurrences that exceed however, once we reach $35.0 million in aggregate losses for occurrences that exceed $5.0 million.  Insurance carriers’ aggregate limits on these policies of $75.0  million for property losses and $102.0  million for general liability losses are higher than estimates of maximum probable losses that could occur from individual catastrophic events determined in recent engineering and actuarial studies; however, in case of multiple catastrophic events, these limits could be exceeded.

We reinsure a program that provides insurance to our customers from an independent third-party insurer.  This program covers customer claims for losses to goods stored at our facilities as a result of specific named perils (earthquakes are not covered by this program), up to a maximum limit of $5,000 per storage unit.  We reinsure all risks in this program, but purchase insurance to cover this exposure for a limit of $15.0 million for losses in excess of $5.0 million per occurrence.  We are subject to licensing requirements and regulations in several states.  Customers participate in the program at their option.  At December 31, 201 8 , there were approximately 914,000 certificates held by our self-storage customers, representing aggregate coverage of approximately $2. 9  billion .