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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

[X]Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021

or

[   ]Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from ____________ to ____________.

Commission File Number: 001-33519

Public Storage
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland

95-3551121

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

701 Western Avenue, Glendale, California

91201-2349

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (818) 244-8080.

Former name, former address and former fiscal, if changed since last report: N/A

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12b of the Act:

Title of Class

 

Trading Symbol

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Shares, $0.10 par value

 

PSA

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 5.125% Cum Pref Share, Series C, $0.01 par value

PSAPrC

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 4.950% Cum Pref Share, Series D, $0.01 par value

PSAPrD

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 4.900% Cum Pref Share, Series E, $0.01 par value

PSAPrE

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 5.150% Cum Pref Share, Series F, $0.01 par value

PSAPrF

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 5.050% Cum Pref Share, Series G, $0.01 par value

PSAPrG

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 5.600% Cum Pref Share, Series H, $0.01 par value

PSAPrH

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 4.875% Cum Pref Share, Series I, $0.01 par value

PSAPrI

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 4.700% Cum Pref Share, Series J, $0.01 par value

PSAPrJ

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 4.750% Cum Pref Share, Series K, $0.01 par value

PSAPrK

New York Stock Exchange


Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 4.625% Cum Pref Share, Series L, $0.01 par value

PSAPrL

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 4.125% Cum Pref Share, Series M, $0.01 par value

PSAPrM

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 3.875% Cum Pref Share, Series N, $0.01 par value

PSAPrN

New York Stock Exchange

Depositary Shares Each Representing 1/1,000 of a 3.900% Cum Pref Share, Series O, $0.01 par value

PSAPrO

New York Stock Exchange

0.875% Senior Notes due 2032

PSA32

New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for at least the past 90 days.

[X] Yes [   ] No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

[X] Yes [ ] No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated

filer

Accelerated

filer

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

[X]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

[ ] Yes [X] No

Indicate the number of the registrant’s outstanding common shares of beneficial interest, as of April 26, 2021:

Common Shares of beneficial interest, $0.10 par value per share – 174,978,140 shares


PUBLIC STORAGE

INDEX

PART I

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Pages

Item 1.

Financial Statements (Unaudited)

Balance Sheets at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020

1

Statements of Income for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020

2

Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Three Months Ended

March 31, 2021 and 2020

3

Statements of Equity for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020

4-5

Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020

6-7

Condensed Notes to Financial Statements

8-26

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations

27-57

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

58

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

58

PART II

OTHER INFORMATION (Items 3, 4 and 5 are not applicable)

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

59

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

59

Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

59

Item 6.

Exhibits

59

 


PUBLIC STORAGE

BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands, except share data)

March 31,

December 31,

2021

2020

ASSETS

(Unaudited)

Cash and equivalents

$

159,622 

$

257,560 

Real estate facilities, at cost:

Land

4,432,749 

4,375,588 

Buildings

13,211,931 

12,997,039 

17,644,680 

17,372,627 

Accumulated depreciation

(7,286,332)

(7,152,135)

10,358,348 

10,220,492 

Construction in process

201,316 

188,079 

10,559,664 

10,408,571 

Investments in unconsolidated real estate entities

771,075 

773,046 

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net

205,061 

204,654 

Other assets

286,313 

172,715 

Total assets

$

11,981,735 

$

11,816,546 

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Notes payable

$

2,996,111 

$

2,544,992 

Preferred shares called for redemption (Note 8)

-

300,000 

Accrued and other liabilities

368,309 

394,655 

Total liabilities

3,364,420 

3,239,647 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 12)

 

 

Equity:

Public Storage shareholders’ equity:

Preferred Shares, $0.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized,

151,700 shares issued (in series) and outstanding,

at liquidation preference

3,792,500 

3,792,500 

Common Shares, $0.10 par value, 650,000,000 shares authorized,

174,651,004 shares issued and outstanding (174,581,742 shares at

December 31, 2020)

17,465 

17,458 

Paid-in capital

5,715,254 

5,707,101 

Accumulated deficit

(877,931)

(914,791)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(49,341)

(43,401)

Total Public Storage shareholders’ equity

8,597,947 

8,558,867 

Noncontrolling interests

19,368 

18,032 

Total equity

8,617,315 

8,576,899 

Total liabilities and equity

$

11,981,735 

$

11,816,546 

 


See accompanying notes.

1


PUBLIC STORAGE

STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Revenues:

Self-storage facilities

$

716,347 

$

674,201 

Ancillary operations

50,915 

44,843 

767,262 

719,044 

Expenses:

Self-storage cost of operations

212,105 

211,096 

Ancillary cost of operations

16,318 

13,572 

Depreciation and amortization

146,859 

135,900 

General and administrative

19,574 

17,868 

Interest expense

15,250 

13,621 

410,106 

392,057 

Other increases to net income:

Interest and other income

2,852 

6,119 

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities

19,456 

23,968 

Foreign currency exchange gain

45,385 

8,945 

Gain on sale of real estate

9,413 

1,117 

Net income

434,262 

367,136 

Allocation to noncontrolling interests

(1,226)

(980)

Net income allocable to Public Storage shareholders

433,036 

366,156 

Allocation of net income to:

Preferred shareholders

(46,080)

(52,005)

Restricted share units

(1,146)

(1,017)

Net income allocable to common shareholders

$

385,810 

$

313,134 

Net income per common share:

Basic

$

2.21 

$

1.80 

Diluted

$

2.21 

$

1.79 

Basic weighted average common shares outstanding

174,611 

174,446 

Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

174,840 

174,616 

 

See accompanying notes.

2


PUBLIC STORAGE

STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Amounts in thousands)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Net income

$

434,262 

$

367,136 

Foreign currency exchange loss on

investment in Shurgard

(5,940)

(13,115)

Total comprehensive income

428,322 

354,021 

Allocation to noncontrolling interests

(1,226)

(980)

Comprehensive income allocable to

Public Storage shareholders

$

427,096 

$

353,041 

 

See accompanying notes.

3


PUBLIC STORAGE

STATEMENT OF EQUITY

Three Months Ended March 31, 2021

(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Accumulated

Total

Cumulative

Other

Public Storage

Preferred

Common

Paid-in

Accumulated

Comprehensive

Shareholders’

Noncontrolling

Total

Shares

Shares

Capital

Deficit

Loss

Equity

Interests

Equity

Balances at December 31, 2020

$

3,792,500 

$

17,458 

$

5,707,101 

$

(914,791)

$

(43,401)

$

8,558,867 

$

18,032 

$

8,576,899 

Issuance of common shares in connection with

share-based compensation (69,262 shares) (Note 10)

-

7 

4,696 

-

-

4,703 

-

4,703 

Share-based compensation expense, net of cash

paid in lieu of common shares (Note 10)

-

-

3,489 

-

-

3,489 

-

3,489 

Acquisition of noncontrolling interests

-

-

(32)

-

-

(32)

(1)

(33)

Contributions by noncontrolling interests

-

-

-

-

-

-

1,380 

1,380 

Net income

-

-

-

434,262 

-

434,262 

-

434,262 

Net income allocated to noncontrolling interests

-

-

-

(1,226)

-

(1,226)

1,226 

-

Distributions to:

Preferred shareholders (Note 8)

-

-

-

(46,080)

-

(46,080)

-

(46,080)

Noncontrolling interests

-

-

-

-

-

-

(1,269)

(1,269)

Common shareholders and restricted share

unitholders ($2.00 per share)

-

-

-

(350,096)

-

(350,096)

-

(350,096)

Other comprehensive loss (Note 2)

-

-

-

-

(5,940)

(5,940)

-

(5,940)

Balances at March 31, 2021

$

3,792,500 

$

17,465 

$

5,715,254 

$

(877,931)

$

(49,341)

$

8,597,947 

$

19,368 

$

8,617,315 

See accompanying notes.

4


 PUBLIC STORAGE

STATEMENT OF EQUITY

Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Accumulated

Total

Cumulative

Other

Public Storage

Preferred

Common

Paid-in

Accumulated

Comprehensive

Shareholders’

Noncontrolling

Total

Shares

Shares

Capital

Deficit

Loss

Equity

Interests

Equity

Balances at December 31, 2019

$

4,065,000 

$

17,442 

$

5,710,934 

$

(665,575)

$

(64,890)

$

9,062,911 

$

16,756 

$

9,079,667 

Issuance of common shares in connection with

share-based compensation (56,407 shares) (Note 10)

-

6 

1,757 

-

-

1,763 

-

1,763 

Cash paid in lieu of common shares, net of

share-based compensation expense (Note 10)

-

-

(2,830)

-

-

(2,830)

-

(2,830)

Contributions by noncontrolling interests

-

-

-

-

-

-

566 

566 

Net income

-

-

-

367,136 

-

367,136 

-

367,136 

Net income allocated to noncontrolling interests

-

-

-

(980)

-

(980)

980 

-

Distributions to equity holders:

Preferred shares (Note 8)

-

-

-

(52,005)

-

(52,005)

-

(52,005)

Noncontrolling interests

-

-

-

-

-

-

(1,172)

(1,172)

Common shareholders and restricted share

unitholders ($2.00 per share)

-

-

-

(349,802)

-

(349,802)

-

(349,802)

Other comprehensive loss (Note 2)

-

-

-

-

(13,115)

(13,115)

-

(13,115)

Balances at March 31, 2020

$

4,065,000 

$

17,448 

$

5,709,861 

$

(701,226)

$

(78,005)

$

9,013,078 

$

17,130 

$

9,030,208 

See accompanying notes.

5


PUBLIC STORAGE

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands)

(Unaudited)

For the Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income

$

434,262 

$

367,136 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flows

from operating activities:

Gain on real estate investment sales

(9,413)

(1,117)

Depreciation and amortization

146,859 

135,900 

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities

(19,456)

(23,968)

Distributions from cumulative equity in earnings of unconsolidated

real estate entities

15,487 

15,443 

Foreign currency exchange gain

(45,385)

(8,945)

Share-based compensation expense

14,407 

5,677 

Other

(27,599)

(27,176)

Total adjustments

74,900 

95,814 

Net cash flows from operating activities

509,162 

462,950 

Cash flows from investing activities:

Capital expenditures to maintain real estate facilities

(36,551)

(57,504)

Development and expansion of real estate facilities

(61,213)

(47,616)

Acquisition of real estate facilities and intangible assets

(203,108)

(186,183)

Real estate deposits and costs for pending acquisitions

(114,415)

-

Proceeds from sale of real estate investments

11,562 

1,399 

Net cash flows used in investing activities

(403,725)

(289,904)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Repayments on notes payable

(527)

(497)

Issuance of notes payable, net of issuance costs

496,235 

545,151 

Issuance of common shares

4,703 

1,763 

Redemption of preferred shares

(300,000)

-

Cash paid upon vesting of restricted share units

(7,284)

(8,507)

Acquisition of noncontrolling interests

(33)

-

Contributions by noncontrolling interests

1,380 

566 

Distributions paid to preferred shareholders,

common shareholders and restricted share unitholders

(396,176)

(401,807)

Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests

(1,269)

(1,172)

Net cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities

(202,971)

135,497 

Net cash flows (used in) from operating, investing, and financing activities

(97,534)

308,543 

Net effect of foreign exchange impact on cash and equivalents, including

restricted cash

178 

31 

(Decrease) increase in cash and equivalents, including restricted cash

$

(97,356)

$

308,574 


See accompanying notes.

6


PUBLIC STORAGE

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands)

(Unaudited)

For the Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Cash and equivalents, including restricted cash at beginning of the period:

Cash and equivalents

$

257,560 

$

409,743 

Restricted cash included in other assets

25,040 

23,811 

$

282,600 

$

433,554 

Cash and equivalents, including restricted cash at end of the period:

Cash and equivalents

$

159,622 

$

718,427 

Restricted cash included in other assets

25,622 

23,701 

$

185,244 

$

742,128 

Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and

financing activities:

Costs incurred during the period remaining unpaid at period end for:

Capital expenditures to maintain real estate facilities

$

(9,018)

$

(14,018)

Construction or expansion of real estate facilities

(21,886)

(20,605)

Accrued and other liabilities

30,904 

34,623 

 

See accompanying notes.

7


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

1.Description of the Business

Public Storage (referred to herein as “the Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), a Maryland real estate investment trust (“REIT”), was organized in 1980. Our principal business activities include the ownership and operation of self-storage facilities which offer storage spaces for lease, generally on a month-to-month basis, for personal and business use, ancillary activities such as tenant reinsurance to the tenants at our self-storage facilities, merchandise sales and third party management, as well as the acquisition and development of additional self-storage space.

At March 31, 2021, we have direct and indirect equity interests in 2,563 self-storage facilities (with approximately 176.2 million net rentable square feet) located in 38 states in the United States (“U.S.”) operating under the “Public Storage” name, and 0.9 million net rentable square feet of commercial and retail space.

We own 31.3 million common shares (an approximate 35% interest) of Shurgard Self Storage SA (“Shurgard”) a public company traded on Euronext Brussels under the “SHUR” symbol, which owns 243 self-storage facilities (with approximately 13 million net rentable square feet) located in seven Western European countries, all operating under the “Shurgard” name. We also own an approximate 42% common equity interest in PS Business Parks, Inc. (“PSB”), a REIT traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the “PSB” symbol, which owns 27.8 million net rentable square feet of commercial properties, primarily multi-tenant industrial, flex, and office space, located in six states.

Disclosures of the number and square footage of facilities, as well as the number and coverage of tenant reinsurance policies (Note 12) are unaudited and outside the scope of our independent registered public accounting firm’s review of our financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (U.S.).

2.Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

We have prepared the accompanying interim financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) as set forth in the Accounting Standards Codification of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), and in conformity with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In our opinion, the interim financial statements presented herein reflect all adjustments, primarily of a normal recurring nature, that are necessary to fairly present the interim financial statements. Because they do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP for complete annual financial statements, these interim financial statements should be read together with the audited financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Certain amounts previously reported in our March 31, 2020 financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the March 31, 2021 presentation, including revenues and cost operations from our third party management activities of $3.0 million and $2.6 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2020, previously reported within interest and other income. This reclassification had no impact on our balance sheet, statements of comprehensive income, statements of equity, or cash flows as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Additionally, we corrected our prior period financial statement presentation of share-based compensation expense between general and administrative expense and self-storage cost of operations. As a result, we revised our statements of income for the three months ended March 31, 2020 with an increase in self-storage cost of operations of $3.2 million, and a corresponding decrease to general and administrative expenses.

8


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

This immaterial correction had no impact on our total expenses or net income. The correction also had no impact on our balance sheet, statements of comprehensive income, statements of equity, or cash flows as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Consolidation and Equity Method of Accounting

We consider entities to be Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”) when they have insufficient equity to finance their activities without additional subordinated financial support provided by other parties, or the equity holders as a group do not have a controlling financial interest. We consolidate VIEs when we have (i) the power to direct the activities most significantly impacting economic performance, and (ii) either the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE. We have no involvement with any material VIEs. We consolidate all other entities when we control them through voting shares or contractual rights. The entities we consolidate, for the period in which the reference applies, are referred to collectively as the “Subsidiaries,” and we eliminate intercompany transactions and balances.

We account for our investments in entities that we do not consolidate but have significant influence over using the equity method of accounting. These entities, for the periods in which the reference applies, are referred to collectively as the “Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities,” eliminating intra-entity profits and losses and amortizing any differences between the cost of our investment and the underlying equity in net assets against equity in earnings as if the Unconsolidated Real Estate Entity were a consolidated subsidiary.

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities presented on our income statements represents our pro-rata share of the earnings of the Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities. The dividends we receive from the Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities are reflected on our statements of cash flows as “distributions from cumulative equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities” to the extent of our cumulative equity in earnings, with any excess classified as “distributions in excess of cumulative equity in earnings from unconsolidated real estate entities.”

When we begin consolidating an entity, we reflect our preexisting equity interest at book value. All changes in consolidation status are reflected prospectively.

Collectively, at March 31, 2021, the Company and the Subsidiaries own 2,563 self-storage facilities and four commercial facilities in the U.S. At March 31, 2021, the Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities are comprised of PSB and Shurgard.

Use of Estimates

The financial statements and accompanying notes reflect our estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates and assumptions.

Income Taxes

We have elected to be treated as a REIT, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). For each taxable year in which we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our “REIT taxable income” (generally, taxable income subject to specified adjustments, including a deduction for dividends paid and excluding our net capital gain) that is distributed to our shareholders. We believe we have met these REIT requirements for all periods presented herein. Accordingly, we have recorded no U.S. federal corporate income tax expense related to our REIT taxable income.

9


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

Our tenant reinsurance, merchandise and third party management operations are subject to corporate income tax and such taxes are included in ancillary cost of operations. We also incur income and other taxes in certain states, which are included in general and administrative expense.

We recognize tax benefits of uncertain income tax positions that are subject to audit only if we believe it is more likely than not that the position would ultimately be sustained assuming the relevant taxing authorities had full knowledge of the relevant facts and circumstances of our positions. As of March 31, 2021, we had no tax benefits that were not recognized.

Real Estate Facilities

Real estate facilities are recorded at cost. We capitalize all costs incurred to acquire, develop, construct, renovate and improve facilities, including interest and property taxes incurred during the construction period. The costs of demolition of existing facilities associated with a renovation are expensed as incurred. We allocate the net acquisition cost of acquired real estate facilities to the underlying land, buildings, and identified intangible assets based upon their respective individual estimated fair values.

Costs associated with dispositions of real estate, as well as repairs and maintenance costs, are expensed as incurred. We depreciate buildings and improvements on a straight-line basis over estimated useful lives ranging generally between 5 to 25 years.

When we sell a full or partial interest in a real estate facility without retaining a controlling interest following sale, we recognize a gain or loss on sale as if 100% of the property was sold at fair value. If we retain a controlling interest following the sale, we record a noncontrolling interest for the book value of the partial interest sold, and recognize additional paid-in capital for the difference between the consideration received and the partial interest at book value.

Other Assets

Other assets primarily consist of rents receivable from our tenants (net of an allowance for uncollectible amounts), prepaid expenses, deposits on pending facilities (which as of March 31, 2021 included $100 million for the ezStorage portfolio, see Note 13), restricted cash and right-to-use assets.

Accrued and Other Liabilities

Accrued and other liabilities consist primarily of rents prepaid by our tenants, trade payables, property tax accruals, accrued payroll, accrued tenant reinsurance losses, lease liabilities, and contingent loss accruals when probable and estimable. We believe the fair value of our accrued and other liabilities approximates book value, due primarily to the short period until repayment. We disclose the nature of significant unaccrued losses that are reasonably possible of occurring and, if estimable, a range of exposure.

Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash, Marketable Securities and Other Financial Instruments

Cash equivalents represent highly liquid financial instruments such as money market funds with daily liquidity or short-term commercial paper or treasury securities maturing within three months of acquisition. Cash and equivalents which are restricted from general corporate use are included in other assets. We believe that the book value of all such financial instruments for all periods presented approximates fair value, due to the short period to maturity.


10


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

Fair Value

As used herein, the term “fair value” is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Because our estimates of fair value involve considerable judgment, including determination of the factors that market participants would consider in negotiating exchange values, such estimates may be limited in their ability to reflect what would actually be realized in an actual market exchange.

We estimate the fair value of our cash and equivalents, marketable securities, other assets, debt, and other liabilities by discounting the related future cash flows at a rate based upon quoted interest rates for securities that have similar characteristics such as credit quality and time to maturity. Such quoted interest rates are referred to generally as “Level 2” inputs.

We use significant judgment to estimate fair values of investments in real estate, goodwill, and other intangible assets. In estimating their values, we consider significant unobservable inputs such as market prices of land, market capitalization rates, expected returns, earnings multiples, projected levels of earnings, costs of construction, and functional depreciation. These inputs are referred to generally as “Level 3” inputs.

Currency and Credit Risk

Financial instruments that are exposed to credit risk consist primarily of cash and equivalents, certain portions of other assets including rents receivable from our tenants (net of an allowance for uncollectible receivables based upon expected losses in the portfolio) and restricted cash. Cash equivalents we invest in are either money market funds with a rating of at least AAA by Standard & Poor’s, commercial paper that is rated A1 by Standard & Poor’s or deposits with highly rated commercial banks.

At March 31, 2021, due primarily to our investment in Shurgard (Note 4) and our notes payable denominated in Euros (Note 6), our operating results and financial position are affected by fluctuations in currency exchange rates between the Euro, and to a lesser extent, other European currencies, against the U.S. Dollar.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Intangible assets are comprised of goodwill, the “Shurgard” trade name, and finite-lived assets.

Goodwill totaled $165.8 million at March 31, 2021 ($174.6 million at December 31, 2020). The “Shurgard” trade name, which is used by Shurgard pursuant to a fee-based licensing agreement, has a book value of $18.8 million at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020. Goodwill and the “Shurgard” trade name have indefinite lives and are not amortized.

Our finite-lived assets are comprised primarily of (i) acquired customers in place amortized relative to the benefit of the customers in place, with such amortization reflected as depreciation and amortization expense on our income statement and (ii) property tax abatements amortized relative to the reduction in property tax paid, with such amortization reflected as self-storage cost of operations on our income statement. At March 31, 2021, these intangibles had a net book value of $20.5 million ($11.3 million at December 31, 2020). Accumulated amortization totaled $25.7 million at March 31, 2021 ($27.3 million at December 31, 2020). A total of $6.1 million and $4.7 million in amortization expense was recorded in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

The estimated future amortization expense for our finite-lived intangible assets at March 31, 2021 is approximately $10.5 million in the remainder of 2021, $4.1 million in 2022 and $5.9 million thereafter. During

11


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

the three months ended March 31, 2021, intangibles increased $6.5 million in connection with the acquisition of self-storage facilities (Note 3).

Evaluation of Asset Impairment

We evaluate our real estate and finite-lived intangible assets for impairment each quarter. If there are indicators of impairment and we determine that the asset is not recoverable from future undiscounted cash flows to be received through the asset’s remaining life (or, if earlier, the expected disposal date), we record an impairment charge to the extent the carrying amount exceeds the asset’s estimated fair value or net proceeds from expected disposal.

We evaluate our investments in unconsolidated real estate entities for impairment on a quarterly basis. We record an impairment charge to the extent the carrying amount exceeds estimated fair value, when we believe any such shortfall is other than temporary.

We evaluate goodwill for impairment annually and whenever relevant events, circumstances and other related factors indicate that fair value of the related reporting unit may be less than the carrying amount. If we determine that the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the aggregate carrying amount, no impairment charge is recorded. Otherwise, we record an impairment charge to the extent the carrying amount of the goodwill exceeds the amount that would be allocated to goodwill if the reporting unit were acquired for estimated fair value.

We evaluate other indefinite-lived intangible assets, such as the “Shurgard” trade name for impairment at least annually and whenever relevant events, circumstances and other related factors indicate that the fair value is less than the carrying amount. When we conclude that it is likely that the asset is not impaired, we do not record an impairment charge and no further analysis is performed. Otherwise, we record an impairment charge to the extent the carrying amount exceeds the asset’s estimated fair value.

No impairments were recorded in any of our evaluations for any period presented herein.

Revenue and Expense Recognition

Revenues from self-storage facilities, which are primarily composed of rental income earned pursuant to month-to-month leases, as well as associated late charges and administrative fees, are recognized as earned. Promotional discounts reduce rental income over the promotional period, which is generally one month. Ancillary revenues and interest and other income are recognized when earned.

We accrue for property tax expense based upon actual amounts billed and, in some circumstances, estimates when bills or assessments have not been received from the taxing authorities. If these estimates are incorrect, the timing and amount of expense recognition could be incorrect. Cost of operations (including advertising expenditures), general and administrative expense, and interest expense are expensed as incurred.

Foreign Currency Exchange Translation

The local currency (primarily the Euro) is the functional currency for our interests in foreign operations. The related balance sheet amounts are translated into U.S. Dollars at the exchange rates at the respective financial statement date, while amounts on our statements of income are translated at the average exchange rates during the respective period. When financial instruments denominated in a currency other than the U.S. Dollar are expected to be settled in cash in the foreseeable future, the impact of changes in the U.S. Dollar equivalent are reflected in current earnings. The Euro was translated at exchange rates of approximately 1.173 U.S. Dollars per Euro at March 31, 2021 (1.226 at December 31, 2020), and average exchange rates of 1.205 and 1.103 for the

12


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Cumulative translation adjustments, to the extent not included in cumulative net income, are included in equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).

Comprehensive Income

Total comprehensive income represents net income, adjusted for changes in other comprehensive income (loss) for the applicable period, which are comprised primarily of foreign currency exchange gains and losses on our investment in Shurgard.

Net Income per Common Share

Net income is allocated to (i) noncontrolling interests based upon their share of the net income of the Subsidiaries and (ii) preferred shareholders, to the extent redemption cost exceeds the related original net issuance proceeds (an “EITF D-42 allocation”), with the remaining net income allocated to each of our equity securities based upon the dividends declared or accumulated during the period, combined with participation rights in undistributed earnings.

Basic and diluted net income per common share are each calculated based upon net income allocable to common shareholders presented on the face of our income statement, divided by (i) in the case of basic net income per common share, weighted average common shares, and (ii) in the case of diluted income per share, weighted average common shares adjusted for the impact, if dilutive, of stock options outstanding (Note 10). The following table reconciles from basic to diluted common shares outstanding (amounts in thousands):

Three Months Ended

March 31,

2021

2020

Weighted average common shares and equivalents

outstanding:

Basic weighted average common

shares outstanding

174,611

174,446

Net effect of dilutive stock options -

based on treasury stock method

229

170

Diluted weighted average common

shares outstanding

174,840

174,616

13


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

3.Real Estate Facilities

Activity in real estate facilities during the three months ended March 31, 2021 is as follows:

Three Months Ended

March 31, 2021

(Amounts in thousands)

Operating facilities, at cost:

Beginning balance

$

17,372,627

Capital expenditures to maintain real estate facilities

35,793

Acquisitions

196,626

Dispositions

(5,760)

Developed or expanded facilities opened for operation

45,394

Ending balance

17,644,680

Accumulated depreciation:

Beginning balance

(7,152,135)

Depreciation expense

(137,808)

Dispositions

3,611

Ending balance

(7,286,332)

Construction in process:

Beginning balance

188,079

Costs incurred to develop and expand real estate facilities

58,631

Developed or expanded facilities opened for operation

(45,394)

Ending balance

201,316

Total real estate facilities at March 31, 2021

$

10,559,664

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, we acquired 15 self-storage facilities (1,087,000 net rentable square feet of storage space), for a total cost of $203.1 million in cash. Approximately $6.5 million of the total cost was allocated to intangible assets. We completed development and redevelopment activities costing $45.4 million during the three months ended March 31, 2021, adding 0.2 million net rentable square feet of self-storage space. Construction in process at March 31, 2021 consists of projects to develop new self-storage facilities and expand existing self-storage facilities.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, our accrual for unpaid construction costs decreased $2.6 million (a $2.5 million decrease for the same period in 2020). During the three months ended March 31, 2021, our accrual for capital expenditures to maintain real estate facilities decreased $0.8 million (a $0.6 million decrease for the same period in 2020).

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, we sold a real estate facility in connection with an eminent domain proceeding for $11.6 million in cash proceeds and recorded a related gain on sale of real estate of approximately $9.4 million.


14


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

4.Investments in Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities

The following table sets forth our investments in, and equity in earnings of, the Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities (amounts in thousands):

Investments in Unconsolidated Real Estate

Entities at

March 31, 2021

December 31, 2020

PSB

$

431,252

$

431,963

Shurgard

339,823

341,083

Total

$

771,075

$

773,046

Equity in Earnings of Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities for the

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

PSB

$

14,476

$

21,737

Shurgard

4,980

2,231

Total

$

19,456

$

23,968

Investment in PSB

Throughout all periods presented, we owned 7,158,354 shares of PSB’s common stock and 7,305,355 limited partnership units in an operating partnership controlled by PSB, representing an approximate 42% common equity interest. The limited partnership units are convertible at our option, subject to certain conditions, on a one-for-one basis into PSB common stock.

Based upon the closing price at March 31, 2021 ($154.58) per share of PSB common stock, the shares and units we owned had a market value of approximately $2.2 billion.

Our equity in earnings of PSB is comprised of our equity share of PSB’s net income, less amortization of the PSB Basis Differential (defined below).

During each of the three month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we received cash distributions from PSB totaling $15.2 million.

At March 31, 2021, our pro-rata investment in PSB’s real estate assets included in investment in unconsolidated real estate entities exceeds our pro-rata share of the underlying amounts on PSB’s balance sheet by approximately $3.2 million ($3.4 million at December 31, 2020). This differential (the “PSB Basis Differential”) is being amortized as a reduction to equity in earnings of the Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities. Such amortization totaled approximately $0.2 million during each of the three month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020.

PSB is a publicly held entity traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PSB”.

15


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

Investment in Shurgard

Throughout all periods presented, we effectively owned, directly and indirectly 31,268,459 Shurgard common shares, representing an approximate 35% equity interest in Shurgard.

Based upon the closing price at March 31, 2021 (38.85 per share of Shurgard common stock, at 1.173 exchange rate of US Dollars to the Euro), the shares we owned had a market value of approximately $1.4 billion.

Our equity in earnings of Shurgard is comprised of our equity share of Shurgard’s net income, plus $0.3 million for each of the three month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, representing our equity share of the trademark license fees that Shurgard pays to us for the use of the “Shurgard” trademark. We classify the remaining license fees we receive from Shurgard as interest and other income on our income statement.

The dividends we receive from Shurgard, combined with our equity share of trademark license fees collected from Shurgard, are reflected on our statements of cash flows as “distributions from cumulative equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities” to the extent of our cumulative equity in earnings, with any excess classified as “distributions in excess of cumulative equity in earnings from unconsolidated real estate entities.” Shurgard did not pay any dividends to its shareholders during either of the three month periods ended March 31, 2021 or 2020.

Changes in foreign currency exchange rates decreased our investment in Shurgard by approximately $5.9 million and $13.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Shurgard is a publicly held entity trading on Euronext Brussels under the symbol “SHUR”.

5.Credit Facility

We have a revolving credit agreement (the “Credit Facility”) with a $500 million borrowing limit, which matures on April 19, 2024. Amounts drawn on the Credit Facility bear annual interest at rates ranging from LIBOR plus 0.7% to LIBOR plus 1.350% depending upon the ratio of our Total Indebtedness to Gross Asset Value (as defined in the Credit Facility) (LIBOR plus 0.7% at March 31, 2021). We are also required to pay a quarterly facility fee ranging from 0.07% per annum to 0.25% per annum depending upon the ratio of our Total Indebtedness to our Gross Asset Value (0.07% per annum at March 31, 2021). At March 31, 2021 and April 28, 2021, we had no outstanding borrowings under this Credit Facility. We had undrawn standby letters of credit, which reduce our borrowing capacity, totaling $24.3 million at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020. The Credit Facility has various customary restrictive covenants, all of which we were in compliance with at March 31, 2021.

6.Notes Payable

Our notes payable are reflected net of issuance costs (including original issue discounts), which are amortized as interest expense on the effective interest method over the term of each respective note. Our notes payable at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 are set forth in the tables below:


16


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

Amounts at March 31, 2021

Coupon

Effective

Unamortized

Book

Fair

Rate

Rate

Principal

Costs

Value

Value

($ amounts in thousands)

U.S. Dollar Denominated Unsecured Debt

Notes due September 15, 2022

2.370%

2.483%

$

500,000 

$

(759)

$

499,241 

$

513,985 

Notes due February 15, 2026

0.875%

1.030%

500,000 

(3,617)

496,383 

486,291 

Notes due September 15, 2027

3.094%

3.218%

500,000 

(3,416)

496,584 

542,441 

Notes due May 1, 2029

3.385%

3.459%

500,000 

(2,489)

497,511 

546,753 

2,000,000 

(10,281)

1,989,719 

2,089,470 

Euro Denominated Unsecured Debt

Notes due April 12, 2024

1.540%

1.540%

117,277 

-

117,277 

123,425 

Notes due November 3, 2025

2.175%

2.175%

283,827 

-

283,827 

310,117 

Notes due January 24, 2032

0.875%

0.978%

586,386 

(5,796)

580,590 

588,263 

987,490 

(5,796)

981,694 

1,021,805 

Mortgage Debt, secured by 27

real estate facilities with a net

book value of $101.2 million

3.944%

3.933%

24,698 

-

24,698 

26,092 

$

3,012,188 

$

(16,077)

$

2,996,111 

$

3,137,367 

Amounts at

December 31, 2020

Book

Fair

Value

Value

($ amounts in thousands)

U.S. Dollar Denominated Unsecured Debt

Notes due September 15, 2022

$

499,109 

$

517,419 

Notes due September 15, 2027

496,452 

560,833 

Notes due May 1, 2029

497,433 

574,833 

1,492,994 

1,653,085 

Euro Denominated Unsecured Debt

Notes due April 12, 2024

122,646 

129,192 

Notes due November 3, 2025

296,821 

323,552 

Notes due January 24, 2032

607,301 

634,389 

1,026,768 

1,087,133 

Mortgage Debt

25,230 

26,958 

$

2,544,992 

$

2,767,176 

17


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

U.S. Dollar Denominated Unsecured Notes

On January 19, 2021, we completed a public offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes bearing interest at an annual rate of 0.875% and maturing on February 15, 2026. Interest on the senior notes is payable semi-annually, commencing August 15, 2021. In connection with the offering, we incurred a total of $3.8 million in costs. The notes issued on January 19, 2021, along with notes previously issued in 2017 and 2019 are referred to hereinafter as the “U.S. Dollar Denominated Notes.”

The U.S. Dollar Denominated Notes have various financial covenants, all of which we were in compliance with at March 31, 2021. Included in these covenants are (a) a maximum Debt to Total Assets of 65% (approximately 8% at March 31, 2021) and (b) a minimum ratio of Adjusted EBITDA to Interest Expense of 1.5x (approximately 38x for the twelve months ended March 31, 2021) as well as covenants limiting the amount we can encumber our properties with mortgage debt.

Euro Denominated Unsecured Notes

Our Euro denominated unsecured notes (the “Euro Notes”) consist of three tranches: (i) €242.0 million issued to institutional investors on November 3, 2015 for $264.3 million in net proceeds upon converting the Euros to U.S. Dollars, (ii) €100.0 million issued to institutional investors on April 12, 2016 for $113.6 million in net proceeds upon converting the Euros to U.S. Dollars, and (iii) €500.0 million issued in a public offering on January 24, 2020 for $545.2 million in net proceeds upon converting the Euros to U.S. Dollars. Interest is payable semi-annually on the notes issued November 3, 2015 and April 12, 2016, and annually on the notes issued January 24, 2020. The Euro Notes have financial covenants similar to those of the U.S. Dollar Notes.

We reflect changes in the U.S. Dollar equivalent of the amount payable, as a result of changes in foreign exchange rates as “foreign currency exchange gain” on our income statement (gains $45.4 million and $8.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively).

Mortgage Notes

Our non-recourse mortgage debt was assumed in connection with property acquisitions, and recorded at fair value with any premium or discount to the stated note balance amortized using the effective interest method.

At March 31, 2021, the related contractual interest rates are fixed, ranging between 3.2% and 7.1%, and mature between January 1, 2022 and July 1, 2030.

At March 31, 2021, approximate principal maturities of our Notes Payable are as follows (amounts in thousands):


18


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

Unsecured

Mortgage

Debt

Debt

Total

Remainder of 2021

$

-

$

1,321

$

1,321

2022

500,000

2,574

502,574

2023

-

19,219

19,219

2024

117,277

124

117,401

2025

283,827

131

283,958

Thereafter

2,086,386

1,329

2,087,715

$

2,987,490

$

24,698

$

3,012,188

Weighted average effective rate

2.2%

3.9%

2.2%

Cash paid for interest totaled $19.4 million and $14.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Interest capitalized as real estate totaled $0.9 million for each of the three month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020.

7.Noncontrolling Interests

At March 31, 2021, the noncontrolling interests represent (i) third-party equity interests in subsidiaries owning 21 operating self-storage facilities and seven self-storage facilities that are under construction and (ii) 231,978 partnership units held by third-parties in a subsidiary that are convertible on a one-for-one basis (subject to certain limitations) into common shares of the Company at the option of the unitholder (collectively, the “Noncontrolling Interests”). At March 31, 2021, the Noncontrolling Interests cannot require us to redeem their interests, other than pursuant to a liquidation of the subsidiary.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we allocated a total of $1.2 million and $1.0 million, respectively, of income to these interests; and we paid $1.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively, in distributions to these interests.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, Noncontrolling Interests contributed $1.4 million and $0.6 million, respectively, to our subsidiaries.

8.Shareholders’ Equity

Preferred Shares

At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had the following series of Cumulative Preferred Shares (“Preferred Shares”) outstanding:


19


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

Series

Earliest Redemption Date

Dividend Rate

Shares Outstanding

Liquidation Preference

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

Series C

5/17/2021

5.125%

8,000

$

200,000

Series D

7/20/2021

4.950%

13,000

325,000

Series E

10/14/2021

4.900%

14,000

350,000

Series F

6/2/2022

5.150%

11,200

280,000

Series G

8/9/2022

5.050%

12,000

300,000

Series H

3/11/2024

5.600%

11,400

285,000

Series I

9/12/2024

4.875%

12,650

316,250

Series J

11/15/2024

4.700%

10,350

258,750

Series K

12/20/2024

4.750%

9,200

230,000

Series L

6/17/2025

4.625%

22,600

565,000

Series M

8/14/2025

4.125%

9,200

230,000

Series N

10/6/2025

3.875%

11,300

282,500

Series O

11/17/2025

3.900%

6,800

170,000

Total Preferred Shares

151,700

$

3,792,500

The holders of our Preferred Shares have general preference rights with respect to liquidation, quarterly distributions and any accumulated unpaid distributions. Except as noted below, holders of the Preferred Shares do not have voting rights. In the event of a cumulative arrearage equal to six quarterly dividends, holders of all outstanding series of preferred shares (voting as a single class without regard to series) will have the right to elect two additional members to serve on our board of trustees (our “Board”) until the arrearage has been cured. At March 31, 2021, there were no dividends in arrears. The affirmative vote of at least 66.67% of the outstanding shares of a series of Preferred Shares is required for any material and adverse amendment to the terms of such series. The affirmative vote of at least 66.67% of the outstanding shares of all of our Preferred Shares, voting as a single class, is required to issue shares ranking senior to our Preferred Shares.

Except under certain conditions relating to the Company’s qualification as a REIT, the Preferred Shares are not redeemable prior to the dates indicated on the table above. On or after the respective dates, each of the series of Preferred Shares is redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, at $25.00 per depositary share, plus accrued and unpaid dividends. Holders of the Preferred Shares cannot require us to redeem such shares.

Upon issuance of our Preferred Shares, we classify the liquidation value as preferred equity on our balance sheet with any issuance costs recorded as a reduction to Paid-in capital.

On January 20, 2021, we redeemed our 5.400% Series B Preferred Shares, at par. We recorded a $9.9 million allocation of income from our common shareholders to the holders of our Preferred Shares in the year ended December 31, 2020 in connection with this redemption.

Dividends

Common share dividends, including amounts paid to our restricted share unitholders, totaled $350.1 million ($2.00 per share) and $349.8 million ($2.00 per share) for the three months ended March 31, 2021

20


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

and 2020, respectively. Preferred share dividends totaled $46.1 million and $52.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

9.Related Party Transactions

At March 31, 2021, Tamara Hughes Gustavson, a current member of the Board and her adult children owned and controlled 64 self-storage facilities in Canada. Ms. Gustavson’s direct ownership in these properties is less than 1.0%. 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 $469,000 and $349,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

10.Share-Based Compensation

Under various share-based compensation plans and under terms established or modified by our Board or a committee thereof, we grant non-qualified options to purchase the Company’s common shares, as well as restricted share units (“RSUs”), to trustees, officers, and key employees.

Stock options and RSUs are considered “granted” and “outstanding” as the terms are used herein, when (i) the Company and the recipient reach a mutual understanding of the key terms of the award, (ii) the award has been authorized, and (iii) the recipient is affected by changes in the market price of our stock.

We amortize the grant-date fair value of awards, including grants to nonemployee service providers, as compensation expense over the service period, which begins on the grant date and ends on the expected vesting date. For awards that are earned solely upon the passage of time and continued service, the entire cost of the award is amortized on a straight-line basis over the service period. For awards with performance conditions, the individual cost of each vesting is amortized separately over each individual service period (the “accelerated attribution” method).

Share-based compensation expense associated with stock options and RSUs was recorded in the following cost and expense categories in the Statement of Income:

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

(Amounts in thousands)

Self-storage cost of operations

$

7,201

$

3,727

Ancillary cost of operations

500

-

General and administrative

7,642

2,880

Total

$

15,343

$

6,607

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company depleted the available shares under the current plan resulting in $4.8 million of award expense classified as a liability as of March 31, 2021.

21


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

In July 2020, our share-based compensation plans were modified to allow immediate vesting upon retirement (“Retirement Acceleration”), and to extend the exercisability of outstanding stock options up to a year after retirement, for currently outstanding and future grants. Prior to the modification, unvested awards were forfeited, and outstanding vested stock options were cancelled, upon retirement. Employees are eligible for Retirement Acceleration if they meet certain conditions including length of service, age, notice of intent to retire, and facilitation of succession for their role.

This modification results in accelerating amortization of compensation expense for each grant by changing the end of the service period from the original vesting date to the date an employee is expected to be eligible for Retirement Acceleration, if earlier. As a result, the Company recorded $3.8 million in accelerated compensation expense during the three months ended March 31, 2021. No such compensation expense was recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2020.

The Codification previously stipulated that grants to nonemployee service providers (other than to trustees, where equity method treatment was permitted) were accounted for on the liability method, with expenses adjusted each period based upon changes in fair value. Recent changes in the Codification allows such grants to be accounted for on the equity award method, with compensation expense based upon grant date fair value. While we have no such grants to any such individuals for any periods presented, we will account for any future grants to nonemployee service providers based upon the equity award method.

In amortizing share-based compensation expense, we do not estimate future forfeitures in advance. Instead, we reverse previously amortized share-based compensation expense with respect to grants that are forfeited in the period the employee terminates employment.

See also “net income per common share” in Note 2 for further discussion regarding the impact of RSUs and stock options on our net income per common share and income allocated to common shareholders.

Stock Options

Stock options vest over 3 to 5 years, expire 10 years after the grant date, and the exercise price is equal to the closing trading price of our common shares on the grant date. Employees cannot require the Company to settle their award in cash. We use the Black-Scholes option valuation model to estimate the fair value of our stock options.

Outstanding stock option grants are included on a one-for-one basis in our diluted weighted average shares, to the extent dilutive, after applying the treasury stock method (based upon the average common share price during the period) to assumed exercise proceeds and measured but unrecognized compensation.

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we recorded share-based compensation expense for outstanding stock options of $4.4 million and $0.9 million, respectively. The amount for the three months ended March 31, 2021 includes $0.8 million in connection with the Retirement Acceleration and $1.9 million of the amount classified as liability awards as of March 31, 2021 as discussed above.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, 500,000 stock options were awarded, 26,167 options were exercised and 10,000 options were forfeited. A total of 3,425,000 stock options were outstanding at March 31, 2021, (2,961,167 at December 31, 2020) and have an average exercise price of $213.20.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, we incurred share-based compensation expense of $0.3 million in connection with the initial 15,000 stock option awards issued to each of the five members that joined our Board in January 2021.

22


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, 245,000 stock options were awarded where vesting is dependent upon meeting certain performance targets with respect to 2021, 2022, and 2023. As of March 31, 2021, these targets are expected to be met at 100% achievement. These options are included in the awards during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and in options outstanding at March 31, 2021, and $0.3 million in related compensation expense was recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2021.

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, we recorded $0.9 million in compensation expense related to stock options. During the three months ended March 31, 2020, 770,000 stock options were awarded where vesting is dependent upon meeting certain performance targets with respect to 2020, 2021, and 2022. As of March 31, 2021, these targets are expected to be met at 125% achievement, an increase from 100% as of December 31, 2020, and $1.9 million in related compensation expense was recorded during the three months ended March, 31, 2021. The change in the expected target achievement from 100% at December 31, 2020 to 125% at March 31, 2021 resulted in an additional award of 180,000 stock options. These options are included in the awards during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and in options outstanding at March 31, 2021.

Restricted Share Units

RSUs generally vest over 5 to 8 years from the grant date. The grantee receives dividends for each outstanding RSU equal to the per-share dividends received by our common shareholders. We expense any dividends previously paid upon forfeiture of the related RSU. Upon vesting, the grantee receives common shares equal to the number of vested RSUs, less common shares withheld in exchange for tax deposits made by the Company to satisfy the grantee’s statutory tax liabilities arising from the vesting.

The fair value of our RSUs is determined based upon the applicable closing trading price of our common shares.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, 34,200 RSUs were granted, 7,590 RSUs were forfeited and 62,486 RSUs vested. This vesting resulted in the issuance of 43,095 common shares. In addition, tax deposits totaling $7.3 million ($8.5 million for the same period in 2020) were made on behalf of employees in exchange for 19,391 common shares withheld upon vesting. A total of 516,912 RSUs were outstanding at March 31, 2021 (552,788 at December 31, 2020). During the three months ended March 31, 2021, 37,000 RSUs were awarded where vesting is dependent upon meeting certain performance targets for 2021. As of March 31, 2021, these targets are expected to be met at 100% achievement.

A total of $12.2 million and $5.7 million in RSU expense was recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, which includes approximately $1.2 million and $1.1 million, respectively, in employer taxes incurred upon vesting. The amount for the three months ended March 31, 2021 includes $3.0 million in connection with the Retirement Acceleration and $2.9 million of the amount to be classified as liability awards as of March 31, 2021 as discussed above.

11.Segment Information

Our reportable segments reflect the significant components of our operations where discrete financial information is evaluated separately by our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”). We organize our segments based primarily upon the nature of the underlying products and services, as well as the drivers of profitability growth. The net income for each reportable segment included in the table below are in conformity with GAAP and our significant accounting policies as denoted in Note 2. The amounts not attributable to reportable segments are aggregated under “other items not allocated to segments.”

Following is a description of and basis for presentation for each of our reportable segments.

23


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

Self-Storage Operations

The Self-Storage Operations segment reflects the rental operations from all self-storage facilities we own. Our CODM reviews the net operating income (“NOI”) of this segment, which represents the related revenues less cost of operations (prior to depreciation expense), in assessing performance and making resource allocation decisions. The presentation in the tables below sets forth the NOI of this segment, as well as the depreciation expense for this segment, which while reviewed by our CODM and included in net income, is not considered by the CODM in assessing performance and decision making. For all periods presented, substantially all of our real estate facilities, goodwill and other intangible assets, other assets, and accrued and other liabilities are associated with the Self-Storage Operations segment.

Ancillary Operations

The Ancillary Operations segment reflects the operations of our tenant reinsurance, merchandise sales and third party management activities.

Investment in PSB

This segment represents our approximate 42% equity interest in PSB, a publicly-traded REIT that owns, operates, acquires and develops commercial properties, primarily multi-tenant flex, office, and industrial space. PSB has a separate management team and board of directors that makes its financing, capital allocation, and other significant decisions. In making resource allocation decisions with respect to our investment in PSB, the CODM reviews PSB’s net income, which is detailed in PSB’s periodic filings with the SEC. The segment presentation in the tables below includes our equity earnings from PSB.

Investment in Shurgard

This segment represents our approximate 35% equity interest in Shurgard, a publicly held company which owns and operates self-storage facilities located in seven countries in Western Europe. Shurgard has a separate management team and board of trustees that makes its financing, capital allocation, and other significant decisions. In making resource allocation decisions with respect to our investment in Shurgard, the CODM reviews Shurgard’s net income. The segment presentation below includes our equity earnings from Shurgard.

Presentation of Segment Information

The following table reconciles NOI (as applicable) and net income of each segment to our consolidated net income (amounts in thousands):

24


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

(amounts in thousands)

Self-Storage Segment

Revenue

$

716,347 

$

674,201 

Cost of operations

(212,105)

(211,096)

Net operating income

504,242 

463,105 

Depreciation and amortization

(146,859)

(135,900)

Net income

357,383 

327,205 

Ancillary Segment

Revenue

50,915 

44,843 

Cost of operations

(16,318)

(13,572)

Net operating income

34,597 

31,271 

Investment in PSB Segment (a) - Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities

14,476 

21,737 

Investment in Shurgard Segment (a) - Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities

4,980 

2,231 

Total net income allocated to segments

411,436 

382,444 

Other items not allocated to segments:

General and administrative

(19,574)

(17,868)

Interest and other income

2,852 

6,119 

Interest expense

(15,250)

(13,621)

Foreign currency exchange gain

45,385 

8,945 

Gain on sale of real estate

9,413 

1,117 

Net income

$

434,262 

$

367,136 

(a) See Note 4 for a reconciliation of these amounts to our total Equity in Earnings of Unconsolidated Real Estate Entities on our income statements.

12.Commitments and Contingencies

Contingent Losses

We are a party to various legal proceedings and subject to various claims and complaints; however, we believe that the likelihood of these contingencies resulting in a material loss to the Company, either individually or in the aggregate, is remote.

Insurance and Loss Exposure

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

25


PUBLIC STORAGE

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

liability is $2.0 million per occurrence. Our annual deductible for property loss is $25.0 million per occurrence. This deductible decreases to $5.0 million 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 March 31, 2021, there were approximately 1,022,000 certificates held by our self-storage customers, representing aggregate coverage of approximately $4.2 billion.

Construction Commitments

We have construction commitments representing future expected payments for construction under contract totaling $111.0 million at March 31, 2021. We expect to pay approximately $90.2 million in the remainder of 2021 and $20.8 million in 2022 for these construction commitments.

13.Subsequent Events

Subsequent to March 31, 2021, we acquired or were under contract to acquire 87 self-storage facilities across 18 states with 7.6 million net rentable square feet, for $2.3 billion, including the 48 properties (4.2 million net rentable square feet) currently owned and operated by ezStorage Corp. that we are under contract to purchase for an acquisition price of $1.8 billion. The acquisition, which is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, is currently expected to close in late April 2021.

On April 23, 2021, we completed a public offering of $700 million, $650 million and $650 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes bearing interest at an annual rate of the compounded Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) + 0.47% (reset quarterly), 1.85% and 2.30%, respectively, and maturing on April 23, 2024, May 1, 2028 and May 1, 2031, respectively.

26


ITEM 2.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to our 2021 outlook and all underlying assumptions, our expected acquisition, disposition, development and redevelopment activity, supply and demand for our self-storage facilities, information relating to operating trends in our markets, expectations regarding operating expenses, including property tax changes, our strategic priorities, expectations with respect to financing activities, rental rates, cap rates and yields, leasing expectations, our credit ratings, and all other statements other than statements of historical fact. Such statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions made based on information currently available to management. 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 “outlook,” “guidance,” “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” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 24, 2021 and in our other filings with the SEC including:

general risks associated with the ownership and operation of real estate, including changes in demand, risk related to development, expansion, and acquisition of self-storage facilities, potential liability for environmental contamination, natural disasters and adverse changes in laws and regulations governing property tax, real estate and zoning;

risks associated with downturns in the national and local economies in the markets in which we operate, including risks related to current economic conditions and the economic health of our customers;

risks associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic (the “COVID Pandemic”) or similar events, including but not limited to illness or death of our employees or customers, negative impacts to the economic environment and to self-storage customers which could reduce the demand for self-storage or reduce our ability to collect rent, and/or potential regulatory actions to (i) close our facilities if we were determined not to be an “essential business” or for other reasons, (ii) limit our ability to increase rent or otherwise limit the rent we can charge or (iii) limit our ability to collect rent or evict delinquent tenants;

the risk that there could be an out-migration of population from certain high-cost major markets, if it is determined that the ability to “work from home,” which has become more prominent during the COVID Pandemic, could allow certain workers to live in less expensive localities, which could negatively impact the occupancies and revenues of our properties in such major high-cost markets;

the risk that even though many initial restrictions due to the COVID Pandemic have eased, they could be reinstituted in response to increases in infections or if additional pandemics occur;

the risk that we could experience a change in the move-out patterns of our long-term customers due to economic uncertainty and increases in unemployment resulting from the COVID Pandemic, which could lead to lower occupancies and rent “roll down” as long-term customers are replaced with new customers at lower rates;

the risk of negative impacts on the cost and availability of debt and equity capital as a result of the COVID Pandemic, which could have a material impact upon our capital and growth plans;

27


the impact of competition from new and existing self-storage and commercial facilities and other storage alternatives;

the risk that our existing self-storage facilities may be at a disadvantage in competing with newly developed facilities with more visual and customer appeal;

risks related to increased reliance on Google as a customer acquisition channel;

difficulties in our ability to successfully evaluate, finance, integrate into our existing operations, and manage properties that we acquire directly or through the acquisition of entities that own and operate self-storage facilities, or to consummate announced acquisitions in the expected timeframe or at all;

risks associated with international operations including, but not limited to, unfavorable foreign currency rate fluctuations, changes in tax laws, and local and global economic uncertainty that could adversely affect our earnings and cash flows;

risks related to our participation in joint ventures;

the impact of the legal and regulatory environment as well as national, state and local laws and regulations including, without limitation, those governing environmental issues, taxes, our tenant reinsurance business, and labor, including risks related to the impact of new laws and regulations;

risks of increased tax expense associated either with a possible failure by us to qualify as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”), or with challenges to the determination of taxable income for our taxable REIT subsidiaries;

risks due to ballot initiatives or other actions that could remove the protections of Proposition 13 with respect to our real estate and result in substantial increases in our assessed values and property tax bills in California;

changes in United States (“U.S.”) federal or state tax laws related to the taxation of REITs and other corporations;

security breaches or a failure of our networks, systems or technology could adversely impact our operations or our business, customer and employee relationships or result in fraudulent payments;

risks associated with the self-insurance of certain business risks, including property and casualty insurance, employee health insurance and workers compensation liabilities;

difficulties in raising capital at a reasonable cost;

delays and cost overruns on our projects to develop new facilities or expand our existing facilities;

ongoing litigation and other legal and regulatory actions which may divert management’s time and attention, require us to pay damages and expenses or restrict the operation of our business; and

economic uncertainty due to the impact of war or terrorism.

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 because 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,

28


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.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires us to make judgments, assumptions, and estimates that affect the amounts reported. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions are based on current facts, historical experience, and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances to determine reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, there were no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates as compared to the critical accounting policies and estimates disclosed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in Part II, Item 7 of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Overview

During a significant portion of 2020 and continuing into 2021, the COVID Pandemic has resulted in cessation, curtailment, or impairment of business activities in most sectors of the economy in virtually all markets we operate in, due to governmental “stay at home” orders, risk mitigation procedures, closure of businesses not considered to be “essential,” as well as other direct and indirect impacts, including a rapid and dramatic increase in unemployment in the U.S. While initial government restrictions have been eased or removed in certain markets there remains an ongoing negative impact to the economy.

Our self-storage facilities have remained open to all customer activity. We consider the safety of our employees and customers as our first priority, and have accordingly taken significant steps to ensure safety, including initiating our touchless eRental® leasing platform, developing the ability for customers to access our properties through our mobile app, as well as enforcing social distancing requirements in our property offices and grounds, and providing protective equipment.

Our corporate offices as well as our call centers migrated to a “work from home” environment during the COVID Pandemic. We expect our corporate employees to return to the corporate office in 2021 assuming the risk of the COVID Pandemic recedes. However, we expect that our call centers will remain in a “work from home” environment due to certain favorable aspects of a distributed call center team.

The continuing impacts of the COVID Pandemic are described more fully throughout our MD&A which follows.

Our self-storage operations generate most of our net income and our earnings growth is most impacted by the level of organic growth within our Same Store Facilities. Accordingly, a significant portion of management’s time is devoted to maximizing cash flows from our existing self-storage facility portfolio.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, revenues generated by our Same Store Facilities increased 3.4% from the three months ended March 31, 2020. Although our revenue continued to be negatively impacted by the COVID Pandemic including restrictions on rate increases to tenants imposed by local government due to “States of Emergency”, our demand and operating trends continued to improve. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, same-store occupancy was 95.6%, an increase of 2.8% as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020, while contract rent per occupied foot at March 31, 2021 was 1% higher as compared to March 31, 2020, suggesting continued revenue growth into 2021.

In addition to managing our existing facilities for organic growth, we have grown and plan to continue to grow through the acquisition and development of new facilities and expanding our existing self-storage facilities. Since the beginning of 2019, we acquired a total of 121 facilities with 9.3 million net rentable square feet for

29


$1.4 billion, and we opened newly developed and expanded self-storage space for a total cost of $563.2 million, adding 5.1 million net rentable square feet.

Additionally, subsequent to March 31, 2021, we were under contract to acquire the ezStorage portfolio consisting of 48 properties (4.2 million net rentable square feet) for $1.8 billion. These properties are located in submarkets with strong demand drivers and high barriers for new property development across Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland. Our development team will assume responsibility for one property that is under construction and expand eight additional properties, resulting in an expected 10% increase in square footage through 2023. The acquisition, which is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, is currently expected to close in late April 2021.

Our strong financial profile continues to enable an effective access to capital markets in order to support our growth and on April 23, 2021, we completed a public offering of $700 million, $650 million and $650 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes maturing on April 23, 2024, May 1, 2028 and May 1, 2031, respectively.

In order to enhance the competitive position of certain of our facilities relative to local competitors (including newly developed facilities), we have embarked on a multi-year program to rebrand our properties, in order to develop more pronounced, attractive, and clearly identifiable color schemes and signage, as well as to upgrade the configuration and layout of the offices and other customer zones to improve the customer experience. The timing and scope of the program will evolve as the work is executed and we expect to spend approximately $120 million over 2021 on this effort.

Results of Operations

Operating results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020

For the three months ended March 31, 2021, net income allocable to our common shareholders was $385.8 million or $2.21 per diluted common share, compared to $313.1 million or $1.79 per diluted common share in 2020 representing an increase of $72.7 million or $0.42 per diluted common share. The increase is due primarily to (i) a $41.1 million increase in self-storage net operating income (described below), (ii) a $36.4 million increase due to the impact of foreign currency exchange gains associated with our Euro denominated debt, partially offset by (iii) a $11.0 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense.

The $41.1 million increase in self-storage net operating income is a result of a $29.3 million increase in our Same Store Facilities (as defined below), and a $11.8 million increase in our non-Same Store Facilities (as defined below). Revenues for the Same Store Facilities increased 3.4% or $21.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, due to higher realized annual rent per available square foot and weighted average square foot occupancy. Cost of operations for the Same Store Facilities decreased by 4.3% or $8.2 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, due primarily to a change in property tax timing resulting in an 8.6% ($6.2 million) decrease in property expense, a 13.2% ($4.4 million) decrease in on-site property manager payroll, partially offset by an increase in share-based compensation. The increase in net operating income of $11.8 million for the non-Same Store Facilities is due primarily to the impact of facilities acquired in 2020 and 2021 and the fill-up of recently developed and expanded facilities.

Funds from Operations and Core Funds from Operations

Funds from Operations (“FFO”) and FFO per share are non-GAAP measures defined by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts and are considered helpful measures of REIT performance by REITs and many REIT analysts. FFO represents net income before depreciation and amortization, which is excluded because it is based upon historical costs and assumes that building values diminish ratably over time, while we believe that real estate values fluctuate due to market conditions. FFO also excludes gains or losses on sale of real estate assets and real estate impairment charges, which are also based upon historical costs and are impacted by historical depreciation. FFO and FFO per share are not a substitute for net income or earnings per share. FFO is not a substitute for net cash flow in evaluating our liquidity or ability to pay dividends, because it excludes investing and financing activities presented on our statements of cash flows. In addition, other REITs may compute these measures differently, so comparisons among REITs may not be helpful.

30


For the three months ended March 31, 2021, FFO was $3.08 per diluted common share, as compared to $2.61 per diluted common share for the same period in 2020, representing an increase of 18.0%, or $0.47 per diluted common share.

The following tables reconcile diluted earnings per share to FFO per share and set forth the computation of FFO per share:

Three Months Ended

March 31,

2021

2020

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Reconciliation of Diluted Earnings per Share to

FFO per Share:

Diluted Earnings per Share

$

2.21

$

1.79

Eliminate amounts per share excluded from FFO:

Depreciation and amortization

0.93

0.87

Gains on sale of real estate investments,

including our equity share from

investments

(0.06)

(0.05)

FFO per share

$

3.08

$

2.61

Computation of FFO per Share:

Net income allocable to common shareholders

$

385,810

$

313,134

Eliminate items excluded from FFO:

Depreciation and amortization

145,869

135,137

Depreciation from unconsolidated

real estate investments

17,933

18,243

Depreciation allocated to noncontrolling

interests and restricted share unitholders

(971)

(961)

Gains on sale of real estate investments,

including our equity share from

investments

(9,387)

(9,241)

FFO allocable to common shares

$

539,254

$

456,312

Diluted weighted average common shares

174,840

174,616

FFO per share

$

3.08

$

2.61

We also present “Core FFO per share,” a non-GAAP measure that represents FFO per share excluding the impact of (i) foreign currency exchange gains and losses, (ii) EITF D-42 charges related to the redemption of preferred securities, and (iii) certain other significant non-cash and/or nonrecurring income or expense items such as loss contingency accruals, casualties, transactional due diligence, and advisory costs. We review Core FFO per share to evaluate our ongoing operating performance and we believe it is used by investors and REIT analysts in a similar manner. However, Core FFO per share is not a substitute for net income per share. Because other REITs may not compute Core FFO per share in the same manner as we do, may not use the same terminology or may not present such a measure, Core FFO per share may not be comparable among REITs.


31


The following table reconciles FFO per share to Core FFO per share:

Three Months Ended

March 31,

Percentage

2021

2020

Change

FFO per share

$

3.08

$

2.61

18.0%

Eliminate the per share impact of items

excluded from Core FFO, including

our equity share from investments:

Foreign currency exchange gain

(0.26)

(0.05)

Other items

-

0.02

Core FFO per share

$

2.82

$

2.58

9.3%

Analysis of Net Income by Reportable Segment

The following discussion and analysis is presented and organized in accordance with Note 11 to our March 31, 2021 financial statements, “Segment Information.” Accordingly, refer to the table presented in Note 11 in order to reconcile such amounts to our total net income and for further information on our reportable segments.

Self-Storage Operations

Our self-storage operations are analyzed in four groups: (i) the 2,278 facilities that we have owned and operated on a stabilized basis since January 1, 2019 (the “Same Store Facilities”), (ii) 121 facilities we acquired after December 31, 2018 (the “Acquired facilities”), (iii) 136 facilities that have been newly developed or expanded, or that had commenced expansion by December 31, 2021 (the “Newly developed and expanded facilities”) and (iv) 28 other facilities, which are otherwise not stabilized with respect to occupancies or rental rates since January 1, 2019 (the “Other non-same store facilities”). See Note 11 to our March 31, 2021 financial statements “Segment Information,” for a reconciliation of the amounts in the tables below to our total net income.

32


Self-Storage Operations

Summary

Three Months Ended March 31,

Percentage

2021

2020

Change

(Dollar amounts and square footage in thousands)

Revenues:

Same Store facilities

$

647,817 

$

626,691 

3.4%

Acquired facilities

20,169 

7,743 

160.5%

Newly developed and expanded facilities

42,939 

34,701 

23.7%

Other non-same store facilities

5,422 

5,066 

7.0%

716,347 

674,201 

6.3%

Cost of operations (a):

Same Store facilities

181,012 

189,189 

(4.3)%

Acquired facilities

10,707 

3,706 

188.9%

Newly developed and expanded facilities

18,138 

16,092 

12.7%

Other non-same store facilities

2,248 

2,109 

6.6%

212,105 

211,096 

0.5%

Net operating income (b):

Same Store facilities

466,805 

437,502 

6.7%

Acquired facilities

9,462 

4,037 

134.4%

Newly developed and expanded facilities

24,801 

18,609 

33.3%

Other non-same store facilities

3,174 

2,957 

7.3%

Total net operating income

504,242 

463,105 

8.9%

Depreciation and amortization expense:

Same Store facilities

(109,407)

(110,317)

(0.8)%

Acquired facilities

(13,755)

(7,318)

88.0%

Newly developed and expanded facilities

(16,335)

(13,168)

24.1%

Other non-same store facilities

(7,362)

(5,097)

44.4%

Total depreciation and

amortization expense

(146,859)

(135,900)

8.1%

Net income (loss):

Same Store facilities

357,398 

327,185 

9.2%

Acquired facilities

(4,293)

(3,281)

30.8%

Newly developed and expanded facilities

8,466 

5,441 

55.6%

Other non-same store facilities

(4,188)

(2,140)

95.7%

Total net income

$

357,383 

$

327,205 

9.2%

Number of facilities at period end:

Same Store facilities

2,278 

2,278 

-

Acquired facilities

121 

53 

128.3%

Newly developed and expanded facilities

136 

132 

3.0%

Other non-same store facilities

28 

29 

(3.4)%

2,563 

2,492 

2.8%

Net rentable square footage at period end:

Same Store facilities

148,909 

148,909 

-

Acquired facilities

9,316 

3,893 

139.3%

Newly developed and expanded facilities

16,068 

14,973 

7.3%

Other non-same store facilities

1,872 

1,998 

(6.3)%

176,165 

169,773 

3.8%

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(a)We revised our prior period financial statements to correct the presentation of share-based compensation expense between general and administrative expense and self-storage cost of operations. As a result, we revised our statements of income for the three months ended March 31, 2020 with an increase in self-storage cost of operations of $3.2 million, and a corresponding decrease to general and administrative expenses. This immaterial correction had no impact on our total expenses or net income. The correction also had no impact on our balance sheet, statements of comprehensive income, statements of equity, or cash flows as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

(b)Net operating income or “NOI” is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of depreciation and amortization expense, which is based upon historical real estate costs and assumes that building values diminish ratably over time, while we believe that real estate values fluctuate due to market conditions. We utilize NOI in determining current property values, evaluating property performance, and in evaluating property operating trends. Direct net operating income (a subtotal within NOI) is also a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of supervisory payroll, centralized management costs and stock based compensation in addition to depreciation and amortization expense. We utilize direct net operating income in evaluating property performance and in evaluating property operating trends as compared to our competitors. We believe that investors and analysts utilize NOI and direct net operating income in a similar manner. These measures are not a substitute for net income, operating cash flow, or other related financial measures, in evaluating our operating results. See Note 11 to our March 31, 2021 financial statements for a reconciliation of NOI to our total net income for all periods presented.

Net operating income from our self-storage operations has increased 8.9% in the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to the same period in 2020. The increase is due primarily to increased Same Store revenues driven by a 2.8% increase in average occupancy to 95.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and decreased Same Store expenses, the acquisition and development of new facilities and the fill-up of unstabilized facilities.

Same Store Facilities

The Same Store Facilities consist of facilities that have been owned and operated on a stabilized level of occupancy, revenues and cost of operations since January 1, 2019. Our Same Store Facilities increased from 2,221 facilities at December 31, 2020 to 2,278 at March 31, 2021. The composition of our Same Store Facilities allows us to more effectively evaluate the ongoing performance of our self-storage portfolio in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and exclude the impact of fill-up of unstabilized facilities, which can significantly affect operating trends. We believe the Same Store information is used by investors and REIT analysts in a similar manner. However, because other REITs may not compute Same Store Facilities in the same manner as we do, may not use the same terminology or may not present such a measure, Same Store Facilities may not be comparable among REITs.

The following table summarizes the historical operating results of these 2,278 facilities (148.9 million net rentable square feet) that represent approximately 85% of the aggregate net rentable square feet of our U.S. consolidated self-storage portfolio at March 31, 2021. It includes various measures and detail that we do not include in the analysis of the developed, acquired, and other non-same store facilities, due to the relative magnitude and importance of our same store facilities relative to our self-storage facilities.

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Selected Operating Data for the Same Store Facilities (2,278 facilities)

Three Months Ended March 31,

Percentage

2021

2020

Change

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except for per square foot data)

Revenues:

Rental income

$

627,811

$

600,059

4.6%

Late charges and

administrative fees

20,006

26,632

(24.9)%

Total revenues (a)

647,817

626,691

3.4%

Direct cost of operations (a):

Property taxes

66,555

72,778

(8.6)%

On-site property manager

payroll

28,729

33,106

(13.2)%

Repairs and maintenance

13,031

12,713

2.5%

Utilities

10,745

10,849

(1.0)%

Marketing

14,571

14,808

(1.6)%

Other direct property costs

18,341

16,889

8.6%

Total direct cost of operations

151,972

161,143

(5.7)%

Direct net operating income

495,845

465,548

6.5%

Indirect cost of operations (a):

Supervisory payroll

(9,834)

(10,911)

(9.9)%

Centralized management costs

(13,017)

(13,812)

(5.8)%

Share-based compensation

(6,189)

(3,323)

86.2%

Net operating income

466,805

437,502

6.7%

Depreciation and

amortization expense

(109,407)

(110,317)

(0.8)%

Net income

$

357,398

$

327,185

9.2%

Gross margin (before indirect costs and

depreciation and amortization expense)

76.5%

74.3%

3.0%

Gross margin (before depreciation

and amortization expense)

72.1%

69.8%

3.3%

Weighted average for the period:

Square foot occupancy

95.6%

93.0%

2.8%

Realized annual rental income per (b):

Occupied square foot

$

17.63

$

17.33

1.7%

Available square foot

$

16.86

$

16.12

4.6%

At March 31:

Square foot occupancy

96.0%

92.7%

3.6%

Annual contract rent per

occupied square foot (c)

$

18.06

$

17.88

1.0%

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(a)Revenues and cost of operations do not include tenant reinsurance and merchandise sale revenues and expenses generated at the facilities. See “Ancillary Operations” below for more information.

(b)Realized annual rent per occupied square foot is computed by dividing rental income, before late charges and administrative fees, by the weighted average occupied square feet for the period. Realized annual rent per available square foot (“REVPAF”) is computed by dividing rental income, before late charges and administrative fees, by the total available net rentable square feet for the period. These measures exclude late charges and administrative fees in order to provide a better measure of our ongoing level of revenue. Late charges are dependent upon the level of delinquency and administrative fees are dependent upon the level of move-ins. In addition, the rates charged for late charges and administrative fees can vary independently from rental rates. These measures take into consideration promotional discounts, which reduce rental income.

(c)Annual contract rent represents the agreed upon monthly rate that is paid by our tenants in place at the time of measurement. Contract rates are initially set in the lease agreement upon move-in and we adjust them from time to time with notice. Contract rent excludes other fees that are charged on a per-item basis, such as late charges and administrative fees, does not reflect the impact of promotional discounts, and does not reflect the impact of rents that are written off as uncollectible.

Analysis of Same Store Revenue

We believe a balanced occupancy and rate strategy will maximize our revenues over time. We regularly adjust the rental rates and promotional discounts offered (generally, “$1.00 rent for the first month”), as well as our marketing efforts on the Internet and other channels to maximize revenue from new tenants to replace tenants that vacate.

We typically increase rental rates to our long-term tenants (generally, those that have been with us for at least a year) once per year. As a result, the number of long-term tenants we have in our facilities is an important factor in our revenue growth. The level of rate increases to long-term tenants is based upon balancing the additional revenue from the increase against the negative impact of incremental move-outs, by considering the customer’s in-place rent and prevailing market rents, among other factors.

Revenues generated by our Same Store Facilities increased by 3.4% in the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to the same period in 2020. The increase is due primarily to a 2.8% increase in average occupancy, combined with a 1.7% increase in realized rent per occupied foot, offset by a 24.9% decrease in late charges and administrative fees. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, our revenues were impacted by certain restrictions on rate increases to existing tenants imposed by local governments due to “State of Emergency” declarations in response to the COVID Pandemic and other disasters. Although certain restrictions have recently been lifted, we continue to expect a portion of our revenues to remain impacted throughout 2021.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, 14 of our top 15 markets increased revenues, weighted average square foot occupancy, realized annual rent per occupied square foot, and REVPAF over the three months ended March 31, 2020. This growth occurred across broad markets notwithstanding those markets affected by new supply levels and/or COVID related consumer restrictions.

The improvement in occupancy trends in the three months ended March 31, 2021 was due primarily to improved trends in move-outs, with year over year move-outs down 11.3% in the three months ended March 31, 2021. This resulted in an increased average length of stay for the three months ended March 31, 2021. An increased average length of stay supports revenue growth, due to more long-term tenants who are eligible for rate increases, and a reduced requirement to replace vacating tenants with new tenants which can lead to increased promotional costs and decrease our pricing leverage. This trend to an increased length of stay became more pronounced over 2020 and into 2021 due in part, we believe, to effects resulting from the COVID Pandemic such as less consumer mobility.

Demand historically has been higher in the summer months than in the winter months and, as a result, rental rates charged to new tenants have typically been higher in the summer months than in the winter months. Demand fluctuates due to various local and regional factors, including the overall economy. Demand into our system is also impacted by new supply of self-storage space as well as alternatives to self-storage.


36


Late Charges and Administrative Fees

We experienced a 24.9% year over year reduction in late charges and administrative fees collected during the three months ended March 31, 2021 due to (i) an acceleration in average collections whereby a greater percentage of tenants paid their monthly rent promptly to avoid the incurrence of such fees and, to a lesser extent (ii) reduced move-in administrative fees due to lower move-ins.

Selected Key Statistical Data

The following table sets forth average annual contract rent per square foot and total square footage for tenants moving in and moving out during the three months ended March 31, 2021. It also includes promotional discounts, which vary based upon the move-in contractual rates, move-in volume, and percentage of tenants moving in who receive the discount.

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Change

(amounts in thousands, except for per

square foot amounts)

Tenants moving in during the period:

Average annual contract rent

per square foot

$

14.95

$

12.91

15.8%

Square footage

24,534

26,185

(6.3)%

Promotional discounts given

$

16,505

$

20,748

(20.5)%

Tenants moving out during the period:

Average annual contract rent

per square foot

$

16.26

$

15.84

2.7%

Square footage

21,842

24,620

(11.3)%

Revenue Expectations

At March 31, 2021, in place contractual rent was 4.6% higher on a year-over-year basis (comprised of a 3.6% increase in square foot occupancy and a 1.0% increase in annual contract rent per occupied foot).

We expect continued revenue growth over 2021 supported by increased customer demand and modest move out activity. There is more uncertainty in the level of positive growth during the second half of 2021 given challenging comparables over 2020 and risk that customer behavior (particularly the level of move-out activity) returns to pre-Pandemic historical levels.

Notwithstanding our expectations of continued positive revenue growth, we are in a time of significant uncertainty, and there are reasonably possible circumstances and events which could result in actual future revenues being significantly lower than our expectations, including the following:

Storage demand could decline or collection losses could increase due to increased recessionary circumstances, worsening of the COVID Pandemic, the potential confluence of higher seasonal influenza infections and COVID infections, or other factors.

The moderation of below-trend move-outs noted above could be sudden and dramatic, and/or disproportionally involve long-term tenants with higher rental rates.

It is possible that the COVID Pandemic could impact current seasonal demand trends in the short or long term, due to changes in certain factors impacting moving trends, such as potentially fewer

37


college students living on-campus in favor of online learning or an increase in working from home reducing the necessity of moving for employment reasons.

Analysis of Same Store Cost of Operations

Cost of operations (excluding depreciation and amortization) decreased 4.3% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020, due primarily to decreased property tax, on-site property manager payroll and supervisory payroll; offset partially by increased share-based compensation and other direct property costs.

Property tax expense decreased 8.6% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. In 2020 our property tax expense was recognized on an accelerated basis in each of the first three quarters. For 2021, we expect our future quarterly tax expense to approximate our 2021 first quarter results, excluding property tax refunds recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2021, based on current property value assessments and property tax rates. We expect annualized 2021 property tax expense to increase approximately 5.0% over 2020 due primarily to higher assessed values and, to a lesser extent, increased tax rates. A summary of our 2020 actual and 2021 estimated quarterly property tax expense is presented below. Amounts for each of the three months ended June 30, September 30 and December 31, 2021 are based on our current estimates of 2021’s full-year property tax expense.

Actual

2021

2020

(Amounts in thousands)

For the three months ended:

March 31

$

66,555

$

72,779

June 30

68,000

72,458

September 30

68,000

71,616

December 31

68,000

41,197

$

270,555

$

258,050

On-site property manager payroll expense decreased 13.2% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. The decrease is due to a year over year decline in hours worked due to staffing reductions from reduced move-in and move-out activity and revisions to other operational processes. We expect reductions in hours worked to continue throughout the remainder of 2021.

Repairs and maintenance expense increased 2.5% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. Repair and maintenance costs include snow removal expense totaling $2.0 million in each of the three month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020.

Repairs and maintenance expense levels are dependent upon many factors such as (i) sporadic occurrences such as accidents, damage, and equipment malfunctions, (ii) short-term local supply and demand factors for material and labor, and (iii) weather conditions, which can impact costs such as snow removal, roof repairs, and HVAC maintenance and repairs. Accordingly, it is difficult to estimate future repairs and maintenance expense.

Our utility expenses are comprised primarily of electricity costs, which are dependent upon energy prices and usage levels. Changes in usage levels are driven primarily by weather and temperature. Utility expense decreased 1.0% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. It is difficult to estimate future utility costs, because weather, temperature, and energy prices are volatile and not predictable. The decrease experienced in the three months ended March 31, 2021 is due primarily to investments we are making in energy saving technology such as solar power and LED lights which generate favorable returns on investment in the form of lower utility usage. We continue to make investments in solar power and LED lights and expect a decline in utility expense throughout the remainder of 2021.

38


Marketing expense is comprised principally of Internet advertising and the operating costs of our telephone reservation center. Internet advertising expense, comprised primarily of keyword search fees assessed on a “per click” basis, varies based upon demand for self-storage space, the quantity of people inquiring about self-storage through online search, occupancy levels, the number and aggressiveness of bidding competitors and other factors. These factors are volatile; accordingly, Internet advertising can increase or decrease significantly in the short-term. Marketing expense decreased 1.6% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. We expect a reduction in the level of marketing expense growth in the remainder of 2021 depending on customer activity.

Other direct property costs include administrative expenses specific to each self-storage facility, such as property insurance, telephone and data communication lines, business license costs, bank charges related to processing the facilities’ cash receipts, tenant mailings, credit card fees, eviction costs and the cost of operating each property’s rental office. These costs increased 8.6% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. We continue to experience increased credit card fees due to a long-term trend of more customers paying with credit cards rather than cash, checks, or other methods of payment with lower transaction costs.

Supervisory payroll expense, which represents cash compensation paid to the management personnel who directly and indirectly supervise the on-site property managers, decreased 9.9% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020 due primarily to lower accrued incentives.

Centralized management costs represents administrative and cash compensation expenses for shared general corporate functions to the extent their efforts are devoted to self-storage operations. Such functions include information technology support, hardware, and software, as well as centralized administration of payroll, benefits, training, repairs and maintenance, customer service, pricing and marketing, operational accounting and finance, and legal costs. Centralized management costs decreased 5.8% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. The decrease was due to lower incentive expense and reduced travel expenses, offset partially by increased investment in our IT infrastructure. We expect increases in centralized management costs in the remainder 2021 due to increased headcount.

Share-based compensation expense includes the amortization of restricted share units and stock options granted to management personnel who directly and indirectly supervise the on-site property managers, as well as those employees responsible for providing shared general corporate functions to the extent their efforts are devoted to self-storage operations. Such functions are listed above under centralized management costs. Share-based compensation expense also includes related employer taxes and varies based upon the level of grants and their related vesting and amortization periods, forfeitures, as well as the Company’s common share price on the date of each grant. Based on our awards currently outstanding, we expect our future quarterly share-based compensation expense to approximate our 2021 first quarter results.

Analysis of Same Store Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization for Same Store Facilities decreased 0.8% in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. We expect modest increases in depreciation expense in the remainder of 2021 due to elevated levels of capital expenditures.


39


Quarterly Financial Data

The following table summarizes selected quarterly financial data with respect to the Same Store Facilities:

For the Quarter Ended

March 31

June 30

September 30

December 31

Entire Year

(Amounts in thousands, except for per square foot amounts)

Total revenues:

2021

$

647,817

2020

$

626,691

$

614,418

$

629,169

$

638,149

$

2,508,427

Total cost of operations:

2021

$

181,012

2020

$

189,189

$

192,345

$

184,329

$

146,584

$

712,447

Property taxes:

2021

$

66,555

2020

$

72,778

$

72,458

$

71,616

$

41,197

$

258,049

Repairs and maintenance:

2021

$

13,031

2020

$

12,713

$

11,670

$

12,973

$

13,485

$

50,841

Marketing:

2021

$

14,571

2020

$

14,808

$

17,630

$

16,158

$

13,526

$

62,122

REVPAF:

2021

$

16.86

2020

$

16.12

$

16.01

$

16.39

$

16.62

$

16.29

Weighted average realized annual rent per occupied square foot:

2021

$

17.63

2020

$

17.33

$

17.00

$

17.16

$

17.46

$

17.24

Weighted average occupancy levels for the period:

2021

95.6%

2020

93.0%

94.2%

95.5%

95.2%

94.5%

40


Analysis of Market Trends

The following table sets forth selected market trends in our Same Store Facilities:

Same Store Facilities Operating Trends by Market

For the Three Months Ended March 31,

Number

Square

Realized Rent per

Realized Rent Per

Net Operating

of

Feet

Occupied Square Foot

Average Occupancy

Available Square Foot

Revenues ($000's)

Income ($000's)

Facilities

(millions)

2021

2020

Change

2021

2020

Change

2021

2020

Change

2021

2020

Change

2021

2020

Change

Los Angeles

214 

15.2 

$

26.45 

$

26.04 

1.6%

97.9%

95.2%

2.8%

$

25.89 

$

24.79 

4.4%

$

100,514 

$

97,247 

3.4%

$

82,219 

$

78,476 

4.8%

San Francisco

130 

8.1 

26.83 

26.50 

1.2%

97.5%

93.7%

4.1%

26.17 

24.84 

5.4%

53,906 

51,610 

4.4%

43,241 

40,563 

6.6%

New York

91 

6.5 

26.36 

26.10 

1.0%

96.0%

93.4%

2.8%

25.30 

24.39 

3.7%

42,105 

41,134 

2.4%

29,302 

27,056 

8.3%

Seattle-Tacoma

129 

8.1 

20.66 

20.35 

1.5%

94.9%

92.6%

2.5%

19.61 

18.84 

4.1%

29,647 

28,808 

2.9%

22,451 

21,470 

4.6%

Miami

89 

5.5 

20.46 

20.14 

1.6%

96.3%

92.7%

3.9%

19.70 

18.67 

5.5%

29,563 

28,336 

4.3%

22,009 

19,439 

13.2%

Washington DC

87 

5.9 

21.42 

21.26 

0.8%

95.1%

92.7%

2.6%

20.37 

19.70 

3.4%

28,687 

28,148 

1.9%

20,833 

19,905 

4.7%

Chicago

83 

5.8 

15.42 

15.16 

1.7%

94.9%

91.6%

3.6%

14.62 

13.88 

5.3%

30,751 

29,584 

3.9%

16,729 

13,846 

20.8%

Atlanta

103 

6.6 

13.38 

13.33 

0.4%

94.6%

92.0%

2.8%

12.65 

12.26 

3.2%

21,433 

21,105 

1.6%

15,518 

15,071 

3.0%

Dallas-Ft. Worth

92 

6.4 

13.59 

13.51 

0.6%

94.8%

92.0%

3.0%

12.89 

12.44 

3.6%

22,258 

21,720 

2.5%

15,129 

13,846 

9.3%

Houston

98 

6.4 

12.83 

12.86 

(0.2)%

93.4%

91.2%

2.4%

11.97 

11.73 

2.0%

19,850 

19,676 

0.9%

12,273 

12,004 

2.2%

Philadelphia

56 

3.5 

17.49 

16.67 

4.9%

96.7%

94.9%

1.9%

16.92 

15.82 

7.0%

15,521 

14,730 

5.4%

10,948 

10,002 

9.5%

Orlando-Daytona

50 

3.8 

13.73 

13.71 

0.1%

95.3%

93.6%

1.8%

13.09 

12.84 

1.9%

15,220 

15,105 

0.8%

10,822 

10,417 

3.9%

West Palm Beach

52 

3.5 

19.00 

18.27 

4.0%

96.4%

93.8%

2.8%

18.31 

17.14 

6.8%

13,505 

12,759 

5.8%

9,846 

9,133 

7.8%

Tampa

40 

2.9 

14.10 

13.95 

1.1%

95.6%

91.8%

4.1%

13.48 

12.81 

5.2%

12,155 

11,690 

4.0%

8,429 

7,668 

9.9%

Charlotte

70 

4.5 

11.41 

11.25 

1.4%

94.8%

91.1%

4.1%

10.81 

10.24 

5.6%

10,750 

10,307 

4.3%

7,863 

7,389 

6.4%

All other markets

894 

56.2 

14.52 

14.17 

2.5%

95.4%

93.0%

2.6%

13.85 

13.18 

5.1%

201,952 

194,732 

3.7%

139,193 

131,217 

6.1%

Totals

2,278 

148.9 

$

17.63 

$

17.33 

1.7%

95.6%

93.0%

2.8%

$

16.86 

$

16.12 

4.6%

$

647,817 

$

626,691 

3.4%

$

466,805 

$

437,502 

6.7%

41


Revenue increased on a year-over-year basis for all of our markets. We believe that our geographic diversification and scale across substantially all major metropolitan markets in the U.S. provides some insulation from localized economic effects and enhances the stability of our cash flows. It is difficult to predict localized trends in short-term self-storage demand and operating results. Over the long run, we believe that markets that experience population growth, high employment, and otherwise exhibit economic strength and consistency will outperform markets that do not exhibit these characteristics.

Acquired Facilities

The Acquired Facilities represent 121 facilities that we acquired in 2019, 2020, and the first three months of 2021. As a result of the stabilization process and timing of when these facilities were acquired, year-over-year changes can be significant.

The following table summarizes operating data with respect to the Acquired Facilities:

42


ACQUIRED FACILITIES

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Change (a)

($ amounts in thousands, except for per square foot amounts)

Revenues (b):

2019 Acquisitions

$

9,046

$

7,061

$

1,985

2020 Acquisitions

10,291

682

9,609

2021 Acquisitions

832

-

832

Total revenues

20,169

7,743

12,426

Cost of operations (b):

2019 Acquisitions

3,530

3,369

161

2020 Acquisitions

6,626

337

6,289

2021 Acquisitions

551

-

551

Total cost of operations

10,707

3,706

7,001

Net operating income:

2019 Acquisitions

5,516

3,692

1,824

2020 Acquisitions

3,665

345

3,320

2021 Acquisitions

281

-

281

Net operating income

9,462

4,037

5,425

Depreciation and

amortization expense

(13,755)

(7,318)

(6,437)

Net loss

$

(4,293)

$

(3,281)

$

(1,012)

At March 31:

Square foot occupancy:

2019 Acquisitions

94.2%

81.1%

16.2%

2020 Acquisitions

73.1%

49.4%

48.0%

2021 Acquisitions

67.6%

-

-

79.7%

74.9%

6.4%

Annual contract rent per

occupied square foot:

2019 Acquisitions

$

12.47

$

11.64

7.1%

2020 Acquisitions

12.40

15.09

(17.8)%

2021 Acquisitions

13.64

-

-

$

12.55

$

12.08

3.9%

Number of facilities:

2019 Acquisitions

44

44

-

2020 Acquisitions

62

9

53

2021 Acquisitions

15

-

15

121

53

68

Net rentable square feet (in thousands):

2019 Acquisitions

3,154

3,145

9

2020 Acquisitions

5,075

748

4,327

2021 Acquisitions

1,087

-

1,087

9,316

3,893

5,423

43


ACQUIRED FACILITIES (Continued)

As of
March 31, 2021

Costs to acquire (in thousands):

2019 Acquisitions

$

429,850

2020 Acquisitions

796,065

2021 Acquisitions

203,108

$

1,429,023

(a)Represents the percentage change with respect to square foot occupancy and annual contract rent per occupied square foot, and the absolute nominal change with respect to all other items.

(b)Revenues and cost of operations do not include tenant reinsurance and merchandise sale revenues and expenses generated at the facilities. See “Ancillary Operations” below for more information.

We believe that our economies of scale in marketing and operations allows us to generate higher net operating income from newly acquired facilities than was achieved by the previous owners. However, it can take 12 or more months for us to fully achieve the higher net operating income, or even longer in the case of an acquired facility with low occupancy levels and/or below market in place rents, and the ultimate levels of net operating income to be achieved can be affected by changes in general economic conditions. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will achieve our expectations with respect to these newly acquired facilities.

The Acquired Facilities have an aggregate of approximately 9.3 million net rentable square feet, including 0.8 million in Virginia, 0.6 million in each of Arizona, Florida and Texas, 0.5 million in each of Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, 0.4 million each in California, Georgia and Illinois, 0.3 million in each of Alabama, Colorado Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Minnesota, North Carolina and South Carolina and 1.6 million in other states.

For the three months ended March 31, 2021, the weighted average annualized yield on cost, based upon net operating income, for the 44 facilities acquired in 2019 was 5.1%. The yield for the facilities acquired in 2020 is not meaningful due to the presence of unstabilized facilities. The yield for the facilities acquired in the three months ended March 31, 2021 is not meaningful due to our limited ownership period.

Subsequent to March 31, 2021, we acquired or were under contract to acquire 87 self-storage facilities across 18 states with 7.6 million net rentable square feet, for $2.3 billion, including the ezStorage portfolio consisting of 48 properties (4.2 million net rentable square feet) for acquisition cost of $1.8 billion, which is currently expected to close in late April 2021.

We are actively seeking to acquire additional facilities and the environment for new acquisitions has improved. We are observing increased selling activity for both new constructed non-stabilized and stabilized properties. However, future acquisition volume will depend upon whether additional owners will be motivated to market their facilities, which will in turn depend upon factors such as economic conditions and the level of seller confidence.


44


Analysis of Depreciation and Amortization of Acquired Facilities

Depreciation and amortization with respect to the Acquired Facilities for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 totaled $13.8 million and $7.3 million, respectively. These amounts include (i) depreciation of the acquired buildings, which is recorded generally on a straight line basis over a 25 year period, and (ii) amortization of cost allocated to the tenants in place upon acquisition of a facility, which is recorded based upon the benefit of such existing tenants to each period and thus is highest when the facility is first acquired and declines as such tenants vacate. With respect to the Acquired Facilities owned at March 31, 2021, depreciation of buildings and amortization of tenant intangibles is expected to aggregate approximately $44.3 million in the year ending December 31, 2021. There will be additional depreciation and amortization of tenant intangibles with respect to new buildings that are acquired in the remainder of 2021.


45


Developed and Expanded Facilities

The developed and expanded facilities include 65 facilities that were developed on new sites since January 1, 2016, and 71 facilities subject to expansion of their net rentable square footage. Of these expansions, 44 were completed at January 1, 2020, 10 were completed in the 15 months ended March 31, 2021, and 17 are currently in process or are expected to commence renovation in 2021. The following table summarizes operating data with respect to the Developed and Expanded Facilities:

DEVELOPED AND EXPANDED

FACILITIES

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Change (a)

($ amounts in thousands, except for per square foot amounts)

Revenues (b):

Developed in 2016

$

7,772

$

6,809

$

963

Developed in 2017 - 2019

14,434

10,637

3,797

Developed in 2020

369

-

369

Developed in 2021

4

-

4

Expansions completed before 2020

13,722

10,684

3,038

Expansions completed in 2020 or 2021

2,298

1,948

350

Expansions in process

4,340

4,623

(283)

Total revenues

42,939

34,701

8,238

Cost of operations (b):

Developed in 2016

2,458

2,516

(58)

Developed in 2017 - 2019

6,473

6,200

273

Developed in 2020

399

-

399

Developed in 2021

83

-

83

Expansions completed before 2020

6,081

5,362

719

Expansions completed in 2020 or 2021

1,385

824

561

Expansions in process

1,259

1,190

69

Total cost of operations

18,138

16,092

2,046

Net operating income (loss):

Developed in 2016

5,314

4,293

1,021

Developed in 2017 - 2019

7,961

4,437

3,524

Developed in 2020

(30)

-

(30)

Developed in 2021

(79)

-

(79)

Expansions completed before 2020

7,641

5,322

2,319

Expansions completed in 2020 or 2021

913

1,124

(211)

Expansions in process

3,081

3,433

(352)

Net operating income

24,801

18,609

6,192

Depreciation and

amortization expense

(16,335)

(13,168)

(3,167)

Net income

$

8,466

$

5,441

$

3,025

At March 31:

Square foot occupancy:

Developed in 2016

94.0%

84.8%

10.8%

Developed in 2017 - 2019

90.6%

71.8%

26.2%

Developed in 2020

55.7%

-

-

Developed in 2021

13.1%

-

-

Expansions completed before 2020

86.0%

67.5%

27.4%

Expansions completed in 2020 or 2021

58.9%

67.3%

(12.5)%

Expansions in process

91.0%

90.4%

0.7%

85.4%

73.1%

16.8%


46


DEVELOPED AND EXPANDED

FACILITIES (Continued)

Year Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Change (a)

(Amounts in thousands, except for number of facilities)

Annual contract rent per occupied square foot:

Developed in 2016

$

15.61

$

14.85

5.1%

Developed in 2017 - 2019

12.66

11.78

7.5%

Developed in 2020

11.20

-

-

Developed in 2021

14.25

-

-

Expansions completed before 2020

11.32

10.96

3.3%

Expansions completed in 2020 or 2021

12.42

14.40

(13.8)%

Expansions in process

17.98

18.89

(4.8)%

$

12.93

$

12.74

1.5%

Number of facilities:

Developed in 2016

16

16

-

Developed in 2017 - 2019

45

45

-

Developed in 2020

3

-

3

Developed in 2021

1

-

1

Expansions completed before 2020

44

44

-

Expansions completed in 2020 or 2021

10

10

-

Expansions in process

17

17

-

136

132

4

Net rentable square feet (c):

Developed in 2016

2,141

2,141

-

Developed in 2017 - 2019

5,166

5,166

-

Developed in 2020

347

-

347

Developed in 2021

200

-

200

Expansions completed before 2020

5,822

5,819

3

Expansions completed in 2020 or 2021

1,365

793

572

Expansions in process

1,027

1,054

(27)

16,068

14,973

1,095

As of
March 31, 2021

Costs to develop (in thousands):

Developed in 2016

$

257,585

Developed in 2017 - 2019

652,445

Developed in 2020

42,063

Developed in 2021

45,333

Expansions completed before 2020 (d)

381,940

Expansions completed in 2020 or 2021 (d)

96,780

$

1,476,146

47


(a)Represents the percentage change with respect to square foot occupancy and annual contract rent per occupied square foot, and the absolute nominal change with respect to all other items.

(b)Revenues and cost of operations do not include tenant reinsurance and merchandise sales generated at the facilities. See “Ancillary Operations” below for more information.

(c)The facilities included above have an aggregate of approximately 16.1 million net rentable square feet at March 31, 2021, including 5.9 million in Texas, 2.0 million in Florida, 1.7 million in California, 1.4 million in Colorado, 1.1 million in Minnesota, 0.8 million in North Carolina, 0.6 million in Washington, 0.4 million in each of Missouri and Virginia, 0.3 million in each of Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey and South Carolina and 0.6 million in other states.

(d)These amounts only include the direct cost incurred to expand and renovate these facilities, and do not include (i) the original cost to develop or acquire the facility or (ii) the lost revenue on space demolished during the construction and fill-up period.

It typically takes at least three to four years for a newly developed or expanded self-storage facility to stabilize with respect to revenues. Physical occupancy can be achieved as early as two to three years following completion of the development or expansion, through offering lower rental rates during fill-up. As a result, even after achieving high occupancy, there can still be a period of elevated revenue growth as the tenant base matures and higher rental rates are achieved.

We believe that our development and redevelopment activities generate favorable risk-adjusted returns over the long run. However, in the short run, our earnings are diluted during the construction and stabilization period due to the cost of capital to fund the development cost, as well as the related construction and development overhead expenses included in general and administrative expense. We believe the level of dilution incurred in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 will continue at similar levels for the remainder of 2021.

Our existing unstabilized facilities continued to fill up in terms of occupancies consistent with our general expectations during the three months ended March 31, 2021, despite the impact of the COVID Pandemic, and we expect that trend to continue. Our unstabilized facilities are affected by the same market dynamics that affect our Same Store properties. Accordingly, whether we ultimately achieve our yield expectations, and the timeframe for reaching stabilized cash flows, depends largely upon the same factors affecting aggregate demand, move-ins, move-outs, and realized annual rent per occupied square foot for our Same Store Facilities as set forth under “Analysis of Same Store Revenue” above.

At March 31, 2021, we had a development pipeline to develop 16 new self-storage facilities and expand 25 existing self-storage facilities, which will add approximately 3.4 million net rentable square feet at a cost of $510.3 million. We have continued to add projects to our development pipeline in the three months ended March 31, 2021 despite the impact of the COVID Pandemic. We expect to continue to seek to add projects to maintain a robust pipeline. Our ability to do so continues to be challenged by various constraints such as difficulty in finding projects that meet our risk-adjusted yield expectations, and challenges in obtaining building permits for self-storage facilities in certain municipalities.

Newly Developed Facilities

The facilities included under “Developed in 2016” had high occupancies at March 31, 2021, but had 14.1% year over year revenue growth during the three months ended March 31, 2021 which exceeds the 3.4% increase in year over year revenue growth in the Same Store facilities. This outperformance relative to the Same Store Facilities reflects the maturity of the existing tenant base following attainment of high occupancy, illustrating the latter stage of the stabilization process noted above. The annualized yield on cost for these facilities, based upon the net operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was 8.3%.

We typically underwrite new developments to stabilize at approximately an 8.0% NOI yield on cost. We believe the 2017-2019 developed facilities, in aggregate, will meet that target on stabilization and have thus far leased-up as expected. The occupancies of facilities developed in 2020 and the first three months of 2021 have leased-up as expected and are at the beginning of their revenue stabilization periods. We expect continued growth in these in the

48


remainder of 2021 and beyond as they continue to stabilize. The annualized yields that may be achieved on these facilities upon stabilization will depend on many factors, including local and current market conditions in the vicinity of each property, the level of new and existing supply, as well as the impact of the COVID Pandemic.

We have 16 additional newly developed facilities in process, which will have a total of 1.4 million net rentable square feet of storage space and have an aggregate development cost totaling approximately $224.2 million. We expect these facilities to open over the next 18 to 24 months.

Expansions of Existing Facilities

The expansion of an existing facility involves the construction of new space on an existing facility, either on existing unused land or through the demolition of existing buildings in order to facilitate densification. The construction costs for an expanded facility may include, in addition to adding space, adding amenities such as climate control to existing space, improving the visual appeal of the facility, and to a much lesser extent, the replacement of existing doors, roofs, and HVAC.

The return profile on the expansion of existing facilities differs from a new facility, due to a lack of land cost, and there can be less cash flow risk because we have more direct knowledge of the local demand for space on the site as compared to a new facility. However, many expansions involve the demolition of existing revenue-generating space with the loss of the related revenues during the construction and fill-up period.

The facilities under “completed expansions” represent those facilities where the expansions have been completed at March 31, 2021. We incurred a total of $478.7 million in direct cost to expand these facilities, demolished a total of 1.1 million net rentable square feet of storage space, and built a total of 5.2 million net rentable square feet of new storage space.

The facilities under “expansions in process” represent those facilities where development is in process at March 31, 2021 or which will commence construction by December 31, 2021. We have a pipeline to add a total of 2.0 million net rentable square feet of storage space by expanding existing self-storage facilities for an aggregate direct development cost of $286.1 million.

Analysis of Depreciation and Amortization of Developed and Expanded Facilities

Depreciation and amortization with respect to the Developed and Expanded Facilities totaled $16.3 million and $13.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. These amounts represent depreciation of the developed buildings and, in the case of the expanded facilities, the legacy depreciation on the existing buildings. With respect to the Developed and Expanded Facilities completed at March 31, 2021, depreciation of buildings is expected to aggregate approximately $45.6 million in the year ending December 31, 2021. There will be additional depreciation of new buildings that are developed or expanded in the remainder of 2021.

Other non-same store facilities

The “other non-same store facilities” represent facilities which, while not newly acquired, developed, or expanded, are not fully stabilized since January 1, 2019, due primarily to casualty events such as hurricanes, floods, and fires.

The other non-same store facilities have an aggregate of 1.9 million net rentable square feet, including 0.5 million in Texas, 0.2 million in each of California, Georgia, Ohio and Tennessee and 0.6 million in other states.

The net operating income for these facilities was $3.2 million and $3.0 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, the average occupancy for these facilities totaled 87.4%, and 77.4%, respectively, and the realized rent per occupied square feet totaled $12.56 and $12.89, respectively.

49


Over the longer term, we expect the growth in operations of these facilities to be similar to that of our Same Store facilities. However, in the short run, year over year comparisons will vary due to the impact of the underlying events which resulted in these facilities being classified as non-same store.

Depreciation and amortization with respect to the other non-same store facilities totaled $7.4 million and $5.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. We expect that depreciation for the remainder of 2021 will approximate the level experienced in the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Ancillary Operations

Ancillary revenues and expenses include amounts associated with the reinsurance of policies against losses to goods stored by tenants in our self-storage facilities in the U.S. and the sale of merchandise at our self-storage facilities. The following table sets forth our ancillary operations:

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Change

(Amounts in thousands)

Revenues:

Tenant reinsurance premiums

$

39,681

$

34,696

$

4,985

Merchandise

7,036

7,185

(149)

Third party property management

4,198

2,962

1,236

Total revenues

50,915

44,843

6,072

Cost of Operations:

Tenant reinsurance

7,824

6,782

1,042

Merchandise

3,966

4,163

(197)

Third party property management

4,528

2,627

1,901

Total cost of operations

16,318

13,572

2,746

Net operating income

Tenant reinsurance

31,857

27,914

3,943

Merchandise

3,070

3,022

48

Third party property management

(330)

335

(665)

Total net operating income

$

34,597

$

31,271

$

3,326

Tenant reinsurance operations: Our customers have the option of purchasing insurance from a non-affiliated insurance company to cover certain losses to their goods stored at our facilities. A wholly-owned, consolidated subsidiary of Public Storage fully reinsures such policies, and thereby assumes all risk of losses under these policies from the insurance company. The subsidiary receives reinsurance premiums, substantially equal to the premiums collected from our tenants, from the non-affiliated insurance company. Such reinsurance premiums are shown as “Tenant reinsurance premiums” in the above table.

Tenant reinsurance revenue increased $5.0 million or 14.4 % in the three months ended March 31, 2021 over the same period in 2020. The increase is due to higher average premiums and an increase in our tenant base with respect to acquired, newly developed, and expanded facilities. Tenant reinsurance revenue with respect to the Same Store Facilities totaled $33.1 million and $30.5 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

We expect future growth will come primarily from customers of newly acquired and developed facilities, as well as additional tenants at our existing unstabilized self-storage facilities.

50


Cost of operations primarily includes claims paid as well as claims adjustment expenses. Claims expenses vary based upon the number of insured tenants and the volume of events which drive covered customer losses, such as burglary, as well as catastrophic weather events affecting multiple properties such as hurricanes and floods. Cost of operations were $7.8 million and $6.8 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Merchandise sales: We sell locks, boxes, and packing supplies at our self-storage facilities and the level of sales of these items is primarily impacted by the level of move-ins and other customer traffic at our self-storage facilities. We do not expect any significant changes in revenues or profitability from our merchandise sales in the remainder of 2021.

Third party property management: At March 31, 2021, we manage 99 facilities for third parties, and were under contract to manage 25 additional facilities including 24 facilities that are currently under construction. While we expect this business to increase in scope and size, we don’t expect any significant changes in overall profitability of this business in the near term as we seek new properties to manage and are in the earlier stages of lease-up for newly managed properties.

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities

For all periods presented, we have equity investments in PSB and Shurgard, which we account for on the equity method and record our pro-rata share of the net income of these entities. The following table, and the discussion below, sets forth our equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate entities:

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Change

(Amounts in thousands)

Equity in earnings:

PSB

$

14,476

$

21,737

$

(7,261)

Shurgard

4,980

2,231

2,749

Total equity in earnings

$

19,456

$

23,968

$

(4,512)

Investment in PSB: Throughout all periods presented, we owned 7,158,354 shares of PS Business Parks, Inc. (“PSB”) common stock and 7,305,355 limited partnership units in an operating partnership controlled by PSB, representing an approximate 42% common equity interest. The limited partnership units are convertible at our option, subject to certain conditions, on a one-for-one basis into PSB common stock.

At March 31, 2021, PSB wholly-owned approximately 27.8 million rentable square feet of commercial space and had a 95% interest in a 395-unit apartment complex. PSB also manages commercial space that we own pursuant to property management agreements.

Included in our equity earnings from PSB for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is our equity share of gains on sale of real estate totaling $8.1 million (none for the same period in 2021).

Equity in earnings from PSB, excluding the aforementioned real estate gains, increased $0.9 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to the same period in 2020 due primarily to increased net operating income from PSB’s non-same park properties. See Note 4 to our March 31, 2021 financial statements for further discussion regarding PSB. PSB’s filings and selected financial information, including discussion of the factors that affect its earnings, including impacts from the COVID Pandemic, can be accessed through the SEC, and on PSB’s website, www.psbusinessparks.com. Information on this website is not incorporated by reference herein and is not a part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Investment in Shurgard: Throughout all periods presented, we effectively owned, directly and indirectly, 31,268,459 Shurgard common shares, representing an approximate 35% equity interest in Shurgard. Shurgard’s common shares trade on Euronext Brussels under the “SHUR” symbol.

51


At March 31, 2021, Shurgard owned 243 self-storage facilities with approximately 13 million net rentable square feet. Shurgard pays us license fees for use of the “Shurgard” trademark, as described in more detail in Note 4 to our March 31, 2021 financial statements.

In the three months ended March 31, 2020, Shurgard acquired two facilities for an aggregate cost of $24.5 million (none for the same period in 2021). In the three months ended March 31, 2021, Shurgard opened two newly developed facilities at an aggregate cost totaling $28.0 million (none in the same period in 2020).

The $2.7 million increase in our equity earnings from Shurgard from the three months March 31, 2021 to 2020 is due to the impact of (i) improved same store, non-same store and ancillary operating income , (ii) a $2.7 million decrease in our equity share of costs due to a casualty loss recorded in the three months ended March 31, 2020, and (iii) a 9.2% increase in average exchange rates of the U.S. Dollar to the Euro, offset partially by (iv) increases in depreciation and interest expense.

Shurgard’s public filings and publicly reported information, including discussion of the factors that affect its earnings, including impacts from the COVID Pandemic, can be obtained on its website, https://corporate.shurgard.eu and on the website of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, http://www.bourse.lu. Information on these websites is not incorporated by reference herein and is not a part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

For purposes of recording our equity in earnings from Shurgard, the Euro was translated at exchange rates of approximately 1.173 U.S. Dollars per Euro at March 31, 2021 (1.226 at December 31, 2020), and average exchange rates of 1.205 and 1.103 for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Analysis of items not allocated to segments

General and administrative expense: The following table sets forth our general and administrative expense:

Three Months Ended March 31,

2021

2020

Change

(Amounts in thousands)

Share-based compensation expense

$

7,642

$

2,880

$

4,762

Costs of senior executives

886

1,640

(754)

Development and acquisition costs

1,599

2,444

(845)

Tax compliance costs and taxes paid

1,698

1,713

(15)

Legal costs

1,820

2,432

(612)

Public company costs

1,640

1,386

254

Other costs

4,289

5,373

(1,084)

Total

$

19,574

$

17,868

$

1,706

Share-based compensation expense includes the amortization of restricted share units and stock options granted to certain corporate employees and trustees, as well as related employer taxes. We corrected our prior period financial statement presentation of share-based compensation expense between general and administrative expense and self-storage cost of operations. As a result, we revised our statement of income for the three months ended March 31, 2020 with an increase in self-storage cost of operations of $3.2 million and a corresponding decrease to general and administrative expenses. This immaterial correction had no impact on our total expenses or net income. The correction also had no impact on the balance sheet, statements of comprehensive income, statements of equity, or cash flows as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Share-based compensation expense, as well as related employer taxes, for management personnel who directly and indirectly supervise the on-site property managers, as well as those employees responsible for providing shared general corporate functions to the extent their efforts are devoted to self-storage operations, are included as self-storage cost of operations. See “Same Store Facilities” for further information. Share-based compensation

52


expense varies based upon the level of grants and their related vesting and amortization periods, forfeitures, as well as the Company’s common share price on the date of each grant.

In July 2020, our share-based compensation plans were modified to allow immediate vesting upon retirement (“Retirement Acceleration”), and to extend the exercisability of outstanding stock options up to a year after retirement, for currently outstanding and future grants. Employees are eligible for Retirement Acceleration if they meet certain conditions including length of service, age, notice of intent to retire, and facilitation of succession for their role. This modification resulted in incremental share-based compensation expense of $3.8 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Development and acquisition costs primarily represent internal and external expenses related to our development and acquisition of real estate facilities and varies primarily based upon the level of activities. The amounts in the above table are net of $3.2 million, and $3.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, in development costs that were capitalized to newly developed and redeveloped self-storage facilities. Development and acquisition costs are expected to increase in the remainder of 2021, as compared to the same period in 2020.

Tax compliance costs and taxes paid include taxes paid to various state and local authorities, the internal and external costs of filing tax returns, costs associated with complying with federal and state tax laws, and maintaining our compliance with Internal Revenue Service REIT rules. Such costs vary primarily based upon the tax rates of the various states in which we do business.

Legal costs include internal personnel as well as fees paid to legal firms and other third parties with respect to general corporate legal matters and risk management, and varies based upon the level of legal activity.

Public company costs represent the incremental costs of operating as a publicly-traded company, such as internal and external investor relations expenses, stock listing and transfer agent fees, Board costs, and costs associated with maintaining compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Other costs represent certain professional and consulting fees, payroll, and overhead that are not attributable to our property operations. Such costs include nonrecurring and variable items, including $1.6 million in due diligence costs incurred in the three months ended March 31, 2020, in connection with our non-binding proposal, which we did not proceed with, to acquire 100% of the stapled securities of National Storage REIT. The level of these costs depends upon corporate activities and initiatives.

Interest and other income: Interest and other income is comprised primarily of the net income from our commercial operations, our property management operation, interest earned on cash balances, and trademark license fees received from Shurgard, as well as sundry other income items that are received from time to time in varying amounts. Excluding amounts attributable to our commercial operations totaling $2.0 million and $2.2 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, interest and other income decreased $3.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. The decrease includes $2.9 million of interest earned on cash balances. The level of other interest and income items in the remainder of 2021 will be dependent upon the level of cash balances we retain, interest rates, and the level of sundry other income items.

Interest expense: For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we incurred $16.2 million and $14.6 million, respectively, of interest on our outstanding debt. In determining interest expense, these amounts were offset by capitalized interest of $0.9 million during each of the three month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, associated with our development activities. The increase in the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to the same period in 2020, is due to our issuance on January 19, 2021 of $500 million of senior notes bearing interest at an annual rate of 0.875% and maturing on February 15, 2026. At March 31, 2021, we had $3.0 billion of debt outstanding, with an average interest rate of approximately 2.2%.

Future interest expense will be dependent upon the level of outstanding debt and the amount of in-process development costs.

53


Foreign Exchange Gain: For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we recorded foreign currency gains of $45.4 million and $8.9 million, respectively, representing the changes in the U.S. Dollar equivalent of our Euro-denominated unsecured notes due to fluctuations in exchange rates. The Euro was translated at exchange rates of approximately 1.173 U.S. Dollars per Euro at March 31, 2021, 1.226 at December 31, 2020, 1.100 at March 31, 2020 and 1.122 at December 31, 2019. Future gains and losses on foreign currency will be dependent upon changes in the relative value of the Euro to the U.S. Dollar, and the level of Euro-denominated debt outstanding.

Gain on Real Estate Investment Sales: In the three months ended March 31, 2021, we recorded a gain of $9.4 million in connection with the complete sale of a real estate facility pursuant to an eminent domain proceeding in Saint Louis, Missouri. In the three months ended March 31, 2020, we recorded gains totaling $1.1 million in connection the partial sale of real estate facilities pursuant to eminent domain proceedings.

Net Income Allocable to Preferred Shareholders: Net income allocable to preferred shareholders based upon distributions decreased from $52.0 million in the three months ended March 31, 2020 to $46.1 million in the same period in 2021. This decrease is due primarily to lower average coupon rates due to redemptions of preferred shares with the proceeds from the issuance of new series with lower market coupon rates and lower average preferred shares outstanding. Based upon our preferred shares outstanding at March 31, 2021, our quarterly distribution to our preferred shareholders is expected to be approximately $45.2 million.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

While being a REIT allows us to minimize the payment of U.S. federal corporate income tax expense, we are required to distribute 100% of our taxable income to our shareholders. This requirement limits cash flow from operations that can be retained and reinvested in the business, increasing our reliance upon raising capital to fund growth.

Because raising capital is important to our growth, we endeavor to maintain a strong financial profile 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.

While we must distribute our taxable income, 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.

Capital needs in excess of retained cash flow are met with: (i) preferred equity, (ii) medium and long-term debt, and (iii) common equity. We select among these sources of capital based upon relative cost, availability, the desire for leverage, and considering potential constraints caused by certain features of capital sources, such as debt covenants. We view our line of credit, as well as short-term bank loans, as bridge financing.

We have a $500.0 million revolving line of credit which we occasionally use as temporary “bridge” financing until we are able to raise longer term capital. As of March 31, 2021 and April 28, 2021, there were no borrowings outstanding on the revolving line of credit, however, we do have approximately $24.3 million of outstanding letters of credit which limits our borrowing capacity to $475.7 million. Our line of credit matures on April 19, 2024.

We believe that we have significant financial flexibility to adapt to changing conditions and opportunities. Currently, market rates of interest for our debt, and market coupon rates for our preferred equity, are at historically low levels and we have significant access to these sources of capital. Based upon our substantial current liquidity relative to our capital requirements noted below, we would not expect any potential capital market dislocations to have a material impact upon our expected capital and growth plans over the next 12 months. However, if capital market conditions were to change significantly in the long run, our access to or cost of debt and preferred equity capital could be negatively impacted and potentially affect future investment activities.

54


Liquidity and Capital Resource Analysis: We believe that our net cash provided by our operating activities will continue to be sufficient to enable us to meet our ongoing requirements for principal payments on debt, maintenance capital expenditures and distributions to our shareholders for the foreseeable future.

We expect capital resources over the next year of approximately $2.9 billion, which exceeds our currently identified capital needs of approximately $2.6 billion. Our expected capital resources include: (i) $159.6 million of cash as of March 31, 2021, (ii) $475.7 million of available borrowing capacity on our revolving line of credit, (iii) $2.0 billion in proceeds from the public issuance of senior notes issued in April 2021 and (iv) approximately $300 million of expected retained operating cash flow over 2021. Retained operating cash flow represents our expected cash flow provided by operating activities, less shareholder distributions and capital expenditures.

Our currently identified capital needs consist primarily of (i) $2.3 billion in property acquisitions currently under contract and (ii) $309.0 million of remaining spending on our current development pipeline, which will be incurred primarily in the next 18 to 24 months. We have no substantial principal payments on debt until 2022. We expect our capital needs to increase over the next year as we add projects to our development pipeline and acquire additional properties. Additional potential capital needs could result from various activities including the redemption of outstanding preferred securities, repurchases of common stock, or mergers and acquisition activities; however, there can be no assurance of any such activities transpiring in the near or longer term.

To the extent our retained operating cash flow, cash on hand, and line of credit are insufficient to fund our activities, we believe we have a variety of possibilities to raise additional capital including issuing common or preferred securities, issuing debt, or entering into joint venture arrangements to acquire or develop facilities.

Required Debt Repayments: As of March 31, 2021, the principal outstanding on our debt totaled approximately $3.0 billion, consisting of $24.7 million of secured debt, $1.0 billion of Euro-denominated unsecured debt and $2.0 billion of U.S. Dollar denominated unsecured debt. Approximate principal maturities are as follows (amounts in thousands):

Remainder of 2021

$

1,321

2022

502,574

2023

19,219

2024

117,401

2025

283,958

Thereafter

2,087,715

$

3,012,188

On April 23, 2021, we completed a public offering of $700 million, $650 million and $650 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes bearing interest at an annual rate of SOFR + 0.47%, 1.85% and 2.30%, respectively, and maturing on April 23, 2024, May 1, 2028 and May 1, 2031, respectively.

Our debt is well-laddered and we have no material debt maturity until September 2022.

Capital Expenditure Requirements: Capital expenditures include general maintenance, major repairs or replacements to elements of our facilities to keep our facilities in good operating condition and maintain their visual appeal. Capital expenditures do not include costs relating to the development of new facilities or redevelopment of existing facilities to increase their available rentable square footage.

Capital expenditures totaled $35.8 million in the first three months of 2021, and are expected to approximate $250.0 million to $300.0 million for the year ending December 31, 2021. In addition to standard capital repairs of building elements reaching the end of their useful lives, our capital expenditures in recent years have included incremental expenditures to enhance the competitive position of certain of our facilities relative to local competitors pursuant to a multi-year program. Such investments include development of more pronounced, attractive, and clearly identifiable color schemes and signage, upgrades to the configuration and layout of the offices and other customer

55


zones to improve the customer experience. In addition, we have made investments in LED lighting and the installation of solar panels.

We believe that these incremental investments improve customer satisfaction, the attractiveness and competitiveness of our facilities to new and existing customers and, in the case of LED lighting and solar panels, reduce operating costs.

Requirement to Pay Distributions: For all periods presented herein, we have elected to be treated as a REIT, as defined in the Code. For each taxable year in which we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our “REIT taxable income” (generally, taxable income subject to specified adjustments, including a deduction for dividends paid and excluding our net capital gain) that is distributed to our shareholders. We believe we have met these requirements in all periods presented herein, and we expect to continue to qualify as a REIT.

On April 21, 2021, our Board declared a regular common quarterly dividend of $2.00 per common share totaling approximately $350 million, which will be paid at the end of June 2021. Our consistent, long-term dividend policy has been to distribute only our taxable income. Future quarterly distributions with respect to the common shares will continue to be determined based upon our REIT distribution requirements after taking into consideration distributions to the preferred shareholders and will be funded with cash flows from operating activities.

We estimate the annual distribution requirements with respect to our Preferred Shares outstanding at March 31, 2021 to be approximately $180.7 million per year.

We estimate we will pay approximately $5.1 million per year in distributions to noncontrolling interests outstanding at March 31, 2021.

Real Estate Investment Activities: We continue to seek to acquire additional self-storage facilities from third parties. Subsequent to March 31, 2021, we acquired or were under contract to acquire 87 self-storage facilities for a total purchase price of $2.3 billion. Eleven of these properties are under construction and expected to close as they are completed in the remainder of 2021.

We are actively seeking to acquire additional facilities. However, future acquisition volume will depend upon whether additional owners will be motivated to market their facilities, which will in turn depend upon factors such as economic conditions and the level of seller confidence.

As of March 31, 2021, we had development and expansion projects at a total cost of approximately $510.3 million. Costs incurred through March 31, 2021 were $201.3 million, with the remaining cost to complete of $309.0 million expected to be incurred primarily in the next 18 to 24 months. Some of these projects are subject to contingencies such as entitlement approval. We expect to continue to seek to add projects to maintain and increase our robust pipeline. Our ability to do so continues to be challenged by various constraints such as difficulty in finding projects that meet our risk-adjusted yield expectations, and challenges in obtaining building permits for self-storage facilities in certain municipalities.

Redemption of Preferred Securities: Historically, we have taken advantage of refinancing higher coupon preferred securities with lower coupon preferred securities. In the future, we may also elect to finance the redemption of preferred securities with proceeds from the issuance of debt. As of April 28, 2021, we have no series of preferred securities that are eligible for redemption, at our option and with 30 days’ notice. See Note 8 to our March 31, 2021 financial statements for the redemption dates of all of our series of preferred shares. 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 are redeemable at the option of the holders.

Repurchases of Common Shares: Our Board has authorized management to repurchase up to 35,000,000 of our common shares on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, we did not repurchase any of our common shares. From the inception of the repurchase program through April 28, 2021, we have repurchased a total of 23,721,916 common shares at an aggregate cost of

56


approximately $679.1 million. Future levels of common share repurchases will be dependent upon our available capital, investment alternatives and the trading price of our common shares.

Contractual Obligations

Our significant contractual obligations as March 31, 2021 and their impact on our cash flows and liquidity are summarized below for the years ending December 31 (amounts in thousands):

Remainder

of

Total

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Thereafter

Interest and principal payments

on debt (1)

$

3,379,057 

$

48,430 

$

561,848 

$

69,580 

$

165,781 

$

329,533 

$

2,203,885 

Leases and other commitments (2)

76,573 

3,160 

3,901 

3,614 

3,639 

3,740 

58,519 

Construction commitments (3)

110,993 

90,154 

20,839 

-

-

-

-

Total

$

3,566,623 

$

141,744 

$

586,588 

$

73,194 

$

169,420 

$

333,273 

$

2,262,404 

(1)Represents contractual principal and interest payments. Amounts with respect to certain Euro-denominated debt are based upon exchange rates at March 31, 2021. See Note 6 to our March 31, 2021 financial statements for further information.

(2)Represents future contractual payments on land, equipment and office space under various leases and other commitments.

(3)Represents future expected payments for construction under contract at March 31, 2021.

We estimate the annual distribution requirements with respect to our Preferred Shares outstanding at March 31, 2021 to be approximately $180.7 million per year. Dividends are paid when and if declared by our Board and accumulate if not paid.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements: At March 31, 2021, we had no material off-balance sheet arrangements as defined under Regulation S-K 303(a)(4) and the instructions thereto.


57


ITEM 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

To limit our exposure to market risk, we are capitalized primarily with preferred and common equity. Our preferred shares are redeemable at our option generally five years after issuance, but the holder has no redemption option. Our debt is our only market-risk sensitive portion of our capital structure, which totals approximately $3.0 billion and represents 34.9% of the book value of our equity at March 31, 2021.

We have foreign currency exposure at March 31, 2021 related to (i) our investment in Shurgard, with a book value of $339.8 million, and a fair value of $1.4 billion based upon the closing price of Shurgard’s stock on March 31, 2021, and (ii) €842.0 million ($1.0 billion) of Euro-denominated unsecured notes payable.

The fair value of our fixed rate debt at March 31, 2021 is approximately $3.1 billion. The table below summarizes the annual maturities of our fixed rate debt, which had a weighted average effective rate of 2.2% at March 31, 2021. See Note 6 to our March 31, 2021 financial statements for further information regarding our fixed rate debt (amounts in thousands).

Remainder of

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Thereafter

Total

Fixed rate debt

$

1,321

$

502,574

$

19,219

$

117,401

$

283,958

$

2,087,715

$

3,012,188

ITEM 4. Controls and Procedures

Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports we file and submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in accordance with SEC guidelines and that such information is communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure based on the definition of “disclosure controls and procedures” in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures in reaching that level of reasonable assurance. We also have investments in certain unconsolidated real estate entities and because we do not control these entities, our disclosure controls and procedures with respect to such entities are substantially more limited than those we maintain with respect to our consolidated subsidiaries.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as required by Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b), as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective, at a reasonable assurance level.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.


58


Part II.

OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1.

Legal Proceedings

We are a party to various legal proceedings and subject to various claims and complaints; however, we believe that the likelihood of these contingencies resulting in a material loss to the Company, either individually or in the aggregate, is remote.

ITEM 1A.

Risk Factors

In addition to the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, you should carefully consider the risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended December 31, 2020, in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors, and in our other filings with the SEC. These factors may materially affect our business, financial condition and operating results. There have been no material changes to the risk factors relating to the Company disclosed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

In addition, in considering the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-Q and elsewhere, you should refer to the qualifications and limitations on our forward-looking statements that are described in Forward Looking Statements at the beginning of Part I, Item 2 of this Form 10-Q.

ITEM 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Common Share Repurchases

Our Board has authorized management to repurchase up to 35,000,000 of our common shares on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. From the inception of the repurchase program through April 28, 2021, we have repurchased a total of 23,721,916 common shares (all purchased prior to 2010) at an aggregate cost of approximately $679.1 million. Our common share repurchase program does not have an expiration date and there are 11,278,084 common shares that may yet be repurchased under our repurchase program as of March 31, 2021. We have no current plans to repurchase shares; however, future levels of common share repurchases will be dependent upon our available capital, investment alternatives, and the trading price of our common shares.

Preferred Share Redemptions

We redeemed pursuant to our option to redeem such shares, 12,000,000 of our 5.400% Series B preferred shares in January 2021, at $25.00 per share.

ITEM 6.

Exhibits

Exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K are filed herewith or incorporated herein by reference and are listed in the attached Exhibit Index which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

59



PUBLIC STORAGE

INDEX TO EXHIBITS (1)

(Items 15(a)(3) and 15(c))

3.1

Restated Declaration of Trust of Public Storage. Filed herewith.

3.2

Amended and Restated Bylaws of Bylaws of Public Storage. Filed herewith.

10.1

Public Storage 2021 Equity and Performance-Based Incentive Compensation Plan. Filed as Appendix A to the Company’s 2021 Proxy Statement dated March 16, 2021 and incorporated by reference herein.

31.1

Rule 13a – 14(a) Certification. Filed herewith.

31.2

Rule 13a – 14(a) Certification. Filed herewith.

32

Section 1350 Certifications. Filed herewith.

101 .INS

Inline XBRL Instance Document. Filed herewith.

101 .SCH

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema. Filed herewith.

101 .CAL

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase. Filed herewith.

101 .DEF

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase. Filed herewith.

101 .LAB

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase. Filed herewith.

101 .PRE

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Link. Filed herewith.

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

_ (1) SEC

File No. 001-33519 unless otherwise indicated.



60


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

4

DATED: April 28, 2021

PUBLIC STORAGE

By: /s/ H. Thomas Boyle                 

H. Thomas Boyle
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
(Principal financial officer and duly authorized officer)


61

Exhibit 3.1

PUBLIC STORAGE

 

RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST

 

 

ARTICLE I

FORMATION

 

Public Storage (the “Trust”) is a real estate investment trust within the meaning of the Maryland REIT Law. The Trust shall not be deemed to be a general partnership, limited partnership, joint venture, joint stock company or a corporation (but nothing herein shall preclude the Trust from being treated for tax purposes as an association under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)).

 

ARTICLE II

NAME

 

The name of the Trust is: Public Storage.

 

The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees” or “Board”) may change the name of the Trust without approval of the shareholders.

 

ARTICLE III

PURPOSES AND POWERS

 

Section 3.1 Purposes. The purposes for which the Trust is formed are to engage in any lawful act or activity, including, without limitation or obligation, to invest in and to acquire, hold, manage, administer, control and dispose of property (including mortgages) including, without limitation or obligation, engaging in business as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under the Code.

 

Section 3.2 Powers. The Trust shall have all of the powers granted to real estate investment trusts by the Maryland REIT Law and all other powers set forth in the Declaration of Trust that are not inconsistent with law and are appropriate to promote and attain the purposes set forth in the Declaration of Trust.

 

ARTICLE IV

RESIDENT AGENT

 

The name of the resident agent of the Trust in the State of Maryland is The Corporation Trust Incorporated, whose post office address is 2405 York Road, Suite 201, Lutherville Timonium, Maryland 12093. The resident agent is a Maryland corporation. The Trust may have such offices or places of business within or outside the State of Maryland as the Board of Trustees may from time to time determine.

 

ARTICLE V

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Section 5.1 Powers. Subject to any express limitations contained in the Declaration of Trust or in the Bylaws, (a) the business and affairs of the Trust shall be managed under the direction of the Board of Trustees and (b) the Board shall have full, exclusive and absolute power, control and authority over any and all property of the Trust. The Board may take any action as in its sole judgment and discretion is necessary or appropriate to conduct the business and affairs of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust shall be construed with the presumption in favor of the grant of power and authority to the Board. Any construction of the Declaration of Trust or determination made in good faith by the Board concerning its powers and authority hereunder shall be conclusive. The enumeration and definition of particular powers of the Trustees included in the Declaration of Trust or in the Bylaws shall in no way

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

be limited or restricted by reference to or inference from the terms of this or any other provision of the Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws or construed or deemed by inference or otherwise in any manner to exclude or limit the powers conferred upon the Board or the Trustees under the general laws of the State of Maryland or any other applicable laws.

 

The Board shall have the authority to cause the Trust to elect to qualify for federal income tax treatment as a REIT. Following such election, if the Board determines that it is no longer in the best interests of the Trust to continue to be qualified as a REIT, the Board may revoke or otherwise terminate the Trust’s REIT election pursuant to Section 856(g) of the Code.

 

The Board, without any action by the shareholders of the Trust, shall have and may exercise, on behalf of the Trust, without limitation, the power to determine that compliance with any restriction or limitations on ownership and transfers of shares of the Trust’s beneficial interest set forth in Article VII of the Declaration of Trust is no longer required in order for the Trust to qualify as a REIT; to adopt Bylaws of the Trust, which may thereafter be amended or repealed as provided therein; to elect officers in the manner prescribed in the Bylaws; to solicit proxies from holders of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust; and to do any other acts and deliver any other documents necessary or appropriate to the foregoing powers.

 

Section 5.2 Number. The number of Trustees (hereinafter the “Trustees”) is currently set at ten (10), but may hereafter be increased to a maximum of fifteen (15) or decreased to not fewer than three (3) pursuant to the Bylaws. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if for any reason any or all of the Trustees cease to be Trustees, such event shall not terminate the Trust or affect the Declaration of Trust or the powers of the remaining Trustees.

The Trustees may increase the number of Trustees and fill any vacancy, whether resulting from an increase in the number of Trustees or otherwise, on the Board of Trustees. Election of Trustees by shareholders shall require the vote and be in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Bylaws.

 

It shall not be necessary to list in the Declaration of Trust the names and addresses of any Trustees hereinafter elected.

 

Section 5.3 Resignation or Removal. Any Trustee may resign by written notice to the Board, effective upon execution and delivery to the Trust of such written notice or upon any future date specified in the notice. Subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of Preferred Shares, as hereinafter defined, to elect one or more Trustees, a Trustee may be removed at any time, but only with cause, at a meeting of the shareholders, by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two thirds of the Shares then outstanding and entitled to vote generally in the election of Trustees.

 

Section 5.4 Term. The Trustees shall be elected at each annual meeting of the Shareholders and shall serve until the next annual meeting of the Shareholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

 

Section 5.5 Determinations by Board. The determination as to any of the following matters, made in good faith by or pursuant to the direction of the Board of Trustees consistent with the Declaration of Trust, shall be final and conclusive and shall be binding upon the Trust and every holder of Shares: the amount of the net income of the Trust for any period and the amount of assets at any time legally available for the payment of dividends, redemption of Shares or the payment of other distributions on Shares; the amount of paid-in surplus, net assets, other surplus, annual or other cash flow, funds from operations, net profit, net assets in excess of capital, undivided profits or excess of profits over losses on sales of assets; the amount, purpose, time of creation, increase or decrease, alteration or cancellation of any reserves or charges and the propriety thereof (whether or not any obligation or liability for which such reserves or charges shall have been created shall have been paid or discharged); any interpretation of the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers or rights, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of any class or series of Shares; the fair value, or any sale, bid or asked price to be applied in determining the fair value, of any asset owned or held by the Trust or of any Shares; the number of Shares of any class of the Trust; any matter relating to the acquisition, holding and disposition of any assets by the Trust; or any other matter relating to the business and affairs of the Trust or required or permitted by applicable law, the Declaration of Trust or Bylaws or otherwise to be determined by the Board of Trustees.

 

 

ARTICLE VI

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST

 

Section 6.1 Authorized Shares. The beneficial interest of the Trust shall be divided into shares of beneficial interest (the “Shares”). The total number of Shares of all classes that the Trust has authority to issue is 850,000,000, of which 650,000,000 Shares are initially classified as common shares of beneficial interest, $0.10 par value per share (“Common Shares”), 100,000,000 Shares are initially classified as equity shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share (“Equity Shares”), and 100,000,000 Shares are initially classified as preferred shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share (“Preferred Shares”). The Board is authorized to classify and reclassify any unissued Shares of any class or series of shares of beneficial interest into Shares of another class or series of shares of beneficial interest. If shares of one class are classified or reclassified into shares of another class of shares pursuant to this Article VI, the number of authorized shares of the former class shall be automatically decreased and the number of shares of the latter class shall be automatically increased, in each case by the number of shares so classified or reclassified, so that the aggregate number of shares of beneficial interest of all classes that the Trust has authority to issue shall not be more than the total number of shares of beneficial interest set forth in the second sentence of this paragraph.

 

Section 6.2 Common Shares. Subject to the provisions of Article VII, each Common Share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote on each matter upon which holders of Common Shares are entitled to vote.

 

Section 6.3. Equity Shares. The Board of Trustees may classify any unissued Equity Shares and reclassify any previously classified but unissued Equity Shares of any series from time to time, into one or more classes or series of common shares, equity shares or preferred shares.

 

Section 6.4 Preferred Shares. The Board of Trustees may classify any unissued Preferred Shares and reclassify any previously classified but unissued Preferred Shares of any series from time to time, into one or more classes or series of common shares, equity shares or preferred shares.

 

Section 6.5 Classified or Reclassified Shares. Prior to issuance of any Shares classified or reclassified, the Board of Trustees by resolution shall: (a) designate that class or series to distinguish it from all other classes and series of Shares; (b) specify the number of Shares to be included in the class or series; (c) set, subject to the provisions of Article VII and subject to the express terms of any class or series of Shares outstanding at the time, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption for each class or series; and (d) cause the Trust to file articles supplementary with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (the “SDAT”). Any of the terms of any class or series of Shares set pursuant to clause (c) of this Section 6.5 may be made dependent upon facts ascertainable outside the Declaration of Trust (including the occurrence of any event, including a determination or action by the Trust or any other person or body) and may vary among holders thereof, provided that the manner in which such facts or variations shall operate upon the terms of such class or series of Shares is clearly and expressly set forth in the articles supplementary filed with the SDAT.

 

Section 6.6 Dividends and Distributions. The Board of Trustees may from time to time authorize and the Trust shall declare to shareholders such dividends or distributions in cash or other assets of the Trust or in securities of the Trust or from another source as the Board of Trustees in its discretion shall determine. The Board of Trustees shall endeavor to authorize, and the Trust shall declare and pay, such dividends and distributions as shall be necessary for the Trust to qualify as a REIT under the Code; however, shareholders shall have no right to any dividend or distribution unless and until authorized by the Board and declared and publicly disclosed by the Trust. The exercise of the powers and rights of the Board of Trustees pursuant to this Section 6.6 shall be subject to the preferences of any class or series of Shares at the time outstanding.

 

Section 6.7 Transferable Shares; Preferential Dividends. Notwithstanding any other provision in the Declaration of Trust, no determination shall be made by the Board of Trustees nor shall any transaction be entered into by the Trust that would cause any Shares or other beneficial interest in the Trust not to constitute “transferable shares” or “transferable certificates of beneficial interest” under Section 856(a)(2) of the Code or that would cause any distribution to constitute a preferential dividend as described in Section 562(c) of the Code.

 

Section 6.8 General Nature of Shares. All Shares shall be personal property entitling the shareholders only to those rights provided in the Declaration of Trust. The shareholders shall have no interest in the property of the Trust and shall have no right to compel any partition, division, dividend or distribution of the Trust or of the property of

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

the Trust. The death of a shareholder shall not terminate the Trust. The Trust is entitled to treat as shareholders only those persons in whose names Shares are registered as holders of Shares on the share ledger of the Trust.

 

Section 6.9 Fractional Shares. The Trust may, without the consent or approval of any shareholder, issue fractional Shares, eliminate a fraction of a Share by rounding up or down to a full Share, arrange for the disposition of a fraction of a Share by the person entitled to it, or pay cash for the fair value of a fraction of a Share.

 

Section 6.10 Divisions and Combinations of Shares. Subject to an express provision to the contrary in the terms of any class or series of beneficial interest hereafter authorized, the Board of Trustees shall have the power to divide or combine the outstanding shares of any class or series of beneficial interest, without a vote of shareholders.

 

Section 6.11 Declaration of Trust and Bylaws. All persons who shall acquire a Share shall acquire the same subject to the provisions of the Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws.

 

ARTICLE VII

RESTRICTION ON TRANSFER AND OWNERSHIP OF SHARES

 

Section 7.1 Definitions. For the purpose of this Article VII, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

Beneficial Ownership. The term “Beneficial Ownership” shall mean ownership of Shares by a Person, whether the interest in Shares is held directly or indirectly (including by a nominee), and shall include interests that would be treated as owned through the application of Section 544 of the Code, as modified by Sections 856(h)(1)(B) and 856(h)(3) of the Code. The terms “Beneficial Owner,” “Beneficially Owns” and “Beneficially Owned” shall have the correlative meanings.

 

Business Day. The term “Business Day” shall mean any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions in New York, New York are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.

 

Charitable Beneficiary. The term “Charitable Beneficiary” shall mean one or more beneficiaries of the Charitable Trust as determined pursuant to Section 7.3.7, provided that each such organization must be described in Sections 501(c)(3), 170(b)(1)(A) and 170(c)(2) of the Code.

 

Charitable Trust. The term “Charitable Trust” shall mean any trust provided for in Section 7.2.1(b)(i) and Section 7.3.1.

 

Charitable Trustee. The term “Charitable Trustee” shall mean the Person unaffiliated with the Trust and a Prohibited Owner, that is appointed by the Trust to serve as trustee of the Charitable Trust.

 

Code. The term “Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.

 

Declaration of Trust. The term “Declaration of Trust” shall mean this Declaration of Trust as filed for record with the SDAT, and any amendments and supplements thereto.

 

Designated Investment Entity. The term “Designated Investment Entity” shall mean either (i) a pension trust that qualifies for look-through treatment under Section 856(h) of the Code, (ii) an entity that qualifies as a regulated investment company under Section 851 of the Code, or (iii) a Qualified Investment Manager; provided that each beneficial owner of such entity, or in the case of a Qualified Investment Manager holding Shares solely for the benefit of its customers, each such customer, would satisfy the Ownership Limit if such beneficial owner owned directly its proportionate share of the Shares that are held by such Designated Investment Entity.

 

Designated Investment Entity Limit. The term “Designated Investment Entity Limit” shall mean (i) with respect to any class or series of Common Shares, 9.9% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of such class or series of Common Shares of the Trust; and (ii) with respect to any class or series of Preferred Shares or Equity Shares, as the case may be, 100% of the outstanding shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares or Equity Shares, as the case may be, of the Trust. 

 

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

Excepted Holder. The term “Excepted Holder” shall mean B. Wayne Hughes, Tamara Hughes Gustavson, B. Wayne Hughes Jr., each of their respective spouses, children (and their respective spouses), and grandchildren (and their respective spouses) (such individuals being referred to as “Hughes Family Members”), any Person who is or would be a Beneficial Owner of Common Shares as a result of the Beneficial Ownership of Common Shares by any Hughes Family Member, B.W. Hughes Living Trust, B. Wayne Hughes 5-04 Annuity Trust, B. Wayne Hughes 6-04 Annuity Trust, B. Wayne Hughes 9-05 Annuity Trust, American Commercial Equities, LLC, and American Commercial Equities Two, LLC, and any Person whose Beneficial Ownership of Common Shares would cause a Hughes Family Member to be considered the Beneficial Owner of such Common Shares (Excepted Holder status shall apply to Persons in this final category solely to the extent of the deemed Beneficial Ownership held by such Hughes Family Members) (collectively, the “Excepted Holders”).

 

Excepted Holder Limit. The term “Excepted Holder Limit” shall mean as follows:

 

(1) With respect to any class or series of Common Shares, no Excepted Holder shall be permitted to Beneficially Own any class or series of Common Shares to the extent that, as a result of such Beneficial Ownership:

 

(A) any single Excepted Holder who is considered an individual for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code would be considered to Beneficially Own more than 35.66% of the outstanding shares of any such class or series;

 

(B) any two Excepted Holders who are considered individuals for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code would be considered to Beneficially Own more than 38.66% of the outstanding shares of any such class or series;

 

(C) any three Excepted Holders who are considered individuals for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code would be considered to Beneficially Own more than 41.66% of the outstanding shares of any such class or series;

 

(D) any four Excepted Holders who are considered individuals for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code would be considered to Beneficially Own more than 44.66% of the outstanding shares of any such class or series; or

 

(E) any five Excepted Holders who are considered individuals for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code would be considered to Beneficially Own more than 47.66% of the outstanding shares of any such class or series.

 

(2) With respect to any class or series of Equity Shares, the Excepted Holder Limit shall mean 15% of the outstanding shares of any such class or series.

 

(3) In applying this definition, the percentages of ownership of shares of any class or series shall be based on the number or value of the shares, whichever is more restrictive, as determined for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) and Section 856(a) of the Code.

 

Exemption. The term “Exemption” shall mean an exemption from the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit, as the case may be, as granted by the Board pursuant to Section 7.2.7.

 

Initial Date. The term “Initial Date” shall mean the effective date of the Maryland Merger.

 

Market Price. The term “Market Price” on any date shall mean, with respect to any class or series of outstanding Shares, the Closing Price for such Shares on such date. The “Closing Price” on any date shall mean the last sale price for such Shares, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, for such Shares, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the NYSE or, if such Shares are not listed or admitted to trading on the NYSE, as reported on the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which such Shares are listed or admitted to trading or, if such Shares are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price, or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotation System or, if such system is no longer in use, the principal other automated quotation system that may then be in use or, if such Shares are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such Shares selected by the Board of Trustees or, in the event that no

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

trading price is available for such Shares, the fair market value of Shares, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. 

 

Maryland Merger. The term “Maryland Merger” shall mean the merger of Public Storage, Inc., a California corporation, with and into the Trust.

 

NYSE. The term “NYSE” shall mean The New York Stock Exchange.

 

Ownership Limit. The term “Ownership Limit” shall mean (i) with respect to any class or series of Common Shares, 3% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of such class or series of Common Shares of the Trust; and (ii) with respect to any class or series of Preferred Shares or Equity Shares, as the case may be, 9.9% (in value or number of Shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares or Equity Shares, as the case may be, of the Trust.

 

Person. The term “Person” shall mean an individual, corporation, partnership, estate, trust (including a trust qualified under Sections 401(a) or 501(c)(17) of the Code), a portion of a trust permanently set aside for or to be used exclusively for the purposes described in Section 642(c) of the Code, association, private foundation within the meaning of Section 509(a) of the Code, joint stock company or other entity.

 

Prohibited Owner. The term “Prohibited Owner” shall mean, with respect to any purported Transfer, any Person who, but for the provisions of Section 7.2.1, would Beneficially Own Shares, and if appropriate in the context, shall also mean any Person who would have been the record owner of Shares that the Prohibited Owner would have so owned.

 

Qualified Investment Manager. The term “Qualified Investment Manager” shall mean an entity (i) who for compensation engages in the business of advising others as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities; (ii) who purchases securities in the ordinary course of its business and not with the purpose or effect of changing or influencing control of the Trust, nor in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having such purpose or effect, including any transaction subject to Rule 13d-3(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); and (iii) who has or shares voting power and investment power within the meaning of Rule 13d-3(a) under the Exchange Act. A Qualified Investment Manager shall be deemed to beneficially own all Common Shares beneficially owned by each of its affiliates, after application of the beneficial ownership rules under Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act, provided such affiliate meets the requirements set forth in the preceding clause (ii).

 

REIT. The term “REIT” shall mean a real estate investment trust within the meaning of Section 856 of the Code.

 

Restriction Termination Date. The term “Restriction Termination Date” shall mean the first day after the Initial Date on which the Board determines that it is no longer in the best interests of the Trust to attempt to, or continue to, qualify as a REIT or that compliance with the restrictions and limitations on Beneficial Ownership and Transfers of Shares set forth herein is no longer required in order for the Trust to qualify as a REIT.

 

SDAT. The term “SDAT” shall mean the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland.

 

Transfer. The term “Transfer” shall mean any issuance, sale, transfer, gift, assignment, devise or other disposition, as well as any other event that causes any Person to acquire Beneficial Ownership or any agreement to take any such actions or cause any such events, of Shares or the right to vote or receive dividends or distributions on Shares, including (a) a change in the capital structure of the Trust, (b) a change in the relationship between two or more Persons which causes a change in ownership of Shares by application of Section 544 of the Code, as modified by Section 856(h) of the Code, (c) the granting or exercise of any option or warrant (or any disposition of any option or warrant), pledge, security interest, or similar right to acquire Shares, (d) any disposition of any securities or rights convertible into or exchangeable for Shares or any interest in Shares or any exercise of any such conversion or exchange right and (e) Transfers of interests in other entities that result in changes in Beneficial Ownership of Shares; in each case, whether voluntary or involuntary, whether owned of record, Beneficially Owned and whether by operation of law or otherwise. The terms “Transferring” and “Transferred” shall have the correlative meanings. 

 

Section 7.2 Shares.

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

 

Section 7.2.1 Ownership Limitations. During the period commencing on the Initial Date and prior to the Restriction Termination Date:

 

(a) Basic Restrictions.

 

(i) (1) No Person shall Beneficially Own shares of any class or series of Common Shares in excess of the Ownership Limit, other than: (A) an Excepted Holder, which shall not Beneficially Own Common Shares in excess of the Excepted Holder Limit for such Excepted Holder, (B) a Designated Investment Entity, which shall not Beneficially Own Common Shares in excess of the Designated Investment Entity Limit, and (C) a Person that complies with an Exemption, which Person shall not Beneficially Own Common Shares in excess of the ownership permitted by such Exemption.

 

(2) No Person shall Beneficially Own shares of any class or series of Preferred Shares or Equity Shares in excess of the Ownership Limit, other than (A) an Excepted Holder, which shall not Beneficially Own Equity Shares in excess of the Excepted Holder Limit for such Excepted Holder, (B) a Designated Investment Entity, which shall not Beneficially Own Preferred Shares or Equity Shares in excess of the Designated Investment Entity Limit, and (C) a Person that complies with an Exemption, which Person shall not Beneficially Own Preferred Shares or Equity Shares in excess of the ownership permitted by such Exemption.

 

Notwithstanding the above subparagraph 7.2.1(a)(i)(1) and (2), no Person shall be deemed to exceed the Ownership Limit set forth in subparagraph 7.2.1(a)(i) (1) and (2) solely by reason of the Beneficial Ownership of Shares to the extent that such Shares were Beneficially Owned by such Person on the effective date of the 1995 merger of Public Storage Management, Inc., with and into Storage Equities, Inc. (then renamed, Public Storage, Inc.); provided,  however, that the Beneficial Ownership of any such Shares shall be taken into account in determining whether any subsequent Transfer or other event violates subparagraph 7.2.1(a)(i).

 

(ii) No Person shall Beneficially Own Shares to the extent that (1) such Beneficial Ownership of Shares would result in the Trust being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year), or (2) such Beneficial Ownership of Shares would result in the Trust otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT.

 

(iii) No Person shall Transfer any Shares if, as a result of the Transfer, the Shares would be beneficially owned by less than 100 Persons (determined without reference to the rules of attribution under Section 544 of the Code). Any Transfer of Shares that, if effective, would result in Shares being beneficially owned by less than 100 Persons (determined under the principles of Section 856(a)(5) of the Code) shall be void ab initio, and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such Shares.

 

(b) Transfer in Trust. If any Transfer of Shares occurs which, if effective, would result in any Person Beneficially Owning Shares in violation of Section 7.2.1(a)(i) or (ii),

 

(i) then that number of Shares the Beneficial Ownership of which otherwise would cause such Person to violate Section 7.2.1(a)(i) or (ii) (rounded up to the nearest whole Share) shall be automatically transferred to a Charitable Trust for the benefit of a Charitable Beneficiary, as described in Section 7.3, effective as of the close of business on the Business Day prior to the date of such Transfer, and such Person shall acquire no rights in such Shares; or

 

(ii) if the transfer to the Charitable Trust described in clause (i) of this sentence would not be effective for any reason to prevent the violation of Section 7.2.1(a)(i) or (ii), then the Transfer of that number of Shares that otherwise would cause any Person to violate Section 7.2.1(a)(i) or (ii) shall be void ab initio, and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such Shares. 

 

Section 7.2.2 Remedies for Breach. If the Board or any duly authorized committee thereof shall at any time determine in good faith that a Transfer or other event has taken place that results in a violation of Section 7.2.1 or that a Person intends to acquire or has attempted to acquire Beneficial Ownership of any Shares in violation of Section 7.2.1 (whether or not such violation is intended), the Board or a committee thereof shall be empowered to take such action as it deems advisable to refuse to give effect to or to prevent such Transfer or other event, including, without limitation, causing the Trust to redeem Shares, refusing to give effect to such Transfer on the

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

books of the Trust or instituting proceedings to enjoin such Transfer or other event; provided,  however, that any Transfer or attempted Transfer or other event in violation of Section 7.2.1 shall automatically result in the transfer to the Charitable Trust described above, and, where applicable, such Transfer (or other event) shall be void ab initio as provided above irrespective of any action (or non-action) by the Board or a committee thereof.

 

Section 7.2.3 Notice of Restricted Transfer. Any Person who acquires, or attempts or intends to acquire, Beneficial Ownership of Shares that will or may violate Section 7.2.1(a), or any Person who would have owned Shares that resulted in a transfer to the Charitable Trust pursuant to the provisions of Section 7.2.1(b), shall immediately give written notice to the Trust of such event, or in the case of such a proposed or attempted transaction, shall give at least 15 days prior written notice, and shall provide to the Trust such other information as the Trust may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of such acquisition or ownership on the Trust’s status as a REIT.

 

Section 7.2.4 Owners Required To Provide Information. From the Initial Date and prior to the Restriction Termination Date:

 

(a) Every owner of more than 5% (or such lower percentage as required by the Code or the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder) of the outstanding Shares, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, shall give written notice to the Trust stating the name and address of such owner, the number of Shares Beneficially Owned and a description of the manner in which such Shares are held; provided, that a shareholder of record who holds outstanding Shares as nominee for another Person, which other Person is required to include in gross income the dividends or distributions received on such Shares (an “Actual Owner”), shall give written notice to the Trust stating the name and address of such Actual Owner and the number of Shares of such Actual Owner with respect to which the shareholder of record is nominee.

 

(b) Each Person who is a Beneficial Owner of Shares and each Person (including the shareholder of record) who is holding Shares for a Beneficial Owner shall provide to the Trust such information as the Trust may request, in good faith, including any information regarding such Person’s qualification as a Designated Investment Entity, in order to determine the Trust’s status as a REIT and to comply with requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance.

 

(c) Each owner and Beneficial Owner shall provide to the Trust such information as the Trust may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of such ownership or Beneficial Ownership on the Trust’s status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the Ownership Limit, Excepted Holder Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit.

 

Section 7.2.5 Remedies Not Limited. Subject to Sections 5.1 and 7.4 of the Declaration of Trust, nothing contained in this Section 7.2 shall limit the authority of the Board to take such other action as it deems necessary or advisable to protect the Trust and the interests of its shareholders in preserving the Trust’s status as a REIT.

 

Section 7.2.6 Ambiguity. In the case of an ambiguity in the application of any of the provisions of this Section 7.2, Section 7.3 or any definition contained in Section 7.1, the Board shall have the power to determine the application of the provisions of this Section 7.2 or Section 7.3 with respect to any situation based on the facts known to it. If Section 7.2 or 7.3 requires an action by the Board and the Declaration of Trust fails to provide specific guidance with respect to such action, the Board shall have the power to determine the action to be taken so long as such action is not contrary to the provisions of Sections 7.1, 7.2 or 7.3.

 

Section 7.2.7 Exemptions from the Ownership Limit.

 

(a) The Board may, in its sole and absolute discretion, exempt a Person from the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit if: (i) such Person submits to the Board information satisfactory to the Board, in its sole and absolute discretion, demonstrating that such Person is not an individual for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code (determined taking into account Section 856(h)(3)(A) of the Code); (ii) such Person submits to the Board information satisfactory to the Board, in its sole and absolute discretion, relevant to demonstrating that no Person who is an individual for purposes of Section 542(a)(2) of the Code (determined taking into account Section 856(h)(3)(A) of the Code) would be considered to Beneficially Own Shares in excess of the Ownership Limit, Excepted Holder Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit, as applicable, by reason of such Person’s ownership of Shares in excess of the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit, as the case may be, pursuant to the Exemption granted under this subparagraph (a); (iii) such Person submits to the Board

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

information satisfactory to the Board, in its sole and absolute discretion, relevant to demonstrating that clause (2) of subparagraph (a)(ii) of Section 7.2.1 will not be violated by reason of such Person’s ownership of Shares in excess of the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit pursuant to the Exemption granted under this subparagraph (a); and (iv) such Person provides to the Board such representations and undertakings, if any, as the Board may, in its sole and absolute discretion, require to ensure that the conditions in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) hereof are satisfied and will continue to be satisfied throughout the period during which such Person owns Shares in excess of the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit, as the case may be, pursuant to any Exemption thereto granted under this subparagraph (a), and such Person agrees that any violation of such representations and undertakings or any attempted violation thereof will result in the application of the remedies set forth in Section 7.2 with respect to Shares held in excess of the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit with respect to such Person (determined without regard to the Exemption granted such Person under this subparagraph (a)).

 

(b) Prior to granting any Exemption pursuant to subparagraph (a), the Board, in its sole and absolute discretion, may require a ruling from the IRS or an opinion of counsel, in either case in form and substance satisfactory to the Board, in its sole and absolute discretion as it may deem necessary or advisable in order to determine or ensure the Trust’s status as a REIT; provided,  however, that the Board shall not be obligated to require obtaining a favorable ruling or opinion in order to grant an Exemption hereunder.

 

(c) Subject to Section 7.2.1(a)(ii), an underwriter that participates in a public offering or a private placement of Shares (or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Shares) may Beneficially Own Shares (or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Shares) in excess of the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit, but only to the extent necessary to facilitate such public offering or private placement.

 

(d) The Board may only reduce the Excepted Holder Limit for an Excepted Holder with the prior written consent of such Excepted Holder or the prior written consent of each of B. Wayne Hughes, Tamara Hughes Gustavson, and B. Wayne Hughes, Jr to the extent then living. No Excepted Holder Limit shall be reduced to a percentage that is less than the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit as applied to Common Shares.

 

(e) If a member of the Board requests that the Board grant an Exemption to the Ownership Limit with respect to such member or with respect to any other Person if such Board member would be considered to be the Beneficial Owner of Shares owned by such Person, such member of the Board shall not participate in the decision of the Board as to whether to grant any such Exemption.

 

Section 7.2.8 Increase in Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit. The Board may increase the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit subject to the limitations provided in this Section 7.2.8.

 

(a) The Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit may not be increased if, after giving effect to such increase, five Persons who are considered individuals pursuant to Section 542 of the Code, as modified by Section 856(h)(3) of the Code (taking into account all of the Excepted Holders), could Beneficially Own, in the aggregate, more than 49% of the value of the outstanding Shares. 

 

(b) Prior to the modification of the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit pursuant to this Section 7.2.8, the Board, in its sole and absolute discretion, may require such opinions of counsel, affidavits, undertakings or agreements as it may deem necessary or advisable in order to determine or ensure the Trust’s status as a REIT if the modification in the Ownership Limit or Designated Investment Entity Limit were to be made.

 

Section 7.2.9 Legend. Each certificate for Shares shall bear substantially the following legend:

 

The shares represented by this certificate are subject to restrictions on Beneficial Ownership and Transfer. Subject to certain further restrictions and except as expressly provided in the Trust’s Declaration of Trust,

 

(i) no Person may Beneficially Own shares of any class or series of Common Shares of the Trust in excess of 3% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of such class or series, other than (A) an Excepted Holder, (B) a Designated Investment Entity or (C) a Person granted an Exemption;

 

(ii) no Person may Beneficially Own shares of any class or series of Preferred Shares or Equity Shares of the Trust in excess of 9.9% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

such class or series, as the case may be, other than (A) an Excepted Holder (with respect to Equity Shares), (B) a Designated Investment Entity or (C) a Person granted an Exemption;

 

(iii) no Excepted Holder may Beneficially Own any class or series of Common Shares or Equity Shares in excess of the Excepted Holder Limit for such Excepted Holder, as set forth in the Trust’s Declaration of Trust;

 

(iv) no Designated Investment Entity may Beneficially Own any class or series of Common Shares of the Trust in excess of 9.9% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of such class or series;

 

(v) no Person may Beneficially Own Shares that would result in the Trust being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”) or otherwise cause the Trust to fail to qualify as a real estate investment trust under the Code; and

 

(vi) no Person may Transfer Shares if such Transfer would result in Shares of the Trust being owned by fewer than 100 Persons.

 

Any Person who Beneficially Owns or attempts to Beneficially Own Shares which cause or will cause a Person to Beneficially Own Shares in excess or in violation of the limitations set forth in the Trust’s Declaration of Trust must immediately notify the Trust. If any of the restrictions on transfer or ownership are violated, the Shares represented hereby will be automatically transferred to a Charitable Trustee of a Charitable Trust for the benefit of one or more Charitable Beneficiaries. In addition, upon the occurrence of certain events, attempted Transfers in violation of the restrictions described above may be void ab initio. A Person who attempts to Beneficially Own Shares in violation of the ownership limitations described above shall have no claim, cause of action, or any recourse whatsoever against a transferor of such Shares. All capitalized terms in this legend have the meanings defined in the Trust’s Declaration of Trust, as the same may be amended from time to time, a copy of which, including the restrictions on transfer and ownership, will be furnished to each holder of Shares of the Trust on request and without charge.

 

Instead of the foregoing legend, the certificate may state that the Trust will furnish a full statement about certain restrictions on transferability to a shareholder on request and without charge.

 

Section 7.3 Transfer of Shares to the Charitable Trust.

 

Section 7.3.1 Ownership by the Charitable Trust. Upon any purported Transfer or other event described in Section 7.2.1(b) that would result in a transfer of Shares to a Charitable Trust, such Shares shall be deemed to have been transferred to the Charitable Trustee as trustee of a Charitable Trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more Charitable Beneficiaries. Such transfer to the Charitable Trustee shall be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the Business Day prior to the purported Transfer or other event that results in the transfer to the Charitable Trust pursuant to Section 7.2.1(b). The Charitable Trustee shall be appointed by the Trust and shall be a Person unaffiliated with the Trust and any Prohibited Owner. Each Charitable Beneficiary shall be designated by the Trust as provided in Section 7.3.7.

 

Section 7.3.2 Status of Shares Held by the Charitable Trustee. Shares held by the Charitable Trustee shall be issued and outstanding Shares of the Trust. The Prohibited Owner shall have no rights in the Shares held by the Charitable Trustee. The Prohibited Owner shall not benefit economically from ownership of any Shares held in trust by the Charitable Trustee, shall have no rights to dividends or other distributions and shall not possess any rights to vote or other rights attributable to the Shares held in the Charitable Trust. The Prohibited Owner shall have no claim, cause of action, or any other recourse whatsoever against the purported transferor of such Shares.

 

Section 7.3.3 Dividend and Voting Rights. The Charitable Trustee shall have all voting rights and rights to dividends or other distributions with respect to Shares held in the Charitable Trust, which rights shall be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the Charitable Beneficiary. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to the discovery by the Trust that Shares have been transferred to the Charitable Trustee shall be paid with respect to such Shares to the Charitable Trustee upon demand and any dividend or other distribution authorized but unpaid shall be paid when due to the Charitable Trustee. Any dividends or distributions so paid over to the Charitable Trustee shall be held in trust for the Charitable Beneficiary. The Prohibited Owner shall have no voting rights with respect to Shares held in the Charitable Trust and, subject to Maryland law, effective as of the date that Shares have been transferred to the Charitable Trustee, the Charitable Trustee shall have the authority (at the Charitable Trustee’s sole discretion) (i) to

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

rescind as void any vote cast by a Prohibited Owner prior to the discovery by the Trust that Shares have been transferred to the Charitable Trustee and (ii) to recast such vote in accordance with the desires of the Charitable Trustee acting for the benefit of the Charitable Beneficiary; provided,  however, that if the Trust has already taken irreversible action, then the Charitable Trustee shall not have the power to rescind and recast such vote. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article VII, until the Trust has received notification that Shares have been transferred into a Charitable Trust, the Trust shall be entitled to rely on its share transfer and other shareholder records for purposes of preparing lists of shareholders entitled to vote at meetings, determining the validity and authority of proxies and otherwise conducting votes of shareholders.

 

Section 7.3.4 Rights Upon Liquidation. Upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of or any distribution of the assets of the Trust, the Charitable Trustee shall be entitled to receive, ratably with each other holder of Shares of the class or series of Shares that is held in the Charitable Trust, that portion of the assets of the Trust available for distribution to the holders of such class or series (determined based upon the ratio that the number of Shares of such class or series of Shares held by the Charitable Trustee bears to the total number of Shares of such class or series of Shares then outstanding). The Charitable Trustee shall distribute any such assets received in respect of the Shares held in the Charitable Trust in any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of, or distribution of the assets of the Trust, in accordance with Section 7.3.5.

 

Section 7.3.5 Sale of Shares by Charitable Trustee. Within 20 days of receiving notice from the Trust that Shares have been transferred to the Charitable Trust, the Charitable Trustee of the Charitable Trust shall sell the Shares held in the Charitable Trust to a person, designated by the Charitable Trustee, whose ownership of the Shares will not violate the ownership limitations set forth in Section 7.2.1(a). Upon such sale, the interest of the Charitable Beneficiary in the Shares sold shall terminate and the Charitable Trustee shall distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the Prohibited Owner and to the Charitable Beneficiary as provided in this Section 7.3.5. The Prohibited Owner shall receive the lesser of (1) the price paid by the Prohibited Owner for the Shares or, if the Prohibited Owner did not give value for the Shares in connection with the event causing the Shares to be held in the Charitable Trust (e.g., in the case of a gift, devise or other such transaction), the Market Price of the Shares on the day of the event causing the Shares to be held in the Charitable Trust and (2) the price per share received by the Charitable Trustee from the sale or other disposition of the Shares held in the Charitable Trust. Any net sales proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the Prohibited Owner shall be immediately paid to the Charitable Beneficiary. If, prior to the discovery by the Trust that Shares have been transferred to the Charitable Trustee, such Shares are sold by a Prohibited Owner, then (i) such Shares shall be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the Charitable Trust and (ii) to the extent that the Prohibited Owner received an amount for such Shares that exceeds the amount that such Prohibited Owner was entitled to receive pursuant to this Section 7.3.5, such excess shall be paid to the Charitable Trustee upon demand. Subject to Section 7.3.6, the Charitable Trustee shall have the right and power (but not the obligation) to offer any Share held in trust for sale to the Trust on such terms and conditions as the Charitable Trustee shall deem appropriate.

 

Section 7.3.6 Purchase Right in Shares Transferred to the Charitable Trustee. Shares transferred to the Charitable Trustee shall be deemed to have been offered for sale to the Trust, or its designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in such transfer to the Charitable Trust (or, in the case of a devise or gift, the Market Price at the time of such devise or gift) and (ii) the Market Price on the date the Trust, or its designee, accepts such offer. The Trust shall have the right to accept such offer until the Charitable Trustee has sold the Shares held in the Charitable Trust pursuant to Section 7.3.5. Upon such a sale to the Trust, the interest of the Charitable Beneficiary in the Shares sold shall terminate and the Charitable Trustee shall distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the Prohibited Owner.

 

Section 7.3.7 Designation of Charitable Beneficiaries. By written notice to the Charitable Trustee, the Trust shall designate one or more nonprofit organizations to be the Charitable Beneficiary of the interest in the Charitable Trust such that (i) Shares held in the Charitable Trust would not violate the restrictions set forth in Section 7.2.1(a) in the hands of such Charitable Beneficiary and (ii) each such organization must be described in Sections 501(c)(3), 170(b)(1)(A) or 170(c)(2) of the Code.

 

Section 7.4 NYSE Transactions. Nothing in this Article VII shall preclude the settlement of any transaction entered into through the facilities of the NYSE or any other national securities exchange or automated inter-dealer quotation system. The fact that the settlement of any transaction takes place shall not negate the effect of any other provision of this Article VII and any transferee in such a transaction shall be subject to all of the provisions and limitations set forth in this Article VII.

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

 

Section 7.5 Enforcement. The Trust is authorized specifically to seek equitable relief, including injunctive relief, to enforce the provisions of this Article VII.

 

Section 7.6 Non-Waiver. No delay or failure on the part of the Trust or the Board in exercising any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver of any right of the Trust or the Board, as the case may be, except to the extent specifically waived in writing.

 

ARTICLE VIII

SHAREHOLDERS

 

Section 8.1 Meetings. There shall be an annual meeting of the shareholders, to be held on proper notice at such time and location within or without the State of Maryland as shall be determined by or in the manner prescribed in the Bylaws, for the election of the Trustees, and for the transaction of any other business as may properly come before the meeting. Except as otherwise provided in the Declaration of Trust, special meetings of shareholders may be called in the manner provided in the Bylaws. Failure to hold an annual meeting does not affect the validity of any act otherwise taken by or on behalf of the Trust or affect the legal existence of the Trust.

 

Section 8.2 Voting Rights.

 

(a) Subject to the provisions of any class or series of Shares then outstanding or as otherwise required by law, the shareholders shall be entitled to vote only on the following matters: (i) election of Trustees as provided in Section 5.2 and the removal of Trustees as provided in Section 5.3; (ii) amendment of the Declaration of Trust as provided in Article X; (iii) termination of the Trust as provided in Section 12.2; (iv) merger or consolidation of the Trust, or the sale or disposition of substantially all of the property of the Trust , as provided in Article XI; (v) such other matters with respect to which the Board of Trustees has adopted a resolution declaring that a proposed action is advisable and directing that the matter be submitted to the shareholders for approval or ratification; and (vi) such other matters as may be properly brought before a meeting by a shareholder pursuant to the Bylaws.

 

(b) Each outstanding share entitled to vote, regardless of class, shall be entitled to one vote on all matters presented to shareholders for a vote, including with respect to the election of Trustees. No shareholder shall be entitled to cumulate votes (i.e., cast for any one or more nominees a number of votes greater than the number of votes which such shareholder normally is entitled to cast).

 

(c) With the exception of the election and removal of Trustees in accordance with the Declaration and the Bylaws of the Trust and any matter as may be properly brought before a shareholder pursuant to the Bylaws and applicable laws, no action that would bind the Trust and the Trustees may be taken without the prior recommendation of the Trustees. Except with respect to the foregoing matters, no action taken by the shareholders at any meeting shall in any way bind the Board of Trustees.

 

Section 8.3 Certain Rights of Stockholders.

 

(a) Except as may be provided by the Board of Trustees in setting the terms of classified or reclassified Shares pursuant to Section 6.5, no holder of Shares shall, as such holder, have any preemptive right to purchase or subscribe for any additional Shares of the Trust or any other security of the Trust which it may issue or sell.



(b) Shareholders of the Trust are not entitled to exercise the rights of objecting stockholders under Maryland law.

 

Section 8.4 Action by Shareholders without a Meeting. No action required or permitted to be taken by the shareholders may be taken without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent of the shareholders of the Trust.

 

Section 8.5 Control Share Acquisitions. Subtitle 7 of Title 3 of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland shall not apply to any control share acquisition (as defined in such Subtitle 7) by any Excepted Holder of the Trust as of the effective date of these Articles of Amendment and Restatement or any present or future affiliate of any such Excepted Holder.

 

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

ARTICLE IX

LIABILITY LIMITATION, INDEMNIFICATION

AND TRANSACTIONS WITH THE TRUST

 

Section 9.1 Limitation of Shareholder Liability. No shareholder shall be liable for any debt, claim, demand, judgment or obligation of any kind of, against or with respect to the Trust by reason of his being a shareholder, nor shall any shareholder be subject to any personal liability whatsoever, in tort, contract or otherwise, to any person in connection with the property or the affairs of the Trust by reason of his being a shareholder.

 

Section 9.2 Limitation of Trustee and Officer Liability. To the maximum extent that Maryland law in effect from time to time permits limitation of the liability of trustees and officers of a Maryland real estate investment trust or directors or officers of a Maryland corporation, no Trustee or officer of the Trust shall be liable to the Trust or to any shareholder for money damages, except to the extent that (a) the Trustee or officer actually received an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services, for the amount of the benefit or profit in money, property, or services actually received, or (b) a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to the Trustee or officer is entered in a proceeding based on a finding in the proceeding that the Trustee’s or officer’s action or failure to act was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding. Neither the amendment nor repeal of this Section 9.2, nor the adoption or amendment of any other provision of the Declaration of Trust inconsistent with this Section 9.2, shall apply to or affect in any respect the applicability of the preceding sentence with respect to any act or failure to act that occurred prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption.

 

Section 9.3 Indemnification. To the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, and in accordance with applicable provisions of the Bylaws, the Trust shall indemnify and advance expenses in accordance with Maryland law to (a) any present or former Trustee or officer (including any individual who, at the request of the Trust, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or any other enterprise) against any claim or liability to which he or she may become subject by reason of service in such capacity, and (b) any present or former Trustee or officer who has been successful in the defense of a proceeding to which he or she was made a party by reason of service in such capacity, against reasonable expenses incurred by the Trustee or officer in connection with the proceeding and shall pay or reimburse, in advance of final disposition of the proceeding, such reasonable expenses. The Trust may, with the approval of its Board of Trustees, provide such indemnification or advancement of expenses to any present or former Trustee or officer who served a predecessor of the Trust, and to any employee or agent of the Trust or a predecessor of the Trust. Any amendment of this section shall be prospective only and shall not affect the applicability of this section with respect to any act or failure to act that occurred prior to such amendment.

 

Section 9.4 Transactions Between the Trust and its Trustees, Officers, Employees and Agents. Subject to any express restrictions in the Declaration of Trust or adopted by the Trustees in the Bylaws or by resolution, the Trust may enter into any contract or transaction of any kind with any person, including any Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust or any person affiliated with a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, whether or not any of them has a financial interest in such transaction, provided, however, that in the case of any contract or transaction in which any Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust (or any person affiliated with such person) has a material financial interest in such transaction, then: (a) the fact of the interest shall be disclosed or known to: (i) the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Trustees shall approve or ratify the contract or transaction by the affirmative vote of a majority of disinterested Trustees, even if the disinterested Trustees constitute less than a quorum, or (ii) the shareholders entitled to vote on the matter, and the contract or transaction shall be authorized, approved or ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the shareholders entitled to vote other than the votes of shares owned of record or beneficially by the interested party; or (b) the contract or transaction is fair and reasonable to the Trust.

 

Section 9.5 Express Exculpatory Clauses in Instruments. The Board of Trustees may cause to be inserted in every written agreement, undertaking or obligation made or issued on behalf of the Trust, an appropriate provision to the effect that neither the shareholders nor the Trustees, officers, employees or agents of the Trust shall be liable under any written instrument creating an obligation of the Trust, and all Persons shall look solely to the property of the Trust for the payment of any claim under or for the performance of that instrument. The omission of the foregoing exculpatory language from any instrument shall not affect the validity or enforceability of such instrument and shall not render any shareholder, Trustee, officer, employee or agent liable thereunder to any third party nor shall the Trustees or any officer, employee or agent of the Trust be liable to anyone for such omission.

 

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

ARTICLE X

AMENDMENTS

 

Section 10.1 General. The Trust reserves the right from time to time to make any amendment to the Declaration of Trust, now or hereafter authorized by law, including, without limitation, any amendment altering the terms or contract rights, as expressly set forth in the Declaration of Trust, of any Shares. All rights and powers conferred by the Declaration of Trust on shareholders, Trustees and officers are granted subject to this reservation. The Trust shall file Articles of Amendment as required by Maryland law. All references to the Declaration of Trust shall include all amendments thereto.

 

Section 10.2 By Trustees. The Trustees may amend the Declaration of Trust from time to time, in the manner provided by the Maryland REIT Law, without any action by the shareholders: (i) to qualify as a real estate investment trust under the Code or under the Maryland REIT Law, (ii) in any manner in which the charter of a Maryland corporation may be amended without shareholder approval, and (iii) as otherwise provided in the Declaration of Trust.

 

Section 10.3 By Shareholders. Any amendment to the Declaration of Trust shall be valid only after the Board of Trustees has adopted a resolution setting forth the proposed amendment and declaring such amendment advisable, and such amendment has been approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than a majority of the shares then outstanding and entitled to vote thereon; provided, however, that an amendment to the Declaration of Trust that amends, repeals, or adds any provision inconsistent with Section 8.5 or the last paragraph of Article XI shall require, in addition to adoption of a Board of Trustees resolution as described in this Section 10.3, the approval by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 80% of the shares then outstanding and entitled to vote thereon.

 

Section 10.4 Bylaws.  Any provision of the Bylaws of the Trust may be altered, amended or repealed or new bylaws may be adopted by the Board of Trustees or by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than a majority of the shares entitled to vote on the matter.

 

ARTICLE XI

MERGER, CONSOLIDATION OR SALE OF TRUST PROPERTY

 

Subject to the provisions of any class or series of Shares at the time outstanding, the Trust may (a) merge the Trust with or into another entity or merge another entity into the Trust, (b) consolidate the Trust with one or more other entities into a new entity or (c) sell, lease, exchange or otherwise transfer all or substantially all of the property of the Trust. The Board of Trustees in proposing such action shall adopt a resolution that declares that the proposed transaction is advisable on substantially the terms and conditions set forth or referred to in the resolution, and direct that the proposed transaction be submitted for consideration by the shareholders. The transaction must be approved the affirmative vote of holders of not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.

 

A vote of the shareholders shall not be required for the merger into the Trust of any entity in which the Trust owns 90% or more of the entire equity interests in such entity, subject to the conditions and rights set forth in Section 8-501.1(c)(4) of the Maryland REIT Law.

 

A vote of the shareholders shall not be required if the Trust is the successor in the merger, the merger does not reclassify or change the outstanding Shares of the Trust immediately before the merger becomes effective or otherwise amend the Declaration of Trust and the number of Shares of each class or series outstanding immediately after the effective time of the merger does not increase by more than twenty percent (20%) of the number of Shares of the same class or series outstanding immediately before the merger becomes effective.

 

Subtitle 6 of Title 3 of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland shall not apply to any business combination (as defined in such Subtitle 6) between the Trust and any Excepted Holder of the Trust as of the effective date of these Articles of Amendment and Restatement or any present or future affiliate of any such Excepted Holder.

 

ARTICLE XII

DURATION AND TERMINATION OF TRUST

 

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

Section 12.1 Duration. The Trust shall continue perpetually unless terminated pursuant to Section 12.2 or pursuant to any applicable provision of the Maryland REIT Law.

 

Section 12.2 Termination.

 

(a) Subject to the provisions of any class or series of Shares at the time outstanding, the Trust may be terminated at any time only upon adoption of a resolution by the Board of Trustees declaring that the termination of the Trust is advisable and the approval thereof by the affirmative vote of two thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Upon the termination of the Trust:

 

(i) The Trust shall carry on no business except for the purpose of winding up its affairs.

 

(ii) The Trustees shall proceed to wind up the affairs of the Trust and all of the powers of the Trustees under the Declaration of Trust shall continue, including the powers to fulfill or discharge the Trust’s contracts, collect its assets, sell, convey, assign, exchange, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the remaining property of the Trust to one or more persons at public or private sale for consideration which may consist in whole or in part of cash, securities or other property of any kind, discharge or pay its liabilities and do all other acts appropriate to liquidate its business.

 

(iii) After paying or adequately providing for the payment of all liabilities, and upon receipt of such releases, indemnities and agreements as the Trustees deem necessary for the protection of the Trust, the Trust may distribute the remaining property of the Trust among the shareholders so that after payment in full or the setting apart for payment of such preferential amounts, if any, to which the holders of any Shares at the time outstanding shall be entitled, the remaining property of the Trust shall, subject to any participating or similar rights of Shares at the time outstanding, be distributed ratably among the holders of Common Shares at the time outstanding.

 

(b) After termination of the Trust, the liquidation of its business and the distribution to the shareholders as herein provided, a majority of the Trustees shall execute and file with the Trust’s records a document certifying that the Trust has been duly terminated, and the Trustees shall be discharged from all liabilities and duties hereunder, and the rights and interests of all shareholders shall cease.

 

ARTICLE XIII

MISCELLANEOUS

 

Section 13.1 Governing Law. The Declaration of Trust is executed and delivered in the State of Maryland with reference to the laws thereof, and the rights of all parties and the validity, construction and effect of every provision hereof shall be subject to and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland without regard to conflicts of laws provisions thereof.

 

Section 13.2 Reliance by Third Parties. Any certificate shall be final and conclusive as to any person dealing with the Trust if executed by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Trust or a Trustee, and if certifying to: (a) the number or identity of Trustees, officers of the Trust or shareholders; (b) the due authorization of the execution of any document; (c) the action or vote taken, and the existence of a quorum, at a meeting of the Board of Trustees or shareholders; (d) a copy of the Declaration of Trust or of the Bylaws as a true and complete copy as then in force; (e) an amendment to the Declaration of Trust; (f) the termination of the Trust; or (g) the existence of any fact relating to the affairs of the Trust. No purchaser, lender, transfer agent or other person shall be bound to make any inquiry concerning the validity of any transaction purporting to be made by the Trust on its behalf or by any officer, employee or agent of the Trust.

 

Section 13.3 Severability.

 

(a) The provisions of the Declaration of Trust are severable, and if the Board of Trustees shall determine, with the advice of counsel, that any one or more of such provisions (the “Conflicting Provisions”) are in conflict with the Code, the Maryland REIT Law or other applicable federal or state laws, the Conflicting Provisions, to the extent of the conflict, shall be deemed never to have constituted a part of the Declaration of Trust, even without any amendment of the Declaration of Trust pursuant to Article X and without affecting or impairing any of the remaining provisions of the Declaration of Trust or rendering invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination. No Trustee shall be liable for making or failing to make such a determination. In the event of

 


 

Exhibit 3.1

any such determination by the Board of Trustees, the Board shall amend the Declaration of Trust in the manner provided in Section 10.2.

 

(b) If any provision of the Declaration of Trust shall be held invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such holding shall apply only to the extent of any such invalidity or unenforceability and shall not in any manner affect, impair or render invalid or unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction or any other provision of the Declaration of Trust in any jurisdiction.

 

Section 13.4 Construction. In the Declaration of Trust, unless the context otherwise requires, words used in the singular or in the plural include both the plural and singular and words denoting any gender include all genders. The title and headings of different parts are inserted for convenience and shall not affect the meaning, construction or effect of the Declaration of Trust. In defining or interpreting the powers and duties of the Trust and its Trustees and officers, reference may be made by the Trustees or officers, to the extent appropriate and not inconsistent with the Code or the Maryland REIT Law, to Titles 1 through 3 of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, in accordance with the provisions of Title 3, Subtitles 6 and 7, of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the Trust shall be included within the definition of “corporation” for purposes of such provisions.

 

Section 13.5 Recordation. The Declaration of Trust and any articles of amendment hereto or articles supplementary hereto shall be filed for record with the SDAT and may also be filed or recorded in such other places as the Trustees deem appropriate, but failure to file for record the Declaration of Trust or any articles of amendment hereto in any office other than in the State of Maryland shall not affect or impair the validity or effectiveness of the Declaration of Trust or any amendment hereto. A restated Declaration of Trust shall, upon filing, be conclusive evidence of all amendments contained therein and may thereafter be referred to in lieu of the original Declaration of Trust and the various articles of amendments thereto.

 





 


Exhibit 3.2

PUBLIC STORAGE

AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

The following constitutes the Amended and Restated Bylaws of Public Storage, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the “Trust”):

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND USAGE

Section 1. DEFINITIONS. For the purpose of these bylaws:

(a) “bylaws” shall mean these Amended and Restated Bylaws as may be further amended, restated or modified from time to time. References in these bylaws to “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” shall be deemed to refer to these bylaws and shall not be limited to the particular article or section in which such words appear.

(b) “electronic transmission by the Trust” shall mean a communication (i) delivered by (A) facsimile telecommunication or electronic mail when directed to the facsimile number or electronic mail address, respectively, for that recipient on record with the Trust, (B) posting on an electronic message board or network which the Trust has designated for those communications, together with a separate notice to the recipient of the posting, which transmission shall be validly delivered upon the later of the posting or delivery of the separate notice thereof, or (C) other means of electronic communication, (ii) to a recipient who has provided an unrevoked consent to the use of those means of transmission for communications, and (iii) that creates a record that is capable of retention, retrieval, and review, and that may thereafter be rendered into clearly legible tangible form. The transmission must also satisfy the requirements applicable to consumer consent to electronic records set forth in the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act.

(c) “electronic transmission to the Trust” shall mean a communication (i) delivered by (A) facsimile telecommunication or electronic mail when directed to the facsimile number or electronic mail address, respectively, which the Trust has provided from time to time to shareholders and directors for sending communications to the Trust, (B) posting on an electronic message board or network which the Trust has designated for those communications, and which transmission shall be validly delivered upon the posting, or (C) other means of electronic communication, (ii) as to which the Trust has placed in effect reasonable measures to verify that the sender is the shareholder (in person or by proxy) or director purporting to send the transmission, and (iii) that creates a record that is capable of retention, retrieval, and review, and that may thereafter be rendered into clearly legible tangible form.

Section 2. USAGE. Whenever a term is defined in these bylaws in the singular, the plural of such term may also be used in these bylaws as a defined term and, similarly, whenever a term is defined in the plural, the singular of such term may also be used as a defined term hereunder. Whenever the masculine gender is used in these bylaws, the feminine and the neuter may also be used hereunder.

ARTICLE II

OFFICES

Section 1. PRINCIPAL OFFICE. The principal office of the Trust shall be located at such place or places as the board of trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees”) may designate.

Section 2. ADDITIONAL OFFICES. The Trust may have additional offices at such places as the Board of Trustees may from time to time determine or the business of the Trust may require.

 

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

ARTICLE III

MEETINGS OF SHAREHOLDERS

Section 1. PLACE. All meetings of shareholders shall be held at the principal office of the Trust or at such other place within the United States as shall be set by the Board of Trustees and stated in the notice of the meeting. If authorized by the Board of Trustees, and subject to applicable provisions of Maryland law and any guidelines and procedures that the Board of Trustees may adopt, shareholders not physically present in person or by proxy at a meeting of shareholders may, by electronic transmission by and to the Trust or by electronic video screen communication, participate in a meeting of shareholders, be deemed present in person or by proxy, and vote at a meeting of shareholders whether that meeting is to be held at a designated place or in whole or in part by means of electronic transmission by and to the Trust or by electronic video screen communication.

Section 2. ANNUAL MEETING. An annual meeting of the shareholders for the election of trustees (the “Trustees”) and the transaction of any business within the powers of the Trust shall be held each year on a date and at a time designated by the Board of Trustees, beginning with the year 2008. The date so designated shall be after delivery of the annual report and within fifteen (15) months after the last annual meeting. Failure to hold an annual meeting does not invalidate the Trust’s existence or affect any otherwise valid acts of the Trust.

Section 3. SPECIAL MEETINGS. A special meeting of the shareholders may be called at any time by the Board of Trustees, or by the chairman of the board, or by the president, or by one or more shareholders holding shares in the aggregate entitled to cast not less than 20% of the votes at that meeting.

If a special meeting is called by any person or persons other than the Board of Trustees, the chairman of the board or the president, the request shall be in writing, specifying the time of such meeting and the general nature of the business proposed to be transacted, and shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail or by electronic transmission to the chairman of the board, the president, any vice president, or the secretary of the Trust. The officer receiving the request shall cause notice to be promptly given to the shareholders entitled to vote, in accordance with the provisions of Sections 4 and 5 of this Article III. Nothing contained in this paragraph of this Section 3 shall be construed as limiting, fixing or affecting the time when a meeting of shareholders called by action of the Board of Trustees may be held.

The Board of Trustees shall have the sole power to fix the record date for determining shareholders entitled to request a special meeting of shareholders and the date, time and place of the special meeting.

Section 4. ANNUAL OR SPECIAL MEETING BY ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION. Subject to applicable provisions of Maryland law, a meeting of the shareholders may be conducted, in whole or in part, by electronic transmission by and to the Trust or by electronic video screen communication (a) if the Trust implements reasonable measures to provide shareholders (in person or by proxy) a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the shareholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting concurrently with those proceedings, and (b) if any shareholder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of electronic transmission to the Trust or electronic video screen communication, a record of that vote or action is maintained by the Trust.

Section 5. NOTICE. Not less than ten nor more than 90 days before each meeting of shareholders, the secretary shall give to each shareholder entitled to vote at such meeting and to each shareholder not entitled to vote who is entitled to notice of the meeting written or printed notice stating the time and place of the meeting and, in the case of a special meeting or as otherwise may be required by any statute, the purpose for which the meeting is called, either by mail, by presenting it to such shareholder personally, by leaving it at his or her residence or usual place of business, or by transmitting it to such shareholder by electronic mail to any electronic mail address of such shareholder or through any other electronic transmission by the Trust. Such notice shall be deemed to be given (a) if mailed, when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the shareholder at his or her post office address as it appears on the records of the Trust, with postage thereon prepaid, or (b) when sent by electronic transmission by the Trust or sent by other means of written communication.

Notice given by electronic transmission by the Trust shall be valid only if it complies with the procedures set forth in Section 1(b) of Article I and as long as neither of the following has occurred: (a) the Trust is unable to

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

deliver two consecutive notices to the shareholder by that means, or (b) the inability to so deliver the notices to the shareholder becomes known to the secretary, any assistant secretary, the transfer agent or other person responsible for the giving of the notice.

An affidavit of the mailing or electronic transmission by the Trust or other means of giving any notice of any shareholders’ meeting shall be executed by the secretary, assistant secretary or any transfer agent of the Trust giving the notice, and shall be filed and maintained in the minute book of the Trust.

Section 6. SCOPE OF NOTICE. Any business of the Trust may be transacted at an annual meeting of shareholders without being specifically designated in the notice, except such business as is required by any statute to be stated in such notice. No business shall be transacted at a special meeting of shareholders except as specifically designated in the notice.

Section 7. ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT. At every meeting of the shareholders, the chairman of the board, if there be one, shall conduct the meeting or, in the case of vacancy in office or absence of the chairman of the board, one of the following officers present shall conduct the meeting in the order stated: the vice chairman of the board, if there be one, the president, the vice presidents in their order of rank and seniority, or a chairman chosen by the shareholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes which all shareholders present in person or by proxy are entitled to cast, shall act as chairman, and the secretary, or, in his or her absence, an assistant secretary, or in the absence of both the secretary and assistant secretaries, a person appointed by the chairman shall act as secretary.

The order of business and all other matters of procedure at any meeting of shareholders shall be determined by the chairman of the meeting. The chairman of the meeting may prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and take such action as, in the discretion of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, (a) restricting admission to the time set for the commencement of the meeting; (b) limiting attendance at the meeting to shareholders of record of the Trust, their duly authorized proxies or other such persons as the chairman of the meeting may determine; (c) limiting participation at the meeting on any matter to shareholders of record of the Trust entitled to vote on such matter, their duly authorized proxies or other such persons as the chairman of the meeting may determine; (d) limiting the time allotted to questions or comments by participants; (e) maintaining order and security at the meeting; (f) removing any shareholder or any other person who refuses to comply with meeting procedures, rules or guidelines as set forth by the chairman of the meeting; and (g) recessing or adjourning the meeting to a later date and time and place announced at the meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the chairman of the meeting, meetings of shareholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.

Section 8. QUORUM. At any meeting of shareholders, the presence in person or by proxy of shareholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting shall constitute a quorum; but this section shall not affect any requirement under any statute or the Declaration of Trust, as amended, restated or supplemented from time to time (the “Declaration of Trust”) for the vote necessary for the adoption of any measure. If, however, such quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the shareholders, the shareholders entitled to vote at such meeting, present in person or by proxy, shall have the power to adjourn the meeting from time to time to a date not more than 120 days after the original record date without a new record date and without notice other than announcement at the meeting. At such adjourned meeting at which a quorum shall be present, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally notified.

Section 9. VOTINGExcept as provided in these bylaws or as otherwise required by law or the Declaration of Trust, each Trustee shall be elected by the vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to the Trustee at any meeting for the election of Trustees at which a quorum is present, provided that if the number of persons lawfully nominated exceeds the number of Trustees to be elected, the Trustees shall be elected by the vote of a plurality of the votes cast at the meeting at which a quorum is present. A majority of the votes cast at a meeting of shareholders duly called and at which a quorum is present shall be sufficient to approve any other matter which may properly come before the meeting, unless a higher vote is required herein or by statute or by the Declaration of Trust. For purposes of this Section, in the context of the election of Trustees, a majority of the votes cast means that the number of shares voted “for” a Trustee must exceed 50% of the votes cast with respect to that Trustee. Unless otherwise provided in the Declaration of Trust, each outstanding share entitled to vote, regardless of class, shall be entitled to one vote on all matters presented to shareholders for a vote.

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

Section 10. PROXIES. A shareholder may cast the votes entitled to be cast by the shares owned of record by him or her either in person or by proxy by the shareholder or by his or her duly authorized agent or attorney-in-fact by a written authorization signed or an electronic transmission to the Trust or in any other manner permitted by law. Such proxy shall be filed with the secretary of the Trust before or at the time of the meeting. A proxy shall be deemed signed if the shareholder’s name or other authorization is placed on the proxy (whether by manual signature, typewriting, transmission or otherwise in accordance with Maryland law) by the shareholder or the shareholder’s attorney-in-fact. A validly executed proxy which does not state that it is irrevocable shall continue in full force and effect unless (a) revoked by the person executing it, before the vote pursuant to that proxy, by a writing delivered to the Trust stating that the proxy is revoked, or by a subsequent proxy executed by, or attendance at the meeting and voting in person by, the person executing the proxy; or (b) written notice of the death or incapacity of the maker of that proxy is received by the Trust before the vote pursuant to that proxy is counted; provided, however, that no proxy shall be valid after the expiration of eleven (11) months from the date of the proxy unless otherwise provided in the proxy.

Section 11. VOTING OF SHARES BY CERTAIN HOLDERS. Shares of the Trust registered in the name of a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity, if entitled to be voted, may be voted by the president or a vice president, a general partner or trustee thereof, as the case may be, or a proxy appointed by any of the foregoing individuals, unless some other person who has been appointed to vote such shares pursuant to a bylaw or a resolution of the governing board of such corporation or other entity or agreement of the partners of the partnership presents a certified copy of such bylaw, resolution or agreement, in which case such person may vote such shares. Any trustee or other fiduciary may vote shares registered in his or her name as such fiduciary, either in person or by proxy.

Shares of the Trust directly or indirectly owned by it shall not be voted at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares entitled to be voted at any given time, unless they are held in a fiduciary capacity, in which case they may be voted and shall be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares at any given time.

The Board of Trustees may adopt by resolution a procedure by which a shareholder may certify in writing to the Trust that any shares registered in the name of the shareholder are held for the account of a specified person other than the shareholder. The resolution shall set forth the class of shareholders who may make the certification, the purpose for which the certification may be made, the form of certification and the information to be contained in it; if the certification is with respect to a record date or closing of the share transfer books, the time after the record date or closing of the share transfer books within which the certification must be received by the Trust; and any other provisions with respect to the procedure which the Board of Trustees considers necessary or desirable. On receipt of such certification, the person specified in the certification shall be regarded as, for the purposes set forth in the certification, the shareholder of record of the specified shares in place of the shareholder who makes the certification.

Section 12. INSPECTORS. At any meeting of shareholders, the chairman of the meeting may, or upon the request of any shareholder shall, appoint one or more persons as inspectors for such meeting. Such inspectors shall ascertain and report the number of shares represented at the meeting based upon their determination of the validity and effect of proxies, count all votes, report the results and perform such other acts as are proper to conduct the election and voting with impartiality and fairness to all the shareholders. In case any person who may be appointed as an inspector fails to appear or act, the vacancy may be filled by appointment made by the Board of Trustees in advance of the meeting or at the meeting by the chairman of the meeting.

Each report of an inspector shall be in writing and signed by him or her or by a majority of them if there is more than one inspector acting at such meeting. If there is more than one inspector, the report of a majority shall be the report of the inspectors. The report of the inspector or inspectors on the number of shares represented at the meeting and the results of the voting shall be prima facie evidence thereof.

Section 13. ADVANCE NOTICE OF SHAREHOLDER NOMINEES FOR TRUSTEE AND OTHER PROPOSALS BY SHAREHOLDERS.  

(a) Annual Meetings of Shareholders.

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

(1) At an annual meeting of shareholders, only such business shall be conducted as shall have been properly brought before the meeting. To be properly brought before an annual meeting, business must be (i) specified in the notice of annual meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board of Trustees, (ii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Trustees, or (iii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by a shareholder who is a shareholder of record at the time such notice is delivered to the Trust and who is a shareholder at the time of the annual meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who complied with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 13(a).

(2) For nominations for election to the Board of Trustees (other than a person nominated by or at the election of the Board of Trustees) or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a shareholder pursuant to clause (iii) of paragraph (a)(1) of this Section 13, the shareholder must have given timely and proper notice thereof in writing to the secretary of the Trust and such other business must otherwise be a proper matter for action by shareholders. Except as provided in Section 17 of this Article III, to be timely, a shareholder’s notice must be delivered to or mailed and received by the secretary at the principal executive office of the Trust by not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the mailing of the notice for the annual meeting is advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of the mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the shareholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of mailing of the notice for such meeting is first made by the Trust. In no event shall the public announcement of a postponement of an annual meeting to a later date or time commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described above. Such shareholder’s notice shall set forth (i) as to each person whom the shareholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a trustee (A) the name, age, business address and residence address of such person, (B) the class and number of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust that are beneficially owned or owned of record by such person and (C) all other information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of Trustees in an election contest (even if an election contest is not involved), or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement or other applicable filings pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act (the “proxy materials”) as a nominee and to serving as a trustee if elected); (ii) as to any other business that the shareholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a description in reasonable detail of the business desired to be brought before the meeting (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration), the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such shareholder (including any anticipated benefit to the shareholder therefrom) and of each beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; and (iii) as to the shareholder giving the notice and each beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made, (x) the name and address of such shareholder, as they appear on the Trust’s share ledger and current name and address, if different, of such beneficial owner, and (y) the class and number of shares of each class of beneficial interest of the Trust which are owned beneficially and of record by such shareholder and owned beneficially by such beneficial owner.

(3) Notwithstanding anything in this subsection (a) of this Section 13 to the contrary, in the event that the number of Trustees to be elected to the Board of Trustees is increased and there is no public announcement by the Trust of such action or specifying the size of the increased Board of Trustees at least 100 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a shareholder’s notice required by this Section 13(a) shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if the notice is delivered to the secretary at the principal executive offices of the Trust not later than the close of business on the 10th day immediately following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Trust.

(4) The foregoing requirements in this Section 13 for proposals for other business to be conducted at an annual meeting shall be deemed satisfied by a shareholder if the shareholder has notified the Trust of his intention to present a proposal at an annual meeting in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such shareholder’s proposal has been included in the proxy materials that have been prepared by the Trust to solicit proxies for such annual meeting.

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

(5) For the purposes of this Section 13, “public announcement” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Trust with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(b) General.

(1) Upon written request by the secretary or the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof, any shareholder proposing a nominee for election as a Trustee pursuant to this Section 13 or any proposal for other business at a meeting of shareholders shall provide, within five business days of delivery of such request (or such other period as may be specified in such request), written verification, satisfactory to the secretary or the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof, in his, her or its sole discretion, of the accuracy of any information submitted by the shareholder pursuant to this Section 13. If a shareholder fails to provide such written verification within such period, the secretary or the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof may treat the information as to which written verification was requested as not having been provided in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 13.

(2) Except as provided in Section 17 of this Article III, only such persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 13 shall be eligible to serve as Trustees, and only such business shall be conducted at a meeting of shareholders as shall have been brought before the meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 13. The chairman of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether a nomination or any other business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed, as the case may be, in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 13 and, if any proposed nomination or other business is not in compliance with this Section 13, to declare that such defective nomination or proposal be disregarded.

(3) For purposes of this Section 13, (a) the “date of mailing of the notice” shall mean the date of the proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies for election of Trustees and (b) “public announcement” shall mean disclosure (i) in a press release either transmitted to the principal securities exchange on which the Trust’s common shares of beneficial interest, $.10 par value per share (the “Common Shares”) are traded or reported by a recognized news service or (ii) in a document publicly filed by the Trust with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

(4) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 13, a shareholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of state law and of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Section 13. Nothing in this Section 13 shall be deemed to affect any right of a shareholder to request inclusion of a proposal in, nor the right of the Trust to omit a proposal from, the Trust’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act.

Section 14. SHAREHOLDER ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT WITHOUT A MEETING. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of shareholders may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth such action, is signed by each shareholder entitled to vote on the matter and any other shareholder entitled to notice of a meeting of shareholders (but not to vote thereat) has waived in writing any right to dissent from such action, and such consent and waiver are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the shareholders.

Section 15. VOTING BY BALLOT. Voting on any question or in any election may be by voice unless the presiding officer shall order or any shareholder shall demand that voting be by ballot.

Section 16. CONTROL SHARE ACQUISITION ACT. The Trust elects not to be bound by Subtitle 7 of Title 3 of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

Section 17. PROXY ACCESS.  

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these bylaws, whenever the Board of Trustees solicits proxies with respect to the election of Trustees at an annual meeting of shareholders, subject to the provisions of this Section 17, the Trust shall include in the proxy materials, in addition to any individuals nominated for election by or at the direction of the Board of Trustees, the name, together with the Required Information (as defined below), of any individual nominated for election to the Board of Trustees (each such individual being hereinafter referred to as

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

a “Shareholder Nominee”) by a shareholder or group of no more than 20 shareholders that satisfies the requirements of this Section 17 (such individual or group, including as the context requires each member thereof, being hereinafter referred to as the “Eligible Shareholder”). For purposes of this Section 17, the “Required Information” that the Trust shall include in the proxy materials is (A) the information provided to the secretary of the Trust concerning the Shareholder Nominee and the Eligible Shareholder that is required to be disclosed in the proxy materials by the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act and (B) if the Eligible Shareholder so elects, a written statement in support of the Shareholder Nominee’s candidacy, not to exceed 500 words, delivered to the secretary of the Trust at the time the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination (as defined below) required by this Section 17 is provided (the “Statement”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 17, the Trust may omit from the proxy materials any information or Statement (or portion thereof) that the Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, determines is materially false or misleading, omits to state any material fact necessary in order to make such information or Statement, in light of the circumstances under which it was provided or made, not misleading, or would violate any applicable law or regulation. The Board of Trustees may also, in its sole discretion, include any statement in opposition to the Shareholder Nominee.

(b) To be eligible to require the Trust to include a Shareholder Nominee in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17, an Eligible Shareholder must have Owned (as defined below) at least three percent or more of the Common Shares outstanding from time to time (the “Required Shares”) continuously for at least three years (the “Minimum Holding Period”) as of both (i) the date the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination is delivered or mailed to the secretary of the Trust in accordance with this Section 17 and (ii) the close of business on the record date for determining the shareholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting of shareholders, and must continuously Own the Required Shares through the date of such annual meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof). For purposes of this Section 17, an Eligible Shareholder shall be deemed to “Own” only those outstanding Common Shares as to which the Eligible Shareholder possesses both (i) the full voting and investment rights pertaining to the shares and (ii) the full economic interest in (including the opportunity for profit from and risk of loss on) such shares; provided that the number of shares calculated in accordance with clauses (i) and (ii) shall not include any shares (A) sold by such Eligible Shareholder or any of its Affiliates (as defined below) in any transaction that has not been settled or closed, including short sales, (B) borrowed by such Eligible Shareholder or any of its Affiliates for any purpose or purchased by such Eligible Shareholder or any of its Affiliates pursuant to an agreement to resell, (C) that are subject to any option, warrant, forward contract, swap, contract of sale, other derivative or similar instrument, agreement, arrangement or understanding entered into by such shareholder or any of its Affiliates, whether any such instrument, agreement, arrangement or understanding is to be settled with shares or with cash based on the notional amount or value of outstanding Common Shares, in any such case which instrument, agreement, arrangement or understanding has, or is intended to have, the purpose or effect of (1) reducing in any manner, to any extent or at any time in the future, such shareholder’s or its Affiliate’s full right to vote or direct the voting of any such shares and/or (2) hedging, offsetting or altering to any degree any gain or loss arising from the full economic ownership of such shares by such shareholder or its Affiliate or (D) for which the shareholder has transferred the right to vote the shares other than by means of a proxy, power of attorney or other instrument or arrangement that is unconditionally revocable at any time by the shareholder and that expressly directs the proxy holder to vote at the direction of the shareholder. In addition, an Eligible Shareholder shall be deemed to “Own” Common Shares held in the name of a nominee or other intermediary so long as the shareholder retains the full right to instruct how the shares are voted with respect to the election of Trustees and possesses the full economic interest in the Common Shares. An Eligible Shareholder’s Ownership of Common Shares shall be deemed to continue during any period in which the shareholder has loaned such Common Shares, provided that the Eligible Shareholder has the power to recall such loaned shares on five business days’ notice and has in fact recalled such loaned shares as of the time the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination is provided and through the date of the annual meeting of shareholders. For purposes of this Section 17, the terms “Owned,” “Owning” and other variations of the word “Own” shall have correlative meanings. Whether outstanding Common Shares are “Owned” for these purposes shall be determined by the Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, which determination shall be conclusive and binding on the Trust and its shareholders. In addition, the term “Affiliate” or “Affiliates” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto under the Exchange Act.

(c) To be eligible to require the Trust to include a Shareholder Nominee in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17, an Eligible Shareholder must provide to the secretary of the Trust, in proper form and within the times specified below, (i) a written notice expressly electing to have such Shareholder Nominee included in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17 (a “Notice of Proxy Access Nomination”) and (ii) any updates or supplements to such Notice of Proxy Access Nomination. To be timely, a shareholder’s Notice of Proxy Access Nomination must

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

be delivered to or mailed and received by the secretary at the principal executive office of the Trust by not later than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting nor earlier than the close of business on the 150th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the mailing of the notice for the annual meeting is advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of the mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting, the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination by the shareholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 150th day prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 120th day prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of mailing of the notice for such meeting is first made by the Trust. In no event shall the public announcement of a postponement of an annual meeting to a later date or time commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described above.

(d) To be in proper form for purposes of this Section 17, the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination delivered or mailed to and received by the secretary shall include the following information:

(1) one or more written statements from the record holder of the Required Shares (or from each intermediary through which the Required Shares are or have been held during the Minimum Holding Period and, if applicable, each participant in the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or affiliate of a DTC participant through which the Required Shares are or have been held by such intermediary during the Minimum Holding Period if the intermediary is not a DTC participant or affiliate of a DTC participant) verifying that, as of a date within seven business days prior to the date the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination is delivered or mailed to the secretary of the Trust, the Eligible Shareholder Owns, and has Owned continuously for the Minimum Holding Period, the Required Shares, and the Eligible Shareholder’s agreement to provide (A) within five business days after the record date for the annual meeting of shareholders, written statements from the record holder or intermediaries between the record holder and the Eligible Shareholder verifying the Eligible Shareholder’s continuous Ownership of the Required Shares through the close of business on the record date, together with a written statement by the Eligible Shareholder that such Eligible Shareholder will continue to Own the Required Shares through the date of such annual meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), and (B) the updates and supplements to the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination at the times and in the forms required by this Section 17;

(2) a copy of the Schedule 14N filed or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as required by Rule 14a-18 under the Exchange Act;

(3) information that is the same as would be required to be set forth in a shareholder’s notice of nomination pursuant to Section 13(a)(2)(i) of this Article III, including the written consent of the Shareholder Nominee to being named in the proxy materials as a nominee and to serving as a Trustee if elected;

(4) a copy (or if oral a written summary) of any agreement, arrangement or understanding to which the Shareholder Nominee is a party with any person or entity other than the Trust in connection in connection with service or action as a Trustee, including with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification;

(5) the written agreement of the Shareholder Nominee, upon such Shareholder Nominee’s election, to be bound by the Trust’s Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct and other similar policies and procedures and to make such acknowledgments, enter into such agreements and provide such information as the Board of Trustees requires of all Trustees at such time;

(6) a representation that the Eligible Shareholder (A) acquired the Required Shares in the ordinary course of business and not with the intent to change or influence control of the Trust, and that neither the Eligible Shareholder nor any Shareholder Nominee being nominated thereby presently has such intent, (B) has not nominated and will not nominate for election to the Board of Trustees at the annual meeting of shareholders (or any postponement or adjournment thereof) any individual other than the Shareholder Nominee(s) included in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17, (C) has not engaged and will not engage in, and has not been and will not be a “participant” in another person’s “solicitation,” each within the meaning of Rule 14a-1(l) under the Exchange Act, in support of the election of any individual as a Trustee at the annual meeting (or any postponement or adjournment thereof) other than such Shareholder Nominee(s) or a nominee of the Board of Trustees, (D) has complied, and will comply, with all applicable laws and regulations applicable to solicitations and the use, if any, of soliciting material in connection with the annual meeting, including, without limitation, Rule 14a-9 under the Exchange Act, (E) will not distribute to

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

any shareholder any form of proxy for the annual meeting other than the form distributed by the Trust, (F) has not provided and will not provide facts, statements or information in its communications with the Trust and the shareholders that were not or will not be true, correct and complete in all material respects or which omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make such facts, statements or information, in light of the circumstances under which they were or will be provided, not misleading, and (G) in the case of a nomination by a group of shareholders that together is an Eligible Shareholder, the designation by all group members of one group member that is authorized to act on behalf of all such members with respect to the nomination and matters related thereto, including any withdrawal of the nomination; and

(7) a written undertaking that the Eligible Shareholder (A) assumes all liability stemming from any legal or regulatory violation arising out of communications with the shareholders by the Eligible Shareholder, its Affiliates and associates or their respective agents or representatives, either before or after providing a Notice of Proxy Access Nomination pursuant to this Section 17, or out of the facts, statements or information that the Eligible Shareholder or its Shareholder Nominee(s) provided to the Trust pursuant to this Section 17 or otherwise in connection with the inclusion of such Shareholder Nominee(s) in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17, (B) indemnifies and holds harmless the Trust and each of its Trustees, officers and employees against any liability, loss or damages in connection with any threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding, whether legal, administrative or investigative, against the Trust or any of its Trustees, officers or employees arising out of such Eligible Shareholder’s nomination of a Shareholder Nominee or the Trust’s inclusion of such Shareholder Nominee in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17, and (C) will comply with all other laws and regulations applicable to any solicitation in connection with the annual meeting.

At the request of the Trust, the Shareholder Nominee must promptly, but in any event within five business days after such request, submit all completed and signed questionnaires required of the Trust’s Trustees. The Trust may also require each Shareholder Nominee and the Eligible Shareholder to furnish such other information (A) as may reasonably be required by the Trust to determine the eligibility of such Shareholder Nominee to serve as an independent Trustee (as determined under the rules and listing standards of any national securities exchange on which any securities of the Trust are listed), (B) that could be material to a shareholder’s understanding of the independence or lack of independence of such Shareholder Nominee or (C) as may reasonably be required by the Trust to determine whether the Eligible Shareholder meets the criteria for qualification as an Eligible Shareholder.

(e) To be eligible to require the Trust to include a Shareholder Nominee in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17, an Eligible Shareholder must further update and supplement the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such Notice of Proxy Access Information pursuant to this Section 17 shall be true, correct and complete as of the record date for the annual meeting of shareholders and as of the date that is ten business days prior to such annual meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof, and such update and supplement (or a written notice stating that there is no such update or supplement) shall be delivered or mailed to and received by the secretary at the principal executive office of the Trust not later than close of business on the fifth Business Day after the record date for the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of the record date) and not later than close of business on the eighth Business Day prior to the date of the meeting, if practicable, or, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of ten business days prior to the meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof).

(f) In the event that any facts, statements or information provided by the Eligible Shareholder or a Shareholder Nominee to the Trust or the shareholders ceases to be true, correct and complete in all material respects or omits a material fact necessary to make such facts, statements or information, in light of the circumstances under which they were provided, not misleading, the Eligible Shareholder or Shareholder Nominee, as the case may be, shall promptly notify the secretary of the Trust of any defect in such previously provided facts, statements or information and of the facts, statements or information required to correct any such defect.

(g) Whenever an Eligible Shareholder consists of a group of more than one shareholder, each provision in this Section 17 that requires the Eligible Shareholder to provide any written statements, representations, undertakings, agreements or other instruments or to comply with any other conditions shall be deemed to require each shareholder that is a member of such group to provide such statements, representations, undertakings, agreements or other instruments and to comply with such other conditions (which, if applicable, shall apply with respect to the portion of the Required Shares Owned by such shareholder). When an Eligible Shareholder is comprised of a group, a violation of any provision of these bylaws by any member of the group shall constitute a violation by the entire group. No

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

person may be a member of more than one group of persons constituting an Eligible Shareholder with respect to any annual meeting of shareholders. In determining the aggregate number of shareholders in a group, two or more funds that are part of the same family of funds under common management and investment control (a “Qualifying Fund Family”) shall be treated as one shareholder. Not later than the deadline for delivery of the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination pursuant to this Section 17, a Qualifying Fund Family whose share Ownership is counted for purposes of determining whether a shareholder or group of shareholders qualifies as an Eligible Shareholder shall provide to the secretary of the Trust such documentation as is reasonably satisfactory to the Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, to demonstrate that the funds comprising the Qualifying Fund Family satisfy the definition thereof.

(h) The maximum number of Shareholder Nominees nominated by all Eligible Shareholders and entitled to be included in the proxy materials with respect to an annual meeting of shareholders shall not exceed the greater of (A) two or (B) 20% of the number of Trustees up for election as of the last day on which a Notice of Proxy Access Nomination may be timely delivered pursuant to and in accordance with this Section 17 (the “Final Proxy Access Nomination Date”) or, if such percentage is not a whole number (but higher than two), the closest whole number below 20%; provided that the maximum number of Shareholder Nominees entitled to be included in the proxy materials with respect to a forthcoming annual meeting of shareholders shall be reduced by the number of individuals who were elected as Trustees at the immediately preceding or second preceding annual meeting of shareholders after inclusion in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17 and whom the Board of Trustees nominates for re-election at such forthcoming annual meeting of shareholders. In the event that one or more vacancies for any reason occur on the Board of Trustees after the Final Proxy Access Nomination Date but before the election of Trustees at the forthcoming annual meeting of shareholders and the Board of Trustees elects to reduce the size of the Board of Trustees in connection therewith, the maximum number of Shareholder Nominees eligible for inclusion in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17 shall be calculated based on the number of Trustees serving as so reduced. Any individual nominated by an Eligible Shareholder for inclusion in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17 whose nomination is subsequently withdrawn or whom the Board of Trustees decides to nominate for election to the Board of Trustees shall be counted as one of the Shareholder Nominees for purposes of determining when the maximum number of Shareholder Nominees eligible for inclusion in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17 has been reached. Any Eligible Shareholder submitting more than one Shareholder Nominee for inclusion in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17 shall rank such Shareholder Nominees based on the order that the Eligible Shareholder desires such Shareholder Nominees be selected for inclusion in the proxy materials in the event that the total number of Shareholder Nominees submitted by Eligible Shareholders pursuant to this Section 17 exceeds the maximum number of Shareholder Nominees eligible for inclusion in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17(h). In the event the number of Shareholder Nominees submitted by Eligible Shareholders pursuant to this Section 17 exceeds the maximum number of nominees eligible for inclusion in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17(h), the highest-ranking Shareholder Nominee from each Eligible Shareholder pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be selected for inclusion in the proxy materials until the maximum number is reached, proceeding in order of the number of Common Shares (largest to smallest) disclosed as Owned by each Eligible Shareholder in the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination submitted to the secretary of the Trust. If the maximum number is not reached after the highest-ranking Shareholder Nominee from each Eligible Shareholder has been selected, this selection process shall continue as many times as necessary, following the same order each time, until the maximum number is reached. The Shareholder Nominees so selected in accordance with this Section 17(h) shall be the only Shareholder Nominees entitled to be included in the proxy materials and, following such selection, if the Shareholder Nominees so selected are not included in the proxy materials or are not submitted for election for any reason (other than the failure of the Trust to comply with this Section 17), no other Shareholder Nominees shall be included in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17.

(i) The Trust shall not be required to include, pursuant to this Section 17, a Shareholder Nominee in the proxy materials for any annual meeting of shareholders (i) for which meeting the secretary of the Trust receives a notice that the Eligible Shareholder or any other shareholder has nominated one or more individuals for election to the Board of Trustees pursuant to the advance notice requirements for stockholder nominees for Trustee set forth in Section 13 of this Article III and such shareholder does not expressly elect at the time of providing the notice to have its nominee included in the Trust’s proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17, (ii) if the Eligible Shareholder who has nominated such Shareholder Nominee has engaged in or is currently engaged in or has been or is a “participant” in another person’s “solicitation,” each within the meaning of Rule 14a-1(l) under the Exchange Act, in support of the election of any individual as a Trustee at the annual meeting other than its Shareholder Nominee(s) or a nominee of the Board of Trustees, (iii) if such Shareholder Nominee would not qualify as independent (as determined under the rules and listing standards of any national securities exchange on which any securities of the Trust are listed),

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

(iv) if such Shareholder Nominee is or becomes a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding that the Shareholder Nominee is a party to with any person or entity other than the Trust as to how such person, if elected as a Trustee, will act or vote on any issue or question, (v) if such Shareholder Nominee is or becomes a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding that the Shareholder Nominee is a party to with any person or entity other than the Trust in connection with any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a trustee which is not promptly disclosed to the Trust, (vi) if the election of such Shareholder Nominee as a Trustee would cause the Trust to fail to comply with these bylaws, the Declaration of Trust, the rules and listing standards of any national securities exchange on which any securities of the Trust are listed or over-the-counter market on which any securities of the Trust are traded, or any applicable state or federal law, rule or regulation, (vii) if such Shareholder Nominee is or has been, within the past three years, an officer or director of a competitor, as defined in Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, (viii) if such Shareholder Nominee is a defendant in or named subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses) or has been convicted or has pleaded nolo contendere in such a criminal proceeding within the past ten years, (ix) if such Shareholder Nominee is subject to any order of the type specified in Rule 506(d) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (x) if the Eligible Shareholder who has nominated such Shareholder Nominee or such Shareholder Nominee provides any facts, statements or information to the Trust or the shareholders required or requested pursuant to this Section 17 that is not true, correct and complete in all material respects or that omits a material fact necessary to make such facts, statements or information, in light of the circumstances in which they were provided, not misleading, or that otherwise contravenes any of the agreements, representations or undertakings made by such Eligible Shareholder or Shareholder Nominee pursuant to this Section 17 or (xi) if the Eligible Shareholder who has nominated such Shareholder Nominee or such Shareholder Nominee fails to comply with any of its obligations pursuant to this Section 17, in each instance as determined by the Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion.

(j) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Board of Trustees or the chairman of the meeting shall declare a nomination by an Eligible Shareholder to be invalid, and such nomination shall be disregarded notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Trust, if (i) the Shareholder Nominee(s) and/or the applicable Eligible Shareholder shall have failed to comply with its or their obligations, agreements or representations under this Section 17, as determined by the Board of Trustees or the chairman of the meeting, or (ii) the Eligible Shareholder, or a qualified representative thereof, does not appear at the annual meeting of shareholders to present any nomination of the Shareholder Nominee(s) included in the proxy materials pursuant to this Section 17. For purposes of this Section 17(j), to be considered a qualified representative of a shareholder, a person must be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such shareholder or must be authorized by a writing executed by such shareholder or an electronic transmission delivered by such shareholder to act for such shareholder as its proxy at the annual meeting of shareholders and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction thereof, at such annual meeting.

(k) Any Shareholder Nominee who is included in the proxy materials for an annual meeting of shareholders but withdraws from or becomes ineligible or unavailable for election to the Board of Trustees at such annual meeting, shall be ineligible for inclusion in the proxy materials as a Shareholder Nominee pursuant to this Section 17 for the next two annual meeting of shareholders. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 17(k) shall not prevent any shareholder from nominating any individual to the Board of Trustees pursuant to and in accordance with Section 13 of this Article III.

(l) The Eligible Shareholder (including any person who owns shares of capital stock of the Trust that constitute part of the Eligible Shareholder’s ownership for purposes of satisfying Section 17(b) hereof) shall file with the Securities and Exchange Commission any solicitation or other communication with the Trust’s shareholders relating to the meeting at which the Shareholder Nominee will be nominated, regardless of whether any such filing is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act or whether any exemption from filing is available for such solicitation or other communication under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act.

(m) This Section 17 provides the exclusive method for a shareholder to require the Trust to include nominee(s) for election to the Board of Trustees in the proxy materials.

ARTICLE IV

TRUSTEES

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

Section 1. GENERAL POWERS; QUALIFICATIONS; TRUSTEES HOLDING OVER. The business and affairs of the Trust shall be managed under the direction of its Board of Trustees. A Trustee shall be an individual at least 21 years of age who is not under legal disability. In case of failure to elect Trustees at an annual meeting of the shareholders, the Trustees holding over shall continue to direct the management of the business and affairs of the Trust until their successors are elected and qualified.

Section 2. NUMBER AND INDEPENDENCE. At any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose, a majority of the entire Board of Trustees may establish, increase or decrease the number of Trustees, subject to any limitations in the Declaration of Trust. At least a majority of the Board of Trustees shall be trustees whom the board has determined are “independent” under the standards established by the Board of Trustees and in accordance with the then applicable requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

Section 3. ANNUAL AND REGULAR MEETINGS. An annual meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be held immediately after and at the same place as the annual meeting of shareholders, no notice other than this Bylaw being necessary. The Board of Trustees may provide, by resolution, the time and place, either within or without the State of Maryland, for the holding of regular meetings of the Board of Trustees without other notice than such resolution.

Section 4. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings of the Board of Trustees may be called by or at the request of the chairman of the board, the chief executive officer or the president or by a majority of the Trustees then in office. The person or persons authorized to call special meetings of the Board of Trustees may fix any place, either within or without the State of Maryland, as the place for holding any special meeting of the Board of Trustees called by them.

Section 5. NOTICE. Notice of any special meeting shall be given by written notice delivered personally, by electronic transmission by the Trust, mailed or couriered to each Trustee at his or her business or residence address. Personally delivered or telegraphed notices shall be given at least two days prior to the meeting. Notice by mail shall be given at least five days prior to the meeting. Notice by telephone or electronic transmission by the Trust shall be given at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail properly addressed, with postage thereon prepaid. If given by telegram, such notice shall be deemed to be given when the telegram is delivered to the telegraph company. Telephone notice shall be deemed given when the Trustee is personally given such notice in a telephone call to which he or she is a party. Electronic mail notice shall be deemed to be given upon transmission of the message to the electronic mail address given to the Trust by the Trustee. Facsimile-transmission notice shall be deemed given upon completion of the transmission of the message to the number given to the Trust by the Trustee and receipt of a completed answer-back indicating receipt. Notice by courier shall be deemed to be given when deposited with or delivered to a courier properly addressed. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any annual, regular or special meeting of the Board of Trustees need be stated in the notice, unless specifically required by statute or these bylaws.

Section 6. QUORUM. A majority of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business at any meeting of the Board of Trustees, provided that, if less than a majority of such Trustees are present at said meeting, a majority of the Trustees present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice, and provided further that if, pursuant to the Declaration of Trust or these bylaws, the vote of a majority of a particular group of Trustees is required for action, a quorum must also include a majority of such group.

The Trustees present at a meeting which has been duly called and convened may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Trustees to leave less than a quorum.

Section 7. VOTING. The action of the majority of the Trustees present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the action of the Board of Trustees, unless the concurrence of a greater proportion is required for such action by applicable statute.

Section 8. TELEPHONE MEETINGS. Trustees may participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone, by electronic video screen communication or similar communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time. Participation in a meeting by these means shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.

Section 9. WAIVER OF NOTICE. The business transacted at any meeting of the board of directors, however called and noticed or wherever held, shall be as valid as though had at a meeting duly held after regular call and

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

notice if a quorum is present and if, either before or after the meeting, each of the directors not present or who though present has prior to the meeting or at its commencement protested the lack of proper notice to him, signs a written waiver of notice, a consent to holding the meeting or an approval of the minutes. The waiver of notice or consent need not specify the purpose of the meeting. All such waivers, consents and approvals shall be filed with the corporate records or made a part of the minutes of the meeting.

Section 10. ACTION BY TRUSTEES WITHOUT A MEETING. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Trustees may be taken without a meeting, if a consent in writing to such action is signed or submitted by electronic transmission to the Trust by each Trustee and such written consent is filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Trustees.

Section 11. ORGANIZATION. At each meeting of the Board of Trustees, the chairman of the Board of Trustees or, in the absence of the chairman, the vice chairman, if any, of the Board of Trustees, if any, shall act as chairman. In the absence of both the chairman and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees, the chief executive officer or in the absence of the chief executive officer, the president or in the absence of the president, a director chosen by a majority of the Trustees present, shall act as chairman. The secretary or, in his or her absence, an assistant secretary of the Trust, or in the absence of the secretary and all assistant secretaries, a person appointed by the chairman, shall act as secretary of the meeting.

Section 12. VACANCIES. If for any reason any or all the Trustees cease to be Trustees, such event shall not terminate the Trust, or affect these bylaws or the powers of the remaining Trustees hereunder (even if fewer than a quorum of Trustees remain). Any vacancy (including a vacancy created by an increase in the number of Trustees) shall be filled, at any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose, by a majority of the Trustees, even if the remaining Trustees do not constitute a quorum. Any individual so elected as Trustee shall hold office for the unexpired term of the Trustee he or she is replacing and until a successor is elected and qualified. Section 13. COMPENSATION. Trustees shall not receive any stated salary for their services as Trustees but, by resolution of the Board of Trustees or a duly authorized committee thereof, may receive compensation per year and/or per meeting and for any service or activity they performed or engaged in as Trustees. Trustees may be reimbursed for expenses of attendance, if any, at each annual, regular or special meeting of the Board of Trustees or of any committee thereof; and for their expenses, if any, in connection with any service or activity performed or engaged in as Trustees; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any Trustees from serving the Trust in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor.

Section 14. REMOVAL OF TRUSTEES. The shareholders may remove any Trustee in the manner provided in the Declaration of Trust.

Section 15. RELIANCE. Each Trustee, officer, employee and agent of the Trust shall, in the performance of his or her duties with respect to the Trust, be fully justified and protected with regard to any act or failure to act in reliance in good faith upon the books of account or other records of the Trust, upon an opinion of counsel or upon reports made to the Trust by any of its officers or employees or by the adviser, accountants, appraisers or other experts or consultants selected by the Trustees or officers of the Trust, regardless of whether such counsel or expert may also be a Trustee.

Section 16. INTERESTED TRUSTEE TRANSACTIONS. Section 2-419 of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) shall be available for and apply to any contract or other transaction between the Trust and any of its Trustees or between the Trust and any other trust, corporation, firm or other entity in which any of its Trustees is a trustee or director or has a material financial interest.

ARTICLE V

COMMITTEES

Section 1. NUMBER, TENURE AND QUALIFICATIONS. The Board of Trustees may appoint from among its members an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and other committees, composed of one or more Trustees, to serve at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees.

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

Section 2. POWERS. The Board of Trustees may delegate to committees appointed under Section 1 of this Article any of the powers of the Trustees, except as prohibited by law.

Section 3. MEETINGS. In the absence of any member of any such committee, the members thereof present at any meeting, whether or not they constitute a quorum, may appoint another Trustee to act in the place of such absent member provided that such Trustee meets the requirements of such committee. Notice of committee meetings shall be given in the same manner as notice for special meetings of the Board of Trustees. Each committee shall keep minutes of its proceedings and shall report the same to the Board of Trustees at the next succeeding meeting, and any action by the committee shall be subject to revision and alteration by the Board of Trustees, provided that no rights of third persons shall be affected by any such revision or alteration.

Section 4. QUORUM. A majority of the members of any committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a committee meeting, and the act of a majority present shall be the act of such committee. The Board of Trustees, or the members of a committee to which such power has been duly delegated by the Board of Trustees, may designate a chairman of any committee, and such chairman or any two members of any committee may fix the time and place of its meetings unless the Board of Trustees shall otherwise provide.

Section 5. TELEPHONE MEETINGS. Members of a committee of the Board of Trustees may participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone, electronic video screen communication or similar communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time. Participation in a meeting by these means shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.

Section 6. INFORMAL ACTION BY COMMITTEES. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of a committee of the Board of Trustees may be taken without a meeting, if a consent in writing to such action is signed or submitted by electronic transmission to the Trust by each member of the committee and such written consent is filed with the minutes of proceedings of such committee.

Section 7. VACANCIES, REMOVAL AND DISSOLUTION. Subject to the provisions hereof, the Board of Trustees shall have the power at any time to change the membership of any committee, to fill all vacancies, to designate alternate members to replace any absent or disqualified member or to dissolve any such committee.

ARTICLE VI

OFFICERS

Section 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS. The officers of the Trust shall include a president, a secretary and a chief financial officer. The Trust may also have, at the discretion of the Board of Trustees, a chairman of the board, one or more vice presidents, a treasurer, one or more assistant secretaries, one or more assistant treasurers and such other officers as may be appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 of this Article VI. If there is a treasurer, he shall be the chief financial officer unless some other person is so appointed by the board of directors. Any number of offices may be held by the same person. The officers of the Trust shall be elected annually by the Board of Trustees at the first meeting of the Board of Trustees held after each annual meeting of shareholders, except that the chief executive officer or the president may appoint one or more vice presidents. If the election of officers shall not be held at such meeting, such election shall be held as soon thereafter as may be convenient. Each officer shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her death, resignation or removal in the manner hereinafter provided. Any two or more offices except president and vice president may be held by the same person. In their discretion, the Trustees may leave unfilled any office. Election of an officer or agent shall not of itself create contract rights between the Trust and such officer or agent.

Section 2. REMOVAL AND RESIGNATION. Any officer or agent of the Trust may be removed by the Board of Trustees if in its judgment the best interests of the Trust would be served thereby, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the person so removed. Any officer of the Trust may resign at any time by giving written notice of his or her resignation to the Trustees, the chairman of the board, the president or the secretary. Any resignation shall take effect at any time subsequent to the time specified therein or, if the time when it shall become effective is not specified therein, immediately upon its receipt. The acceptance of a resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective unless otherwise stated in the resignation. Such resignation shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the Trust.

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

Section 3. SUBORDINATE OFFICERS. The Board of Trustees may appoint, and may empower the chairman of the board or president to appoint, such other officers as the business of the Trust may require, each of whom shall hold office for such period, have such authority and perform such duties as are provided in the bylaws or as the Board of Trustees may from time to time determine.

Section 4. VACANCIES. A vacancy in any office may be filled by the Board of Trustees for the balance of the term.

Section 5. CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. The chairman of the board, if such an officer be elected, shall, if present, preside at meetings of the Board of Trustees and meetings of the shareholders and shall exercise such other powers and perform such other duties as may be from time to time assigned to him by the Board of Trustees or prescribed by the bylaws. If there is no president, the chairman of the board shall in addition be the chief executive officer of the Trust and shall have the powers and duties prescribed in Section 7 of this Article VI. The chief executive officer of the Trust shall be such officer of the trust as may be determined by the Board of Trustees.

Section 6. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER. The Board of Trustees may designate a chief executive officer. The chief executive officer shall have responsibility for implementation of the policies of the Trust, as determined by the Board of Trustees, and for the administration of the business affairs of the Trust. In the absence of the chairman of the board, the chief executive officer shall preside over the meetings of the Board of Trustees and of the shareholders at which he or she shall be present.

Section 7. PRESIDENT. Subject to such supervisory powers, if any, as may be given by the Board of Trustees to the chairman of the board, if there be such an officer, the president shall, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees, have the powers of general supervision, direction and control of the business and the officers of the Trust. In the absence of the chairman of the board, or if there be none, he shall preside at all meetings of the shareholders and at all meetings of the Board of Trustees. He shall have the general powers and duties of management usually vested in the office of president of a Trust and shall have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Trustees or the bylaws. The chief executive officer of the Trust shall be such officer of the trust as may be determined by the Board of Trustees.

Section 8. VICE PRESIDENTS. In the absence or disability of the president, the vice presidents, if any, in order of their rank as fixed by the Board of Trustees or, if not ranked, a vice president designated by the Board of Trustees, shall perform all the duties of the president, and when so acting shall have all the powers of, and be subject to all the restrictions upon, the president. The vice presidents shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed for them respectively by the Board of Trustees or the bylaws and the president or the chairman of the board, if any.

Section 9. SECRETARY. The secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, at the principal executive office or such other place as the Board of Trustees may direct, a book of minutes of all meetings and actions of Trustees, committees of Trustees and shareholders, with the time and place of holding, whether regular or special and, if special, how authorized, the notice given, the names of those present at Trustees’ meetings or committee meetings, the number of shares present or represented at shareholders’ meetings and the proceedings. The secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal executive office or at the office of the Trust’s transfer agent or registrar, as determined by resolution of the Board of Trustees, a share register, or a duplicate share register, showing the names of all shareholders and their addresses, the number and classes of shares held by each, the number and date of certificates issued for the same, and the number and date of cancellation of every certificate surrendered for cancellation. The secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the shareholders and of the Board of Trustees required by the bylaws or by law to be given, and he shall keep the seal of the Trust if one be adopted, in safe custody, and shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Trustees or by the bylaws.

Section 10. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER. The chief financial officer shall keep and maintain, or cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct books and records of accounts of the properties and business transactions of the Trust, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, capital, retained earnings and shares. The books of account shall at all reasonable times be open to inspection by any Trustee. The chief financial officer shall deposit all moneys and other valuables in the name and to the credit of the Trust with such depositaries as may be designated by the Board of Trustees. He shall disburse the funds of the Trust as may be ordered by the Board of Trustees, shall render to the president and Trustees, whenever they request it, an

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

account of all of his transactions as chief financial officer and of the financial condition of the Trust, and shall have other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Trustees or the bylaws.

Section 11. SALARIES. The salaries and other compensation of the officers shall be fixed from time to time by the Board of Trustees, the chief executive officer or the president and no officer shall be prevented from receiving such salary or other compensation by reason of the fact that he or she is also a Trustee.

ARTICLE VII

CONTRACTS, CHECKS AND DEPOSITS

Section 1. CONTRACTS. The Board of Trustees may authorize any officer or agent to enter into any contract or to execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the Trust and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances. Any agreement, deed, mortgage, lease or other document executed by one or more of the Trustees or by an authorized person shall be valid and binding upon the Board of Trustees and upon the Trust.

Section 2. CHECKS AND DRAFTS. All checks, drafts or other orders for the payment of money, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of the Trust shall be signed by such officer or agent of the Trust in such manner as shall from time to time be determined by the Board of Trustees.

Section 3. DEPOSITS. All funds of the Trust not otherwise employed shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of the Trust in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Board of Trustees may designate.

ARTICLE VIII

SHARES

Section 1. CERTIFICATES. Unless the Board of Trustees of the Trust authorizes the issue of some or all of the shares of any or all of its classes or series without certificates, each shareholder shall be entitled to a certificate or certificates which shall evidence and certify the number of shares of each class of beneficial interests held by him or her in the Trust. Each certificate shall be signed by the chief executive officer, the president or a vice president and countersigned by the secretary or an assistant secretary or the treasurer or an assistant treasurer and may be sealed with the seal, if any, of the Trust. The signatures may be either manual or facsimile. Certificates shall be consecutively numbered; and if the Trust shall, from time to time, issue several classes of shares, each class may have its own number series. A certificate is valid and may be issued whether or not an officer who signed it is still an officer when it is issued. Each certificate representing shares which are restricted as to their transferability or voting powers, which are preferred or limited as to their dividends or as to their allocable portion of the assets upon liquidation or which are redeemable at the option of the Trust, shall have a statement of such restriction, limitation, preference or redemption provision, or a summary thereof, plainly stated on the certificate. In lieu of such statement or summary, the Trust may set forth upon the face or back of the certificate a statement that the Trust will furnish to any shareholder, upon request and without charge, a full statement of such information. At the time of issue or transfer of shares without certificates, the Trust shall send the shareholder a written statement of the information required on certificates by Section 8-203 of Title 8 of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

Section 2. TRANSFERS. Certificates shall be treated as negotiable and title thereto and to the shares they represent shall be transferred by delivery thereof to the same extent as those of a Maryland stock corporation. Upon surrender to the Trust or the transfer agent of the Trust of a share certificate duly endorsed or accompanied by proper evidence of succession, assignment or authority to transfer, the Trust shall issue a new certificate to the person entitled thereto, cancel the old certificate and record the transaction upon its books.

The Trust shall be entitled to treat the holder of record of any share or shares as the holder in fact thereof and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or shares on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of Maryland.

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

Notwithstanding the foregoing, transfers of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust will be subject in all respects to the Declaration of Trust and all of the terms and conditions contained therein.

Section 3. REPLACEMENT CERTIFICATE. Any officer designated by the Board of Trustees may direct a new certificate to be issued in place of any certificate previously issued by the Trust alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming the certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed. When authorizing the issuance of a new certificate, an officer designated by the Board of Trustees may, in his or her discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate or the owner’s legal representative to advertise the same in such manner as he or she shall require and/or to give bond, with sufficient surety, to the Trust to indemnify it against any loss or claim which may arise as a result of the issuance of a new certificate.

Section 4. CLOSING OF TRANSFER BOOKS OR FIXING OF RECORD DATE. The Board of Trustees may set, in advance, a record date for the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of shareholders or determining shareholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or the allotment of any other rights, or in order to make a determination of shareholders for any other proper purpose. Such date, in any case, shall not be prior to the close of business on the day the record date is fixed and shall be not more than 90 days and, in the case of a meeting of shareholders not less than ten days, before the date on which the meeting or particular action requiring such determination of shareholders of record is to be held or taken.

In lieu of fixing a record date, the Board of Trustees may provide that the share transfer books shall be closed for a stated period but not longer than 20 days. If the share transfer books are closed for the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of shareholders, such books shall be closed for at least ten days before the date of such meeting.

If no record date is fixed and the share transfer books are not closed for the determination of shareholders, (a) the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of shareholders shall be at the close of business on the day on which the notice of meeting is mailed or the 30th day before the meeting, whichever is the closer date to the meeting; and (b) the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive payment of a dividend or an allotment of any other rights shall be the close of business on the day on which the resolution of the Board of Trustees, declaring the dividend or allotment of rights, is adopted.

When a determination of shareholders entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders has been made as provided in this section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof, except when (i) the determination has been made through the closing of the transfer books and the stated period of closing has expired or (ii) the meeting is adjourned to a date more than 120 days after the record date fixed for the original meeting, in either of which case a new record date shall be determined as set forth herein.

Section 5. SHARE LEDGER. The Trust shall maintain at its principal office or at the office of its counsel, accountants or transfer agent, an original or duplicate share ledger containing the name and address of each shareholder and the number of shares of each class held by such shareholder.

Section 6. FRACTIONAL SHARES; ISSUANCE OF UNITS. The Board of Trustees may issue fractional shares or provide for the issuance of scrip, all on such terms and under such conditions as they may determine. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Declaration of Trust or these bylaws, the Board of Trustees may issue units consisting of different securities of the Trust. Any security issued in a unit shall have the same characteristics as any identical securities issued by the Trust, except that the Board of Trustees may provide that for a specified period securities of the Trust issued in such unit may be transferred to the books of the Trust only in such unit.

ARTICLE IX

ACCOUNTING YEAR

The Board of Trustees shall have the power, from time to time, to fix the fiscal year of the Trust by a duly adopted resolution.

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

ARTICLE X

DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 1. AUTHORIZATION. Dividends and other distributions upon the shares of beneficial interest of the Trust may be authorized and declared by the Board of Trustees, subject to the provisions of law and the Declaration of Trust. Dividends and other distributions may be paid in cash, property or shares of the Trust, subject to the provisions of law and the Declaration of Trust.

Section 2. CONTINGENCIES. Before payment of any dividends or other distributions, there may be set aside out of any funds of the Trust available for dividends or other distributions such sum or sums as the Board of Trustees may from time to time, in their absolute discretion, think proper as a reserve fund for contingencies, for equalizing dividends or other distributions, for repairing or maintaining any property of the Trust or for such other purpose as the Board of Trustees shall determine to be in the best interest of the Trust, and the Board of Trustees may modify or abolish any such reserve in the manner in which it was created.

ARTICLE XI

SEAL

Section 1. SEAL. The Board of Trustees may authorize the adoption of a seal by the Trust. The seal shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Trust and the year of its formation. The Trustees may authorize one or more duplicate seals and provide for the custody thereof.

Section 2. AFFIXING SEAL. Whenever the Trust is permitted or required to affix its seal to a document, it shall be sufficient to meet the requirements of any law, rule or regulation relating to a seal to place the word “(SEAL)” adjacent to the signature of the person authorized to execute the document on behalf of the Trust.

ARTICLE XII

INDEMNIFICATION AND ADVANCE OF EXPENSES

To the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, the Trust shall indemnify (a) any Trustee or officer (including among the foregoing, for all purposes of this Article XII and without limitation, any individual who, while a Trustee or officer and at the express request of the Trust, serves or has served another real estate investment trust, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or any other enterprise as a director, officer, shareholder, partner or trustee of such real estate investment trust, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise) who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of a proceeding to which he or she was made a party by reason of service in such capacity, against reasonable expenses incurred by him or her in connection with the proceeding, and (b) any Trustee or officer or any former Trustee or officer against any claim or liability to which he or she may become subject by reason of such status unless it is established that (i) his or her act or omission was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (ii) he or she actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services or (iii) in the case of a criminal proceeding, he or she had reasonable cause to believe that his or her act or omission was unlawful. In addition, the Trust shall pay or reimburse, as incurred, in advance of final disposition of a proceeding, reasonable expense incurred by a Trustee or officer or former Trustee or officer made a party to a proceeding by reason of such status, provided that the Trust shall have received (i) a written affirmation by the Trustee or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the applicable standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the Trust as authorized by these bylaws and (ii) a written undertaking by or on his or her behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the Trust if it shall ultimately be determined that the applicable standard of conduct was not met. The Trust may, with the approval of its Board of Trustees, provide such indemnification or payment or reimbursement of expenses to any Trustee, officer or shareholder or any former Trustee, officer or shareholder who served a predecessor of the Trust and to any employee or agent of the Trust or a predecessor of the Trust.

  


 

Exhibit 3.2

Neither the amendment nor repeal of this Article, nor the adoption or amendment of any other provision of the Declaration of Trust or these bylaws inconsistent with this Article, shall apply to or affect in any respect the applicability of this Article with respect to any act or failure to act which occurred prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption.

Any indemnification or payment or reimbursement of the expenses permitted by these bylaws shall be furnished in accordance with the procedures provided for indemnification or payment or reimbursement of expenses, as the case may be, under Section 2-418 of the MGCL for directors of Maryland corporations. The Trust may provide to Trustees, officers, employees, agents and shareholders such other and further indemnification or payment or reimbursement of expenses, as the case may be, to the fullest extent permitted by the MGCL, as in effect from time to time, for directors of Maryland corporations.

ARTICLE XIII

WAIVER OF NOTICE

Whenever any notice is required to be given pursuant to the Declaration of Trust or these bylaws or pursuant to applicable law, a waiver thereof in writing, signed by the person or persons entitled to such notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to the giving of such notice. Neither the business to be transacted at nor the purpose of any meeting need be set forth in the waiver of notice, unless specifically required by statute. The attendance of any person at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where such person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.

ARTICLE XIV

AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

These bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed, and new bylaws adopted, by the affirmative vote of a majority vote of the Trustees, or by the shareholders by the affirmative vote of not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter at a meeting of shareholders duly called and at which a quorum is present.  



  


RULE 13A – 14(a) CERTIFICATION

 

 

 

I, Joseph D. Russell, Jr., certify that:

1.I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Public Storage;

2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.The registrant's other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a)designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b)designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c)evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d)disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5.The registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a)all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b)any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

/s/ Joseph D. Russell, Jr.

Name:Joseph D. Russell, Jr.

Title:Chief Executive Officer and President

Date:April 28, 2021



Exhibit 31.1


RULE 13A – 14(a) CERTIFICATION

 

 

 

I, H. Thomas Boyle, certify that:

1.I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Public Storage;

2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.The registrant's other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a)designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b)designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c)evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d)disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5.The registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a)all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b)any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

/s/ H. Thomas Boyle

Name:H. Thomas Boyle

Title:Chief Financial Officer

Date:April 28, 2021



Exhibit 31.2


SECTION 1350 CERTIFICATION

 

 

 

In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Public Storage (the “Company”) for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on the date hereof (the “Report”), Joseph D. Russell, Jr., as Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company and H. Thomas Boyle, as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), that:

(1)

The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); and

(2)

The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

/s/ Joseph D. Russell, Jr.

Name:Joseph D. Russell, Jr.

Title:Chief Executive Officer and President

Date:April 28, 2021

/s/ H. Thomas Boyle

Name:H. Thomas Boyle

Title:Chief Financial Officer

Date:April 28, 2021

This certification accompanies the Report pursuant to §906 of Sarbanes-Oxley and shall not, except to the extent required by Sarbanes-Oxley, be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of §18 of the Exchange Act.

A signed original of this written statement required by §906 of Sarbanes-Oxley has been provided to the Company, and will be retained and furnished to the SEC or its staff upon request.

Exhibit 32