Results of Operations for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 and 2020
As of June 30, 2021, we owned 38 operating properties, including one industrial property classified as held for sale and an approximate 72.7% TIC Interest in an industrial property. We did not acquire any operating properties during the first half of 2021 or 2020, but we did acquire a Raising Cane’s retail property in July 2021 as discussed in Note 12 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus. We sold three retail properties during the first half of 2021, which were previously classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2020 and one industrial property in July 2021 that was classified as held for sale as of June 30, 2021 as discussed in Note 12 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus. No operating properties were sold during the first half of 2020. The operating results of the properties that were classified in the ordinary course of business as held for sale are included in our continuing results of operations.
We expect that rental income, tenant reimbursements, depreciation and amortization expense, and interest expense will decrease during the second half of 2021 as compared with the second half of 2020 as a result of the nine dispositions discussed above (seven retail properties and two industrial properties), partially offset by the results from the Raising Cane's retail property acquired on July 26, 2021. Our results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 may not be indicative of those expected in future periods. Due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, including the recent spread of the Delta variant, in the United States and globally, our tenants and operating partners continue to be impacted. The continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Delta variant on our future results will largely depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information regarding mutation of COVID-19, the success of actions taken to contain or treat COVID-19, the effectiveness of the current vaccines to contain the COVID-19 variants including the Delta variant, and reactions by consumers, companies, governmental entities and capital markets.
Comparison of the Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 to the Three Months Ended June 30, 2020
Rental Income
Rental income, including tenant reimbursements, for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 was $9,173,000 and $9,277,020, respectively. The decrease of $104,020, or 1%, quarter-over-quarter primarily reflects the reduction of rental income from the eight operating properties (seven retail properties and one industrial property) sold during the second half of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. Pursuant to most of our lease agreements, tenants are required to pay or reimburse all or a portion of the property operating expenses. The annualized base rental income of the operating properties owned as of June 30, 2021 was $26,219,270, excluding the annualized base rental income of one industrial property held for sale as of June 30, 2021 and sold on July 7, 2021.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses were $2,875,869 and $2,369,358 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase of $506,511, or 21%, quarter-over-quarter primarily reflects $568,304 of stock compensation expense related to the Class R OP Units granted in January 2021 (discussed in detail in Note 11 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus), offset in part by reductions in costs related to office rent, technology services and legal fees in the current year quarter compared to the prior year quarter.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense was $3,978,323 and $4,480,262 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The purchase price of properties acquired is allocated to tangible assets, identifiable intangibles and assumed liabilities and depreciated or amortized over their estimated useful lives. The decrease of $501,939, or 11%, quarter-over-quarter primarily reflects the reduction of depreciation and amortization expenses related to the eight operating properties (seven retail properties and one industrial property) sold during the second half of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.
Interest Expense
Interest expense was $2,098,649 and $2,558,877 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively (see Note 7 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for the detail of the components of interest expense). The decrease of $460,228, or 18%, quarter-over-quarter was primarily due to our gain on interest rate swaps of $92,200 during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to a loss on interest rate swaps of $70,985 during the three months ended June 30, 2020.
In addition, there was also a decrease in the average principal balance of our mortgage notes payable to approximately $180,626,000 during the second quarter of 2021 from approximately $197,084,000 during the second quarter of 2020. Average credit facility borrowings were approximately $5,500,000 during the second quarter of 2021 compared to approximately $12,000,000 during the second quarter of 2020.
Property Expenses
Property expenses were $1,697,886 and $1,854,637 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. These expenses primarily relate to property taxes and repairs and maintenance expenses, the majority of which are reimbursed by tenants. The decrease of $156,751, or 8%, quarter-over-quarter primarily reflects the reduction in expenses related to the eight operating properties (seven retail properties and one industrial property) sold during the second half of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.
Impairment of Investments in Real Estate Properties
Impairment of investments in real estate properties was a credit of $400,999 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and a charge of $349,457 for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The credit for the three months ended June 30, 2021 resulted from an adjustment to reduce the impairment charge recorded in December 2020 for the property located in Bedford, Texas due to its reclassification from held for sale to held for investment and use in June 2021 (see Note 3 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of the adjustment). The impairment charge in the prior year quarter relates to the impairment of one property located in Lake Elsinore, California, due to the sale of this property and the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (see Note 4 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for impairment details).
Reserve for Loan Guarantee
The credit to our reserve for our estimated liability under a loan guarantee amounted to $4,253 for the three months ended June 30, 2020. This represented the change in the estimated liability for a loan guarantee related to our subsidiary's secured mortgage for the Las Vegas, Nevada property, as a result of the evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tenant's business and the risk that the lender could foreclose on the property. The Las Vegas, Nevada property was sold on December 15, 2020 and the reserve was reversed as a result of the buyer's assumption of the related note payable.
Other Income
Interest income was $51 and $605 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Income from investments in unconsolidated entities was $74,834 and $125,658 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. This represents our approximate 72.7% TIC Interest in the Santa Clara property's results of operations for the second quarters of 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Comparison of the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 to the Six Months Ended June 30, 2020
Rental Income
Rental income, including tenant reimbursements, for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 was $18,213,863 and $20,331,429, respectively. The decrease of $2,117,566, or 10%, period-over-period primarily reflects the reduction of rental income from the eight operating properties (seven retail properties and one industrial property) sold during the second half of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. Pursuant to most of our lease agreements, tenants are required to pay or reimburse all or a portion of the property operating expenses. The annualized base rental income of the operating properties owned as of June 30, 2021 was $26,219,270, excluding the annualized base rental income of one industrial property held for sale as of June 30, 2021 and sold in July 2021.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses were $6,158,753 and $4,924,363 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase of $1,234,390, or 25%, period-over-period primarily reflects $1,014,165 of stock compensation expense related to the Class R OP Units granted in January 2021 (discussed in Note 11 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus).
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense was $8,003,026 and $9,115,786 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The purchase price of properties acquired is allocated to tangible assets, identifiable intangibles and assumed liabilities and depreciated or amortized over their estimated useful lives. The decrease of $1,112,760, or 12%, period-over-period primarily reflects the reduction of depreciation and amortization expenses related to the eight operating properties (seven retail properties and one industrial property) sold during the second half of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.
Interest Expense
Interest expense was $3,879,785 and $6,463,533 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively (see Note 7 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for the detail of the components of interest expense). The decrease of $2,583,748, or 40%, period-over-period was primarily due to our gain on interest rate swaps of $420,243 during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to a loss on interest rate swaps of $1,395,697 during the six months ended June 30, 2020. In addition, there was also a decrease in the average principal balance of our mortgage notes payable from approximately $197,853,000 during the first half of 2020 to approximately $179,173,000 during the first half of 2021. Average credit facility borrowings were approximately $10,935,000 during the first half of 2020, compared to $5,750,000 during the first half of 2021.
Property Expenses
Property expenses were $3,452,833 and $3,803,356 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. These expenses primarily relate to property taxes and repairs and maintenance expense, the majority of which are reimbursed by tenants. The decrease of $350,523, or 9%, period-over-period primarily reflects the reduction in expenses related to the eight operating properties (seven retail properties and one industrial property) sold during the second half of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.
Impairment of Investments in Real Estate Properties
Impairment of investments in real estate properties was a credit of $400,999 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and a charge of $9,506,525 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The current year period's credit resulted from an adjustment to reduce the impairment charge recorded in December 2020 for the property located in Bedford, Texas due to its reclassification from held for sale to held for use in June 2021 (see Note 3 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of the adjustment). The impairment charge recorded in the six months ended June 30, 2020 relates to the impairments of four properties formerly leased to Rite Aid, 24 Hour Fitness, Dinan Cars and Dana due to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the forced closure of the 24 Hour Fitness in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as uncertainty regarding our ability to re-lease the Dinan Cars and Dana vacant properties on the same or better terms, or at all (see Note 4 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for impairment details). The properties formerly leased by Rite Aid, 24 Hour Fitness, Dinan Cars and Dana were sold in August, October, December 2020 and July 2021, respectively.
Impairment of Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Impairment charges of $34,572,403 recorded during the six months ended June 30, 2020 consisted of goodwill impairment of $33,267,143 (approximated 66% of goodwill) and intangible assets impairment of $1,305,260 (approximated 16% of intangible assets) related to our investor list. These impairments reflected the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the carrying values of goodwill and intangible assets (see Note 5 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for impairment details). We did not incur any impairment charges for our goodwill and intangible assets during the six months ended June 30, 2021.
Reserve for Loan Guarantee
The credit to our reserve for estimated liability under a loan guarantee amounted to $3,125,037 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. This represented the estimated liability for a loan guarantee related to our subsidiary's secured mortgage for the Las Vegas, Nevada property, as a result of the evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tenant's business and the risk that the lender could foreclose on the property. The Las Vegas, Nevada property was sold on December 15, 2020 and the reserve was reversed as a result of the buyer's assumption of the related note payable.
Gain on Sale of Real Estate Investments
The gain on sale of investments of $289,642 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 relates to the sale of three retail properties during the current year period (see Note 3 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for more details).
Other Income
Interest income was $100 and $4,822 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Income from investments in unconsolidated entities was $147,302 and $146,411 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. This represents our approximate 72.7% TIC Interest in the Santa Clara property's results of operations for the first half of 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Other income for the six months ended June 30, 2021 also includes the Small Business Administration’s forgiveness in February 2021 of our economic relief note payable of $517,000 obtained in April 2020 under the terms of the Paycheck Protection Program.
Organizational and Offering Costs
Organizational and offering costs include all expenses incurred in connection with the Offerings, including investor relations payroll expenses and all other expenses incurred in connection with our formation, including, but not limited to legal fees, federal and state filing fees, and other costs to incorporate. For the six months ended June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020, we incurred organizational and offering costs aggregating $810,632 and $822,881, respectively, which are recorded in our financial statements as an offset to equity. As of June 30, 2021, we had recorded cumulative organizational and offering costs of $7,954,795, including $5,429,105 paid to our former sponsor or affiliates.
Our organizational and offering costs were paid by our former sponsor on our behalf through September 30, 2019, after which we agreed to pay all future organization and offering costs pursuant to an amendment to the advisory agreement with our former external advisor in October 2019 and to no longer be reimbursed by our former sponsor for investor relations personnel costs after September 30, 2019, in exchange for our former sponsor's agreement to terminate its right to receive 3% of gross offering proceeds as reimbursement for organization and offering costs paid by our former sponsor. Prior to September 30, 2019, we were obligated to reimburse our former sponsor for organizational and offering costs related to the Initial Registered Offering and the Class S Offering paid by it on our behalf, provided such reimbursement did not exceed 3% of gross offering proceeds raised in the Initial Registered Offering and the Class S Offering as of the date of the reimbursement. We recorded $5,429,105 of organizational and offering costs paid to our former sponsor or affiliates through September 30, 2019.
Cash Flow Summary for the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019
The following table summarizes our cash flow activity for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019:
| | 2020 | | | 2019 | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | | $ | 5,576,840 | | | $ | 4,748,904 | |
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | | $ | 24,778,295 | | | $ | (29,602,469 | ) |
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | | $ | (28,914,535 | ) | | $ | 23,034,567 | |
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities was $5,576,840 and $4,748,904 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily reflects adjustments to our net loss of $49,141,910 for distributions from an investment in an unconsolidated entity of $683,000; non-cash charges for impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and impairment of real estate investment property aggregating $44,840,028 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and net non-cash charges of $12,762,668 primarily related to depreciation and amortization, unrealized loss on interest rate swap valuation, amortization of deferred financing costs, stock issued as compensation expense, and amortization of above-market lease intangibles, partially offset by gain on sale of real estate investments, amortization of deferred rents, amortization of below-market lease intangibles and income from investment in unconsolidated entities. In addition, the net non-cash charges were partially offset by use of cash resulting from a net change in operating assets and liabilities of $3,566,946 during the year ended December 31, 2020 due primarily to increases in prepaid expenses and other assets and decreases in accounts payable, accrued and other liabilities and amounts due to affiliates, offset in part by a decrease in tenant receivables.
The cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily reflects adjustments to our net loss of $4,415,992 for distributions from investments in unconsolidated entities of $1,029,786 and net non-cash charges of $9,647,509 primarily related to depreciation and amortization, amortization of deferred financing costs, stock compensation expense, unrealized loss on interest rate swap valuation and amortization of lease incentives and above-market lease intangibles, partially offset by deferred rents, income from investment in unconsolidated entities, and amortization of below-market lease intangibles. Cash was also provided by the net change in operating assets and liabilities of $1,512,399 during the year ended December 31, 2019 due to increases in accounts payable, accrued and other liabilities and amounts due to affiliates and decrease in prepaid expenses and other assets, partially offset by an increase in tenant receivables.
We expect that our cash flows from operating activities will be positive in the next twelve months. We believe that the efforts by the government to vaccinate a significant portion of the population from the COVID-19 virus will result in improvements in the business environment we operate in, coupled with our plan to expand our existing lines of business in 2021.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash provided by investing activities was $24,778,295 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and consisted primarily of the following:
• | $27,008,028 from proceeds from sales of real estate investments; partially offset by |
• | $673,631 for additions to existing real estate properties; |
• | $566,102 for additions to intangible assets; and |
• | $990,000 for payments to lease incentives. |
Net cash used in investing activities was $29,602,469 for the year ended December 31, 2019 and consisted primarily of the following:
• | $24,820,410 for the acquisition of one operating property; |
• | $1,665,180 for capitalized costs and improvements to existing real estate investments; |
• | $3,486,927 for payment of tenant improvements; and |
• | $746,459 for payment of acquisition fees to affiliate; offset in part by |
• | $1,016,507 for cash acquired from acquisitions of affiliates; and |
• | $100,000 collection of refunded purchase deposit for a prospective acquisition property. |
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash used in financing activities was $28,914,535 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and consisted primarily of the following:
• | $10,908,856 of proceeds from issuance of common stock, partially offset by payments for offering costs and commissions of $1,204,581; |
• | $35,705,500 of proceeds from refinanced mortgage notes payable, more than offset by principal payments of $45,299,688 primarily related to refinancings and property sales and deferred financing cost payments of $387,341 to third parties; |
• | $4,260,000 of proceeds from borrowings on our unsecured credit facility and $517,000 borrowed under the PPP; |
• | these proceeds were more than offset by $6,000,000 of repayments under our unsecured credit facility, $4,800,000 for repayments of short-term notes payable, $17,576,261 used for repurchases of shares under the SRPs, $5,019,216 of distributions paid to common stockholders and $18,804 of refundable loan deposits. |
Net cash provided by financing activities was $23,034,567 for the year ended December 31, 2019 and consisted primarily of the following:
• | $34,555,691 of proceeds from issuance of common stock and investor deposits, partially offset by payments for offering costs and commissions of $1,715,370; |
• | $23,100,000 of proceeds from mortgage notes payable, partially offset by principal payments of $14,879,217, deferred financing cost payments of $495,148 to third parties and $107,500 to an affiliate; and |
• | $12,609,000 of proceeds from borrowings on our unsecured credit facility; these proceeds were more than offset by $13,869,000 of repayments on our former unsecured credit facility; $12,145,903 used for repurchases of shares under the SRPs; and $4,017,986 of distributions paid to common stockholders. |
Comparison of the Year Ended December 31, 2020 to the Year Ended December 31, 2019
Rental Income
Rental income, including tenant reimbursements, was $38,903,430 and $24,544,958 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The 2021 annualized rental income of the 36 operating properties owned as of December 31, 2020, excluding four retail properties held for sale as of December 31, 2020, was $26,052,736. We owned 45 operating properties as of December 31, 2019, which included 20 operating properties acquired through the Merger on December 31, 2019, and 36 operating properties as of December 31, 2020, excluding the four operating properties held for sale as of December 31, 2020. We sold five operating properties in 2020 (four retail properties and one industrial property). The $14,358,472, or 58%, year-over-year increase in rental income primarily reflects rental income from the 20 operating properties acquired through the Merger on December 31, 2019 and one operating property acquired in October 2019.
Fees to Affiliates
Fees to affiliates, or asset management fees to affiliates, were $3,305,021 for the year ended December 31, 2019 for our investments in operating properties. The fee was equal to 0.1% of the total investment value of our properties on a monthly basis through December 31, 2019, when the Advisory Agreement was terminated in connection with the Self-Management Transaction. The fees for the year ended December 31, 2019 correspond to the 25 operating properties owned during that year. In addition, we incurred asset management fees to the Former Advisor of $191,907 related to our approximate 72.7% TIC Interest during the year ended December 31, 2019, which amounts were reflected as a reduction of income recognized from investments in unconsolidated entities. The Advisory Agreement with the entities that own the TIC Interest property was assigned to our taxable REIT subsidiary following the Self-Management Transaction and we earn a monthly management fee equal to 0.1% of the total investment value of the property from this entity, which resulted in a management fee of $263,971 for the year ended December 31, 2020, of which our portion of expense relating to the TIC Interest was $191,933.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses were $10,399,194 and $2,711,573 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase of $7,687,621, or 284%, year-over-year primarily reflects the costs of self-management of all 36 operating properties owned, four properties held for sale as of December 31, 2020 and five operating properties sold during the second half of 2020, including personnel, occupancy and technology services costs, compared with the costs of the Advisory Agreement for the 25 operating properties owned during the prior year period, along with increases in directors and officers insurance, audit fees, third party consulting costs and post-closing legal costs related to the Self-Management Transaction.
Merger Costs
Merger costs or self-management transaction expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were $201,920 and $1,468,913, respectively, primarily reflecting an allocation of the fees of the financial advisor to the special committee of our board of directors, along with legal fees for the special committee's legal counsel.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were $17,592,253 and $9,848,130, respectively. The purchase price of the acquired properties was allocated to tangible assets, identifiable intangibles and assumed liabilities and depreciated or amortized over their estimated useful lives. The increase of $7,744,123, or 79%, year-over-year primarily reflects the expenses of all 36 operating properties owned, five properties sold during the current year period and four properties held for sale as of December 31, 2020, which included the 20 operating properties acquired through the Merger on December 31, 2019, and the amortization of intangibles of $1,833,054 primarily acquired in the Self-Management Transaction, as compared with expenses for the 25 operating properties owned during the prior year period.
Interest Expense
Interest expense was $11,460,747 and $7,382,610 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase of $4,078,137, or 55%, year-over-year primarily reflects an increase in the average principal balance of mortgage notes payable from approximately $127,931,000 for the year ended December 31, 2019 to approximately $201,863,000 for the year ended December 31, 2020, including $9,088,000 of mortgage notes payable related to real estate investments held for sale as of December 31, 2020. Average unsecured credit facility borrowings were approximately $3,110,000 for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to approximately $8,748,000 for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Property Expenses
Property expenses were $6,999,178 and $4,877,658 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. These expenses primarily relate to property taxes as well as insurance, utilities, and repairs and maintenance expenses. The increase of $2,121,520, or 43%, year-over-year primarily reflects the expenses of all 36 operating properties owned, four properties held for sale as of December 31, 2020 and five operating properties sold during the second half of 2020, including the 20 operating properties acquired on December 31, 2019 in the Merger, as compared with expenses for the 25 operating properties owned during the prior year period, which excluded the 20 operating properties acquired through the Merger on December 31, 2019.
Impairment of Investments in Real Estate Properties
Impairment charges aggregating $10,267,625 recorded during the year ended December 31, 2020 relates to the impairments on the sale of our three properties located in Lake Elsinore, California, Morgan Hill, California and Las Vegas Nevada, one vacant property located in Cedar Park, Texas and one held for sale property located in San Jose, California. These impairment charges were primarily due to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as discussed further in Note 4 to our audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 included in this prospectus.
Impairment of Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Impairment charges of $34,572,403 recorded during the year ended December 31, 2020 consisted of goodwill impairment of $33,267,143 (approximates 66% of goodwill) and intangible assets impairment of $1,305,260 (approximates 16% of intangible assets) related to our investor list. These impairments were recorded in the first quarter of 2020 and reflect the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the carrying values of goodwill and intangible assets (see Note 3 to our audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 included in this prospectus for impairment details).
Expenses Reimbursed by Former Sponsor or Affiliates
Expenses reimbursed by Former Sponsor or affiliates were $332,337 for the year ended December 31, 2019, reflecting the amounts reimbursed by the Former Sponsor for investor relations payroll costs of $373,252, partially offset by a $40,915 refund to the Former Sponsor of employment related legal fees. Concurrent with the closing of the Self-Management Transaction on December 31, 2019, the Advisory Agreement was terminated.
Total Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense, non-cash stock compensation expense and acquisition expenses (“Total Operating Expenses”), were 4.3% and 3.2% of average invested assets for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Total Operating Expenses were 34% and 238% of the net loss for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Gain on Sale of Real Estate Investments, net
The gain on sale of real estate investments, net of $4,139,749 for the year ended December 31, 2020 reflects the net gain on sale of five retail properties during the current year (see Note 4 to our audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 included in this prospectus for more details).
Other (Expense) Income, Net
The lease termination expense of $(1,039,648) for the year ended December 31, 2020 reflects the fee for early termination of our Costa Mesa, California office lease following the surrender of the leased premises to the lessor during the second quarter of 2020 (see Note 10 to our audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 included in this prospectus for more details).
Interest income was $4,923 and $66,570 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Income from investments in unconsolidated entities was $296,780 and $234,048 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. This represents our approximate 72.7% TIC Interest in the Santa Clara, California property for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and includes the results of our approximate 4.8% interest in Rich Uncles’ results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019. We acquired Rich Uncles in the Merger on December 31, 2019.
Organizational and Offering Costs
Our organizational and offering costs were paid by our Former Sponsor on our behalf through September 30, 2019, at which point in an amendment to the Advisory Agreement we agreed to pay all future organizational and offering costs, and to no longer be reimbursed by our Former Sponsor for investor relations personnel costs after September 30, 2019, in exchange for our Former Sponsor's agreement to terminate its right to receive 3% of gross offering proceeds as reimbursement for organizational and offering costs paid by our Former Sponsor. Offering costs include all expenses incurred in connection with the Offerings, including investor relations compensation costs. Other organizational and offering costs include all expenses incurred in connection with our formation, including, but not limited to legal fees, federal and state filing fees, and other costs to incorporate.
During the Offerings though the amendment of the Advisory Agreement described above, we were obligated to reimburse our Former Sponsor for organizational and offering costs related to the Offerings paid by our Former Sponsor on our behalf provided such reimbursement did not exceed 3% of gross offering proceeds raised in the Offerings as of the date of the reimbursement.
Following the October 2019 amendment to the Advisory Agreement with our Former Sponsor, from October 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019, we incurred $509,791 of direct organizational and offering costs related to the Offerings, including primarily legal fees, FINRA, SEC and blue sky filing and personnel costs for investor relations personnel. As a result, the organizational and offering costs related to the Offerings recorded in our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2019 include the $509,791 of direct costs that we incurred plus $1,206,881 in reimbursements we made to our Former Sponsor to the extent of 3.0% of the gross offering proceeds through September 30, 2019. Through September 30, 2019, our Former Sponsor had incurred organizational and offering costs on our behalf in connection with the Offerings in excess of 3.0% of the gross offering proceeds received by the Company. As of December 31, 2019, we had recorded $5,429,105 of organizational and offering costs paid to our Former Sponsor or affiliates and $509,791 which we incurred directly for an aggregate of $5,938,896.
For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the costs of raising equity capital were 6.7% and 4.2%, respectively, of the equity capital raised.
Funds from Operations and Adjusted Funds from Operations
In order to provide a more complete understanding of the operating performance of a REIT, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“Nareit”) promulgated a measure known as Funds from Operations (“FFO”). FFO is defined as net income or loss computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding extraordinary items, as defined by GAAP, and gains and losses from sales of depreciable operating property, plus real estate-related depreciation and amortization (excluding amortization of deferred financing costs and depreciation of non-real estate assets), and after adjustment for unconsolidated partnerships, joint ventures and preferred distributions. Because FFO calculations adjust for such items as depreciation and amortization of real estate assets and gains and losses from sales of operating real estate assets (which can vary among owners of identical assets in similar conditions based on historical cost accounting and useful-life estimates), they facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between other REITs. As a result, we believe that the use of FFO, together with the required GAAP presentations, provides a more complete understanding of our performance relative to our competitors and a more informed and appropriate basis on which to make decisions involving operating, financing, and investing activities. It should be noted, however, that other REITs may not define FFO in accordance with the current Nareit definition or may interpret the current Nareit definition differently than we do, making comparisons less meaningful.
Additionally, we use AFFO as a non-GAAP financial measure to evaluate our operating performance. AFFO excludes non-routine and certain non-cash items such as revenues in excess of cash received, amortization of stock-based compensation, deferred rent, amortization of in-place lease valuation intangibles, acquisition-related costs, deferred financing fees, asset impairment write-downs, gain or loss from the extinguishment of debt, unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, write-off transaction costs and other one-time transactions.
We also believe that AFFO is a recognized measure of sustainable operating performance by the REIT industry. Further, we believe AFFO is useful in comparing the sustainability of our operating performance with the sustainability of the operating performance of other real estate companies.
Management believes that AFFO is a beneficial indicator of our ongoing portfolio performance and ability to sustain our current distribution level. More specifically, AFFO isolates the financial results of our operations. AFFO, however, is not considered an appropriate measure of historical earnings as it excludes certain significant costs that are otherwise included in reported earnings. Further, since the measure is based on historical financial information, AFFO for the period presented may not be indicative of future results or our future ability to pay our dividends. By providing FFO and AFFO, we present information that assists investors in aligning their analysis with management’s analysis of long-term operating activities.
For all of these reasons, we believe the non-GAAP measures of FFO and AFFO, in addition to income (loss) from operations, net income (loss) and cash flows from operating activities, as defined by GAAP, are helpful supplemental performance measures and useful to investors in evaluating the performance of our real estate portfolio. However, a material limitation associated with FFO and AFFO is that they are not indicative of our cash available to fund distributions since other uses of cash, such as capital expenditures at our properties and principal payments of debt, are not deducted when calculating FFO and AFFO. AFFO is useful in assisting management and investors in assessing our ongoing ability to generate cash flow from operations and continue as a going concern in future operating periods. However, FFO and AFFO are not useful measures in evaluating NAV because impairments are taken into account in determining NAV but not in determining FFO and AFFO. Therefore, FFO and AFFO should not be viewed as a more prominent measure of performance than income (loss) from operations, net income (loss) or cash flows from operating activities and each should be reviewed in connection with GAAP measurements.
Neither the SEC, Nareit, nor any other applicable regulatory body has opined on the acceptability of the adjustments contemplated to adjust FFO in order to calculate AFFO and its use as a non-GAAP performance measure. In the future, the SEC or Nareit may decide to standardize the allowable exclusions across the REIT industry, and we may have to adjust the calculation and characterization of this non-GAAP measure. Furthermore, as described in Note 11 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus, the conversion ratios for Class M OP Units, Class P OP Units and Class R OP Units in the Operating Partnership can increase if the specified performance hurdles are achieved.
The following are the calculations of FFO and AFFO for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, and the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019:
| | Six Months Ended June 30, | | | Years Ended December 31, | |
| | 2021 | | | 2020 | | | 2020
| | | 2019
| |
Net loss | | $ | (1,905,491 | ) | | $ | (51,033,196 | ) | | $
| (49,141,910 | ) | | $
| (4,415,992 | ) |
FFO adjustments: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Add: Depreciation and amortization | | | 7,077,287 | | | | 8,189,797 | | | | 14,759,199
| | | | 9,848,130
| |
Amortization of lease incentives | | | 105,541 | | | | 30,602 | | | | 61,204
| | | | 61,203
| |
Depreciation and amortization for investment in TIC Interest | | | 363,572 | | | | 363,476 | | | | 727,048
| | | | 1,001,751
| |
Less: Gain on sale of real estate investments, net | | | (289,642 | ) | | | — | | | | (4,139,749 | ) | | | — | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
FFO | | | 5,351,267 | | | | (42,449,321 | ) | | | (36,734,208
| )
| | | 6,495,092
| |
AFFO adjustments: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Add: Impairment of real estate investments | | | (400,999 | ) | | | 9,506,525 | | | | 10,267,625 | | | | — | |
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets | | | — | | | | 34,572,403 | | | | 34,572,403 | | | | — | |
Gain on forgiveness of economic relief note payable | | | (517,000 | ) | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Amortization of corporate intangibles | | | 925,739 | | | | 925,989 | | | | 1,833,054
| | | | — | |
Stock compensation | | | 1,371,732 | | | | 350,900 | | | | 712,217
| | | | 372,500
| |
Amortization of deferred financing costs | | | 199,693 | | | | 298,283 | | | | 1,025,093 | | | | 638,200 | |
Amortization of above-market lease intangibles
| | | 64,913 | | | | 98,966 | | | | 169,857 | | | | 97,045 | |
Unrealized (gains) losses on interest rate swaps | | | (517,719 | ) | | | 1,292,752 | | | | 770,898 | | | | 820,496 | |
Acquisition fees and due diligence expenses, including abandoned pursuit costs | | | 238,496 | | | | 135,454 | | | | 94,043 | | | | 46,681 | |
Reserve for loan guarantee | | | — | | | | 3,125,037 | | | | — | | | | — | |
| | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 1,468,914
| |
Less: Deferred rents | | | (702,978 | ) | | | (631,054 | ) | | | (958,779 | ) | | | (1,309,272 | ) |
Amortization of below-market lease intangibles
| | | (735,150 | ) | | | (774,589 | ) | | | (1,541,313
| | | | 646,745
| |
Other adjustments for unconsolidated entities | | | (44,390 | ) | | | (43,550 | ) | | | (90,803 | ) | | | (165,865 | ) |
AFFO | | $ | 5,233,604 | | | $ | 6,407,795 | | | $
| 10,120,087
| | | $
| 7,817,046
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Weighted average shares outstanding - fully diluted | | | 8,880,365 | | | | 9,182,072 | | | | 9,196,240
| | | | 5,012,158
| |
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic | | | 7,630,401 | | | | 7,992,108 | | | | 8,006,276
| | | | 5,012,158
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
FFO Per Share, Fully Diluted | | $ | 0.60 | | | $ | (4.62 | ) | | $
| (3.99
| )
| | $
| 1.30
| |
AFFO Per Share, Basic | | $ | 0.69 | | | $ | 0.80 | | | $
| 1.26
| | | $
| 1.56
| |
Sales of Real Estate Investments
During 2020, we sold the following real estate investments:
Property | | Location | | Disposition Date | | Property Type | | Rentable Square Feet | | | Contract Sales Price | | | Net Proceeds After Debt Repayment | |
Rite Aid | | Lake Elsinore, CA | | 8/3/2020 | | Retail | | | 17,272 | | | $ | 7,250,000 | | | $ | 3,299,016 | |
Walgreens | | Stockbridge, GA | | 8/27/2020 | | Retail | | | 15,120 | | | | 5,538,462 | | | | 5,296,356 | |
Island Pacific | | Elk Grove, CA | | 9/16/2020 | | Retail | | | 13,963 | | | | 3,155,000 | | | | 1,124,016 | |
Dinan Cars | | Morgan Hill, CA | | 10/28/2020 | | Industrial | | | 27,296 | | | | 6,100,000 | | | | 3,811,580 | |
24 Hour Fitness (1) | | Las Vegas, NV | | 12/16/2020 | | Retail | | | 45,000 | | | | 9,052,941 | | | | — | |
| | | | | | | | | 118,651 | | | $ | 31,096,403 | | | $
| 13,530,968 | |
(1) | On December 16, 2020, we completed the sale of our Las Vegas, Nevada retail property which was formerly leased to 24 Hour Fitness for $9,052,941, which generated net proceeds of $1,324,383 after assignment of the existing mortgage to the buyer, payment of commissions and closing costs, reserves for tenant improvements and free rent, and collection of the receivable from the buyer during the first half of 2021. |
Extension of Leases
During December 2019 and January 2020, we amended lease agreements to extend the lease terms for three of our properties. The lease for the Walgreens property in Stockbridge, Georgia was extended for 10 years to February 28, 2031 in exchange for an incentive payment of $500,000 payable in four installments of $125,000 each, commencing January 10, 2020 with the final installment paid April 1, 2020. The lease for the Walgreens property in Santa Maria, California was extended for 10 years to March 31, 2032 in exchange for an incentive payment of $490,000 payable in four installments of $122,500 each, commencing January 15, 2020 with the final installment paid April 1, 2020. The lease for the Accredo property in Orlando, Florida was extended for 3 1/2 years to December 31, 2024 and we paid a leasing commission of $215,713 to the tenant’s broker in February 2020.
Effective August 1, 2020, we executed an amendment for the early termination of the Dana lease from July 31, 2024 to July 31, 2022 in exchange for an early termination payment of $1,381,767 due on July 31, 2022 and continued rent payments of $65,000 per month from August 1, 2020 through July 1, 2022. In the event that we are able to re-lease or sell the Dana property prior to July 31, 2022, Dana would be obligated to continue paying rent of $65,000 per month through July 1, 2022, along with the early termination payment, or may elect to pay a cash lump sum payment to us equal to the net present value of the remaining rent payments.
Effective October 23, 2020, we extended the lease term of the Wood Group property located in San Diego, California for the five year period from February 28, 2021 to February 28, 2026 for minimum annual rents increasing annually. We paid an aggregate leasing commission of $146,679 to the broker, of which 50% was paid in November 2020 and the remaining 50% was paid in March 2021, in connection with this extension.
Effective December 15, 2020, we extended the lease term of the Solar Turbines property located in San Diego, California for an additional two years from July 31, 2021 to July 31, 2023 with minimum annual rents continuing at the rate in effect.
Distributions
We intend to pay distributions on a monthly basis, and we paid our first distribution on July 11, 2016. The rate is determined by our board of directors based on our financial condition and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. Our board of directors has not pre-established a percentage range of return for distributions to stockholders. We have not established a minimum distribution level, and our charter does not require that we make distributions to our stockholders other than as necessary to meet REIT qualification requirements.
Distributions declared, distributions paid and cash flows provided by operating activities were as follows:
| | Total Distributions | | | Distributions Declared | | | Distributions Paid | | | Cash Flows Provided by Operating | |
Period (1) | | Declared | | | Per Share | | | Cash | | | Reinvested | | | Activities | |
2021 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
First Quarter 2021 (2) | | $ | 1,991,676 | | | $ | 0.258903 | | | $ | 891,202 | | | $ | 1,130,949 | | | $ | 102,091 | |
Second Quarter 2021 (3) | | | 1,976,511 | | | | 0.261780 | | | | 835,381 | | | | 1,131,281 | | | | 2,981,262 | |
| | $ | 3,968,187 | | | $ | 0.520683 | | | $ | 1,726,583 | | | $ | 2,262,230 | | | $ | 3,083,353 | |
2020 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
First Quarter 2020 (4) | | $ | 4,189,102 | | | $ | 0.523018 | | | $ | 1,379,751 | | | $ | 2,360,514 | | | $ | 1,947,505 | * |
Second Quarter 2020 (5) | | | 3,270,291 | | | | 0.407691 | | | | 1,710,514 | | | | 2,304,199 | | | | 1,435,377
| * |
Third Quarter 2020 (6) | | | 2,135,815 | | | | 0.264656 | | | | 981,432 | | | | 1,150,452 | | | | 428,766 | |
Fourth Quarter 2020 (7) | | | 2,106,620 | | | | 0.264656 | | | | 947,519 | | | | 1,143,369 | | | | 1,765,192 | |
2020 Totals | | $ | 11,701,828 | | | $ | 1.460021 | | | $ | 5,019,216 | | | $ | 6,958,534 | | | $ | 5,576,840 | * |
* | Includes non-recurring Merger costs of $201,920 during the year ended December 31, 2020 ($193,460 during the quarter ended March 31, 2020 and $8,460 during the quarter ended June 30, 2020). |
(1) | The distributions paid per share of Class S common stock is net of deferred selling commissions. |
(2) | The distribution of $675,221 for the month of March 2021 was declared in January 2021 and paid on April 26, 2021. The amount was recorded as a liability as of March 31, 2021. |
(3) | The distribution of $650,167 for the month of June 2021 was declared in March 2021 and paid on July 26, 2021. The amount was recorded as a liability as of June 30, 2021. |
(4) | The distribution of $1,415,328 for the month of March 2020 was declared in January 2020 and paid on April 27, 2020. The amount was recorded as a liability as of March 31, 2020. |
(5) | The distribution of $691,443 for the month of June 2020 was declared in May 2020 and paid on July 27, 2020. The amount was recorded as a liability as of June 30, 2020. |
(6) | The distribution of $674,837 for the month of September 2020 was declared in May 2020 and paid on October 26, 2020. The amount was recorded as a liability as of September 30, 2020. |
(7) | The distribution of $699,997 for the month of December 2020 was declared in September 2020 and paid on January 22, 2021. The amount was recorded as a liability as of December 31, 2020. |
Our sources of distribution payments were as follows:
Period | | Net Rental Income Received | | | Offering Proceeds | |
2021 | | | | | | |
First Quarter 2021 | | $ | 1,991,676 | | | $ | — | |
Second Quarter 2021 | | | 1,976,511 | | | | — | |
2021 Totals | | $ | 3,968,187 | | | $ | — | |
2020 | | | | | | | | |
First Quarter 2020 | | $ | 4,189,102 | | | $ | — | |
Second Quarter 2020 | | | 3,270,291 | | | | — | |
Third Quarter 2020 | | | 2,135,815 | | | | — | |
Fourth Quarter 2020 | | | 2,106,620 | | | | — | |
2020 Totals | | $ | 11,701,828 | | | $ | — | |
Distributions to stockholders were declared and paid based on daily record dates at rates per share per day. The distribution details are as follows:
Distribution Period | | Rate Per Share Per Day (1) | | | Declaration Date | | Payment Date | |
2021 | | | | | | | | |
January 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | December 9, 2020 | | February 25, 2021 | |
February 1-28 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | January 27, 2021 | | March 25, 2021 | |
March 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | January 27, 2021 | | April 26, 2021 | |
April 1-30 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | March 25, 2021 | | May 25, 2021 | |
May 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | March 25, 2021 | | June 25, 2021 | |
June 1-30 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | March 25, 2021 | | July 26, 2021 | |
July 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | June 16, 2021 | | August 25, 2021
|
|
August 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | June 16, 2021 | | (3) |
|
September 1-30 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | June 16, 2021 | | (3) |
|
October 1-31 | | $ | 0.00315070 | | | August 12, 2021 | | (3) |
|
November 1-30 | | $ | 0.00315070 | | | August 12, 2021 | | (3) |
|
December 1-31 | | $ | 0.00315070 | | | August 12, 2021 | | (3) |
|
2020 | | | | | | | | | |
January 1-31 | | $ | 0.00576630 | | | December 18, 2019 | | February 25, 2020 | |
February 1-29 | | $ | 0.00573771 | | | January 24, 2020 | | March 25, 2020 | |
March 1-31 | | $ | 0.00573771 | | | January 24, 2020 | | April 27, 2020 | |
April 1-30 | | $ | 0.00573771 | | | January 24, 2020 | | May 26, 2020 | |
May 1-31 | | $ | 0.00481479 | (2 | ) | May 20, 2020 | | June 25, 2020 | |
June 1-30 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | May 20, 2020 | | July 27, 2020 | |
July 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | May 20, 2020 | | August 26, 2020 | |
August 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | May 20, 2020 | | September 28, 2020 | |
September 1-30 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | May 20, 2020 | | October 26, 2020 | |
October 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | September 30, 2020 | | November 25, 2020 | |
November 1-30 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | September 30, 2020 | | December 28, 2020 | |
December 1-31 | | $ | 0.00287670 | | | September 30, 2020 | | January 22, 2021 | |
(1) | Distributions paid per share of Class S common stock are net of deferred selling commissions. |
(2) | Rate per share per day reflects $0.00573771 per day through May 21, 2020 and $0.0028767 per day thereafter, after adjustment for the 1:3 reverse stock split. |
(3) | Distribution has not been paid as of the filing date of this prospectus. |
Going forward, we expect our board of directors to continue to declare cash distributions based on daily record dates and to pay these distributions on a monthly basis, and after the completion of our offerings to continue to declare distributions based on a single record date as of the end of the month, and to pay these distributions on a monthly basis. Cash distributions will be determined by our board of directors based on our financial condition, projected cash flows and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. We have not established a minimum distribution level, and our charter does not require that we make distributions to our stockholders other than as necessary to meet REIT qualification requirements.
Properties
Portfolio Information
Our wholly-owned investments in real estate properties as of June 30, 2021, December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, including one, four and four assets held for sale as of June 30, 2021, December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, respectively, and the 91,740 square foot industrial property underlying the TIC Interest for all balance sheet dates presented were as follows:
| | As of | |
| | June 30, 2021 (1)
| | | December 31, 2020 (2)
| | | June 30, 2020 (3)
| |
Number of properties: | | |
|
| | |
|
| | |
|
|
Retail | | | 12 | | | | 15 | | | | 19 | |
Office | | | 14 | | | | 14 | | | | 14 | |
Industrial | | | 12 | | | | 12 | | | | 13 | |
Total operating properties and properties held for sale | | | 38 | | | | 41 | | | | 46 | |
Land | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | |
Total properties | | | 39 | | | | 42 | | | | 47 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Leasable square feet: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Retail | | | 291,513 | | | | 334,409 | | | | 362,764 | |
Office | | | 853,963 | | | | 853,963 | | | | 904,499 | |
Industrial | | | 1,145,519 | | | | 1,145,519 | | | | 1,185,279 | |
Total | | | 2,290,995 | | | | 2,333,891 | | | | 2,452,542 | |
(1) | Includes one retail property held for sale as of June 30, 2021, which was sold on July 7, 2021. |
(2) | Includes four retail properties held for sale as of December 31, 2020, three of which were sold during the first quarter of 2021. |
(3) | Includes three retail properties and one industrial property held for sale as of June 30, 2020, all of which were sold during the second half of 2020. |
We have a limited operating history. In evaluating the above properties as potential acquisitions, including the determination of an appropriate purchase price to be paid for the properties, we considered a variety of factors, including the condition and financial performance of the properties, the terms of the existing leases and the creditworthiness of the tenants, property location, visibility and access, age of the properties, physical condition and curb appeal, neighboring property uses, local market conditions, including vacancy rates, area demographics, including trade area population and average household income and neighborhood growth patterns and economic conditions.
We completed the sale of three retail properties during the first six months of 2021.
Property | | Location | | Disposition Date | | Contract Sales Price | | | Net Proceeds (1) | |
Chevron Gas Station | | Roseville, CA | | 1/7/2021 | | $ | 4,050,000 | | | $ | 3,914,909 | |
EcoThrift | | Sacramento, CA | | 1/29/2021 | | | 5,375,300 | | | | 2,684,225 | |
Chevron Gas Station | | San Jose, CA | | 2/12/2021 | | | 4,288,888 | | | | 4,054,327 | |
| | | | | | $ | 13,714,188 | | | $ | 10,653,461 | |
(1) | Net of commissions, closing costs paid and repayment of the outstanding mortgage on the EcoThrift property. |
In addition, on July 7, 2021, we completed the sale of our Dana industrial property for $10,000,000 which generated net proceeds of $4,975,334 after repayment of the existing mortgage, commissions and closing costs. Effective August 1, 2020, we executed an amendment for the early termination of the Dana lease from July 31, 2024 to July 31, 2022 in exchange for an early termination payment of $1,381,767 due on July 31, 2022 and continued rent payments of $65,000 per month from August 1, 2020 through July 1, 2022. As provided in the amendment, although we sold the Dana property on July 7, 2021 (prior to July 31, 2022), Dana is obligated to continue paying rent of $65,000 per month through July 1, 2022 plus the early termination payment of $1,381,767 due on July 31, 2022, or they may elect to pay a cash lump sum payment to us equal to the net present value of the remaining rent payments.
Extension of Leases
Effective January 21, 2021, we extended the lease terms of two of the Dollar General properties located in Lakeside, Ohio and in Castalia, Ohio for the five year period from June 1, 2030 to May 31, 2035 for an increased minimum annual rent for the extension period in exchange for one month of free rent, which amounted to $6,753 and $6,610 for the Lakeside and Castalia properties, respectively. In addition, the amendments provide for three five-year extension periods at the option of the tenant, each at an increased minimum rental amount.
Effective March 1, 2021, we also extended the lease term of the Northrop Grumman property located in Melbourne, Florida for the five year period from May 31, 2021 to May 31, 2026 for minimum annual rents increasing annually. The amendment includes both an early termination option at the end of the third year of the extension and an option for an additional extension of five years. We paid a leasing commission of $128,538 to the tenant's brokers and $128,538 to Northrop Grumman as a credit for additional tenant improvement costs in connection with this extension of the Northrop Grumman lease term. We also agreed to provide tenant improvements (including roof, HVAC and other improvements) that it estimates will cost approximately $1,150,000 in connection with this extension.
Other than as discussed below, we do not have other plans to incur any significant costs to renovate, improve or develop the properties. We believe that the properties are adequately insured. We have two tenants with leases that provide for tenant improvement allowances which have a remaining aggregate balance of $189,136, all of which will be funded from restricted cash on deposit at Banc of California. We expect that the related improvements will be completed within the next 12 months.
In addition, we have identified approximately $2,400,000 of roof replacement, exterior painting and sealing and parking lot repairs/restriping that are expected to be completed in the next 12 months, including approximately $1,565,000 of building improvements at the Northrop Grumman and Wood properties which we have agreed to complete in a timely manner. The improvements at the Northrup Grumman property will be funded from restricted cash on deposit at Banc of California of $1,271,462. Approximately $700,000 of these improvements are expected to be recoverable from the tenant through operating expense reimbursements. We will have to pay for the improvements, and the recoveries will be billed over an extended period of time according to the terms of the leases. The remaining costs of approximately $1,700,000 are not recoverable from tenants. These improvements will be funded from operating cash flows, debt financings or proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock.
Recent Market Conditions
We continue to face significant uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Delta variant. Both the investing and leasing environments are highly competitive. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty regarding the economic and political environment had made businesses reluctant to make long-term commitments or changes in their business plans. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant disruptions in utilization of office and retail properties and uncertainty over how tenants will respond when their leases are scheduled to expire.
Possible future declines in rental rates and expectations of future rental concessions, including free rent to renew tenants early, to retain tenants who are up for renewal or to attract new tenants, or rent abatements for tenants severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, may result in decreases in cash flows from investment properties. We have nine leases scheduled to expire in either 2022 or 2023, which comprise an aggregate of 805,822 leasable square feet and represent approximately 24.5% of projected 2021 net operating income from properties. The tenants of these properties could reevaluate their use of such properties in light of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including their ability to have workers succeed in working at home, and determine not to renew these leases or to seek rent or other concessions as a condition of renewing their leases. Potential declines in economic conditions could negatively impact commercial real estate fundamentals and result in lower occupancy, lower rental rates and declining values in our real estate portfolio, which could have the following negative effects on us: the values of our investments in commercial properties could decrease below the amounts paid for such investments; and/or revenues from our properties could decrease due to fewer tenants and/or lower rental rates, making it more difficult for us to make distributions or meet our debt service obligations. However, we have successfully negotiated lease extensions for four properties (two Dollar Generals in Ohio, Northrop Grumman in Melbourne, Florida and PreK Education in San Antonio, Texas) over the last six months and are in the process of negotiating potential lease extensions with several other tenants.
While we have had success during 2020 and the first half of 2021 with refinancing nine of our properties, uncertainties in the capital markets may cause difficulty in refinancing debt obligations prior to maturity at terms as favorable as the terms of existing indebtedness. Market conditions can change quickly, potentially negatively impacting the value of real estate investments. We continuously review our investment and debt financing strategies to optimize our portfolio and the cost of our debt exposure. We plan to rely on debt financing to finance our real estate properties and we may have difficulty refinancing some of our debt obligations prior to or at maturity, or we may not be able to refinance these obligations at terms as favorable as the terms of our initial indebtedness and we also may be unable to obtain additional debt financing on attractive terms or at all. If we are not able to refinance our indebtedness on attractive terms at the various maturity dates, we may be forced to dispose of some of our assets.
The debt market remains sensitive to the macro environment, such as impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Federal Reserve policy, market sentiment or regulatory factors affecting the banking and commercial mortgage-backed securities industries. While we have been able to successfully refinance nine of our properties as described above, we may experience more stringent lending criteria in the future, which may affect our ability to finance certain property acquisitions or refinance any debt at maturity. Additionally, for properties for which we are able to obtain financing, the interest rates and other terms on such loans may be unacceptable. We expect to manage the current mortgage lending environment by considering alternative lending sources, including securitized debt, fixed rate loans, short-term variable rate loans, or any combination of the foregoing.
Election as a REIT
We elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. We believe we have qualified and will continue to qualify as a REIT for each taxable year since our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. To qualify and maintain our status as a REIT, we must meet certain requirements relating to our organization, sources of income, nature of assets, distributions of income to our stockholders and recordkeeping. As a REIT, we generally are not subject to federal income tax on taxable income that we distribute to our stockholders so long as we distribute at least 90% of our annual taxable income (computed without regard to the distributions paid deduction and excluding net capital gains).
If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any reason in a taxable year and applicable relief provisions do not apply, we will be subject to tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We will not be able to deduct distributions paid to our stockholders in any year in which we fail to qualify as a REIT. We also will be disqualified for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost, unless we are entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions. Such an event could materially adversely affect our net income and net cash available for distribution to stockholders. However, we believe that we are organized and operate in such a manner as to continue to qualify for treatment as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. No provision for federal income taxes has been made in our condensed consolidated financial statements. We will be subject to certain state and local taxes related to the operations of properties in certain locations. We are subject to certain state and local taxes related to the operations of properties in certain locations, which have been provided for in our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our accounting policies have been established to conform with GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to use judgment in the application of accounting policies, including making estimates and assumptions. These judgments affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. If our judgment or interpretation of the facts and circumstances relating to various transactions had been different, it is possible that different accounting policies would have been applied, thus resulting in a different presentation of the financial statements. Additionally, other companies may utilize different estimates that may impact comparability of our results of operations to those of companies in similar businesses.
Revenue Recognition
We adopted FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU No. 2014-09”), effective January 1, 2018. Our sources of revenue impacted by ASU No. 2014-09 included revenue generated by sales of real estate, other operating income and tenant reimbursements for substantial services earned at our properties. Such revenues are recognized when the services are provided and the performance obligations are satisfied. Tenant reimbursements, consisting of amounts due from tenants for common area maintenance, property taxes and other recoverable costs, are recognized in rental income subsequent to the adoption of Topic 842, as defined and discussed below, in the period the recoverable costs are incurred.
Effective January 1, 2019, we adopted FASB ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) and the related FASB ASU Nos. 2018-10, 2018-11, 2018-20 and 2019-01, which provide practical expedients, technical corrections and improvements for certain aspects of ASU 2016-02, on a modified retrospective basis (collectively “Topic 842”). Topic 842 established a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for leases and supersedes the existing leasing guidance. Topic 842 applied to all entities that enter into leases. Lessees are required to report assets and liabilities that arise from leases. Lessor accounting has largely remained unchanged; however, certain refinements were made to conform with revenue recognition guidance, specifically related to the allocation and recognition of contract consideration earned from lease and non-lease revenue components. Topic 842 impacts our accounting for leases primarily as a lessor. However, Topic 842 also impacted our accounting as a lessee for an operating lease acquired as a result of the Self-Management Transaction, which was completed on December 31, 2019.
As a lessor, our leases with tenants generally provide for the lease of real estate properties, as well as common area maintenance, property taxes and other recoverable costs. Under Topic 842, the lease of space is considered a lease component while the common area maintenance, property taxes and other recoverable costs billings are considered nonlease components, which fall under revenue recognition guidance in ASU No. 2014-09. However, upon adopting the guidance in Topic 842, we determined that our tenant leases met the criteria to apply the practical expedient provided by ASU No. 2018-11 to recognize the lease and non-lease components together as one single component. This conclusion was based on the consideration that (1) the timing and pattern of transfer of the nonlease components and associated lease component are the same, and (2) the lease component, if accounted for separately, would be classified as an operating lease. As the lease of properties is the predominant component of our leasing arrangements, we accounted for all lease and nonlease components as one-single component under Topic 842.
We recognize rental income from tenants under operating leases on a straight-line basis over the noncancelable term of the lease when collectability of such amounts is reasonably assured. Recognition of rental income on a straight-line basis includes the effects of rental abatements, lease incentives and fixed and determinable increases in lease payments over the lease term. If the lease provides for tenant improvements, our management determines whether the tenant improvements, for accounting purposes, are owned by the tenant or by us.
When we are the owner of the tenant improvements, the tenant is not considered to have taken physical possession or have control of the physical use of the leased asset until the tenant improvements are substantially completed. When the tenant is the owner of the tenant improvements, any tenant improvement allowance (including amounts that the tenant can take in the form of cash or a credit against its rent) that is funded is treated as a lease incentive and amortized as a reduction of revenue over the lease term. Tenant improvement ownership is determined based on various factors including, but not limited to:
• | whether the lease stipulates how a tenant improvement allowance may be spent; |
• | whether the amount of a tenant improvement allowance is in excess of market rates; |
• | whether the tenant or landlord retains legal title to the improvements at the end of the lease term; |
• | whether the tenant improvements are unique to the tenant or general-purpose in nature; and |
• | whether the tenant improvements are expected to have any residual value at the end of the lease. |
Tenant reimbursements of real estate taxes, insurance, repairs and maintenance, and other operating expenses are recognized as revenue in the period the expenses are incurred and presented gross if we are the primary obligor and, with respect to purchasing goods and services from third-party suppliers, has discretion in selecting the supplier and bears the associated credit risk. In instances where the operating lease agreement has an early termination option, the termination penalty is based on a predetermined termination fee or based on the unamortized tenant improvements and leasing commissions.
Gain or Loss on Sale of Real Estate Property
We recognize gain or loss on sale of real estate property when we have executed a contract for sale of the property, transferred controlling financial interest in the property to the buyer and determined that it is probable that we will collect substantially all of the consideration for the property. Operating results of the property that is sold remain in continuing operations, and any associated gain or loss from the disposition is included in gain or loss on sale of real estate investments in our accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Bad Debts and Allowances for Tenant and Deferred Rent Receivables
We evaluate the collectability of rents and other receivables on a regular basis based on factors including, among others, payment history, credit rating, the asset type, and current economic conditions. If our evaluation of these factors indicates we may not recover the full value of the receivable, we provide an allowance against the portion of the receivable that we estimate may not be recovered. This analysis requires us to determine whether there are factors indicating a receivable may not be fully collectible and to estimate the amount of the receivable that may not be collected.
Our determination of the adequacy of our allowances for tenant receivables includes a binary assessment of whether or not the amounts due under a tenant’s lease agreement are probable of collection. For such amounts that are deemed probable of collection, revenue continues to be recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For such amounts that are deemed not probable of collection, revenue is recorded as the lesser of (i) the amount which would be recognized on a straight-line basis or (ii) cash that has been received from the tenant, with any tenant and deferred rent receivable balances charged as a direct write-off against rental income in the period of the change in the collectability determination. In addition, for tenant and deferred rent receivables deemed probable of collection, we also may record an allowance under other authoritative GAAP depending upon our evaluation of the individual receivables, specific credit enhancements, current economic conditions, and other relevant factors. Such allowances are recorded as increases or decreases through rental income in our consolidated statements of operations.
With respect to tenants in bankruptcy, management makes estimates of the expected recovery of pre-petition and post-petition claims in assessing the estimated collectability of the related receivable. In some cases, the ultimate resolution of these claims can exceed one year. When a tenant is in bankruptcy, we will record a bad debt allowance for the tenant’s receivable balance and generally will not recognize subsequent rental revenue until cash is received or until the tenant is no longer in bankruptcy and has the ability to make rental payments.
Income Taxes
We elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. We expect to operate in a manner that will allow us to continue to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To qualify as a REIT, we must meet certain organizational and operational requirements, including meeting various tests regarding the nature of our assets and our income, the ownership of our outstanding stock and distribution of at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income to our stockholders (which is computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction or net capital gain and which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP). As a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent we distribute qualifying dividends to our stockholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate income tax rates and generally will not be permitted to qualify for treatment as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost unless the Internal Revenue Service grants us relief under certain statutory provisions.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The fair value hierarchy, which is based on three levels of inputs, the first two of which are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value, is as follows:
Level 1: | quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; |
Level 2: | inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; and |
Level 3: | unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. |
The fair value for certain financial instruments is derived using a combination of market quotes, pricing models, and other valuation techniques that involve significant management judgment. The price transparency of financial instruments is a key determinant of the degree of judgment involved in determining the fair value of our financial instruments. Financial instruments for which actively quoted prices or pricing parameters are available and for which markets contain orderly transactions will generally have a higher degree of price transparency than financial instruments for which markets are inactive or consist of non-orderly trades. We evaluate several factors when determining if a market is inactive or when market transactions are not orderly. The following is a summary of the methods and assumptions used by management in estimating the fair value of each class of financial instrument for which it is practicable to estimate the fair value:
Cash and cash equivalents; restricted cash; tenant receivables; prepaid expenses and other assets; accounts payable, accrued and other liabilities; and due to affiliates: These balances approximate their fair values due to the short maturities of these items.
Derivative instruments: Our derivative instruments are presented at fair value on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The valuation of these instruments is determined using a proprietary model that utilizes observable inputs. As such, we classify these inputs as Level 2 inputs. The proprietary model uses the contractual terms of the derivatives, including the period to maturity, as well as observable market-based inputs, including interest rate curves and volatility. The fair values of interest rate swaps are estimated using the market standard methodology of netting the discounted fixed cash payments and the discounted expected variable cash receipts. The variable cash receipts are based on an expectation of interest rates (forward curves) derived from observable market interest rate curves. In addition, credit valuation adjustments, which consider the impact of any credit risks to the contracts, are incorporated in the fair values to account for potential nonperformance risk.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets: The fair value measurements of goodwill and intangible assets are considered Level 3 nonrecurring fair value measurements. For goodwill, fair value measurement involves the determination of fair value of a reporting unit. We use a discounted cash flow approach to estimate the fair value of our real estate assets, which requires the use of capitalization rates and discount rates. We use a Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate future performance, generating the fair value of the reporting unit's business. For intangible assets, fair value measurements include assumptions with inherent uncertainty, including projected securities offering volumes and related projected revenues and long-term growth rates, among others. The carrying value of intangible assets is at risk of impairment if future projected offering proceeds, revenues or long-term growth rates are lower than those currently projected.
Unsecured credit facility: The fair value of our unsecured credit facility approximates its carrying value as the interest rates are variable and the balances approximate their fair values due to the short maturities of this facility.
Mortgage notes payable: The fair value of our mortgage note payable is estimated using a discounted cash flow analysis based on management’s estimates of current market interest rates for instruments with similar characteristics, including remaining loan term, loan-to-value ratio, type of collateral and other credit enhancements. Additionally, when determining the fair value of liabilities in circumstances in which a quoted price in an active market for an identical liability is not available, we measure fair value using (i) a valuation technique that uses the quoted price of the identical liability when traded as an asset or quoted prices for similar liabilities or similar liabilities when traded as assets or (ii) another valuation technique that is consistent with the principles of fair value measurement, such as the income approach or the market approach. We classify these inputs as Level 3 inputs.
Related party transactions: We have concluded that it is not practical to determine the estimated fair value of related party transactions. Disclosure rules for fair value measurements require that for financial instruments for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, information pertinent to those instruments be disclosed. Further information as to these financial instruments with related parties is included in Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 included in this prospectus.
Real Estate
Real Estate Acquisition Valuation
We record acquisitions that meet the definition of a business as a business combination. If the acquisition does not meet the definition of a business, we record the acquisition as an asset acquisition. Under both methods, all assets acquired and liabilities assumed are measured based on their acquisition-date fair values. Transaction costs that are related to a business combination are charged to expense as incurred. Transaction costs that are related to an asset acquisition are capitalized as incurred.
We assess the acquisition date fair values of all tangible assets, identifiable intangibles, and assumed liabilities using methods similar to those used by independent appraisers, generally utilizing a discounted cash flow analysis that applies appropriate discount and/or capitalization rates and available market information. Estimates of future cash flows are based on a number of factors, including historical operating results, known and anticipated trends, and market and economic conditions. The fair value of tangible assets of an acquired property considers the value of the property as if it were vacant.
We record above-market and below-market in-place lease values for acquired properties based on the present value (using a discount rate that reflects the risks associated with the leases acquired) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the in-place leases and (ii) management’s estimate of fair market lease rates for the corresponding in-place leases, measured over a period equal to the remaining non-cancelable term of above-market in-place leases plus any extended term for any leases with below-market renewal options. We amortize any recorded above-market or below-market lease values as a reduction or increase, respectively, to rental income over the remaining non-cancelable terms of the respective lease, including any below-market renewal periods.
We estimate the value of tenant origination and absorption costs by considering the estimated carrying costs during hypothetical expected lease-up periods, considering current market conditions. In estimating carrying costs, we include real estate taxes, insurance and other operating expenses and estimates of lost rentals at market rates during the expected lease up periods.
We amortize the value of tenant origination and absorption costs to depreciation and amortization expense over the remaining non-cancelable term of the respective lease.
Estimates of the fair values of the tangible assets, identifiable intangibles and assumed liabilities require us to make significant assumptions to estimate market lease rates, property-operating expenses, carrying costs during lease-up periods, discount rates, market absorption periods, and the number of years the property will be held for investment. The use of inappropriate assumptions would result in an incorrect valuation of our acquired tangible assets, identifiable intangibles and assumed liabilities, which would impact the amount of our net income (loss).
Depreciation and Amortization
Real estate costs related to the acquisition and improvement of properties are capitalized and depreciated or amortized over the expected useful life of the asset on a straight-line basis. Repair and maintenance costs include all costs that do not extend the useful life of the real estate asset and are expensed as incurred. Significant replacements and betterments are capitalized. We anticipate the estimated useful lives of our assets by class to be generally as follows:
. | Buildings | 10-48 years |
. | Site improvements | Shorter of 15 years or remaining lease term |
. | Tenant improvements | Shorter of 15 years or remaining lease term |
. | Tenant origination and absorption costs, and above-/below-market lease intangibles | Remaining lease term |
Impairment of Real Estate and Related Intangible Assets
We regularly monitor events and changes in circumstances that could indicate that the carrying amounts of real estate and related intangible assets may not be recoverable. When indicators of potential impairment are present that indicate that the carrying amounts of real estate and related intangible assets may not be recoverable, management assesses whether the carrying value of the assets will be recovered through the future undiscounted operating cash flows expected from the use of and eventual disposition of the property. If, based on the analysis, we do not believe that we will be able to recover the carrying value of the asset, we will record an impairment charge to the extent the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset.
Real Estate Investments Held for Sale
We consider a real estate investment to be “held for sale” when the following criteria are met: (i) management commits to a plan to sell the property, (ii) the property is available for sale immediately, (iii) the property is actively being marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value, (iv) the sale of the property within one year is considered probable and (v) significant changes to the plan to sell are not expected. Real estate that is held for sale and its related assets are classified as “real estate investment held for sale, net” and “assets related to real estate investment held for sale,” respectively, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Mortgage notes payable and other liabilities related to real estate investments held for sale are classified as “mortgage notes payable related to real estate investments held for sale, net” and “liabilities related to real estate investments held for sale,” respectively, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Real estate investments classified as held for sale are no longer depreciated and are reported at the lower of their carrying value or their estimated fair value less estimated costs to sell. Operating results of properties that were classified as held for sale in the ordinary course of business are included in continuing operations in our accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
We record goodwill when the purchase price of a business combination exceeds the estimated fair value of net identified tangible and intangible assets acquired. We evaluate goodwill and other intangible assets for possible impairment in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles–Goodwill and Other, on an annual basis, or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit has more likely than not declined below its carrying value. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge is recognized.
When testing goodwill for impairment, we may first assess qualitative factors. The qualitative testing analyzes current economic indicators associated with a reporting unit. If an initial qualitative assessment indicates a stable or improved fair value, no further testing is required. If an initial qualitative assessment identifies that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, additional quantitative testing is performed. We may also elect to skip the qualitative testing and proceed directly to the quantitative testing. If the quantitative testing indicates that goodwill is impaired, an impairment charge is recognized based on the difference between the reporting unit's carrying value and its fair value. We primarily will utilize a discounted cash flow methodology to calculate the fair value of reporting units.
In assessing goodwill impairment, we have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. Our qualitative assessment of the recoverability of goodwill considers various macro-economic, industry-specific and company-specific factors. These factors include: (i) severe adverse industry or economic trends; (ii) significant company-specific actions, including exiting an activity in conjunction with restructuring of operations; (iii) current, historical or projected deterioration of our financial performance; or (iv) a sustained decrease in our market capitalization below its net book value. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, we determine it is unlikely that the fair value of such reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then a quantitative analysis is unnecessary.
However, if we concluded otherwise, or if we elect to bypass the qualitative analysis, then it is required that we perform a quantitative analysis that compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill is not considered impaired; otherwise, a goodwill impairment loss is recognized for the lesser of: (a) the amount that the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value; or (b) the amount of the goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.
Intangible assets consist of purchased customer-related intangible assets, marketing related intangible assets, developed technology and other intangible assets. Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method ranging from three to five years. No significant residual value is estimated for intangible assets. An asset is considered impaired if its carrying amount exceeds the future net cash flow the asset is expected to generate. We evaluate long-lived assets (including intangible assets) for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a long-lived asset may not be recoverable.
Commitments and Contingencies
We may be subject to certain commitments and contingencies with regard to certain transactions (see Note 10 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for discussion of commitment and contingencies).
Related-Party Transactions and Agreements
Through December 31, 2019, we had contracted for advisory services through an advisory agreement with our former advisor whereby we paid certain fees to, or reimbursed certain expenses of, our former advisor or affiliates, such as acquisition fees and expenses, organization and offering costs, asset management fees, and reimbursement of certain operating costs (see Note 9 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus for additional details of the various related-party transactions and agreements).
On March 2, 2020, we borrowed a total of $4,000,000, secured by mortgages on our two Chevron properties, from our Chairman, Mr. Wirta. Our conflicts committee, composed of all of our independent directors, approved the terms of these mortgages which bore interest at an annual rate of 8% and were scheduled to mature on June 2, 2020. On June 1, 2020, the maturity date of these mortgages was extended to September 1, 2020 on the same terms, along with an option for a further extension to November 30, 2020 at our election prior to August 18, 2020, which we elected not to exercise. On July 31, 2020 and August 28, 2020, the mortgages secured by the Chevron San Jose, CA property and Chevron Roseville, CA property, each for $2,000,000, respectively, were repaid along with all related accrued interest.
In connection with the August 13, 2020 amendment to our $12,000,000 unsecured credit facility with PMB, Mr. Wirta and the Wirta Family Trust (the “Wirta Trust”) guaranteed our obligations under the unsecured credit facility. On July 30, 2020, we entered into an indemnification agreement with Mr. Wirta and the Wirta Trust with respect to their guarantees of our unsecured credit facility with PMB pursuant to which we agreed to indemnify Mr. Wirta and the Wirta Trust if they were required to make payments to PMB pursuant to such guarantees.
On March 29, 2021, we entered into the Credit Facility with Banc of California for an aggregate line of credit of $22,000,000 with a maturity date of March 30, 2023, which replaced our unsecured credit facility with PMB. We borrowed $6,000,000 under the Credit Facility and repaid the $6,000,000 that was owed to PMB on March 31, 2021. The Credit Facility provides us with a $17,000,000 revolving line of credit for real estate acquisitions (including the $6,000,000 borrowed to repay PMB) and an additional $5,000,000 revolving line of credit for working capital. Mr. Wirta and the Wirta Trust have guaranteed the $6,000,000 initial borrowing under the Credit Facility, which guarantee will expire upon repayment of the $6,000,000, which is due by September 30, 2021. As of July 31, 2021, we had repaid $4,500,000 of the initial $6,000,000 borrowed under the Credit Facility and the remaining balance was $1,500,000. Mr. Wirta has also guaranteed the $5,000,000 revolving line of credit for working capital. On March 29, 2021, we entered into an updated indemnification agreement with Mr. Wirta and the Wirta Trust with respect to their guarantees of borrowings under the Credit Facility.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that had or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, or capital resources as of June 30, 2021.
The following selected financial data for each of the years during the three-year period ended December 31, 2020 and the selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the years during the three-year period ended December 31, 2020. The consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are included in this prospectus. The following selected financial data as of June 30, 2021 and for the six months ended June 30, 2021 have been derived from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contained for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 included in this prospectus. Interim results for the six months ended and as of June 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of, and are not projections for, the results to be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021.
You should read the following selected financial data in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included in this prospectus and with the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section above.
Balance sheet data | | June 30, 2021 | | | December 31, | |
2020 | | | 2019 | | | 2018 |
Real estate investment, net(1) | | $ | 339,080,710 | | | $ | 339,459,007 | | | $ | 413,924,282 | | | $ | 238,924,160 | |
Real estate investment held for sale(1) | | $ | 5,375,746 | | | $ | 24,585,739 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Goodwill(2) | | $ | 17,320,857 | | | $ | 17,320,857 | | | $ | 50,588,000 | | | $ | — | |
Intangible assets(2) | | $ | 4,313,799 | | | $ | 5,127,788 | | | $ | 7,700,000 | | | $ | — | |
Total assets | | $ | 389,555,298 | | | $ | 407,433,014 | | | $ | 490,917,263 | | | $ | 252,425,902 | |
Mortgage notes payable, net(3) | | $ | 181,576,606 | | | $ | 175,925,918 | | | $ | 194,039,207 | | | $ | 122,709,308 | |
Mortgage notes payable related to real estate investments held for sale, net(3) | | $ | 4,381,426 | | | $ | 9,088,438 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Unsecured credit facility, net | | $ | 2,889,303 | | | $ | 5,978,276 | | | $ | 7,649,861 | | | $ | 8,998,000 | |
Total liabilities | | $ | 211,100,320 | | | $ | 217,180,778 | | | $ | 236,675,009 | | | $ | 143,332,182 | |
Redeemable common stock(4) | | $ | 10,413,691 | | | $ | 7,365,568 | | | $ | 14,069,692 | | | $ | 6,000,951 | |
Total equity | | $ | 168,041,287 | | | $ | 182,886,668 | | | $ | 240,172,562 | | | $ | 103,092,769 | |
(1) | During the six months ended June 30, 2021, we sold three real estate investments with an aggregate carrying value of $13,129,404 for a net gain of $289,642; during the year ended December 31, 2020, we sold five real estate investments with an aggregate carrying value of $24,067,388 for a net gain of $4,139,749 and recorded impairment charges of $10,267,625 to six of our real estate investments primarily as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 31, 2019, we completed the Merger with Rich Uncles resulting in the acquisition of 20 properties, primarily in California. |
(2) | During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded impairment charges of $33,267,143 to goodwill and $1,305,260 to intangible assets as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
(3) | Changes from prior year relate primarily to notes payable on the five real estate investments sold as discussed in (1) above, along with the refinancing of six properties during the first six months of 2021. |
(4) | Redeemable common stock as of the balance sheet date is a contingent obligation which reflects the maximum amount of common stock that could be repurchased during the first quarter following the balance sheet date. |
| | Six Months Ended | | | | |
Operating data | | June 30, 2021 | | | 2020 | | | 2019 | | | 2018 | |
Total revenues | | $ | 18,213,863 | | | $ | 38,903,430 | | | $ | 24,544,968 | | | $ | 17,984,625 | |
Net loss(1) | | $ | (1,905,491 | ) | | $ | (49,141,910 | ) | | $ | (4,415,992 | ) | | $ | (1,801,724 | ) |
Other data: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Cash flows provided by (used in) operations | | $ | 3,083,353 | | | $ | 5,576,840 | | | $ | (4,748,904 | ) | | $ | 5,881,889 | |
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities | | $ | 14,624,425 | | | $ | 24,778,295 | | | $ | (29,602,469 | ) | | $ | (92,019,684 | ) |
Cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities | | $ | (15,710,863 | ) | | $ | (28,914,535 | ) | | $ | 23,034,567 | | | $ | 90,710,968 | |
Per share data: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Distributions declared per common share per the period: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Class C Common Stock | | $ | 0.525 | | | $ | 1.4600 | | | $ | 2.1105 | | | $ | 2.1105 | |
Class S Common Stock(2) | | $ | 0.525 | | | $ | 1.4600 | | | $ | 2.1105 | | | $ | 2.1105 | |
Net loss per common share - basic and diluted(3) | | $ | (0.25 | ) | | $ | (6.14 | ) | | $ | (0.88 | ) | | $ | (0.48 | ) |
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding, basic and diluted(3) | | | 7,630,401 | | | | 8,006,276 | | | | 5,012,158 | | | | 3,689,955 | |
(1) | During the six months ended June 30, 2021, we sold three real estate investments for a net gain of $289,642; during the year ended December 31, 2020, we sold five real estate investments for a net gain of $4,139,749 and recorded impairment charges of $10,267,625 to six of our real estate investments and lease termination expense of $1,039,648 primarily as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
(2) | The distribution paid per share of Class S common stock is net of deferred selling commissions. |
(3) | Adjusted for the 1:3 reverse stock split on February 1, 2021. |
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our preferred shares. For purposes of this section, references to “Modiv,” “we,” “our” and “us” mean only Modiv Inc. and not its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities, except as otherwise indicated. This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code, the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department, rulings and other administrative pronouncements issued by the IRS, and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect, and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences described below. We have not sought and do not currently expect to seek an advance ruling from the IRS regarding any matter discussed in this prospectus. The summary is also based upon the assumption that we will operate Modiv and its subsidiaries and affiliated entities in accordance with their applicable organizational documents. This summary is for general informational purposes only and is not tax advice. It does not discuss any state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences relevant to us or an investment in any securities offered by this prospectus and it does not purport to discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular investor in light of its investment or tax circumstances or to investors subject to special tax rules, such as:
| • | real estate investment trusts; |
| • | regulated investment companies; |
| • | traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to market method of accounting for their securities holdings; |
| • | partnerships, other pass-through entities, trusts and estates; |
| • | persons who hold our stock on behalf of other persons as nominees; |
| • | persons who receive our stock through the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation; |
| • | persons holding our stock as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction,” “constructive ownership transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment; |
| • | Subchapter “S” corporations; |
and, except to the extent discussed below:
| • | tax-exempt organizations; and |
This summary assumes that investors will hold their shares as a capital asset, which generally means as property held for investment.
For the purposes of this summary, a U.S. person is a beneficial owner of our shares who for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:
| • | a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| • | a corporation (including an entity treated as corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized under the laws of the United States or of a political subdivision thereof (including the District of Columbia); |
| • | an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
| • | any trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person. |
For the purposes of this summary, a U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of our shares who is a U.S. person. A tax exempt organization is a U.S. person who is exempt from U.S. federal income tax under Section 401(a) or 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. For the purposes of this summary, a non-U.S. person is a beneficial owner of our shares who is a nonresident alien individual or a non-U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and a non-U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of our shares who is a non-U.S. person. The term “corporation” includes any entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the term “partnership” includes any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The federal income tax treatment of holders of our shares depends in some instances on determinations of fact and interpretations of complex provisions of U.S. federal income tax law for which no clear precedent or authority may be available. In addition, the tax consequences to any particular stockholder of holding our shares will depend on the stockholder’s particular tax circumstances.
YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, INCOME AND NON-U.S. INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU, IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR INVESTMENT OR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES, OF ACQUIRING, HOLDING, AND DISPOSING OF OUR SHARES.
Taxation of Modiv
We elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016.
In the opinion of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, our tax counsel in connection with this offering, we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016, and our current and proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. Such opinion is based on various assumptions relating to our organization and proposed operation and is conditioned upon fact-based representations and covenants made by our management regarding our organization, assets, and income, and the past, present and future conduct of our business operations. While we believe that we are organized and intend to operate so that we will qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances or applicable law, no assurance can be given by us or Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP that we will so qualify for any particular year. The opinion was expressed as of the date issued and does not cover subsequent periods.
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP has no obligation to advise us or our stockholders of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed, or of any subsequent change in the applicable law. You should be aware that opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions with respect to our satisfaction of the REIT requirements. Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual results of operations, distribution levels, diversity of share ownership and various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code, discussed below. In addition, our ability to qualify as a REIT may depend in part upon the operating results, organizational structure and entity classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes of certain entities in which we invest, which we may not control. Our ability to qualify as a REIT also requires that we satisfy certain asset and income tests, some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets directly or indirectly owned by us or which serve as security for loans made by us. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any taxable year will satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
Taxation of REITs in General
Provided that we qualify as a REIT, generally we will be entitled to a deduction for distributions that we pay to our stockholders and therefore will not be subject to federal corporate income tax on our taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” at the corporate and stockholder levels that generally results from investment in a corporation. In general, the income that we generate is taxed only at the stockholder level upon distribution to our stockholders.
Any net operating losses and other tax attributes generally do not pass through to our stockholders, subject to special rules for certain items such as the capital gains that we recognize. See “Taxation of Stockholders.”
Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, however, we will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation as follows:
| • | We will be taxed at regular corporate rates on any undistributed taxable income, including undistributed net capital gains. |
| • | If we have net income from prohibited transactions, which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of inventory or property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property, such income will be subject to a 100% tax. See “Prohibited Transactions.” |
| • | If we should fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because we satisfy other requirements, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount based on the magnitude of the failure, as adjusted to reflect the profit margin associated with our gross income. |
| • | If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with a foreclosure of a mortgage loan or certain leasehold terminations as “foreclosure property,” we may thereby avoid the 100% tax on gain from a resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction), but the income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to corporate income tax at the highest applicable rate. |
| • | If we should violate the asset tests (other than certain de minimis violations) or other requirements applicable to REITs, as described below, and yet maintain our qualification as a REIT because there is reasonable cause for the failure and other applicable requirements are met, we may be subject to an excise tax. In that case, the amount of the excise tax will be at least $50,000 per failure and, in the case of certain asset test failures, will be determined as the amount of net income generated by the assets in question multiplied by the highest corporate tax rate if that amount exceeds $50,000 per failure. |
| • | If we should fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year; (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year; and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (i) the amounts that we actually distributed and (ii) the amounts we retained and upon which we paid income tax at the corporate level. |
| • | We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of a REIT’s stockholders, as described in Federal Income Tax Considerations – Requirements for Qualification—General. |
| • | A 100% tax may be imposed on transactions between us and a TRS (as described below) that do not reflect arm’s-length terms. |
| • | If we dispose of an asset acquired by us from a C corporation in a transaction in which we took the C corporation’s tax basis in the asset, we may be subject to tax at the highest regular corporate rate on the appreciation inherent in such asset as of the date of acquisition by us. |
| • | We will generally be subject to tax on the portion of any excess inclusion income derived from an investment in residual interests in REMICs or “taxable mortgage pools” to the extent our shares are held in record name by specified tax exempt organizations not subject to tax on UBTI or non-U.S. sovereign investors. |
| • | The earnings of our subsidiaries, including our TRSs (as discussed below), are subject to federal corporate income tax to the extent that such subsidiaries are subchapter C corporations. |
In addition, we and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of taxes, including payroll taxes and state and local and foreign income, property and other taxes on our assets and operations. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for Qualification—General
The Internal Revenue Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association which has seven main attributes:
| (1) | it is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
| (2) | its beneficial ownership is evidenced by transferable shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest; |
| (3) | it would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for its election to be subject to tax as a REIT; |
| (4) | it is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; |
| (5) | its beneficial ownership is held by 100 or more persons; |
| (6) | during the last half of each taxable year, not more than 50% in value of its outstanding stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer “individuals” (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include specified tax-exempt entities); |
| (7) | it elects to be taxed as a REIT, or has made such election for a previous taxable year, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements that must be met to elect and maintain REIT qualification; and |
| (8) | it meets other tests described below, including with respect to the nature of its income and assets. |
The Internal Revenue Code provides that conditions (1) through (4) must be met during the entire taxable year, and that condition (5) must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Conditions (5) and (6) need not be met during a corporation’s initial tax year as a REIT.
We believe that we have, and will continue to have as a result of the issuance of stock in this offering and prior offerings, sufficient diversity of ownership to satisfy conditions (5) and (6). In addition, our charter provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our shares, which are intended to assist us in satisfying and continuing to satisfy the share ownership requirements described in conditions (5) and (6) above. The provisions of our charter restricting the ownership and transfer of our stock are described in “Description of Capital Stock and Securities Offered—Restriction on Ownership of Shares.”
To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we generally are required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our shares. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record holders of significant percentages of our stock pursuant to which the record holders must disclose the actual owners of the shares (i.e., the persons required to include our distributions in their gross income). We must maintain a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand as part of our records. We could be subject to monetary penalties if we fail to comply with these record-keeping requirements. If you fail or refuse to comply with the demands, you will be required by Treasury regulations to submit a statement with your tax return disclosing your actual ownership of our shares and other information.
In addition, a corporation generally may not elect to become a REIT unless its taxable year is the calendar year. We have adopted December 31 as our year-end, and thereby satisfy this requirement.
The Internal Revenue Code provides relief from violations of the REIT gross income requirements, as described under Income Tests, in cases where a violation is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, and other requirements are met, including the payment of a penalty tax that is based upon the magnitude of the violation. In addition, certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code extend similar relief in the case of certain violations of the REIT asset requirements (See “Asset Tests”) and other REIT requirements, again provided that the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and other conditions are met, including the payment of a penalty tax. If we fail to satisfy any of the various REIT requirements, there can be no assurance that these relief provisions would be available to enable us to maintain our qualification as a REIT, and, if such relief provisions are available, the amount of any resultant penalty tax could be substantial.
Effect of Subsidiary Entities
Ownership of Partnership Interests. In addition to our Operating Partnership, we may invest in assets through joint ventures, partnerships and other co-ownership arrangements. Such non-corporate entities would generally be organized as limited liability companies, partnerships or trusts and would be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The following is a summary of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of any investment by us in a property through a partnership or other non-corporate entity.
In general, for partnerships in which we invest, we are required to take into account our allocable share of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit for purposes of the various REIT gross income tests, and in the computation of our REIT taxable income and U.S. federal income tax liability. We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets in the partnership for purposes of certain REIT asset tests. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets and items of income of our Operating Partnership, including our Operating Partnership’s share of the assets, liabilities and items of income of any subsidiary partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) in which our Operating Partnership holds an interest, will be treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income for purposes of applying the REIT income and asset tests. There is no guarantee that such allocable share of income and assets will be qualified for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests. Further, there can be no assurance that distributions from a partnership will be sufficient to pay the tax liabilities resulting from an investment in such partnership.
Disregarded Subsidiaries. If we own a corporate subsidiary that is a qualified REIT subsidiary, that subsidiary is generally disregarded for federal income tax purposes, and all of the subsidiary’s assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit are treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs. A qualified REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a TRS (as described below), that is directly or indirectly wholly owned by a REIT. Other entities that are wholly owned by us, including single member limited liability companies that have not elected to be taxed as corporations for federal income tax purposes, are also generally disregarded as separate entities for federal income tax purposes, including for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests. Disregarded subsidiaries, along with any partnerships in which we hold an equity interest, are sometimes referred to herein as “pass-through subsidiaries.”
In the event that a disregarded subsidiary of ours ceases to be wholly owned—for example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or another disregarded subsidiary of ours—the subsidiary’s separate existence would no longer be disregarded for federal income tax purposes. Instead, the subsidiary would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership or a taxable corporation. Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the various asset and gross income requirements applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the securities of another corporation. See “Asset Tests” and “Income Tests.”
Taxable Corporate Subsidiaries. We have jointly elected with two of our wholly owned subsidiaries to treat such subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs. A REIT is permitted to own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. A domestic TRS is a fully taxable corporation that may earn income that would not be qualifying income if earned directly by the parent REIT. The subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. A corporation with respect to which a TRS directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the stock will automatically be treated as a TRS. We generally may not own more than 10% of the securities of a taxable corporation, as measured by voting power or value, unless we and such corporation elect to treat such corporation as a TRS. Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs.
The separate existence of a TRS or other taxable corporation is not ignored for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, a TRS or other taxable corporation generally would be subject to corporate income tax on its earnings, which may reduce the cash flow that we and our subsidiaries generate in the aggregate and may reduce our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
We are not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or other taxable subsidiary corporation or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by a taxable subsidiary to us is an asset in our hands, and we treat the distributions paid to us from such taxable subsidiary, if any, as income. This treatment can affect our income and asset test calculations, as described below. Because we do not include the assets and income of TRSs or other taxable subsidiary corporations in determining our compliance with the REIT requirements, we may use such entities to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude us from doing directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. For example, we may use TRSs or other taxable subsidiary corporations to conduct activities that give rise to certain categories of income such as management fees or activities that would be treated in our hands as prohibited transactions. In addition, we will be subject to a 100% tax on the amounts of any rents from real property, deductions, or excess interest received from a TRS that would be reduced through reapportionment under the Internal Revenue Code in order to more clearly reflect the income of the TRS.
Income Tests
In order to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy two gross income requirements on an annual basis. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in “prohibited transactions,” generally must be derived from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including interest income derived from mortgage loans secured by real property (including certain types of mortgage-backed securities), “rents from real property,” distributions received from other REITs and gains from the sale of real estate assets, as well as specified income from temporary investments. Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging transactions, must be derived from some combination of such income from investments in real property (i.e., income that qualifies under the 75% income test described above), as well as other distributions, interest and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property.
Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% income test (as described above) to the extent that the obligation upon which such interest is paid is secured by a mortgage on real property or an interest in real property. If we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and other property, and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date that we acquired or originated the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned between the real property and the other collateral, and our income from the arrangement will qualify for purposes of the 75% income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property. Even if a loan is not secured by real property, or is under secured, the income that it generates may nonetheless qualify for purposes of the 95% income test.
To the extent that the terms of a loan provide for contingent interest that is based on the cash proceeds realized upon the sale of the property securing the loan (which we refer to as a shared appreciation provision), income attributable to the participation feature will be treated as gain from sale of the underlying property, which generally will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests provided that the real property is not held as inventory or dealer property or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. To the extent that we derive interest income from a mortgage loan or income from the rental of real property (discussed below) where all or a portion of the amount of interest or rental income payable is contingent, such income generally will qualify for purposes of the gross income tests only if it is based upon the gross receipts or sales and not on the net income or profits of the borrower or lessee. This limitation does not apply, however, where the borrower or lessee leases substantially all of its interest in the property to tenants or subtenants to the extent that the rental income derived by the borrower or lessee, as the case may be, would qualify as rents from real property had we earned the income directly.
We and our subsidiaries may invest in mezzanine loans, which are loans secured by equity interests in an entity that directly or indirectly owns real property, rather than by a direct mortgage of the real property. The IRS has issued Revenue Procedure 2003-65, which provides a safe harbor applicable to mezzanine loans. Under the Revenue Procedure, if a mezzanine loan meets each of the requirements contained in the Revenue Procedure, (1) the mezzanine loan will be treated by the IRS as a real estate asset for purposes of the asset tests described below and (2) interest derived from the mezzanine loan will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% income test. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. We intend to structure any investments in mezzanine loans in a manner that generally complies with the various requirements applicable to our qualification as a REIT. However, to the extent that any of our mezzanine loans do not meet all safe harbor requirements set forth in the Revenue Procedure, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge the tax treatment of these loans.
Rents received by us will qualify as “rents from real property” in satisfying the gross income requirements described above only if several conditions are met. If rent is partly attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property, the portion of the rent that is attributable to the personal property will not qualify as “rents from real property” unless it constitutes 15% or less of the total rent received under the lease. In addition, the amount of rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. Amounts received as rent, however, generally will not be excluded from rents from real property solely by reason of being based on fixed percentages of gross receipts or sales. Moreover, for rents received to qualify as “rents from real property,” we generally must not operate or manage the property or furnish or render services to the tenants of such property, other than through an “independent contractor” from which we derive no revenue. We are permitted, however, to perform services that are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and which are not otherwise considered rendered to the occupant of the property. In addition, we may directly or indirectly provide non-customary services to tenants of our properties without disqualifying all of the rent from the property if the payments for such services do not exceed 1% of the total gross income from the properties. For purposes of this test, we are deemed to have received income from such non-customary services in an amount at least 150% of the direct cost of providing the services. Moreover, we are generally permitted to provide services to tenants or others through a TRS without disqualifying the rental income received from tenants for purposes of the income tests. Also, rental income will qualify as rents from real property only to the extent that we do not directly or constructively hold a 10% or greater interest, as measured by vote or value, in the lessee’s equity.
We may directly or indirectly receive distributions from TRSs or other corporations that are not REITs or qualified REIT subsidiaries. These distributions generally are treated as dividend income to the extent of the earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions will generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any distributions that we receive from a REIT, however, will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 95% and 75% income tests.
We and our subsidiaries may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate agreements or similar financial instruments. Except to the extent provided by Treasury regulations, any income from a hedging transaction we entered into (1) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate, inflation and/or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, which is clearly identified as specified in Treasury regulations before the closing of the day on which it was acquired, originated or entered into, including gain from the sale or disposition of such a transaction, and (2) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% income tests which is clearly identified as such before the closing of the day on which it was acquired, originated or entered into, will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT.
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may still qualify as a REIT for such year if we are entitled to relief under applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These relief provisions will be generally available if (1) our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and (2) following our identification of the failure to meet the 75% or 95% gross income test for any taxable year, we file a schedule with the IRS setting forth each item of our gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income test for such taxable year in accordance with Treasury regulations yet to be issued. It is not possible to state whether we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances, we will not qualify as a REIT. As discussed above under Taxation of REITs in General, even where these relief provisions apply, the Internal Revenue Code imposes a tax based upon the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test.
Income derived from certain types of temporary stock and debt investments made with the proceeds of an offering, not otherwise treated as qualifying income for the 75% gross income test, generally will nonetheless constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test for the year following such offering. More specifically, qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test includes “qualified temporary investment income,” which generally means any income that is attributable to stock or a debt instrument, is attributable to the temporary investment of new equity capital and certain debt capital, and is received or accrued during the one-year period beginning on the date on which the REIT receives such new capital. After the one year period following this offering, income from investments of the proceeds of this offering will be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% income test only if derived from one of the other qualifying sources enumerated above.
Asset Tests
At the close of each calendar quarter, we must also satisfy five tests relating to the nature of our assets. First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of “real estate assets,” cash, cash items, U.S. government securities and, under some circumstances, stock or debt instruments purchased with new capital. For this purpose, real estate assets include interests in real property, such as land, buildings, leasehold interests in real property, stock of other corporations that qualify as REITs and some kinds of mortgage-backed securities, mortgage loans and debt instruments (whether or not secured by real property) that are issued by a “publicly-offered REIT” (i.e., a REIT that is required to file annual periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act). Assets that do not qualify for purposes of the 75% test are subject to the additional asset tests described below.
Second, the value of any one issuer’s securities that we own may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets.
Third, we may not own more than 10% of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, as measured by either voting power or value. The 5% and 10% asset tests do not apply to securities of TRSs and qualified REIT subsidiaries and the 10% asset test does not apply to “straight debt” having specified characteristics and to certain other securities described below. Solely for purposes of the 10% asset test, the determination of our interest in the assets of a partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest will be based on our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership or limited liability company, excluding for this purpose certain securities described in the Internal Revenue Code.
Fourth, the aggregate value of all securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries that we hold may not exceed 20% of the value of our total assets.
Fifth, no more than 25% of the total value of our assets may be represented by “nonqualified publicly-offered REIT debt instruments” (i.e., real estate assets that would cease to be real estate assets if debt instruments issued by publicly-offered REITs were not included in the definition of real estate assets).
Notwithstanding the general rule, as noted above, that for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests we are treated as owning our proportionate share of the underlying assets of a subsidiary partnership, if we hold indebtedness issued by a partnership, the indebtedness will be subject to, and may cause a violation of, the asset tests unless the indebtedness is a qualifying mortgage asset or other conditions are met. Similarly, although stock of another REIT is a qualifying asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests, any non-mortgage debt that is issued by another REIT may not so qualify (such debt, however, will not be treated as “securities” for purposes of the 10% asset test, as explained below).
Certain relief provisions are available to REITs to satisfy the asset requirements or to maintain REIT qualification notwithstanding certain violations of the asset and other requirements. One such provision allows a REIT which fails one or more of the asset requirements to nevertheless maintain its REIT qualification if (1) the REIT provides the IRS with a description of each asset causing the failure; (2) the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect; (3) the REIT pays a tax equal to the greater of (a) $50,000 per failure and (b) the product of the net income generated by the assets that caused the failure multiplied by the highest applicable corporate tax rate (currently 21%); and (4) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or otherwise satisfies the relevant asset tests within that time frame.
In the case of de minimis violations of the 10% and 5% asset tests, a REIT may maintain its qualification despite a violation of such requirements if (1) the value of the assets causing the violation does not exceed the lesser of 1% of the REIT’s total assets and $10,000,000, and (2) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or the relevant tests are otherwise satisfied within that time frame.
Certain securities will not cause a violation of the 10% asset test described above. Such securities include instruments that constitute “straight debt,” which includes, among other things, securities having certain contingency features. A security does not qualify as “straight debt” where a REIT (or a controlled TRS of the REIT) owns other securities of the same issuer which do not qualify as straight debt, unless the value of those other securities constitute, in the aggregate, 1% or less of the total value of that issuer’s outstanding securities. In addition to straight debt, the Internal Revenue Code provides that certain other securities will not violate the 10% asset test. Such securities include (1) any loan made to an individual or an estate; (2) certain rental agreements pursuant to which one or more payments are to be made in subsequent years (other than agreements between a REIT and certain persons related to the REIT under attribution rules); (3) any obligation to pay rents from real property; (4) securities issued by governmental entities that are not dependent in whole or in part on the profits of (or payments made by) a non-governmental entity; (5) any security (including debt securities) issued by another REIT; and (6) any debt instrument issued by a partnership if the partnership’s income is of a nature that it would satisfy the 75% gross income test described above under Income Tests. In applying the 10% asset test, a debt security issued by a partnership is not taken into account to the extent, if any, of the REIT’s proportionate interest in the equity and certain debt securities issued by that partnership.
No independent appraisals will be obtained to support our conclusions as to the value of our total assets or the value of any particular security or securities. Moreover, values of some assets, including instruments issued in securitization transactions, may not be susceptible to a precise determination, and values are subject to change in the future. Furthermore, the proper classification of an instrument as debt or equity for federal income tax purposes may be uncertain in some circumstances, which could affect the application of the REIT asset requirements. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contend that our interests in our subsidiaries or in the securities of other issuers will not cause a violation of the REIT asset tests. If we should fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, such a failure would not cause us to lose our REIT qualification if we (1) satisfied the asset tests at the close of the preceding calendar quarter and (2) the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset requirements was not wholly or partly caused by an acquisition of non-qualifying assets, but instead arose from changes in the market value of our assets. If the condition described in (2) were not satisfied, we still could avoid disqualification by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which it arose or by making use of relief provisions described below.
Annual Distribution Requirements
In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required to make distributions, other than capital gain distributions, to our stockholders in an amount at least equal to:
| (a) | The sum of (i) 90% of our “REIT taxable income,” computed without regard to our net capital gains and the dividends-paid deduction and (ii) 90% of the net income (after tax) if any from foreclosure property, minus |
| (b) | the sum of specified items of non-cash income. |
In addition, if we were to recognize “built-in-gain” (as defined below) on disposition of any assets acquired from a “C” corporation in a transaction in which our basis in the assets was determined by reference to the “C” corporation’s basis (for instance, if the assets were acquired in a tax-free reorganization), we would be required to distribute at least 90% of the built-in-gain recognized net of the tax we would pay on such gain. “Built-in-gain” is the excess of (a) the fair market value of an asset (measured at the time of acquisition) over (b) the basis of the asset (measured at the time of acquisition).
We generally must make these distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if declared before we timely file our tax return for the year and if paid with or before the first regular distribution payment after such declaration.
To the extent that we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our “REIT taxable income,” as adjusted, we will be subject to tax at ordinary corporate tax rates on the retained portion. We may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, we could elect for our stockholders to include their proportionate shares of such undistributed long-term capital gains in income, and to receive a corresponding credit for their share of the tax that we paid. Our stockholders would then increase their adjusted basis of their stock by the difference between (a) the amounts of capital gain distributions that we designated and that they include in their taxable income minus (b) the tax that we paid on their behalf with respect to that income.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. Such losses, however, will generally not affect the character, in the hands of our stockholders, of any distributions that are actually made as ordinary dividends or capital gains. See “Taxation of Stockholders — Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders.”
If we should fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year; (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year; and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (x) the amounts actually distributed plus (y) the amounts of income we retained and on which we have paid corporate income tax.
It is possible that, from time to time, we may not have sufficient cash to meet the distribution requirements due to timing differences between (a) our actual receipt of cash, including receipt of distributions from our subsidiaries and (b) our inclusion of items in income for federal income tax purposes.
In the event that such timing differences occur, in order to meet the distribution requirements, it might be necessary for us to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings, or to pay distributions in the form of taxable in-kind distributions of property.
We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for distributions paid for the earlier year. In this case, we may be able to avoid losing REIT qualification or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. We will be required to pay interest and a penalty based on the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.
Elective Cash/Stock Dividends
On August 11, 2017, the IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2017-45 authorizing elective cash/stock dividends to be made by publicly-offered REITs (i.e., REITs that are required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act). Pursuant to Revenue Procedure 2017-45, effective for distributions declared on or after August 11, 2017, the IRS will treat the distribution of stock pursuant to an elective cash/stock dividend as a distribution of property under Section 301 of the Internal Revenue Code (i.e., a dividend), as long as at least 20% of the total dividend is available in cash and certain other parameters detailed in Revenue Procedure 2017-45 are satisfied.
Failure to Qualify
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification other than the gross income or asset tests, we could avoid disqualification if our failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect and we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. Relief provisions are available for failures of the gross income tests and asset tests, as described above in Income Tests and Asset Tests.
If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the relief provisions described above do not apply, we would be subject to tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We cannot deduct distributions to stockholders in any year in which we are not a REIT, nor would we be required to make distributions in such a year. In this situation, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, distributions to U.S. stockholders (as defined below) that are individuals, trusts and estates will generally be taxable at capital gains rates. In addition, subject to the limitations of the Internal Revenue Code, corporate distributees may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Unless we are entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we would also be disqualified from re-electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we lost qualification. It is not possible to state whether, in all circumstances, we would be entitled to this statutory relief.
Excess Inclusion Income
If we directly or indirectly acquire a residual interest in certain mortgage loan securitization structures (i.e., a “taxable mortgage pool” or a residual interest in an REMIC), a portion of our income from such arrangements may be treated as “excess inclusion income.” We are required to allocate any excess inclusion income to our stockholders in proportion to their dividends. We would be subject to U.S. corporate tax to the extent of any excess inclusion income from the REMIC residual interest or taxable mortgage pool that is allocable to the percentage of our shares held in record name by “disqualified organizations,” which are generally certain cooperatives, governmental entities and tax-exempt organizations that are exempt from tax on UBTI. Because this tax would be imposed on our company, however, unless we can recover the tax out of distributions to the disqualified organizations, all of our stockholders, including stockholders that are not disqualified organizations, would bear a portion of the tax cost.
Stockholders who are not disqualified organizations will have to treat our dividends as excess inclusion income to the extent of their allocable shares of our excess inclusion income. This income cannot be offset by net operating losses of our stockholders. If the stockholder is a tax-exempt entity and not a disqualified organization, then this income is fully taxable as UBTI under Section 512 of the Internal Revenue Code. If the stockholder is a foreign person, it would be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding on this income without reduction or exemption pursuant to any otherwise applicable income tax treaty. If the stockholder is a REIT, a regulated investment company, or a RIC, common trust fund or other pass-through entity, the stockholder’s allocable share of our excess inclusion income could be considered excess inclusion income of such entity.
Prohibited Transactions
Net income that we derive from a prohibited transaction is subject to a 100% tax. The term prohibited transaction generally includes a sale or other disposition of property that is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. We intend to conduct our operations so that no asset that we own (or are treated as owning) will be treated as, or as having been, held for sale to customers, and that a sale of any such asset will not be treated as having been in the ordinary course of our business. Whether property is held “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends on the particular facts and circumstances. No assurance can be given that any property that we sell will not be treated as property held for sale to customers, or that we can comply with certain safe-harbor provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that would prevent such treatment. The 100% tax does not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will potentially be subject to tax in the hands of the corporation at regular corporate rates, nor does the 100% tax apply to sales that qualify for a safe harbor as described in Section 857(b)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Like-Kind Exchanges
We may dispose of properties in transactions intended to qualify as like-kind exchanges under the Internal Revenue Code. Such like-kind exchanges are intended to result in the deferral of gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The failure of any such transaction to qualify as a like-kind exchange could require us to pay federal income tax, possibly including the 100% prohibited transaction tax, depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction.
Derivatives and Hedging Transactions
We and our subsidiaries may enter into hedging transactions with respect to interest rate exposure on one or more of our assets or liabilities. Hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including the use of derivative instruments such as interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate agreements or similar financial instruments. Except to the extent provided by Treasury regulations, any income from a hedging transaction we entered into (1) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate, inflation and/or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, which is clearly identified as specified in Treasury regulations before the closing of the day on which it was acquired, originated or entered into, including gain from the sale or disposition of such a transaction, (2) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% income tests and (3) to hedge certain positions as described in Section 856(c)(5)(G)(iii) of the Internal Revenue Code, each of which is clearly identified as such before the closing of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into, will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT. We may conduct some or all of our hedging activities through our TRS or other corporate entity, the income from which may be subject to federal income tax, rather than by participating in the arrangements directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. No assurance can be given, however, that our hedging activities will not give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of either or both of the REIT gross income tests, or that our hedging activities will not adversely affect our ability to satisfy the REIT qualification requirements.
Foreclosure Property
Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property (i) that we acquire as the result of having bid in the property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after a default (or upon imminent default) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by us and secured by the property, (ii) for which we acquired the related loan or lease at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated and (iii) with respect to which we made a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. We generally will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate (currently 21%) on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that would otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise constitute inventory or dealer property. We do not anticipate receiving any income from foreclosure property that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test.
Penalty Tax
Any redetermined rents, redetermined deductions, excess interest, or redetermined TRS service income that we or our TRSs generate will be subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, redetermined rents are rents from real property that are overstated as a result of any services furnished to any of our tenants by a TRS, redetermined deductions and excess interest represent any amounts that are deducted by a TRS for amounts paid to us that are in excess of the amounts that would have been deducted based on arm’s length negotiations, and redetermined TRS service income is income of a TRS attributable to services provided to, or on behalf of, us (other than services furnished or rendered to a tenant of ours) to the extent such income is lower than the income the TRS would have earned based on arm’s length negotiations. Rents that we receive will not constitute redetermined rents if they qualify for certain safe harbor provisions contained in the Internal Revenue Code.
From time to time, our TRS may provide services to our tenants. We intend to set the fees paid to our TRS for such services at arm’s length rates, although the fees paid may not satisfy the safe-harbor provisions described above. These determinations are inherently factual, and the IRS has broad discretion to assert that amounts paid between related parties should be reallocated to clearly reflect their respective incomes. If the IRS successfully made such an assertion, we would be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on the excess of an arm’s length fee for tenant services over the amount actually paid.
Interest Expense Deductions
The Tax Act generally imposes certain limitations on the ability of taxpayers to deduct net business interest expenses for federal income tax purposes for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2018. However, the Tax Act provides an election whereby certain taxpayers engaged in a real estate trade or business, generally including for this purpose a REIT, may elect for this limitation not to apply. Taxpayers that make this election generally are not eligible for certain depreciation methodologies. We made this election when we filed our 2018 tax return and therefore the above limitations on interest expense deductions generally would not apply to us.
In addition, the above described limitations on net business interest expense deductions generally would be determined at the entity-level. As a result, the ability of our TRSs to deduct business interest expense for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2018 may be subject to limitations under the Tax Act even if we make such an election.
Net Operating Losses
The Tax Act also generally restricts the ability of taxpayers to utilize net operating losses to no more than 80% of their taxable income and precludes them from carrying-back net operating losses to prior tax years.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which was enacted into law on March 27, 2020, (i) removes the 80% use limitation on post-Tax Act net operating loss carryovers or carrybacks that may be deducted in tax years beginning prior to January 1, 2021, so taxpayers may use net operating losses (“NOLs”) to offset 100% of taxable income in such tax years and (ii) allows NOLs generated in tax years beginning in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to be carried back for up to five tax years. REITs, however, are not permitted to carry back losses to prior taxable years.
Tax Aspects of Our Operating Partnership
In General. We will own all or substantially all of our assets through our Operating Partnership, and our Operating Partnership in turn will own a substantial portion of its assets through interests in various partnerships and limited liability companies.
Except in the case of subsidiaries that have elected REIT or TRS status, we expect that our Operating Partnership and its partnership and limited liability company subsidiaries will be treated as partnerships or disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In general, entities that are classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes are treated as “pass-through” entities that are not required to pay U.S. federal income taxes. Rather, partners or members of such entities are allocated their share of the items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the entity and are potentially required to pay tax on that income without regard to whether the partners or members receive a distribution of cash from the entity. We will include in our income our allocable share of the foregoing items for purposes of computing our REIT taxable income, based on the applicable operating agreement. As discussed above, for purposes of applying the REIT income and asset tests, we will include our pro rata share of the income generated by and the assets held by our Operating Partnership, including our Operating Partnership’s share of the income and assets of any subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, based on our capital interests in such entities.
Our ownership interests in such subsidiaries involve special tax considerations, including the possibility that the IRS might challenge the status of these entities as partnerships or disregarded entities, as opposed to associations taxable as corporations, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If our Operating Partnership or one or more of its subsidiary partnerships or limited liability companies intended to be taxed as partnerships, were treated as an association, it would be taxable as a corporation and would be subject to U.S. federal income taxes on its income. In that case, the character of the entity and its income would change for purposes of the asset and income tests applicable to REITs and could prevent us from satisfying these tests. This, in turn, could prevent us from qualifying as a REIT.
We believe that our Operating Partnership and other subsidiary partnerships and limited liability companies that do not elect REIT or TRS status have been and/or will be classified as partnerships or disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the remainder of the discussion under this section “—Tax Aspects of Our Operating Partnership” is based on such classification.
Although a domestic unincorporated entity is generally treated as a partnership (if it has more than one owner) or a disregarded entity (if it has a single owner) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in certain situations such an entity may be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, including if the entity is a “publicly-traded partnership” that does not qualify for an exemption based on the character of its income. A partnership is a “publicly-traded partnership” under Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code if interests in the partnership are traded on an established securities market or interests in the partnership are readily tradable on a “secondary market” or the “substantial equivalent” of a secondary market.
A partnership will not be treated as a publicly-traded partnership if it qualifies for certain safe harbors, one of which applies to certain partnerships with fewer than 100 partners.
There is a risk that the right of a holder of Operating Partnership units to redeem the units for cash (or stock) could cause Operating Partnership units to be considered readily tradable on the substantial equivalent of a secondary market, and we may not be eligible for a safe harbor at all times. If our Operating Partnership is a publicly-traded partnership, it will be taxed as a corporation unless at least 90% of its gross income has consisted of and will consist of “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code. Qualifying income generally includes real property rents and other types of passive income.
Allocations of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction. A partnership or limited liability company agreement will generally determine the allocation of income and losses among partners or members for U.S. federal income tax purposes. These allocations, however, will be disregarded for tax purposes if they do not comply with the provisions of Section 704(b) of the Internal Revenue Code and the related Treasury Regulations. Generally, Section 704(b) of the Internal Revenue Code and the related Treasury Regulations require that partnership and limited liability company allocations respect the economic arrangement of their partners or members. If an allocation is not recognized by the IRS for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated according to the partners’ or members’ interests in the partnership or limited liability company, as the case may be. This reallocation will be determined by taking into account all of the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the partners or members with respect to such item. The allocations of taxable income and loss in our Operating Partnership and its partnership subsidiaries are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
Tax Allocations With Respect to Contributed Properties. In general, when property is contributed to a partnership in exchange for a partnership interest, the partnership inherits the carry-over tax basis of the contributing partner in the contributed property. Any difference between the fair market value and the adjusted tax basis of contributed property at the time of contribution is referred to as a “book-tax difference.” Under Section 704(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, income, gain, loss and deduction attributable to property with a book-tax difference that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership must be allocated in a manner so that the contributing partner is charged with the unrealized gain or benefits from the unrealized loss associated with the property at the time of the contribution, as adjusted from time to time, so that, to the extent possible under the applicable method elected under Section 704(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, the non-contributing partners receive allocations of depreciation and gain or loss for tax purposes comparable to the allocations they would have received in the absence of book-tax differences. These allocations are solely for U.S. federal income tax purposes and do not affect the book capital accounts or other economic or legal arrangements among the partners or members. Similar tax allocations are required with respect to the book-tax differences in the assets owned by a partnership when additional assets are contributed in exchange for a new partnership interest.
Taxation of Stockholders
Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders
Distributions. So long as we qualify as a REIT, the distributions that we make to our taxable U.S. stockholders out of current or accumulated earnings and profits that we do not designate as capital gain distributions will generally be taken into account by stockholders as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. With limited exceptions, our distributions are not eligible for taxation at the preferential income tax rates (i.e., the 20 % maximum federal rate) for qualified distributions received by U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates from taxable C corporations. Such stockholders, however, are taxed at the preferential rates on distributions designated by and received from REITs to the extent that the distributions are attributable to:
| • | income retained by the REIT in the prior taxable year on which the REIT was subject to corporate level income tax (less the amount of tax); |
| • | distributions received by the REIT from TRSs or other taxable C corporations; or |
| • | income in the prior taxable year from the sales of “built-in gain” property acquired by the REIT from C corporations in carryover basis transactions (less the amount of corporate tax on such income). |
In addition, for taxable years that begin after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates are generally entitled to a deduction equal to 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary income dividends received from a REIT (not including capital gain dividends or dividends eligible for the preferential rates applicable to qualified dividends as described above), subject to certain limitations. Under final regulations recently issued by the IRS, in order to qualify for this deduction with respect to a dividend on our shares, a stockholder must hold such shares for more than 45 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date which is 45 days before the date on which such shares become ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (taking into account certain special holding period rules that may, among other consequences, reduce a stockholder’s holding period during any period in which the stockholder has diminished its risk of loss with respect to the shares). Stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to their ability to claim this deduction.
Distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends will generally be taxed to our stockholders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that such distributions do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the stockholder that receives such distribution has held its stock. We may elect to retain and pay taxes on some or all of our net long-term capital gains, in which case provisions of the Internal Revenue Code will treat our stockholders as having received, solely for tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains, and the stockholders will receive a corresponding credit for taxes that we paid on such undistributed capital gains. See “Taxation of Modiv Inc. — Annual Distribution Requirements.” Corporate stockholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain distributions as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at maximum federal rates of 20 % in the case of stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates, and currently 21% in the case of stockholders that are corporations. Capital gains attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than 12 months are subject to a 20% maximum federal income tax rate for taxpayers who are taxed as individuals, to the extent of previously claimed depreciation deductions.
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will generally represent a return of capital and will not be taxable to a stockholder to the extent that the amount of such distributions do not exceed the adjusted basis of the stockholder’s shares with respect to which the distributions were made. Rather, the distributions will reduce the adjusted basis of the stockholder’s shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted basis of a stockholder’s shares, the stockholder generally must include such distributions in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less. In addition, any distribution that we declare in October, November or December of any year and that is payable to a stockholder of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the stockholder on December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the distribution before the end of January of the following calendar year.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See “Taxation of Modiv Inc. — Annual Distribution Requirements.” Such losses, however, are not passed through to stockholders and do not offset income of stockholders from other sources, nor would such losses affect the character of any distributions that we make, which are generally subject to tax in the hands of stockholders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.
Dispositions of Our Stock. In general, capital gains recognized by individuals, trusts and estates upon the sale or disposition of our stock will be subject to a maximum federal income tax rate of 20% if the stock is held for more than one year, and will be taxed as ordinary income rates if the stock is held for one year or less. Gains recognized by stockholders that are corporations are subject to federal income tax at a maximum rate, currently 21%, whether or not such gains are classified as long-term capital gains. Capital losses recognized by a stockholder upon the disposition of our stock that was held for more than one year at the time of disposition will be considered long-term capital losses, and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the stockholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of shares of our stock by a stockholder who has held the shares for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions that we make that are required to be treated by the stockholder as long-term capital gain. In addition, all or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares of our stock may be disallowed if the taxpayer purchases other shares of the stock within 30 days before or after the disposition.
If an investor recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our stock or other securities in an amount that exceeds a prescribed threshold, it is possible that the provisions of Treasury regulations involving “reportable transactions” could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss-generating transaction to the IRS. These regulations, though directed towards “tax shelters,” are broadly written and apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. The Internal Revenue Code imposes significant penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. You should consult your tax advisor concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our stock or securities or transactions that we might undertake directly or indirectly. Moreover, you should be aware that we and other participants in the transactions in which we are involved (including their advisors) might be subject to disclosure or other requirements pursuant to these regulations.
Repurchases. A repurchase of our shares will be treated under Section 302 of the Internal Revenue Code as a taxable dividend (to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits), unless the repurchase satisfies certain tests set forth in Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code enabling the repurchase to be treated as a sale or exchange of our shares. The repurchase will satisfy such test if it (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the stockholder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the stockholder’s stock interest in us, or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the stockholder, all within the meaning of Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. In determining whether any of these tests have been met, shares considered to be owned by the stockholder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Internal Revenue Code, as well as shares actually owned, must generally be taken into account. Because the determination as to whether any of the alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code are satisfied with respect to any particular stockholder will depend upon the facts and circumstances existing at the time the determination is made, prospective stockholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors to determine such tax treatment. If a repurchase of our shares is treated as a distribution that is taxable as dividend, the amount of the distribution would be measured by the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received by the stockholders. The stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in such repurchased shares would be transferred to the stockholder’s remaining stockholdings in us. If, however, the stockholder has no remaining stockholdings in us, such basis may, under certain circumstances, be transferred to a related person or it may be lost entirely.
Liquidating Distributions. Once we have adopted (or are deemed to have adopted) a plan of liquidation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, liquidating distributions received by a U.S. stockholder with respect to our shares will be treated first as a recovery of the stockholder’s basis in the shares (computed separately for each block of shares) and thereafter as gain from the disposition of our shares. In general, the U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to REITs likely will require us to complete our liquidation within 24 months following our adoption of a plan of liquidation. Compliance with this 24 month requirement could require us to distribute unsold assets to a “liquidating trust.” Each stockholder would be treated as receiving a liquidating distribution equal to the value of the liquidating trust interests received by the stockholder. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of ownership of an interest in any such liquidating trust would differ materially from the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in our shares, including the potential incurrence of income treated as UBTI for tax-exempt stockholders.
Medicare tax on unearned income. Certain U.S. stockholders who are individuals, estates or trusts are required to pay an additional 3.8% tax on, among other things, dividends on and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of stock. U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this legislation on their ownership and disposition of our shares.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders
In general, non-U.S. stockholders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our shares. In cases where a non-U.S. stockholder’s investment in our shares is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, dividend income received in respect of our shares and gain from the sale of our shares generally will be “effectively connected income” (“ECI”) subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates in the same manner as if the non-U.S. stockholder were a U.S. stockholder, and such dividend income may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax (subject to possible reduction under a treaty) on the income after the application of the income tax in the case of a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation. Additionally, non-U.S. stockholders that are nonresident alien individuals who are present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and have a “tax home” in the U.S. are subject to a 30% withholding tax on their capital gains. The remaining discussion below assumes the dividends and gain generated in respect of our shares is not effectively connected to a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. stockholder and that the non-U.S. stockholder is not present in the U.S. for more than 183 days during any taxable year.
FIRPTA
Under FIRPTA, gains from USRPIs are treated as ECI subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates in the same manner as if the non-U.S. stockholder were a U.S. stockholder (and potentially branch profits tax to non-U.S. corporations), and will generate return filing obligations in the United States for such non-U.S. stockholders. USRPIs for purposes of FIRPTA generally include interests in real property located in the United States and loans that provide the lender with a participation in the profits, gains, appreciation (or similar arrangements) of real property located in the United States. Loans secured by real property located in the United States that do not provide the lender with a participation in profits, gains, appreciation (or similar arrangements) of the real property are generally not treated as USRPIs.
In addition, stock of a domestic corporation (including a REIT such as us) will be a USRPI if at least 50% of its real property assets and assets used in a trade or business are USRPIs at any time during a prescribed testing period. Notwithstanding the foregoing rule, our shares will not be a USRPI (i) if we are “domestically-controlled”, (ii) if our shares owned are of a class that is regularly traded on an established securities market and the selling non-U.S. stockholder owned, actually or constructively, 10% or less of our outstanding stock of that class at all times during a specified testing period (generally the lesser of the five year period ending on the date of disposition or the period of our existence), (iii) with respect to a selling non-U.S. stockholder that is a “qualified shareholder” (as described below) or (iv) with respect to a selling non-U.S. stockholder that is a “qualified foreign pension fund” (as described below). A domestically controlled REIT is a REIT in which, at all times during a specified testing period (generally the lesser of the five year period ending on the date of disposition of the REIT’s shares of stock or the period of the REIT’s existence), less than 50% in value of its outstanding shares of stock is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. persons.
Our shares are not currently traded on an established securities market. We also cannot assure you that we will be domestically-controlled at all times in the future. Thus, we cannot assure you that our shares are not or will not become a USRPI in the future.
Ordinary Dividends
The portion of dividends received by non-U.S. stockholders payable out of our earnings and profits that are not attributable to gains from sales or exchanges of USRPIs will generally be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty. Under some treaties, however, lower rates generally applicable to dividends do not apply to dividends from REITs. In addition, any portion of the dividends paid to non-U.S. stockholders that are treated as excess inclusion income will not be eligible for exemption from the 30% withholding tax or a reduced treaty rate.
Non-Dividend Distributions
A non-U.S. stockholder should not incur tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if the excess portion of the distribution does not exceed the adjusted basis of its stock. Instead, the excess portion of the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of that stock. A non-U.S. stockholder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a distribution that exceeds both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the adjusted basis of its stock unless our stock constitutes a USRPI. If our stock is a USRPI, distributions in excess of both our earnings and the non-U.S. stockholder’s basis in our stock will be treated as ECI subject to U.S. federal income tax. Regardless of whether the distribution exceeds basis, we will be required to withhold 15% of any distributions to non-U.S. stockholders in excess of our current year and accumulated earnings (i.e., including distributions that represent a return of the non-U.S. stockholder’s tax basis in our stock). The withheld amounts will be credited against any U.S. tax liability of the non-U.S. stockholder, and may be refundable to the extent such withheld amounts exceed the stockholder’s actual U.S. federal income tax liability. Even in the event our stock is not a USRPI, we may choose to withhold on the entire amount of any distribution at the same rate as we would withhold on a dividend because we may not be able to determine at the time we make a distribution whether or not the distribution will exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits. However, a non-U.S. stockholder may obtain a refund of amounts that we withhold if we later determine that a distribution in fact exceeded our current and accumulated earnings and profits, to the extent such withheld amounts exceed the stockholder’s actual U.S. federal income tax liability.