UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
ANNUAL
REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
(Mark One) |
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 |
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or |
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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For the transition period from to |
Commission file number 001-32290
GMH Communities Trust
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Maryland |
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201181390 |
(State or other jurisdiction of |
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
incorporation or organization) |
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10 Campus Boulevard |
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Newtown Square, Pennsylvania |
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19073 |
(Address of principal executive offices) |
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(Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (610) 355-8000
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
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Name of each exchange on which registered |
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest, |
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New York Stock Exchange |
$0.001 par value per share |
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title
of Class)
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No x
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of accelerated filer and large accelerated filer in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer o Accelerated filer x Non-accelerated filer o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
The aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrants most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 30, 2006), was $547,315,290.
The number of common shares of beneficial interest of the registrant outstanding as of March 15, 2007 was 41,567,146 shares.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None.
GMH COMMUNITIES
TRUST
INDEX TO FORM 10-K
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ii |
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PART I |
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Business |
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1 |
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30 |
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55 |
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56 |
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58 |
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59 |
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60 |
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63 |
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Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
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64 |
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92 |
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93 |
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Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure |
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131 |
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131 |
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135 |
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136 |
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141 |
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Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters |
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161 |
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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence |
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164 |
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167 |
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PART IV |
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169 |
i
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Our disclosure and analysis in this document and in the documents that are or will be incorporated by reference into this document contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future events, including, among other things, operating or financial performance, strategic plans and objectives, or regulatory or competitive environments. Statements regarding the following subjects are forward-looking by their nature:
· our ability to successfully implement our current business strategy, including our ability to acquire and manage student housing properties and to secure and operate military housing privatization projects;
· our projected operating results and financial condition;
· completion of any of our targeted acquisitions or development projects, sales of assets, refinancings or joint venture transactions within our expected timeframe or at all;
· our ability to obtain future financing arrangements on terms acceptable to us, or at all;
· estimates relating to, and our ability to pay, future dividends;
· our ability to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes;
· our understanding of our competition, market opportunities and trends;
· projected timing and amounts of capital expenditures;
· our ability to successfully implement remedial measures that will effectively address any deficiencies that have been identified with respect to our disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting; and
· the impact of technology on our properties, operations and business.
The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account the information currently available to us. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our managements current expectations include, but are not limited to:
· the factors referenced in the sections of this report titled Our Business, Risk Factors and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations;
· changes in our business strategy, including acquisition, sales, and development activities;
· availability, terms and deployment of capital, including equity and debt financing;
· availability of qualified and/or sufficient personnel, including, but not limited, within our accounting staff;
· failure to effectively remediate any deficiencies or material weaknesses in our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, including through the implementation of such measures as discussed in the section of this report titled Controls and Procedures under Part II, Item 9A of this report, or failure to identify additional material weaknesses and deficiencies
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in our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting that could occur in the future;
· the adverse effects of pending litigation or any investigation of the Company by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC;
· unanticipated costs associated with the acquisition and integration of our student housing property acquisitions and development projects, and military housing privatization projects;
· the effects of military base realignment and closures, or deployments, on installations covered by our military housing privatization projects;
· high leverage on the entities that own the military housing privatization projects;
· reductions in government military spending;
· changes in student population enrollment at colleges and universities or adverse trends in the off-campus student housing market;
· changes in the student and military housing industry, interest rates or the general economy;
· changes in local real estate conditions (including changes in rental rates and the number of competing properties) and the degree and nature of our competition;
· failure to lease unoccupied space in accordance with managements projections;
· potential liability under environmental or other laws; and
· the existence of complex regulations relating to our status as a REIT and the adverse consequences of our failure to qualify as a REIT.
When we use the words believe, expect, may, potential, anticipate, estimate, plan, will, could, intend or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent otherwise required by law.
iii
PART I
GMH Communities Trust commenced operations on November 2, 2004, upon completion of its initial public offering and the simultaneous acquisition of the sole general partnership interest in GMH Communities, LP, referred to throughout this report as our operating partnership. Any historical operations prior to completion of our initial public offering that are described in this report refer to the operations of College Park Management, Inc., GMH Military Housing, LLC, 353 Associates, L.P., and Corporate Flight Services, LLC, which are collectively referred to, together with our operating partnership, as The GMH Predecessor Entities or our predecessor entities. In connection with our formation transactions completed prior to and simultaneously with completion of our initial public offering, the interests in The GMH Predecessor Entities were contributed to our operating partnership as described in Note 1 of the financial statements included in this report.
We are a self-advised, self-managed, specialty housing company that focuses on providing housing to college and university students residing off-campus and to members of the U.S. military and their families. Through our operating partnership, we own and operate our student housing properties and own equity interests in joint ventures that own our military housing privatization projects. Generally, we provide through our taxable REIT subsidiaries the development, construction, renovation and management services for our military housing privatization projects and property management services for student housing properties owned by others. In addition, through our operating partnership, we provide consulting services with respect to the management of certain student housing properties owned by others, including colleges, universities and other private owners. We are one of the leading providers of housing, lifestyle and community solutions for students and members of the U.S. military and their families.
As of December 31, 2006, we owned or had ownership interests in 77 student housing properties, containing a total of 14,432 units and 46,696 beds. We also owned seven undeveloped or partially developed parcels of land held for development as student housing properties, and we managed a total of 18 student housing properties owned by others, containing a total of 3,053 units and 9,900 beds, as well as 51 units and 279 beds currently under construction.
With respect to our military housing segment, as of December 31, 2006, our operating partnership had an ownership interest in, and through various wholly-owned subsidiaries operated, nine military housing privatization projects, comprising an aggregate of approximately 17,489 end-state housing units on 21 military bases. End-state housing units are the housing units, including units subject to new construction and existing units, whether or not subject to renovation, that are approved for completion and management by the end of the initial development period, or IDP, for the project. On October 23, 2006, we announced that we had been chosen by the Department of the Army to design, construct and manage two single soldier housing projects, located at Fort Bliss and Fort Stewart. These two projects are among the first of unaccompanied housing privatization awards made by the Army. On November 30, 2006, we announced the expansion of our Fort Carson project, covering an additional 396 end-state housing units over an existing inventory of 2,664 end-state housing units, and having a three-year IDP with total project costs estimated at $124 million. In addition, on February 6, 2007, we closed on our AETC Group I project with the Department of the Air Force, a military housing privatization project covering four bases and 2,875 end-state housing units. The AETC Group I project represents our first military housing project with the Department of the Air Force. Also, on February 26, 2007, we announced that we were selected by the Department of the Navy to enter into exclusive negotiations for the design, construction, management and maintenance of the military family housing at 11 Southeast Region Navy bases in five states. The 50-year term of the Navy Southeast project is expected to commence with a six-year IDP that is valued in excess of $700 million and covering approximately 5,501 end-state housing units. On March 8, 2007, we also
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announced that we were selected by the Department of the Army to enter into exclusive negotiations for the family housing privatization project at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, which is expected to have a five-year IDP with project costs valued in excess of $160 million and cover 628 end-state housing units.
GMH Communities Trust was formed in May 2004 to continue and expand upon the student and military housing businesses of our predecessor entities and other affiliated entities, collectively referred to as GMH Associates. GMH Associates was founded in 1985 principally to acquire, develop and manage commercial and residential real estate, focusing on student housing. Beginning in 1999, GMH Associates also competed for the award of contracts to develop, construct, renovate and manage housing units for members of the U.S. military and their families, referred to as military housing privatization projects.
We seek to capitalize on the highly fragmented student housing market at colleges and universities and the related need for quality and affordable off-campus, privately owned student housing. Focusing on this opportunity, we have, and prior to our formation, GMH Associates had, acquired or entered into joint ventures that acquired student housing properties strategically located near college or university campuses. In addition, we have continued to expand upon the military housing business developed by GMH Associates and to seek the award of additional military housing privatization projects granted by the Department of Defense, or DoD, under the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act.
We elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2004, and intend to continue to qualify as a REIT. We perform certain management and other services relating to student and military housing, which if performed directly by a REIT could adversely affect its qualification as a REIT, through our taxable REIT subsidiaries, GMH Military Housing, LLC and College Park Management TRS, Inc. A taxable REIT subsidiary is an entity, taxed as a corporation, in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds shares and which makes a joint election with the REIT to be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary of the REIT. Taxable REIT subsidiaries are generally subject to federal income taxation in the same manner as regular corporations and not as REITs. The extent to which a REIT can conduct its operations through a taxable REIT subsidiary is limited by provisions of the Code, which require that (i) dividends from a taxable REIT subsidiary, together with other nonqualifying gross income of the REIT, constitute not more than 25% of the REITs gross income in any taxable year and (ii) securities issued by taxable REIT subsidiaries represent not more than 20% of the value of the REITs total assets as of the close of any quarter of a taxable year of the REIT.
Our Internet address is www.gmhcommunities.com. We make available free of charge on or through our website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it, to the SEC. Our Internet website and the information contained therein or connected thereto do not constitute a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In December 2006, we announced that our management expected to implement a business strategy in 2007 that would involve the sale, refinancing and/or entrance into a joint venture covering a number of our currently-owned student housing properties. The proceeds from these transactions will be used to repay outstanding indebtedness under our line of credit with Wachovia Bank, which has an initial maturity date of June 1, 2007. In connection with this business strategy, we completed the refinancing of four of our currently-owned student housing properties in February 2007, for a total of $90 million in new 10-year mortgage debt at a fixed interest rate of 5.6%. We used the net proceeds from this refinancing to pay down $73.6 million in outstanding borrowings under our line of credit, which resulted in the replacement of the indebtedness under the line of credit that was carrying a variable LIBOR-based interest rate of 7.32% as of
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the date of the refinancing. Immediately following this transaction, we had approximately $138 million in remaining borrowings outstanding under our line of credit.
As of the date of this report, we had executed letters of intent to sell seven of our currently-owned student housing properties, as well as a non-binding letter of intent with a third party institutional investor to form a joint venture that will cover an additional six of our currently-owned student housing properties. For more information on our properties that are subject to these letters of intent, see Item 2 of this report titled Properties. Although these transactions were still in the due diligence phase as of the date of this report, and we have not executed binding agreements, we currently expect to complete them during the second quarter of 2007. The proceeds from these transactions also will be used to repay outstanding indebtedness under our line of credit. Based on the terms provided under these letters of intent, we expect to receive a sufficient amount of net proceeds from these transactions to pay down the remainder of our outstanding indebtedness under our line of credit.
Overview
Through its development, redevelopment and strategic acquisitions of student housing properties, directly and indirectly through joint ventures, our management team has led GMH Communities Trust to become, as measured by our internal competitive analysis estimates, one of the largest private operators of off-campus housing for college and university students in the U.S.
We seek to acquire and manage high quality student housing properties strategically located near college or university campuses and other points of interest, such as restaurants or other nightlife destinations that cater to students. The properties we seek to acquire and manage include town homes and high-rise, mid-rise and garden-style apartment complexes. The amenities we offer residents vary by property, but include many of those commonly sought by students, such as private bedrooms and bathrooms, high quality student furnishings, cable television, wired and wireless high speed Internet access, a washer and dryer in each unit, fitness centers, swimming pools, computer centers, study rooms and game rooms. Additionally, we strive to create attractive environments for our residents by providing, among other things, student housing employees living on-site as well as 24-hour maintenance and emergency services. Although we target student residents, a small percentage of our residents are non-students.
We believe there are substantial opportunities to acquire and manage off-campus student housing. Currently, the student housing market is highly fragmented and primarily served by local property owners. In addition, a significant number of existing student housing properties are obsolete, creating demand by students for high quality housing and premium services. We also believe that, because of the structural and functional obsolescence of many existing on-campus and off-campus student housing properties, future opportunities may exist to establish joint ventures with colleges and universities to manage, lease, renovate or develop on- and off-campus student housing, although we have not yet entered into any such arrangements. Opportunities may exist for us to participate in these arrangements through the ownership or leasing of properties or otherwise.
We believe that the student housing industry has been under managed to date, and that the key factors in the successful execution of our business plan include, among other things, the provision of high quality student housing with a high degree of customer interaction, the implementation of well-managed marketing, leasing, maintenance, retention and collection programs for our properties and the ability to incentivize our management by empowering them to achieve specific objectives.
We will only consider opportunities for those types of arrangements in the student housing business that are consistent with our ability to maintain our status as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. In order to qualify as a REIT, a specified percentage of our gross income must be derived from certain
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sources, including rents from real property (and generally excluding income from the operation of non-rental related assets).
Strategy
From a growth perspective, our strategy in the student housing business is to acquire, own and effectively manage a diverse portfolio of attractive and high quality off-campus student housing properties located near college and university campuses throughout the U.S. We focus on owning and operating primarily garden-style apartment complexes, as well as town homes, and high-rise and mid-rise apartment complexes. Our operational strategy is to manage our own student housing properties, as well as those we manage for colleges, universities and private owners, with a focus on catering to the college and university student, whose needs and lifestyle differ greatly from the needs and lifestyle of a typical apartment resident. We implement these strategies as follows:
Target select properties/markets. We seek to acquire and manage high quality student housing properties strategically located near college or university campuses and other points of interest, such as restaurants or other nightlife destinations that cater to students. We specifically target those acquisition sites that are located near colleges or universities with a student enrollment of at least 5,000, where the college or university is a primary driver of the local economy and where there is a shortage of existing modern student housing. We seek to identify properties in student housing markets with high barriers to entry and provide strong growth opportunities. We typically target sites within approximately two miles of the college or university campus. Our management team has found that most students prefer to live within a narrowly-defined geographic radius around a particular college or university campus because it provides students with the feeling of being a part of the campus community and also shortens students commutes to and from classes. We also believe that we have identified a trend of students, particularly upperclassmen, wanting to live near entertainment venues near campus, such as restaurants or nightlife destinations. In order to capitalize on this trend, we intend not only to seek to acquire and manage premium student housing properties strategically located near college or university campuses, but also those properties close to other points of interest close to campus.
We believe that many of the local satellite campuses of large, state-funded colleges and universities have significant growth potential as the main campuses of these institutions begin to cap the number of students accepted. These caps on student enrollment at large, state-funded institutions also have had a positive effect on campus enrollment at competing colleges and universities located near these institutions.
Given our management teams experience in and knowledge of the student housing market, we believe that we have developed a solid foundation upon which to identify, evaluate and acquire high quality properties in the future. We believe that our size and financial strength gives us a competitive advantage over smaller, less established competitors in our target markets.
Deliver full range of high quality product. We seek to acquire and manage modern, state-of-the-art town homes and high-rise, mid-rise and garden-style apartments that are tailored to the student lifestyle. The typical design layout of a housing unit consists of one to four bedrooms, with a complementary number of bathrooms, centered around a common area consisting of a living room, a dining area and a kitchen. In addition to functionality and appearance, we have found that students want to be offered a variety of amenities, similar to those found at typical luxury apartment communities. Amenities such as private bedrooms and high quality furnishings, cable television, wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, a washer and dryer in each unit, fitness centers, swimming pools, computer centers, study rooms and game rooms are found in some combination at all of our properties. We also employ student housing personnel that live on-site and provide our residents with 24-hour resident services, including maintenance and emergency services.
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Our message to prospective student residents is that our properties provide a home-like environment with state-of-the-art technological capabilities and amenities and services designed to maximize their college or university experience. In our marketing efforts, we convey the message that living at one of our properties, unlike a typical apartment property, is like becoming a part of a small community within the larger college or university community. To this end, we offer regular events at our properties, such as athletic competitions, including volleyball and basketball tournaments, battle of the bands nights and non-alcoholic social events. We also offer prospective residents a roommate matching program, where students wishing to find roommates provide us with their background information, including their likes and dislikes, so that our property staff may attempt to match these individuals with compatible roommates.
Each of our properties is managed, leased and maintained by an experienced staff of on-site employees. These employees are available to our student residents around the clock to provide routine maintenance service or to assist in emergencies. We also employ regional vice presidents who are responsible for coordinating the operations of our properties within each of their respective regions. Our management team works closely with the college and university housing and development staffs near our properties to ensure that the needs of students, parents and the institutions are being met throughout the year. For example, our management team coordinates with colleges and universities to provide students with access, where available, to the college or university computer network from each propertys computer room or from student apartment units, and to become an approved provider of student housing for the local college or university.
We have developed specific management systems that are designed to optimize student housing operations and to maintain the value of our properties. These systems include implementing standard lease terms that generally require parental guarantees, making frequent and regular apartment inspections conducted during the course of the lease term, and maintaining and distributing a price list to our residents for any property damages incurred during the lease term and thereby incentivizing students to maintain their units. Two exceptions for which we generally do not seek parental guarantees include leases with international students, due to the high burden of obtaining or collecting on guarantees from parents of students who are not located in the U.S., and leases with residents who provide evidence of satisfactory personal income.
Superior execution of operations. We utilize dynamic, professional marketing services primarily to create web- and Internet-based applications to market and make information about us and our properties easily accessible to students, and initiate word-of-mouth campaigns to attract student residents. Recognizing the importance of the Internet, we have an individualized website dedicated for each of our student housing properties containing information about each property, amenities and services available at each property and pricing and leasing information. To a lesser degree, we also advertise through more traditional media, such as radio and print, particularly focusing on media such as student-run newspapers that target the student market.
The support of colleges and universities is beneficial to the continued success of our off-campus properties and, to this end, we actively seek to have these institutions recommend our properties to their students. Specifically, we attempt to enter into informal arrangements with colleges and universities to have them include information about certain off-campus properties that we manage on their home pages and to have them provide direct hyperlinks to these properties websites, in addition to distributing brochures relating to these properties. We currently have arrangements with several educational institutions that provide their students with informational materials directing them to our properties. In cases where colleges and universities do not offer active recommendations for our off-campus housing, most nonetheless provide lists of suitable off-campus properties to their students. We continually work to ensure that our properties are on these lists in each of the markets that we serve.
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Many of our properties are all-inclusive, meaning that we attempt to simplify the bill-paying process by including all costs associated with living at our properties, including water, electricity, gas, cable services and Internet services, in one monthly rental check to be paid to us by students or their parents. We limit our exposure to excessive utility bills from residents by setting a reasonable limit on how much we will pay per resident per month for a particular utility, such as water or electricity. If a residents monthly bill for a utility exceeds the set limit, the excess cost may be charged to the resident on a subsequent bill.
In addition to our streamlined bill-payment system, we believe that our method of leasing is attractive to student residents and their parents. Under a traditional apartment lease, housing units are leased by the unit, and, therefore, all residents living in a particular unit are responsible for any liabilities of their roommates. We circumvent this situation by typically leasing our housing units by the bed, not the unit. As a result, students in our properties are contractually responsible for making only payments associated with their individual or pro-rata use of the unit.
We seek to maximize income by operating at a high level of efficiency through intensive management and prudent capital expenditures. In addition, property acquisitions in our target markets should permit us to increase student awareness of our properties through our cross-marketing programs, gain economies of scale by enabling us to consolidate management and leasing services and reduce costs of capital goods, supplies, furniture and other goods and services bought in bulk.
Student Leases
Our property leases typically contain the following terms:
· a 12-month lease term (rent payable in equal monthly installments);
· rent payments typically include charges for all amenities provided at the property, such as basic cable, Internet service, a fitness center, a swimming pool and usually parking, or some combination of these, and in many instances unit interior charges for utilities such as water, gas, sewer and electric, subject to a monthly utility cap per unit;
· a guarantee by parents or legal guardians, relating to, among other things, the amounts payable under the lease, unless a resident can provide evidence of satisfactory personal income, or international residence status;
· require that residents pay a security deposit and/or a non-refundable move-in fee. The deposit is applied against any damages to the unit caused by the resident (including furnishings and household items in the unit). Residents and their lease guarantors also are required to assume personal responsibility for any damages caused to a unit or common areas of a property;
· restrictions on the subletting of units without our prior written consent;
· lease default provisions in the event of failure to pay rent when due, breach of any covenant contained in the lease or abandonment of the unit; and
· extensive rules and regulations governing the property and the behavior of residents in order to ensure effective controls.
Lease Administration and Marketing Systems
We believe we are an industry leader in identifying and implementing solutions to improve the on-site decision-making processes of local management at each of the college and university communities where we either own or manage properties. We continue to focus on student housing information technology innovations, including customizing web-based applications designed to reduce operating costs, reacting
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quickly to frequent leasing and market changes and improving real-time operating information and services to student residents.
We have implemented state-of-the-art, real time systems that provide for on-line resident applications, on-line work orders and facilities management and occupancy reporting. We also have an on-line payment system which is currently being used to facilitate all credit card payments at most of our student housing properties. These exclusive systems have dramatically improved the efficiency of our operations and have improved services to an increasingly tech-savvy student market.
Additionally, we have created a web-based infrastructure designed to standardize systems and procedures to improve data tracking at all levels within our student housing business. These systems provide us with real-time access to customized data management tools that track leasing, occupancy, expenditures and purchases through national accounts, and with other e-business solutions designed to improve the speed and accuracy of our property management services.
Market Opportunity
The Student Housing Market
Demographic patterns and trends in education over the past several years suggest that there are an increasing number of college-aged individuals and an increasing number of students enrolling in colleges and universities in the U.S. According to a 2005 report by the U.S. Department of Educations National Center for Educational and Statistics or NCES, fall enrollment at four-year institutions of higher education in the U.S. is expected to increase from the 17.3 million students that were enrolled in 2004 to 19.5 million in 2014.
The major catalyst for projected enrollment increases, and subsequent student housing demand in the near future, will be the growth in the college-aged population represented by the Echo Boom generation, which is made up of the sons and daughters of the Baby Boomer generation, and is equal in size to the Baby Boomer generation. While the Baby Boomers are nearing retirement, much of the Echo Boom generation, which was born between 1977 and 1997, is entering, or has yet to enter, adulthood. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2003, 4.0 million Americans turned 18; by 2010, that number will peak at 4.4 million and remain above 4.0 million annually for some time thereafter.
The impact of demographic changes on college enrollment levels will not be felt equally across all states. During the past decade, the fastest growth of post-secondary enrollment has been concentrated primarily in the Rocky Mountain States and the Sunbelt, which consists of the Southeast and Southwest portions of the U.S. The Sunbelt, Pacific and Northeast regions of the U.S. are projected to be the fastest growing regions in college enrollment between 2000 and 2010, fueled by above average growth projections, in the young adult population in these regions.
Among individual states, California, Florida, Texas and New York are projected to have the four largest populations of 18 to 24 year-olds during the next decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus April 2005 projections. We expect these states will continue to serve as major immigration gateways, which also should bolster future demographic and accompanying college enrollment growth well into the future. These four states are forecasted to experience the greatest absolute increase in college enrollment. Rounding out the top ten states with the highest absolute population growth projections for 18 to 24 year-olds are North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Arizona, Georgia and Washington. As of December 31, 2006, more than 38% of our student housing properties were located in these top 10 states.
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As of December 31, 2006 and based on the U.S. Census Bureaus April 2005 projections, the states in which we owned properties were projected to experience an average growth of 11.9% in the 18 to 24 year-old population, which is an average of 84,221 persons between 2000 and 2010.
We believe that these projected increases in the 18 to 24 year-old population and in college student enrollment will place a greater demand on off-campus student housing. While both on- and off-campus student housing markets will compete for these additional students, we believe that existing on-campus properties will be at a disadvantage because, according to NCES data, those properties tend to be older units that have not been sufficiently expanded, renovated or modernized to meet students increasing needs and expectations.
Highly Fragmented Ownership of Student Housing Properties
The student housing market is highly fragmented, and consolidation in the industry has been limited. Based upon our internal competitive analysis estimates, we believe that there are fewer than 12 firms that own a multi-regional network of off-campus student housing properties and have the ability to offer an integrated range of specialized student housing services, including design, construction and financing.
Our management experience suggests that none of the specialized student housing firms dominates a particular region. Instead, they each seek to maintain a presence in multiple markets with large student populations. Therefore, most are active in the same markets, particularly Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, due primarily to the presence of large state university systems that allow developers and operators to take advantage of economies of scale. In contrast, the Northeast, Southwest and Pacific Northwest are three regions in which small, local owner-operators have significant market share.
Status of the On-Campus Student Housing Market
As student enrollment increases, we believe that one of the biggest challenges facing many colleges and universities is an antiquated student housing infrastructure. In addition to the need for additional housing to accommodate an expanding student population, universities must also deal with the problems of maintaining, refurbishing and marketing their aging existing inventory. Many schools have undertaken large-scale renovations and others are under pressure to follow suit to stay competitive. In addition to significant cosmetic upgrades, outdated heating and plumbing systems and roofs and windows are being replaced in many on-campus housing facilities. In some cases, institutions are finding that the costs of renovations are often prohibitive and are opting to take existing facilities out of service, thereby creating a greater demand for off-campus student housing.
In addition, various amenities that used to be considered rare luxuries in the student housing industry, such as kitchens, private bedrooms and bathrooms, Internet connectivity and cable television systems, and a washer and dryer in each unit, are now more common and increasingly becoming a factor in a students housing and university selection.
In addition to increasing costs associated with the renovation of existing on-campus student housing by colleges and universities, budget deficits or budget restrictions are affecting the amount of funds available to colleges and universities for education, thereby limiting states abilities to increase funding for student housing projects. According to the Center for the Study of Education Policy, state appropriations for higher education have been decreasing consistently. Each states ability to boost post secondary education spending, while simultaneously handling the strain on health care budgets from a rapidly aging population and increasing funding to primary and secondary education, remains to be seen. Traditionally, both health care and primary education have taken precedence over higher education for political reasons. Based on information provided by the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities, we believe it is unlikely that states will have enough money to fund all programs completely. As a result of
8
these trends in state budgets, we believe public universities finances are straining their capacity to fund significant capital projects such as student housing.
Supply of Student Housing
Based upon current projections of enrollment growth, we believe that colleges and universities will be unable to meet the increase in student housing demand with traditional on-campus housing, thereby creating incremental demand for off-campus student housing. Furthermore, our management experience suggests that college and university students increasingly prefer to live in modern, off-campus housing that provides greater privacy and modern amenities, rather than live in on-campus dormitories. Consequently, we believe colleges and universities are turning to private sector developers to bridge the gap between demand for on- and off-campus housing and their ability to provide additional on-campus housing from their own capital resources.
We expect new construction and development by colleges and universities, various commercial developers, real estate companies and other owners of real estate that are engaged in the construction and development of student housing to compete with us in meeting the anticipated increased demand in student housing over the next 10 years. The development and construction of new student housing properties is extremely capital intensive. Since leases are typically executed for an August or September delivery, construction delays can cause late completion and jeopardize rents for an entire year. As a result, we are pursuing several development opportunities in high barrier-to-entry markets, but we intend to focus our efforts on acquiring existing properties or acquiring newly constructed properties from third party developers in our target markets.
We believe that we are well-positioned to capitalize on the projected shortage of student housing in the U.S. due to our managements experience in the student housing industry, the economies of scale afforded by our size, our access to capital for the acquisition of additional student housing, our high quality student housing product and our systems designed to optimize student housing operations.
Management Services
As of December 31, 2006, we managed all of the student housing properties owned by us and 18 student housing properties not owned by us. We manage the student housing properties not owned by us through our taxable REIT subsidiary, College Park Management TRS, Inc. For more information regarding the properties we manage for others, see the section of this report under Part IItem 2 titled Properties.
Investment Criteria
In analyzing proposed student housing acquisitions, we consider various factors including, among others, the following:
· the ability to increase rent and maximize cash flow from the student housing properties under consideration;
· whether the student housing properties are accretive, or will become accretive, to our per share financial performance measures;
· the terms of existing or proposed leases, including a comparison of current or proposed rents and market rents;
· the creditworthiness of the student residents and/or parent guarantors;
· local demographics and college and university enrollment trends, and the occupancy of and demand for similar properties in the market area, specifically population and rental trends;
· the ability to efficiently lease or sublease any unoccupied rentable space;
9
· the expected capital improvements to be made to the property and the ability of the student housing property to achieve long-term capital appreciation;
· the ability of the student housing property to produce free cash flow for distribution to our shareholders;
· the age and projected residual value of the student housing property;
· the location of the property, including its proximity to a colleges or universitys main campus or other academic buildings, as well as athletic and other entertainment venues frequented by students;
· the opportunity to expand our network of relationships with colleges and universities as well as other strategic firms; and
· potential effect on our REIT status.
Underwriting Process
We have designed our underwriting strategy to enable us to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns to our shareholders. Our acquisition selection process includes several factors, including a comprehensive analysis of the propertys profitability, financial trends in a propertys revenues and expenses, barriers to competition, the need in a propertys market for the type of student housing services provided by the property, the strength of the location of a property and the underlying value of a property. We also analyze the operating history of each property, including the propertys earnings, cash flow, occupancy, student mix and anticipated capital improvements, to evaluate its financial and operating strength.
In addition, as part of our due diligence process, we obtain and evaluate title, environmental and other customary third-party reports. Currently, our acquisition/development policy generally requires the approval of our Board of Trustees for all acquisitions and development projects, including acquisitions through joint venture structures, regardless of valuation.
Competition
We compete with other owners, operators and managers of off-campus student housing in a number of markets. The largest of these competitors are Education Realty Trust (NYSE: EDR) and American Campus Communities, Inc. (NYSE: ACC), each of which are national, publicly-traded companies focused on growing their student housing businesses. We also compete in a number of markets with smaller national and regional companies, such as the following: Place Properties, First Worthing, Ambling Companies, Campus Advantage, The Dinerstein Companies, JPI Student Living, The Preiss Company, Paradigm Properties and University Housing Group. In addition, we compete on a highly localized basis with substantial numbers of small, local owner-operators. Currently, the student housing industry is highly fragmented, with no participant holding a dominant market share on a national level. The entry of one or more additional national or regional companies could increase competition for students and for the acquisition, management and development of student housing properties.
There are various on- and off-campus student housing complexes that compete directly with us located near or in the same general vicinity of many of our current and targeted properties. We also are subject to competition for students from on-campus housing operated by colleges and universities, other public authorities and privately-held firms. We also are subject to competition for the acquisition of off-campus student housing with other existing local, regional and national owners and operators of student housing. Further, we generally believe that the pace and size of acquisitions in the real estate industry have increased significantly over the past 10 years. Consequently, prices have generally increased while return on invested capital has fallen.
10
Overview
In order to address poor housing quality, a significant backlog of repairs and rehabilitations to its military housing units on and near bases, and a shortage of affordable, quality private housing available to members of the U.S. military and their families, Congress included the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, or MHPI, in the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act. Under the MHPI, the DoD was granted the authority to award projects to private-sector companies to develop, construct, renovate and manage military housing. Since 1996, according to statistics available on the DoDs website as of March 9, 2007, the U.S. military has awarded to private companies long-term agreements and rights to exclusively negotiate agreements with the U.S. military for 78 domestic projects containing, in the aggregate, a total of 160,366 end-state housing units. The DoD has targeted another 41 domestic projects containing an additional 36,674 end-state housing units that have yet to be awarded by Congress, and agreements for the related development, construction, renovation and management services for these additional projects. According to the DoD, the previously awarded privatization projects and projects under exclusive negotiations, together with these additional targeted projects, reflect the opportunity to develop, construct, renovate and manage a total of 197,040 end-state housing units.
As of December 31, 2006, our operating partnership held an ownership interest in, and operated, through various wholly-owned subsidiaries, nine military housing privatization projects at the Department of the Armys Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, Fort Carson, Fort Hamilton, Fort Eustis, Fort Story, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Fort Detrick, Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range, Fort Gordon, Carlisle Barracks/Picatinny Arsenal, and eight Navy bases. We refer to these nine projects as the Stewart Hunter project, the Fort Carson project, the Fort Hamilton project, the Fort Eustis/Fort Story project, the Walter Reed/Fort Detrick project, the Fort Bliss/White Sands Missile Range project, the Fort Gordon project, the Carlisle/Picatinny project and the Navy Northeast Region project, respectively. These projects in operation covered 21 domestic bases located in 12 states and Washington D.C., and we expect them to contain approximately 17,489 end-state housing units once full development, construction and renovation have been completed for all the projects.
In addition to our projects in operation at year-end, on February 6, 2007, we officially closed on the award of our AETC Group I project with the Department of the Air Force, which covers four bases and 2,875 end-state housing units. Also, during the fourth quarter of 2006, the Army selected us to design, construct and manage single soldier housing at Fort Bliss and Fort Stewart, which represent among the first of unaccompanied housing privatization projects awarded by the Army to date and are expected to cover an aggregate of up to 840 end-state housing units. We currently expect to close on the award of these two unaccompanied housing privatization projects before the end of 2007.
In addition, on February 26, 2007, we announced that we were selected by the Department of the Navy to enter into exclusive negotiations for the design, construction, management and maintenance of the military family housing at 11 Southeast Region Navy bases in five states. The 50-year term of the Navy Southeast project is expected to commence with a six-year initial development period, or IDP, that is valued in excess of $700 million and covering approximately 5,501 end-state housing units. On March 8, 2007, we also announced that we were selected by the Department of the Army to enter into exclusive negotiations for the family housing privatization project at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, which is expected to have a five-year IDP with project costs valued in excess of $160 million and cover 628 end-state housing units.
Each of these military housing privatization projects includes the renovation and management of existing housing units, as well as the development, construction, renovation and management of new units over a 50-year period, which, in the case of the Army, potentially could extend for up to an additional 25 years. The 50-year duration of each project calls for continuing renovation, rehabilitation, demolition and reconstruction of housing units through various predetermined project phases.
11
Some of the bases included in our military housing privatization projects were targeted for closure or realignment as a result of the most recent round of the Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, process, which was initiated in 1988 and reached its fifth and, under current legislation, final round in 2005. On November 9, 2005, the BRAC round was completed when Congress approved the BRAC Commissions recommendations to close the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine and to close the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. Under the final BRAC list, the possible number of affected military housing units covered by our existing projects was 700 end-state housing units, all of which units are located at the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine. We believe that the closure of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center will not result in the loss of end-state housing units, as these housing units are likely to be utilized by personnel in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. In addition to the reduction in end-state housing units resulting from the anticipated closure of the Naval Air Station, we expect that the number of housing units covered at Fort Bliss/White Sands Missile Range projects may increase as a result of base realignments.
We conduct our military development, construction/renovation and management services for all of our projects, other than our most recent AETC Group I project with the Air Force, through our taxable REIT subsidiary, GMH Military Housing, LLC.
Our Military Housing Privatization Projects in Operation as of December 31, 2006
As of December 31, 2006, we had an ownership interest in and operated nine military housing privatization projects. Each of our projects in operation as of December 31, 2006 included the renovation of existing housing units and the construction of new units. The 50-year duration of each project calls for continued renovation, rehabilitation, demolition and reconstruction of the project. The following table provides a summary of the terms of each military housing privatization project in which we owned an interest as of December 31, 2006.
12
Military
Housing Privatization Projects in Operation
as of December 31, 2006
Project Name |
|
|
|
Location |
|
Initial |
|
Initial |
|
Initial |
|
Expected
End-State |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,868 |
|
new units |
|||
Fort Stewart and |
|
Hinesville, GA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,597 |
|
renovated units |
||
Hunter Army Airfield |
|
Savannah, GA |
|
8 years |
|
October 2011 |
|
$358.2 |
|
237 |
|
existing units(3) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,702 |
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
841 |
|
new units |
||
Fort Carson(4) |
|
Colorado Springs, CO |
|
5 years |
|
Completed |
|
Completed |
|
1,823 |
|
renovated units |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,664 |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Fort Carson Expansion |
|
Colorado Springs, CO |
|
3 years |
|
November 2009 |
|
124.3 |
|
396 |
|
new units |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
185 |
|
new units |
||
Fort Hamilton |
|
Brooklyn, NY |
|
3 years |
|
May 2007 |
|
54.9 |
|
43 |
|
renovated units |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
228 |
|
|
||
Walter Reed Army |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
407 |
|
new units |
||
Medical Center/ |
|
Washington, DC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
156 |
|
renovated units |
||
Fort Detrick(5) |
|
Frederick, MD |
|
4 years |
|
June 2008 |
|
89.3 |
|
36 |
|
existing units(3) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
599 |
|
|
|||
Fort Eustis/Fort Story |
|
Newport News, VA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
651 |
|
new units |
||
|
|
Virginia Beach, VA |
|
6 years |
|
February 2011 |
|
167.0 |
|
473 |
|
renovated units |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,124 |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,959 |
|
new units |
||
Fort Bliss/White Sands |
|
El Paso, TX |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,178 |
|
renovated units |
||
Missile Range(6) |
|
Las Cruces, NM |
|
6 years |
|
June 2011 |
|
440.5 |
|
140 |
|
existing units(3) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,277 |
|
|
|||
Navy Northeast |
|
Brunswick, ME; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Region(7) |
|
Kittery, ME; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,251 |
|
new units |
||
|
|
Colts Neck, NJ; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,227 |
|
renovated units |
||
|
|
Lakehurst, NJ |
|
6 years |
|
October 2010 |
|
612.8 |
|
1,786 |
|
existing units(3) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4,264 |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
310 |
|
new units |
||
Fort Gordon |
|
Augusta, GA |
|
6 years |
|
April 2012 |
|
110.5 |
|
577 |
|
renovated units |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
887 |
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
209 |
|
new units |
||
Carlisle/Picatinny |
|
Carlisle, PA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
110 |
|
renovated units |
||
|
|
Dover, NJ |
|
5 years |
|
July 2011 |
|
78.2 |
|
29 |
|
existing units(3) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
348 |
|
|
||
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$2,035.7 |
|
17,489 |
|
|
(1) The first phase of the project, known as the initial development period, covers the period of initial construction or renovation of military housing on a base, typically lasting three to eight years.
(2) As of December 31, 2006, represents estimated total project costs for the initial development period, including closing, development, construction, financing and related costs and excluding estimated capitalized interest associated with the project. These total project costs are determined at the time we and the relevant military branch execute definitive business agreements to commence the project, and may be modified only upon the approval of a formal change order, which may affect the term of the initial development period as well. See also the section of this report titled Risk FactorsRisks Related to our Military Housing Business.
13
(3) These units will not be renovated during the initial development period.
(4) Additional financing for the expansion of the Fort Carson project was completed during the fourth quarter of 2006.
(5) Walter Reed has been designated for closure under BRAC. We believe that the closure will not result in the loss of housing units, as these housing units are likely to be utilized by personnel who will be relocating from Walter Reed to nearby military medical facilities.
(6) We are in discussions with the Department of the Army to review the possibility of expanding the number of end-state housing units covered by this project, which if approved, would likely require the placement of additional debt financing on the project
(7) We are in the process of finalizing plans with the Navy to restructure the terms and debt financing for the Navy Northeast Region project as a result of the (i) anticipated closure of the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, which covers approximately 700 end-state housing units and (ii) need to further reduce the number of end-state housing units for the project overall by an approximate 620 end-state housing units due to changes in area housing market conditions that are affecting occupancy rates for the project. See also the section of this report titled Risk FactorsRisks Related to our Military Housing Business.
Military Housing Privatization Initiative
The MHPI is a program authorized under the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act that allows the DoD to award military housing privatization projects to private sector operators. Under the MHPI, private-sector developers may own, operate, maintain, improve and assume responsibility for housing on U.S. military bases. According to the authority granted to it by the MHPI, the DoD can work with the private sector to revitalize military housing over a 50-year ground lease period by employing a variety of financial tools to obtain private capital to leverage government dollars, make efficient use of limited resources and use a variety of private-sector approaches to build and renovate military housing faster and at a lower cost to U.S. taxpayers.
The MHPI is designed to remedy both the poor condition and shortage of current military housing. According to the DoD, in 1997 it owned approximately 300,000 family housing units, on and off U.S. military bases, and estimated that more than 50% of these units required renovation or replacement as a result of insufficient maintenance or modernization over the previous 30 years. The DoD believes that improving the poor housing conditions as well as the shortage of quality, affordable private housing on military bases will significantly improve the morale and quality of life for members of the U.S. military and their families, thereby boosting retention and enrollment in todays voluntary military forces. The majority of members of the U.S. military and their families live in local communities near U.S. military bases. Most of these members of the U.S. military are enlisted personnel whose salaries are at the lower end of the military pay scale. Their salaries make it difficult for them to find quality, affordable housing within a reasonable commuting distance. Furthermore, many of these communities do not have enough affordable, quality rental housing to accommodate members of the U.S. military and their families. The MHPI provides a creative and effective solution to address the quality housing shortage, and will result in the construction of more housing built to market standards for less money than through the militarys own construction process. Furthermore, traditional military construction requires contractors to adhere to stringent military specifications, which make projects significantly more costly than building to market standards. Commercial construction is both faster and less costly than military construction, and private-sector funds significantly stretch and leverage the DoDs limited housing funds and, at the same time, open the military construction market to a greater number of development firms and stimulate the economy through increased building activity.
Competitive Bidding Process for Military Housing Privatization Projects
In order to implement the MHPI and foster a coordinated approach by the military branches, the DoD created the Housing and Competitive Sourcing Office to develop the legal, financial and operational aspects of the MHPI. Each military branch assesses its own current and future housing requirements, and determines the best course of action necessary for revitalizing inadequate housing units and keeping its housing inventory in good condition. Each military branch also individually assesses the viability of particular privatization projects and makes the final decision whether to privatize housing on a particular
14
base, taking into consideration housing needs and available resources of that branch. Once the military branch and the Office of the Secretary of Defense approve site development, they conduct an industry forum to obtain private-sector input. Though each military branch must follow certain general DoD policy guidelines, each service branch has its own privatization project award program. The solicitation process differs slightly among the various military branches; however, in all cases, a competitive bidding process is the method by which projects are awarded to private-sector developers. Projects are introduced to the private sector through the use of a request for proposal or a request for qualifications. Developers that satisfy the respective military branchs requirements respond with detailed project proposals, and a selection is made from among them. The project winner is awarded the exclusive right to negotiate the final plan, and assuming approval of such final plan, to develop, construct, renovate and manage family housing at a military base, which, based on our experience, is typically for a 50-year period and, in the case of the Army, contains certain extension rights.
Based on our experience, during the exclusivity period for an Army project, which typically lasts between six and 12 months, the project winner initially enters into a contract with the Army pursuant to which it will create a community development and management plan, or CDMP, relating to the planned development of the awarded project. If the CDMP is approved by Congress, the project winner enters a transition period, ranging from 60 to 90 days, during which it prepares to implement its CDMP, finalizes documentation relating to the implementation of the CDMP, including arranging and negotiating necessary financing and negotiating final documents and agreements with the Army, and prepares to take over the base housing operations on the date of closing. Closing occurs after the transition period when all the documentation and negotiations with the Army have been finalized, at which point the project winner may commence its operation of the project.
Based on our experience, during the period of exclusive negotiations with the Navy, the project winner works towards finalization of required project and environmental documentation, pursues local approvals, develops design plans and working drawings, reaches an agreement with the Naval officials regarding all aspects of the project, and arranges and negotiates necessary financing. Also based on our experience to date, the Air Force ranks bidders based on numerous factors and then enters into exclusive discussions with the highest ranking bidder. If the highest ranking bidder meets the Air Forces requirements and the project is approved by Congress, then that bidder becomes the successful bidder. The successful bidder is then authorized by the Air Force to close the transaction.
The result of these exclusive negotiations will be business agreements that describe all relevant characteristics of the development, and defines all business terms and conditions, schedules and financial arrangements between the parties. This process generally takes approximately six to 12 months to complete from the time of the award to the execution of the business agreement.
Organizational Structure of Our Military Housing Privatization Projects
The operations of our military housing privatization projects are generally conducted through an organizational structure that involves two wholly owned subsidiaries of our operating partnership, GMH Military Housing Investments LLC and one of our taxable REIT subsidiaries, GMH Military Housing, LLC. GMH Military Housing Investments LLC owns equity interests in the various projects. GMH Military Housing, LLC develops, manages and sometimes constructs/renovates the military housing in all of our projects, other than our AETC Group I project, through two of its subsidiaries: GMH Military Housing Development LLC and GMH Military Housing Management LLC, which are referred to as GMH Development and GMH Management, respectively, throughout this report. This organizational structure is described as follows:
The Project Entity. We typically create a project-specific limited liability company or limited partnership, the Project LLC, to serve as the managing member of the Project Owner. In most of our projects, the Project LLC is a joint venture between GMH Military Housing Investments LLC and a joint venture partner. The joint venture partner typically is a third-party architectural and/or design company or
15
construction company with whom we have an existing relationship. GMH Military Housing Investments LLC is the manager of the Project LLC.
In the case of our Navy project, the Project Owner is a joint venture between the Navy and the Project LLC. The Project Owner is created for the purpose of owning the project. The Project Owner is also the ground lessee of the land upon which the project is situated. The Project Owner contracts with GMH Development for project development services, GMH Management for property and asset management, and another wholly owned subsidiary of GMH Military Housing, LLC for design/build services. That design/build entity subcontracts with (i) a joint venture partner for project architectural and design services, (ii) a third party construction company for construction services, and (iii) GMH Management for construction/renovation services. Our Navy project is financed through a combination of equity from the Project Owner and third-party debt.
In the case of our Army projects, the Project Owner is a joint venture between the Army and the Project LLC. The Project Owner contracts with GMH Development, GMH Management and a third-party partner for development, management, renovation, architectural and design and construction services. The Project Owner is created for the purpose of owning the project. The Project Owner also is the ground lessee of the land upon which the project is situated. The Project LLC is typically the manager of the Project Owner. The Army projects are financed through a combination of equity, provided by the Project LLC and the Army (which typically approximates up to 10% of the total project value), and third-party debt (which is typically up to 90% of the total project value).
In the case of our AETC Group I project, the Project Owner is owned entirely by the Project LLC. In the AETC Group I project, the Project Owner contracts with another subsidiary of GMH Military Housing Investments LLC, GMH AETC Management/Development LLC, for property and management, renovation and development services and with third-party providers for architectural/design and construction services. The Project Owner owns the project and is the ground lessee of the land upon which the AETC project is situated. The Project LLC is the manager of the Project Owner. The AETC project is financed through equity provided by the Project LLC and a third-party construction and permanent loan.
Debt Financing for the Project. Financing for our projects is procured through either taxable revenue bonds or conventional commercial lending. Financing is typically obtained at the project closing, which occurs on the date that the relevant branch of the U.S. military transfers operation and management of those housing units at the project to the Project Owner. Based on our managements experience, we believe the terms of the debt are consistent with the terms typically used for conventional multi-family housing projects. In each instance, the debt generally is non-recourse to us and is secured by a first priority lien on the project and requires the assignment of all of the Project Owners rights for the benefit of the bondholders or the lender, as applicable. The security therefore includes the Project Owners interest in the ground lease. Based on our experience, the repayment terms require payments of interest only during the first three to seven years of the loan and, thereafter, payments of interest and principal, amortized over a 35- to 45-year period, for the remaining term of the loan. While the Project LLC is able to obtain debt financing for up to 90% of the total value of each project, based on our managements experience, lenders typically will not lend in excess of a specified debt service coverage ratio projected for the first stabilized year following the end of the initial development period (typically ranging from three to eight years, out of the 50-year project term). Accordingly, if interest rates increase, the Project LLC may be required to finance a greater portion of the project cost with equity. In addition, if the minimum debt service coverage is not met, we may not have access to cash flows from the project, other than for project operating expenses, until the debt service coverage is restored.
16
The following diagram shows the structure of all of our projects, other than our AETC Group I project:
As its contribution to the project, the U.S. military branch contributes the existing houses and related improvements and may also contribute cash. The Project LLC also contributes cash, typically at the end of the initial development period for our Army projects, and at the outset of the initial development period, for our Navy project. For the AETC Group I project, the Project LLC contributes cash at the outset of the initial development period. Typically, the Project LLC and the U.S. military branch are not required to make additional capital contributions to the project, and neither is permitted to make any additional contribution to the project without the approval of the other. The Project LLCs return on investment is dependent on both the structure of the transaction and the U.S. military branch involved.
The Development Company. GMH Development provides development services to our privatization projects, other than the AETC Group I project. These services are provided through development agreements typically having 50-year terms, which extend automatically upon any renewal of the related ground lease. GMH Development generally assists the Project Owner by coordinating and monitoring the planning, design, demolition, renovation and construction activities on the Project Owners behalf, including the evaluation of project sites and requirements for each project, assisting the Project Owner with the development of the project schedule and budget, establishing coordination between the relevant military branch and primary contractors, reviewing completed construction and renovation work, and certifying payments or primary contractors for such work. GMH Development also establishes and implements administrative and financial controls for the design and construction of the project and assists the Project Owner in obtaining and maintaining general liability insurance and other types of insurance. These services are provided by GMH AETC Management/Development LLC in the AETC Group I project.
The Project Owner pays GMH Development a base fee equal to a percentage of the total development costs for the project, from the beginning of the initial development period throughout the life of the project. Additionally, GMH Development typically is entitled to receive incentive development fees from the Project Owner upon the satisfaction of designated milestones. During the initial development period, GMH Development is entitled to receive an incentive fee which is based upon a total of the development costs during the period. After the initial development period of a project, the incentive development fees typically are a percentage of total development costs for the remainder of the project term. Milestones for payment of incentive development fees typically include completing a specified number of homes according to schedule, achieving specific safety records and implementing small business or minority subcontracting plans. The combined base and incentive development fees generally ranges from 3.0% to 4.0% for our current projects.
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The Project Owner generally may terminate the development agreement upon written notice to GMH Development if it breaches any of its material obligations under the management agreement and fails to cure such breach within 30 days.
The Construction/Renovation Company and Property Manager. GMH Management provides construction/renovation and property management services to our privatization projects. Construction/renovation refers to the minor and major renovation work that we perform at our projects. With regard to project construction/renovation, the Project Owner pays GMH Management a base fee equal to a percentage of the total construction/renovation costs for the project, from the beginning of the initial development period throughout the life of the project. Additionally, GMH Management typically is entitled to receive construction/renovation incentive fees from the Project Owner upon the satisfaction of designated milestones. During the initial development period, GMH Management is entitled to receive an incentive fee which is based upon a total of the construction/renovation costs during the period. After the initial development period of a project, the construction/renovation incentive fees are a percentage of total construction/renovation costs for the remainder of the project term. Milestones for payment of construction/renovation incentive fees typically include completing a specified number of homes according to schedule, achieving specific safety records and implementing small business or minority subcontracting plans. The combined base and incentive construction/renovation fee generally ranges from 3.0% to 4.0% for our current projects.
In addition, in certain instances, GMH Management may receive fees relating to the performance of pre-construction/renovation services. These pre-construction/renovation fees are determined on a project-by-project basis, and are paid in proportion to the amount of pre-construction/renovation costs incurred by GMH Management for the project.
With regard to property management, the Project Owner contracts with GMH Management to provide property management services for the project. These services are provided through management agreements, typically having 50-year terms, which extend automatically upon any renewal of the applicable ground lease. GMH Management oversees the leasing of housing units in accordance with the requirements of the ground lease, day-to-day operations of the project, collection of revenues and depositing the revenues into appropriate accounts, day-to-day maintenance of the project, ordinary repairs, decorations, alterations and improvements, completion of backlogged maintenance and repairs, payment of taxes imposed on the project, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
GMH Management typically is required to prepare and submit an operating budget for the project to the Project Owner on an annual basis. The management agreement typically grants GMH Management the authority to make expenditures and incur obligations included in the operating budget. GMH Management also has the authority to make certain emergency expenditures.
As standard compensation for the services it provides, in general, GMH Management is paid a base fee, equal to a percentage of effective gross revenue for the project. In addition, GMH Management is entitled to receive an incentive fee from the Project Owner upon the satisfaction of designated benchmarks relating to emergency work order responses, occupancy rates, home turnover and resident satisfaction surveys. The combined base and incentive management fee generally ranges from 3.0% to 4.5% for our current projects.
The Project Owner generally may terminate the management agreement upon written notice to GMH Management if it breaches any of its material obligations under the management agreement and fails to cure such breach within 30 days.
Property management and renovation services for the AETC Group I project are provided by GMH AETC Management/Development LLC.
Design/Build Agreement. In our Navy project, the Project Owner entered into a design/build agreement with a subsidiary of GMH Military Housing, LLC for construction, renovation and architectural and design services that are provided through subcontracts with GMH Management and certain third parties.
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The Ground Lease. In all our projects, the Project Owner and the Army, Navy or Air Force, as applicable, enter into a ground lease pursuant to which the U.S. military branch leases to the Project Owner the real property upon which a particular privatization project is located. We expect future-awarded privatization projects to operate in a similar fashion. Typically, the initial term of a ground lease is 50 years. With respect to Army privatization projects, the ground lease may be renewable for an additional period of up to 25 years upon request by the Army and acceptance by the Project Owner. As partial consideration for the execution of a ground lease and performance of its obligations thereunder, the Project Owner agrees to design, develop, manage, rehabilitate, renovate and maintain the privatization project. At all times during the term of a ground lease, the U.S. military branch provides the Project Owner access to the privatization project. The use and occupancy of the privatization project is subject to the general supervision and approval of the applicable military branch, and to such rules and regulations as the U.S. military branch prescribes. The Project Owner has the right to lease housing units to non-military or non-DoD tenants if vacancy rates hit certain levels.
Some of the Army ground leases and the Air Force ground lease provide that in the event a base is subject to closure under the BRAC regulations, the Project LLC has the option, subject to then-existing applicable law, to acquire fee simple title to the real property. There is no guarantee that any purchase option agreement will be enforceable or that any corresponding purchase option will be exercisable in the event of a base closure under BRAC. The ground leases on our Navy project, and some of our Army projects, do not provide the Project LLC with a purchase option upon a base closure under BRAC.
Basic Allowance for Housing
The U.S. militarys Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, is the primary source of operating revenues of our military housing privatization projects. BAH is a cost of living stipend distributed monthly by the DoD to members of the U.S. military to cover their and their families costs of living (i.e., rent and utility expenses) in privately-owned housing, on or near bases. The intent of BAH is to provide members of the U.S. military equivalent and equitable housing compensation based upon the market prices of rental housing in the local housing markets surrounding the U.S. military bases. Each year, Congress must appropriate an aggregate budget for BAH for all of the military branches.
The DoD adjusts, on an annual basis, the BAH stipend to be received by each individual member of the U.S. military to reflect changes in the profile of that particular individual member of the U.S. military. Specifically, a BAH stipend is computed by estimating the market price of housing that the member of the U.S. military would be expected to rent, based upon his or her geographic area, pay grade and number of dependents, adding in average utilities and insurance. The particular geographic area surrounding a military base is called a Military Housing Area, or MHA. In computing a BAH, MHA price data for rentals, average utilities and insurance is collected annually in the spring and summer months when housing markets are most active. Pricing information is surveyed from local apartments, townhouses and duplexes, as well as from single-family rental units of various bedroom sizes. Although BAH rates can decrease for a geographic duty location, members of the U.S. military that collect BAH cannot have the amount of their BAH decreased unless a change in status occurs (except that promotions are specifically excluded in the definition of a change in status), such as a base transfer, a decrease in pay grade or a change in the number of dependents.
Revenue Stream
Typically, a member of the U.S. military who is leasing a housing unit on one of our project bases will elect for his or her monthly BAH to be directly deposited by the government, via wire transfer, into an operating revenue fund controlled by the Project Owner, subject to certain restrictive covenants required by any outstanding construction finance bonds. Rental revenues derived from BAH are subsequently paid out of the operating revenue fund by the Project Owner according to a distributive waterfall plan set forth in the Project Owner operating agreement. In general, the BAH revenues associated with our current privatization projects flow out of the operating revenue fund on a monthly basis.
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· Operating and Other Expenses. Operating activities include normal administrative, leasing, marketing and maintenance functions consistent with a typical conventional multi-family project. Expenses relating to these operating activities are financed through equity contributions from the DoD and the Project LLC, debt financing and other operating cash flow derived from BAH. Revenues first are applied to pay operating expenses, including GMH Managements standard management fee, equal to a percentage of project revenues derived from BAH, monthly utilities, insurance premiums, real estate taxes, if any, and other routine maintenance expenses, such as landscaping and preventative maintenance, associated with the housing units.
· Debt Service (including amortization) and Capital Reserves and Replacements. The Project Owner then uses remaining revenues to pay down principal and interest on any outstanding indebtedness that was issued to finance a portion of the costs of design, demolition, construction, replacement and renovation of housing on a particular military base. Debt financing, including taxable revenue bonds and commercial lending arrangements, typically covers up to 90% of total project costs. The indebtedness is fully funded at the time we enter into definitive agreements for the project. This indebtedness typically requires payments of interest only during the first three to seven years and is amortized over the remainder of its 35 to 45 year term. The Project LLC allocates revenues to make capital repairs or replacements on any of the existing housing units, such as roofing or siding repairs.
· Incentive-based Subordinated Management Fee. GMH Management next receives its incentive management fee, equal to a percentage of project revenues, derived from any excess rental revenues from BAH, upon satisfying debt service and certain benchmarks.
· Construction/Renovation Fees and Development Fees. At the start of a projects initial development period, which typically ranges from three to eight years and continues throughout the term of the project as we renovate existing housing and develop and construct additional housing on a particular military base, GMH Management and GMH Development are entitled to receive standard and incentive construction/renovation and development fees, respectively. In addition, in certain instances, GMH Management may receive fees relating to the performance of pre-construction/renovation services. These pre-construction/renovation fees are determined on a project-by-project basis, and are paid in proportion to the amount of pre-construction/renovation costs incurred by GMH Management for the project. Construction/renovation fees are equal to a percentage of the total construction/renovation costs, and development fees are equal to a percentage of the total development costs. Development costs include hard costs associated with new construction/renovation, as well as certain soft costs. Generally, the majority of new construction work is completed during the beginning years of an initial development period, while construction/renovation work is completed throughout the initial development period. During the initial development period these costs are paid out of a construction account, which is funded by excess cash flow from rental revenues and proceeds from equity contributions and debt offerings. Excess cash flow, for purposes of funding the construction account, includes cash flow available from BAH rental revenues after payment of operating expenses, debt service, subordinated management fees and preferred returns (to the extent such preferred returns have not been deferred as part of the project financing). The construction account may have an equity sub-account to the extent of equity contributed to the Project LLC. Subsequent to the initial development period, all remaining funds are transferred to a reinvestment account and the construction account is closed. Construction, development and renovation costs will be paid out of the reinvestment account to continuously construct, renovate and rebuild a project. The payment of construction/renovation fees and development fees to us during the life of a project is not subordinate to the payment of any other fees.
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· Preferred Return. The Project LLC will typically receive, to the extent that adequate funds are available, an annual, minimum preferred rate of return. On our existing projects, this annual minimum preferred rate of return ranges from 9% to 12% of the Project LLCs initial equity contribution to the project. It should be noted, however, that during the initial development period, the Project Owner is precluded from distributing funds to pay the Project LLC the minimum preferred rate of return. The unpaid amounts generally will accrue and accumulate, and can be used to fund renovation and construction costs, if necessary. If the accumulated funds are not needed to fund renovation and construction costs, they would, at the end of the initial development period, be distributed to pay accrued preferred returns to the Project LLC.
· Split of Remaining Revenues. Subsequent to the initial development period, any revenues remaining after the annual, minimum preferred rate of return is paid, as described above, are split between the Project LLC and the reinvestment account held by the Project Owner for the benefit of the government. On our existing projects, the total amount that the Project LLC is entitled to receive (inclusive of the preferred return) is generally capped at an annual, modified rate of return, or cash-on-cash return, of between 11% and 17% (depending on the particular project) on its initial equity contribution to the project. The total capital return generally will include the annual, minimum preferred return discussed above. The reinvestment account is an account established for the benefit of the military, but funds may be withdrawn for ongoing construction, development and renovation costs during the remaining life of a privatization project only upon approval of the applicable military branch.
· Return of Equity. Generally, at the end of a project term, any monies remaining in the reinvestment account are distributed to the Project LLC and the Army, Navy or Air Force, as applicable, in a predetermined order of priority. Typically these distributions will have the effect of providing the Project LLC with sufficient funds to provide a minimum annual return over the life of the project and to result in a complete return of its initial capital contribution. After payment to the Project LLC of the minimum annual return and the return of its initial contribution, all remaining funds will typically be distributed to the Army, Navy or Air Force, as applicable.
In addition, we receive fees from our relationship partners that provide architectural and design or construction services for our military housing privatization projects. These fees are for our efforts and expenses incurred while competing for a privatization project award from one of the U.S. military branches, with such a project award not just benefiting us, but our relationship partners as well. Some examples of the business development services provided by us for the benefit of our relationship partners include acting as the point of contact for, coordinating discussions with, and preparing and making presentations to, the DoD. Additionally, we take the lead in preparing and drafting the transaction documents for a potential privatization project, evaluating and communicating potential privatization project requirements, coordinating marketing efforts, providing information technology and temporary on-site offices, and facilitating potential pilot programs and other development activities. Typically, our partners pay these fees for our business development services to GMH Management, GMH Development and GMH Military Housing Construction LLC, or GMH Construction, another wholly owned subsidiary of our taxable REIT subsidiary, GMH Military Housing, LLC.
Strategy
Selective Growth. By leveraging the substantial industry experience of our management team, we focus on winning military housing privatization projects on which we selectively choose to bid, based on the strategic importance of the base, and the prime location and profit potential for these projects.
Committed to Superior Management. In the performance of our obligations under existing military housing privatization projects, our management team has been, and will continue to be, fully committed to
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ensuring that members of the U.S. military and their families have high quality, safe, attractive and affordable housing.
Capitalize on Industry Relations. Our management team has developed relationships with national and regional firms that specialize in residential and military residence community formation and construction. On October 22, 2003, our subsidiary, GMH Military Housing Investments LLC, entered into a joint venture agreement with a subsidiary of The Benham Companies, LLC, Benham Military Communities, LLC, which sets forth the terms by which Benham will participate in the equity structure on certain of our privatization projects and provide architectural, engineering and design services on those military privatization projects awarded to us. Under this agreement, we and Benham are permitted to bid on future privatization projects independently of the other. We also maintain business relationships with construction companies, such as Centex Construction Company, LLC and Phelps Development LLC, pursuant to which these third parties provide construction services to certain of our awarded military projects. We team with these companies because of their proven experience in the construction industry, as well as their size and strength to undertake and to bond construction work on the large, complex military housing privatization projects. Additionally, these business partners pay fees to GMH Management, GMH Development or GMH Construction for our business efforts and expenses associated with attracting and winning military privatization projects. We believe that the retention of highly experienced national and regional companies will provide us with significant competitive advantages in pursuing and winning new privatization projects.
Acquire Existing Military Housing Privatization Projects. We will consider using our financial strength and managements past experience to acquire competitors or the military housing privatization projects that have been awarded to them. For example, in November 2003, GMH Associates acquired the military housing privatization project for Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado as well as the right to exclusively negotiate the Fort Eustis/Story project out of unrelated bankruptcy proceedings instituted by an entity affiliated with the J.A. Jones Corporation. In addition, in February 2006, we acquired from American Eagle Communities Northeast, LLC the right to exclusively negotiate the Carlisle/Picatinny project. The military housing privatization projects are typically very large and complex. As a result, they require experienced and committed larger scale operators who have the financial strength to develop, construct, renovate and manage housing units during the initial development period of a project, which typically ranges from three to eight years, and then administer the continuing development, construction, renovation and management of housing for the remainder of the 50-year project term. The obligations to be performed under these projects are extremely difficult for smaller, regionalized companies to meet, and we believe our experience in the military housing market provides us with a material competitive advantage in this regard. As the number of new privatization projects grows, we believe our potential to acquire such projects for additional bases will grow correspondingly.
Market Opportunity
As of March 9, 2007, according to the information made available by the DoD, the remaining military family housing privatization market contains 36,674 housing units to be privatized through 41 additional projects. These remaining housing units are expected to generate approximately $590 million in total annual rental revenue based on the 2007 average BAH of approximately $16,100 per year. As of March 9, 2007, awarded projects and exclusive negotiations represent 160,366 end-state housing units through 78 projects.
Although the DoDs program has focused its efforts almost exclusively on the privatization of family housing, the next stage of development will include the privatization of unaccompanied personnel (bachelor) housing. For example, during the fourth quarter of 2006, the Army selected us to design, construct and manage single soldier housing at Fort Bliss and Fort Stewart, which represent among the first of unaccompanied housing privatization projects awarded by the Army to date and are expected to
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cover an aggregate of up to 840 end-state housing units. We currently expect to close on the award of these two unaccompanied housing privatization projects before the end of 2007. In addition, the Navy has identified three initial sites which will serve as a pilot program for the privatization of unaccompanied military personnel housing, one of which has yet to be awarded and which we expect to solicit for award during 2007.
We believe the potential market for unaccompanied personnel housing is significantly larger than that for family housing. Given our managements experience in bidding on military housing privatization projects, coupled with their extensive student housing experience, we believe that we will have a competitive advantage in bidding for privatization projects in the unaccompanied housing market; however, we cannot assure you that the DoD will privatize any of these unaccompanied military personnel housing units beyond those that have already been awarded.
Our military housing strategy includes the pursuit of already privatized bases from competitors which have been awarded targeted projects. As the number of new privatization projects grows, the potential for our targeted acquisition of already privatized bases will grow correspondingly.
Additional Military Housing Privatization Projects and Development Opportunities under Review
In addition to the military housing privatization projects for which we have been selected, our management team also had under review, as of March 9, 2007, six additional potential privatization project opportunities. These projects span multiple bases and total, in the aggregate, approximately 11,800 end-state housing units. Individual projects identified as opportunities range from approximately 900 to 4,700 end-state housing units per project. We consider a project as under review once a base has been identified by the DoD for privatization and our management begins initial due diligence and evaluation of the economic and strategic value of the project. After further due diligence, we may decide not to pursue any of these potential privatization projects.
Competition
Competition pursuing this business has evolved from a select number of local and regional development firms in 1996, to a distinguished group of national and international developers, owners and operators of commercial and residential real estate.
Company Name |
|
|
|
Awarded |
|
Number |
|
||||
Actus Lend Lease |
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
33,220 |
|
|
||
Clark Realty |
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
32,094 |
|
|
||
Picerne Military Housing |
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
17,559 |
|
|
||
American Eagle Communities, LLC |
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
8,369 |
|
|
||
Lincoln Properties |
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
31,560 |
|
|
||
Hunt Building Corporation |
|
|
20 |
|
|
|
25,912 |
|
|
||
Equity Residential Properties Trust |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
3,982 |
|
|
||
Forest City Enterprises |
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
7,298 |
|
|
Source: Information reported by the DoD as of March 9, 2007.
(1) Includes projects for which exclusive rights of negotiation have been awarded.
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Our targeted leverage ratio is in the range of 45% to 60%. Our debt level changes as we acquire properties or projects and refinance existing properties. The amount of total indebtedness we decide to incur during any particular period depends on how we structure and finance our property acquisitions and the current market cost of debt. The formula we use to calculate our leverage ratio is as follows:
Total debt |
|
|
|
Total market capitalization |
|
As of December 31, 2006, our leverage ratio was approximately 62.3%. Neither our declaration of trust nor our bylaws requires us to maintain a specific leverage ratio and we may determine to exceed the maximum range of our target ratio depending on the circumstances. If we determine to exceed the maximum range of our target ratio, we may do so without shareholder approval. We will generally decide whether to use debt or equity financing to acquire a property by considering the most attractive interest rates, repayment terms and maturity dates available in the marketplace at the time, and customize our financing strategy for each individual transaction. We also may obtain unsecured and/or secured financing through public and private markets. We will access various sources of capital including banks, financial institutions and institutional investors through lines of credit, bridge loans and other arrangements, including joint ventures with third parties. We also may finance the acquisition of properties through additional equity securities offerings, including offerings of preferred or common stock or units of our operating partnership.
We currently have a secured $250.0 million revolving line of credit with Wachovia Bank, National Association. As of December 31, 2006, we had approximately $199.4 million in outstanding borrowings drawn from this credit facility, which funds were used as financing for acquisitions, payment of our third and fourth quarter 2006 dividend distributions, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Other than with respect to pending student housing acquisitions, investments in military housing projects and certain limited working capital needs that have been pre-approved by our lender under the line of credit, we must obtain consent from the lender with respect to the use of additional funds drawn on the line. In addition, other than certain pending transactions that have been pre-approved by our lender, we are restricted from incurring any additional indebtedness (including mortgage indebtedness on student housing properties that we may acquire) without the lenders prior consent. See also Dividend Policy and Distributions and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsLiquidity and Capital Resources in this report. Any additional indebtedness that we pursue in the future may be recourse, non-recourse, unsecured, secured or cross-collateralized. If the indebtedness is recourse, general assets of the debtor may be included in the collateral. If the indebtedness is non-recourse, the collateral will be limited to the particular property to which the indebtedness relates. In addition, we may invest in properties subject to existing loans secured by mortgages or similar liens on the properties or refinance properties acquired on a leveraged basis. We may use the proceeds from any borrowings to refinance existing indebtedness, to finance acquisitions or the redevelopment of existing properties, for general working capital or to purchase interests in partnerships or joint ventures.
During the fourth quarter of 2006, we announced that our management expects to implement a business strategy beginning in early 2007 that will involve the sale, refinancing and/or entrance into a joint venture with respect to a number of our currently owned student housing properties. The proceeds from these transactions will be used primarily to repay outstanding indebtedness under our line of credit, which has an initial maturity date of June 1, 2007. As part of this strategy, we also are seeking to obtain a replacement line of credit in order to provide funds needed (i) to acquire additional student housing properties or interests in such properties, (ii) to invest in additional military housing projects, or (iii) to fund future working capital needs. There can be no guarantee that our management team will be able to
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execute upon this business strategy at all or on terms that are currently anticipated, and we must obtain approval from the lender under our current line of credit with respect to our business strategy while the line of credit remains effective. To the extent that we are unable to successfully implement our business strategy at all or on terms that are currently anticipated by our management team, then we would be required to identify other sources of capital to repay the outstanding indebtedness under our line of credit, which may be extended only through October 2, 2007. For a discussion of the risks associated with failure to implement this business strategy, see the section of this report titled Risk FactorsRisks Relating to our Business and Growth Strategy.
On October 2, 2006, our operating partnership entered into a $250.0 million secured revolving credit facility with Wachovia Bank, National Association. Simultaneously with the execution of the loan agreement covering the line of credit, GMH Communities Trust, and several direct and indirect subsidiaries of our operating partnership, executed guaranty agreements guaranteeing the obligations of the operating partnership under the line of credit. As collateral security for the borrowers obligations under the line of credit, we, our operating partnership and several of its direct and indirect subsidiaries that own and operate our student housing operations, including third-party management contracts, and our military housing privatization projects, entered into a Security Agreement, dated October 2, 2006, in favor of the lender. Pursuant to the Security Agreement, the parties granted a security interest in the assets owned by each respective party. As additional collateral security for the borrowers obligations under the line of credit, our operating partnership and several of its direct and indirect subsidiaries that own the student housing properties that were previously unencumbered under our former credit facility, and the student housing properties that we acquired pursuant to our Capstone portfolio acquisition, also entered into a Pledge Agreement, dated October 2, 2006, in favor of the lender. Pursuant to the Pledge Agreement, the parties thereto have granted a security interest in the equity interests in the entities that own, directly or indirectly, the aforementioned student housing properties, our third-party management business and the contracts pursuant to which we receive management, development and renovation fees with respect to operation of our military housing privatization projects.
The line of credit has an initial term through June 1, 2007, referred to as the Initial Maturity Date, and provides for either of two additional extension options: (i) an additional three month extension through September 1, 2007, referred to as the Option One Maturity Date, in the event that we have entered into a definitive agreement relating to a merger or the sale of substantially all of our assets, which merger/sale agreement has been approved by our Board of Trustees, has been announced publicly and is not subject to financial contingencies; and (ii) an additional four month extension option through October 2, 2007 (provided notice is given no later than fifteen days prior to the later of the Initial Maturity Date or the Option One Maturity Date), subject to payment of a fee in an amount equal to 2.00% of the outstanding principal balance of the loan as of the Initial Maturity Date or the Option One Maturity Date, as the case may be (this extension right is referred to as the Option Two Maturity Extension). In no event, however, will the maturity date of the line of credit extend beyond October 2, 2007.
Our operating partnership borrowed funds under the line of credit in order to finance the Capstone portfolio acquisition, to fund portions of our dividend distributions for the third and fourth quarters of 2006, as well as to fund the equity portion of the purchase price for certain pre-approved student housing acquisitions, investments in military housing projects, and for general working capital purposes as approved by the lender. As of March 15, 2007, we had $138.0 million of indebtedness drawn under the line of credit, after the recent repayment of approximately $73.6 million in net proceeds received from the refinancing of existing mortgage indebtedness on four of our student housing properties. As described above, generally all future draws from the line of credit will be subject to approval by the lender.
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Indebtedness under the line of credit bears interest at an annual rate of LIBOR plus 2.00% through the Initial Maturity Date of the loan, as well as through the Option One Maturity Date, if applicable. In the event that the line of credit is extended pursuant to the Option Two Maturity Extension, then the applicable interest rate increases to LIBOR plus 4.50%. Under the terms of the line of credit, our operating partnership may request the applicable interest rate period, including 30, 60 or 90-day LIBOR; provided that it may not elect more than five distinct interest periods, in the aggregate, under the loan at any one time. The principal balance of loans shall be due and payable in full on the Initial Maturity Date, or the maturity date under an applicable extension. Upon closing of the line of credit, we paid a commitment fee to the lender in the amount of $2.5 million.
The line of credit contains customary affirmative and negative covenants and also contains financial covenants which, among other things, require that we maintain a consolidated net tangible worth of at least $455.0 million, and a student housing fixed charge coverage ratio of not less than 1.25 to 1.00. In addition, we must maintain a quarterly minimum aggregate Adjusted Management EBITDA (as defined in the line of credit) of $5.0 million. We are also prohibited during the term of the line of credit from creating, incurring, assuming or suffering to exist any additional indebtedness, subject to exceptions described in the line of credit.
The line of credit includes usual and customary events of default for loans of this nature and provides that, upon the occurrence of an event of default, payment of all amounts payable under the line of credit may be accelerated and/or the lenders commitment may be terminated. In addition, upon the occurrence of certain insolvency or bankruptcy related events of default, all amounts payable under the line of credit will automatically become immediately due and payable, and the lenders commitment shall automatically terminate. As of December 31, 2006, we were in compliance with our debt covenants.
We own our properties and conduct substantially all of our business through our operating partnership, GMH Communities, LP, and its subsidiaries. Holders of limited partnership units of our operating partnership, other than us, after a one-year holding period and subject to earlier redemption in certain circumstances, will be able to redeem their limited partnership units for our common shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustments for share splits, dividends, recapitalizations and similar events. At our option, in lieu of issuing common shares upon redemption of limited partnership units, we will be able to pay holders of units a cash amount equal to the then-current value of our common shares, except that Gary M. Holloway, Sr. will have the right to direct us to issue common shares upon redemption of limited partnership units that he or his affiliates own subject to his restriction from owning more than 20% of the Companys outstanding common shares. These redemption rights generally may be exercised by the limited partners at any time after one year. Holders of limited partnership units will receive distributions equivalent to the dividends we pay to holders of our common shares, but holders of limited partnership units will have no voting rights, except in certain limited circumstances. As the sole owner of the general partner of our operating partnership, we have the exclusive power to manage and conduct our operating partnerships business, subject to the limitations described in the partnership agreement of our limited partnership. In connection with the investment by affiliates of Vornado Realty L.P. in our operating partnership, we and our operating partnership have, however, agreed to certain restrictions regarding our activities and assets and the activities and assets of our operating partnership, a violation of which could expose us and our operating partnership to substantial liability for damages. See Our BusinessOur Agreements with Vornado Realty L.P. and its Affiliates Restrict our Activities below.
Our Agreements with Vornado Realty Trust and its Affiliates Restrict Our Activities
In connection with Vornado Realty Trusts investment in our operating partnership as it existed prior to our initial public offering, Vornado also purchased for $1.0 million a warrant to acquire units of limited
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partnership interest in our operating partnership, common shares of GMH Communities Trust, or a combination of such units of limited partnership and common shares. Upon closing of our initial public offering, Vornado exercised the warrant to purchase 6,666,667 units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership at a price of $7.50 per unit. On May 2, 2006, the warrant exercise period ended, and the remaining portion of the warrant automatically converted into 1,817,247 common shares through a net, or cashless, exercise feature under the warrant. We have agreed to register for resale all of the common shares issuable upon exercise of the warrant, including common shares that may be issuable upon redemption of units of limited partnership interest of the operating partnership issued under the warrant.
In connection with Vornados investment in our operating partnership, we agreed with Vornado to restrict our activities and investments and those of our operating partnership in a manner intended to facilitate our qualification as a REIT and to prevent our direct and indirect activities and assets, and those of our operating partnership, from having adverse tax consequences to Vornado and its affiliates and transferees. Among other things, these restrictions require that neither we nor our operating partnership, without Vornados consent, hold, directly or indirectly:
· securities other than:
(i) equity interests in entities that are treated as partnerships or disregarded entities for federal income tax purposes;
(ii) stock of corporations for which an election to be a taxable REIT subsidiary will be made, or of entities qualifying as real estate investment trusts for federal income tax purposes; and
(iii) securities that are treated as qualifying assets for purposes of the REIT 75% asset test;
· assets that are treated as inventory for federal income tax purposes; or
· REMIC residual interests.
In addition, these restrictions require that neither we nor our operating partnership, without Vornados consent, directly or indirectly:
· provide services other than specified services to tenants of our properties other than through an independent contractor or through a taxable REIT subsidiary; or
· operate or manage a health care facility or a hotel or similar facility.
If we breach these restrictions and, as a result, Vornado or certain of its affiliates or transferees fails to qualify as a REIT or otherwise incurs liability for taxes, penalties or similar charges, we and our operating partnership will be required to indemnify Vornado or certain of its affiliates or transferees for all losses, liabilities, costs and expenses attributable to the breach, which may be substantial.
GMH Communities TRS, Inc., a taxable REIT subsidiary that is wholly owned by our operating partnership, is the parent company of both College Park Management TRS, Inc. and GMH Military Housing, LLC. College Park Management TRS, Inc. is the taxable REIT subsidiary through which we provide property management services to certain third party owners of student housing properties, including colleges, universities and other private owners. GMH Military Housing, LLC is the taxable REIT subsidiary through which we manage the development, construction and operation of the properties in our military housing business, among other services that neither we nor our operating partnership can undertake directly under applicable REIT tax rules. Each of our taxable REIT subsidiaries pays income taxes at regular corporate rates on their taxable income.
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Many laws and governmental regulations are applicable to the properties we own or will own, and changes in the laws and regulations, or their interpretation by agencies and the courts, occur frequently. Our current properties and any additional acquired properties must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or the ADA, and the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, or the FHAA. Under the ADA, all places of public accommodation are required to meet certain federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. The ADA generally requires that public facilities be made accessible to people with disabilities. In order to comply with the ADA requirements, we may be required to make improvements at our properties in order to remove barriers to access.
The FHAA, its state law counterparts and the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development prohibit discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under the age of 18) and handicap or disability, and in some states, on financial capability. Violation of these laws can result in significant damage awards to victims. We have a strong policy against any kind of discriminatory behavior and train our employees to avoid discrimination or the appearance of discrimination. In addition, the FHAA requires apartment properties first occupied after March 13, 1990, to be accessible to the handicapped. The FHAA further requires that we allow residents, at their own expense and subject to our review, to make private facilities within our properties accessible to people with disabilities. When requested by residents, we will attempt to make the appropriate and required accommodations to enable them to make the improvements.
Non-compliance with either the ADA or the FHAA could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants. We believe that our current properties are, and properties to be acquired will be, in compliance in all material respects with present ADA and FHAA requirements.
We maintain general liability insurance that provides coverage for bodily injury and property damage to third parties resulting from our ownership of the properties that are leased and occupied. We believe that our properties are covered adequately by insurance.
Under various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, a current or previous owner, operator or tenant of real estate may be required to investigate and clean up hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum product releases or threats of releases at such property and may be held liable to a government entity or to third parties for property damage and for investigation, clean-up and monitoring costs incurred by such parties in connection with the actual or threatened contamination. These laws typically impose clean-up responsibility and liability without regard to fault, or whether or not the owner, operator or tenant knew of or caused the presence of the contamination. The liability under these laws may be joint and several for the full amount of the investigation, clean-up and monitoring costs incurred or to be incurred or actions to be undertaken, although a party held jointly and severally liable may obtain contributions from other identified, solvent, responsible parties of their fair share toward these costs. These costs may be substantial and can exceed the value of the property. The presence of contamination, or the failure to properly remediate contamination, on a property may adversely affect the ability of the owner, operator or tenant to sell or rent that property or to borrow funds using such property as collateral and may adversely impact the value of our investment in that property.
Federal regulations require building owners and those exercising control over a buildings management to identify and warn, via signs and labels, of potential hazards posed by workplace exposure
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to installed asbestos-containing materials and potentially asbestos-containing materials in their building. The regulations also set forth employee training, record keeping and due diligence requirements pertaining to asbestos-containing materials and potentially asbestos-containing materials. Significant fines can be assessed for violation of these regulations. Building owners and those exercising control over a buildings management may be subject to an increased risk of personal injury lawsuits by workers and others exposed to asbestos-containing materials and potentially asbestos-containing materials as a result of these regulations. The regulations may affect the value of a building containing asbestos-containing materials and potentially asbestos-containing materials in which we have invested. Federal, state and local laws and regulations also govern the removal, encapsulation, disturbance, handling and disposal of asbestos-containing materials and potentially asbestos-containing materials when such materials are in poor condition or in the event of construction, remodeling, renovation or demolition of a building. Such laws may impose liability for improper handling or a release to the environment of asbestos-containing materials and potentially asbestos-containing materials and may provide for fines to, and for third parties to seek recovery from, owners or operators of real property for personal injury or improper work exposure associated with asbestos-containing materials and potentially asbestos-containing materials.
Prior to closing any property acquisition, we obtain Phase I environmental assessments in order to attempt to identify potential environmental concerns at the properties. These assessments are carried out in accordance with an appropriate level of due diligence and generally include a physical site inspection, a review of relevant federal, state and local environmental and health agency database records, one or more interviews with appropriate site-related personnel, review of the propertys chain of title and review of historic aerial photographs and other information on past uses of the property. We may also conduct limited subsurface investigations and test for substances of concern where the results of the Phase I environmental assessments or other information indicates possible contamination or where our consultants recommend such procedures. As of December 31, 2006, we were not aware of any environmental issues regarding our student housing portfolio that would materially adversely affect our student housing business.
While we may purchase many of our properties on an as is basis, all of our purchase contracts contain a due diligence contingency clause, which permits us to reject a property because of any due diligence issues discovered at the property.
As of December 31, 2006, the student housing business employed 470 full-time employees and 970 part-time employees, the military housing business employed 509 full-time employees and seven part-time employees, and we employed in our corporate staff 124 full-time employees. Employees include those at the property level providing services as well as regional and corporate staff directly providing services to both the student housing and military housing properties. Part-time employees are primarily located at the property level in various student housing resident assistance programs. We believe that our relations with our employees are good. As of December 31, 2006, none of our student housing employees were members of an organized labor union; and, with respect to our military housing employees, 13 employees employed at our Fort Gordon project are represented by the Transport Workers Union of America Local 527 and we were in the process of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with these employees.
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Risks Relating to Our Business and Growth Strategy
The initial maturity date of our current line of credit is June 1, 2007, and unless we are able to repay outstanding indebtedness under the line at that time, or by any extended maturity date which may be no later than October 2, 2007, the loss of any of our assets securing such debt could adversely affect our business.
Our current line of credit with Wachovia Bank, National Association, has a maturity date of June 1, 2007, at which time all outstanding indebtedness under the line will become due and payable. As of March 15, 2007, we had $138.0 million in outstanding indebtedness under the line of credit. In December 2006, we announced that our management expected to implement a business strategy beginning in 2007 that would involve the sale, refinancing and/or entrance into a joint venture with respect to a number of our currently owned student housing properties. The proceeds from this business strategy would be used to repay outstanding indebtedness under our line of credit. While the line of credit remains effective, the lender has the sole discretion to approve of various aspects of our business strategy, such as the release of any student housing assets securing the line for sale to third parties or the placement of such assets into a joint venture with a third party. There can be no guarantee that our management team will be able to execute upon its business strategy at all or on terms that are currently anticipated, and therefore that we will be able to obtain the necessary funds to repay the outstanding indebtedness under the line of credit when it becomes due and payable on the initial maturity date. To the extent that we are unable to successfully implement this business strategy at all or on terms that are currently anticipated by our management team, then we need either (i) to extend the initial maturity date, or (ii) to identify other sources of capital in order to repay the outstanding indebtedness under our line of credit at its maturity date. If we elect to extend the maturity date, we would only be able to extend it under the current agreement through no later than October 2, 2007. Such extension would trigger the payment of an additional fee and an increase in the effective interest rates under the terms of the loan. For a discussion of the extension terms of our current line of credit, see the section of this report titled Our BusinessLine of Credit. To the extent that we elect to extend the initial term of our credit facility and become subject to a higher interest rate on outstanding borrowings thereunder, our results of operations will be adversely impacted. In addition, if we fail to identify the capital necessary to repay our line of credit upon its maturity date (whether or not extended), our lender may pursue its remedies to take control over certain assets that secure the line of credit. The loss of any such assets could impact our ability to qualify as a real estate investment trust and could adversely affect our business.
If we were to default in the future on any of our mortgage indebtedness, the loss of any of our assets securing such debt could adversely affect our business or result in the secured indebtedness under our line of credit being immediately due and payable.
A substantial portion of our student housing properties are secured by first mortgages. In addition, as discussed in the risk factor above, in connection with obtaining our current line of credit with Wachovia Bank in October 2006, we granted the lender a security interest in the cash flows from our operating partnership and its subsidiaries that own and operate our student housing properties and third-party management contracts. As additional collateral security for our obligations under this line of credit, our operating partnership and several of its direct and indirect subsidiaries that own the student housing properties that were previously unencumbered under our former credit facility, and the student housing properties acquired in our Capstone portfolio acquisition, also entered into a pledge agreement in favor of Wachovia. Pursuant to this pledge agreement, we granted a security interest in the equity interests in the entities that own, directly or indirectly, these student housing properties, as well as our third-party management business and the contracts pursuant to which we receive management, development and renovation fees with respect to operation of our military housing privatization projects. Our cash flow may
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be insufficient to make required payments of principal and interest on our debt. Any default in payment of our indebtedness or violation of any covenants in our loan documents could result in the loss of our investment in the properties or assets securing the debt or result in our debt obligations under our line of credit being immediately due and payable, to the extent that we are unable to obtain waivers of financial covenants from our lenders or amend the loan documents. Additionally, some of our indebtedness contains cross default provisions. A default under a loan with cross default provisions could result in default on other indebtedness.
Our internal control over financial reporting may not be sufficient to ensure timely and reliable financial information.
As discussed under Item 9A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, in connection with the completion of the audit of our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005 and an investigation performed by our Audit Committee commenced during the first quarter of 2006, the Company identified and communicated to the Companys independent registered public accounting firm material weaknesses involving internal control over financial reporting and its function. Although managements report on internal control over financial reporting as contained in Item 9A of this report indicates the presence of no material weaknesses in internal control as of December 31, 2006, there can be no assurance that internal control systems will continue to remain effective going forward, or that further remediation efforts will not be required in order to maintain our internal control over financial reporting.
The Companys growth could continue to place stress on its internal control systems, and there can be no assurance that the Companys current control procedures will be adequate. Even after corrective actions have been implemented, the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over financial reporting may be limited by a variety of risks, including faulty human judgment and simple errors, omissions and mistakes, inappropriate management override of procedures, and risk that enhanced controls and procedures may still not be adequate to assure timely and reliable financial information. If the Company fails to have effective internal control over financial reporting in place, it could be unable to provide timely and reliable financial information.
Pending material litigation or the commencement of an investigation by the SEC could adversely affect the Companys financial condition and results of operations.
There have been several class action complaints filed against the Company and our chief executive officer and former chief financial officer. These complaints allege, among other things, that the defendants committed securities fraud in connection with the offer, purchase and sale of the Companys common shares between October 28, 2004 and March 10, 2006. As of the date of this report, the court has appointed a lead plaintiff, but the class has not yet been certified. In addition, the sellers of a portfolio of student housing properties that we acquired in June 2005, who received units of limited partnership interests in our operating partnership in connection with the transaction, have filed suit against us under a similar securities fraud claim. The outcome of this litigation is uncertain, and although the Company will defend itself against the claims made in these lawsuits, no assurance can be given as to the outcome of this litigation. For a discussion of this pending and threatened litigation, see the section of this report titled Legal Proceedings. Costs associated with defending this securities litigation, or with the payment of any judgments in or settlements of such litigation, could adversely affect the Companys financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, after we alerted the SEC of the Audit Committee investigation and related matters, the SEC staff initiated an informal inquiry in connection with these matters. If the SEC ultimately investigates these matters, or any restatements of our financial statements, the investigation could adversely affect the Companys ability to access the capital markets. In addition, the Company could incur significant legal,
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accounting and other costs in connection with responding to any such investigation, and could be required to pay large civil penalties and fines resulting from any enforcement actions that could be instituted by the SEC. The SEC also could impose other sanctions against us or certain of our executive officers. These additional costs, together with the likely strain on managements time and attention and other of our operational resources in addressing any such investigation, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We have reported net losses in the past and may continue to do so in the future.
For the second, third and fourth quarters, as well as for the full year ended December 31, 2006, we reported net losses. These losses were primarily attributable to increased expenses incurred during those periods relating to our previously disclosed Audit Committee special investigation and activities of the Special Committee of the Board of Trustees. We also have experienced increases in expenses relating to our student housing business, and to the extent we are unable to manage those expenses going forward, our operating results from this segment could contribute to additional losses for the Company on a consolidated basis. As referenced in the risk factor above, we also may incur significant legal expenses relating to defending the pending class action securities litigation against the Company. If our student housing and military housing businesses do not generate sufficient revenue from operations to maintain profitability, we may continue to experience losses from operations.
Since our initial public offering, our cash flow from operations has been insufficient to fund our dividend distributions to our shareholders, and it could continue to be so in the future. To the extent our cash flow from operations is insufficient to fund our dividend distributions, we expect to borrow funds or to lower our dividend distributions.
Since completion of our initial public offering, we have used borrowings under our credit facility to pay a portion of dividend distributions to our shareholders. We expect that during 2007 our cash flow from operations will continue to be the primary source of funding for our distributions to shareholders. To the extent that we are unable to fund our dividend distributions with cash flow from operations, we may be required to borrow funds in order to make distributions at historical levels. In the past, we have relied on third-party debt financing, including funds from our line of credit, in order to fund a portion of our dividend distributions. Under our current line of credit with Wachovia Bank, our lender must consent to the use of funds borrowed thereunder for payment of any future dividend distributions. Similarly, if we seek to borrow funds from another lending source, we would be required to obtain prior consent from our lender under the line of credit while it remains effective. There can be no guarantee that our lender will approve this use of funds from the line of credit, or outside borrowing of funds from a third party, for any future quarterly dividend distributions to our shareholders. To the extent that our lender does not approve such use, and we do not have sufficient funds from operations to fund our dividend distributions at historical levels, we may be required to lower our dividend distributions. Any additional indebtedness that we incur with respect to payment of our dividend distributions also will increase our leverage and could decrease our ability to borrow money for other needs, such as the acquisition or development of student housing properties and investments in military housing privatization projects.
We commenced operations through our operating partnership in 2004, have a limited history of operating and owning our student housing properties and military housing privatization projects, and therefore may have difficulty successfully and profitably operating our business.
We have only recently commenced operations through the acquisition of our student housing properties, investments in military housing privatization projects and agreements to manage student housing for others by our operating partnership in connection with our initial public offering in November 2004 and the related formation transactions at the time of our initial public offering. As a result,
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we have a limited operating history and limited experience in owning these student housing properties and operating these military housing privatization projects. Furthermore, we acquired our student housing properties and investments in military housing privatization projects we own as of December 31, 2006 primarily within the past two years and we have limited operating histories for the properties currently under management. Consequently, our historical operating results and the financial data set forth in this report may not be useful in assessing our likely future performance. We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate sufficient net income from operations to make distributions to our shareholders.
Historically, we have experienced rapid growth in our student housing and military housing businesses and may not be able to adapt our management and operational systems to respond to the acquisition and integration of these properties and investments in privatization projects, or to respond to new properties and projects that we acquire in the future, without unanticipated disruption or expense.
We acquired all of our student housing properties and investments in military housing privatization projects since July 2004 and expect to continue to acquire additional student housing properties and invest in military housing privatization projects going forward.
As a result of the rapid historical growth of our portfolio, we cannot assure you that we will be able to adapt our management, administrative, accounting and operational systems, or hire or retain sufficient operational staff to integrate these student housing properties and military housing privatization projects into our portfolio and manage any future acquisitions of additional student housing properties or military housing privatization projects without operating disruptions or unanticipated costs. Our failure to successfully integrate any future student housing property acquisitions, student housing property management contracts or military housing privatization projects into our portfolio could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
We expect our real estate investments to continue to be concentrated in student housing and military housing, making us more vulnerable to economic downturns in these housing markets than if our investments were diversified across several industry or property types.
We elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes in connection with the filing of our tax return for the taxable year ended December 31, 2004, and we expect to continue to qualify as a REIT in the future. Accordingly, we will invest primarily in real estate. We intend to acquire, manage, and to a lesser extent, develop student housing properties, and to develop, construct, renovate and manage military housing properties. We are subject to risks inherent in concentrating investments in real estate. The risks resulting from a lack of diversification become even greater as a result of our business strategy to invest primarily in student and military housing properties. A downturn in the student or military housing markets could negatively affect our ability to lease our properties to new student residents and our ability to profitably operate our military housing privatization projects or obtain new privatization projects. These adverse effects could be more pronounced than if we diversified our investments outside of real estate or outside of the student and military housing markets.
If we are unable to successfully perform our obligations under our current student housing property management agreements and current military housing privatization projects, our ability to execute our business plan and our operating results could be adversely affected.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully manage our student housing properties, or develop, construct, renovate and manage the military housing properties under our privatization projects, or that we will be able to perform our obligations under our current student housing property management agreements or military housing privatization projects. If we are unable to perform, we may be unable to
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execute our business plan, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
We have agreed with Vornado Realty L.P. that our activities will satisfy certain requirements. If we are unable to satisfy these requirements we could be liable for substantial amounts.
In connection with the investment by affiliates of Vornado Realty L.P. in our operating partnership and the issuance of a warrant to Vornado Realty L.P., we and our operating partnership have agreed to certain restrictions regarding our activities and assets and the activities and assets of our operating partnership. If we breach any of these agreements, and, as a result, Vornado Realty L.P. fails to maintain its qualification as a REIT or otherwise incurs liability for any tax, penalty or similar charges, we and our operating partnership could be exposed to substantial liability for damages attributable to our breach.
We are subject to risks associated with the general development of housing properties, including those associated with construction, lease-up, financing, real estate tax exemptions, cost overruns and delays in obtaining necessary approvals, and the risk that we may be unable to meet schedule or performance requirements of our contracts.
We intend to continue to acquire, manage, and to a lesser extent, develop student housing properties, and to develop, construct, renovate and manage military housing properties under our privatization projects, in accordance with our business plan. We also engage in the development and construction of student housing properties. These activities may include the following risks:
· construction/renovation costs of a property may exceed original estimates, possibly making the development uneconomical;
· occupancy rates and rents at newly completed student housing properties or military housing properties may be insufficient to make the properties profitable to us or to provide sufficient cash flows to fund future development, construction or renovation periods;
· acceptable financing may not be available on favorable terms for development or acquisition of a property;
· leasing of a property may take longer than expected;
· development efforts may be abandoned;
· obtaining real estate tax exemptions acceptable to the DoD; and
· new construction may not be completed on schedule, resulting in increased debt service expense and development costs, delayed leasing and possible termination of our management contracts (particularly with respect to our military housing privatization projects).
In addition, any new development or management activities, regardless of whether or not they are ultimately successful, typically will require a substantial portion of the time and attention of our management. Development and management activities also are subject to risks relating to the inability to obtain, or delays in obtaining, the necessary zoning, land-use, building, occupancy and other required governmental permits and authorizations.
The development and operation of real estate projects entails certain risks, including risks that costs of a project may exceed original estimates, and that the project will fail to conform to building plans, specifications and timetables, which may in turn be affected by strikes, weather, government regulations and other conditions beyond our control. In addition, we may become liable for injuries and accidents occurring on our properties and for environmental liabilities related to our property sites.
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Our management has limited prior experience operating a REIT or a public company. These limitations may impede the ability of our management to execute our business plan successfully and operate our business profitably.
Our management has limited prior experience in operating a REIT or in managing a publicly owned company, or managing growth at level that may occur in the future. We cannot assure you that the operating performance of our student housing properties and military housing privatization projects will not decline under our management. We may be unable to hire additional personnel on a timely basis. Therefore, you should be especially cautious in drawing conclusions about the ability of our management team to execute our business plan.
Specific Risks Related to Our Student Housing Business
Virtually all of our student housing leases, which typically have a 12-month lease term, become subject to renewal with existing student residents or lease-up with new student residents prior to the start of the academic year at colleges and universities. If we are unable to renew or lease-up our student housing properties prior to the start of the academic year, our chances of leasing these properties during subsequent months is reduced, and correspondingly, our rents and operating results will be adversely affected.
As a result of the student demand for rental housing during the several months prior to the beginning of the academic year at colleges and universities, which typically lasts from January through July, we generally lease our student housing properties to students under 12-month leases during this period. During this lease-up period, we typically will execute the majority of our leases for student housing units and therefore are dependent on the effectiveness of the marketing efforts of our on-site management teams. Because the terms of these leases will end at, or near the same time, we must re-lease the majority of our student housing units during this limited timeframe. If our marketing and leasing efforts are unsuccessful during this limited lease-up period, we may be unable to lease a substantial majority of our student housing units. Consequently, the failure to adequately market and lease-up our properties could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
We face significant competition from university-owned on-campus student housing, from other off-campus student housing properties and from traditional multi-family housing located near colleges and universities.
On-campus student housing has certain advantages over off-campus student housing in terms of physical proximity to the university campus and integration of on-campus facilities into the academic community. Colleges and universities can generally avoid real estate taxes and borrow funds at lower interest rates than we and other private owners and operators can.
Currently, the off-campus student housing industry is fragmented with no participant holding a significant market share. We also compete with national and regional owner-operators of off-campus student housing in a number of markets, as well as with smaller local owner-operators. Our properties often compete directly with a number of student housing complexes that are located near or in the same general vicinity of many of our properties. These competing student housing complexes may be newer than our properties, located closer to campus, charge less rent, possess more attractive amenities or offer more services or shorter terms or more flexible leases.
Rental income at a particular property could also be affected by a number of other factors, including the construction of new on-campus and off-campus residences, increases or decreases in the general levels of rents for housing in competing communities, increases or decreases in the number of students enrolled at one or more of the colleges or universities in the propertys market and other general economic conditions.
We believe that a number of other large national companies with substantial financial and marketing resources may be potential entrants in the student housing business. The entry of one or more of these companies could increase competition for students and for the acquisition, development and management of other student housing properties.
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Our student housing operations may be adversely affected by changing university admission and housing policies and our inability to maintain relationships with local colleges and universities.
A change in university admission policies could adversely affect our ability to lease our student housing properties. For example, if a university reduces the number of student admissions or requires that a certain class of students (e.g., freshmen) live in a university-owned facility, the demand for beds at our properties may be reduced and our occupancy rates may decline. We may be unable to modify our marketing efforts to compensate for a change in a colleges or universitys admission policy prior to the commencement of the annual lease-up period or any additional marketing efforts may be unsuccessful.
In addition, our ability to successfully lease our student housing properties depends on a number of factors, including maintaining good relationships with college and university communities (especially in connection with colleges and universities that refer students to us) and our continued ability to attract student residents to our properties. Many colleges and universities assist their students in the identification of attractive student-friendly off-campus housing through the distribution of off-campus property materials and the recommendation of college- and university-approved off-campus housing properties on their web sites. If colleges and universities change their policies on recommending off-campus student housing to their students, or cease distribution of off-campus student housing marketing materials to their students, our ability to attract student residents and to lease and collect rents on our student housing properties could be adversely affected. Consequently, the failure to maintain relationships with local colleges and universities could have a material adverse effect on our student housing business.
We may be unable to successfully acquire, develop and manage student housing properties on favorable terms.
Our future growth within the student housing business is dependent upon our ability to successfully acquire or develop new properties on favorable terms. As we acquire or develop additional properties, we will be subject to risks associated with managing new properties, including lease-up and integration risks. Newly-acquired properties may not perform as expected and may have characteristics or deficiencies unknown to us at the time of acquisition. During at least the first half of 2007, we may seek to acquire or develop new student housing properties solely through joint ventures with third parties. There can be no assurance that future acquisition and development opportunities will be available to us on terms that meet our investment criteria, that we will be able to identify suitable joint venture partners on terms acceptable to us, or that we will be successful in capitalizing on such opportunities. Our ability to capitalize on such opportunities will be largely dependent upon external sources of capital that may not be available to us on favorable terms, or at all.
Our ability to acquire properties on favorable terms and successfully operate them may expose us to the following significant risks:
· potential inability to acquire a desired property because of competition from other real estate investors;
· we may be unable to locate acceptable joint venture partners with whom we would negotiate to acquire and/or develop the properties;
· competition from other potential acquirers may significantly increase a propertys purchase price;
· we may be unable to finance our equity portion of an acquisition on favorable terms or at all;
· we may have to incur significant capital expenditures to improve or renovate acquired properties;
· we may be unable to quickly and efficiently integrate new acquisitions, particularly acquisitions of portfolios of properties, into our existing operations;
· market conditions may result in higher than expected vacancy rates and lower than expected rental rates; and
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· we may acquire properties subject to liabilities without any recourse, or with only limited recourse, to the sellers, or with liabilities that are unknown to us, such as liabilities for clean-up of undisclosed environmental contamination, claims by tenants, vendors or other persons dealing with the former owners of our properties and claims for indemnification by members, directors, officers and others indemnified by the former owners of our properties.
Our failure to finance property acquisitions on favorable terms, or operate acquired properties to meet our financial expectations, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The lenders of certain non-recourse mortgage indebtedness that we assume or place on our properties could have recourse against us for the full amounts of their loans under certain circumstances.
As of December 31, 2006, we had $1,028.3 million in aggregate principal amount of mortgage debt secured by our properties. In general, mortgage debt is non-recourse to our subsidiary that owns the property and places the mortgage debt on the property, and will be non-recourse to us. However, the terms of each of the loans to which the mortgage debt relates include provisions that enable the lender to have recourse to the borrower generally if the borrower misrepresented certain facts or committed fraud. In addition, there are provisions under our current line of credit with Wachovia Bank, National Association that could result in an event of default to the extent we experience a material default under certain of our mortgage indebtedness relating to our properties. If one or more of the borrowers under our mortgage indebtedness exercises its rights to recourse against us for the full amount of the mortgage debt outstanding under their loans, our liquidity and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Specific Risks Related to our Military Housing Business
Certain military bases for which we own and operate a military housing privatization project have been approved for reduction of troops or closure under the Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, regulations. Our operating revenues from these projects and the value of our equity interest in the projects may be reduced, and our overall military housing segment revenues could be adversely affected with respect to the military bases under any of these military housing privatization projects.
As part of the DoDs substantial reduction in the size of the U.S. military following the end of the Cold War, the federal government undertook four rounds of BRAC beginning in 1988, and again in 1991, 1993 and 1995. The fifth round of BRAC was initiated in 2004 and was completed on November 9, 2005, when, under current legislation, the final list of additional bases recommended for realignment or closure was approved by both President Bush and Congress. The BRAC law sets out a process that includes specific dates for government action and the creation of an independent commission appointed by the President. By way of background, the DoD released its initial recommendations for BRAC in May 2005, and the BRAC Commission then voted to amend the DoDs initial list on July 19, 2005. Under the BRAC Commissions revisions, several bases were removed from the DoDs list of bases targeted for closure, including the Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, both of which are part of our Navy Northeast Region military housing privatization project. In addition, the BRAC Commission also proposed a less significant realignment at the Fort Eustis base under our Fort Eustis/Fort Story project in Newport News, Virginia than was proposed by the DoD. However, the BRAC Commission proposed to close the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, which had been recommended by the DoD to be realigned. Finally, the BRAC Commission voted to uphold the DoDs recommendation to close the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. In September 2005, President Bush accepted the BRAC Commissions recommendations in their entirety. On November 9, 2005, the BRAC round was completed when Congress approved the BRAC Commissions recommendations in their entirety.
Under the final BRAC list as compared to the original DoD recommendations, the possible number of affected military housing units covered by our existing projects was reduced from 2,500 to 700 units, which remaining 700 units are located at the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine. We believe that the
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closure of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center will not result in the loss of housing units, as these housing units are likely to be utilized by personnel who will be relocated from serving at Walter Reed to serving at nearby military medical facilities.
If a base for which we maintain a privatization project is realigned or closed, our main source of tenants, members of the U.S. military and their families, will not continue to require housing at or near the base, resulting in a decreased rental revenue stream. This in turn may jeopardize our ability to collect future fees, and the value of our equity interest in the project could be adversely affected due to a reduction in its scope, to the extent that we are unable to re-lease any vacant units. The military housing privatization initiative had not been undertaken at the time of previous BRAC rounds, and therefore there is no historical information regarding the impact of a base closure on a military housing privatization project. To date, there has been no indication from the DoD or the BRAC Commission that the federal government has factored into its analysis the possible effects that a base closure or realignment resulting from BRAC could have with respect to the outstanding debt financing for a project. In addition, prior BRAC rounds have shown that even once a base is approved for closure or realignment, the actual closing or realignment of the base could take several years to be completed. Accordingly, management currently expects that the closure of the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine will not occur for at least three years. We are unable to determine with any certainty, however, the specific impact, and the timing of any such impact, that base closures and realignments at our projects will have on our military housing operating results, other than the possible cessation or reduction of fees related to the affected bases.
In addition, it is inherent in the nature of military service that members of the military may be deployed and stationed away from a particular base for an extended period of time or permanently be reassigned to another base. As a result of such absences, dependents may move out of military housing facilities resulting in vacant housing units to be managed and re-leased by us. Typical military housing lease agreements, which have a one-year lease term and continue month-to-month thereafter, provide that a military resident may terminate a lease and be released from any further obligations under the lease upon receipt of orders requiring the resident to be deployed or temporarily or permanently stationed away from the base for more than 90 days by providing us with proof of orders and an appropriate letter from the residents commanding officer. If we are unable to re-lease these vacant units, the management fee revenue derived from the projects rental revenues will decrease, and the project may be unable to be appropriately funded for construction and renovation of units throughout the term of the project. We also may be unable to receive any other fees that we may have otherwise earned under the project, and the projected, or any, return on our investment in the project. Any such effect could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
If there are significant numbers of base closures, force reductions or troop deployments that affect our existing military housing privatization projects, we may be unable to achieve the anticipated operating revenues to be derived from these projects and our results of operations may be adversely affected.
As a result of the anticipated closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station covered by our Navy Northeast Region military housing privatization project, our joint venture with the Department of the Navy that owns the project must modify the terms of the project documents to amend various construction scope and timing requirements that were set prior to the BRAC announcement. Certain initial construction requirements under the original scope have not been met due to construction delays at bases slated for closure, and therefore the joint venture is currently in default under the terms of the trust indenture relating to the bonds issued to finance the project. The exercise of any default remedies by the bondholders relating to this project may adversely impact the operations of the project and our equity investment in the project.
As a result of the initial BRAC recommendations relating to the Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, and the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, each of which are included in our Navy Northeast Region project, our joint venture with the Navy
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that owns the project delayed construction of new housing units at these bases throughout 2005 and 2006. Once the final BRAC recommendations as approved by Congress removed the Submarine Base and Naval Shipyard from the closure list, the joint venture re-commenced construction at those two locations but has continued to delay construction at the Brunswick Naval Air Station. The project documents that were executed at the time of award of the project to our joint venture with the Navy did not provide for a reduced scope for the project in the event that bases under the project were targeted for reduction or closure. As a result, the project documents still contemplate that we will complete the original scope of project and contain covenants that require completion of construction of a certain number of housing units at each base included in the project by times that were agreed upon prior to the BRAC announcements. While we are currently working with the Navy to modify the project documents to reduce the scope of the project in light of the closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station, the joint venture may be unable to complete the necessary amendments prior to the date that such construction scope and time requirements are required to be met and cured, and such inability to complete the necessary amendments in time could trigger a default under the project documents. In addition, due to the aforementioned construction delays, the joint venture was unable to meet a requirement to deliver a certain number of new construction housing units under the terms of the trust indenture that covers the bonds originally issued to finance the project. The joint venture was required to provide notice of this anticipated default to the bondholder representative and other related parties under the terms of the trust indenture, and did so in July 2006 and December 2006. As a result of this technical default, the trust indenture provides that a majority of the bondholders or the bond trustee can elect to declare all of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the bonds immediately due and payable. Such an acceleration of the bonds could result in the foreclosure on all or a portion of the project assets to the extent that the projects available cash is insufficient to pay the bondholders in full. While the bonds are nonrecourse to us, to the extent that the bondholders are able to foreclose on all or a portion of the project, our future income stream from the project and our initial equity investment in the joint venture would be significantly or completely impaired. There also can be no guarantee that we will be able to complete amendments to the project documents and trust indenture needed to address the reduced scope of the project prior to the triggering of other events of default under the terms of such documents.
The joint ventures that own our military housing privatization projects have high leverage ratios which could cause us to lose cash flows and our investments in those projects if the joint ventures are unable to pay their debt service obligations.
Typically, up to 90% of the capitalization of the joint ventures that own our military housing privatization projects is debt, such as through the sale of taxable bonds to the public. These joint ventures generally are not required to be consolidated with our operations, and as a result this indebtedness is not reflected on our balance sheet. As a result of the high leverage ratios of these joint ventures, reductions in their revenues could impair their ability to service their debt. For example, if the BAH paid to members of the U.S. military is reduced, the personnel is reduced at the bases where our projects are located or these bases are closed, the revenue generated by these joint ventures could decrease. In addition, to the extent that any of our projects are restructured, resulting in a significant loss of end-state housing units covered by the project, the revenues generated by the project would be reduced and could materially impair the ability to make payments to bondholders for bonds issued in connection with the projects financing. If any of the joint ventures covering our military housing privatization projects cannot service its indebtedness, we may not be paid with respect to certain projects on our development, construction, renovation and/or management fees, which would adversely affect our operating results. We also could lose our entire initial equity and any other additional investments in the project, which could adversely affect our financial condition.
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Our ability to earn development, construction/renovation and management fees, including related incentive fees, depends on the joint ventures that own our military housing privatization projects achieving specified operating milestones and thresholds.
The joint ventures that own our military housing privatization projects derive substantially all of their revenues from the BAH of their tenants. This revenue is then paid out by the joint ventures according to a distribution waterfall plan set forth in the joint ventures governing documents. Other than the standard management fee we earn, which is typically 2% to 3% of the BAH-related project revenues, and other disbursements, such as routine maintenance, utilities, taxes and insurance, no funds are available to be paid out to us until the joint ventures debt service obligations are satisfied. Thereafter, we only earn incentive management fees, preferential and other returns and on-going construction/renovation and development fees if the joint venture achieves operating milestones and thresholds specified in their governing documents, such as maintaining a certain number of end-state housing units online or completing the construction or renovation of a certain number of housing units by certain dates. Due to the inherent inability to predict possible delays in construction or renovation as a result of weather or unknown site conditions (such as environmental or structural concerns), our joint ventures with the military could experience construction/renovation delays that could impact the joint ventures ability to meet deadlines or achieve operating milestones/thresholds. Our joint ventures have historically sought change orders in order to approve certain construction/renovation delays or approve additional draws needed to complete construction/renovation work relating to such delays. These change orders must be approved by the lenders associated with the financing of the project, and there can be no guarantee that the joint ventures change orders will be approved in order to meet the operating milestones/thresholds under the project documents, or at all. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that the joint ventures will achieve these operating milestones and thresholds, or that if the joint ventures achieve these milestones and thresholds, that funds will remain to pay incentive management fees, preferential and other returns and on-going construction/renovation and development fees. If the joint ventures fail to achieve these milestones and thresholds or, if funds are not available to pay incentive management fees, preferential and other returns and on-going construction/renovation and development fees, the operating results of our military housing business could fluctuate significantly over the course of the project and could suffer.
We rely on key partners and contractors in connection with the construction and development of our military housing privatization projects, and our inability to maintain these relationships or to engage new partners or subcontractors under commercially acceptable terms to us could impair our ability to successfully complete the construction and development of our military housing privatization projects and to obtain new military housing privatization projects.
We are dependent upon our relationships with partners and subcontractors in connection with the construction, renovation and development of our military housing privatization projects. Particularly, our management team has relationships with Centex Construction Company, LLC, The Benham Companies, LLC, and Phelps Development, LLC. Subject to the terms of our agreements with these construction, renovation and design partners and contractors, these parties provide services to those military housing privatization projects in which they are involved. To the extent that we are unable to maintain our relationships with these partners and contractors or to engage new partners and contractors under terms acceptable to us, our ability to complete a project in a timely fashion, or at a profit, may be impaired. If the amount we are required to pay for these services exceeds the amount we have estimated in bidding for military housing privatization projects or other fixed-price work, we could experience losses in the performance of these projects. In addition, if a partner or subcontractor was unable to deliver its services according to our negotiated terms with them for any reason, including the deterioration of its financial condition, another subcontractor would need to be obtained to perform the services, potentially at a higher price. This may result in the significant delay or additional costs associated with performance under our military housing privatization projects, the adverse effect on our operating results through a reduction in
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the profit to be realized, or the recognition of a loss on a project for which the services were needed. In addition, if we are unable to successfully manage the provision of services by our partners and contractors, we may not be awarded future military housing privatization projects.
We are subject to the risks associated with conducting business with the federal government, such as the governments discontinuation of federal funding for some or all of its military housing privatization projects and the need to win new military housing privatization projects through a competitive bidding process.
We are subject to risks associated with conducting business with the federal government. The DoD, pursuant to its authority granted under the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act, has approved, as of March 9, 2007, the award of 78 military housing privatization projects to private owners, and the future award of an additional 41 projects. Any Congressional action to reduce budgetary spending by the DoD could limit the continued funding of these private-sector projects and could limit our ability to obtain additional privatization projects, which would have a material adverse effect on our business. The risks of conducting business with the federal government also include the risk of civil and criminal fines and the risk of public scrutiny of our performance at high profile sites.
In addition, privatization projects are currently awarded pursuant to a competitive bidding process, which differs procedurally with respect to each U.S. military branch. Generally, after a proposed site has been identified by a military branch for privatization, prospective companies must submit a proposal complying with specified guidelines demonstrating that the company will be able to successfully complete the project in accordance with the government requirements. The project winner is awarded the exclusive right to develop, construct, renovate and manage family housing at a military base throughout the duration of the ground lease, typically for a 50-year period. The competition pursuing privatization projects currently consists of a small, distinguished list of national and international developers, owners and operators of commercial and residential real estate. We cannot predict whether the number of companies that we compete against for the award of privatization projects will increase significantly in the future, or that we will be able to effectively compete against other private owners for projects awarded in the future.
The termination of the DoDs authority to grant privatization projects, the reduction of government funding for such projects and our inability to effectively compete for the award of future projects could have a material adverse effect on our military housing business and, correspondingly, on our operating results and financial condition.
If Congress does not approve appropriations each year relating to the provision of the BAH paid to members of the U.S. military, which is the primary source of rental revenues under our military housing privatization projects, or if BAH were eliminated, our operating revenues and projected returns on investments from our military housing privatization projects would be significantly reduced.
Each year Congress must appropriate a budget for BAH for all of the branches of the U.S. military. We cannot assure you that such appropriations will be made in any given year, the appropriation each year will occur on a timely basis, or the amount of BAH appropriated will be sufficient to keep up with escalations in cost of living expenses. Moreover, we cannot assure you that the method of calculation, timing of payment, analysis of comparable market rents, cost of living increases or other issues affecting the amount and receipt of BAH by members of the U.S. military will not change from time to time, with possible material adverse consequences for the amount of operating revenues generated by our military housing privatization projects. The foregoing description of BAH is based on current law and DoD procedures. Congress can change the law and the DoD can revise its procedures at any time. We cannot assure you that such changes will not be made and, if changes are made, such changes may have a material adverse effect on the level of our operating revenues generated by our privatization projects.
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If we are unable to reach definitive agreements regarding the military housing privatization projects that are under exclusive negotiations with the U.S. military or as to which we are participating in a solicitation process, we would be unable to recover any costs incurred during the period of exclusivity or solicitation.
When we are initially selected for a military housing privatization project through the bidding process, we receive only the right to enter into exclusive negotiations with the applicable U.S. military branch, and the award of the project to us is subject to final approval from the U.S. military branch and Congress. During this exclusivity period, or during a pre-award solicitation period, each of which typically lasts between six months to one year, we will develop and present our plans to develop, construct, renovate and manage the project and may incur significant costs during this process. These costs include, among other things, surveyors, equipment, vehicles, on-site personnel salary and wages, inventory, and office and administrative set-up costs.
We cannot assure you that we will receive final approval from Congress on the award of any projects currently under exclusive negotiations or as to which we are participating in a solicitation process, or that the U.S. military branch will not decide to award the project to a competitor at the end of our exclusive negotiations or the solicitation process. If we do not receive final approval on the award of the project from the U.S. military branch or Congress, we may be unable to recover all of the costs that we have incurred during the exclusivity period or the solicitation process through our general military housing operations. Our failure to recover costs that we incur in connection with military housing privatization projects that are under exclusive negotiations or as to which we are participating in a solicitation process may cause the operating results of our military housing business to be adversely affected.
Risks Relating to Our Organization and Structure
Our Board of Trustees may authorize the issuance of additional shares that may cause dilution.
Our declaration of trust authorizes our Board of Trustees, without shareholder approval, to:
· amend the declaration of trust to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of beneficial interest or the number of shares of beneficial interest of any class that we have the authority to issue;
· authorize the issuance of additional common or preferred shares, or units of our operating partnership which may be convertible into common shares; and
· classify or reclassify any unissued common shares or preferred shares and to set the preferences, rights and other terms of such classified or reclassified shares, including preferred shares that have preference rights over the common shares with respect to dividends, liquidation, voting and other matters or common shares that have preference rights with respect to voting.
The issuance of additional shares could be substantially dilutive to our existing shareholders.
Our Board of Trustees may approve the issuance of a class or series of common or preferred shares with terms that may discourage a third party from acquiring us.
Our Board of Trustees may classify or reclassify any unissued common or preferred shares and establish the preferences and rights (including the right to vote, participate in earnings and convert into common shares) of any such shares. Therefore, our Board of Trustees could authorize the issuance of a class or series of common or preferred shares with terms and conditions which could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction in which holders of some or a majority of the common shares might receive a premium for their shares over the then current market price of our common shares.
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Our rights and the rights of our shareholders to take action against our trustees and officers are limited, which could limit your recourse in the event of actions taken that are not in your best interests.
Our declaration of trust authorizes us and our bylaws require us to indemnify and advance expenses to our trustees and officers for actions taken by them in those capacities to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law. In addition, our declaration of trust limits the liability of our trustees and officers for money damages, except for liability resulting from:
· actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services; or
· a final judgment based upon a finding of active and deliberate dishonesty by the trustee or officer that was material to the cause of action adjudicated.
As a result, we and our shareholders may have more limited rights against our trustees and officers than might otherwise exist.
Our ownership limitations may restrict business combination opportunities.
To qualify as a REIT under the Code, no more than 50% of our outstanding shares of beneficial interest may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain types of entities) during the last half of each taxable year (other than our first REIT taxable year). Our declaration of trust prohibits, subject to certain exceptions, direct or indirect ownership (including by virtue of applicable constructive ownership rules) by any person of more than 7.1% of our outstanding common shares (as determined by reference to number or value, whichever is more restrictive), other than (i) Gary M. Holloway, Sr. and certain related persons, who are permitted in the aggregate to own up to 20% of the number or value of our outstanding common shares, whichever is more restrictive, (ii) Steven Roth and certain related persons, who are permitted in the aggregate to own up to 8.5% of the number or value of our common shares, whichever is more restrictive and (iii) Vornado Realty L.P., certain persons related to Vornado Realty L.P., certain of transferees or assignees of Vornado Realty L.P. or related persons and affiliates of such transferees or assignees, to which no ownership limit applies. Generally, common shares owned by affiliated owners will be aggregated for purposes of the ownership limitation. The definition of person in our declaration of trust is broader than the definition of individual that applies under the Code for purposes of the REIT qualification requirement that no more than 50% of our outstanding shares of beneficial interest be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals. As a result, our declaration of trust will prohibit share ownership in some circumstances where the ownership would not cause a violation of the REIT ownership requirement. Any transfer of our common shares that would violate the ownership limitation under our declaration of trust will be null and void, and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares. Instead, such common shares will be designated as shares-in-trust and transferred automatically to a trust effective at the close of business on the day before the purported transfer of such shares. The beneficiary of a trust will be one or more charitable organizations named by us. The ownership limitation could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control or other transaction in which holders of common shares might receive a premium for their common shares over the then current market price or which such holders might believe to be otherwise in their best interests. The ownership limitation provisions also may make our common shares an unsuitable investment vehicle for any person seeking to obtain, either alone or with others as a group, ownership of more than 7.1% in number or value, whichever is more restrictive, of our outstanding common shares.
Our executive officers and certain of our trustees may experience conflicts of interest in connection with their ownership interests in our operating partnership.
Certain of our executive officers and trustees, including Gary M. Holloway, Sr., may experience conflicts of interest relating to their ownership interests in our operating partnership. With regard to ownership interests in our operating partnership, as of December 31, 2006, Mr. Holloway beneficially
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owned approximately 24.0% limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and our other executive officers, including Bruce F. Robinson, who is also one of our trustees, collectively owned approximately 1.8% of the limited partnership interests in our operating partnership. Michael D. Fascitelli, also one of our trustees, is the president and a member of the Board of Trustees of Vornado Realty Trust, which, indirectly through its operating partnership and an affiliated entity, owned an aggregate of 7,337,857 units, or approximately 10.1% of the limited partnership interests in our operating partnership, and 2,517,247 of our common shares, or approximately 6.1% of GMH Communities Trust. Conflicts may arise as a result of these persons ownership interests in, or their affiliates interests in, our operating partnership to the extent that their interests as limited partners diverge from our interests, particularly with regard to transactions, such as sales of assets or the repayment of indebtedness, that could be in our best interests and our shareholders but may have adverse tax consequences to the limited partners in our operating partnership.
Gary M. Holloway, Sr. may have conflicts of interest as a result of his ownership of an entity that provides services to us, leases space from us.
Mr. Holloway owns a 100% equity interest in GMH Capital Partners, LP, an entity that provides property management and real estate brokerage services for office, retail, industrial, multi-family and corporate properties as well as general contracting and construction management services and acquisition, disposition and development services. GMH Capital Partners, LP is not contractually prohibited from competing with us. In addition, GMH Capital Partners, LP leases space in our corporate headquarters, which we acquired in connection with our initial public offering. As a result of the ongoing ownership interests that Mr. Holloway owns in GMH Capital Partners, LP, there may be conflicts of interest with regard to the terms that we enter into pursuant to our lease to GMH Capital Partners, LP. In addition, we may engage GMH Capital Partners, LP to provide certain real estate brokerage services for us in the future.
Because Gary M. Holloway, Sr. owns a significant number of units in our limited partnership, he may be able to exert substantial influence on our management and operations, which may prevent us from taking actions that may be favorable to our shareholders.
As of December 31, 2006, Mr. Holloway beneficially owned approximately 24.0% of the outstanding units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership. If the maximum number of units redeemable for our common shares by Mr. Holloway were actually redeemed, Mr. Holloway would beneficially own approximately 20.0% of our outstanding common shares. Although the terms of our declaration of trust limit Mr. Holloways ability to redeem his limited partnership interests to up to 20.0% of our outstanding common shares, such an ownership concentration of our shares may adversely affect the trading price of our common shares if investors perceive disadvantages to owning shares in companies with controlling shareholders. If we were to redeem the maximum number of Mr. Holloways units for common shares and Mr. Holloway were to retain those shares, he would have the ability to exert significant influence over all matters requiring approval of our shareholders, including the election and removal of trustees and any proposed merger, consolidation or sale of substantially all of our assets. In addition, he could influence significantly the management of our business and affairs. This concentration also could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or impeding a merger or consolidation, takeover or other business combination that could be favorable to you. Further, Mr. Holloways concentration of ownership in our operating partnership affords him the ability to exert substantial influence over matters, such as a merger, consolidation or sale of substantially all of the assets of our operating partnership, all of which, under certain circumstances, require the consent of limited partners owning more than 50% of the partnership interest of the limited partners (other than those held by us or our subsidiaries).
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One of our trustees may have a conflict of interest as a result of his affiliation with Vornado Realty Trust, one of our largest shareholders on a fully-diluted basis.
Mr. Fascitelli, one of our trustees, is the president and a member of the Board of Trustees of Vornado Realty Trust. As described elsewhere in this report, our operating partnership was initially formed in July 2004 through a joint venture between entities owned by Mr. Holloway and Vornado Realty L.P., the operating partnership of Vornado Realty Trust. In connection with our formation transaction, we issued a warrant to Vornado Realty L.P., under which Vornado has purchased 6,666,667 units of limited partnership in our operating partnership. On May 2, 2006, the expiration date under the warrant, Vornado received an additional 1,817,247 of our common shares through a net, or cashless, exercise feature of the warrant. Vornado also purchased 700,000 shares in our 2005 follow-on offering of common shares. Vornado CCA Gainesville, LLC, an affiliate of Vornado Realty L.P., also owns 671,190 units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership, which were issued in connection with the contribution of an interest in a student housing property to our operating partnership at the time of our initial public offering. In addition, we are required to register for resale the common shares issuable upon exercise of the warrant and the other units currently held by Vornado CCA Gainesville, LLC. Under the terms of the warrant, Vornado has the right to designate for election to our Board of Trustees Mr. Fascitelli or such other officer of Vornado who is reasonably acceptable to us, so long as it holds common shares or units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership acquired under the warrant at an aggregate price of not less than $10.0 million. Vornado exercised this right in August 2005, and Mr. Fascitelli was elected to serve on our Board of Trustees on August 10, 2005. As of result of the foregoing, Mr. Fascitelli could experience conflicts of interest between his duties to us and our shareholders and his duties to Vornado and its shareholders.
Some of our executive officers and trustees have other business interests that may hinder their ability to allocate sufficient time to the management of our operations, which could jeopardize our ability to execute our business plan.
Some of our executive officers and trustees have other business interests that may hinder their ability to spend adequate time on our business. Mr. Holloway retains 100% of the interests in GMH Capital Partners, LP, an entity that we did not acquire in our formation transactions, and several other entities relating to GMH Associates. GMH Capital Partners, LP provides various property management services and real estate brokerage services for office, retail, industrial, multi-family and corporate properties as well as construction management services and acquisition, disposition and development services. Mr. Holloways employment agreement permits him to continue to provide management and other services to this entity, and the provision of such services may reduce the time Mr. Holloway is able to devote to our business.
Maryland law may discourage a third party from acquiring us.
Maryland law provides broad discretion to our Board of Trustees with respect to its duties in considering a change in control of our company, including that our board is subject to no greater level of scrutiny in considering a change in control transaction than with respect to any other act by our Board.
The Maryland Business Combination Act restricts mergers and other business combinations between our company and an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder is defined as any person who is the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of our common shares and also includes any of our affiliates or associates that, at any time within the two year period prior to the date of a proposed merger or other business combination, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of our voting power. A person is not an interested shareholder if, prior to the most recent time at which the person would otherwise have become an interested shareholder, our Board of Trustees approved the transaction which otherwise would have resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. For a period of five years
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after the most recent acquisition of shares by an interested shareholder, we may not engage in any merger or other business combination with that interested shareholder or any affiliate of that interested shareholder. After the five year period, any merger or other business combination must be approved by our Board of Trustees and by at least 80% of all the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding voting shares and two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding voting shares other than the interested shareholder or any affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder unless, among other things, the shareholders (other than the interested shareholder) receive a minimum price for their common shares and the consideration received by those shareholders is in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested shareholder for its common shares. Our Board of Trustees has adopted a resolution, reflected in our bylaws, providing that we have opted out of the Maryland Business Combination Act. However, our Board of Trustees may opt at any time, without the approval of our shareholders, to make the statute applicable to us again. To the extent it applies, the business combination statute could have the effect of discouraging offers from third parties to acquire us and increasing the difficulty of successfully completing this type of offer.
Additionally, the control shares provisions of the MGCL are applicable to us as if we were a corporation. These provisions eliminate the voting rights of shares acquired in quantities so as to constitute control shares, as defined under the MGCL. Our bylaws provide that we are not bound by the control share acquisition statute. However, our Board of Trustees may opt to make the statute applicable to us at any time, and may do so on a retroactive basis.
We depend on the business relationships and experience of Gary M. Holloway, Sr. and our other executive officers, the loss of whom could threaten our ability to execute our strategies.
We depend on the services of Gary M. Holloway, Sr., our president, chief executive officer and chairman of our Board of Trustees, to carry out our business strategies. If Mr. Holloway were to leave the Company, it may be more difficult to locate attractive acquisition targets and manage the properties that we acquire. Additionally, as we expand, we will continue to need to attract and retain qualified additional senior executive officers. The loss of the services of any of our senior executive officers, or our inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
Certain of our executive officers have agreements that provide them with benefits in the event their employment is terminated by us without cause, by the executive for good reason, or under certain circumstances following a change of control of our company.
We have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers, including Gary M. Holloway, Sr., Bruce F. Robinson, John DeRiggi, Joseph M. Macchione and J. Patrick OGrady that provide them with severance benefits if their employment is terminated by us without cause, by them for good reason (which includes, among other reasons, failure to be elected to the Board with respect to Mr. Holloways agreement, and any election by us not to renew our agreements with them), or under certain circumstances following a change of control of our company. Certain of these benefits, including the related tax indemnity with respect to the employment agreements for Mr. Holloway and Mr. Robinson, could prevent or deter a change of control of our company that might involve a premium price for our common shares or otherwise be in the best interest of our shareholders.
Our Board of Trustees may alter our investment policies at any time without shareholder approval, and the alteration of these policies may adversely affect our financial performance.
Our major policies, including our policies and practices with respect to investments, financing, growth, debt, capitalization, REIT qualification and distributions, are determined by our Board of Trustees. Our Board of Trustees may amend or revise these and other policies from time to time without a vote of our shareholders. Accordingly, our shareholders will have limited control over changes in our policies.
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We have set a targeted range for the amount of indebtedness that we incur from time to time. This target ratio may be amended or waived at any time without shareholder approval and without notice to our shareholders. In addition, our declaration of trust and bylaws do not limit the amount of indebtedness that we or our operating partnership may incur. If we become highly leveraged, then the resulting increase in debt service could adversely affect our ability to make payments on our outstanding indebtedness and harm our financial condition.
Through a wholly owned subsidiary, we are the sole general partner of our operating partnership, and, should the subsidiary be disregarded, we could become liable for the debts and other obligations of our operating partnership beyond the amount of our investment.
We are the sole general partner of our operating partnership, GMH Communities, LP, through our wholly owned subsidiary, GMH Communities GP Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, and we also owned units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership equal to approximately 56.0% of the total partnership interests in our operating partnership as of December 31, 2006. If GMH Communities GP Trust were disregarded as the general partner, we would be liable for our operating partnerships debts and other obligations. In such event, if our operating partnership is unable to pay its debts and other obligations, we will be liable for such debts and other obligations beyond the amount of our investment in our operating partnership. These obligations could include unforeseen contingent liabilities.
Risks Relating to Real Estate Investments
Illiquidity of real estate investments could significantly impede our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our targeted properties and harm our financial condition.
Real estate investments are relatively illiquid. Our ability to quickly sell or exchange any of our student housing properties or military housing privatization projects in response to changes in economic and other conditions will be limited. No assurances can be given that we will recognize full value for any property that we are required to sell for liquidity reasons. Our inability to respond rapidly to changes in the performance of our investments could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Our targeted properties may not achieve forecasted results or we may be limited in our ability to finance future acquisitions, which may harm our financial condition and operating results, and we may not be able to make the distributions required to maintain our REIT status.
Acquisitions and developments entail risks that the properties will fail to perform in accordance with expectations and that estimates of the costs of improvements necessary to acquire, develop and manage properties will prove inaccurate, as well as general investment risks associated with any new real estate investment. We anticipate that acquisitions and developments will largely be financed through externally generated funds such as borrowings under credit facilities and other secured and unsecured debt financing and from issuances of equity securities. Because we must distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and by excluding any net capital gain, each year to maintain our qualification as a REIT, our ability to rely upon income from operations or cash flow from operations to finance our growth and acquisition activities will be limited. Accordingly, if we are unable to obtain funds from borrowings or the capital markets to finance our acquisition and development activities, our ability to grow would likely be curtailed, amounts available for distribution to shareholders could be adversely affected and we could be required to reduce distributions, thereby jeopardizing our ability to maintain our status as a REIT.
Newly-developed or newly-renovated properties do not have the operating history that would allow our management to make objective pricing decisions in acquiring these properties. The purchase prices of these properties will be based in part upon projections by management as to the expected operating results of such properties, subjecting us to risks that these properties may not achieve anticipated operating results
47
or may not achieve these results within anticipated time frames. In addition, we have witnessed a compression of capitalization rates for the student housing properties that we are targeting under our investment criteria. During 2006, capitalization rates declined, and may continue to decline in the future. We, therefore, may be unable to purchase student housing properties at attractive capitalization rates.
If we suffer losses that are not covered by insurance or that are in excess of our insurance coverage limits, we could lose investment capital and anticipated profits.
We have general liability insurance that provides coverage for bodily injury and property damage to third parties resulting from our ownership of the properties that are leased to, and occupied by, our residents. However, there are certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, wars and acts of terrorism that may be uninsurable or not insurable at a price we can afford. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors also might make it impracticable to use insurance proceeds to replace a property after it has been damaged or destroyed. Under these circumstances, the insurance proceeds we receive might not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to the affected property. If any of these or similar events occur, it may reduce our return from the property and the value of our investment.
Capital expenditures for property renovations may be greater than forecasted and may adversely impact rental payments by our residents and our ability to make distributions to shareholders.
Properties, particularly those that consist of older structures, have an ongoing need for renovations and other capital improvements, including periodic replacement of furniture, fixtures and equipment. Renovation of properties involves certain risks, including the possibility of environmental problems, construction cost overruns and delays, uncertainties as to market demand or deterioration in market demand after commencement of renovation and the emergence of unanticipated competition from other properties. All of these factors could adversely impact rental payments by our residents, have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, and adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
All of our student housing properties are subject to property taxes, and some of our military housing properties may be subject to property taxes. If these taxes were to be significantly increased by applicable authorities in the future, our operating results and ability to make distributions to our shareholders would be adversely affected.
Our student housing properties are subject to real and personal property taxes, and some of our military housing properties may be subject to real and personal property taxes, that may increase as property tax rates change and as the properties are assessed or reassessed by taxing authorities. As the owner of the student housing properties and a member of or partner in the joint venture entity that owns the military housing privatization projects that cover military housing properties, we will be responsible, in whole or in part, for payment of the taxes to the government. Increases in property tax rates may adversely affect our operating results and our ability to make expected distributions to our shareholders.
Our performance and the value of our common shares will be affected by risks associated with the real estate industry.
Our ability to make expected dividend payments to our shareholders and the value of our common shares depend largely on our ability to generate cash revenues in excess of expenses, debt obligations and capital expenditure requirements. Factors that may adversely affect our ability to generate cash revenues include:
· changes in the national, regional and local economic climate;
48
· rising interest rates;
· local conditions such as an oversupply of, or a reduction in demand for, student and military housing;
· increased operating costs, including insurance premiums, utilities and real estate taxes;
· attractiveness of our properties to residents;
· costs of complying with changes in governmental regulations; and
· competition from other real estate developers of student housing and companies pursuing the award of future military housing privatization projects.
In addition, periods of economic slowdown or recession, rising interest rates or declining demand for real estate, or the public perception that any of these events may occur, could result in a general decline in rents or an increased incidence of defaults under existing leases, which would adversely affect us.
As the owner and lessor of real estate, we are subject to risks under environmental laws, the cost of compliance with which, and any violation of which, could materially adversely affect us.
Our operating expenses could be higher than anticipated due to the cost of complying with existing and future environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations. Various environmental laws may impose liability on a current or prior owner or operator of real property for removal or redemption of hazardous or toxic substances. Current or prior owners or operators may also be liable for government fines and damages for injuries to persons, natural resources and adjacent property. These environmental laws often impose liability whether or not the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence or disposal of the hazardous or toxic substances. The cost of complying with environmental laws could materially adversely affect amounts available for distribution to our shareholders and could exceed the value of all of our properties. In addition, the presence of hazardous or toxic substances, or the failure of our residents to properly dispose of or remediate such substances, may adversely affect our residents or our ability to use, sell or rent such property or to borrow using such property as collateral which, in turn, could reduce our revenue and our financing ability. We intend to obtain Phase I environmental assessments on any properties we acquire, manage or develop. However, even if the Phase I environmental reports do not reveal any material environmental contamination, it is possible that material environmental liabilities may exist of which we are unaware.
Although the leases for our student housing properties generally will require our student residents to comply with laws and regulations governing their operations, and to indemnify us for certain environmental liabilities that they create, the scope of their obligations may be limited. We cannot assure you that our student residents or their guarantors will be able to fulfill their indemnification obligations. In addition, environmental and occupational health and safety laws constantly are evolving, and changes in laws, regulations or policies, or changes in interpretations of the foregoing, could create liabilities where none exists today.
With regard to our military housing properties, the federal government will not indemnify us for any environmental liability on these properties. As a result, we may be exposed to substantial liability to remove or remediate hazardous or toxic substances, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operation.
Future terrorist attacks in the U.S. could harm the demand for and the value of our properties.
Future terrorist attacks in the U.S., such as the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, and other acts of terrorism or war, or threats of the same, could diminish the demand for and the value of our properties. The military bases at which we have privatization projects may be terrorist targets. Also, certain
49
of our properties are near universities which contain well-known landmarks and may be perceived as more likely terrorist targets than similar, less recognizable properties. A decrease in demand in our markets would make it difficult for us to renew or re-lease our properties at lease rates equal to or above historical rates.
Terrorist attacks also could directly impact the value of our properties through damage, destruction, loss, or increased security costs, and the availability of insurance for such acts may be limited or may cost more. If we receive casualty proceeds, we may not be able to reinvest such proceeds profitably or at all, and we may be forced to recognize taxable gain on the affected property.
We may incur significant costs complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar laws.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA, all public accommodations must meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Additional federal, state and local laws also may require modifications to our properties, or restrict our ability to renovate our properties. For example, the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, or FHAA, requires apartment properties first occupied after March 13, 1990, to be accessible to the handicapped. We have not conducted an audit or investigation of all of our properties to determine our compliance. Noncompliance with the ADA or FHAA could result in the imposition of fines or an award or damages to private litigants and also could result in an order to correct any non-complying feature. We cannot predict the ultimate amount of the cost of compliance with the ADA, FHAA or any other legislation. If we incur substantial costs to comply with the ADA, FHAA or any other legislation, we could be materially and adversely affected.
We may incur significant costs complying with other regulations.
The properties in our portfolio are subject to various other federal, state and local regulatory requirements, such as state and local fire and life safety requirements. If we fail to comply with these various requirements, we might incur governmental fines or private damage awards. If we are not in compliance with existing requirements, or if existing requirements change, we may have to make significant unanticipated expenditures that would materially and adversely affect us.
Risks Relating to Our Common Shares
The market price and trading volume of our common shares may be volatile in the future.
The market price of our common shares may be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in the future. The stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market price of many companies in industries similar or related to ours and that have been unrelated to these companies operating performances. These broad market fluctuations could reduce the market price of our common shares. Furthermore, our operating results and prospects may be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors or may be lower than those of companies with comparable market capitalizations, which could lead to a material decline in the market price of our common shares. In addition, the trading volume in our common shares may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur.
We cannot assure you that the market price of our common shares will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common shares include:
· the likelihood that an active market for our common shares will continue;
· actual or anticipated variations in our operating results;
· changes in our funds from operations or earnings estimates;
50
· publication of research reports about us or the real estate industry;
· increases in market interest rates may lead purchasers of our common shares to demand a higher dividend rate which, if our distributions do not rise, will mean our share price will fall;
· changes in market valuations of similar companies;
· adverse market reaction to any increased indebtedness we incur in the future;
· additions or departures of key management personnel;
· actions by institutional shareholders;
· speculation in the press or investment community;
· general market and economic conditions; and
· future offerings of debt securities or preferred shares, which would be senior to our common shares upon liquidation, and additional offerings of equity securities, which would dilute our existing shareholders and may be senior to our common shares for the purposes of dividend distributions, may adversely affect the market price of our common shares.
In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making offerings of debt or additional offerings of equity securities, including commercial paper, medium-term notes, senior or subordinated notes and series of preferred shares or common shares. Upon our liquidation, holders of our debt securities and preferred shares and lenders with respect to other borrowings will receive a distribution of our available assets prior to the holders of our common shares. Additional equity offerings may dilute the holdings of our existing shareholders or reduce the market price of our common shares, or both. Our preferred shares, if issued, could have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on dividend payments that could limit our ability to make a dividend distribution to the holders of our common shares. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, holders of our common shares bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the market price of our common shares and diluting their share holdings in us.
Common shares eligible for future sale may have adverse effects on our share price.
We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future sales of common shares or the availability of shares for future sales, on the market price of our common shares. We are required to register for resale up to 34,141,864 shares, which are either currently held by Vornado Realty L.P. as a result of its exercise of a warrant or which shares may be received by various persons and entities upon redemption of units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership. We expect to file a registration statement covering the resale of these shares as soon as possible after the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Sales of substantial amounts of common shares, or the perception that these sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common shares. Under the terms of our operating partnership agreement, the common shares eligible for issuance upon redemption of units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership, including units that we may issue to third parties in the future, are required to be registered within nine months following the date of initial issuance of such units. In addition, we filed a registration statement with respect to the 2,000,000 common shares authorized for issuance under our Equity Incentive Plan in connection with the grant of restricted common share awards, option grants or other equity-based awards authorized by the Compensation Committee of our Board of Trustees. We also may issue from time to time additional common shares or units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership in connection with the acquisition of properties and we may grant additional demand or piggyback registration rights in connection with these issuances. Sales of substantial amounts of common shares or the perception that these sales could occur may adversely effect the prevailing market
51
price for our common shares. In addition, the sale of these shares could impair our ability to raise capital through a sale of additional equity securities.
The market value of our common shares could decrease based on our performance and market perception and conditions.
The market value of our common shares may be based primarily upon the markets perception of our growth potential and current and future cash dividends, and may be secondarily based upon the market value of our underlying assets. We expect the market price of our common shares to be influenced by the dividend on our common shares relative to market interest rates. Rising interest rates may lead potential buyers of our common shares to expect a higher dividend rate, which would adversely affect the market price of our common shares. In addition, rising interest rates would result in increased interest expense on our variable rate debt and adversely affect cash flow and our ability to service our indebtedness and make distributions to our shareholders.
Tax Risks Associated with Our Status as a REIT
If we fail to qualify for or lose our tax status as a REIT, we would be subject to significant adverse consequences and the value of our common shares may decline.
We intend to continue to operate in a manner that will allow us to continue to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes under the Code. We elected to be taxed as a REIT upon the filing of our tax return for the taxable year ended December 31, 2004. Our qualification as a REIT depends, and will continue to depend, on our ability to meet various requirements concerning, among other things, the ownership of our outstanding common shares, the nature of our assets, the sources of our income and the amount of our distributions to our shareholders. The REIT qualification requirements are extremely complex, and the interpretations of the federal income tax laws governing qualification as a REIT are limited. Accordingly, there is no assurance that we will be successful in operating so as to qualify as a REIT. At any time, new laws, regulations, interpretations or court decisions may change the federal tax laws relating to, or the federal income tax consequences of, qualification as a REIT. It is possible that future economic, market, legal, tax or other considerations may cause our Board of Trustees to revoke the REIT election, which it may do without shareholder approval.
If we revoke, lose or fail to achieve our REIT status, we will face serious tax consequences that will substantially reduce the funds available for distribution because:
· we would not be allowed a deduction for distributions to shareholders in computing our taxable income;
· we would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates, and we might need to borrow money or sell assets in order to pay any such tax;
· we also could be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax and possibly increased state and local taxes; and
· unless we are entitled to relief under statutory provisions, we also would be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we ceased to qualify.
In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will not be required to pay dividends to shareholders, and all dividends to shareholders will be subject to tax to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. As a result of all of these factors, a failure to achieve, or a loss or revocation of our REIT status could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and would adversely affect the value of our common shares.
52
In addition, in circumstances where we fail to qualify as a REIT, it is likely that we will also have failed to comply with the restrictions on our activities and those of the operating partnership that we agreed to with Vornado Realty L.P., in which case we would also be liable for any damages incurred by Vornado Realty L.P., certain of its affiliates and its transferees and assignees, together with certain of their affiliates, as a result of such failure.
To maintain our REIT status, we may be forced to borrow funds on a short-term basis during unfavorable market conditions.
In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required under the Code to distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain. In addition, we will be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our net taxable income, including any net capital gains. Because of these distribution requirements, we may not be able to fund future capital needs, including any necessary acquisition financing, from operating cash flow. Consequently, we will be compelled to rely on third party sources to fund our capital needs. We may not be able to obtain this financing on favorable terms or at all. Any additional indebtedness that we incur will increase our leverage. Our access to third party sources of capital depends, in part, on:
· general market conditions;
· our current debt levels and the number of properties subject to encumbrances;
· our current performance and the markets perception of our growth potential;
· our cash flow and cash dividends; and
· the price of our common shares.
If we cannot obtain capital from third party sources, we may not be able to acquire or develop properties when strategic opportunities exist, satisfy our debt service obligations or make the cash dividends to our shareholders necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT.
Failure to make required distributions would subject us to tax.
In order to qualify as a REIT, each year we must distribute to our shareholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and by excluding any net capital gain. To the extent that we satisfy the distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our taxable income, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax on our undistributed income. In addition, we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which our distributions in any year are less than the sum of:
· 85% of our ordinary income for that year;
· 95% of our capital gain net income for that year; and
· 100% of our undistributed taxable income from prior years.
We intend to pay out our income to our shareholders in a manner that satisfies the distribution requirement and avoids corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax. We may be required to make distributions to shareholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Differences in timing between the recognition of income and the related cash receipts or the effect of required debt amortization payments could require us to borrow money or sell assets to pay out enough of our taxable income to satisfy the distribution requirement and to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax in a particular year. In the future, we may borrow to pay distributions to our shareholders and the limited partners of our operating partnership. Any funds that we borrow would subject us to interest rate and other market risks.
53
Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forgo otherwise attractive opportunities.
To qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our shareholders and the ownership of our shares. As a result, we may be required to forgo attractive business or investment opportunities in order to meet these tests. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.
We may be subject to adverse legislative or regulatory tax changes that could reduce the market price of our common shares.
At any time, the federal income tax laws or regulations governing REITs or the administrative interpretations of those laws or regulations may be amended. Any of those new laws or interpretations may take effect retroactively and could adversely affect us or you as a shareholder. Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2002, the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, which we refer to as the Jobs and Growth Tax Act, generally reduces the maximum rate of tax applicable to most domestic noncorporate taxpayers on dividend income from regular C corporations to 15%. This reduces substantially the so-called double taxation (that is, taxation at both the corporate and shareholder levels) that has generally applied to corporations that are not taxed as REITs. Generally, dividends from REITs will not qualify for the dividend tax reduction because, as a result of the dividends paid deduction to which REITs are entitled, REITs generally do not pay corporate level tax on income that they distribute to shareholders. The implementation of the Jobs and Growth Tax Act may cause domestic noncorporate investors to view stocks of non-REIT corporations as more attractive relative to shares of REITs than was the case previously. We cannot predict what impact this legislation may have on the value of our common shares.
The income earned by our taxable REIT subsidiaries will be subject to federal income tax.
We own active taxable REIT subsidiaries that earn income that, if earned by us outside of a taxable REIT subsidiary, would jeopardize our status as a REIT. For example, our taxable REIT subsidiaries earn fees from developing, constructing, renovating and managing military housing properties and providing management services to certain third party owners of student housing, as well as fees for providing certain noncustomary services for our student housing properties, that would not be qualifying income for purposes of the REIT income tests. A taxable REIT subsidiary is taxed as a regular C corporation. The income from the activities described above and other income earned by our taxable REIT subsidiaries is therefore subject to a corporate level tax, notwithstanding that we qualify as a REIT.
We may not conduct all of our third party student housing management business through a taxable REIT subsidiary, which could jeopardize our ability to comply with one of the REIT gross income requirements.
In general, at least 95% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% REIT gross income test, other types of interest and dividends, gain from the sale or disposition of shares or securities, or any combination of these. Fees that we earn from providing property management services to third party owners of student housing properties do not constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% REIT gross income test. We conduct all (or as nearly all as possible) of our third party student housing property management business through a taxable REIT subsidiary. The fees we earn from that business other than through a taxable REIT subsidiary, together with all other income that does not constitute qualifying income under the 95% gross income test, cannot exceed 5% of our total gross income. If we fail to manage our business in a manner that allows us to satisfy the 95% REIT gross income test, the portion of income associated with the amount in excess of this 95% threshold would be taxed at 100%, and we could lose our REIT qualification which would, among other
54
things, cause all of our earnings to be subject to federal income tax and would reduce our cash available for distributions to shareholders.
To maintain our REIT status, we will be required to comply with a number of requirements relating to the relative values of our assets, and we may be required to limit activities conducted through a taxable REIT subsidiary.
As a REIT we will be required to satisfy, as of the close of each quarter of each of our taxable years, a number of requirements relating to the relative values of our assets, including requirements that not more than 25% of the value of our total assets be represented by assets other than real estate assets, cash and cash items and government securities and that not more than 20% of the value of our total assets be represented by securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries. We intend to monitor our compliance with the various asset test requirements. As a number of these requirements are based on value, however, it is possible that the IRS could successfully argue for a value of our nonqualifying assets that was such that we would fail to satisfy a REIT asset requirement. In such circumstances, we could fail to qualify as a REIT for the taxable year of such failure and the following four taxable years.
To maintain our status as a REIT, no more than 20% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of our taxable REIT subsidiaries, such as GMH Military Housing, LLC and College Park Management TRS, Inc. Certain of our activities, such as development, construction, renovation, and management services, must be conducted through a taxable REIT subsidiary in order for us to maintain our REIT status. In addition, certain non-customary services generally must be provided by a taxable REIT subsidiary or an independent contractor from which we do not derive any income. If the revenues from such activities create a risk that the value of our interest in our taxable REIT subsidiaries, based on revenues or otherwise, approach the 20% threshold, we will be forced, in order to maintain our REIT status, to curtail such activities or take other steps to remain under the 20% threshold. Since our formation transactions, the development, construction, renovation, and management services provided to our military housing privatization projects and the management services provided to certain third party owners of student housing have been conducted through taxable REIT subsidiaries. Consequently, income earned by these taxable REIT subsidiaries is subject to corporate income tax.
We may be subject to tax if our taxable REIT subsidiaries provide services to our tenants other than on an arms length basis.
If our taxable REIT subsidiaries provide services to our tenants for other than an arms length charge (payable from the tenants or from us), we would be subject to a 100% tax on the difference between the amount in fact derived by the taxable REIT subsidiary and the arms length charge. In addition, if our taxable REIT subsidiaries pay more than an arms length charge to our operating partnership, GMH Communities Trust or any of their affiliates for services or overhead provided to the taxable REIT subsidiaries, we would be subject to a 100% tax on the difference between the amount in fact paid by the taxable REIT subsidiary and the arms length charge.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
55
Properties we own. The 77 student housing properties that we owned or had ownership interests in as of December 31, 2006 consisted of 14,432 units containing 46,696 beds that were located near 51 colleges and universities in 27 states, and had an average occupancy level of 94.4%. The following table presents information regarding the 77 student housing properties, and six undeveloped parcels of land and one partially developed parcel of land that we owned or had ownership interests in as of December 31, 2006:
Property Name |
|
|
|
Year |
|
Primary University Served |
|
Occupancy |
|
Number of |
|
Number of |
|
Revenues(2) |
|
|||||||||||
Abbott Place |
|
|
1999 |
|
|
Michigan State University |
|
|
98.3 |
% |
|
|
222 |
|
|
|
654 |
|
|
|
$ |
802 |
|
|
||
Aztec Corner |
|
|
1997/2001/2005 |
|
|
San Diego University |
|
|
97.3 |
|
|
|
179 |
|
|
|
600 |
|
|
|
1,550 |
|
|
|||
Blanton Commons |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Valdosta State University |
|
|
89.9 |
|
|
|
204 |
|
|
|
596 |
|
|
|
3,222 |
|
|
|||
Brookstone Village |
|
|
1994 |
|
|
University of North CarolinaWilmington |
|
|
98.3 |
|
|
|
124 |
|
|
|
238 |
|
|
|
877 |
|
|
|||
Burbank Commons |
|
|
1999 |
|
|
Louisiana State University |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
134 |
|
|
|
532 |
|
|
|
562 |
|
|
|||
Cambridge at Southern |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
Georgia Southern University |
|
|
99.3 |
|
|
|
228 |
|
|
|
564 |
|
|
|
394 |
|
|
|||
Campus ClubGainesville(3) |
|
|
1997 |
|
|
University of Florida |
|
|
93.0 |
|
|
|
252 |
|
|
|
924 |
|
|
|
4,493 |
|
|
|||
Campus ClubStatesboro |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
Georgia Southern University |
|
|
84.6 |
|
|
|
276 |
|
|
|
984 |
|
|
|
4,882 |
|
|
|||
Campus Commons(3) |
|
|
1991/1993 |
|
|
University of Oregon |
|
|
97.0 |
|
|
|
252 |
|
|
|
696 |
|
|
|
726 |
|
|
|||
Campus Connection(4) |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
University of IllinoisUrbana Champaign |
|
|
88.0 |
|
|
|
270 |
|
|
|
864 |
|
|
|
4,166 |
|
|
|||
Campus ConnectionPhase II(4) |
|
|
N/A |
|
|
University of IllinoisUrbana Champaign |
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|||
Campus Corner |
|
|
1994 |
|
|
Indiana University |
|
|
98.4 |
|
|
|
252 |
|
|
|
792 |
|
|
|
1,067 |
|
|
|||
Campus Ridge Apartments(5) |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
East Tennessee State University |
|
|
97.9 |
|
|
|
132 |
|
|
|
528 |
|
|
|
1,900 |
|
|
|||
Campus Ridge ApartmentsPhase II(5) |
|
|
N/A |
|
|
East Tennessee State University |
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|||
Campus Trails |
|
|
1997 |
|
|
Mississippi State University |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
156 |
|
|
|
480 |
|
|
|
391 |
|
|
|||
Campus Walk |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
University of Mississippi |
|
|
98.8 |
|
|
|
108 |
|
|
|
432 |
|
|
|
1,964 |
|
|
|||
Campus WalkUNCW |
|
|
1990 |
|
|
University of North CarolinaWilmington |
|
|
99.7 |
|
|
|
289 |
|
|
|
290 |
|
|
|
1,578 |
|
|
|||
Campus Way |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
University of Alabama |
|
|
99.4 |
|
|
|
192 |
|
|
|
676 |
|
|
|
767 |
|
|
|||
Chapel Ridge |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
University of North CarolinaChapel Hill |
|
|
86.2 |
|
|
|
180 |
|
|
|
544 |
|
|
|
3,375 |
|
|
|||
Chapel View |
|
|
1986 |
|
|
University of North CarolinaChapel Hill |
|
|
98.0 |
|
|
|
224 |
|
|
|
358 |
|
|
|
1,831 |
|
|
|||
Collegiate Hall |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
University of AlabamaBirmingham |
|
|
81.1 |
|
|
|
176 |
|
|
|
528 |
|
|
|
2,211 |
|
|
|||
Fields(3) |
|
|
1999 |
|
|
University of IllinoisUrbana Champaign |
|
|
97.4 |
|
|
|
192 |
|
|
|
588 |
|
|
|
2,916 |
|
|
|||
GrandMarc at Seven Corners |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
University of Minnesota |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
186 |
|
|
|
440 |
|
|
|
4,057 |
|
|
|||
GrandMarc at University Village |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
University of CaliforniaRiverside |
|
|
69.3 |
|
|
|
212 |
|
|
|
824 |
|
|
|
5,504 |
|
|
|||
Hawks Landing |
|
|
1996 |
|
|
Miami University of Ohio |
|
|
95.2 |
|
|
|
122 |
|
|
|
484 |
|
|
|
691 |
|
|
|||
Huntsville Land(6) |
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Sam Houston State University |
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|||
Jacob Heights |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
Minnesota State UniversityMankato |
|
|
96.9 |
|
|
|
42 |
|
|
|
162 |
|
|
|
831 |
|
|
|||
Jacob Heights III |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
Minnesota State UniversityMankato |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
24 |
|
|
|
96 |
|
|
|
203 |
|
|
|||
Lakeside |
|
|
1991 |
|
|
University of Georgia |
|
|
90.9 |
|
|
|
242 |
|
|
|
772 |
|
|
|
708 |
|
|
|||
Lincoln View |
|
|
1994/1999 |
|
|
University of IllinoisUrbana Champaign |
|
|
97.8 |
|
|
|
254 |
|
|
|
732 |
|
|
|
664 |
|
|
|||
Lions Crossing |
|
|
1996 |
|
|
Pennsylvania State University |
|
|
99.7 |
|
|
|
204 |
|
|
|
696 |
|
|
|
2,910 |
|
|
|||
Nittany Crossing |
|
|
1996 |
|
|
Pennsylvania State University |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
204 |
|
|
|
684 |
|
|
|
3,348 |
|
|
|||
Orchard Trails(7) |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
University of MaineOrono |
|
|
89.4 |
|
|
|
144 |
|
|
|
576 |
|
|
|
|
(7) |
|
|||
Pegasus Connection |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
University of Central Florida |
|
|
99.4 |
|
|
|
312 |
|
|
|
930 |
|
|
|
6,408 |
|
|
|||
Pirates Cove |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
East Carolina University |
|
|
75.8 |
|
|
|
264 |
|
|
|
1,056 |
|
|
|
4,356 |
|
|
|||
Riverside Estates |
|
|
1995 |
|
|
University of South Carolina |
|
|
98.4 |
|
|
|
206 |
|
|
|
700 |
|
|
|
788 |
|
|
|||
Seminole Suites(3) |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
Florida State UniversityTallahassee |
|
|
95.7 |
|
|
|
264 |
|
|
|
924 |
|
|
|
5,253 |
|
|
|||
South View Apartments |
|
|
1996-1998 |
|
|
James Madison University |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
240 |
|
|
|
960 |
|
|
|
4,343 |
|
|
|||
Stadium Suites |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
University of South Carolina |
|
|
99.9 |
|
|
|
264 |
|
|
|
924 |
|
|
|
3,620 |
|
|
|||
State College Park |
|
|
1991 |
|
|
Pennsylvania State University |
|
|
99.9 |
|
|
|
196 |
|
|
|
752 |
|
|
|
3,459 |
|
|
|||
Stone Gate Apartments |
|
|
1999-2000 |
|
|
James Madison University |
|
|
99.9 |
|
|
|
168 |
|
|
|
672 |
|
|
|
3,126 |
|
|
|||
The Centre |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
Western Michigan University |
|
|
92.0 |
|
|
|
232 |
|
|
|
700 |
|
|
|
3,057 |
|
|
|||
The Club |
|
|
1989/2001 |
|
|
University of Georgia |
|
|
99.0 |
|
|
|
120 |
|
|
|
480 |
|
|
|
1,662 |
|
|
|||
The Commons |
|
|
1991 |
|
|
James Madison University |
|
|
97.9 |
|
|
|
132 |
|
|
|
528 |
|
|
|
2,153 |
|
|
|||
The Commons on Oak Tree |
|
|
1995 |
|
|
University of Oklahoma |
|
|
76.5 |
|
|
|
254 |
|
|
|
780 |
|
|
|
2,389 |
|
|
|||
The Courtyards |
|
|
1993 |
|
|
University of Kentucky |
|
|
83.6 |
|
|
|
182 |
|
|
|
676 |
|
|
|
703 |
|
|
|||
The Edge I(3) |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
University of North CarolinaCharlotte |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
96 |
|
|
|
384 |
|
|
|
1,911 |
|
|
|||
The Edge II(3) |
|
|
1999 |
|
|
University of North CarolinaCharlotte |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
84 |
|
|
|
336 |
|
|
|
1,579 |
|
|
|||
The Enclave |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
Bowling Green State University |
|
|
86.3 |
|
|
|
120 |
|
|
|
480 |
|
|
|
1,748 |
|
|
|||
The EnclavePhase II(7) |
|
|
2006 |
|
|
Bowling Green State University |
|
|
76.6 |
|
|
|
144 |
|
|
|
576 |
|
|
|
|
(7) |
|
|||
The Highlands |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
University of NevadaReno |
|
|
94.4 |
|
|
|
216 |
|
|
|
732 |
|
|
|
3,363 |
|
|
|||
The Ridge(3) |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
West Virginia University |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
168 |
|
|
|
644 |
|
|
|
2,988 |
|
|
|||
The Summit |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
Minnesota State UniversityMankato |
|
|
99.4 |
|
|
|
192 |
|
|
|
672 |
|
|
|
3,532 |
|
|
56
The Towers at Third |
|
|
1973 |
|
|
University of IllinoisUrbana Champaign |
|
|
98.0 |
% |
|
|
147 |
|
|
|
295 |
|
|
|
$ |
2,941 |
|
|
The Verge |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
California State UniversitySacramento |
|
|
67.7 |
|
|
|
288 |
|
|
|
792 |
|
|
|
4,301 |
|
|
|
The View |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
University of Nebraska |
|
|
77.0 |
|
|
|
156 |
|
|
|
588 |
|
|
|
1,666 |
|
|
|
University Court |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
Michigan State University |
|
|
94.0 |
|
|
|
138 |
|
|
|
516 |
|
|
|
2,178 |
|
|
|
University Crescent |
|
|
1999 |
|
|
Louisiana State University |
|
|
97.4 |
|
|
|
192 |
|
|
|
660 |
|
|
|
3,185 |
|
|
|
University Crossing(3) |
|
|
1997 |
|
|
University of Kansas |
|
|
98.1 |
|
|
|
229 |
|
|
|
700 |
|
|
|
2,685 |
|
|
|
University Crossings |
|
|
1929/2003 |
|
|
Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania |
|
|
99.9 |
|
|
|
260 |
|
|
|
1,026 |
|
|
|
6,146 |
|
|
|
University Edge(3) |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
University of Southern Mississippi |
|
|
97.6 |
|
|
|
156 |
|
|
|
552 |
|
|
|
2,863 |
|
|
|
University Estates |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
Ball State University |
|
|
91.8 |
|
|
|
144 |
|
|
|
552 |
|
|
|
1,672 |
|
|
|
University Gables |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
Middle Tennessee State University |
|
|
96.1 |
|
|
|
180 |
|
|
|
648 |
|
|
|
2,649 |
|
|
|
University Glades(3) |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
University of Florida |
|
|
99.1 |
|
|
|
120 |
|
|
|
432 |
|
|
|
2,188 |
|
|
|
University Greens |
|
|
1999 |
|
|
University of Oklahoma |
|
|
90.7 |
|
|
|
156 |
|
|
|
516 |
|
|
|
1,958 |
|
|
|
University Heights(3) |
|
|
1999 |
|
|
University of Tennessee |
|
|
96.7 |
|
|
|
204 |
|
|
|
636 |
|
|
|
2,865 |
|
|
|
University Lodge |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
University of Wyoming |
|
|
86.5 |
|
|
|
121 |
|
|
|
481 |
|
|
|
1,978 |
|
|
|
University Manor |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
East Carolina University |
|
|
92.5 |
|
|
|
168 |
|
|
|
600 |
|
|
|
2,701 |
|
|
|
University Meadows |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
Central Michigan University |
|
|
95.9 |
|
|
|
184 |
|
|
|
616 |
|
|
|
2,310 |
|
|
|
University Mills |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
Northern Iowa University |
|
|
99.6 |
|
|
|
121 |
|
|
|
481 |
|
|
|
1,903 |
|
|
|
University Oaks |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
University of South Carolina |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
181 |
|
|
|
662 |
|
|
|
3,617 |
|
|
|
University Pines |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
Georgia Southern University |
|
|
97.1 |
|
|
|
144 |
|
|
|
552 |
|
|
|
2,664 |
|
|
|
University Place |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
University of Virginia |
|
|
92.0 |
|
|
|
144 |
|
|
|
528 |
|
|
|
2,153 |
|
|
|
University Pointe |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
Texas Tech University |
|
|
97.4 |
|
|
|
204 |
|
|
|
682 |
|
|
|
3,534 |
|
|
|
University Trails |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
Texas Tech University |
|
|
99.4 |
|
|
|
240 |
|
|
|
684 |
|
|
|
3,159 |
|
|
|
University Village |
|
|
1979/2006 |
|
|
California State Sacramento |
|
|
94.2 |
|
|
|
250 |
|
|
|
394 |
|
|
|
1,915 |
|
|
|
University Walk(3) |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
University of North Carolina - Charlotte |
|
|
99.6 |
|
|
|
120 |
|
|
|
480 |
|
|
|
2,618 |
|
|
|
Uptown(3) |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
North Texas University |
|
|
98.1 |
|
|
|
180 |
|
|
|
528 |
|
|
|
3,296 |
|
|
|
Willow Tree Apartments |
|
|
1967-1968 |
|
|
University of Michigan |
|
|
98.6 |
|
|
|
312 |
|
|
|
572 |
|
|
|
3,218 |
|
|
|
Willow Tree Towers |
|
|
1974 |
|
|
University of Michigan |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
163 |
|
|
|
283 |
|
|
|
1,494 |
|
|
|
Totals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,432 |
|
|
|
46,696 |
|
|
|
$ |
188,885 |
|
|
(1) As of December 31, 2006.
(2) For properties acquired during 2006, revenues consist of rent and other property income for the period from the date of our acquisition of the property through December 31, 2006.
(3) As of March 15, 2007, this property was under a non-binding letter of intent for sale or to be placed into a joint venture with a third party institutional investor. We currently expect the sales and joint venture process to be completed during the second quarter of 2007.
(4) Campus Connection (formerly referred to by us as Melrose ApartmentsPhase I) consists of a land parcel containing an existing student housing building that is contiguous to a 13.1 acre, undeveloped parcel of land. The undeveloped parcel of land is referred to as Campus ConnectionPhase II (formerly referred to by us as Melrose ApartmentsPhase II). When developed, Campus ConnectionPhase II is expected to contain 168 units and 534 beds.
(5) Campus Ridge Apartments consists of a land parcel containing an existing student housing building that is contiguous to a 6.1-acre partially-developed parcel of land. This partially-developed parcel is referred to as Campus Ridge ApartmentsPhase II. When developed, Campus Ridge ApartmentsPhase II is expected to contain 72 units and 288 beds.
(6) Consists of five contiguous land parcels, totaling approximately 26 acres. We currently plan to construct a 23-building student housing community that upon completion will contain 318 units and 894 beds.
(7) Orchard Trails consists of 144 units and 576 beds, and The EnclavePhase II consists of 144 units and 576 beds. Construction on both properties began in August 2005 was completed in August 2006. We contributed land to the joint venture in exchange for a 10% interest and cash. We have an option to purchase our joint venture partners interest in the joint venture within one year after completion of the student housing properties and we also provide certain guarantees on the outstanding loan amounts. Our ownership interest in this joint venture is accounted for as a financing arrangement, whereby we record the real estate as an asset, depreciate the property, and record a financing obligation. Accordingly, we are not presenting annual revenues for these properties.
In addition to the student housing properties that we owned as of December 31, 2006, as listed above, on January 26, 2007, we acquired a 50.1-acre land parcel located adjacent to The View, a currently-owned student housing property located in Lincoln, Nebraska and serving the University of Nebraska.
Properties we have under contract and a non-binding letter of intent. As of March 15, 2007, we had agreements to purchase one additional student housing property containing a total of 72 units and 264 beds, and 13 undeveloped parcels of land for the development of one future student housing property. We also, as of March 15, 2007, had entered into a non-binding letter of intent to (i) sell seven student housing properties, and (ii) enter into a joint venture with a third party institutional investor that would cover six of our currently-owned student housing properties. These transactions are subject to certain conditions, and we provide no assurance that we will be successful in completing the transactions under the terms currently outlined our letters of intent, or at all.
57
Properties we manage for others. We manage each of the student properties we own. As of December 31, 2006, we also managed 18 student housing properties owned by others, containing a total of 3,053 units and 9,900 beds, including 51 units and 279 beds that are currently under construction. We manage these student housing properties owned by others through one of our taxable REIT subsidiaries. The following table presents information regarding the student housing properties that we managed for others as of December 31, 2006:
Property Name |
|
|
|
Year |
|
Primary University Served |
|