As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 6, 2019
Registration No. 333-215272
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO
FORM S-11
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Under
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
(801) 278-0700
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of the registrants principal executive offices)
Enzio Cassinis
Chief Executive Officer
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
(801) 278-0700
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Darryl Steinhause, Esq. DLA Piper LLP (US) 4365 Executive Drive, Suite 1100 San Diego, California 92121 (858) 677-1400 |
Robert H. Bergdolt, Esq. Laura K. Sirianni, Esq. DLA Piper LLP (US) 4141 Parklake Avenue, Suite 300 Raleigh, North Carolina 27612-2350 (919) 786-2000 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to public: As soon as practicable after the effectiveness of the registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check One): | ||||||
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
Emerging growth company | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒
This Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 consists of the following:
1. | The Registrants prospectus dated August , 2019. |
2. | Supplement No. 1 dated August , 2019 to the Registrants prospectus dated August , 2019. |
3. | Part II, included herewith. |
4. | Signature, included herewith. |
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the SEC and various states is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS DATED AUGUST 6, 2019
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
Maximum Offering of $750,000,000 of Shares of Common Stock
Cottonwood Communities, Inc. is a recently organized Maryland corporation that intends to qualify as a real estate investment trust beginning with the taxable year ending December 31, 2019. We operate under the direction of our board of directors. Our board of directors has retained CC Advisors III, LLC to conduct our operations and manage our portfolio of real estate investments, subject to the supervision of the board of directors. Our advisor is an affiliate of our sponsor, Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. We expect to use substantially all of the proceeds from this offering to invest primarily in existing multifamily apartment communities located throughout the United States and multifamily real estate-related assets. As of the date of this prospectus we own one multifamily community and a B note secured by a mortgage on a multifamily development project.
We are offering up to $675,000,000 of shares of our Class A and Class T common stock in our primary offering for $10.00 per share without any upfront costs or expenses charged to the investor and an aggregate of $75,000,000 of shares of our Class A and Class T common stock pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan at a purchase price initially equal to the purchase price of the shares in the primary offering or $10.00 per share. We are offering to sell any combination of our Class A and Class T common stock, with a dollar value up to the maximum offering amount. The share classes have different selling commission structures. Any offering-related expenses are paid by our advisor without reimbursement by us.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See Risk Factors beginning on page 20 to read about risks you should consider before buying shares of our common stock. These risks include the following:
| No public market exists for our shares and our board of directors is not required to provide our shareholders with a liquidity event by a specified date or at all. |
| We set the offering price of our shares arbitrarily. This price is unrelated to the book or net value of our assets or to our expected operating income. |
| We have little to no operating history and except as described in a supplement to this prospectus you will not have the opportunity to evaluate our investments before we make them, as we have not identified additional investments to acquire with the proceeds of this offering and are considered to be a blind pool. . |
| We depend on our advisor and its affiliates to select investments and to conduct our operations. |
| We pay substantial fees to our advisor and its affiliates. These fees increase the risk that you will not earn a profit on your investment. |
| Our officers and certain of our directors are also officers and directors of our sponsor, advisor and their affiliates. As a result, our officers and affiliated directors are subject to conflicts of interest. |
| We have used and will continue to use leverage to acquire multifamily apartment communities, which increases your investment risk. |
| There are restrictions on the ownership and transferability of our shares of common stock. See Description of Shares Restriction on Ownership of Shares. |
| Our charter permits us to pay distributions from any source, including offering proceeds or borrowings (which may constitute a return of capital), and our charter does not limit the amount of funds we may use from any source to pay such distributions. If we pay distributions from sources other than our cash flow from operations, we will have less funds available for investment. During the early stages of our operations, it is likely that we will use sources of funds which may constitute a return of capital to fund distributions. As of March 31, 2019, we have funded our distributions with offering proceeds. |
| If we raise substantially less than the maximum offering amount, we may not be able to invest in a diverse portfolio of multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets and the value of your investment may vary more widely with the performance of certain assets. |
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Attorney General of the State of New York nor any other state securities regulator has approved or disapproved our common stock, determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete or passed on or endorsed the merits of this offering. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This investment involves a high degree of risk. You should purchase these securities only if you can afford a complete loss of your investment. The use of projections or forecasts in this offering is prohibited. Any representation to the contrary and any predictions, written or oral, as to the amount or certainty of any present or future cash benefit or tax consequences which may flow from an investment in this offering is not permitted.
Price to Public(1) |
Selling Commissions(2) |
Dealer Manager Fee(2) |
Selling Commissions and Dealer Manager Fee Paid by our Advisor(2) |
Net Proceeds(2) | ||||||||||||||||
Primary Offering(3) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Class A Share, per share |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 0.60 | $ | 0.30 | ($ | 0.90 | ) | $ | 10.00 | |||||||||
Class T Share, per share |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 0.60 | $ | 0.30 | ($ | 0.90 | ) | $ | 10.00 | |||||||||
Total Maximum |
$ | 675,000,000.00 | $ |
40,500,000.00 |
|
$ | 20,250,000 | ($ | 60,750,000 | ) | $ | 675,000,000.00 | ||||||||
Distribution Reinvestment Plan(3) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Class A Share and Class T Share, per share |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||
Total Maximum |
$ | 75,000,000.00 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 75,000,000.00 |
(1) | Discounts are available for some categories of investors. |
(2) | The maximum selling commissions includes the deferred selling commission paid on the shares of Class T common stock sold in the primary offering. This deferred selling commission is subject to certain limits and conditions as described in the Plan of Distribution and will generally be paid in an annual amount equal to 1.0% of the purchase price per Class T share sold in the primary offering for up to three years. We estimate that 85% and 15% of the gross proceeds raised in the primary offering is from the sale of Class A and Class T shares of common stock, respectively. As we are registering any combination of the two classes, this allocation is managements best estimate based on the recommendation of our dealer manager and its perceived demand in the market for each respective class of shares. |
Our advisor is responsible for paying the upfront and deferred selling commissions, dealer manager fee, and organizational and offering expenses without reimbursement by us. We do not use any of our offering proceeds to pay such expenses. The dealer manager fee includes compensation for acting as the dealer manager and for expenses incurred in connection with marketing our shares and for wholesaler compensation. The dealer manager may re-allow some or all of the dealer manager fees to the soliciting dealers. See Plan of Distribution.
(3) | We reserve the right to reallocate shares of common stock between our distribution reinvestment plan and our primary offering. |
The dealer manager, Orchard Securities, LLC, is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of shares. The shares are offered by our dealer manager on a best efforts basis. The minimum permitted purchase is $5,000.
This offering will terminate on or before August 13, 2020 (unless extended by our board of directors for an additional year or as otherwise permitted by applicable securities laws). If we decide to continue our offering beyond August 13, 2020, we will provide that information in a prospectus supplement. We may continue to offer shares under our distribution reinvestment plan after the primary offering terminates until we have sold $75,000,000 in shares through the reinvestment of distributions. In some states, we will need to renew the registration statement or file a new registration statement to continue this primary offering beyond the one-year registration period allowed in some states. We may terminate this offering at any time, and we will provide that information in a prospectus supplement.
The date of this prospectus is August , 2019.
1 | ||||
3 | ||||
20 | ||||
20 | ||||
24 | ||||
26 | ||||
32 | ||||
36 | ||||
38 | ||||
41 | ||||
44 | ||||
46 | ||||
47 | ||||
47 | ||||
47 | ||||
50 | ||||
50 | ||||
51 | ||||
51 | ||||
52 | ||||
54 | ||||
54 | ||||
55 | ||||
58 | ||||
59 | ||||
Limited Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Employees and Other Agents |
59 | |||
60 | ||||
60 | ||||
61 | ||||
62 | ||||
63 | ||||
67 | ||||
68 | ||||
Our Affiliates Interests in Other Cottonwood Real Estate Programs |
68 | |||
70 | ||||
Fiduciary Duties Owed by Some of Our Affiliates to Our Advisor and Our Advisors Affiliates |
70 | |||
70 | ||||
71 | ||||
75 | ||||
75 | ||||
87 | ||||
Investment Limitations under the Investment Company Act of 1940 |
88 | |||
90 | ||||
Experience and Background of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP |
90 | |||
90 | ||||
92 | ||||
94 | ||||
94 | ||||
104 | ||||
111 | ||||
112 | ||||
113 | ||||
113 | ||||
114 | ||||
116 | ||||
116 | ||||
118 |
i
118 | ||||
118 | ||||
120 | ||||
120 | ||||
Advance Notice for Shareholder Nominations for Directors and Proposals of New Business |
121 | |||
121 | ||||
121 | ||||
123 | ||||
124 | ||||
124 | ||||
125 | ||||
126 | ||||
126 | ||||
128 | ||||
131 | ||||
132 | ||||
133 | ||||
133 | ||||
133 | ||||
133 | ||||
133 | ||||
134 | ||||
134 | ||||
134 | ||||
135 | ||||
135 | ||||
135 |
APPENDICES |
||||||
APPENDIX A |
FORM OF SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT | A-1 | ||||
APPENDIX B |
AMENDED AND RESTATED DISTRIBUTION REINVESTMENT PLAN | B-1 | ||||
APPENDIX C |
PRIOR PERFORMANCE TABLES | C-1 |
ii
The shares we are offering through this prospectus are suitable only as a long-term investment for persons of adequate financial means and who have no need for liquidity in this investment. Because there is no public market for our shares, you will have difficulty selling your shares.
In consideration of these factors, we have established suitability standards for investors in this offering. These suitability standards require that a purchaser of shares have either:
| a net worth of at least $250,000; or |
| gross annual income of at least $70,000 and a net worth of at least $70,000. |
In addition, the states listed below have established suitability requirements that are more stringent than ours and investors in these states are directed to the following special suitability standards:
| AlabamaInvestors residing in Alabama may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us and our affiliates. |
| California and TennesseeInvestors residing in California and Tennessee may not invest more than 10% of their net worth in us. |
| IdahoInvestors residing in Idaho must have either (a) a liquid net worth of $85,000 and annual gross income of $85,000 or (b) a liquid net worth of $300,000. Additionally, the total investment in us shall not exceed 10% of an investors liquid net worth. |
| IowaInvestors residing in Iowa must have either (a) an annual gross income of at least $100,000 and a net worth of at least $100,000, or (b) a net worth of at least $350,000. In addition, the aggregate investment in this offering and in the securities of other non-publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) may not exceed 10% of their net worth. Purchasers who are accredited investors as defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), are not subject to the foregoing concentration limit. |
| KansasIt is recommended by the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner that Kansas investors limit their aggregate investment in us and other non-traded real estate investment trusts to not more than 10% of their liquid net worth. |
| KentuckyInvestors residing in Kentucky may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us or our affiliates. |
| MaineThe Maine Office of Securities recommends that an investors aggregate investment in this offering and other similar direct participation investments not exceed 10% of the investors liquid net worth. |
| MassachusettsInvestors residing in Massachusetts must limit their aggregate investment in us and other illiquid direct participation programs to not more than 10% of their liquid net worth. |
| MissouriNo more than ten percent (10%) of any one (1) Missouri investors liquid net worth shall be invested in the securities being registered with the Securities Division pursuant to our registration statement. |
| NebraskaInvestors residing in Nebraska who do not meet the definition of accredited investor as defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act must limit their aggregate investment in this offering and in the securities of other non-publicly traded REITs to 10% of such investors net worth. |
1
| New JerseyInvestors residing in New Jersey are required to have (a) a minimum liquid net worth of at least $100,000 and a minimum annual gross income of not less than $85,000; or (b) a minimum liquid net worth of $350,000. In addition, the total investment in us, our affiliates and other non-publicly traded direct investment programs (including REITs, business development companies, oil and gas programs, equipment leasing programs and commodity pools, but excluding unregistered, federally and state exempt private offerings) may not exceed 10% of their liquid net worth. |
| New MexicoInvestors residing in New Mexico may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in our shares, shares of our affiliates and other non-traded real estate investment trusts. |
| North DakotaInvestors residing in North Dakota must have a net worth of at least ten times their investment in us. |
| OhioInvestors residing in Ohio may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us, our affiliates and other non-traded real estate investment programs. For these purposes, liquid net worth is defined as that portion of net worth (total assets exclusive of home, home furnishings, and automobiles minus total liabilities) that is comprised of cash, cash equivalents, and readily marketable securities. |
| OregonInvestors residing in Oregon may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us or our affiliates. |
| PennsylvaniaInvestors residing in Pennsylvania may not invest more than 10% of their net worth in us. |
| Puerto RicoInvestors residing in Puerto Rico may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us, our affiliates, and in other non-traded REITs. For purposes of Puerto Ricos suitability standard, liquid net worth is defined as that portion of net worth (total assets exclusive of primary residence, home furnishings, and automobiles minus total liabilities) consisting of cash, cash equivalents, and readily marketable securities. |
| VermontAccredited investors in Vermont, as defined in 17 C.F.R. § 230.501, may invest freely in this offering. In addition to the suitability standards described above, non-accredited Vermont investors may not purchase an amount in this offering that exceeds 10% of the investors liquid net worth. For these purposes, liquid net worth is defined as an investors total assets (not including home, home furnishings, or automobiles) minus total liabilities. |
In addition, because the minimum offering amount was less than $67,500,000, Pennsylvania investors are cautioned to carefully evaluate our ability to fully accomplish our stated objectives and to inquire as to the current dollar volume of subscriptions. Please refer to Plan of DistributionSpecial Notice to Pennsylvania Investors.
For purposes of determining the suitability of an investor, net worth in all cases should be calculated excluding the value of an investors home, home furnishings and automobiles. Except as otherwise stated above, liquid net worth is defined as that portion of net worth that consists of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities. In the case of sales to fiduciary accounts, these suitability standards must be met by the fiduciary account, by the person who directly or indirectly supplied the funds for the purchase of the shares if such person is the fiduciary or by the beneficiary of the account.
Our sponsor, those selling shares on our behalf and soliciting dealers and registered investment advisors recommending the purchase of shares in this offering must make every reasonable effort to determine that the purchase of shares in this offering is a suitable and appropriate investment for each shareholder based on information provided by the shareholder regarding the shareholders financial situation and investment objectives. See Plan of DistributionSuitability Standards for a detailed discussion of the determinations regarding suitability that we require.
2
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read the entire prospectus, including the information set forth in Risk Factors, for a more complete understanding of this offering. Except where the context suggests otherwise, the terms we, us and our refer to Cottonwood Communities, Inc. and our subsidiaries; Operating Partnership refers to our operating partnership, Cottonwood Communities O.P., LP; advisor refers to CC Advisors III, LLC, sponsor refers to Cottonwood Residential II, Inc.
What is Cottonwood Communities, Inc.?
Cottonwood Communities, Inc. is a recently formed Maryland corporation that intends to invest primarily in existing multifamily apartment communities located throughout the United States and multifamily real estate-related assets. As of the date of this prospectus we own one multifamily community and a B note secured by a mortgage on a multifamily development project. Because we have a limited portfolio of investments and, except as described in a supplement to this prospectus, we have not identified any additional assets to acquire with the proceeds from this offering, we are considered to be a blind pool. We are an emerging growth company under federal securities laws.
We intend to elect to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, beginning with the taxable year ending December 31, 2019.
We plan to own substantially all of our assets and conduct our operations through Cottonwood Communities O.P., L.P., which we refer to as our Operating Partnership in this prospectus. We are the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership and, as of the date of this prospectus, Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, the operating partnership of our sponsor, is the sole limited partner of the Operating Partnership. Except where the context suggests otherwise, the terms we, us, our and our company refer to Cottonwood Communities, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, including the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries, and all assets held through such subsidiaries.
Our external advisor, CC Advisors III, LLC, conducts our operations and manages our portfolio of investments. We have no paid employees.
Our office is located at 6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121, and our main telephone number is (801) 278-0700.
What are our investment objectives?
Our investment objectives are to:
| preserve, protect and return invested capital; |
| pay stable cash distributions to shareholders; |
| realize capital appreciation in the value of our investments over the long term; and |
| provide a real estate investment alternative with lower expected volatility relative to public real estate companies whose securities trade daily on a stock exchange. |
In general, our board of directors may revise our investment policies without the approval of our shareholders. However, we may not amend our charter, including any investment policies that are provided in our charter and described under Investment Objectives and CriteriaCharter-Imposed Investment Limitations without the concurrence of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote.
3
What is our investment strategy?
We will use the proceeds of this offering to invest directly or indirectly in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets located throughout the United States. We believe that current market dynamics and underlying fundamentals suggest the positive trends in United States multifamily housing will continue. See Investment ObjectivesMultifamily Focus for a discussion of these trends. As of the date of this prospectus we own one multifamily community and a B note secured by a mortgage on a multifamily development project. Additional information about our portfolio is available in a supplement to this prospectus.
Our primary investment vehicle is our operating partnership. In certain circumstances, we may acquire assets through joint ventures, mergers or other types of business combinations. The investments will be comprised primarily of stabilized multifamily apartment communities and land which will be developed into multifamily apartment communities. The strategy may also include mortgage or mezzanine loans to, or preferred equity investments in, entities that have been formed for the purpose of acquiring or developing multifamily apartment communities. We will seek to acquire, develop and actively manage these investments, with the objective of providing a stable source of income for our shareholders and maximizing potential returns upon disposition of the assets through capital appreciation. Generally, proceeds from the sale, financing or disposition of investments will be reinvested in a manner consistent with our investment strategy, although such proceeds may be distributed to the shareholders in order to comply with REIT requirements.
We will seek to invest at least 65% of our assets in stabilized multifamily apartment communities and up to 35% in mortgage loans, preferred equity investments, mezzanine loans or equity investments in a property or land which will be developed into a multifamily apartment community (including, by way of example, an existing multifamily apartment community that may require redevelopment capital for strategic repositioning within its market). We do not expect to be able to achieve the balance of these allocations until we have raised substantial proceeds in this offering. Prior to that time, we will balance the goal of achieving our portfolio allocation targets with the goal of carefully evaluating and selecting investment opportunities to maximize risk-adjusted returns. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the actual portfolio allocation may from time to time be outside the target levels provided above due to factors such as a large inflow of capital over a short period of time, the advisors or board of directors assessment of the relative attractiveness of opportunities, an increase or decrease in the relative value of an investment or limitations or requirements relating to our intention to be treated as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Furthermore, our board of directors may revise the targeted portfolio allocation from time to time, if it determines that a different portfolio composition is in our shareholders best interests.
We will target properties located in major metropolitan areas in the United States that have, in the opinion of the advisor and our board of directors, attractive investment dynamics for multifamily apartment owners. We do not intend to designate specific geographic allocations for the portfolio. Our advisor intends to target regions where it sees the best opportunities that support our investment objectives and will attempt to acquire multifamily apartment communities in diverse locations so that we are not overly concentrated in a single area (though we are not precluded from owning multiple properties in a particular area).
What policies will you follow in implementing your investment strategy?
Our advisor operates pursuant to a philosophy that location, investment time horizon, asset-specific attributes and appropriate leverage are fundamental drivers of long-term value creation in real estate. These principles drive the material aspects of our advisors investment decision-making process. See Investment ObjectivesInvestment Philosophy and Life Cycle for a discussion of these principles.
Once a potential investment has been identified, our advisor will engage in a rigorous due diligence process. Although due diligence procedures are customized for specific elements of each deal, our advisor will follow traditional due diligence processes (physical, market, financial, environmental, zoning, insurance, tax, legal, etc.) in considering investments for us. Our advisor may outsource certain due diligence items to specialized consultants or third-party service providers, as needed, to support the diligence effort. Our advisors diligence focuses on three customary areas: financial, physical, and legal and tax. Additional information about these focuses is available at Investment ObjectivesInvestment Philosophy and Life Cycle.
4
We intend to finance the purchase of multifamily apartment communities with proceeds of this offering and loans obtained from third-party lenders. We anticipate the use of moderate leverage to enhance total cash flow to our shareholders. We will target an aggregate loan-to-cost or loan-to-value ratio of 45% to 65% at the REIT level; provided, however, that we may obtain financing that is less than or exceeds such ratio in the discretion of our board of directors if the board of directors deems it to be in our best interest to obtain such financing. Although there is no limit on the amount we can borrow to acquire a single real estate investment, we may not leverage our assets with debt financing such that our borrowings are in excess of 300% of our net assets, unless a majority of our conflicts committee finds substantial justification for borrowing a greater amount and such excess borrowings are disclosed in our next quarterly report, along with the conflicts committees justification for such excess. Examples of such a substantial justification include obtaining funds for the following: (i) to repay existing obligations, (ii) to pay sufficient distributions to maintain REIT status, or (iii) to buy an asset where an exceptional acquisition opportunity presents itself and the terms of the debt agreement and the nature of the asset are such that the debt does not increase the risk that we would become unable to meet our financial obligations as they became due. We anticipate that all financing obtained to acquire stabilized multifamily apartment communities will be non-recourse to our operating partnership and us (however, it is possible that some of these loans will require us to enter into guaranties with respect to certain non-recourse carve-outs). We may obtain recourse debt in connection with certain development transactions.
We may obtain a line of credit or other financing that will be secured by one or more of our assets. We may use the proceeds from any line of credit or financing to bridge the acquisition of, or acquire, multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets if our board of directors determines that we require such funds to acquire the multifamily apartment communities or real estate-related assets. As of the date of this prospectus we are party to a credit facility in the amount of up to $36 million. Additional information regarding our current outstanding debt obligations is included in a supplement to this prospectus.
Our advisor will underwrite long-term hold periods for our investments (generally, five to ten years for stabilized operating communities and equity investments in developments, and three to four years for preferred equity or mezzanine debt investments). Our advisor will seek to avoid investment return profiles for stabilized multifamily apartment communities that depend primarily on significant appreciation, and will evaluate development opportunities that align with the overall strategic objectives of our business. We believe that holding our target assets for a long period of time will enable us to execute our business plan, generate stable cash-on-cash returns and drive long-term cash flow and net asset value growth. From time to time, at the discretion of our board of directors and advisor, we may elect to sell an investment before the end of its underwritten hold period if our advisor believes that will maximize value for us.
For more details regarding our liquidity strategy see What is our Liquidity Strategy below.
Do we have an allocation policy?
We rely on our advisor to identify suitable investments. Many investment opportunities that are suitable for us may also be suitable for Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. or other programs sponsored by such persons and affiliates of such persons. Our sponsor recently sponsored a $50,000,000 offering that qualified as a Tier 2 offering pursuant to Regulation A promulgated under the Securities Act: Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. (launched November 2017). As of the date of this prospectus this offering was fully subscribed and Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. was investing the proceeds from its offering. It has investment objectives that overlap with ours. As of the date of this prospectus Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. had made an initial investment in a development project for a multifamily apartment community. Our advisor and its affiliates will allocate potential investments between us and other entities that are sponsored by our advisor and its affiliates in a manner designed to meet each entitys investment objectives by considering the investment portfolios of each entity, the cash available for investment by each entity and diversification objectives.
5
Who is our advisor and property manager? What is the experience of our sponsor?
Through February 28, 2019, Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC, a limited liability company organized in the state of Delaware on February 8, 2018, acted as both our advisor and property manager. Effective March 1, 2019, as a result of the determination by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, to restructure the ownership of the entity that provides our advisory services, the advisory agreement was amended to remove references to property management services and assigned to a newly formed affiliate of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, CC Advisors III, LLC, such that our advisory services are currently provided by CC Advisors III, LLC. CC Advisors III, LLC is a recently organized limited liability company formed in the state of Delaware on January 30, 2019 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Communities Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company organized on December 19, 2018. Through two different subsidiary entities Cottonwood Communities Advisors, LLC acts as the advisor to Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc., both programs that completed offerings qualified as a Tier 2 offering pursuant to Regulation A promulgated under the Securities Act. Property management services will continue to be provided by Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC under separate property management agreements to be entered at the time we acquire a property.
CC Advisors III, LLC and Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC have little to no operating history and experience managing a public company or providing property management services, respectively. Both will rely on the expertise and experience of their affiliates to conduct our operations and manage our portfolio of multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets, all subject to the supervision of our board of directors. We have no paid employees. Our advisor, and the team of real estate professionals employed by our advisor and its affiliates, will make most of the decisions regarding the selection, financing and disposition of our assets.
CC Advisors III, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Communities Advisors, LLC which is owned by Cottonwood Capital Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation formed on February 1, 2008, and two entities in which employees of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and its affiliates, including certain of our officers and directors have an ownership interest. Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Capital Management, Inc. Cottonwood Capital Management, Inc. has extensive experience in operating multifamily apartment communities and is controlled by its board of directors currently consisting of Daniel Shaeffer, Chad Christensen and Gregg Christensen. The sole shareholder of Cottonwood Capital Management, Inc. is Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. which is the operating partnership of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., our sponsor. Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. is a general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and makes all decisions on behalf of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. Prior to Cottonwood Residential II, Inc.s admission as a general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP in September 2018, Cottonwood Residential, Inc. was the sole general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. Cottonwood Residential, Inc. remains as a nominal general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and it is anticipated that Cottonwood Residential, Inc. will fully withdraw from Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP by the end of 2019.
As of December 31, 2018, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP has ownership interests in 29 multifamily apartment communities and other related assets, 25 properties of which represent approximately 7,200 existing units, and 4 properties under development which represent approximately 1,000 additional units, all of which account for approximately $950.0 million in total gross asset value as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP provides property and asset management services to a platform of multifamily assets representing approximately 15,300 multifamily apartment units across 13 states with over $2.0 billion in value.
Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. is controlled by its board of directors currently consisting of Daniel Shaeffer, Chad Christensen, Gregg Christensen, Jonathan Gardner and Phillip White.
6
What is the role of our board of directors?
We operate under the direction of our board of directors, the members of which are accountable to us and our shareholders as fiduciaries. Our board of directors is responsible for the management and control of our affairs, including oversight of all of our service providers. We currently have five members on our board of directors, three of whom are independent of our sponsor and its affiliates. Our charter requires that a majority of our directors be independent of our sponsor and creates a committee of our board consisting solely of all of our independent directors. This committee, which we call the conflicts committee, is responsible for reviewing the performance of our advisor and must approve other matters as set forth in our charter. The current members of our board of directors are Chad Christensen, Daniel Shaeffer, R. Brent Hardy, Gentry Jensen, and John Lunt.
What is our operating partnership?
We utilize an umbrella partnership real estate investment trust or UPREIT structure in which all our investments will be owned through our operating partnership. We are the sole general partner of the operating partnership. Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP) is currently the sole limited partner of our operating partnership. Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC has assigned its promotional interest in our operating partnership to Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC, such that Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC will be entitled to receive 15% of net income and distributions from the operating partnership even though it will not make any capital contributions to our operating partnership. This promotional interest is subordinated to the receipt by our shareholders, together as a collective group, of distributions in an amount sufficient to provide our shareholders with a 6% per year cumulative, noncompounded return on their investment plus a return of their invested capital. For each share purchased pursuant to this offering, we will acquire one common general partner unit of the operating partnership. We believe that using an UPREIT structure provides us with flexibility regarding our future acquisitions. Our operating partnership may accept contributions of property in exchange for limited partnership units in our operating partnership. If this occurs, we will amend the partnership agreement of our operating partnership.
7
What is the structure of us, our operating partnership and our advisor?
The chart below shows the relationships among our company and various affiliates.
8
What are the fees that we pay to our advisor and its affiliates?
CC Advisors III, LLC and its affiliates receive compensation and reimbursement for services relating to this offering and the investment and management of our assets. We also compensate our independent directors for their service to us. The most significant items of compensation are included in the table below. The compensation set forth below may only be increased if approved by a majority of the members of our conflicts committee. The increase of such compensation does not require approval by shareholders.
Form of |
Determination of Amount |
Estimated Amount for | ||
Acquisition and Development Stage | ||||
Contingent Acquisition Fee CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor) | After our shareholders have received, or are deemed to have received (with respect to a merger or a listing), together as a collective group, aggregate distributions sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital, plus a specified cumulative, noncompounded annual return on their invested capital (a Required Return), our advisor will receive from us contingent acquisition fees that are a percentage of the cost of investments acquired or originated by us, or the amount to be funded by us to acquire or originate loans, including acquisition and origination expenses and any debt attributable to such investments plus significant capital expenditures related to the development, construction or improvement of the investment as follows: 1% contingent acquisition fee if shareholders receive a Required Return of 6%; and 2% additional contingent acquisition fee if shareholders receive a Required Return of 13%.
The contingent acquisition fee is payable upon satisfying each return threshold with respect to assets in the portfolio at the time the return threshold is satisfied and at the closing of acquisitions following satisfaction of the return threshold. |
$15,000,000 (maximum offering, target leverage of 55% of the cost of our investments, 6% Required Return)/ $45,000,000 (maximum offering, target leverage of 55% of the cost of our investments, 13% Required Return) | ||
Acquisition Expense Reimbursement CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor)
Contingent Financing Fee CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor) |
Subject to the limitations contained in our charter, reimbursement from us for all out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the selection and acquisition or origination of investments, whether or not we ultimately acquire the property or other real estate-related investment. After our shareholders have received, or are deemed to have received (with respect to a merger or a listing), together as a collective group, aggregate distributions sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital, plus a Required Return of 13%, our advisor will receive from us a contingent financing fee of 1% of the original principal amount of any financing obtained or assumed by us. The contingent financing fee is payable upon satisfying the return threshold with respect to any financing obtained or assumed by us prior to satisfaction of the return threshold and at the closing of new financing following satisfaction of the return threshold. |
Actual amounts are dependent upon actual expenses incurred and, therefore, cannot be determined at this time. $8,250,000 (maximum offering, target leverage of 55% of the cost of our investments, 13% Required Return). |
9
Form of |
Determination of Amount |
Estimated Amount for | ||
Operational Stage | ||||
Property Management Fees Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC (Our Property Manager) | Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC receives from us a property management fee in an amount up to 3.5% of the annual gross revenues of our multifamily apartment communities that it manages. Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC may subcontract the performance of its property management duties to third parties and Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC will pay a portion of its property management fee to the third parties with whom it subcontracts for these services. | Actual amounts depend upon the gross revenue of the properties and therefore cannot be determined at this time. | ||
Asset Management Fee CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor) | CC Advisors III, LLC receives from us an annual asset management fee, paid monthly, in an amount equal to 1.25% of our gross assets as of the last day of the prior month. See Management Compensation for a discussion of how we calculate our gross assets for purposes of calculating the asset management fee. | Actual amounts depend upon the gross offering proceeds we raise in this offering and therefore cannot be determined at this time. | ||
Other Company Operating Expenses CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor or its affiliates) | We reimburse our advisor or its affiliates for all actual expenses paid or incurred by our advisor or its affiliates in connection with the services provided to us, including our allocable share of the advisors or its affiliates overhead, such as rent, personnel costs, utilities, cybersecurity and IT costs; provided, however, that we do not reimburse our advisor or its affiliates for salaries, wages and related benefits of personnel who perform investment advisory services for us or serve as our executive officers. In addition, subject to the approval of our board of directors we may reimburse our advisor or its affiliates for costs and fees associated with providing services to us that we would otherwise engage a third party to provide. | Actual amounts are dependent upon the results of our operations; we cannot determine these amounts at the present time. | ||
Promotional Interest from Operating Partnership Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC |
Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC will receive from the Operating Partnership a promotional interest equal to 15% of net income and cash distributions, but only after our shareholders receive, together as a collective group, distributions sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital plus a 6% cumulative, non-compounded annual return on their invested capital. Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC, the sole limited partner of our operating partnership assigned its promotional interest to Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC. Neither Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC nor Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC were required to make any capital contributions to our operating partnership in order to obtain the promotional interest.
Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC will be entitled to a separate one-time payment payable upon (1) the listing of our common stock on a national securities exchange or (2) the occurrence of certain events that result in the termination or non-renewal of our advisory agreement, in each case for an amount that Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC would have been entitled to receive, as described above, as if our Operating Partnership had disposed of all of its assets at the market value of our shares of common stock as of the date of the event triggering the payment. If the event triggering the payment is a listing of our shares on a national securities exchange, the market value will be calculated based on the market value of the shares issued and outstanding at listing over a period of 30 trading days selected by our advisor beginning after the first day of the 6th month, but not later than the last day of the 18th month, after the shares are first listed on a national securities exchange. If the triggering event is the termination or non-renewal of our advisory agreement the market value will be calculated based on an appraisal or valuation of our assets by an independent third party. |
Actual amounts depend on the results of the performance of the multifamily apartment communities and therefore cannot be determined at this time. |
10
Form of Compensation and |
Determination of Amount |
Estimated Amount for | ||
In addition, if this separate one-time payment is owed following the termination or non-renewal of our advisory agreement for reasons unrelated to a liquidity event for our shareholders, the payment will be in the form of an interest-bearing promissory note that is payable only after our shareholders have actually received distributions in the amount required before receipt of the promotional interest. Provided, however, if the promissory note has not been repaid prior to a liquidity event for our shareholders, the promissory note shall be paid in full on the date of or immediately prior to the liquidity event. | ||||
Independent Director Compensation | We pay each of our independent directors an annual retainer of $10,000. We also pay our independent directors for attending meetings as follows: (i) $500 for each board meeting attended and (ii) $500 for each committee meeting attended (if held at a different time or place than a board meeting). All directors receive reimbursement of reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at meetings of the board of directors. | Actual amounts are dependent upon the total number of board and committee meetings that each independent director attends and therefore cannot be determined at this time. |
What is a REIT?
We intend to qualify as a REIT and to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, beginning with the taxable year ending December 31, 2019. In general, a REIT is an entity that:
| combines the capital of many investors to acquire or provide financing for real estate investments; |
| allows individual investors to invest in a professionally managed, large-scale diversified real estate portfolio though the purchase of interests, typically shares, in the REIT; |
| is required to pay to investors at least 90% of its annual REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gain); and |
| avoids the double taxation treatment of income that normally results from investments in a corporation because a REIT is not generally subject to federal corporate income taxes on that portion of its income distributed to its shareholders, provided certain income tax requirements are satisfied. |
However, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, REITs are subject to numerous organizational and operating requirements. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any year after electing REIT status, our income will be taxed at regular corporate rates, and we may be precluded from qualifying for treatment as a REIT for the four-year period following our failure to qualify. Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may still be subject to state and local taxes on our income and property and to federal and excise taxes on our undistributed income.
11
Certain domestic shareholders that are individuals, trusts or estates are taxed on corporate distributions at a maximum rate of 20% (the same as long-term capital gains). With limited exceptions, however, distributions from us or from other entities that are taxed as REITs are generally not eligible for this rate and will continue to be taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income, which will be as high as 37.0%. See Taxation of ShareholdersTaxation of Taxable Domestic ShareholdersDistributions. However, for taxable years prior to 2026, individual shareholders are generally allowed to deduct 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary dividends distributed by us, subject to certain limitations, which would reduce the maximum marginal effective tax rate for individuals on the receipt of such ordinary dividends to 29.6%. The Internal Revenue Service has issued proposed regulations that would affect an individual shareholders ability to claim this deduction if our stock has not been held for at least 45 days prior to the payment of the dividend. Individual shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to their ability to claim this deduction.
The timing and amount of distributions we pay will be determined by our board of directors in its discretion and may vary from time to time. Generally, our policy will be to make distributions from cash flow from operations. However, we expect to have little, if any, cash flow from operations available for distribution until we make substantial investments. Further, because we may receive income from interest or rents at various times during our fiscal year and because we may need cash flow from operations during a particular period to fund capital expenditures and other expenses, we expect that at least during the early stages of our development and from time to time during our operational stage, we will declare distributions in anticipation of cash flow that we expect to receive during a later period, and we expect to pay these distributions in advance of our actual receipt of these funds. In addition, to the extent our investments are in development or redevelopment projects or in properties that have significant capital requirements, our ability to make distributions may be negatively impacted, especially during our early periods of operation. In these instances, our board of directors has the authority under our organizational documents, to the extent permitted by Maryland law, to fund distributions from sources such as borrowings, advances, offering proceeds or the deferral of fees and expense reimbursements in its sole discretion. Such distributions will likely exceed our earnings or cash flow from operations for the corresponding period. We have not established a limit on the amount of proceeds we may use from this offering to fund distributions. If we make distributions from sources other than cash flow from operations, we will have fewer funds available for investments and your overall return on your investment in us may be reduced and subsequent investors will experience dilution. In addition, to the extent distributions exceed cash flow from operating activities, a shareholders basis in our stock will be reduced and, to the extent distributions exceed a shareholders basis, the shareholder may recognize capital gain.
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, we paid aggregate distributions of $58,045, including $40,024 distributions paid in cash and $18,021 of distributions reinvested through our distribution reinvestment plan. Our cumulative net loss as of the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $331,720. We funded our total distributions paid, which includes net cash distributions and distributions reinvested by shareholders, with proceeds from this offering. Additional information regarding our distributions is included in a supplement to this prospectus.
What are the terms of this offering?
We are offering up to $675,000,000 of shares of our Class A and Class T common stock in our primary offering for $10.00 per share without any upfront costs or expenses charged to the investor and an aggregate of $75,000,000 of shares of our Class A and Class T common stock pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan at a purchase price initially equal to the purchase price of the shares in the primary offering or $10.00 per share. We are offering to sell any combination of our Class A and Class T common stock, with a dollar value up to the maximum offering amount. The share classes have different selling commission structures. Any offering-related expenses are paid by our advisor without reimbursement by us.
Our shares are not listed for trading on any securities exchange or over-the-counter market at the time you purchase the shares. It is unlikely that any public market for the shares will develop. You should expect to hold your shares for an extended period of time.
How does a best efforts offering work?
When shares are offered on a best efforts basis, the dealer manager is required to use only its best efforts to sell the shares and it has no firm commitment or obligation to purchase any of the shares. Therefore, we may sell substantially less than the all of the shares that we are offering.
12
How long will this offering last?
The termination date of this offering will be August 13, 2020, unless extended by our board of directors for an additional year or as otherwise permitted by applicable securities laws. If we decide to continue our offering beyond August 13, 2020, we will provide that information in a prospectus supplement. The offering will terminate earlier if we raise the full primary offering amount of $675,000,000 before such time. We may continue to offer shares under our distribution reinvestment plan beyond the two years from the date of this prospectus until we have sold $75,000,000 of shares through the reinvestment of distributions. In many states, we will need to renew the registration statement or file a new registration statement to continue the offering beyond one year from the date of this prospectus. We may terminate this offering at any time, and we will provide that information in a prospectus supplement.
Who can buy shares?
An investment in our shares is only suitable for persons who have adequate financial means and who will not need immediate liquidity from their investment. Residents of many states can buy shares in this offering provided that they have either (1) a net worth of at least $70,000 and an annual gross income of at least $70,000 or (2) a net worth of at least $250,000. For the purpose of determining suitability, net worth does not include an investors home, home furnishings or personal automobiles. The minimum suitability standards are more stringent for investors in certain other states. See Suitability Standards.
Why are we offering two classes of our common stock and what are the differences among the classes?
The two classes of common stock offered in this offering are meant to provide broker dealers participating in this offering with more flexibility to facilitate investment in us as the two classes provide different compensation structures to participating broker dealers. Because any offering-related expenses, including upfront and deferred selling commissions, which are the only differences between the two classes, are being paid by our advisor without reimbursement by us, the two classes of common stock are effectively the same to an investor in us.
The amount of upfront selling commissions differs among Class A and Class T shares and there is a deferred selling commission with respect to Class T shares sold in the primary offering; however, we expect that the total compensation payable to broker dealers in this offering will be the same whether an investor purchases a Class A or a Class T share.
13
How should you determine which class of common stock to invest in?
Because the only difference between the two classes of common stock relates to the underwriting compensation paid to the broker dealer, which compensation our advisor has agreed to pay on our behalf without any reimbursement by us, we believe the decision as to which class of common stock to invest in will be driven by your financial advisor. Some broker dealers have adopted policies that require their financial advisors to receive some portion of their compensation over time, in which case Class T would be appropriate. In addition, some financial advisors may only sell one class of our shares.
The amount of upfront selling commissions differs among Class A shares and Class T shares, and there is a deferred selling commission with respect to Class T shares sold in the primary offering; however, we expect that the total compensation paid in connection with the sale of our common stock will be the same. The following table summarizes the fees related to each class of our common stock sold in our primary offering and indicates the maximum fees payable on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in each class of shares. Our advisor has agreed to pay all upfront and deferred selling commissions, dealer manager fees, and organization and offering expenses on our behalf without reimbursement by us.
Class A Shares |
1,000 Class A Shares |
Class T Shares | 1,000 Class T Shares |
|||||||||||||
Price Per Share/ Amount Invested |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 10,000 | $ | 10.00 | $ | 10,000 | ||||||||
Upfront Selling Commissions(1) |
6.0 | % | $ | 600 | 3.0 | % | $ | 300 | ||||||||
Dealer Manager Fees |
3.0 | % | $ | 300 | 3.0 | % | $ | 300 | ||||||||
Deferred Selling Commission(2) |
None | $ | 0 | 1.0 | %(2) | $ | 300 | (2) |
(1) | The selling commission associated with shares of Class A common stock may be reduced for certain categories of purchasers. See Plan of Distribution. |
(2) | Except as described in the Plan of Distribution section of this prospectus, an annual deferred selling commission of 1.0% of the purchase price per share for the Class T shares sold in the primary offering will be paid to our dealer manager and will accrue daily and be paid monthly in arrears. We will cease paying the deferred selling commissions with respect to individual Class T shares when they are no longer outstanding, including as a result of conversion to Class A shares and redemption or repurchase. Each Class T share held in a shareholders account shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a Class A share, on the earliest to occur of the following: (i) a listing of the Class A shares on a national securities exchange; (ii) a merger or consolidation of our company with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets; and (iii) the last calendar day of the month in which we and our dealer manager, in conjunction with our transfer agent, determine that the deferred selling commission paid with respect to the Class T shares held by such shareholder within such account equals or exceeds three percent of the aggregate gross purchase price of the Class T shares held by such shareholder within such account and purchased in a primary offering. In addition, after termination of a primary offering registered under the Securities Act, we will cease paying the deferred selling commission with respect to each Class T share sold in that primary offering, on the date when we, with the assistance of our dealer manager, determine that all underwriting compensation paid or incurred with respect to the primary offering covered by that registration statement from all sources, determined pursuant to the rules and guidance of FINRA, would be in excess of 10% of the aggregate purchase price of all shares sold for our account through that primary offering. Further, each Class T share sold in that primary offering, each Class T share sold under a distribution reinvestment plan pursuant to the same registration statement that was used for that primary offering, and each Class T share received as a stock dividend with respect to such shares sold in such primary offering or distribution reinvestment plan shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a class A share at the last calendar day of the month in which such determination is made. |
The deferred selling commission is only paid on Class T shares purchased in the primary offering; no deferred selling commission is paid on Class T shares purchased through the distribution reinvestment plan or issued pursuant to a stock dividend. The deferred selling commission is paid by our advisor without reimbursement by us and will have no impact on our Class T shareholders.
How do I subscribe for shares?
If you choose to purchase shares in this offering, you will need to complete and sign a subscription agreement (in the form attached to this prospectus as Appendix A) for a specific number and class of shares and pay for the shares at the time of your subscription.
14
Are there risks associated with an investment in our shares?
An investment in shares of our common stock involves significant risks, including those described below.
| We have little to no operating history. As of the date of this prospectus we own one multifamily community and a B note secured by a mortgage on a multifamily development project. There is no assurance that we will be able to successfully achieve our investment objectives. |
| Our charter does not require our directors to provide our shareholders with a liquidity event by a specified date or at all. Our shares cannot be readily sold and it will be difficult for you to sell your shares. If you are able to sell your shares, you will likely sell them at a substantial discount. |
| There are restrictions and limitations on your ability to have all or any portion of your shares of our common stock repurchased under our share repurchase program and, if you are able to have your shares repurchased, it may be at a price that is less than the price you paid for the shares or the value of the shares at such time. |
| The amount of distributions we may make is uncertain. Our distributions may be paid from sources such as borrowings, offering proceeds, advances or the deferral of fees and expense reimbursements (which may constitute a return of capital). We have not established a limit on the amount of proceeds from this offering that we may use to fund distributions. Distributions from sources other than our cash flow from operations would reduce the funds available to us for investments in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets, which could reduce your overall return. During the early stages of our operations, it is likely that we will use sources of funds which may constitute a return of capital to fund distributions. As of March 31, 2019, we have funded our distributions with offering proceeds. |
| Our officers and certain of our directors are also officers and directors of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. and its affiliates. As a result, our officers and affiliated directors are subject to conflicts of interest. |
| We have not established the offering price on an independent basis and it bears no relationship to the value of our assets. |
| Except for investments described in a supplement to this prospectus, you will not have the opportunity to evaluate our investments prior to purchasing shares of our common stock. |
| Our ability to raise money and achieve our investment objectives depends on the ability of the dealer manager to successfully market our offering. If we raise substantially less than the maximum offering amount, we may not be able to invest in a diverse portfolio of assets and the value of your investment may vary more widely with the performance of certain investments. |
| We pay certain fees and expenses to our advisor and its affiliates. These fees were not negotiated at arms length and therefore may be higher than fees payable to unaffiliated third parties. |
| Development projects in which we invest will be subject to potential development and construction delays which will result in increased costs and risks and may hinder our operating results and ability to make distributions. |
| We may incur significant debt in certain circumstances. Our use of leverage increases the risk of your investment. Loans we obtain may be collateralized by some or all of our investments, which will put those investments at risk of forfeiture if we are unable to pay our debts. Principal and interest payments on these loans reduce the amount of money that would otherwise be available for other purposes. |
| Volatility in the debt markets could affect our ability to obtain financing for investments or other activities related to real estate assets and the diversification or value of our portfolio, potentially reducing cash available for distribution to our shareholders or our ability to make investments. In addition, if any of the loans we obtain have variable interest rates, volatility in the debt markets could negatively impact such loans. |
| If we fail to qualify as a REIT, it would adversely affect our operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders because we will be subject to United States federal income tax at regular corporate rates with no ability to deduct distributions made to our shareholders. |
Are there conflicts of interest for our board of directors and officers?
We may experience conflicts of interest with our advisor, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. or their affiliates in connection with this offering and the management of our business. The conflicts of interest that may arise include the following:
| Two of our directors are also directors of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. Such overlapping directors face conflicts of interest between their obligations to Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. and their obligations to us; |
| Two of our directors and officers are also directors and officers of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. and its affiliates and must allocate their time between advising us and managing Cottonwood Residential II, Inc.s businesses and the other real estate projects and business activities in which they may be involved; |
15
| The compensation payable by us to our advisor and its affiliates may not be on terms that would result from arms-length negotiations between unaffiliated parties, and certain fees are payable regardless of the performance of our investments; |
| The property management fees, construction management fees and asset management fees payable to our property manager and advisor will generally be payable regardless of the quality of services provided to us; and |
| If we terminate our advisory agreement our advisor may be motivated to terminate its participation in the Three-Party Agreement that obligates our advisor to pay upfront and deferred selling commissions, dealer manager fees, and organization and offering expenses on our behalf without reimbursement by us. If our advisor ceases to pay our offering expenses, we may be forced to terminate this offering. |
Do we have a share repurchase program?
Our share repurchase program may provide an opportunity for our shareholders to have their shares of our common stock repurchased by us, subject to certain restrictions and limitations. Unless being repurchased in connection with the death or complete disability (as defined under Description of Shares Share Repurchase Program) of a shareholder (together, Exceptional Repurchases), generally no shares can be repurchased under our share repurchase program until after the first anniversary of the date of purchase of such shares from us by the applicable investor.
Generally, the purchase price for shares repurchased under our share repurchase program are as follows:
Share Purchase Anniversary |
Repurchase Price | |
Less than 1 year |
No Repurchase Allowed | |
1 year 2 years |
85% of Estimated Value Per Share(1) | |
3 years 4 years |
90% of Estimated Value Per Share(1) | |
5 years and thereafter |
95% of Estimated Value Per Share(1) | |
A shareholders death or complete disability, less than 2 years |
95% of Estimated Value Per Share(1) | |
A shareholders death or complete disability, 2 years or more |
100% of Estimated Value Per Share(1) |
(1) | For the purposes of our share repurchase program, the estimated value per share will initially be equal to the purchase price per share at which the original purchaser or purchasers of the shares bought its shares from us, and the purchase price per share will be adjusted to reflect any stock dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations or any similar transaction with respect to the shares outstanding. |
We plan to establish an estimated net asset value (NAV) per share of our common stock based on valuations of our assets and liabilities no later than May 17, 2021, and annually thereafter. Upon our establishment of an estimated NAV per share, the estimated NAV per share will be the estimated value per share pursuant to our share repurchase program.
For purposes of determining the time period a redeeming shareholder has held each share, the time period begins as of the date such shareholder acquired the shares in question (the acquisition date); provided, that the shares purchased by the redeeming shareholder pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan will be deemed to have been acquired on the same date as the initial share to which the distribution reinvestment plan shares relate.
We are not obligated to repurchase shares of our common stock under our share repurchase program. We presently intend to limit the number of shares to be repurchased in any calendar year to 5% of the weighted-average number of shares of our common stock outstanding during the prior calendar year. In addition, during any calendar year, we may redeem only the number of shares that we could purchase with the amount of net proceeds from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan during the prior calendar year. There is no fee in connection with a repurchase of shares of our common stock.
Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, amend, suspend, or terminate our share repurchase program for any reason upon 15 days notice to our shareholders. Therefore, shareholders may not have the opportunity to make a repurchase request prior to any potential termination or suspension of our share repurchase program.
May I reinvest my distributions in additional shares of Cottonwood Communities, Inc.?
Yes. We have adopted a distribution reinvestment plan. You may participate in our distribution reinvestment plan by checking the appropriate box on the subscription agreement or by filling out an enrollment form, which we will provide to you at your request. The purchase price of shares purchased under the distribution reinvestment plan will initially be $10.00 per
16
share. Once we establish an estimated net asset value (NAV) per share, shares issued pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan will be priced at the NAV per share of our stock, as determined by our board. No upfront or deferred selling commissions or dealer manager fees are payable on shares sold under our distribution reinvestment plan. We may amend or terminate the distribution reinvestment plan for any reason at any time upon 10 days written notice to the participants. For more information regarding our distribution reinvestment plan, see Description of Shares Distribution Reinvestment Plan.
Will we register as an investment company?
We intend to conduct our operations so that neither we nor any of our subsidiaries will be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act.
Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries intend to register as investment companies under the Investment Company Act. If we or our subsidiaries were obligated to register as investment companies, then we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act that impose, among other things:
| limitations on capital structure; |
| restrictions on specified investments; |
| prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and |
| compliance with reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy disclosure and other rules and regulations that would significantly increase our operating expenses. |
Under the relevant provisions of Section 3(a)(1) of the Investment Company Act, an investment company is any issuer that:
| pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A), is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities (the primarily engaged test); or |
| pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(C), is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuers total assets (exclusive of United States government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis (the 40% test). Investment securities excludes United States government securities and securities of majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) (relating to private investment companies). |
Neither we nor our Operating Partnership should be required to register as an investment company under either of the tests above. With respect to the 40% test, most of the entities through which we and our Operating Partnership will own our assets will be majority-owned subsidiaries that will not themselves be investment companies and will not be relying on the exceptions from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) (relating to private investment companies).
With respect to the primarily engaged test, we and our Operating Partnership will be holding companies and do not intend to invest or trade in securities ourselves. Rather, through the majority-owned subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership, we and our Operating Partnership will be primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses of these subsidiaries, namely the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring real estate and real estate-related assets.
If any of the subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership fail to meet the 40% test, then we believe they will often be able to rely on Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act for an exception from the definition of an investment company. As reflected in no-action letters, the SEC staffs position on Section 3(c)(5)(C) generally requires that an issuer maintain at least 55% of its assets in mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate or qualifying assets; at least 80% of its assets in qualifying assets plus real estate-related assets; and no more than 20% of the value of its assets in other than qualifying assets and real estate-related assets. To constitute a qualifying asset under this 55% requirement, a real estate interest must meet various criteria based on no-action letters. We expect that any of the subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership relying on Section 3(c)(5)(C) will invest at least 55% of its assets in qualifying assets, with substantially all of its remaining assets in other types of real estate-related assets. If any subsidiary relies on Section 3(c)(5)(C), then we expect to rely on guidance published by the SEC staff or on our analyses of guidance published with respect to types of assets to determine which assets are qualifying real estate assets and real estate-related assets.
17
To maintain compliance with the Investment Company Act, our subsidiaries may be unable to sell assets we would otherwise want them to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish them to retain. In addition, our subsidiaries may have to acquire additional assets that they might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forego opportunities to make investments that we would otherwise want them to make and would be important to our investment strategy. Moreover, the SEC or its staff may issue interpretations with respect to various types of assets that are contrary to our views and current SEC staff interpretations are subject to change, which increases the risk of non-compliance and the risk that we may be forced to make adverse changes to our portfolio. In this regard, we note that in 2011 the SEC issued a concept release indicating that the SEC and its staff were reviewing interpretive issues relating to Section 3(c)(5)(C) and soliciting views on the application of Section 3(c)(5)(C) to companies engaged in the business of acquiring mortgages and mortgage related instruments. If we were required to register as an investment company but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our business and criminal and civil actions could be brought against us. In addition, our contracts would be unenforceable unless a court required enforcement and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business. For more information related to compliance with the Investment Company Act, see the Investment Objectives and CriteriaInvestment Limitations Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 section of this prospectus.
What is the impact of being an emerging growth company?
We do not believe that being an emerging growth company, as defined by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act), will have a significant impact on our business or this offering. We have elected to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards pursuant to Section 102(b) of the JOBS Act. This election is irrevocable. Also, because we are not a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer under Section 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and we will not be for so long as our shares of common stock are not traded on a securities exchange, we are not subject to the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. In addition, so long as we are externally managed by our advisor, we do not expect to be required to seek shareholder approval of executive compensation and golden parachute compensation arrangements pursuant to Section 14A(a) and (b) of the Exchange Act. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, although we will lose that status sooner if our revenues exceed $1 billion, if we issue more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in a three year period or if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30.
What is our liquidity strategy?
In the future, our board of directors will consider alternatives for providing liquidity to our shareholders, each of which is referred to as a liquidity event, including the sale of our assets, a sale or merger of our company or a listing of our shares on a national securities exchange. Our charter requires that if we do not list our shares of common stock on a national securities exchange by August 13, 2028, we must either:
| seek shareholder approval of the liquidation of the company; or |
| postpone the decision of whether to liquidate the company if a majority of the board of directors determines that liquidation is not then in the best interests of our shareholders. |
We are not, however, required to provide our shareholders a liquidity event by a specified date or at all. If a majority of the board of directors does determine that liquidation is not then in the best interests of our shareholders, our charter requires that the board of directors revisit the issue of liquidation at least annually. Further postponement of listing or shareholder action regarding liquidation would only be permitted if a majority of the board of directors again determined that liquidation would not be in the best interest of our shareholders. If we sought and failed to obtain shareholder approval of our liquidation, our charter would not require us to list or liquidate and would not require the board of directors to revisit the issue of liquidation, and we could continue to operate as before. If we sought and obtained shareholder approval of our liquidation, we would begin an orderly sale of our assets. The precise timing of such sales would take into account the prevailing real estate and finance markets, the economic conditions in the submarkets where our properties are located and the debt markets generally as well as the federal income tax consequences to our shareholders. In making the decision regarding which type of liquidity event to pursue, our board of directors will try to determine which available alternative method would result in the greatest value for our shareholders.
18
Who can help answer my questions about the offering?
If you have more questions about the offering, or if you would like additional copies of this prospectus, you should contact your registered representative or contact:
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
Telephone: (801) 278-0070
19
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk and uncertainties. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and all other information contained in this prospectus before purchasing our common stock. If any of the following risks were to occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In these circumstances, the value of our common stock may decline, and you could lose some or all of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business.
Risks Related to an Investment in our Common Stock
Because no public trading market for your shares currently exists, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares and, if you are able to sell your shares, you will likely sell them at a substantial discount to the offering price.
There is currently no public market for our shares and we currently have no plans to list our shares on a securities exchange. Our charter does not require our directors to seek shareholder approval to liquidate our assets and dissolve by a specified date or at all, nor does our charter require our directors to list our shares for trading on a national securities exchange by a specified date or at all. Any subsequent sale must comply with applicable state and federal securities laws. Our charter prohibits the ownership of more than 9.8% of our stock, unless exempted by our board of directors, which may inhibit large investors from desiring to purchase your shares. Moreover, our share repurchase program includes numerous restrictions that limit your ability to sell your shares to us, and our board of directors may amend, suspend, or terminate our share repurchase program upon 15 days notice to our shareholders. We describe the restrictions of our share repurchase program in detail under Description of SharesShare Repurchase Program. Therefore, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares promptly or at all. If you are able to sell your shares, you will likely have to sell them at a substantial discount to their offering price. It is also likely that your shares will not be accepted as the primary collateral for a loan. You should purchase our shares only as a long-term investment because of the illiquid nature of the shares.
We will face significant competition for multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets, which may limit our ability to acquire suitable investments and achieve our investment objectives or make distributions.
We will be competing to acquire multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets with other REITs, real estate limited partnerships, pension funds and their advisors, bank and insurance company investment accounts, and other entities. Many of our competitors have greater financial resources, and a greater ability to borrow funds to acquire properties, than we do. We cannot be sure that the board of directors and our advisor will be successful in obtaining suitable investments on financially attractive terms or that, if investments are made, our objectives will be achieved.
If we are unable to find suitable investments or if we raise substantial offering proceeds in a short period of time and are unable to invest all of the offering proceeds promptly, we may not be able to achieve our investment objectives or make distributions.
The more money we raise in this offering, the greater our challenge will be to invest all of the offering proceeds on attractive terms. If we are unable to promptly find suitable multifamily apartment communities or multifamily real estate-related assets, we will hold the proceeds from this offering in an interest-bearing account or invest the proceeds in short-term investments and may, ultimately, liquidate. We could also suffer from delays in locating suitable investments. In addition, our sponsor is sponsoring Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. which has investment objectives that overlap with ours. Our reliance on our advisor and sponsor and the real estate professionals that such persons retain to identify suitable investments for us at times when such persons are simultaneously seeking to identify suitable investments for other affiliated programs could also delay the investment of the proceeds of this offering. Delays we encounter in the selection and acquisition of income-producing multifamily apartment communities or the acquisition or origination of multifamily real estate-related assets would likely limit our ability to make distributions to you and reduce your overall returns.
Furthermore, where we acquire properties prior to the start of construction or during the early stages of construction, it will typically take several months to complete construction and rent available space. Therefore, you could suffer delays in the receipt of distributions attributable to those particular properties.
20
Our success is dependent on general market and economic conditions.
The real estate industry generally and the success of our investment activities in particular will both be affected by global and national economic and market conditions generally and by the local economic conditions where our properties are located. These factors may affect the level and volatility of real estate prices, which could impair our profitability or result in losses. In addition, general fluctuations in the market prices of securities and interest rates may affect our investment opportunities and the value of our investments. Our sponsors financial condition may be adversely affected by a significant economic downturn and it may be subject to legal, regulatory, reputational and other unforeseen risks that could have a material adverse effect on its businesses and operations (including our advisor).
A recession, slowdown and/or sustained downturn in the U.S. real estate market, and to a lesser extent, the global economy (or any particular segment thereof) would have a pronounced impact on us, the value of our assets and our profitability, impede the ability of our assets to perform under or refinance their existing obligations, and impair our ability to effectively deploy our capital or realize upon investments on favorable terms. We could also be affected by any overall weakening of, or disruptions in, the financial markets. Any of the foregoing events could result in substantial losses to our business, which losses will likely be exacerbated by the presence of leverage in our investments capital structures.
For example, during the recent financial crisis, the availability of debt financing secured by commercial real estate was significantly restricted as a result of a prolonged tightening of lending standards. Due to the uncertainties created in the credit market, real estate investors were unable to obtain debt financing on attractive terms, which adversely affected investment returns on acquisitions and their ability to even make acquisitions or tenant improvements to existing holdings. Any future financial market disruptions may force us to use a greater proportion of our offering proceeds to finance our acquisitions and fund tenant improvements, reducing the number of acquisitions we would otherwise make.
Because our shareholders will not have the opportunity to evaluate any investments we may make with the proceeds from this offering before we make them, we are considered to be primarily a blind pool. We may make investments with which our shareholders do not agree.
We are considered to be a blind pool and, except as described in a supplement to this prospectus, we are not able to provide you with any information to assist you in evaluating the merits of any specific assets that we may acquire. We will seek to invest substantially all of the proceeds from this offering in the acquisition of or investment in interests in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets. Our advisor and board of directors have broad discretion when identifying, evaluating and making such investments. You will have no opportunity to evaluate the transaction terms or other financial or operational data concerning specific investments before we invest in them. Furthermore, our advisor and board of directors have broad discretion in implementing policies regarding tenant or mortgagor creditworthiness and you will likewise have no opportunity to evaluate potential tenants, managers or borrowers. As a result, you must rely on our advisor and board of directors to identify and evaluate our investment opportunities, and they may not be able to achieve our business objectives, may make unwise decisions or may make investments with which you do not agree.
If we raise substantially less than the maximum amount in this offering, adverse investment performance, increased expenses, and our fixed operating expenses will have a more significant adverse impact on our ability to achieve our business objectives and to make distributions than if we raise the maximum amount in this offering.
Our common stock is being offered on a best-efforts basis and no individual, firm or corporation has agreed to purchase any of our common shares in this offering. If we raise substantially less than the maximum amount of funds in this offering, we may make fewer investments than we would if we are able to raise the maximum amount of funds in this offering. In that case, the likelihood that any single assets performance would adversely affect our profitability will increase. In addition, we will incur certain fixed operating expenses, such as costs incurred to secure insurance for our officers and directors, regardless of our size. Our failure to raise the maximum amount in this offering would increase our fixed operating expenses as a percentage of gross income, reducing our net income and cash flow and limiting our ability to make distributions to you.
If we fail to diversify our investment portfolio, downturns relating to certain geographic regions, types of assets, industries or business sectors may have a more significant adverse impact on our assets and our ability to make distributions than if we had a diversified investment portfolio.
While we intend to diversify our portfolio of investments in the manner described in this prospectus, we are not required to observe specific diversification criteria. Therefore, our investments in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets may be concentrated in assets that are subject to higher risk of foreclosure or concentrated in a limited number of geographic locations. To the extent that our portfolio is concentrated in limited geographic regions, downturns relating generally to such region may result in defaults on a number of our investments within a short time period, which may reduce our net income and the value of our common stock and accordingly limit our ability to make distributions to you.
21
We have little to no operating history and we may not be able to operate our business successfully or generate sufficient revenue to make or sustain distributions to our shareholders.
We are a recently formed company and we have little to no operating history. We were incorporated in the State of Maryland on July 27, 2016. As of the date of this prospectus we own one multifamily community and a B note secured by a mortgage on a multifamily development project. We cannot assure you that we will be able to operate our business successfully or implement our operating policies and strategies described in this prospectus. We can provide no assurance that our performance will replicate the past performance of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, Cottonwood Residential, Inc., Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. or any program sponsored by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, Cottonwood Residential, Inc., or Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. Our investment returns could be substantially lower than the returns achieved by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP., Cottonwood Residential, Inc. and Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. The results of our operations depend on several factors, including the availability of opportunities for the acquisition of target assets, the level and volatility of interest rates, the availability of short and long-term financing, and conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions.
We are dependent upon our advisor and its affiliates and any adverse changes in the financial health of our advisor or its affiliates or our relationship with them could hinder our operating performance and the return on our shareholders investment.
We are dependent on our advisor to manage our operations and our portfolio of multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets. Any adverse change in the financial condition of our advisor or our relationship with our advisor could hinder its ability to successfully manage our operations and our portfolio of investments.
Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to conduct our operations is dependent upon the performance of our advisor, which is an affiliate of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, the operating partnership of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., our sponsor. Cottonwood Residential II, Inc.s and Cottonwood Residential O.P., LPs business is sensitive to trends in the general economy, as well as the commercial real estate and credit markets. To the extent Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. no longer acts as our sponsor or any decline in its or Cottonwood Residential O.P., LPs revenues and operating results impacts the performance of our advisor, our results of operations and financial condition could also suffer. If our relationship with our advisor, its affiliates and their real estate professionals is terminated for any reason, it will be difficult for us to implement our business strategy or manage our portfolio unless we engage another party to provide the services to be provided by our advisor, its affiliates and employees.
We have paid distributions from offering proceeds. In the future we may continue to fund distributions with offering proceeds. To the extent we fund distributions from sources other than our cash flow from operations, we will have less funds available for investment in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets and the overall return to our shareholders may be reduced.
Our charter permits us to make distributions from any source, including offering proceeds or borrowings (which may constitute a return of capital), and our charter does not limit the amount of funds we may use from any source to pay such distributions. We intend to make distributions on our common stock on a per share basis with each share receiving the same distribution. If we fund distributions from financings, the proceeds from this or future offerings or other sources, we will have less funds available for investment in multifamily apartment communities and other multifamily real estate-related assets and the number of real estate properties that we invest in and the overall return to our shareholders may be reduced. If we fund distributions from borrowings, our interest expense and other financing costs, as well as the repayment of such borrowings, will reduce our earnings and cash flow from operations available for distribution in future periods. If we fund distributions from the sale of assets or the maturity, payoff or settlement of multifamily real estate-related assets, this will affect our ability to generate cash flows from operations in future periods.
We expect to have little, if any, cash flow from operations available for distribution until we make substantial investments. During the early stages of our operations, it is likely that we will use sources of funds, which may constitute a return of capital to fund distributions. During this offering stage, when we may raise capital more quickly than we acquire income-producing assets, and for some period after this offering stage, we may not be able to make distributions solely from our cash flow from operations. Further, because we may receive income from our investments at various times during our fiscal year and because we may need cash flow from operations during a particular period to fund capital expenditures and other expenses, we expect that at least during the early stages of our existence and from time to time during our operational stage, we will declare distributions in anticipation of cash flow that we expect to receive during a later period and we will make these distributions in advance of our actual receipt of these funds. In addition, to the extent our investments are in development or redevelopment projects or in properties that have significant capital requirements, our ability to make distributions may be
22
negatively impacted, especially during our early periods of operation. In these instances, we expect to look to third party borrowings to fund our distributions. We may also fund such distributions from the sale of assets. To the extent distributions exceed cash flow from operations, a shareholders basis in our stock will be reduced and, to the extent distributions exceed a shareholders basis, the shareholder may recognize capital gain.
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, we paid aggregate distributions of $58,045, including $40,024 distributions paid in cash and $18,021 of distributions reinvested through our distribution reinvestment plan. Our net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $231,511. Cash flow used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $19,449. We funded our total distributions paid, which includes net cash distributions and distributions reinvested by shareholders, with offering proceeds.
The value of a share of our common stock may be diluted if we pay stock dividends.
Our board of directors may declare stock dividends. Although there are a number of factors that would be considered in connection with such a declaration, we expect such stock dividends are most likely to be declared if our board of directors believes that (i) our portfolio has appreciated in value from its aggregate acquisition cost or (ii) additional sales of common stock in our offering at the current offering price would dilute the value of a share of our then existing shareholders. Phantom income could result from such stock dividends.
While our objective is to acquire assets that appreciate in value, there can be no assurance that assets we acquire will appreciate in value. If our board of directors declared a stock dividend for investors who purchase our shares early in this offering, as compared with later investors, those investors who received the stock dividends will receive more shares for the same cash investment as a result of any stock dividends. Because they own more shares, upon a sale or liquidation of the company, these early investors will receive more sales proceeds or liquidating distributions relative to their invested capital compared to later investors. Furthermore, unless our assets appreciate in an amount sufficient to offset the dilutive effect of the prior stock dividends, the value per share for later investors purchasing our stock will be below the value per share of earlier investors.
Our rights and the rights of our shareholders to recover claims against our officers and directors are limited, which could reduce your and our recovery against them if they negligently cause us to incur losses.
Maryland law provides that an officer or director has no liability in that capacity if he or she performs his or her duties in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in our best interests and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. Our charter provides that our officers and directors will not be liable to us or our shareholders for monetary damages and that we will generally indemnify them for losses unless our directors are negligent or engage in misconduct or our independent directors are grossly negligent or engage in willful misconduct. As a result, you and we may have more limited rights against our officers and directors than might otherwise exist under common law, which could reduce our and your recovery from these persons if they act in a negligent manner. Our charter also requires us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding to any individual who is a present or former director or officer and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity or any individual who, while a director or officer and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, member, manager or trustee of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employment benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity.
We may change our targeted investments and our policies without shareholder consent.
We invest in multifamily apartment communities (including certain multifamily apartment communities that include certain retail or other commercial uses) and multifamily real estate-related assets. Except as described in this prospectus, we are not restricted as to the following:
| where we may acquire multifamily apartment communities in the United States; |
| the percentage of our proceeds that may be invested in properties as compared with the percentage of our proceeds that we may invest in multifamily real estate-related assets; investment in direct interests in real estate and multifamily real estate-related assets will have differing risks and profit potential; or |
23
| the percentage of our proceeds that we may invest in any one real estate investment (the greater the percentage of our offering proceeds invested in one asset, the greater the potential adverse effect on us if that asset is unprofitable). |
Although this prospectus describes our target portfolio, we may make adjustments to our target portfolio based on real estate market conditions and investment opportunities and we may change our targeted investments and investment guidelines at any time without the consent of our shareholders, which could result in our making investments that are different from, and possibly riskier than, the investments described in this prospectus. A change in our targeted investments or investment guidelines could adversely affect the value of our common stock and our ability to make distributions to you.
Our board of directors determines our major policies, including our policies regarding financing, growth, REIT qualification, NAV methodologies and distributions. Our board of directors may amend or revise these and other policies without a vote of the shareholders. Under Maryland General Corporation Law and our charter, our shareholders have a right to vote only on limited matters. Our board of directors broad discretion in setting policies and our shareholders inability to exert control over those policies increases the uncertainty and risks you face as a shareholder.
Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest
Our advisor, our officers and the real estate, debt finance, legal, management and accounting professionals we retain will face competing demands on their time and this may cause our operations and our shareholders investment to suffer.
Subject to the supervision of our board of directors, we rely on our advisor, our officers, and the real estate, debt finance, legal, management, and accounting professionals that we retain to provide services to us for the day-to-day operation of our business. Our advisor and its affiliates have sponsored and advise other real estate programs and rely on many of the same real estate, debt finance, legal, management, and accounting professionals, as will future programs sponsored by our advisor and its affiliates. As a result of their interests in other programs sponsored by our advisor and their obligations to other investors, these professionals will likely face conflicts of interest in allocating their time among us and other programs sponsored by our advisor and its affiliates, as well as other business activities in which they are involved. During times of intense activity in other programs and ventures, these individuals may devote less time and fewer resources to our business than are necessary or appropriate to manage our business. If these events occur, the returns on our investments, and the value of your investment, may decline.
All of our executive officers, some of our directors and the key real estate and debt finance professionals we retain face conflicts of interest related to their positions and/or interests in our advisor, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, and its affiliates, which could hinder our ability to implement our business strategy and to generate returns to our shareholders.
All of our executive officers, some of our directors, and the key real estate and debt finance professionals we retain are also executive officers, directors and/or key professionals of our advisor, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and its affiliates. As a result, they owe fiduciary or other duties to each of these entities, their members and limited partners, which fiduciary or other duties may from time to time conflict with the fiduciary or other duties that they owe to us and our shareholders. Their loyalties to these other entities and investors could result in action or inaction that is detrimental to our business, which could harm the implementation of our business strategy and our investment and leasing opportunities. Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, will be a limited partner in our operating partnership and may have interests that are different than ours. If we do not successfully implement our business strategy, we may be unable to generate the cash needed to make distributions to our shareholders and to maintain or increase the value of our assets. Because some of our directors are also officers and directors of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., they may make decisions regarding the management of the properties which are not in the best interests of our shareholders.
Conflicts of interest could result in our management acting other than in our shareholders best interest.
We are party to an advisory agreement with CC Advisors III, LLC. CC Advisors III, LLC is owned by Cottonwood Communities Advisors, LLC. Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. is the sole shareholder in one of the three members and the manager of Cottonwood Communities Advisors, LLC. In addition, two of the members of Cottonwood Communities Advisors, LLC are owned by employees of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. Because our affiliated directors and certain of our officers are also current officers and directors of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., and employees of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, and certain other officers are officers of the same members and manager of our advisor and have an indirect ownership interest in our advisor and the promotional interest from our operating partnership they may make decisions regarding the advisory agreement which are not in the best interests of our shareholders.
24
Cottonwood Communities Advisors, LLC is also the sole member of two other entities that act as advisor to Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. We may compete with these and other affiliates of our advisor for opportunities to acquire or sell multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets, which may have an adverse impact on our operations. We may also buy or sell multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets at the same time as affiliates of our advisor. There may be a conflict of interest with respect to the selection of multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets to be purchased by us and/or our advisor and its affiliates. Affiliates of our advisor may own competing properties in the markets in which our multifamily apartment communities are located which may lead to conflicts of interests with respect to the operations and management of our multifamily apartment communities. For more details on how we and our advisor and its affiliates will handle potential investment opportunities see Conflicts of Interest Allocation of Investment Opportunities.
The fees we pay to affiliates in connection with the management of our assets and investments were determined without the benefit of arms-length negotiations of the type normally conducted between unrelated parties.
The fees paid to our property manager and advisor for services it provides for us were determined without the benefit of arms-length negotiations of the type normally conducted between unrelated parties, may be in excess of amounts that we would otherwise pay to third parties for such services and may reduce the amount of cash that would otherwise be available for investments in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets and distributions to our shareholders. In addition, the fees paid to our advisor could be different if our advisor did not pay our offering and organizational costs.
Our advisor faces conflicts of interest relating to the fees that we may pay to it and its affiliates, which could result in actions that are not necessarily in the long-term best interests of our shareholders.
Pursuant to our operating partnership agreement, Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC is entitled to distributions (which it has assigned to Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC) that are structured to provide incentive to our advisor to perform in our best interests and in the best interests of our shareholders. Additionally, our advisor may be entitled to a contingent acquisition fee and a contingent financing fee if our shareholders receive a specified return on their investment. The amount of such compensation has not been determined as a result of arms-length negotiations, and such amounts may be greater than otherwise would be payable to independent third parties. Because, however, our advisor is entitled to receive substantial minimum compensation regardless of performance, the interests of our advisor and its affiliates is not wholly aligned with those of our shareholders. In that regard, our advisor could be motivated to recommend riskier or more speculative investments in order for us to generate the specified levels of performance or sales proceeds that would entitle our advisor and its affiliates to additional compensation. In addition, Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLCs potential participation in sale proceeds could result in our advisor recommending sales of our investments at the earliest possible time at which sales of investments would produce the level of return that would entitle Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC to distributions relating to such sales, even if continued ownership of those investments might be in our best long-term interest.
Affiliates of our advisor have sponsored other entities and offerings and may sponsor additional entities and offerings in the future.
Affiliates of our advisor act as the advisor to Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. which have investment objectives that are similar to ours. In addition, it is possible that our advisor or its affiliates may form future REITs and sponsor other entities and offerings that may invest in assets that are similar to the multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets we intend to acquire. As a result, the conflicts of interest with respect to time, selection of investments and management of our investments may increase if our advisor or its affiliates sponsor additional programs.
If the advisory agreement with our advisor is terminated on or before August 13, 2028 for any reason other than because of the fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct of our advisor, we will be required to pay the accrued contingent acquisition fees and accrued contingent financing fees.
Our advisor is entitled to receive contingent acquisition fees related to our purchase of multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets and contingent financing fees related to our financing of multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets. Our advisor has agreed to defer the payment of any acquisition fee or financing fee until our shareholders receipt of certain specified returns. However, if the advisory agreement is terminated before August 13, 2028, for any reason other than the fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct of our advisor, the acquisition fees and financing fees will become immediately due and payable by us. Thus, there may be conflicts of interest with respect to the termination of the advisory agreement and the payment of the contingent acquisition fees and contingent financing fees.
25
Our advisor may assign its obligations under the advisory agreement to its affiliates, who may not have the same expertise or provide the same level of service as our advisor.
Under the advisory agreement, our advisor may assign its responsibilities under the agreement to any of its affiliates with the approval of the conflicts committee. If there is such an assignment or transfer, the assignee may not have comparable operational expertise, have sufficient personnel or manage our company as well as our advisor.
Risks Related to This Offering and Our Corporate Structure
Our charter limits the number of shares a person may own, which may discourage a takeover that could otherwise result in a premium price to our shareholders.
Our charter, with certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT. To help us comply with the REIT ownership requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, our charter prohibits a person from directly or constructively owning more than 9.8% of our outstanding shares, unless exempted by our board of directors. This restriction may have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.
Our charter permits our board of directors to issue stock with terms that may subordinate the rights of our common shareholders or discourage a third party from acquiring us in a manner that could result in a premium price to our shareholders.
Our board of directors may classify or reclassify any unissued common stock or preferred stock and establish the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption of any such stock. Thus, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock with priority as to distributions and amounts payable upon liquidation over the rights of the holders of our common stock. Such preferred stock could also have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price to holders of our common stock.
Our charter designates the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our charter provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (b) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of any duty owed by any of our directors or officers or other employees to us or to our shareholders, (c) any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Maryland General Corporation Law or our charter or our bylaws, or (d) any action or proceeding asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, and any of our record or beneficial shareholders who is a party to such an action or proceeding shall cooperate in any request that we may make that the action or proceeding be assigned to the Courts Business and Technology Case Management Program. We note we currently have no employees. This choice of forum provision may limit a shareholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that the shareholder believes is favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage meritorious claims from being asserted against us and our directors, officers and employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our bylaws inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. We adopted this provision because we believe it makes it less likely that we will be forced to incur the expense of defending duplicative actions in multiple forums and less likely that plaintiffs attorneys will be able to employ such litigation to coerce us into otherwise unjustified settlements, and we believe the risk of a court declining to enforce this provision is remote, as the General Assembly of Maryland has specifically amended the Maryland General Corporation Law to authorize the adoption of such provisions. The exclusive forum provision of our charter does not establish exclusive jurisdiction in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland for claims that arise under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal securities laws if there is exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction in the federal courts.
26
Your investment return may be reduced if we are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act; if our subsidiaries or we become an unregistered investment company, then we could not continue our business.
Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries intend to register as investment companies under the Investment Company Act. If we or our subsidiaries were obligated to register as investment companies, then we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act that impose, among other things:
| limitations on capital structure; |
| restrictions on specified investments; |
| prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and |
| compliance with reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy disclosure and other rules and regulations that would significantly increase our operating expenses. |
Under the relevant provisions of Section 3(a)(1) of the Investment Company Act, an investment company is any issuer that:
| pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A), is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities (the primarily engaged test); or |
| pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(C), is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuers total assets (exclusive of United States government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis (the 40% test). Investment securities excludes United States government securities and securities of majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) (relating to private investment companies). |
Neither we nor our Operating Partnership should be required to register as an investment company under either of the tests above. With respect to the 40% test, most of the entities through which we and our Operating Partnership will own our assets will be majority-owned subsidiaries that will not themselves be investment companies and will not be relying on the exceptions from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) (relating to private investment companies).
With respect to the primarily engaged test, we and our Operating Partnership will be holding companies and do not intend to invest or trade in securities ourselves. Rather, through the majority-owned subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership, we and our Operating Partnership will be primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses of these subsidiaries, namely the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring real estate and real estate-related assets.
If any of the subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership fail to meet the 40% test, then we believe they will often be able to rely on Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act for an exception from the definition of an investment company. As reflected in no-action letters, the SEC staffs position on Section 3(c)(5)(C) generally requires that an issuer maintain at least 55% of its assets in mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate or qualifying assets; at least 80% of its assets in qualifying assets plus real estate-related assets; and no more than 20% of the value of its assets in other than qualifying assets and real estate-related assets. To constitute a qualifying asset under this 55% requirement, a real estate interest must meet various criteria based on no-action letters. We expect that any of the subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership relying on Section 3(c)(5)(C) will invest at least 55% of its assets in qualifying assets, with substantially all of its remaining assets in other types of real estate-related assets. If any subsidiary relies on Section 3(c)(5)(C), then we expect to rely on guidance published by the SEC staff or on our analyses of guidance published with respect to types of assets to determine which assets are qualifying real estate assets and real estate-related assets.
27
To maintain compliance with the Investment Company Act, our subsidiaries may be unable to sell assets we would otherwise want them to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish them to retain. In addition, our subsidiaries may have to acquire additional assets that they might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forego opportunities to make investments that we would otherwise want them to make and would be important to our investment strategy. Moreover, the SEC or its staff may issue interpretations with respect to various types of assets that are contrary to our views and current SEC staff interpretations are subject to change, which increases the risk of non-compliance and the risk that we may be forced to make adverse changes to our portfolio. In this regard, we note that in 2011 the SEC issued a concept release indicating that the SEC and its staff were reviewing interpretive issues relating to Section 3(c)(5)(C) and soliciting views on the application of Section 3(c)(5)(C) to companies engaged in the business of acquiring mortgages and mortgage related instruments. If we were required to register as an investment company but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our business and criminal and civil actions could be brought against us. In addition, our contracts would be unenforceable unless a court required enforcement and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business. See the Investment Objectives and Criteria Investment Limitations Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 section of this prospectus.
Rapid changes in the values of our assets may make it more difficult for us to maintain our qualification as a REIT or our exception from the definition of an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
If the market value or income potential of our qualifying real estate assets changes as compared to the market value or income potential of our non-qualifying assets, or if the market value or income potential of our assets that are considered real estate-related assets under the Investment Company Act or REIT qualification tests changes as compared to the market value or income potential of our assets that are not considered real estate-related assets under the Investment Company Act or REIT qualification tests, whether as a result of increased interest rates, prepayment rates or other factors, we may need to modify our investment portfolio in order to maintain our REIT qualification or exception from the definition of an investment company. If the decline in asset values or income occurs quickly, this may be especially difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish. This difficulty may be exacerbated by the illiquid nature of many of the assets that we may own. We may have to make investment decisions that we otherwise would not make absent REIT and Investment Company Act considerations.
Actions of our potential future joint venture partners could reduce the returns on joint venture investments and decrease our shareholders overall return.
We may enter into joint ventures with third parties or affiliates to acquire assets. We may also purchase and develop properties in joint ventures or in partnerships, co-tenancies or other co-ownership arrangements. Such investments may involve risks not otherwise present with other methods of investment, including, for example, the following risks:
| that our co-venturer, co-tenant or partner in an investment could become insolvent or bankrupt; |
| that such co-venturer, co-tenant or partner may at any time have economic or business interests or goals that are or that become inconsistent with our business interests or goals; |
| that such co-venturer, co-tenant or partner may be in a position to take action contrary to our instructions or requests or contrary to our policies or objectives; or |
| that disputes between us and our co-venturer, co-tenant or partner may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase our expenses and prevent our officers and directors from focusing their time and effort on our operations. |
Any of the above might subject a property to liabilities in excess of those contemplated and thus reduce our returns on that investment and the value of our shareholders investment in us.
28
Our shareholders may not be able to sell their shares under our share repurchase program and, if our shareholders are able to sell their shares under the program, they may not be able to recover the amount of their investment in our shares.
Our share repurchase program includes numerous restrictions that limit your ability to sell your shares. You generally must hold your shares for at least one year in order to participate in our share repurchase program, except for Exceptional Repurchases. We limit the number of shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program in any calendar year to 5% of the weighted-average number of shares outstanding during the prior calendar year. In addition, during any calendar year, we may redeem only the number of shares that we could purchase with the amount of net proceeds from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan during the prior calendar year. We have no obligation to repurchase shares if the repurchase would violate the restrictions on distributions under Maryland law, which prohibits distributions that would cause a corporation to fail to meet statutory tests of solvency. These limits may prevent us from accommodating all repurchase requests made in any year.
Under our share repurchase program, shares may be repurchased at varying prices depending on (a) the number of years the shares have been held, (b) the estimated value per share and (c) whether the repurchases are Exceptional Repurchases. Thus, if your shares are repurchased by us pursuant to our share repurchase program, it is possible that you will receive less than the fair market value of the shares at the time of such repurchase.
Our board of directors may amend, suspend or terminate our share repurchase program upon 15 days notice to our shareholders. See Description of SharesShare Repurchase Program for more information about the program. The restrictions of our share repurchase program will severely limit your ability to sell your shares should you require liquidity and limit your ability to recover the value you invest in our common stock.
The offering price of our shares was not established in reliance on a valuation of our assets and liabilities; the actual value of your investment may be substantially less than what you pay.
We established the offering price of our shares on an arbitrary basis. The selling price of our shares bears no relationship to our book or asset values or to any other established criteria for valuing shares. We plan to determine the net asset value of our common stock no later than May 17, 2021, and annually thereafter. Our net asset value will be determined based on valuations of our assets and liabilities by, or with the material assistance or confirmation of, a third-party valuation expert or service. The method used in any year will be selected by our board of directors.
To assist FINRA members and their associated persons that participate in this offering, we intend to disclose in each annual report distributed to shareholders a per share estimated value of our shares developed in a manner reasonably designed to ensure it is reliable, the method by which it was developed and the date of the estimated valuation.
Our investors interest in us will be diluted if we issue additional shares, which could reduce the overall value of their investment.
Potential investors in this offering will not have preemptive rights to any shares we issue in the future. Our charter authorizes us to issue 1,100,000,000 shares of capital stock, of which 1,000,000,000 shares are designated as common stock and 100,000,000 shares are designated as preferred stock. We are only issuing up to 67,500,000 shares of common stock pursuant to this primary offering and up to 7,500,000 shares pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan. Our board of directors may increase the number of authorized shares of capital stock without shareholder approval. After your purchase in this offering, our board of directors may elect to (i) sell additional shares in this or future offerings, (ii) issue equity interests in private offerings or (iii) otherwise issue additional shares of our capital stock. To the extent we issue additional equity interests after your purchase in this offering your percentage ownership interest in us would be diluted. In addition, depending upon the terms and pricing of any additional offerings, the use of the proceeds and the value of our real estate investments, you may also experience dilution in the book value and fair value of your shares and in the earnings and distributions per share.
29
Payment of substantial fees and expenses to our advisor and its affiliates will reduce the return to you and increases the risks that you will not be able to recover the amount of your investment in our shares.
We pay significant fees to our advisor and its affiliates during our operational stage. Those fees include property management fees and asset management fees and we may have the obligation to reimburse our advisor and its affiliates for certain expenses they incur in connection with their providing services to us. In addition, we may be required to pay the contingent acquisition fees and contingent financing fees if we terminate the advisory agreement with our advisor.
We will also pay significant fees during our liquidation stage. Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC will receive a 15% promotional interest from our operating partnership after our shareholders have received, together as a collective group, aggregate distribution sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital, plus a 6% cumulative, non-compounded annual return on their invested capital.
These fees and other potential payments increase the risk that the amount available for distribution to common shareholders upon a liquidation of our portfolio would be less than the purchase price of the shares in this offering. Substantial consideration paid to our advisor and its affiliates also increases the risk that you will not be able to resell your shares at a profit, even if our shares are listed on a national securities exchange. See Management Compensation.
If we are unable to obtain funding for future cash needs, cash distributions to our shareholders could be reduced and the value of our investments could decline.
If we need additional capital in the future to improve or maintain our multifamily apartment communities or for any other reason, we may have to obtain financing from sources beyond our cash flow from operations, such as borrowings, sales of assets or future equity offerings. These sources of funding may not be available on attractive terms or at all. If we cannot procure additional funding for capital improvements, our investments may generate lower cash flows or decline in value, or both, which would limit our ability to make distributions to you and could reduce the value of your investment.
Although we will not currently be afforded the protection of the Maryland General Corporation Law relating to deterring or defending hostile takeovers, our board of directors could opt into these provisions of Maryland law in the future, which may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and may prevent our shareholders from receiving a premium price for their shares in connection with a business combination.
Under Maryland law, business combinations between a Maryland corporation and certain interested shareholders or affiliates of interested shareholders are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange, or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. Also under Maryland law, control shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares owned by the acquirer, an officer of the corporation, or an employee of the corporation who is also a director of the corporation are excluded from the vote on whether to accord voting rights to the control shares. Should our board of directors opt into these provisions of Maryland law, it may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer. Similarly, provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the Maryland General Corporation Law could provide similar anti-takeover protection. For more information about the business combination, control share acquisition and Subtitle 8 provisions of Maryland law, see Description of SharesBusiness Combinations and Description of SharesControl Share Acquisitions.
30
Because Maryland law permits our board of directors to adopt certain anti-takeover measures without shareholder approval, investors may be less likely to receive a control premium for their shares.
In 1999, the State of Maryland enacted legislation that enhances the power of Maryland corporations to protect themselves from unsolicited takeovers. Among other things, the legislation permits our board, without shareholder approval, to amend our charter to:
| stagger our board of directors into three classes; |
| require a two-thirds shareholder vote for removal of directors; |
| provide that only the board can fix the size of the board; |
| provide that all vacancies on the board, however created, may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office; and |
| require that special shareholder meetings may only be called by holders of a majority of the voting shares entitled to be cast at the meeting. |
Under Maryland law, a corporation can opt to be governed by some or all of these provisions if it has a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act, and has at least three independent directors. Our charter does not prohibit our board from opting into any of the above provisions permitted under Maryland law. Becoming governed by any of these provisions could discourage an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our securities. For more information about Subtitle 8 provisions of Maryland law discussed here, see Description of SharesSubtitle 8.
Our ability to successfully conduct our offering is dependent, in part, on the ability of the dealer manager to hire and retain key employees and to successfully establish, operate and maintain a network of broker-dealers.
The dealer manager for this offering is Orchard Securities, LLC, a Utah limited liability company, which we refer to as our dealer manager. The success of this offering and our ability to implement our business strategy is dependent upon the ability of the dealer manager to hire and retain key employees and to establish, operate and maintain a network of licensed securities broker-dealer, or selling group members. Some or all of the broker dealers in this network have a choice of numerous competing real estate investment trusts offerings, many with similar investment objectives to recommend to their clients, which may make selling our shares to their clients more difficult. If our dealer manager is unable to hire qualified employees and build a sufficient network of selling group members, we may not be able to raise adequate proceeds through this offering to implement our investment strategy. If we are unsuccessful in implementing our investment strategy, you could lose all or a part of your investment.
Breaches of our data security could materially harm us, including our business, financial performance and reputation.
We collect and retain certain personal information provided by our residents and employees. Security measures we have implemented to protect the confidentiality of this information may not prevent unauthorized access to this information. Any breach of our data security measures and loss of this information may result in legal liability and costs (including damages and penalties), as well as damage to our reputation, that could materially and adversely affect us, including our business and financial performance.
Some of the prior programs of the indirect owner of our sponsor, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and its predecessor entities, have not met the anticipated performance levels.
Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and its predecessor, Cottonwood Capital, LLC have sponsored a number of prior real estate programs. Some of these prior real estate programs have not achieved the leasing and operational thresholds projected by Cottonwood Residential O.P, LP or Cottonwood Capital, LLC. As a result, the returns to investors in some of these prior real estate programs may not have met the expected thresholds. See Prior Performance Summary.
31
General Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate
We will not be diversified with respect to the class of assets that we own.
We will invest, through our operating partnership, solely in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets. While we intend to invest in a significant number of properties across several geographical locations and markets, we will not invest in a diverse set of asset classes. Further, we have no plans to acquire any assets other than assets consisting of multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets. Therefore, each of our investments could be subject to the same or similar rental property related risks and a decline in real estate values in general or a change in economic conditions which affects real property investment and rental markets could have a substantial adverse effect on our financial performance.
If capitalization rates increase the value of our assets may decrease and we may not be able to sell our assets at anticipated prices.
The value of real estate is generally based on capitalization rates. Capitalization rates generally trend with interest rates. Consequently, if interest rates go up, so do capitalization rates. Based on historical interest rates, current interest rates are low, as are current capitalization rates. However, if interest rates rise in the future, it is likely that capitalization rates will also rise, and as a result, the value of real estate will decrease. If capitalization rates increase, our assets will likely achieve a lower sales price than anticipated, resulting in reduced returns.
There are risks inherent in the acquisition and management of multifamily apartment communities.
There are risks associated with the operation of multifamily apartment communities, including, but not limited to, vacillations in the demand for residential space; risk of loss or damage to the improvements or property of tenants; environmental risks and other risks associated with ownership of real estate. Any of the above factors, or a combination thereof, could result in a decrease in the value of our investments which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations, reduce the cash flow available for distributions and the return on your investment.
Rental levels at the multifamily apartment communities that we acquire can vary over time and we may not be able to maintain the occupancy rates we anticipate.
We will make our determination regarding the acquisition of multifamily apartment communities that we acquire based, among other things, on the propertys projected rent levels. However, there can be no assurance that a multifamily apartment community will continue to be occupied at the projected rents. It is anticipated that leases with the tenants at our multifamily apartment communities will generally be for terms of one year or less. If the tenants of the properties do not renew or extend their leases, if tenants default under their leases at the properties, if issues arise with respect to the permissibility of certain uses at the properties, if tenants of the properties terminate their leases, or if the terms of any renewal (including concessions to the tenants) are less favorable than existing lease terms, the operating results of the properties could be substantially affected. As a result, we may not be able to make distributions to the shareholders at the anticipated levels.
Because we rely on Cottonwood Communities Management, its affiliates and third parties to manage the day-to-day affairs of any properties we may acquire, should the staff of a particular property perform poorly, our operating results for that property will similarly be hindered and our net income may be reduced.
We depend upon the performance of our property managers to effectively manage our properties and real estate-related assets. Rising vacancies across real estate properties have resulted in increased pressure on real estate investors and their property managers to maintain adequate occupancy levels. In order to do so, we may have to offer inducements, such as free rent and resident amenities, to compete for residents. Poor performance by those sales, leasing and other management staff members operating a particular property will necessarily translate into poor results of operations for that particular property. Should Cottonwood Communities Management, its affiliates or third parties fail to identify problems in the day-to-day management of a particular property or fail to take the appropriate corrective action in a timely manner, our operating results may be hindered and our net income reduced.
32
It may be difficult for us to attract new tenants to our multifamily apartment communities.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain the occupancy rates at our multifamily apartment communities. The tenants at any multifamily apartment communities may have the right to terminate their leases upon the occurrence of specified events. It is anticipated that the majority of leases at the properties will be for terms of one year or less.
Our inability to sell a multifamily apartment community at the time and on the terms we want could limit our ability to pay cash distributions to our shareholders.
Many factors that are beyond our control affect the real estate market and could affect our ability to sell multifamily apartment communities for the price, on the terms or within the time frame that we desire. These factors include general economic conditions, the availability of financing, interest rates and other factors, including supply and demand. Because real estate investments are relatively illiquid, we have a limited ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions. Further, before we can sell a multifamily apartment community on the terms we want, it may be necessary to expend funds to correct defects or to make improvements. However, we can give no assurance that we will have the funds available to correct such defects or to make such improvements. We may be unable to sell our multifamily apartment communities at a profit. Our inability to sell multifamily apartment communities at the time and on the terms we want could reduce our cash flow and limit our ability to make distributions to our shareholders and could reduce the value of your investment.
We may have no or only limited recourse for any problems later identified for multifamily apartment communities we acquire, which could materially and adversely affect us, including our results of operations.
We anticipate sellers of multifamily apartment communities will sell such properties as is, where is and with all faults, without any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. In addition, purchase and sale agreements may contain limited warranties, representations and indemnifications that will only survive for a limited period after the closing. The purchase of multifamily apartment communities with no or limited warranties increases the risk that we may lose some or all of our invested capital in the property, as well as the loss of rental income from that multifamily apartment community, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Costs imposed pursuant to governmental laws and regulations may reduce our net income and the cash available for distributions to our shareholders.
Real property and the operations conducted on real property are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to protection of the environment and human health. We could be subject to liability in the form of fines, penalties or damages for noncompliance with these laws and regulations. These laws and regulations generally govern wastewater discharges, air emissions, the operation and removal of underground and above-ground storage tanks, the use, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of solid and hazardous materials, the remediation of contamination associated with the release or disposal of solid and hazardous materials, the presence of toxic building materials and other health and safety-related concerns.
Some of these laws and regulations may impose joint and several liability on the tenants, owners or operators of real property for the costs to investigate or remediate contaminated properties, regardless of fault, whether the contamination occurred prior to purchase, or whether the acts causing the contamination were legal. Activities of our tenants, the condition of properties at the time we buy them, operations in the vicinity of our properties, such as the presence of underground storage tanks, or activities of unrelated third parties may affect our properties.
The presence of hazardous substances, or the failure to properly manage or remediate these substances, may hinder our ability to sell, rent, or pledge such property as collateral for future borrowings. Any material expenditures, fines, penalties or damages we must pay will reduce our ability to make distributions and may reduce the value of your investment.
33
Potential liability for environmental matters could adversely affect our financial condition.
Although we intend to subject our multifamily apartment communities to an environmental assessment prior to acquisition, we may not be made aware of all the environmental liabilities associated with a property prior to its purchase. There may be hidden environmental hazards that may not be discovered prior to acquisition. The costs of investigation, remediation or removal of hazardous substances may be substantial. In addition, the presence of hazardous substances on one of our properties, or the failure to properly remediate a contaminated property, could adversely affect our ability to sell or rent the property or to borrow using the property as collateral.
Various federal, state and local environmental laws impose responsibilities on an owner or operator of real estate and subject those persons to potential joint and several liabilities. Typical provisions of those laws include:
| responsibility and liability for the costs of investigation, removal, or remediation of hazardous substances released on or in real property, generally without regard to knowledge of or responsibility for the presence of the contaminants; |
| liability for claims by third parties based on damages to natural resources or property, personal injuries, or costs of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances in, on, or migrating from our property; |
| responsibility for managing asbestos-containing building materials, and third-party claims for exposure to those materials; and |
| environmental laws also may impose restrictions on the manner in which property may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require expenditures. |
Costs associated with complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Amendment Act may decrease cash available for distributions.
Our properties may be subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, or the Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Amendment Act, as amended, or the Fair Housing Act. Under the Disabilities Act, all places of public accommodation are required to comply with federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons and may require owners of multifamily dwellings to make reasonable exceptions in their policies and operations to afford people with disabilities equal housing opportunities. The Disabilities Act has separate compliance requirements for public accommodations and commercial facilities that generally require that buildings and services be made accessible and available to people with disabilities. The Disabilities Acts requirements could require removal of access barriers and could result in the imposition of injunctive relief, monetary penalties, or, in some cases, an award of damages. The Fair Housing Act requires multifamily dwellings first occupied after March 13, 1991 to comply with design and construction requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Any funds used for Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Act compliance will reduce our net income and the amount of cash available for distributions to you.
Uninsured losses relating to real property or excessively expensive premiums for insurance coverage could reduce our cash flows and the return on our shareholders investment.
There are types of losses, generally catastrophic in nature, such as losses due to wars, acts of terrorism, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, pollution, or environmental matters that are uninsurable or not economically insurable, or may be insured subject to limitations, such as large deductibles or co-payments. Insurance risks associated with potential acts of terrorism could sharply increase the premiums we pay for coverage against property and casualty claims. Additionally, mortgage lenders in some cases have begun to insist that commercial property owners purchase coverage against terrorism as a condition for providing mortgage loans. Such insurance policies may not be available at reasonable costs, which may increase our cost of obtaining financing. We may not have adequate coverage for such losses. If any of our properties incurs a casualty loss that is not fully insured, the value of our assets will be reduced by any such uninsured loss, which may reduce the value of your investment. In addition, other than any working capital reserve or other reserves we may establish, we have no source of funding to repair or reconstruct any uninsured property. Also, to the extent we must pay unexpectedly large amounts for insurance, we could suffer reduced earnings that would result in lower distributions to you.
34
The properties will include certain amenities for the residents at the properties that could increase the potential liabilities at the properties.
In addition to the apartment buildings, the properties will be improved with various amenities, such as swimming pools, exercise rooms, playgrounds, laundry facilities, business centers and/or rentable club houses. Certain claims could arise in the event that a personal injury, death, or injury to property should occur in, on, or around any of these improvements. In addition, certain of the multifamily apartment communities may be located in areas where dangerous wildlife lives which could pose dangers to the residents at the applicable property. There can be no assurance that particular risks pertaining to these improvements that currently may be insured will continue to be insurable on an economical basis or that current levels of coverage will continue to be available. If a loss occurs that is partially or completely uninsured, we may lose all or part of the investment. We may be liable for any uninsured or underinsured personal injury, death or property damage claims. Liability in such cases may be unlimited but shareholders will not be personally liable.
Competition and any increased affordability of single-family residential homes could limit our ability to lease our apartments or maintain or increase rents, which may materially and adversely affect us, including our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and growth prospects.
The multifamily industry is highly competitive, and we face competition from many sources, including from other multifamily apartment communities both in the immediate vicinity and the geographic markets where our properties are and will be located. If so, this would increase the number of apartment units available and may decrease occupancy and unit rental rates. Furthermore, multifamily apartment communities we acquire compete, or will compete, with numerous housing alternatives in attracting residents, including owner occupied single and multifamily homes available to rent or purchase. The number of competitive properties and/or condominiums in a particular area, or any increased affordability of owner occupied single and multifamily homes caused by declining housing prices, mortgage interest rates and government programs to promote home ownership, could adversely affect our ability to retain our residents, lease apartment units and maintain or increase rental rates. These factors could materially and adversely affect us.
Increased construction of similar multifamily apartment communities that compete with our properties in any particular location may materially and adversely affect us, including our results of operations and our cash available for distribution to our shareholders.
We may acquire multifamily apartment communities in locations that experience increases in construction of properties that compete with our properties. This increased competition and construction could make it more difficult for us to find residents to lease units in our multifamily apartment communities and/or force us to lower our rental rates in order to lease units in our properties, which could substantially reduce our revenues and could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, overbuilding of multifamily apartment communities may occur.
We may be unable to secure funds for future capital improvements, which could adversely impact our ability to make cash distributions to our shareholders.
When residents do not renew their leases or otherwise vacate their apartment unit, in order to attract replacement residents, we may be required to expend funds for capital improvements to the vacated apartment homes. In addition, we may require substantial funds to renovate a multifamily apartment community in order to sell it, upgrade it or reposition it in the market. If we have insufficient capital reserves, we will have to obtain financing from other sources. We intend to establish capital reserves in an amount we, in our discretion, believe is necessary. A lender also may require escrow of capital reserves in excess of any established reserves. If these reserves or any reserves otherwise established are designated for other uses or are insufficient to meet our cash needs, we may have to obtain financing from either affiliated or unaffiliated sources to fund our cash requirements. We cannot assure our shareholders that sufficient financing will be available or, if available, will be available on economically feasible terms or on terms acceptable to us. Moreover, certain reserves required by lenders may be designated for specific uses and may not be available for capital purposes such as future capital improvements. Additional borrowing for capital needs and capital improvements will increase our interest expense, and therefore our financial condition and our ability to make cash distributions to our shareholders may be adversely affected.
35
Our multifamily apartment communities are subject to property taxes that may increase in the future, which could adversely affect our cash flow.
Our multifamily apartment communities are subject to real and personal property taxes that may increase as tax rates change and as the multifamily apartment communities are assessed or reassessed by taxing authorities. As the owner of the multifamily apartment communities, we are ultimately responsible for payment of the taxes to the applicable government authorities. If we fail to pay any such taxes, the applicable taxing authority may place a lien on the real property and the real property may be subject to a tax sale.
Increases in costs to own and maintain our properties may materially and adversely affect us, including our results of operations and cash flows.
We may experience increased costs associated with operating expenses, including capital improvements, routine property maintenance, real estate taxes and utility expenses. Any increases in our expenses to own and maintain our properties would consequently reduce our results of operations and cash flows.
Potential development and construction delays and resultant increased costs and risks may hinder our operating results and decrease our net income.
From time to time we may acquire unimproved real property or properties that are under development or construction. Investments in such properties will be subject to the uncertainties associated with the development and construction of real property, including those related to re-zoning land for development, environmental concerns of governmental entities and/or community groups and our builders ability to build in conformity with plans, specifications, budgeted costs and timetables. If a builder fails to perform, we may resort to legal action to rescind the purchase or the construction contract or to compel performance. A builders performance may also be affected or delayed by conditions beyond the builders control. Delays in completing construction could also give tenants the right to terminate preconstruction leases. We may incur additional risks when we make periodic progress payments or other advances to builders before they complete construction. These and other factors can result in increased costs of a project or loss of our investment. In addition, we will be subject to normal lease-up risks relating to newly constructed projects. We also must rely on rental income and expense projections and estimates of the fair market value of property upon completion of construction when agreeing upon a purchase price at the time we acquire the property. If our projections are inaccurate, we may pay too much for a property, and the return on our investment could suffer.
Risks Related to Multifamily Real Estate-Related Assets
Our investments in multifamily real estate-related assets will be subject to the risks typically associated with real estate.
Our investments in mortgage, mezzanine or other real estate loans will generally be directly or indirectly secured by a lien on real property (or the equity interests in an entity that owns real property) that, upon the occurrence of a default on the loan, could result in our taking ownership of the entity that owns the real estate. We will not know whether the values of the multifamily apartment communities ultimately indirectly securing our loans will remain at the levels existing on the dates of origination or acquisition of those loans. If the values of the underlying multifamily apartment communities drop, our risk will increase because of the lower value of the security associated with such loans. In this manner, real estate values could impact the values of our loan investments. Therefore, our multifamily real estate-related assets will be subject to the risks typically associated with real estate, which are described above under the heading General Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate.
36
Any mortgage loans we acquire or originate and the mortgage loans underlying any mortgage securities we may invest in are subject to delinquency, foreclosure and loss, which could result in losses to us.
Commercial real estate loans generally are secured by commercial real estate properties and are subject to risks of delinquency and foreclosure. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by an income-producing property typically is dependent primarily upon the successful operation of such property rather than upon the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. If the net operating income of the property is reduced, the borrowers ability to repay the loan may be impaired. Net operating income of an income-producing property can be affected by, among other things: tenant mix, success of tenant businesses, occupancy rates, property management decisions, property location and condition, competition from comparable types of properties, changes in laws that increase operating expenses or limit rents that may be charged, any need to address environmental contamination at the property, the occurrence of any uninsured casualty at the property, changes in national, regional or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments, declines in regional or local real estate values, declines in regional or local rental or occupancy rates, increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses, changes in governmental rules, fiscal policies and regulations (including environmental legislation), natural disasters, terrorism, social unrest and civil disturbances.
In the event of any default under any mortgage loan held by us, we will bear a risk of loss of principal and accrued interest to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the collateral and the principal and accrued interest of the mortgage loan, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flow from operations. Foreclosure on a property securing a mortgage loan can be an expensive and lengthy process that could have a substantial negative effect on our anticipated return on the foreclosed investment. In the event of the bankruptcy of a mortgage loan borrower, the mortgage loan to such borrower will be deemed to be secured only to the extent of the value of the underlying collateral at the time of bankruptcy (as determined by the bankruptcy court), and the lien securing the mortgage loan will be subject to the avoidance powers of the bankruptcy trustee or debtor-in-possession to the extent the lien is unenforceable under state law.
Delays in liquidating defaulted mortgage loans could reduce our investment returns.
If there are defaults under any mortgage loan we acquire or originate, we may not be able to repossess and sell the underlying properties quickly. The resulting time delay could reduce the value of our investment in the defaulted mortgage loans. An action to foreclose on a property securing a mortgage loan is regulated by state statutes and regulations and is subject to many of the delays and expenses of other lawsuits if the borrower raises defenses or counterclaims. In the event of default by a borrower, these restrictions, among other factors, may impede our ability to foreclose on or sell the mortgaged property or to obtain proceeds sufficient to repay all amounts due to us on the mortgage loan.
The mezzanine and bridge loans in which we may invest would involve greater risks of loss than loans secured by a first deed of trust or mortgage on property.
We may invest in mezzanine and bridge loans that take the form of subordinated loans secured by a pledge of the ownership interests of either the entity owning (directly or indirectly) the real property or the entity that owns the interest in the entity owning the real property. These types of investments may involve a higher degree of risk than long-term senior mortgage lending secured by income-producing real property because the investment may become unsecured as a result of foreclosure by the senior lender. In the event of a bankruptcy of the entity providing the pledge of its ownership interests as security, we may not have full recourse to the assets of such entity, or the assets of the entity may not be sufficient to satisfy our mezzanine loan. If a borrower defaults on our mezzanine loan or debt senior to our loan, or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, our mezzanine loan will be satisfied only after the senior debt. As a result, we may not recover some or all of our investment. In addition, mezzanine loans may have higher loan-to-value ratios than conventional mortgage loans, resulting in less equity in the real property and increasing the risk of loss of principal.
37
The B Notes in which we have invested and in which we may continue to invest may be subject to additional risks relating to the privately negotiated structure and terms of the transaction, which may result in losses to us.
We have invested in a B note and may continue to do so in the future. A B Note is a mortgage loan typically (i) secured by a first mortgage on a single large commercial property or group of related properties and (ii) subordinated to an A Note secured by the same first mortgage on the same collateral. As a result, if a borrower defaults, there may not be sufficient funds remaining for B Note holders after payment to the A Note holders. Since each transaction is privately negotiated, B Notes can vary in their structural characteristics and risks. For example, under the agreement between the A Note holders and the B Note holders, the A Note holders, whose economic interests may not align with the economic interests of the B Note holders, typically are empowered to take the lead on loan administration, on decisions whether to enforce or negotiate a work-out of a defaulted or stressed loan, and on pricing and market timing for the sale of foreclosed property. While the B Note holders can exercise some influence over those decisions through consent rights, the B Note holders typically lose their consent rights under certain circumstances, including if the liquidation value of the B Note, based on an appraisal, falls below an agreed threshold. We cannot predict the terms of each B Note investment. Further, B Notes typically are secured by a single property, and so reflect the increased risks associated with a single property compared to a pool of properties.
We expect to invest in real estate-related equity, which is subordinate to any indebtedness, but involves different rights.
We may invest from time to time in non-controlling equity positions and other real estate-related interests. Preferred equity investments are subordinate to any indebtedness obtained by the entity, but senior to the owners common equity. Preferred equity investments typically pay a dividend rather than interest payments and often have the right for such dividends to accrue if there is insufficient cash flow to pay currently. These interests are not secured by the underlying real estate, but upon the occurrence of a default, the preferred equity provider typically has the right to effectuate a change of control with respect to the ownership of the property.
We may invest in the preferred equity of other entities, the management of which may adversely affect our business.
We may invest in the preferred equity of other entities. However, we will not control the management, investment decisions, or operations of these companies. Management of those enterprises may decide to change the nature of their assets, or management may otherwise change in a manner that is not satisfactory to us. We will have no ability to affect these management decisions and we may have only limited ability to dispose of our investments.
Risks Associated with Debt Financing
We are likely to obtain mortgage indebtedness and other borrowings, which increases our risk of loss due to potential foreclosure.
We plan to obtain long-term financing that may be secured by our multifamily apartment communities. In some instances, we may acquire multifamily apartment communities by financing a portion of the price of the multifamily apartment communities and mortgaging or pledging some or all of the multifamily apartment communities purchased as security for that debt. We may also incur mortgage debt on multifamily apartment communities that we already own in order to obtain funds to acquire additional multifamily apartment communities, to fund property improvements and other capital expenditures, to make distributions, and for other purposes. In addition, we may borrow as necessary or advisable to ensure that we maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, including borrowings to satisfy the REIT requirement that we distribute at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income to our shareholders (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and excluding net capital gain). We, however, can give our shareholders no assurance that we will be able to obtain such borrowings on satisfactory terms.
Incurring mortgage debt increases the risk of loss of a multifamily apartment community since defaults on indebtedness secured by a multifamily apartment community may result in lenders initiating foreclosure actions. In that case, we could lose the multifamily apartment community securing the loan that is in default, reducing the value of our shareholders investment. For tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our multifamily apartment communities would be treated as a sale of the multifamily apartment community for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds
38
our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure even though we would not necessarily receive any cash proceeds. We may give full or partial guaranties to lenders of mortgage debt on behalf of the entities that own our multifamily apartment communities as well as with respect to debt associated with our preferred equity investments, mezzanine loans or equity investments in a property or land which will be developed into a multifamily apartment community. When we give a guaranty on behalf of an entity that owns one of our multifamily apartment communities or real estate-related assets, we will be responsible to the lender for satisfaction of the debt if it is not paid by such entity. If any mortgages contain cross-collateralization or cross-default provisions, a default on a single multifamily apartment community could affect many multifamily apartment communities.
Our multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets may be cross-collateralized.
We may obtain a line of credit or other debt financing which we may utilize to acquire multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets and fund our operations. Thus, our assets may be cross-collateralized. We have not obtained a commitment for the line of credit. Therefore, the amount and terms of the line of credit are uncertain and will be negotiated by our officers. No assurance can be given that future cash flow will be sufficient to make the debt service payments on any loans and to cover all operating expenses. If our revenues are insufficient to pay debt service and operating costs, we may be required to seek additional working capital. There can be no assurance that such additional funds will be available. The degree to which we are leveraged could have an adverse impact on us, including (i) increased vulnerability to adverse general economic and market conditions, (ii) impaired ability to expand and to respond to increased competition, (iii) impaired ability to obtain additional financing for future working capital, capital expenditures, general corporate or other purposes and (iv) requiring that a significant portion of cash provided by operating activities be used for the payment of debt obligations, thereby reducing funds available for operations and future business opportunities.
High mortgage rates or changes in underwriting standards may make it difficult for us to finance or refinance multifamily apartment communities, which could reduce the number of multifamily apartment communities we can acquire, our cash flows from operations and the amount of cash distributions we can make.
If mortgage debt is unavailable at reasonable rates, we may not be able to finance the purchase of multifamily apartment communities. If we place mortgage debt on a multifamily apartment community, we run the risk of being unable to refinance part or all of the multifamily apartment community when the debt becomes due or of being unable to refinance on favorable terms. If interest rates are higher when we refinance our multifamily apartment communities, our income could be reduced. We may be unable to refinance or may only be able to partly refinance our multifamily apartment communities if underwriting standards, including loan to value ratios and yield requirements, among other requirements, are stricter than when we originally financed the multifamily apartment communities. If any of these events occurs, our cash flow could be reduced and/or we might have to pay down existing mortgages. This, in turn, would reduce cash available for distribution to our shareholders, could cause us to require additional capital and may hinder our ability to raise capital by issuing more shares or by borrowing more money.
Lenders may require us to enter into restrictive covenants relating to our operations, which could limit our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
When providing financing, a lender may impose restrictions on us that affect our distribution and operating policies and our ability to incur additional debt. Loan agreements we enter into may contain covenants that limit our ability to further mortgage a property or that prohibit us from discontinuing insurance coverage. These or other limitations would decrease our operating flexibility and our ability to achieve our operating objectives.
Increases in interest rates could increase the amount of our debt payments and limit our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
We expect that we will incur debt in the future and increases in interest rates will increase the cost of that debt, which could reduce the cash we have available for distributions. Additionally, if we incur variable-rate debt, increases in interest rates would increase our interest costs, which would reduce our cash flows and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders. In addition, if we need to repay existing debt during periods of rising interest rates, we could be required to liquidate one or more of our investments at times that may not permit realization of the maximum return on such investments.
39
We have broad authority to incur debt and high debt levels could hinder our ability to make distributions and decrease the value of our shareholders investment.
Our charter limits our leverage to 300% of our net assets, and we may exceed this limit with the approval of the conflicts committee of our board of directors. High debt levels would cause us to incur higher interest charges and higher debt service payments and may also be accompanied by restrictive covenants. These factors could limit the amount of cash we have available to distribute and could result in a decline in the value of our shareholders investment.
Interest-only indebtedness may increase our risk of default and ultimately may reduce our funds available for distribution to our shareholders.
We may obtain loans that require interest-only payments for a number of years before we are required to make payments on the principal. During the interest-only period, the amount of each scheduled payment will be less than that of a traditional amortizing mortgage loan. The principal balance of the mortgage loan will not be reduced (except in the case of prepayments) because there are no scheduled monthly payments of principal during this period. After the interest- only period, we will be required either to make scheduled payments of amortized principal and interest or to make a lump-sum, or balloon, payment at maturity. These required principal or balloon payments will increase the amount of our scheduled payments and may increase our risk of default under the related mortgage loan. If the mortgage loan has an adjustable interest rate, the amount of our scheduled payments also may increase at a time of rising interest rates. Increased payments and substantial principal or balloon maturity payments will reduce the funds available for distribution to our shareholders because cash otherwise available for distribution will be required to pay principal and interest associated with these mortgage loans.
We are uncertain of our sources for funding our future capital needs. If we do not have sufficient funds from operations to cover our expenses or to fund improvements to our multifamily apartment communities and cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms, our ability to cover our expenses or to fund improvements to our multifamily apartment communities may be adversely affected.
The proceeds of this offering will be used primarily for investments in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets. Until we have made substantial investments we do not expect to have sufficient funds from operations to cover all of our expenses. Accordingly, in the event that we develop a need for additional capital in the future for the improvement of our multifamily apartment communities or for any other reason, sources of funding may not be available to us. If we do not have sufficient funds from cash flow generated by our assets or out of net sale proceeds, or cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms, our financial condition and ability to make distributions may be adversely affected.
The derivative financial instruments that we may use to hedge against interest rate fluctuations may not be successful in mitigating our risks associated with interest rates and could reduce the overall returns on your investment.
We may use derivative financial instruments, such as interest rate cap or collar agreements and interest rate swap agreements, to hedge exposures to changes in interest rates on loans secured by our assets, but no hedging strategy can protect us completely. These agreements involve risks, such as the risk that counterparties may fail to honor their obligations under these arrangements and that these arrangements may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes. We cannot assure you that our hedging strategy and the derivatives that we use will adequately offset the risk of interest rate volatility or that our hedging transactions will not result in losses. In addition, the use of such instruments may reduce the overall return on our investments. These instruments may also generate income that may not be treated as qualifying REIT income for purposes of the 75% or 95% REIT gross income tests.
40
We may not have sufficient funds to pay interest payments if the interest rates increase significantly.
It is anticipated that loans we obtain may have variable interest rates. In the event that the interest rate on any loan increases significantly, we may not have sufficient funds to pay the required interest payments. In such event, the continued ownership of the applicable multifamily apartment community may be threatened.
You may have current tax liability on distributions you elect to reinvest in our common stock.
If you participate in our distribution reinvestment plan, you will be deemed to have received, and for income tax purposes will be taxed on, the amount reinvested in shares of our common stock to the extent the amount reinvested was not a tax-free return of capital. In addition, you will be treated for tax purposes as having received an additional distribution to the extent the shares are purchased at a discount to fair market value. As a result, unless you are a tax-exempt entity, you may have to use funds from other sources to pay your tax liability on the value of the shares of common stock received. See Description of Shares Distribution Reinvestment Plan Tax Consequences of Participation.
Failure to qualify as a REIT would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution.
Our qualification as a REIT will depend upon our ability to meet requirements regarding our organization and ownership, distributions of our income, the nature and diversification of our income and assets, and other tests imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year after electing REIT status, we will be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at corporate rates. In addition, we would generally be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year of losing our REIT status. Losing our REIT status would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to shareholders because of the additional tax liability. In addition, distributions to shareholders would no longer qualify for the dividends-paid deduction and we would no longer be required to make distributions. If this occurs, we might be required to borrow funds or liquidate some investments in order to pay the applicable tax. For a discussion of the REIT qualification tests and other considerations relating to our election to be taxed as a REIT, see Federal Income Tax Considerations.
Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to some federal, state and local taxes on our income or property. For example:
| In order to qualify as a REIT, we must distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income to our shareholders (which is determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction or net capital gain). To the extent that we satisfy the distribution requirement but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will generally be subject to federal corporate income tax on the undistributed income. |
| We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which distributions we pay in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income, and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. |
| If we have net income from the sale of foreclosure property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business or other non-qualifying income from foreclosure property, we must pay a tax on that income at the highest corporate income tax rate. |
| If we sell an asset, other than foreclosure property, that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, our gain would be subject to the 100% prohibited transaction tax unless such sale were made by one of our taxable REIT subsidiaries or we qualified for a safe harbor under the Internal Revenue Code. |
41
We intend to make distributions to our shareholders to comply with the REIT requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.
The ownership limits that apply to REITs, as prescribed by the Internal Revenue Code and by our charter, may inhibit market activity in shares of our common stock and restrict our business combination opportunities.
In order for us to qualify as a REIT, not more than 50% in value of our outstanding shares of stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include certain entities) at any time during the last half of each taxable year after the first year for which we elect to qualify as a REIT. Additionally, at least 100 persons must beneficially own our stock during at least 335 days of a taxable year (other than the first taxable year for which we elect to be taxed as a REIT). Our charter, with certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT. Our charter also provides that, unless exempted by our board of directors, no person may own more than 9.8% by value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our outstanding shares of common stock, or 9.8% by value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our outstanding capital stock. Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, subject to such conditions as it may determine and the receipt of certain representations and undertakings, prospectively or retroactively, waive the ownership limit or establish a different limit on ownership, or excepted holder limit, for a particular shareholder if the shareholders ownership in excess of the ownership limit would not result in our being closely held under Section 856(h) of the Internal Revenue Code or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT. These ownership limits could delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control of our company that might involve a premium price for our shares of common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our shareholders.
REIT distribution requirements could adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan.
To qualify as a REIT, we must distribute to our shareholders each year 90% of our REIT taxable income (which is determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction or net capital gain). From time to time, we may generate taxable income greater than our income for financial reporting purposes, or our taxable income may be greater than our cash flow available for distribution to shareholders (for example, where a borrower defers the payment of interest in cash pursuant to a contractual right or otherwise). If we do not have other funds available in these situations we could be required to borrow funds, sell investments at disadvantageous prices, or find another alternative source of funds to make distributions sufficient to enable us to pay out enough of our taxable income to satisfy the REIT distribution requirement and to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% excise tax in a particular year. These alternatives could increase our costs or reduce our equity. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.
To maintain our REIT status, we may be forced to forego otherwise attractive opportunities, which may delay or hinder our ability to meet our investment objectives and reduce our shareholders overall return.
To qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy certain tests on an ongoing basis concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, nature of our assets, and the amounts we distribute to our shareholders. We may be required to make distributions to shareholders at times when it would be more advantageous to reinvest cash in our business or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits and the value of our shareholders investment.
The tax on prohibited transactions will limit our ability to engage in transactions that would be treated as sales for federal income tax purposes.
A REITs net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of assets, other than foreclosure property, deemed held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business (subject to a safe harbor under the Internal Revenue Code for certain sales). It may be possible to reduce the impact of the prohibited transaction tax by conducting certain activities through taxable REIT subsidiaries. However, to the extent that we engage in such activities through taxable REIT subsidiaries, the income associated with such activities may be subject to full corporate income tax.
42
The failure of a mezzanine loan to qualify as a real estate asset could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.
We may make mezzanine loans. The Internal Revenue Service has provided a safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2003-65 for structuring mezzanine loans so that they will be treated by the Internal Revenue Service as a real estate asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests, and interest derived from mezzanine loans will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test, as discussed below. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. We may make mezzanine loans that do not meet all of the requirements of the safe harbor. In the event a mezzanine loan does not meet the safe harbor, the Internal Revenue Service could challenge such loans treatment as a real estate asset for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests and, if such a challenge were sustained, we could fail to continue to qualify as a REIT.
Non-United States investors may be subject to FIRPTA on the sale of shares of our common stock if we are unable to qualify as a domestically controlled qualified investment entity.
A non-United States person disposing of a United States real property interest, including shares of a United States corporation whose assets consist principally of United States real property interests, is generally subject to a tax, known as FIRPTA, on the gain recognized on the disposition of such interest. Certain qualified foreign pension funds and certain qualified shareholders are exempt from FIRPTA. FIRPTA does not apply, however, to the disposition of shares in a REIT if the REIT is a domestically controlled qualified investment entity. A REIT is a domestically controlled qualified investment entity if, at all times during a specified testing period (the continuous five year period ending on the date of disposition or, if shorter, the entire period of the REITs existence), less than 50% in value of its shares is held directly or indirectly by non-United States holders. We cannot assure you that we will qualify as a domestically controlled qualified investment entity. If we were to fail to so qualify, gain realized by a non-United States investor on a sale of our common stock would be subject to FIRPTA unless our common stock was traded on an established securities market and the non-United States investor did not at any time during a specified testing period directly or indirectly own more than 10% of the value of our outstanding common stock.
Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively.
The REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code may limit our ability to hedge our assets and operations. Under these provisions, any income that we generate from transactions intended to hedge our interest rate, inflation and/or currency risks, including gain from the disposition of certain hedging transactions, will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the REIT 75% and 95% gross income tests if the instrument hedges (i) interest rate risk on liabilities incurred to carry or acquire real estate, (ii) risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the REIT 75% or 95% gross income tests or (iii) risks associated with the extinguishment of certain indebtedness or the disposition of certain property related to prior hedging transactions described in (i) or (ii) above and each such instrument is properly identified under applicable Treasury Regulations. Income from hedging transactions that do not meet these requirements will generally constitute nonqualifying income for purposes of both the REIT 75% and 95% gross income tests. As a result of these rules, we may have to limit our use of hedging techniques that might otherwise be advantageous, which could result in greater risks associated with interest rate or other changes than we would otherwise incur.
Equity participation in mortgage, bridge and mezzanine loans may result in taxable income and gains from these properties, which could adversely impact our REIT status.
If we participate under a loan in any appreciation of the properties securing the loan or its cash flow and the Internal Revenue Service characterizes this participation as equity, we might have to recognize income, gains and other items from the property for federal income tax purposes. This could affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.
Your investment has various federal income tax risks.
Although the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code generally relevant to an investment in shares of our common stock are described in Federal Income Tax Considerations, we urge you to consult your tax advisor concerning the effects of United States federal, state, local and foreign tax laws to you with regard to an investment in shares of our common stock.
43
If the fiduciary of an employee pension benefit plan subject to ERISA (such as profit sharing, Section 401(k) or pension plan) or any other retirement plan or account fails to meet the fiduciary and other standards under ERISA or the Internal Revenue Code as a result of an investment in our common stock, the fiduciary could be subject to criminal and civil penalties.
There are special considerations that apply to employee benefit plans subject to ERISA (such as profit sharing, Section 401(k) or pension plans) and other retirement plans or accounts subject to Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code (such as an IRA) that are investing in our shares. Fiduciaries investing the assets of such a plan or account in our common stock should satisfy themselves that:
| the investment is consistent with their fiduciary and other obligations under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code; |
| the investment is made in accordance with the documents and instruments governing the plan or IRA, including the plans or accounts investment policy; |
| the investment satisfies the prudence and diversification requirements of Sections 404(a)(1)(B) and 404(a)(1)(C) of ERISA and other applicable provisions of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code; |
| the investment in our shares, for which no public market currently exists, is consistent with the liquidity needs of the plan or IRA; |
| the investment will not produce an unacceptable amount of unrelated business taxable income for the plan or IRA; |
| our shareholders will be able to comply with the requirements under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code to value the assets of the plan or IRA annually; and |
| the investment will not constitute a prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code. |
With respect to the annual valuation requirements described above, we will provide an estimated value for our shares annually. We can make no claim whether such estimated value will or will not satisfy the applicable annual valuation requirements under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. The Department of Labor or the Internal Revenue Service may determine that a plan fiduciary or an IRA custodian is required to take further steps to determine the value of our common shares. In the absence of an appropriate determination of value, a plan fiduciary or an IRA custodian may be subject to damages, penalties or other sanctions.
Failure to satisfy the fiduciary standards of conduct and other applicable requirements of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code may result in the imposition of civil and criminal penalties and could subject the fiduciary to claims for damages or for equitable remedies. In addition, if an investment in our shares constitutes a prohibited transaction under ERISA or the Internal Revenue Code, the fiduciary or IRA owner who authorized or directed the investment may be subject to the imposition of excise taxes with respect to the amount invested. In the case of a prohibited transaction involving an IRA owner, the IRA may be disqualified and all of the assets of the IRA may be deemed distributed and subjected to tax. ERISA plan fiduciaries and IRA custodians should consult with counsel before making an investment in our common shares.
Certain proposed federal and state regulations, if any or all of them become applicable, could adversely affect the marketing of our shares.
On April 18, 2018, the SEC proposed Regulation Best Interest, a new standard of conduct for broker-dealers under the Exchange Act, which would require a broker-dealer to act in the best interest of a retail customer, including participants in ERISA-covered plans and IRAs, when making a recommendation of any securities transaction, without putting its financial interests ahead of the interests of a retail customer. The proposed rule
44
includes guidance on what constitutes a recommendation and a definition of who would be a retail customer in addition to provisions setting forth certain required disclosures, policies and procedures to identify conflicts of interest, and customer-specific best interest obligations. A 90-day comment period began upon official publication of the proposal.
In addition to the SEC proposed rules, several states, including Connecticut, Nevada, New Jersey and New York, have passed laws or proposed regulations requiring investment advisers, broker-dealers and/or agents to disclose conflicts of interest to clients or to meet standards that their advice be in the customers best interest. These recent developments could result in additional requirements imposed on such persons related to the marketing of our shares.
While we continue to monitor and evaluate the various proposals, we cannot predict what other proposals may be made, what legislation or regulation may be introduced or become law. Therefore, until such time as final rules or laws are in place, the potential impact on the marketing of our shares through the impacted channels is uncertain.
45
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements about our business, including, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies and objectives. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as may, will, expect, intend, anticipate, estimate, believe, continue, or other similar words. You should not rely on these forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our actual results, performance and achievements may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
You should carefully review the Risk Factors section of this prospectus for a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition. Except as otherwise required by federal securities laws, we do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
46
We are publicly offering a maximum of $750,000,000 of shares of our Class A and Class T common stock on a best-efforts basis through Orchard Securities, LLC, our dealer manager. Because this is a best-efforts offering, Orchard Securities, LLC must use only its best efforts to sell the shares and has no firm commitment or obligation to purchase any of our shares. We are offering up to $675,000,000 of shares of our Class A and Class T common stock in our primary offering at $10.00 per share. We are also offering up to $75,000,000 of shares of our Class A and Class T common stock pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan. Shares sold pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan are sold at a price of $10.00 per share. Once we establish an NAV per share, shares issued pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan will be priced at the NAV per share of our common stock, as determined by our board. Purchases pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan will be in the same class of shares as the share for which such shareholder received the distributions that are being reinvested. We reserve the right to reallocate shares of our common stock between our distribution reinvestment plan offering and our primary offering. We are offering to sell any combination of two classes of shares of our common stock, Class A shares and Class T shares, with a dollar value up to the maximum offering amount. The share classes have different selling commission structures. Any offering-related expenses are paid by our advisor without reimbursement by us and thus these different fees have no impact on our shareholders. Our board of directors may adjust the offering price of this offering during the course of the offering. Any adjustment to the offering price of less than 20% would be effected by a supplement to this prospectus. A larger adjustment could only be effected by means of a post-effective amendment.
We expect to offer shares in this offering until August 13, 2020. If we have not sold all of the primary offering shares on or before August 13, 2020, we may continue this offering until August 13, 2021 (unless extended as permitted by applicable securities laws). Under rules promulgated by the SEC, if we have filed a registration statement relating to a follow-on offering, we could continue our primary offering until such follow-on offering registration has been declared effective. If we decided to continue our primary offering beyond August 13, 2020, we will provide that information in a prospectus supplement. In many states, we will need to renew the registration statement or file a new registration statement to continue the offering beyond one year form the date of this prospectus. We may terminate this offering at any time. We may continue to offer shares under our distribution reinvestment plan beyond these dates until we have sold $75,000,000 of shares through the reinvestment of distributions.
Compensation of Dealer Manager and Soliciting Dealers
Upfront Selling Commissions and Dealer Manager Fees
Our advisor pays the dealer manager selling commissions of up to 6% and up to 3% of the gross primary offering proceeds from the sale of our Class A and Class T common stock, respectively. The dealer manager may authorize certain other broker-dealers who are members of FINRA, who we refer to as soliciting dealers, to sell our shares. In the event of the sale of shares by soliciting dealers, the dealer manager re-allows all of its selling commissions to the soliciting dealers.
For both classes of shares, our advisor also pays the dealer manager a dealer manager fee up to 3% of the gross primary offering proceeds as compensation for acting as the dealer manager and for expenses incurred in connection with marketing our shares and wholesaler compensation. Of this dealer manager fee, Orchard Securities, LLC pays up to 1.35% of the gross proceeds from the primary offering to certain wholesalers that may be employees of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. or Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. In addition, from this dealer manager fee, Orchard Securities, LLC re-allows 1.00% of the gross proceeds from the primary offering to soliciting dealers as a non-accountable marketing and due diligence allowance, and in select cases up to 1.25% of the gross proceeds from the primary offering will be reallowed. In circumstances where 1.00% of offering proceeds are reallowed, the dealer manager fee will be 2.75%. The maximum amount of reimbursements would be based on factors such as the number of shares sold by soliciting dealers, the assistance of such soliciting dealers in marketing the offering, and due diligence expenses incurred.
47
Deferred Selling Commissions
Subject to FINRA limitations on underwriting compensation and certain other limitations described below, we will pay the dealer manager a deferred selling commission with respect to our outstanding Class T shares sold in the primary offering equal to 1.0% per annum of the purchase price of the Class T share for three years from the date on which such share is issued.
The deferred selling commission will accrue daily based on the number of Class T shares outstanding on each day that were sold in the primary offering within the previous three years of such date and be paid monthly in arrears. The dealer manager will reallow all of the deferred selling commissions to participating broker-dealers and servicing broker-dealers as described below. Class T shares purchased pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan or received as a stock dividend are not subject to a deferred selling commission. Because our advisor has agreed to pay the deferred selling commissions and other underwriting compensation on our behalf without reimbursement by us, the deferred selling commission will have no impact on us or on holders of our Class T shares.
Eligibility to receive the deferred selling commission with respect to any Class T share is conditioned on a broker-dealer acting as the broker-dealer of record or acting as a servicing broker-dealer with respect to such share. If the applicable broker-dealer is not eligible to receive the deferred selling commission, the dealer manager will rebate to our advisor the deferred selling commission that such broker-dealer would have otherwise been eligible to receive. The deferred selling commissions are ongoing fees that are not paid at the time of purchase.
We will cease paying the deferred selling commissions with respect to individual Class T shares when they are no longer outstanding, including as a result of conversion to Class A shares and redemption or repurchase. Each Class T share held in a shareholders account shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a Class A share, on the earliest to occur of the following: (i) a listing of the Class A shares on a national securities exchange; (ii) a merger or consolidation of our company with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets; and (iii) the last calendar day of the month in which we and our dealer manager, in conjunction with our transfer agent, determine that the deferred selling commission paid with respect to the Class T shares held by such shareholder within such account equals or exceeds three percent of the aggregate gross purchase price of the Class T shares held by such shareholder within such account and purchased in a primary offering. In addition, after termination of a primary offering registered under the Securities Act, we will cease paying the deferred selling commission with respect to each Class T share sold in that primary offering, on the date when we, with the assistance of our dealer manager, determine that all underwriting compensation paid or incurred with respect to the primary offering covered by that registration statement from all sources, determined pursuant to the rules and guidance of FINRA, would be in excess of 10% of the aggregate purchase price of all shares sold for our account through that primary offering. Further, each Class T share sold in that primary offering, each Class T share sold under a distribution reinvestment plan pursuant to the same registration statement that was used for that primary offering, and each Class T share received as a stock dividend with respect to such shares sold in such primary offering or distribution reinvestment plan shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a class A share at the last calendar day of the month in which such determination is made. We cannot predict if or when certain of the foregoing events will occur. If we redeem a portion, but not all of the Class T shares held in a shareholders account, the underwriting compensation limit and amount of underwriting compensation previously paid will be prorated between the Class T shares that were redeemed and those Class T shares that were retained in the account. Likewise, if a portion of the Class T shares in a shareholders account is sold or otherwise transferred in a secondary transaction, the total underwriting compensation limit and amount of underwriting compensation previously paid will be prorated between the Class T shares that were transferred and the Class T shares that were retained in the account.
With respect to the conversion of Class T shares into Class A shares, each Class T share will convert without any action on the part of the holder thereof into a number of Class A shares equal to such Class T share multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the most recent NAV per Class T share and the denominator of which is the most recent NAV per Class A share. Shareholders will receive notice that their Class T shares have been converted into Class A shares in accordance with industry practice at that time, which we expect to be either a transaction confirmation from the transfer agent, notification from the transfer agent or notification through the next account statement following the conversion. We currently expect that the conversion of each Class T share will be on a one-for-on basis, as we expect the NAV per share of each Class A share and Class T share will be the same as there are currently no class-specific expenses associated with the different share classes.
48
Neither we nor our advisor will pay referral or similar fees to any accountants, attorneys, or other persons in connection with the distribution of the shares. We are not responsible for paying any selling commissions or dealer manager fees. The maximum amount of non-transaction based items of compensation to be paid in connection with this offering, including, but not limited to the non-transaction based compensation allocated to dual-employees, will not exceed 1% of the gross primary offering proceeds. No dealer manager fees or selling commissions are payable for shares sold pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan.
Purchase Price Discounts
We sell Class A shares at a discount to the primary offering price of $10.00 per share through the following distribution channels in the event that the investor:
| pays a broker a single fee, e.g., a percentage of assets under management, for investment advisory and broker services, which is frequently referred to as a wrap fee; |
| has engaged the services of a registered investment advisor with whom the investor has agreed to pay compensation for investment advisory services or other financial or investment advice (other than a registered investment advisor that is also registered as a broker-dealer who does not have a fixed or wrap fee feature or other asset fee arrangement with the investor); or |
| is investing through a bank acting as trustee or fiduciary. |
If an investor purchases Class A shares through one of these channels in our primary offering, we will sell the Class A shares at a 6.0% discount, or at $9.40 per share, reflecting that selling commissions are not paid in connection with such purchases. To ensure that we receive proceeds equivalent to those received for sales of Class A shares outside these channels our advisor has agreed to waive its asset management each month in an amount equivalent to the 6.0% discount provided to such purchasers in that month. Because of the commission structure for Class T shares, we do not expect sales of our Class T shares to be made through the above distribution channels and therefore these purchase price discounts are not available for Class T share purchases.
If an investor purchases Class A shares in our primary offering net of commissions through a registered investment advisor that is affiliated with a soliciting dealer in a transaction in which the registered investment advisor is compensated on a fee-for-service basis by the investor, the dealer manager may reallow to the affiliated soliciting dealer up to 1% of the gross offering proceeds attributable to that transaction as a marketing fee, or up to 1.25% in select cases as described above. The marketing fee paid to soliciting dealers would be paid by the dealer manager out of its dealer manager fee. If an investor purchases shares in the offering through a registered investment advisor (or bank acting as a trustee or fiduciary) not affiliated with a soliciting dealer, the registered investment adviser may not receive any portion of the dealer manager fee. Neither the dealer manager nor its affiliates compensates any person engaged (or bank acting as a trustee or fiduciary) as an investment advisor by a potential investor as an inducement for such investment advisor to advise favorably for an investment in us.
Total Underwriting Compensation
The table and discussion below sets forth the nature and estimated amount of all items viewed as underwriting compensation by FINRA, assuming we sell all $675,000,000 of common stock offered in this primary offering, The maximum selling commissions assumes that 85% and 15% of the gross proceeds raised in the primary offering is from the sale of Class A and Class T shares of common stock, respectively. As we are registering any combination of the two classes, this allocation is managements best estimate based on the recommendation of our dealer manager and its perceived demand in the market for each respective class of shares.
Total Compensation(1) | ||||
Upfront Selling commissions (maximum) |
$ | 37,462,500 | ||
Dealer manager fee (maximum) |
$ | 20,250,000 | ||
Deferred selling commission (maximum) |
$ | 3,037,500 | ||
|
|
|||
Total |
$ | 60,750,000 | ||
|
|
49
(1) | We are not responsible for paying any upfront or deferred selling commissions or dealer manager fees to the dealer manager. Our advisor, CC Advisors III, LLC, is responsible for paying the dealer manager fees and upfront and deferred selling commissions on our behalf without reimbursement from us. |
Under the rules of FINRA, total underwriting compensation in this offering, including selling commissions, the dealer manager fee and any additional expense reimbursements to our dealer manager and soliciting dealers (excluding bona fide invoiced due diligence expenses), may not exceed 10% of our gross offering proceeds from our primary offering. In addition to the limits on underwriting compensation, FINRA and many states also limit our total organization and offering expenses to 15% of gross offering proceeds.
To the extent permitted by law and our charter, we indemnify the soliciting dealers and the dealer manager against some civil liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and liabilities arising from breaches of our representations and warranties contained in the dealer manager agreement. See Management Limited Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Employees and Other Agents.
To purchase shares in this offering, you must complete and sign a subscription agreement (in the form attached to this prospectus as Appendix A) for a specific investment amount and class of shares and pay for the shares at the time of your subscription. You should make your check payable to Cottonwood Communities, Inc. Completed subscription agreements and payments should be sent by your broker-dealer or registered investment advisor, as applicable, to us at the address set forth in the subscription agreement. Subscriptions will be effective only upon our acceptance, and we reserve the right to reject any subscription in whole or in part for any reason in our discretion, including a failure to adequately complete all of the required items in the subscription agreement or failure to provide any additional documentation needed to support information in the subscription agreement. We generally expect to admit shareholders on a daily basis. We will have a period of 30 days after receipt of each subscription agreement to accept or reject the subscription agreement. If rejected, we will return all funds to the rejected subscribers within ten business days. If accepted, the funds will be transferred into our general account. You will receive a confirmation of your purchase.
You are required to represent in the subscription agreement that you have received a copy of the final prospectus. In order to ensure that you have had sufficient time to review the final prospectus, we will not accept your subscription until at least five business days after your receipt of the final prospectus.
Those selling shares on our behalf and participating soliciting dealers and registered investment advisors recommending the purchase of shares in this offering have the responsibility to make every reasonable effort to determine that your purchase of shares in this offering is a suitable and appropriate investment for you based on information provided by you regarding your financial situation and investment objectives. In making this determination, these persons have the responsibility to ascertain that you:
| meet the minimum income and net worth standards set forth under Suitability Standards immediately following the cover page of this prospectus; |
| can reasonably benefit from an investment in our shares based on your overall investment objectives and portfolio structure; |
| are able to bear the economic risk of the investment based on your overall financial situation; |
| are in a financial position appropriate to enable you to realize to a significant extent the benefits described in this prospectus of an investment in our shares; and |
| have apparent understanding of: |
| the fundamental risks of the investment; |
| the risk that you may lose your entire investment; |
50
| the lack of liquidity of our shares; |
| the restrictions on transferability of our shares; and |
| the tax consequences of your investment. |
Relevant information for this purpose will include at least your age, investment objectives, investment experience, income, net worth, financial situation, and other investments as well as any other pertinent factors. The soliciting dealers and registered investment advisors recommending the purchase of shares in this offering must maintain, for a six-year period, records of the information used to determine that an investment in shares is suitable and appropriate for you.
You must initially invest at least $5,000 in our shares to be eligible to participate in this offering. In order to satisfy this minimum purchase requirement, unless otherwise prohibited by state law, a husband and wife may jointly contribute funds from their separate IRAs, provided that each such contribution is made in increments of $100. You should note that an investment in our shares will not, in itself, create a retirement plan and that, in order to create a retirement plan, you must comply with all applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
If you have satisfied the applicable minimum purchase requirement, any additional purchase must be in amounts of at least $100.
Unless you are transferring all of your shares, you may not transfer your shares in a manner that causes you or your transferee to own fewer than the number of shares required to meet the minimum purchase requirements, except for the following transfers without consideration: transfers by gift, transfers by inheritance, intrafamily transfers, family dissolutions, transfers to affiliates and transfers by operation of law.
Special Notice to Pennsylvania Investors
Because the minimum offering of our common stock was less than $67,500,000, we caution you to carefully evaluate our ability to fully accomplish our stated objectives and to inquire as to the current dollar volume of our subscription proceeds.
51
The following table sets forth information about how we intend to use the proceeds raised in this offering assuming that we sell the maximum offering of $675,000,000 of shares of our Class A and Class T common stock in our primary offering. We are offering to sell any combination of two classes of shares of our common stock, Class A shares and Class T shares, with a dollar value up to the maximum offering amount. The share classes have different selling commission structures. Any offering-related expenses are paid by our advisor without reimbursement by us. We are also offering $75,000,000 of shares pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan. For purposes of this table, we have assumed that no shares will be sold pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan and we do not reallocate shares being offered between the primary and the distribution reinvestment plan offering. In addition, we have assumed that 85% and 15% of the gross proceeds raised in the primary offering is from the sale of Class A and Class T shares of common stock, respectively. Many of the amounts set forth below represent managements best estimate since they cannot be precisely calculated at this time. We estimate that we will use 100% of the gross proceeds from this offering, or $10.00 per share, for investments in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets.
To the extent offering proceeds are used to pay distributions in anticipation of future cash flow from operating activities, the amount available for investment will be correspondingly reduced, your overall return may be reduced, our portfolio may be less diversified and the value of a share of our common stock may be diluted. Our organizational documents do not limit the amount of distributions we can fund from sources other than from cash flows from operations, including from offering proceeds. See Risk Factors Risks Related to This Offering and Our Corporate Structure.
Maximum Offering of $675,000,000(1) |
||||||||
Gross Offering Proceeds |
$ | 675,000,000 | 100.0 | % | ||||
Upfront Selling Commissions(1) |
$ | 37,462,500 | 5.55 | % | ||||
Deferred Selling Commission(1)(2) |
$ | 3,037,500 | 0.45 | % | ||||
Dealer Manager Fees(2) |
$ | 20,250,000 | 3.0 | % | ||||
Organizational and Offering Expenses(2) |
$ | 6,750,000 | 1.0 | % | ||||
Selling Commissions, Dealer Manager Fees and Organizational and Offering Expenses paid by Sponsor(2) |
$ | (67,500,000 | ) | (10.0 | %) | |||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Amount Available for Investment/Net Investment Amount(3) |
$ | 675,000,000 | 100.0 | % |
(1) | As we are registering any combination of the two classes of shares, this allocation is managements best estimate based on the recommendation of our dealer manager and its perceived demand in the market for each respective class of shares. If the demand for the Class A and Class T shares varies materially from our assumptions as of the date of this prospectus, the amount of selling commissions will be altered from the amounts set forth above. |
(2) | Pursuant to the Three-Party Agreement, our advisor has agreed to pay all upfront and deferred selling commissions, dealer manager fees, and any organizational and offering expenses on our behalf, without reimbursement by us. From our advisor, Orchard Securities, LLC receives a selling commission in an amount up to 6% and up to 3% of gross primary offering proceeds, with respect to our shares of Class A and Class T common stock, respectively, which amounts will be re-allowed to the soliciting dealer. In addition, our advisor pays Orchard Securities, LLC a dealer manager fee up to 3% of gross primary offering proceeds for acting as the dealer manager and for expenses incurred in connection with marketing our shares and wholesaler compensation. From the dealer manager fee, Orchard Securities, LLC pays up to 1.35% of gross primary offering proceeds to certain wholesalers that may be employees of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. or Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. The dealer manager may re-allow part of the dealer manager fee to soliciting dealers. Our advisor also pays our organizational and offering expenses, including our legal, accounting, printing, mailing and filing fees, charges of our escrow holder and transfer agent on our behalf without reimbursement by us. We expect organizational and offering expenses (other than upfront and deferred selling commissions and the dealer manager fee) to be approximately 1% of the gross proceeds from the offering if we raise the maximum offering amount. Our organizational documents permit us to make distributions from any source, including offering proceeds or borrowings (which may constitute a return of capital), and our organizational documents do not limit the amount from any source to pay such distributions. If we make distributions from sources other than our cash flow from operations, we will have less funds available for investment in multifamily apartment communities or multifamily real estate-related assets. If we terminate our advisory agreement, our advisor may be motivated to terminate its participation in the Three-Party Agreement that obligates our advisor to pay upfront and deferred selling commissions, dealer manager fees and organization and offering expenses on our behalf without reimbursement by us. If our advisor ceases to pay our offering expenses, we may be forced to terminate this offering. |
52
Except as described in the Plan of Distribution section of this prospectus, a deferred selling commission of 1.0% of the purchase price per share for the Class T shares sold in the primary offering will be paid to our dealer manager and will accrue daily and be paid monthly in arrears. Our dealer manager will reallow all of the deferred selling commission paid to it.
We will cease paying the deferred selling commissions with respect to individual Class T shares when they are no longer outstanding, including as a result of conversion to Class A shares and redemption or repurchase. Each Class T share held in a shareholders account shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a Class A share, on the earliest to occur of the following: (i) a listing of the Class A shares on a national securities exchange; (ii) a merger or consolidation of our company with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets; and (iii) the last calendar day of the month in which we and our dealer manager, in conjunction with our transfer agent, determine that the deferred selling commission paid with respect to the Class T shares held by such shareholder within such account equals or exceeds three percent of the aggregate gross purchase price of the Class T shares held by such shareholder within such account and purchased in a primary offering. In addition, after termination of a primary offering registered under the Securities Act, we will cease paying the deferred selling commission with respect to each Class T share sold in that primary offering, on the date when we, with the assistance of our dealer manager, determine that all underwriting compensation paid or incurred with respect to the primary offering covered by that registration statement from all sources, determined pursuant to the rules and guidance of FINRA, would be in excess of 10% of the aggregate purchase price of all shares sold for our account through that primary offering. Further, each Class T share sold in that primary offering, each Class T share sold under a distribution reinvestment plan pursuant to the same registration statement that was used for that primary offering, and each Class T share received as a stock dividend with respect to such shares sold in such primary offering or distribution reinvestment plan shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a class A share at the last calendar day of the month in which such determination is made.
Our advisor is paying all upfront and deferred selling commissions, dealer manager fees, and all organizational and offering expenses on our behalf without reimbursement by us. Our advisor and its affiliates have entered into certain contracts with us such as the advisory agreement, and receive certain fees pursuant to those contracts. See Management Compensation for more information regarding the fees payable pursuant to such contracts. If our advisor did not agree to pay the selling commissions, dealer manager fees, distributions fees and organizational and offering expenses on our behalf, the terms of the contracts between us and our advisor may have been more advantageous to us. Potential investors should consult their investment advisors.
(3) | Until required in connection with investment in multifamily apartment communities or multifamily real estate-related assets, substantially all of the proceeds of the offering and, thereafter, our working capital reserves, may be invested in short-term, highly liquid investments, including government obligations, bank certificates of deposit, short-term debt obligations and interest-bearing accounts or other authorized investments as determined by our board of directors. Amounts available for investment from this offering may also include anticipated capital improvement expenditures and leasing costs. |
53
We operate under the direction of our board of directors, the members of which are accountable to us and our shareholders as fiduciaries. The board of directors is responsible for the management and control of our affairs and oversight of service providers at all times. The board of directors has retained our advisor, CC Advisors III, LLC, to manage our day-to-day operations and the acquisition and distribution of our real estate investments, subject to the board of directors supervision. Because of the numerous conflicts of interest created by the relationships among us, our advisor and various affiliates, many of the responsibilities of the board of directors have been delegated to a committee that consists solely of independent directors. This committee is the conflicts committee and is discussed below under Conflicts of Interest.
Our charter provides that a majority of the directors must be independent directors. We currently have three independent directors on our five member board of directors. An independent director is a person who is not one of our officers or employees or an officer or employee of our advisor, our sponsor or its affiliates and has not been so for the previous two years and meets other independence requirements set forth in our charter.
Each director serves until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until his successor has been duly elected and qualified. The presence, in person or by proxy, of shareholders entitled to cast 50% of all of the votes entitled to be cast at any shareholder meeting constitutes a quorum. With respect to the election of directors, each candidate nominated for election to the board of directors must receive a majority of the votes present, in person or by proxy, in order to be elected. Therefore, if a nominee receives fewer for votes than withhold votes in an election, then the nominee will not be elected.
Although the number of board members may increase or decrease, a decrease may not have the effect of shortening the term of any incumbent director. Additionally, our charter requires that we have a minimum of three directors. Any director may resign at any time or may be removed with or without cause by the shareholders upon the affirmative vote of a least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast a meeting called for the purpose of the proposed removal. The notice of the meeting will indicate that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to determine if the director will be removed.
Unless otherwise provided by Maryland law, the board of directors is responsible for selecting its own nominees and recommending them for election by the shareholders, provided that the conflicts committee nominates replacements for any vacancies among the independent director positions. Unless filled by a vote of the shareholders as permitted by Maryland General Corporation Law, a vacancy that results from the removal of a director will be filled by a vote of a majority of the remaining directors. Any vacancy on the board of directors for any other cause will be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, even if such majority is less than a quorum.
Our directors are accountable to us and our shareholders as fiduciaries. Our directors must perform their duties in good faith and in a manner each director believes to be in our and our shareholders best interests. Further, our directors must act with such care as a prudent person in a similar position would use under similar circumstances, including exercising reasonable inquiry when taking actions. However, our directors and executive officers are not required to devote all of their time to our business and must only devote such time to our affairs as their duties may require. We do not expect that our directors will be required to devote a substantial portion of their time to us in discharging their duties.
In addition to meetings of the various committees of the board, which committees we describe below, we expect our directors to hold at least four regular board meetings each year. Although we have no present intention to do so, our board has the authority to fix the compensation of all officers that it selects and may pay compensation to directors for services rendered to us in any other capacity.
Our general investment and borrowing policies are set forth in this prospectus. Our directors may establish further written policies on investments and borrowings and will monitor our administrative procedures, investment operations and performance to ensure that our executive officers follow these policies and that these policies continue to be in the best interests of our shareholders. Unless modified by our directors, we will follow the policies on investments and borrowings set forth in this prospectus.
54
Executive Officers and Directors
We have provided below certain information about our executive officers and directors.
Name* |
Age** |
Positions | ||
Enzio A. Cassinis |
42 | Chief Executive Officer and President | ||
Adam Larson |
37 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Gregg Christensen |
50 | Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | ||
Paul Fredenberg |
43 | Chief Investment Officer | ||
Susan Hallenberg |
51 | Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer | ||
Chad Christensen |
46 | Director | ||
Daniel Shaeffer |
48 | Chairman of the Board and Director | ||
R. Brent Hardy |
48 | Independent Director | ||
Gentry Jensen |
48 | Independent Director | ||
John Lunt |
46 | Independent Director |
* | The address of each executive officer and director listed is 6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121. |
** | As of August 1, 2019. |
Enzio A. Cassinis has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President since October 1, 2018. In addition, Mr. Cassinis also serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc., their advisor and our advisor. From June 2013 through September 2018, Mr. Cassinis served in various roles at Cottonwood Residential, Inc. Most recently, he served as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, where he was responsible for financial planning and analysis, balance sheet management and capital and venture formation activity.
Prior to joining Cottonwood Residential in June 2013, Mr. Cassinis was Vice President of Investment Management at Archstone, one of the largest apartment operators and developers in the U.S. and Europe. There, he negotiated transactions in both foreign and domestic markets with transaction volume exceeding several billion dollars in total capitalization. Prior to Archstone, Mr. Cassinis worked as an attorney with Krendl, Krendl, Sachnoff & Way, PC (now Kutak Rock LLP) from February 2003 to May 2006, focusing his practice on corporate law and merger and acquisition transactions.
Mr. Cassinis earned a Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctorate (Order of St. Ives) from the University of Denver, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is a CFA® charterholder.
Adam Larson has served as our Chief Financial Officer since October 1, 2018. Mr. Larson also serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc., their advisor and our advisor. Through September 2018, Mr. Larson was the Senior Vice President of Asset Management of Cottonwood Residential, Inc. In this role he provided strategic guidance with respect to asset management, financial planning and analysis, and property operations. Prior to joining Cottonwood in June 2013, Mr. Larson worked in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and other capital raising activities in the Real Estate, Consumer/Retail and Healthcare sectors. Mr. Larson previously worked at Barclays Capital, Bonneville Real Estate Capital and Hitachi Consulting. Mr. Larson holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School Of Business, and a BS in Business Management from Brigham Young University where he also served as Student Body President.
55
Gregg Christensen serves as our Chief Legal Officer and Secretary. Previously has served as our Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel from December 2016 through October 2018. He served as one of our Directors from December 2016 to June 2018. He serves as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary for other programs sponsored by Cottonwood Residential, Inc., including Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. Mr. Christensen oversees and coordinates all legal aspects of our company and is also actively involved in our operations, acquisitions, and due diligence activities. Mr. Christensen also has served as the Executive Vice President, Secretary, General Counsel and a Director of Cottonwood Residential, Inc. and its predecessor entity since 2007. Prior to joining Cottonwood Residential, Inc., Mr. Christensen was a principal, managing director and general counsel of Cherokee & Walker, an investment company focused on real estate investments and private equity investments in real estate related companies. Previously, Mr. Christensen practiced law with Nelson & Senior in Salt Lake City. His areas of practice included real estate and corporate law. He is a member of the Utah State Bar, as well as the Bar of the United States District Court for the District of Utah. Mr. Christensen has been involved in real estate development, management, acquisition, disposition and financing for more than 21 years. Mr. Christensen holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of Utah and a Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law. Gregg Christensen and Chad Christensen are brothers.
Paul Fredenberg has served as our Chief Investment Officer since October 1, 2018. Mr. Fredenberg also serves as the Chief Investment Officer of Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc., their advisor and our advisor. Through September 2018, Mr. Fredenberg served as the Senior Vice President of Acquisitions of Cottonwood Residential, Inc. a position he had held since September, 2005. As Senior Vice President of Acquisitions, he focused exclusively on sourcing and evaluating new multifamily investment opportunities for Cottonwood Residential, Inc.
Prior to joining Cottonwood in 2005, Mr. Fredenberg worked in the Investment Banking division of Wachovia Securities advising clients on mergers and acquisitions activities across multiple industries. He has also held investment banking and management consulting positions at Piper Jaffray and the Arbor Strategy Group. Mr. Fredenberg holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Susan Hallenberg has served as our Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer since October 2018. Ms. Hallenberg was our Chief Financial Officer from December 2016 through September 2018. In addition to serving as our Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer, Ms. Hallenberg also serves as Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer of Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc., effective as of October 1, 2018. Ms. Hallenberg is also the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Cottonwood Residential, Inc. and its predecessor entity, positions she has held since May 2005. Ms. Hallenberg has spent the majority of her career focused on real estate investment and prior to joining Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, held positions at Phillips, Edison & Company, Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, and Aldrich Eastman & Waltch. Ms. Hallenberg started her career at Ernst & Young where she worked in the firms audit department for four years. Ms. Hallenberg holds a BA in Economics/Accounting from The College of the Holy Cross.
Daniel Shaeffer has served as one of our Directors since July 2016 and our Chairman of the Board since October 2018. Previously he served as our Chief Executive Officer from December 2016 to October 1, 2018. Mr. Shaeffer also has served as the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Cottonwood Residential, Inc. and its predecessor entity since 2004. Before co-founding Cottonwood Capital, LLC, a predecessor to Cottonwood Residential, Inc., in 2004, Mr. Shaeffer worked as a senior equities analyst with Wasatch Advisors of Salt Lake City. Prior to joining Wasatch Advisors, Mr. Shaeffer was a Vice President of Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Shaeffer began his career with Ernst & Young working in the firms audit department. Mr. Shaeffer has been involved in real estate development, management, acquisition, disposition and financing for more than 12 years. Mr. Shaeffer holds an International MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a BS in Accounting from Brigham Young University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
The board of directors has determined that it is in the best interests of our company and our shareholders for Mr. Shaeffer, in light of his day-to-day company-specific operational experience, significant finance and market experience, and his real estate experience, to serve as a director on the board of directors.
56
Chad Christensen has served as one of our Directors since July 2016 and as our President and Chairman of the Board from December 2016 to October 2018. Mr. Christensen also has served as the President and a Director of Cottonwood Residential, Inc. and its predecessor entity since 2004. Before co-founding Cottonwood Capital, LLC, a predecessor to Cottonwood Residential, Inc., in 2004, Mr. Christensen worked with the Stan Johnson Company, a national commercial Real Estate Brokerage firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Early in his career, Mr. Christensen founded Paramo Investment Company, a small investment management company. Mr. Christensen has been involved in real estate development, management, acquisition, disposition and financing for more than 14 years. Mr. Christensen holds a MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with an emphasis in Finance and Real Estate and a BA in English from the University of Utah. Mr. Christensen also holds an active real estate license. Chad Christensen and Gregg Christensen are brothers.
The board of directors has determined that it is in the best interests of our company and our shareholders for Mr. Christensen, in light of his day-to-day company-specific operational experience, significant finance and market experience, and his real estate experience, to serve as a director on the board of directors.
R. Brent Hardy is one of our independent directors, a position he has held since June 2018. Since April 2018, Mr. Hardy has served as Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Merit Hill Capital, a real estate investment firm focused on acquiring and managing a portfolio of self-storage facilities across the United States. Mr. Hardy has been in the commercial real estate development, construction and asset management business for over 20 years. From September 2001 to April 2018, Mr. Hardy was Senior Vice President of Construction & Capital Asset Management at Extra Space Storage, the second largest operator of self-storage facilities in the United States and a New York Stock Exchange traded REIT. At Extra Space Storage, Mr. Hardy directed global construction, property development and long term asset preservations efforts and oversaw the Certificate of Occupancy and Property Redevelopment and Expansion programs. He contributed to the overall planned growth of the company, implementing essential asset management systems and processes to effectively oversee the firms portfolio of over 1450 assets nationwide. Mr. Hardy was also responsible for facility planning and design, property rebranding and corporate procurement efforts and was heavily involved in corporate responsibility, portfolio efficiency and innovation, and the implementation of energy management and sustainability programs. Prior to commencing his career with Extra Space Storage, Mr. Hardy spent several years with various firms in real estate, construction and operations management.
Mr. Hardy graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. degree in Political Science and a minor in Spanish.
Our board of directors selected Mr. Hardy as an independent director for reasons including his over 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate development, construction and asset management industries and his strategic business abilities and skills in responding to operational challenges and opportunities within an organization. In particular, our board of directors believes Mr. Hardys experience in asset management at Extra Space Storage during a period of growth at the company the depth and breadth of Mr. Hardys exposure to complex real estate, strategic and corporate issues throughout his career would make him a valuable asset to our board of directors. Having worked at a public REIT gives him additional perspective and insight into public companies such as ours.
Gentry Jensen is one of our independent directors, a position he has held since June 2018. Since 2011, Mr. Jensen has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Penumbra Brands, Inc., a leading provider of protective, technologically differentiated, accessories for mobile devices. From 2009 to 2011, he served as District Manager of Schindler Elevator Corporation and from 2005 through 2008, he served as President of Wentworth Development, a Utah-based commercial real estate brokerage and property management firm, and from 2002 through 2004, Mr. Jensen was an associate in asset management and portfolio construction modeling with J.P. Morgans Private Bank in New York. Prior to entering the business world, Mr. Jensen served on active duty as a Navy SEAL, completing overseas deployments in Eastern Europe and throughout Asia.
Mr. Jensen holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BS, with Merit, in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.
Our board of directors selected Mr. Jensen as an independent director for reasons including his executive leadership experience with multiple companies and as a Navy SEAL, his professional and educational background and his prior experience in commercial real estate brokerage and property management.
57
John Lunt is one of our independent directors, a position he has held since June 2018. In January 2003, Mr. Lunt founded Lunt Capital Management, Inc., a registered investment advisor, and since January 2003, he has served as its President. The firm builds and manages investment strategies used by financial advisors around the United States and provides research and advice for investments across asset classes, including U.S. equities, international equities, fixed income, real estate, commodities and currencies. Mr. Lunt co-created the methodology for seven index strategies calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices. He is a charter member of the ETF Strategists Roundtable for key influencers associated with ETF management, and writes regularly about financial markets for ETFTrends.com. From 2001 to June 2014, he served on the board of the Utah Retirement Systems, a $20 billion pension fund, and from 2004 to 2007, he served as board President. Since February 2013, Mr. Lunt has served on the investment advisory committee for the $10 billion Utah Educational Savings Plan (My529) and since August 2017, he served as Chairman of the committee. Since September 2014, he has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the $2 billion Utah School & Institutional Trust Funds Office. He has been a featured speaker at investment conferences around the United States, and has written extensively about financial markets.
Mr. Lunt graduated Magna Cum Laude with University Honors from Brigham Young University with a B.A. degree in Economics, and he later received an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University. Mr. Lunt completed the Program for Advanced Trustee Studies at Harvard Law School and finished a number of courses at the New York Institute of Finance on trading and portfolio management.
Our board of directors selected Mr. Lunt as an independent director for reasons including his executive leadership experience, his professional and educational background, his network of relationships with finance and investment professionals and his extensive background and experience in public markets and in real estate and finance transactions and investments. In addition, his experience as founder and President of Lunt Capital Management and his service as a director of various pension funds provide him an understanding of the issues facing companies that make investments in real estate and oversee those investments.
Our board of directors has established three standing committees, consisting solely of independent directors: the audit committee, the conflicts committee and the compensation committee.
Audit Committee
Among other things, the audit committee assists the board in overseeing:
| our accounting and financial reporting processes; |
| the integrity and audits of our financial statements; |
| our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
| the qualifications and independence of our independent registered public accounting firm; and |
| the performance of our internal auditors and our independent registered public accounting firm. |
The audit committee is also responsible for engaging our independent registered public accounting firm, reviewing with the independent registered public accounting firm the plans and results of the audit engagement, and considering and approving the audit and non-audit services and fees provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. The members of the audit committee are Messrs. Hardy, Jensen and Lunt. Mr. Lunt is the audit committee financial expert.
Conflicts Committee
In order to reduce or eliminate certain potential conflicts of interest, our charter creates a conflicts committee of our board of directors consisting solely of all of our independent directors, that is, all of our directors who are not affiliated with our advisor. Our charter authorizes the conflicts committee to act on any matter permitted under Maryland law. Both the board of directors and the conflicts committee must act upon those conflict-of-interest matters that cannot be delegated to a committee under Maryland law. Our charter also empowers the conflicts committee to retain its own legal and financial advisors. See Conflicts of InterestCertain Conflict Resolution Measures. Our charter requires that the conflicts committee discharge the boards responsibilities relating to the nomination of independent directors. The members of the conflicts committee are Messrs. Hardy, Jensen and Lunt.
58
Compensation Committee
The primary purpose of the compensation committee is to oversee our compensation programs. The committee reviews the compensation and benefits paid by us to our directors and, in the event we hire employees, the compensation paid to our executive officers as well as any employment, severance and termination agreements or arrangements made with any executive officer and, if required, produces the report to be included in our annual proxy statement. Subject to the limitations in our charter, the compensation committee may also create stock-award plans. We are externally managed by our advisor pursuant to the advisory agreement and as of the date hereof we have no employees.
The compensation committee may, in its discretion, delegate all or a portion of its duties and responsibilities to a subcommittee of the committee. In particular, the committee may delegate the approval of certain transactions to a subcommittee consisting solely of members of the compensation committee who are (i) Non-Employee Directors for the purposes of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, and (ii) outside directors for the purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. The members of the compensation committee are Messrs. Hardy, Jensen and Lunt.
Any member of our board of directors who is also an employee of our advisor or sponsor does not receive additional compensation for serving on our board of directors. Each independent director receives an annual retainer of $10,000. We pay independent directors for attending board and committee meetings as follows:
| $500 in cash for each board meeting attended (including if by teleconference); and |
| $500 in cash for each committee meeting attended (if at a different time or place than a board meeting and including if by teleconference). |
We also reimburse our directors for their travel expenses incurred in connection with their attendance at board and committee meetings.
Limited Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Employees and Other Agents
Our charter limits the liability of our officers and directors to us and our shareholders for monetary damages and requires us to indemnify our directors, officers, our advisor and its affiliates for losses they may incur by reason of their service in that capacity or in their service as a director, officer, partner, member, manager or trustee of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other entity, if all of the following conditions are met:
| the party seeking exculpation or indemnification has determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct that caused the loss or liability was in our best interests; |
| the party seeking exculpation or indemnification was acting on our behalf or performing services for us; |
| in the case of an independent director, the liability or loss was not the result of gross negligence or willful misconduct by the independent director; |
| in the case of a non-independent director, our advisor or one of its affiliates, the liability or loss was not the result of negligence or misconduct by the party seeking exculpation or indemnification; and |
| the indemnification is recoverable only out of our net assets and not from the common shareholders. |
59
The SEC takes the position that indemnification against liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and unenforceable. Furthermore, our charter prohibits the indemnification of our directors, our advisor, its affiliates or any person acting as a broker-dealer for liabilities arising from or out of a violation of state or federal securities laws, unless one or more of the following conditions are met:
| there has been a successful adjudication on the merits in favor of the indemnitee of each count involving alleged securities law violations; |
| such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction; or |
| a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against the indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the settlement and the related costs should be made, and the court considering the request for indemnification has been advised of the position of the SEC and of the published position of any state securities regulatory authority in which the securities were offered as to indemnification for violations of securities laws. |
Our charter further provides that the advancement of funds to our directors and to our advisor and its affiliates for reasonable legal expenses and other costs incurred in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding for which indemnification is being sought is permissible only if all of the following conditions are satisfied: the proceeding relates to acts or omissions with respect to the performance of duties or services on our behalf; the legal proceeding was initiated by a third party who is not a common shareholder or, if by a common shareholder acting in his or her capacity as such, a court of competent jurisdiction approves such advancement; and the person seeking the advancement agrees to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by us, together with the applicable legal rate of interest thereon, if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification.
We also purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of all of our directors and executive officers against liability asserted against or incurred by them in their official capacities with us, whether or not we are required or have the power to indemnify them against the same liability. We may incur significant costs to purchase this insurance on behalf of our officers and directors.
Our advisor, CC Advisors III, LLC, is a recently formed Delaware limited liability company. Our advisor has contractual responsibilities to us and our shareholders. The sole member and manager of CC Advisors III, LLC is Cottonwood Communities Advisor, LLC.
The officers of Cottonwood Communities Advisor, LLC are as follows:
Name* |
Age** |
Positions | ||
Enzio A. Cassinis |
42 | Chief Executive Officer | ||
Adam Larson |
37 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Gregg Christensen |
50 | Chief Legal Officer | ||
Paul Fredenberg |
43 | Chief Investment Officer | ||
Susan Hallenberg |
51 | Chief Accounting Officer |
* | The address of each executive officer and director listed is 6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121. |
** | As of August 1, 2019. |
The backgrounds of Messrs. Cassinis, Larson, Christensen, Fredenberg and Ms. Hallenberg are described in the Management Executive Officers and Directors section of this prospectus.
Under the terms of the advisory agreement, our advisor will use its reasonable efforts to present to us investment opportunities that provide a continuing and suitable investment program for us consistent with our investment policies and objectives as adopted by our board of directors. Pursuant to the advisory agreement, our advisor (subject to the supervision and authority of our board of directors and officers) manages our day-to-day
60
operations, retains the property managers for our property investments and performs other duties, including, but not limited to, the following:
| finding, presenting and recommending investment opportunities to us consistent with our investment policies and objectives; |
| making certain real estate-related debt investment decisions for us, subject to the limitations in our charter and the direction and oversight of our board of directors; |
| structuring the terms and conditions of our investments, sales and joint ventures; |
| acquiring properties and other investments on our behalf in compliance with our investment objectives and policies; |
| arranging for financing and refinancing of properties and our other investments; |
| entering into leases and service contracts for our real properties; |
| supervising and evaluating each loan servicers and property managers performance; |
| reviewing and analyzing the operating and capital budgets of properties underlying our investments and properties we may acquire; |
| entering into servicing contracts for our loans; |
| assisting us in obtaining insurance; |
| generating an annual budget for us; |
| reviewing and analyzing financial information for each of our assets and the overall portfolio; |
| formulating and overseeing the implementation of strategies for the administration, promotion, management, operation, maintenance, improvement, financing and refinancing, marketing, leasing and disposition of our properties and other investments; |
| performing investor-relations services; |
| maintaining our accounting and other records and assisting us in filing all reports required to be filed with the SEC, the Internal Revenue Service and other regulatory agencies; |
| engaging and supervising the performance of our agents, including our registrar and transfer agent; and |
| performing any other services reasonably requested by us. |
See Management Compensation for a detailed discussion of the fees payable to our advisor under the advisory agreement.
The advisory agreement has a one-year term but may be renewed for an unlimited number of successive one-year periods upon the mutual consent of our advisor and us. It will be the duty of our board of directors to evaluate the performance of our advisor before entering into or renewing an advisory agreement. Additionally, either party may terminate the advisory agreement without cause or penalty upon 60 days written notice and, in such event, our advisor must cooperate with us and our directors in making an orderly transition of the advisory function. In the event that the advisory agreement is not renewed or terminates (other than because of fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct by our advisor) before August 13, 2028, the payment of any contingent acquisition fees and contingent financing fees will be immediately due and payable by us to our advisor. For more information regarding the terms of the advisory agreement, see Management Compensation.
Initial Investment by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP
Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP has invested $200,000 in us through the purchase of 20,000 shares of our common stock at $10.00 per share. Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP may not sell any of these shares during the period CC Advisors III, LLC serves as our advisor. Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP will not vote any shares it acquires in any vote for the removal of directors or any vote regarding the approval or termination of any contract with our advisor or any of its affiliates. Although nothing prohibits Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP or its affiliates from acquiring additional shares of our common stock, they currently do not have any options or warrants to acquire any shares.
61
Additional Investment by Cottonwood O.P., LP
In addition to its original $200,000 investment in shares, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP may continue to acquire more common stock so that Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP owns up to 5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.
62
Although we have executive officers who manage our operations, we have no paid employees. Our advisor, CC Advisors III, LLC and the real estate professionals at the advisor manage our day-to-day affairs and portfolio of multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets, subject to the board of directors supervision. The following table summarizes all of the compensation and fees that will be paid to our advisor, CC Advisors III, LLC, and its affiliates in connection with this offering, including amounts to reimburse their costs in providing services. The compensation set forth below may only be increased if approved by a majority of the members of our conflicts committee. The increase of such compensation does not require approval by shareholders.
Form of Compensation and Recipient |
Determination of Amount |
Estimated Amount for Maximum Primary Offering(1) | ||
Acquisition and Development Stage | ||||
Contingent Acquisition Fee CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor)(2)(3)(4) | After our shareholders have received, or are deemed to have received (with respect to a merger or a listing), together as a collective group, aggregate distributions sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital, plus a specified cumulative, noncompounded annual return on their invested capital (a Required Return), our advisor will receive from us contingent acquisition fees that are a percentage of the cost of investments acquired or originated by us, or the amount to be funded by us to acquire or originate loans, including acquisition and origination expenses and any debt attributable to such investments plus significant capital expenditures related to the development, construction or improvement of the investment as follows: 1% contingent acquisition fee if shareholders receive a Required Return of 6%; and 2% additional contingent acquisition fee if shareholders receive a Required Return of 13%.
The contingent acquisition fee is payable upon satisfying each return threshold with respect to assets in the portfolio at the time the return threshold is satisfied and at the closing of acquisitions following satisfaction of the return threshold. |
$15,000,000 (maximum offering, target leverage of 55% of the cost of our investments, 6% Required Return)/ $45,000,000 (maximum offering, target leverage of 55% of the cost of our investments, 13% Required Return) | ||
Acquisition Expense Reimbursement CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor) | Subject to the limitations contained in our charter, reimbursement from us for all out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the selection and acquisition or origination of investments, whether or not we ultimately acquire the property or other real estate-related investment. | Actual amounts are dependent upon actual expenses incurred and, therefore, cannot be determined at this time. | ||
Contingent Financing Fee CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor) (3)(4)(5) | After our shareholders have received, or are deemed to have received (with respect to a merger or a listing), together as a collective group, aggregate distributions sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital, plus a Required Return of 13%, our advisor will receive from us a contingent financing fee of 1% of the original principal amount of any financing obtained or assumed by us.
The contingent financing fee is payable upon satisfying the return threshold with respect to any financing obtained or assumed by us prior to satisfaction of the return threshold and at the closing of new financing following satisfaction of the return threshold. |
$8,250,000 (maximum offering, target leverage of 55% of the cost of our investments, 13% Required Return) |
63
Form of Compensation and Recipient |
Determination of Amount |
Estimated Amount for Maximum Primary Offering(1) | ||
Operational Stage | ||||
Property Management Fees Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC (Our Property Manager) | Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC receives from us a property management fee in an amount up to 3.5% of the annual gross revenues of our multifamily apartment communities that it manages. Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC may subcontract the performance of its property management duties to third parties and Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC will pay a portion of its property management fee to the third parties with whom it subcontracts for these services. | Actual amounts depend upon the gross revenue of the properties and therefore cannot be determined at this time. | ||
Asset Management Fee CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor) | CC Advisors III, LLC receives from us an annual asset management fee, paid monthly, in an amount equal to 1.25% of our gross assets as of the last day of the prior month.
For purposes of calculating the asset management fee, gross assets means (i) the gross book value of our assets until such time as our board of directors has established a net asset value of our assets, and (ii) after our board of directors has established a net asset value of our assets, the gross asset value of our assets based on the net asset value determination; provided that, the value of any assets acquired after our determination of a net asset value will be the gross book value of the assets until such assets are included in a net asset value determination. Under (i) or (ii), gross book value or gross asset value (as applicable) will be determined based on our pro rata ownership interest in the underlying real estate (including the pro rata value of any budgeted development-related project costs and/or debt underlying any mezzanine loans, preferred equity, other real estate-related investments such as B-notes and/or common equity investments) and other assets and liabilities, without regard to GAAP consolidation or equity method accounting principles.
We plan to determine the net asset value of our common stock no later than May 17, 2021, and annually thereafter. |
Actual amounts depend upon the gross offering proceeds we raise in this offering and therefore cannot be determined at this time. | ||
Other Company Operating Expenses CC Advisors III, LLC (Our Advisor or its affiliates)(6) | We reimburse our advisor or its affiliates for all actual expenses paid or incurred by our advisor or its affiliates in connection with the services provided to us, including our allocable share of the advisors or its affiliates overhead, such as rent, personnel costs, utilities, cybersecurity and IT costs; provided, however, that we do not reimburse our advisor or its affiliates for salaries, wages and related benefits of personnel who perform investment advisory services for us or serve as our executive officers. In addition, subject to the approval of our board of directors we may reimburse our advisor or its affiliates for costs and fees associated with providing services to us that we would otherwise engage a third party to provide. | Actual amounts are dependent upon the results of our operations; we cannot determine these amounts at the present time. |
64
Form of Compensation and Recipient |
Determination of Amount |
Estimated Amount for Maximum Primary Offering(1) | ||
Promotional Interest from Operating Partnership Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC | Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC will receive from the Operating Partnership a promotional interest equal to 15% of net income and cash distributions, but only after our shareholders receive, together as a collective group, distributions sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital plus a 6% cumulative, non-compounded annual return on their invested capital. Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC, the sole limited partner of our operating partnership assigned its promotional interest to Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC. Neither Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC nor Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC were required to make any capital contributions to our operating partnership in order to obtain the promotional interest.
|
Actual amounts depend on the results of the performance of the multifamily apartment communities and therefore cannot be determined at this time. | ||
Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC will be entitled to a separate one-time payment payable upon (1) the listing of our common stock on a national securities exchange or (2) the occurrence of certain events that result in the termination or non-renewal of our advisory agreement, in each case for an amount that Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC would have been entitled to receive, as described above, as if our Operating Partnership had disposed of all of its assets at the market value of our shares of common stock as of the date of the event triggering the payment. If the event triggering the payment is a listing of our shares on a national securities exchange, the market value will be calculated based on the market value of the shares issued and outstanding at listing over a period of 30 trading days selected by our advisor beginning after the first day of the 6th month, but not later than the last day of the 18th month, after the shares are first listed on a national securities exchange. If the triggering event is the termination or non-renewal of our advisory agreement the market value will be calculated based on an appraisal or valuation of our assets by an independent third party.
In addition, if this separate one-time payment is owed following the termination or non-renewal of our advisory agreement for reasons unrelated to a liquidity event for our shareholders, the payment will be in the form of an interest-bearing promissory note that is payable only after our shareholders have actually received distributions in the amount required before receipt of the promotional interest. Provided, however, if the promissory note has not been repaid prior to a liquidity event for our shareholders, the promissory note shall be paid in full on the date of or immediately prior to the liquidity event. |
65
Form of Compensation and Recipient |
Determination of Amount |
Estimated Amount for Maximum Primary Offering(1) | ||
Independent Director Compensation |
We pay each of our independent directors an annual retainer of $10,000. We also pay our independent directors for attending meetings as follows: (i) $500 for each board meeting attended and (ii) $500 for each committee meeting attended (if held at a different time or place than a board meeting). All directors receive reimbursement of reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at meetings of the board of directors. |
Actual amounts are dependent upon the total number of board and committee meetings that each independent director attends and therefore cannot be determined at this time. |
(1) | The estimated maximum dollar amounts are based on the sale of $675,000,000 in shares to the public in the primary offering and exclude the $75,000,000 we have registered under our distribution reinvestment plan as we do not expect the fees paid in this offering to be determined based on proceeds raised in our distribution reinvestment plan offering. We reserve the right to reallocate shares between our primary offering and our distribution reinvestment plan offering, and to the extent we reallocate shares from the distribution reinvestment plan offering to the primary offering, the fees disclosed above will be higher. |
(2) | Under our charter, a majority of the independent directors would have to approve any increase in the contingent acquisition fee payable to our advisor. If our advisor is terminated before August 13, 2028 for any reason other than the advisors fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence, the payment of a contingent acquisition fee will be immediately due and payable in an amount equal to 3% less the amount of any prior payments of contingent acquisition fees to our advisor. Because the acquisition fee we pay our advisor is a percentage of the cost of investments acquired or originated by us, or the amount to be funded by us to acquire or originate a loan, this fee will be greater to the extent we fund acquisitions and originations through (i) the incurrence of debt which exceeds the target leverage of 55% disclosed in the table, (ii) retained cash flow from operations, (iii) issuances of equity in exchange for assets and (iv) proceeds from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan. |
(3) | Our charter limits our ability to make an investment if the total of all acquisition fees and acquisition expenses and financing fees relating to the investment exceeds 6% of the contract purchase price or 6% of the funds advanced. This limit may only be exceeded if a majority of the board of directors (including a majority of the members of the conflicts committee) not otherwise interested in the transaction approves the fees and expenses and finds the transaction to be commercially competitive, fair and reasonable to us. |
(4) | In the event of a merger, our shareholders will be deemed to have received aggregate distributions sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital, plus a Required Return if the merger consideration amount plus the total of all distributions paid or declared by us to shareholders from inception until the closing of the merger (excluding any stock dividends) exceeds the return threshold. In the event of a listing of our common stock on a national securities exchange, our shareholders will be deemed to have received aggregate distributions sufficient to provide a return of their invested capital, plus a Required Return if the market value of our outstanding shares plus the total of all distributions paid by us to shareholders from inception until the date market value is determined (excluding any stock dividends) exceeds the return threshold. The market value of our outstanding shares will be calculated based on the market value of the shares issued and outstanding at listing over a period of 30 trading days selected by our advisor beginning after the first day of the 6th month, but not later than the last day of the 18th month, after the shares are first listed on a national securities exchange. |
(5) | If our advisor is terminated before August 13, 2028 of our operations for any reason other than the advisors fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence, the payment of the contingent financing fee will be immediately due and payable. |
(6) | On June 30, 2020, our advisor must reimburse us the amount by which our aggregate total operating expenses for the four fiscal quarters then ended exceed the greater of 2% of our average invested assets or 25% of our net income, unless the conflicts committee has determined that such excess expenses were justified based on unusual and non-recurring factors. Average invested assets means the average monthly book value of our assets during the 12-month period before deducting depreciation, bad debts or other non-cash reserves. Total operating expenses means all expenses paid or incurred by us that are in any way related to our operation, including advisory fees, but excluding (a) the expenses of raising capital to the extent paid by us such as organization and offering expenses, legal, audit, accounting, underwriting, brokerage, listing, registration and other fees, printing and other such expenses and taxes incurred in connection with the issuance, distribution, transfer, registration and stock exchange listing of our stock; (b) interest payments; (c) taxes; (d) non-cash expenditures such as depreciation, amortization and bad debt reserves; (e) reasonable incentive fees based on the gain in the sale of our assets; and (f) acquisition and origination fees, acquisition and origination expenses (including expenses relating to potential investments that we do not close), disposition fees on the sale of real property and other expenses connected with the acquisition, origination, disposition and ownership of real estate interests, loans or other property (other than disposition fees on the sale of assets other than real property), such as the costs of foreclosure, insurance premiums, legal services, maintenance, repair and improvement of property. |
66
The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this prospectus for each person or group that holds more than 5% of our common stock, for each director and executive officer and for our directors and executive officers as a group.
Name of Beneficial Owner (1) |
Number of Shares Beneficially Owned |
Percent of All Shares |
||||||
Enzio A. Cassinis, Chief Executive Officer and President |
| | ||||||
Adam Larson, Chief Financial Officer |
| | ||||||
Gregg Christensen, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary(2) |
20,000 | * | ||||||
Paul Fredenberg, Chief Investment Officer |
| | ||||||
Susan Hallenberg, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer |
| | ||||||
Chad Christensen, Director(2) |
20,000 | * | ||||||
Daniel Shaeffer, Director(2) |
20,000 | * | ||||||
R. Brent Hardy, Independent Director |
| | ||||||
Gentry Jensen, Independent Director |
| | ||||||
John Lunt, Independent Director |
| | ||||||
All directors and executive officers as a group |
| |
* | Less than 1% |
(1) | The address of each beneficial owner listed is 6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121. |
(2) | Gregg Christensen, Daniel Shaeffer, and Chad Christensen are three of the five directors that comprise the board of directors of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., the general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP owns 20,000 shares of our common stock outstanding. As members of the board of directors of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., Messrs. Shaeffer, Christensen and Christensen will have the voting and investment control of the shares of our common stock held by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. |
67
We are subject to various conflicts of interest arising out of our relationship with CC Advisors III, LLC, our advisor, and its affiliates, including Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. We discuss these conflicts below and conclude this section with a discussion of the corporate governance measures we have adopted to ameliorate some of the risks posed by these conflicts.
Our Affiliates Interests in Other Cottonwood Real Estate Programs
General
All of our executive officers and two of our directors, and other key real estate professionals of our advisor are also officers, directors, managers, key professionals and/or holders of a direct or indirect voting controlling interest (but not a controlling economic interest) in Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., our advisor, or their affiliates. These individuals have legal and other obligations with respect to Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., or our advisor, and the shareholders and investors in such entities which are similar to their obligations to us. Thus, there may be conflicts of interest with respect to the officers and directors obligations and duties to these entities and their obligations and duties to us and our affiliates. In the future, these persons may also form other real estate investment vehicles, to which they will have similar obligations.
All of our executive officers and some of our directors, and the key real estate professionals of our advisor are also officers, directors, managers, key real estate professionals, and/or holders of a direct or indirect controlling interest in or for:
| Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC, the entity which owns the incentive fee in us; |
| CC Advisors III, LLC, our advisor; |
| Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC, our property manager. |
Some of these persons also serve as executive officers and directors, and the key real estate professionals in and for Cottonwood Residential O.P., LPs other affiliates. As a result, such persons owe fiduciary duties to Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and/or its affiliates. These fiduciary duties may from time to time conflict with the fiduciary duties that they owe to us.
As described in the Prior Performance Summary, affiliates of our advisor have sponsored and advise the following real estate programs with investment objectives similar to ours:
| Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. |
| Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. |
| Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. |
Conflicts of interest may arise between us and the programs that have not been liquidated and between us and future programs. As of the date of this prospectus, none of the above programs have been liquidated and are still operating. Thus, to the extent that we seek to acquire and lease assets in similar geographic markets, we will compete with the above programs. As of the date of this prospectus, Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. have completed their offerings and have invested substantially all of the proceeds from their offerings. Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. has closed its offering and is still investing the proceeds. As of the date of this prospectus it has made an initial investment in a development project for a multifamily apartment community.
68
Allocation of Investment Opportunities
We rely on our advisor to identify suitable investments. Many investment opportunities that are suitable for us may also be suitable for Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. or other programs sponsored by such persons and affiliates of such persons. It is the intent of our advisor and us that our advisor and its affiliates will allocate potential investments between us and other entities that are sponsored by our advisor and its affiliates in a manner designed to meet each entitys investment objectives by considering the investment portfolios of each entity, the cash available for investment by each entity and diversification objectives.
Competition for Tenants and Others
Conflicts of interest may exist to the extent that we acquire properties in the same geographic areas where other Cottonwood real estate programs or affiliated entities own multifamily apartment communities. In such a case, a conflict could arise in the leasing of properties or apartment units in the event that we and another Cottonwood real estate program or affiliated entity were to compete for the same tenants in negotiating leases, or a conflict could arise in connection with the resale of properties in the event that we and another Cottonwood real estate program or affiliated entity were to attempt to sell similar properties at the same time. Conflicts of interest may also exist at such time as we or any of our affiliates managing property on our behalf seek to employ developers, contractors, building managers or other third parties. Our advisor and its affiliates, including the advisors of other Cottonwood real estate programs and affiliated entities, will seek to reduce conflicts that may arise with respect to properties available for sale or rent by making prospective purchasers or tenants aware of all such properties. Our advisor and the advisors of other Cottonwood real estate programs and affiliated entities also will seek to reduce conflicts relating to the employment of developers, contractors or building managers by making prospective service providers aware of all properties in need of their services. However, our advisor and the advisors of other Cottonwood real estate programs and affiliated entities cannot fully avoid these conflicts because they may establish differing terms for resales or leasing of the various properties or differing compensation arrangements for service providers at different properties.
Allocation of Our Affiliates Time
We rely on our advisor and our board of directors, and the team of real estate professionals that our advisor and its affiliates has assembled for the day-to-day operation of our business. Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. and other investment programs managed and controlled by Cottonwood affiliates are also advised by many of the same real estate and management professionals as will future Cottonwood-sponsored programs. In addition, Cottonwood Capital Property Management II, LLC (a subsidiary of the sole member of our advisor) has acted as the sponsor to Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc., Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc., and Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. In addition, through two different subsidiary entities, Cottonwood Communities Advisor, LLC acts as the advisor to Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. As a result of their interests in these and other Cottonwood- sponsored programs, their obligations to other investors and the fact that they engage in and they will continue to engage in other business activities on behalf of themselves and others, these real estate and management professionals will likely face conflicts of interest in allocating their time among us and Cottonwood -sponsored programs and other business activities in which they are involved. Our executive officers and our key real estate and management professionals are not obligated to devote a fixed amount of their time to us.
We believe that our executive officers and the other key real estate professionals have sufficient time to fully discharge their responsibilities to us and to the other businesses in which they are involved. We believe that our affiliates and executive officers will devote the time required to manage our business and expect that the amount of time a particular executive officer or affiliate devotes to us will vary during the course of the year and depend on our business activities at the given time. It is difficult to predict specific amounts of time an executive officer or affiliate will devote to us. We expect that our executive officers and affiliates will generally devote more time to programs raising and investing capital than to programs that have completed their offering stages, though from time to time each program will have its unique demands. Because many of the operational aspects of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP programs are very similar, there are significant efficiencies created by the same team of individuals providing services to multiple programs.
69
Receipt of Fees and Compensation by our Advisor, Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC and their Affiliates
Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC receives a promotional interest equal to 15% of net income and cash distributions, but only after our shareholders receive, together as a collective group, cumulative distributions in an amount sufficient to provide our shareholders with a return of their invested capital plus a 6% cumulative, non-compounded annual return on their investment.
We have engaged CC Advisors III, LLC as our advisor and Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC, as our property manager. Both are affiliates of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and receive compensation for services as our advisor and property manager. This compensation arrangement could affect our judgment with respect to:
| the continuation, renewal or enforcement of the advisory agreement between us, our subsidiaries and CC Advisors III, LLC; |
| acquisitions of properties and other investments, which entitle our advisor to asset management fees and possibly property management fees and may entitle our advisor to contingent acquisition fees, which contingent acquisition fees are based on the purchase price of the investment, and are not based on the quality of the investment or the quality of the services rendered to us, which may influence our advisor to accept a higher purchase price for those assets, recommend riskier transactions to us or purchase assets that may not be in the best interest of our shareholders; |
| borrowings to acquire properties and other investments, which borrowings will increase the asset management fees payable to our advisor as well as potentially entitle the advisor to a contingent financing fee and an increased contingent acquisition fee; |
| decisions regarding the disposition of assets that would result in the termination of any property related fees as well as decreasing the asset management fees payable to our advisor, and may entitle Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC to a promotional interest from our operating partnership; |
| offerings of equity by us, which will likely entitle our advisor to increased asset management fees and may entitle our advisor to increased contingent acquisition fees; and |
| whether and when we seek to sell the company or its assets, which sale could entitle Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC to a promotional interest from our operating partnership. |
Fiduciary Duties Owed by Some of Our Affiliates to Our Advisor and Our Advisors Affiliates
Our executive officers, some of our directors and the key real estate professionals at our advisor are also officers, directors, managers or key professionals for:
| CC Advisors III, LLC, our advisor; |
| Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC, our property manager; and |
| other Cottonwood real estate sponsored programs. |
As a result, their loyalties to each of these programs, their shareholders, members and limited partners may from time to time conflict with the fiduciary duties that they owe us.
Since properties and debt investments we acquire will likely be managed by Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC, to the extent we retain Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC, we will not have the benefit of negotiating fees with an independent property manager. Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC may subcontract the performance of its property management duties to third parties and Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC will pay a portion of its property management fee to the third parties with whom it subcontracts for these services. See ManagementOther Affiliates.
70
Certain Conflict Resolution Measures
Conflicts Committee
In order to reduce or eliminate certain potential conflicts of interest, our charter creates a conflicts committee of our board of directors composed of all of our independent directors. An independent director is a person who is not one of our officers or employees or an officer or employee of our advisor, the sponsor or its affiliates and has not been so for the previous two years and meets the other requirements set forth in our charter. Our charter authorizes the conflicts committee to act on any matter permitted under Maryland law. Both the board of directors and the conflicts committee must act upon those conflict-of-interest matters that cannot be delegated to a committee under Maryland law. Our charter also empowers the conflicts committee to retain its own legal and financial advisors. Among the matters the conflicts committee acts upon are:
| the continuation, renewal or enforcement of our agreements with our advisor and its affiliates, including the advisory agreement; |
| public offerings of securities; |
| sales of real property; |
| transactions with affiliates; |
| compensation of our officers and directors who are affiliated with our advisor; |
| whether and when we seek to list our shares of common stock on a national securities exchange; |
| whether and when we seek to become self-managed, which decision could lead to our acquisition of entities affiliated with our advisor; |
| whether and when we seek to merge with another entity or enter into a business combination with another entity; and |
| whether and when we seek to sell the company or substantially all of its assets. |
A majority of our board of directors and a majority of the conflicts committee will approve certain significant proposed multifamily apartment community investments and multifamily real estate-related assets as described above.
Other Charter Provisions Relating to Conflicts of Interests
In addition to the creation of the conflicts committee, our charter contains many other restrictions relating to conflicts of interest including the following:
Advisor Compensation. The conflicts committee will evaluate at least annually whether the compensation that we contract to pay to our advisor and its affiliates is reasonable in relation to the nature and quality of services performed and whether such compensation is within the limits prescribed by the charter. The conflicts committee will supervise the performance of our advisor and its affiliates and the compensation we pay to them to determine whether the provisions of our compensation arrangements are being carried out. This evaluation will be based on the following factors as well as any other factors deemed relevant by the conflicts committee:
| the amount of the fees paid to our advisor in relation to the size, composition and performance of our investments; |
| whether the expenses incurred by us are reasonable in light of our investment performance, net assets, net income and the fees and expenses of other comparable unaffiliated REITs; |
| the success of our advisor in generating appropriate investment opportunities; |
71
| the rates charged to other companies, including other REITs, by advisors performing similar services; |
| additional revenues realized by our advisor and its affiliates through their relationship with us, including whether we pay them or they are paid by others with whom we do business; |
| the quality and extent of service and advice furnished by our advisor and its affiliates; |
| the performance of our investment portfolio; and |
| the quality of our portfolio relative to the investments generated by our advisor for its own account and for their other clients. |
Our charter also requires that any gain from the sale of assets that we may pay our advisor or an entity affiliated with our advisor be reasonable. Such an interest in gain from the sale of assets is presumed reasonable if it does not exceed 15% of the balance of the net sale proceeds remaining after payment to common shareholders, in the aggregate, of an amount equal to 100% of the original issue price of the common stock, plus an amount equal to 6% of the original issue price of the common stock per year cumulative.
Our charter also limits the amount of acquisition fees and acquisition expenses we can incur to a total of 6% of the contract purchase price for the property or, in the case of a loan, 6% of the funds advanced. This limit may only be exceeded if a majority of the directors (including a majority of the members of the conflicts committee) not otherwise interested in the transaction approves the fees and expenses and finds the transaction to be commercially competitive, fair and reasonable to us. Although our charter permits combined acquisition fees and expenses to equal 6% of the purchase price, our advisory agreement limits the contingent acquisition fee to 3% of the purchase price (including any acquisition expenses and any debt attributable to such investments). Any increase in the acquisition fee stipulated in the advisory agreement would require the approval of a majority of the directors (including a majority of the conflicts committee) not otherwise interested in the transaction.
Term of Advisory Agreement. Each contract for the services of our advisor may not exceed one year, although there is no limit on the number of times that we may retain a particular advisor. The conflicts committee or our advisor may terminate our advisory agreement with our advisor without cause or penalty on 60 days written notice.
Our Acquisitions.
We will not purchase or lease assets in which our advisor, our sponsor, any of our directors or officers or any of their affiliates has an interest without a determination by a majority of our board of directors (including a majority of the members of the conflicts committee) that such transaction is fair and reasonable to us and at a price to us no greater than the cost of the property to the affiliated seller or lessor, unless there is substantial justification for the excess amount. In no event may we acquire any such real property at an amount in excess of its current appraised value. An appraisal is current if obtained within the prior year. If a property with a current appraisal is acquired indirectly from an affiliated seller through the acquisition of securities in an entity that directly or indirectly owns the property, a second appraisal on the value of the securities of the entity shall not be required if (i) the conflicts committee determines that such transaction is fair and reasonable; (ii) the transaction is at a price to us no greater than the cost of the securities to the affiliated seller; (iii) the entity has conducted no business other than the financing, acquisition and ownership of the property; and (iv) the price paid by the entity to acquire the property did not exceed the current appraised value.
Generally, the purchase price that we will pay for any property will be based on the fair market value of the property as determined by a majority of our directors, or the approval of a majority of a committee of the board, provided that the members of the committee approving the transaction would also constitute a majority of the board. In the cases where a majority of our conflicts committee require and in all cases in which the transaction is an acquisition or transfer by or from any of our directors or affiliates, we will obtain an appraisal of fair market value by independent experts selected by our conflicts committee. We may obtain an appraisal in other cases; however, we will rely on our own independent analysis and not on appraisals in determining whether to invest in a particular property. Appraisals are estimates of value and may not always be reliable as measures of true worth or realizable value. We may in the future enter into transactions, including acquisitions, with other programs sponsored by our advisor and its affiliates if an attractive opportunity presents itself and our conflicts committee approves the transaction.
72
Mortgage Loans Involving Affiliates. Our charter prohibits us from investing in or making mortgage loans in which the transaction is with our advisor, our directors or officers or any of their affiliates, unless an independent expert appraises the underlying property. We must keep the appraisal for at least five years and make it available for inspection and duplication by any of our shareholders. In addition, we must obtain a mortgagees or owners title insurance policy or commitment as to the priority of the mortgage or the condition of the title. Our charter prohibits us from making or investing in any mortgage loans that are subordinate to any mortgage or equity interest of our advisor, our directors or officers or any of their affiliates.
Other Transactions Involving Affiliates. A majority of the board of directors (including a majority of the conflicts committee) not otherwise interested in the transaction must conclude that all other transactions, including joint ventures, between us and our sponsor, advisor, any of our officers or directors or any of their affiliates are fair and reasonable to us and on terms and conditions not less favorable to us than those available from unaffiliated third parties and, with respect to joint ventures, on substantially the same terms and conditions as those received by other joint venturers.
Limitation on Operating Expenses. On June 30, 2020, our advisor must reimburse us the amount by which our aggregate total operating expenses for the four fiscal quarters then ended exceed the greater of 2% of our average invested assets or 25% of our net income, unless the conflicts committee has determined that such excess expenses were justified based on unusual and non-recurring factors. Average invested assets means the average monthly book value of our assets during the 12-month period before deducting depreciation, bad debts or other non-cash reserves. Total operating expenses means all expenses paid or incurred by us that are in any way related to our operation, including advisory fees, but excluding (a) the expenses of raising capital to the extent paid by us such as organization and offering expenses, legal, audit, accounting, underwriting, brokerage, listing, registration and other fees, printing and other such expenses and taxes incurred in connection with the issuance, distribution, transfer, registration and stock exchange listing of our stock; (b) interest payments; (c) taxes; (d) non-cash expenditures such as depreciation, amortization and bad debt reserves; (e) reasonable incentive fees based on the gain from the sale of our assets; and (f) acquisition fees, acquisition expenses (including expenses relating to potential investments that we do not close), disposition fees on the resale of property and other expenses connected with the acquisition, disposition and ownership of real estate interests, loans or other property (other than disposition fees on the sale of assets other than real property), including the costs of foreclosure, insurance premiums, legal services, maintenance, repair and improvement of property.
Issuance of Options and Warrants to Certain Affiliates. Until our shares of common stock are listed on a national securities exchange, we will not issue options or warrants to purchase our capital stock to our advisor, our directors, our sponsor or any of their affiliates, except on the same terms as such options or warrants are sold to the general public. We may issue options or warrants to persons other than our advisor, our directors, our sponsor and their affiliates prior to listing our common stock on a national securities exchange, but not at exercise prices less than the fair market value of the underlying securities on the date of grant and not for consideration (which may include services) that in the judgment of the conflicts committee has a market value less than the value of such option or warrant on the date of grant. Options or warrants issuable to the advisor, a director, the sponsors or any affiliate thereof shall not exceed an amount equal to 10% of the outstanding shares of common stock on the date of grant.
Repurchase of Our Shares. Our charter prohibits us from paying a fee to our sponsor, advisor or our directors or officers or any of their affiliates in connection with our repurchase of our common stock.
Loans. We will not make any loans to the sponsor, our advisor or to our directors or officers or any of their affiliates (other than mortgage loans complying with the limitations described above). In addition, we will not borrow from these affiliates unless a majority of the board of directors (including a majority of the conflicts committee) not otherwise interested in the transaction approves the transaction as being fair, competitive and commercially reasonable and no less favorable to us than comparable loans between unaffiliated parties. These restrictions on loans will only apply to advances of cash that are commonly viewed as loans, as determined by the board of directors. By way of example only, the prohibition on loans would not restrict advances of cash for legal expenses or other costs incurred as a result of any legal action for which indemnification is being sought nor would the prohibition limit our ability to advance reimbursable expenses incurred by directors or officers or our advisor or its affiliates.
73
Reports to Shareholders. Our charter requires that we prepare an annual report and deliver it to our common shareholders within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year. Our directors are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that the annual report complies with our charter provisions. Among the matters that must be included in the annual report or included in a proxy statement delivered with the annual report are:
| financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP that are audited and reported on by independent certified public accountants; |
| the ratio of the costs of raising capital during the year to the capital raised; |
| the aggregate amount of advisory fees and the aggregate amount of other fees paid to our advisor and any affiliates of our advisor by us or third parties doing business with us during the year; |
| our total operating expenses for the year stated as a percentage of our average invested assets and as a percentage of our net income; |
| a report from the conflicts committee that our policies are in the best interests of our common shareholders and the basis for such determination; and |
| a separately stated, full disclosure of all material terms, factors and circumstances surrounding any and all transactions involving us and our advisor, a director or any affiliate thereof during the year, which disclosure has been examined and commented upon in the report by the conflicts committee with regard to the fairness of such transactions. |
Voting of Shares Owned by Affiliates. Our charter provides that none of our advisor, our directors or any affiliate may vote their shares regarding (i) the removal of any of these affiliates or (ii) any transaction between them and us.
Ratification of Charter Provisions. On June 18, 2018, at the first joint meeting of the board of directors and the conflicts committee, our board of directors and the conflicts committee reviewed and ratified our charter and bylaws by the vote of a majority of their respective members, as required by our charter.
74
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND CRITERIA
Our investment objectives are to:
| preserve, protect and return invested capital; |
| pay stable cash distributions to shareholders; |
| realize capital appreciation in the value of our investments over the long term; and |
| provide a real estate investment alternative with lower expected volatility relative to public real estate companies whose securities trade daily on a stock exchange. |
In general, board of directors may revise our investment policies, without the approval of our shareholders. However, we may not amend our charter, including any investment policies that are provided in our charter and described below under Investment Objectives and CriteriaCharter-Imposed Investment Limitations without the concurrence of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote.
Multifamily Focus
We will use the proceeds of this offering to invest directly or indirectly in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets, including potential development projects, located throughout the United States. We believe that current market dynamics and underlying fundamentals suggest the positive trends in United States multifamily housing will continue. Steady job growth, low unemployment, increased rentership rates, increasing household formation and aligned demographics provide the backdrop for strong renter demand. We believe that other factors impacting the prime United States renter demographic such as delayed major life decisions, increased levels of student debt and tight credit standards in the single-family home mortgage market support the value proposition for owning multifamily apartment communities.
Compelling Long-Term Investment. According to the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) research, since 1977 when NCREIF began tracking returns, the multifamily sector has generated superior returns compared to other major core real estate sectors (see below).
Source: National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
75
Only three of those years produced negative returns, while sector volatility remained lower relative to the average of other core sectors. Further, real estate total returns, and specifically private real estate, have historically displayed a low correlation to stocks and bonds, serving as a meaningful diversifier to portfolios. As such, we believe the multifamily sector provides attractive risk-adjusted return prospects relative to other core real estate sectors.
Sources: Bloomberg, NAREIT, NCREIF and S&P Global Market Intelligence. Our sponsor performed all calculations based on the referenced data.
Notes: As of December 31, 2018.
1) | Private Multifamily Real Estate is represented by the NCREIF Property IndexApartments Only. |
2) | Public U.S. Multifamily Real Estate is represented by the FTSE Nareit Equity Apartments total return index series. |
3) | Public U.S. Real Estate is represented by the FTSE Nareit All-Equity REITs total return index series. |
4) | Public Real Estate (Excluding U.S.) is represented by FTSE EPRA/Developed Ex-U.S. Index. |
5) | Public Equities is represented by the S&P 500 Total Returns Index. |
6) | Corporate Bonds is represented by the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. |
7) | Hedge Funds is represented by the Dow Jones Credit Suisse Hedge Fund Index. |
Sustained Growth in Prime Renter Population. According to United States Census Bureau data, individuals under the age of 35 have the highest rentership rate with 64% renting rather than owning their homes (see below).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Table 12a. Annual Estimates of the Housing Inventory by Age of Householder. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
76
Moreover, while this age group has a higher propensity to rent, United States Census Bureau data shows that the rentership rates for all age groups, other than those under age 25 who showed a higher propensity to move in with parents, increased from 2010 to 2018 (see below).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Table 12a. Annual Estimates of the Housing Inventory by Age of Householder. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
We also believe that favorable demographic trends under way will result in an increased demand for apartment housing. The echo-boom generation (commonly known as the Millennial generation; generally those born in the 1980s or 1990s) continues to enter the labor force, obtain their own housing for the first time and are members of the 20 to 34 years-old age group, the predominant renter age range (see below). Until 2024, it is expected that the individuals entering the prime renter demographic (ages 20 to 34) will outnumber those that are exiting the demographic.
77
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Population Estimates (United States Residents Population ages 20 24, 25 29 and 30- 34); and 2017 National Population Projections (Table 1. Projected Population by Single Year of Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 2016 to 2060). Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
Increased Rentership Rates and Household Formation. According to United States Census Bureau data, the United States rentership rate has steadily increased from historically low rates in the mid-2000s. Since hitting a low of 31% in 2004, the rentership rate has increased to approximately 36% as of 2018. The recession most notably impacted household formation in the prime renter demographic.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Table 14. Quarterly Homeownership Rates for the U.S. and Regions: 1964 to Present. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
From the early 1980s until the Great Recession in 2008, on average 11.4% of young adults aged 25 to 34 lived with their parents. By 2018, the number of young adults in that age group living with parents increased to 16.8%. This population of young adults likely represents additional pent up demand for multifamily housing as these individuals begin to move out and create households.
78
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Table AD-1. Young Adults, 18-34 Years Old, Living At Home: 1960 to Present. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
Convenience of Apartment Living and Costs of Homeownership. Many households choose to rent given maintenance costs and other burdens associated with homeownership. In addition, the ability to vary location and the lease terms associated with renting provides flexibility that appeals to many households, particularly those in younger groups who prioritize mobility. During the current economic recovery, the ratio of median new home sale prices to median household incomes in the U.S. rose to its highest level in the last 40+ years to 5.4x in 2014, while still remaining at levels exceeding 5 times median household incomes. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Federal Housing Finance Agency show that since 1990, the house price index has risen 24% higher than that of the owners equivalent rent; suggesting that the cost of purchasing a home has outpaced increases in rent. Increases in interest rates could put affordability even more out of reach for many individuals. These trends place continued constraints on the ability of new households to purchase homes, and we believe support sustained demand for multifamily housing.
79
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Median and Average Sale Price of Houses Sold; and Table H-6. Regions-by Median and Mean Income. Information as of December 31, 2017. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency: U.S. and Census Division (Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted) January 1991Latest Month; and Bureau of Labor Statistics: Owners Equivalent Rent of Residences in U.S. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
Tightened Mortgage Credit Standards and Historically High Student Debt Levels. Heightened lender underwriting standards for home purchases and the increased burden of student debt should continue to drive demand for apartments. Since the end of the Great Recession, the average mortgage origination volume to sub-660 credit scores declined to 8.6% annually (down significantly from 24.0% at its peak in 2006). Furthermore, student debt levels have ballooned by more than 475% over the last 15 years, while 90+ day delinquencies have nearly doubled, creating further pressure on young adults to remain as renters.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, Data Underlying Report. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
80
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, Data Underlying Report. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
Delayed Major Life Decisions. The secular trend of delaying certain major life decisions should strengthen demand for multifamily housing. The decision to marry or have children traditionally has pushed families towards purchasing a home. The average age of these major life events, male first marriage, female first marriage and female first child, have increased since the Great Recession from 27.5, 25.6, and 25.0, respectively, in 2007 to 29.5, 27.4 and 26.8, respectively, in 2017.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau: Table MS-2. Estimated Median Age at First Marriage, by Sex: 1890 to the Present; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: SF2.3 Age of mothers at childbirth and age-specific fertility; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Table 1-6. Mean Age of Mother by Live-birth Order, According to Race and Hispanic Origin of Mother: United States, 1968-2003. Information as of December 31, 2017. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
81
Post-recession Shortage of Residential Housing Supply. According to Census data, from 2010 to 2018, the United States housing market delivered 7.2 million new housing units compared to 9.2 million net new households created. There has been asymmetric delivery of supply across the U.S. resulting in some markets experiencing the early stages of oversupply, however, there remain several U.S. housing markets, and submarkets, with supply shortages that should deliver better than average rent growth due to supply constraints and high regulatory and/or capital markets barriers to new supply.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Table 7a. Annual Estimates of the Housing Inventory; and Table 13a. Monthly Household Estimates. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
Robust Rental Growth Driven by Correlation to Job Market. Continued job growth across an increasingly diverse group of sectors and regions of the United States should contribute to notable growth in rental rates. Since 1997, non-agricultural employment has grown 1.0% per year, while effective rents have grown 2.6% per year (on average).
82
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, Average annual data; and Axiometrics: Annual National Trend Report. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
As shown in the table below, there is a strong correlation between rent growth and non-agricultural job growth.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, Average annual data; and Axiometrics: Annual National Trend Report. Information as of December 31, 2018. Our sponsor created all graphs and calculations based on the referenced data.
Investment Portfolio
Expected Portfolio Structure. Our primary investment vehicle is the operating partnership. In certain circumstances, we may acquire assets through joint ventures, mergers or other types of business combinations. The investments will be comprised primarily of stabilized multifamily apartment communities and land which will be
83
developed into multifamily apartment communities. The strategy may also include mortgage and mezzanine loans to, or preferred equity investments in, entities that have been formed for the purpose of acquiring or developing multifamily apartment communities. We seek to acquire, develop and actively manage these investments, with the objective of providing a stable source of income for our shareholders and maximizing potential returns upon disposition of the assets through capital appreciation. Generally, proceeds from the sale, financing or disposition of investments will be reinvested in a manner consistent with our investment strategy, although such proceeds may be distributed to the shareholders in order to comply with REIT requirements.
Most transactions will be pursuant to purchase and sale agreements. However, we may also enter into contribution agreements whereby a holder of real estate desires to exchange the real estate for limited partner units in the operating partnership. If this occurs, we will amend the partnership agreement of our operating partnership.
Portfolio Allocation Targets. We seek to invest at least 65% of our assets in stabilized multifamily apartment communities and up to 35% in mortgage loans, preferred equity investments, mezzanine loans or equity investments in a property or land which will be developed into a multifamily apartment community (including, by way of example, an existing multifamily apartment community that may require redevelopment capital for strategic repositioning within its market). We do not expect to be able to achieve the balance of these allocations until we have raised substantial proceeds in this offering. Prior to that time, we will balance the goal of achieving our portfolio allocation targets with the goal of carefully evaluating and selecting investment opportunities to maximize risk-adjusted returns. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the actual portfolio allocation may from time to time be outside the target levels provided above due to factors such as a large inflow of capital over a short period of time, the advisors or board of directors assessment of the relative attractiveness of opportunities, an increase or decrease in the relative value of an investment or limitations or requirements relating to our intention to be treated as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Furthermore, our board of directors may revise the targeted portfolio allocation from time to time, if it determines that a different portfolio composition is in our shareholders best interests.
Portfolio Location and Operations. We target properties located in major metropolitan areas in the United States that have, in the opinion of the advisor and our board of directors, attractive investment dynamics for multifamily apartment owners. We do not designate specific geographic allocations for the portfolio. Our advisor targets regions where it sees the best opportunities that support our investment objectives and attempts to acquire multifamily apartment communities in diverse locations so that we are not overly concentrated in a single area (though we are not precluded from owning multiple properties in a particular area). We have engaged Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC to manage our multifamily apartment communities and provide other related services.
Investment Philosophy and Life-Cycle
Investment Philosophy and Selection Process. Our advisor operates pursuant to a philosophy that location, investment time horizon, asset-specific attributes and appropriate leverage are fundamental drivers of long-term value creation in real estate. These principles drive the material aspects of our advisors investment decision-making process.
Location. From a geographic perspective, we have the competitive advantage of flexibility: we may invest where our advisor identifies unique opportunities, market dislocation or mispriced assets. Our Advisor generally targets investment locations with enduring value and high barriers to entry (such as time-consuming regulatory hurdles for new construction), and where minimal competitive supply is planned or under construction and there exist opportunities to buy assets below replacement cost. Buying an asset
84
below replacement cost offers a margin of safety for property owners, typically, ensuring that no new construction will be completed until values rise to justify new (competing) product. Our advisor also seeks to anticipate broader market capital flows and invest where economic growth is expected to drive resident demand but new supply is not yet on the horizon. Additional investment location considerations by our advisor include: |
| Local Industry and Employment. Certain employment sectors, such as financial services, information technology and healthcare, are better-positioned for higher employee earnings potential, enhancing price elasticity of rents. |
| Demographics. Locations with a higher concentration of the prime renter demographic with above average incomes will drive increased demand for renting apartments. |
| Infill Locations. Sites within markets or sub-markets undergoing redevelopment programs, land recycling initiatives or that generally exhibit high barrier to entry characteristics offer, in the opinion of the advisor, better investment prospects over the long run. |
| Accessibility to Key Attractions. Focus on local block-by-block details (the sub-market within a sub-market) during the investment selection process, including walkability scores, public transportation, crime rates, projected employment growth and access to popular dining, entertainment and retail venues as well as sought after school districts. |
Time Horizon. Our portfolio will generally consist of illiquid real estate investments. Though we expect the average holding period for our stabilized operating assets to be between five and ten years, an asset within our investment portfolio may experience short-term fluctuations in value. Nonetheless, our advisor believes purchasing and holding assets in enduring locations will ultimately create long-term value and capital appreciation. Our structure allows us to hold assets for periods of time sufficient to withstand short-term market volatility.
Asset-Specific Attributes. The management team of our advisor has extensive experience investing in, and managing institutional multifamily apartment communities. The advisor investigates each investment opportunity in the context of comparable communities to assess relative market position, functionality, suite of amenity offerings, unit-specific features and obsolescence. Site inspections are an important aspect of the advisors underwriting process. For example, under-managed or under-capitalized assets represent a unique investment opportunity to stabilize and/or refurbish the community to maximize operating performance and long-term value.
Leverage. Downside risk of short-term fluctuations in market values or cash flow can be mitigated by using appropriately conservative leverage policies. Excess leverage during market corrections often result in property owners being forced to sell or liquidate assets at inopportune times. We expect to finance the purchase of our stabilized multifamily apartment communities using a loan-to-cost or loan-to-value ratio of 45% to 65% at the REIT level.
Due Diligence Process. Once a potential investment has been identified, our advisor will engage in a rigorous due diligence process. Although due diligence procedures are customized for specific elements of each deal, our advisor will follow traditional due diligence processes (physical, market, financial, environmental, zoning, insurance, tax, legal, etc.) in considering investments for us. Our advisor may outsource certain due diligence items to specialized consultants or third-party service providers, as needed, to support the diligence effort. Our advisors diligence focuses on three customary areas:
Financial Due Diligence. A preliminary review of each investment opportunity will be conducted in order to screen the attractiveness of each transaction. The preliminary review is followed by an initial projection based on macro- and micro-economic analyses. Projection assumptions are developed from analysis of historical operating performance, communications with management, and analysis of research reports generated from real estate brokerage firms, investment banks, consultants and other pertinent resources. The advisor will also leverage a broad network of contacts in developing investment projections, such as strategic partners, local developers, appraisers, industry experts, third-party consultants, outside counsel, accountants and tax advisors. As necessary, third-party accounting consultants may be used to review relevant books and records, confirm cash flow information provided by a seller and conduct other similar types of analysis.
85
Physical Due Diligence. The advisor will hire third-party consultants, as necessary, to prepare reports on environmental and engineering matters. Conclusions from such consultants reports may influence the financial projections for an investment or lead the advisor to terminate the pursuit of an investment. Our advisor and/or property manager will also spend time in the surrounding market and visit competitive properties to better understand market dynamics.
Legal and Tax Due Diligence. The advisor will work closely with outside counsel to review diligence materials and negotiate applicable legal and property specific documents pertaining to any investment opportunity. The scope of legal and tax diligence will be broad and include (as appropriate) review of property title and survey, existing and/or new loan documents, leases, management agreements and purchase contracts. Additionally, the advisor will work with tax advisors to structure investments in an efficient manner.
Financing Strategy. We intend to finance the purchase of multifamily apartment communities with proceeds of this offering and loans obtained from third-party lenders. We anticipate the use of moderate leverage to enhance total cash flow to our shareholders. We target an aggregate loan-to-cost or loan-to-value ratio of 45% to 65% at the REIT level; provided, however, that we may obtain financing that is less than or exceeds such ratio in the discretion of our board of directors if the board of directors deems it to be in our best interest to obtain such financing. Although there is no limit on the amount we can borrow to acquire a single real estate investment, we may not leverage our assets with debt financing such that our borrowings are in excess of 300% of our net assets, unless a majority of our conflicts committee finds substantial justification for borrowing a greater amount and such excess borrowings are disclosed in our next quarterly report, along with the conflicts committees justification for such excess. Examples of such a substantial justification include obtaining funds for the following: (i) to repay existing obligations, (ii) to pay sufficient distributions to maintain REIT status, or (iii) to buy an asset where an exceptional acquisition opportunity presents itself and the terms of the debt agreement and the nature of the asset are such that the debt does not increase the risk that we would become unable to meet our financial obligations as they became due. We anticipate that all financing obtained to acquire stabilized multifamily apartment communities will be non-recourse to our operating partnership and us (however, it is possible that some of these loans will require us to enter into guaranties with respect to certain non-recourse carve-outs). We may obtain recourse debt in connection with certain development transactions.
We may obtain a line of credit or other financing that will be secured by one or more of our assets. We may use the proceeds from any line of credit or financing to bridge the acquisition of, or acquire, multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets if our board of directors determines that we require such funds to acquire the multifamily apartment communities or real estate-related assets.
Asset and Property Management; Operations. The advisor directly oversees the asset management of our investment portfolio. Our advisors responsibilities include strategic asset management initiatives such as capital enhancing projects and/or repositioning of an investment, identification of asset or portfolio-level risks or opportunities and the dedication of appropriate resources for potentially underperforming investments. The advisors role as asset manager serves as a risk-management control function, helping diagnose problems or identify opportunities at an early stage and develop creative solutions to focus attention where it is needed most.
The advisor works closely with our property manager(s) to oversee day-to-day operations of our stabilized operating communities. Our property manager(s) assists our advisor in developing and aggregating community-level projections, pricing strategies, marketing campaigns and expense management initiatives, and synthesizing data into management reports and analysis to streamline the management of our investment portfolio and financial reporting.
Exit Strategies and Disposition Process. Our advisor underwrites long-term hold periods for our investments (generally, five to ten years for stabilized operating communities and equity investments in developments, and three to four years for preferred equity or mezzanine debt investments). Our advisor seeks to avoid investment return profiles for stabilized multifamily apartment communities that depend primarily on significant appreciation, and evaluates development opportunities that align with the overall strategic objectives of our business. We believe that holding our target assets for a long period of time will enable us to execute our business plan, generate stable cash-on-cash returns and drive long-term cash flow and net asset value growth.
86
From time to time, at the discretion of our board of directors and advisor, we may elect to sell an investment before the end of its underwritten hold period if our advisor believes that will maximize value for us. Our advisor and property manager closely monitor market conditions and any decision to sell an investment (earlier or later than, or in-line with, underwritten expectations) will depend on a variety of factors. For example, the hold period may be influenced by events such as an anticipated change in the regulatory landscape in the jurisdiction in which the investment is located or an unfavorable expected shift in the investments sub-market that may limit future potential upside for the investment. Similarly, the current value or status of the investments business plan may influence an investments hold period. For example, the advisor may consider current market values relative to underwritten values as well as the opportunity cost of selling the investment immediately or holding the investment for a longer period of time relative to the status of any value creation plan that was established at acquisition.
Upon making the decision to sell an individual asset, portfolio of assets or the entire investment portfolio, our advisor generally believes that a broadly marketed sale through appropriate channels will maximize value for our shareholders. However, in the board of directors and advisors discretion, the advisor may pursue a one-off or private sale where it is believed that such execution will result in a more favorable outcome for us. In situations where we select a third-party brokerage firm to market an asset, our advisor will endeavor to select the best-in-class firm in order to maximize value for us.
We currently anticipate holding and managing our investments until August 13, 2028 at the latest. Our charter requires that if we do not list our shares of common stock on a national securities exchange by August 13, 2028, we must either seek shareholder approval of the liquidation of the company; or postpone the decision of whether to liquidate the company if a majority of the board of directors determines that liquidation is not then in the best interests of our shareholders.
We are not, however, required to provide our shareholders a liquidity event by a specified date or at all. If a majority of the board of directors does determine that liquidation is not then in the best interests of our shareholders, our charter requires that the board of directors revisit the issue of liquidation at least annually. Further postponement of listing or shareholder action regarding liquidation would only be permitted if a majority of the board of directors again determined that liquidation would not be in the best interest of our shareholders. If we sought and failed to obtain shareholder approval of our liquidation, our charter would not require us to list or liquidate and would not require the board of directors to revisit the issue of liquidation, and we could continue to operate as before. If we sought and obtained shareholder approval of our liquidation, we would begin an orderly sale of our assets. The precise timing of such sales would take into account the prevailing real estate and finance markets, the economic conditions in the submarkets where our properties are located and the debt markets generally as well as the federal income tax consequences to our shareholders.
Charter-Imposed Investment Limitations
Our charter places numerous limitations on us with respect to the manner in which we may invest our funds or issue securities. Pursuant to our charter, we will not:
| invest more than 10% of our total assets in unimproved property or mortgage loans on unimproved property, which we define as property not acquired for the purpose of producing rental or other operating income or on which there is no development or construction in progress or planned to commence within one year; |
| make or invest in mortgage loans unless an appraisal is available concerning the underlying property, except for those mortgage loans insured or guaranteed by a government or government agency; |
| make or invest in mortgage loans, including construction loans, on any one property if the aggregate amount of all mortgage loans on such property would exceed an amount equal to 85% of the appraised value of such property as determined by appraisal, unless substantial justification exists for exceeding such limit because of the presence of other underwriting criteria; |
| make an investment if the related acquisition fees and expenses are not reasonable or exceed 6% of the contract purchase price for the asset, provided that the investment may be made if a majority of the directors (including a majority of the members of the conflicts committee) not otherwise interested in the transaction determines that the transaction is commercially competitive, fair and reasonable to us; |
87
| acquire equity securities unless a majority of our directors (including a majority of the members of our conflicts committee) not otherwise interested in the transaction approve such investment as being fair, competitive and commercially reasonable, provided that investments in equity securities in publicly traded entities that are otherwise approved by a majority of our directors (including a majority of the members of our conflicts committee) shall be deemed fair, competitive and commercially reasonable if we acquire the equity securities through a trade that is effected in a recognized securities market (a publicly traded entity shall mean any entity having securities listed on a national securities exchange or included for quotation on an inter-dealer quotation system) and provided further that this limitation does not apply to (i) acquisitions effected through the purchase of all of the equity securities of an existing entity, (ii) the investment in wholly owned subsidiaries of ours or (iii) investments in asset-backed securities; |
| invest in real estate contracts of sale, otherwise known as land sale contracts, unless the contract is in recordable form and is appropriately recorded in the chain of title; |
| invest in commodities or commodity futures contracts, except for futures contracts when used solely for the purpose of hedging in connection with our ordinary business of investing in real estate assets and mortgages; |
| issue equity securities on a deferred payment basis or other similar arrangement; |
| issue debt securities in the absence of adequate cash flow to cover debt service unless the historical debt service coverage (in the most recently completed fiscal year), as adjusted for known changes, is sufficient to service that higher level of debt as determined by the board of directors or a duly authorized executive officer; |
| issue equity securities that are assessable after we have received the consideration for which our board of directors authorized their issuance; |
| issue redeemable equity securities (as defined in the Investment Company Act), which restriction has no effect on our share repurchase program or the ability of our operating partnership to issue redeemable partnership interests; or |
| make distributions in kind, except for distributions of readily marketable securities, distributions of beneficial interests in a liquidating trust established for our dissolution and the liquidation of our assets in accordance with the terms of our charter or distributions that meet all of the following conditions: (a) our board of directors advises each shareholder of the risks associated with direct ownership of the property, (b) our board of directors offers each shareholder the election of receiving such in kind distributions and (c) in kind distributions are made only to those shareholders who accept such offer. |
In addition, our charter includes many other investment limitations in connection with conflict-of-interest transactions, which limitations are described above under Conflicts of Interest. Our charter also includes restrictions on roll-up transactions, which are described under Description of Shares.
Investment Limitations under the Investment Company Act of 1940
We intend to conduct our operations so that neither we nor any of our subsidiaries will be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Under the relevant provisions of Section 3(a)(1) of the Investment Company Act, an investment company is any issuer that:
| pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A), is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities (the primarily engaged test); or |
| pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(C), is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuers total assets (exclusive of United States government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis (the 40% test). Investment securities excludes United States government securities and securities of majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) (relating to private investment companies). |
88
Neither we nor our Operating Partnership should be required to register as an investment company under either of the tests above. With respect to the 40% test, most of the entities through which we and our Operating Partnership will own our assets will be majority-owned subsidiaries that will not themselves be investment companies and will not be relying on the exceptions from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) (relating to private investment companies).
With respect to the primarily engaged test, we and our Operating Partnership will be holding companies and do not intend to invest or trade in securities ourselves. Rather, through the majority-owned subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership, we and our Operating Partnership will be primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses of these subsidiaries, namely the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring real estate and real estate-related assets.
If any of the subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership fail to meet the 40% test, then we believe they will often be able to rely on Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act for an exception from the definition of an investment company. As reflected in no-action letters, the SEC staffs position on Section 3(c)(5)(C) generally requires that an issuer maintain at least 55% of its assets in mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate or qualifying assets; at least 80% of its assets in qualifying assets plus real estate-related assets; and no more than 20% of the value of its assets in other than qualifying assets and real estate-related assets. To constitute a qualifying asset under this 55% requirement, a real estate interest must meet various criteria based on no-action letters. We expect that any of the subsidiaries of our Operating Partnership relying on Section 3(c)(5)(C) will invest at least 55% of its assets in qualifying assets, with substantially all of its remaining assets in other types of real estate-related assets. If any subsidiary relies on Section 3(c)(5)(C), then we expect to rely on guidance published by the SEC staff or on our analyses of guidance published with respect to types of assets to determine which assets are qualifying real estate assets and real estate-related assets.
Pursuant to the language of Section 3(c)(5)(C), we will treat an investment in real property as a qualifying real estate asset. In reliance on SEC staff published guidance, we take the view that certain mortgage loans, participations, mezzanine loans, convertible mortgages, and other types of real estate related loans in which we intend to invest are qualifying real estate assets. Thus, we intend to treat these investments as qualifying real estate assets.
If any subsidiary relies on Section 3(c)(5)(C), we expect to limit the investments that the subsidiary makes, directly or indirectly, in assets that are not qualifying assets and in assets that are not real estate-related assets. In 2011, the SEC issued a concept release indicating that the SEC and its staff were reviewing interpretive issues relating to Section 3(c)(5)(C) and soliciting views on the application of Section 3(c)(5)(C) to companies engaged in the business of acquiring mortgages and mortgage related instruments. To the extent that the SEC or its staff provides guidance regarding any of the matters bearing upon the exceptions we and our subsidiaries rely on from registration as an investment company, we may be required to adjust our strategy accordingly. Any guidance from the SEC or its staff could further inhibit our ability to pursue the strategies we have chosen.
89
The information presented in this section represents the historical experience of real estate programs, which we refer to as prior real estate programs, sponsored by Cottonwood Residential Inc., Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and their affiliates. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Prior Performance Tables, which may be found in Appendix C of this prospectus. Investors in our shares should not assume that they will experience returns, if any, comparable to those experienced by investors in the prior real estate programs. Investors who purchase our shares will not thereby acquire any ownership interest in any of the entities to which the following information relates.
Experience and Background of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP
Our advisor, CC Advisors III, LLC, is a recently formed affiliate of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. Prior to September 2018, Cottonwood Residential, Inc., formed on September 24, 2009, was the sole general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. was added as a general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP following a decision by Cottonwood Residential, Inc. to commence a plan to liquidate and restructure its subsidiaries, including Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP.
Cottonwood Residential, Inc. did all of its investing through Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, its operating partnership. Following the implementation of Cottonwood Residential, Inc.s plan to liquidate and the admission of Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. as a general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. will manage the investing activities of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP. Since Cottonwood Residential O.P., LPs formation in 2009, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, has grown into an industry-leading, fully integrated, national multifamily platform. As of December 31, 2018, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP provides property and asset management services to a platform of multifamily assets representing approximately 15,300 multifamily apartment units across 13 states with over $2.0 billion in value.
Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP also has a significant investment platform, holding ownership interests in 29 multifamily apartment communities and other related assets, 25 properties of which represent approximately 7,200 existing units, and 4 properties under development which represent approximately 1,000 additional units, all of which account for approximately $950.0 million in total gross asset value as of December 31, 2018. Since the formation of Cottonwood Residential, Inc.s and Cottonwood Residential O.P., LPs investment platform in 2009, Cottonwood Residential, Inc. and Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP have secured capital commitments through contributions by direct property owners, broker-dealer networks and institutional investors totaling over $700 million.
Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP secured a $127 million commitment in 2011 and an additional $25 million commitment in 2014 from affiliates of FrontRange Capital Partners and Equity Resource Investments to capitalize on attractive multifamily investment opportunities within its managed platform. In addition, in 2015, Cottonwood Residential, Inc. secured an additional $52.5 million debt commitment and $52.5 million equity commitment from Equity Resource Investments. In 2018, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP repaid all of the outstanding debt and equity investments made by FrontRange Capital Partners and Equity Resource Investments.
Prior Performance of Cottonwood Residential, Inc., Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and their Affiliates
Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP has become the manager of 11 limited liability companies which were formed to accept the contribution of tenant in common interests in multifamily apartment communities formerly owned by tenant in common owners or which were converted from Delaware statutory trusts. These limited liability companies accepted the contribution of undivided interests in real estate in exchange for limited liability company interests. Approximately 76 investors participated in these limited liability companies. All of the limited liability companies acquired multifamily apartment communities, of which eight were located in the southeastern United States, two were located in the southwestern United States and one was located in the northwestern United States. All of the properties were previously owned. As of December 31, 2018, six of the properties have been sold.
90
Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP also sponsored the formation of two tenant in common structures. One of these programs was formed in 2015 to acquire a property located in Buford, GA with one investor who contributed approximately $9M to acquire a 20% interest in the property. During 2018, Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP acquired this investors interest in the property and now owns 98.7% of the property. The other program was formed in 2017 to acquire a property located in St. Petersburg, FL with two investors who contributed approximately $23M to acquire a 79.5% equity interest in the property. The property had previously been 100% owned by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP.
Cottonwood Capital Property Management II, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, sponsored Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. conducted a $50,000,000 offering that was qualified as a Tier 2 offering pursuant to Regulation A promulgated under the Securities Act from May 2016 through April 2017, raising the full offering amount from approximately 1,300 investors. It has acquired interests in three multifamily apartment communities, one located in Florida, one located in North Carolina and one located in Georgia. The total purchase price for the portion of the properties acquired by Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. was approximately $126,796,500. The properties were acquired using permanent financing in the amount of approximately $89,900,000 (of which $80,910,000 is allocable to Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc.s interest in the properties). Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. reached the minimum offering amount on September 2, 2016 and has made daily distributions in the amount of $0.001571038 per day since that time. Distributions have been paid each month beginning October 2016. See Appendix C, Table I for more information on this offering.
Cottonwood Capital Property Management II, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP also sponsored Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. conducted a $50,000,000 offering that was qualified as a Tier 2 offering pursuant to Regulation A promulgated under the Securities Act from July 2017 through August 2018, raising the full offering amount from approximately 1,100 investors. It has acquired interests in two multifamily apartment communities, one located in Massachusetts, and one located in North Carolina. The total purchase price for the portion of the properties acquired by Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. was approximately $100,177,000. The properties were acquired using permanent financing in the amount of approximately $71,760,000 (of which approximately $54,834,000 is allocable to Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc.s interest in the properties). Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. reached its minimum offering amount on September 27, 2017 and has made daily distributions in the amount of $0.0014383562 per day since that time. Distributions have been paid each month beginning October 2017. See Appendix C, Table I for more information on this offering.
Cottonwood Capital Property Management II, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, also sponsored Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. launched its $50.0 million offering in November 2017 and as of the date of the prospectus its offering is fully subscribed. It has made an initial investment in a development project for a multifamily apartment community.
The following table sets forth information regarding these 11 limited liability companies, two tenant in common transactions, Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc., Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc.
Name of Program |
Type of Program |
Launch Year |
Program Status | |||
Pavilions |
Limited Liability Company | 2011 | Operating | |||
Lily Flagg |
Limited Liability Company | 2011 | Closed/Sold | |||
Waterford Creek |
Limited Liability Company | 2012 | Closed/Sold | |||
Appling Lakes |
Limited Liability Company | 2012 | Closed/Sold | |||
Midtown Crossing |
Limited Liability Company | 2013 | Closed/Sold | |||
Brook Highland Place |
Limited Liability Company | 2013 | Closed/Sold | |||
Toscana |
Limited Liability Company | 2015 | Operating | |||
Scott Mountain |
Limited Liability Company | 2015 | Operating | |||
Courtney Oaks |
Limited Liability Company | 2015 | Operating | |||
Sanctuary |
Limited Liability Company | 2015 | Closed/Sold | |||
Summer Park |
Tenant in Common | 2015 | Closed | |||
Arbors at Fairview |
Limited Liability Company | 2016 | Closed/Sold | |||
Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. |
REIT | 2016 | Operating | |||
Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. |
REIT | 2017 | Operating | |||
Cottonwood Bayview |
Tenant in Common | 2017 | Operating | |||
Cottonwood Multifamily Opportunity Fund, Inc. |
REIT | 2017 | Operating |
91
Neither Cottonwood Residential, Inc., nor Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, nor their affiliates have sponsored any prior public programs that disclosed a liquidity event date. See Appendix C, Table III, Annual Operating Results of Prior Real Estate Programs for information regarding the last five programs sponsored by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP.
Cottonwood Capital, LLC, which became a subsidiary of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP in 2011, was formed in 2005 for the purpose of offering tenant in common interests in multifamily residential apartment communities. Cottonwood Capital, LLC or its affiliates sponsored 17 tenants in common programs. These prior tenants in common programs raised more than $157 million from over 419 investors. Purchasers who participated in more than one prior tenant in common program were counted as an investor for each such program. The tenant in common programs purchased 17 properties for an aggregate purchase price of more than $412 million, of which 4 were located in the southeastern United States, 9 were located in the southwestern United States, 1 was located in the northwestern United States and 3 were located in the western United States. All of the properties were previously owned. All of the properties were multifamily residential properties. Of these 17 programs, 13 have been sold as of December 31, 2018. The following table sets forth information regarding the 17 tenants in common programs.
Name of Program |
Type of Program |
Launch Year |
Program Status | |||
Northwest Corners |
Tenant in Common | 2005 | Closed/Sold | |||
Scott Mountain |
Tenant in Common | 2005 | Closed | |||
Tramore Village |
Tenant in Common | 2005 | Closed/Sold | |||
Camelot |
Tenant in Common | 2006 | Closed/Sold | |||
Valencia Park |
Tenant in Common | 2006 | Closed/Sold | |||
Fox Point |
Tenant in Common | 2006 | Operating | |||
Greenbrier |
Tenant in Common | 2006 | Closed/Sold | |||
Water Song |
Tenant in Common | 2007 | Closed/Sold | |||
Cottonwood Apartments |
Tenant in Common | 2007 | Closed | |||
West Town |
Tenant in Common | 2007 | Closed/Sold | |||
Gables Apartments |
Tenant in Common | 2007 | Closed/Sold | |||
Arbors at Windsor Lake |
Tenant in Common | 2008 | Closed/Sold | |||
Regatta |
Tenant in Common | 2008 | Closed | |||
Oak Ridge |
Tenant in Common | 2008 | Closed/Sold | |||
Copperfield |
Tenant in Common | 2008 | Closed/Sold | |||
Blue Swan |
Tenant in Common | 2008 | Closed/Sold | |||
Arbor Crossing |
Tenant in Common | 2009 | Closed/Sold |
See Appendix C, Table IV Operating Results of Prior Real Estate Programs Which Have Completed Operations, for information regarding the last five real estate programs that have been sold.
Prior Programs with Adverse Results
The following is a summary of the prior real estate programs of Cottonwood Capital, LLC and its affiliates as of December 31, 2018 that have experienced adverse results.
Copperfield, a multifamily apartment community located in San Antonio, Texas, was acquired in September, 2008 and sold by the tenant in common owners in September, 2015. When distributions are included, investors experienced an average annualized rate of return on the investors initial equity invest of -0.98%.
Tramore Village, a multifamily apartment community located in Austell, Georgia, was acquired in December, 2005 and sold by the tenant in common owners in June, 2015. When distributions are included, investors experienced an average annualized rate of return on the investors initial equity investment of -0.29%.
92
Valencia Park, a multifamily apartment community located in Norcross, Georgia, was acquired in March, 2006 and sold by the tenant in common owners in March, 2015. When distributions are included, investors experienced an average annualized rate of return on the investors initial equity investment of -12.95%.
In addition, the prior real estate programs listed above were established from 2005 to 2009. In 2008, the United States economy experienced a significant recession. Real estate values in the United States were severely impacted. As a result of the recession, all of the prior real estate programs, at one or more times, failed to meet the projected distribution initially made by Cottonwood Capital, LLC and its affiliates with respect to such investment. See Appendix C, Table III Annual Operating Results of Prior Real Estate Programs and Table IV Operating Results of Prior Real Estate Programs Which Have Completed Operations for more detailed information regarding the performance of some of the prior real estate programs. All prior programs for which anticipated liquidation dates were set forth in the original offering document, and for which such dates have passed, were liquidated on or before the anticipated liquidation date.
93
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a summary of the material United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our common stock. The law firm of DLA Piper LLP (US) has acted as our tax counsel and reviewed this summary. For purposes of this section under the heading Federal Income Tax Considerations, references to Cottonwood Communities, we, our, and us mean only Cottonwood Communities, Inc. and not its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities, except as otherwise indicated. This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code, the regulations promulgated by the United States Treasury Department, rulings and other administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service, and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect, and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences described below. We have not sought and do not currently expect to seek an advance ruling from the Internal Revenue Service regarding any matter discussed in this prospectus. The summary is also based upon the assumption that we will operate Cottonwood Communities, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliated entities in accordance with their applicable organizational documents. This summary is for general information only and does not purport to discuss all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be important to a particular investor in light of its investment or tax circumstances or to investors subject to special tax rules, such as:
| financial institutions; |
| insurance companies; |
| broker-dealers; |
| regulated investment companies; |
| partnerships and trusts; |
| persons who hold our stock on behalf of other persons as nominees; |
| persons who receive our stock through the exercise of employee stock options (if we ever have employees) or otherwise as compensation; |
| persons holding our stock as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion transaction, constructive ownership transaction, synthetic security, or other integrated investment; |
| S corporations; |
and, except to the extent discussed below:
| tax-exempt organizations; and |
| foreign investors. |
This summary assumes that investors will hold their common stock as a capital asset, which generally means as property held for investment.
The federal income tax treatment of holders of our common stock depends in some instances on determinations of fact and interpretations of complex provisions of United States federal income tax law for which no clear precedent or authority may be available. In addition, the tax consequences to any particular shareholder of holding our common stock will depend on the shareholders particular tax circumstances. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the federal, state, local, and foreign income and other tax consequences to you in light of your particular investment or tax circumstances of acquiring, holding, exchanging, or otherwise disposing of our common stock.
Taxation of Cottonwood Communities
We intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT beginning with the taxable year ending December 31, 2019. We believe that we have been organized and expect to operate in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT.
94
The law firm of DLA Piper LLP (US), acting as our tax counsel in connection with this offering, has rendered an opinion that our organization and current and proposed method of operation will enable us to be taxed as a REIT pursuant to Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code, commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2019. It must be emphasized that the opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) is based on various assumptions relating to our organization and operation and is conditioned upon fact-based representations and covenants made by our management regarding our organization, assets, and income, and the past, present, and future conduct of our business operations. While we intend to operate so that we will qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given by DLA Piper LLP (US) or by us that we will qualify as a REIT for any particular year. The opinion is expressed as of the date issued and does not cover subsequent periods. Counsel has no obligation to advise us or our shareholders of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed, or of any subsequent change in the applicable law. You should be aware that opinions of counsel are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service, and no assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service will not challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions.
Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual operating results, distribution levels, and diversity of stock and asset ownership, various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code, the compliance with which will not be reviewed by DLA Piper LLP (US). Our ability to qualify as a REIT also requires that we satisfy certain asset tests, some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets that we own directly or indirectly. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any taxable year will satisfy such requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
Taxation of REITs in General
As indicated above, our qualification and taxation as a REIT depends upon our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code. The material qualification requirements are summarized below under Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsTaxation of Cottonwood CommunitiesRequirements for QualificationGeneral. While we intend to operate so that we qualify as a REIT, no assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service will not challenge our qualification, or that we will be able to operate in accordance with the REIT requirements in the future. See Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsTaxation of Cottonwood Communities Failure to Qualify.
Provided that we qualify as a REIT, we will generally be entitled to a deduction for dividends that we pay to our shareholders and therefore will not be subject to federal corporate income tax on our taxable income that is currently distributed to our shareholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the double taxation at the corporate and shareholder levels that generally results from an investment in a corporation. In general, the income that we generate is taxed only at the shareholder level upon distribution to our shareholders.
Certain domestic shareholders that are individuals, trusts or estates are taxed on corporate distributions at a maximum rate of 20% (the same as long-term capital gains). With limited exceptions, however, distributions from us or from other entities that are taxed as REITs are generally not eligible for this rate and will continue to be taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income, which will be as high as 37.0%. See Taxation of ShareholdersTaxation of Taxable Domestic ShareholdersDistributions. However, for taxable years prior to 2026, individual shareholders are generally allowed to deduct 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary dividends distributed by us, subject to certain limitations, which would reduce the maximum marginal effective tax rate for individuals on the receipt of such ordinary dividends to 29.6%. The Internal Revenue Service has issued proposed regulations that would affect an individual shareholders ability to claim this deduction if our stock has not been held for at least 45 days prior to the payment of the dividend. Individual shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to their ability to claim this deduction.
Any net operating losses and other tax attributes generally do not pass through to our shareholders, subject to special rules for certain items such as the capital gains that we recognize. See Taxation of Shareholders.
95
If we qualify as a REIT, we will nonetheless be subject to federal tax in the following circumstances:
| We will be taxed at regular corporate rates on any undistributed taxable income, including undistributed net capital gains. |
| If we have net income from prohibited transactions, which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of inventory or property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property, such income will be subject to a 100% tax. See Prohibited Transactions and Foreclosure Property below. |
| If we elect to treat property that we acquire with a foreclosure of a mortgage loan or certain leasehold terminations as foreclosure property, we may thereby avoid the 100% tax on gain from resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction), but the income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to corporate income tax at the highest applicable rate (currently 21%). |
| If we should fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because we satisfy other requirements, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount based on the magnitude of the failure, as adjusted to reflect the profit margin associated with our gross income. |
| If we should violate the asset tests (other than certain de minimis violations) or other requirements applicable to REITs, as described below, and yet maintain our qualification as a REIT because there is reasonable cause for the failure and other applicable requirements are met, we may be subject to an excise tax. In that case, the amount of the excise tax will be at least $50,000 per failure, and, in the case of certain asset test failures, will be determined as the amount of net income generated by the assets in question multiplied by the highest corporate tax rate (currently 21%) if that amount exceeds $50,000 per failure. |
| If we should fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year; (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year; and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (i) the amounts that we actually distributed and (ii) the amounts we retained and upon which we paid income tax at the corporate level. |
| We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the Internal Revenue Service in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of a REITs shareholders, as described below in Requirements for QualificationGeneral. |
| If we acquire appreciated assets from a corporation that is not a REIT (i.e., a corporation taxable under subchapter C of the Internal Revenue Code) in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of the subchapter C corporation, we may be subject to tax on such appreciation at the highest corporate income tax rate then applicable if we subsequently recognize gain on a disposition of any such assets during the five-year period following their acquisition from the subchapter C corporation. |
| The earnings of our subsidiaries are subject to federal corporate income tax to the extent that such subsidiaries are subchapter C corporations. We will also be subject to this rule with regard to assets acquired by us before the effective date of our REIT election that have appreciated. |
In addition, we and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of taxes, including payroll taxes and state and local and foreign income, property and other taxes on our assets and operations. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for QualificationGeneral
The Internal Revenue Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:
(1) | that is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
96
(2) | the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest; |
(3) | that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for its election to be subject to tax as a REIT; |
(4) | that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; |
(5) | the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons for at least 335 days of each taxable year of 12 months or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months; |
(6) | in which, during the last half of each taxable year, not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include specified tax-exempt entities); and |
(7) | which meets other tests described below, including with respect to the nature of its income and assets. |
The Internal Revenue Code provides that conditions (1) through (4) must be met during the entire taxable year, and that condition (5) must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Conditions (5) and (6) need not be met during a corporations initial tax year as a REIT. (In our case, we intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT for our taxable year ending December 31, 2019.) Our charter provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our shares, which are intended to assist us in satisfying the share ownership requirements described in conditions (5) and (6) above.
We believe that we will issue in this offering common stock with sufficient diversity of ownership to satisfy conditions (5) and (6). In addition, our charter restricts the ownership and transfer of our stock so that we should continue to satisfy these requirements. The provisions of our charter restricting the ownership and transfer of our common stock are described in Description of SharesRestriction on Ownership of Shares.
To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we generally are required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our shares. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record holders of significant percentages of our stock pursuant to which the record holders must disclose the actual owners of the shares (i.e., the persons required to include our distributions in their gross income). We must maintain a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand as part of our records. We could be subject to monetary penalties if we fail to comply with these record-keeping requirements. If you fail or refuse to comply with the demands, you will be required by Treasury Regulations to submit a statement with your tax return disclosing your actual ownership of our shares and other information.
In addition, a REIT may not have any undistributed C corporation earnings and profits at the end of any taxable year. Upon our election to be taxable as a REIT, any earnings and profits that we have accumulated while we were taxable as a C corporation would have to be distributed no later than the end of the first year for which we elect REIT status. If we fail to do so, we would not qualify to be taxed as a REIT for that year and a number of years thereafter, unless we are able to rely on certain relief provisions.
The Internal Revenue Code provides relief from violations of the REIT gross income requirements, as described below under Income Tests, in cases where a violation is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, and other requirements are met, including the payment of a penalty tax that is based upon the magnitude of the violation. In addition, certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code extend similar relief in the case of certain violations of the REIT asset requirements (see Asset Tests below) and other REIT requirements, again provided that the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and other conditions are met, including the payment of a penalty tax. If we fail to satisfy any of the various REIT requirements, there can be no assurance that these relief provisions would be available to enable us to maintain our qualification as a REIT, and, if such relief provisions are available, the amount of any resultant penalty tax could be substantial.
97
Effect of Subsidiary Entities
Ownership of Partnership Interests. If we are a partner in an entity that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, Treasury Regulations provide that we are deemed to own our proportionate share of the partnerships assets, and to earn our proportionate share of the partnerships income, for purposes of the asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs. Our proportionate share of a partnerships assets and income is based on our capital interest in the partnership (except that for purposes of the 10% value test, our proportionate share of the partnerships assets is based on our proportionate interest in the equity and certain debt securities issued by the partnership). In addition, the assets and gross income of the partnership are deemed to retain the same character in our hands. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets and items of income of any of our subsidiary partnerships will be treated as our assets and items of income for purposes of applying the REIT requirements. For any period of time that we own 100% of our operating partnership, all of the operating partnerships assets and income will be deemed to be ours for federal income tax purposes.
Under rules applicable to U.S. federal income tax audits of partnerships. Under new rules, among other changes and subject to certain exceptions, any audit adjustments to items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit of a partnership (and any partners distributive share thereof) is determined, and taxes, interest or penalties attributable thereto are assessed and collected, at the partnership level. Such rules could result in a partnership in which we own an interest being required to pay additional taxes, interest and penalties as a result of an audit adjustment, and we could be required to bear the economic burden of those taxes, interest and penalties even though we, as a REIT, may not otherwise have been required to pay additional corporate-level taxes as a result of the related audit adjustment.
Disregarded Subsidiaries. If we own a corporate subsidiary that is a qualified REIT subsidiary, that subsidiary is generally disregarded for federal income tax purposes, and all of the subsidiarys assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit are treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs. A qualified REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a taxable REIT subsidiary, that is directly or indirectly wholly owned by a REIT. Other entities that are wholly owned by us, including single member limited liability companies that have not elected to be taxed as corporations for federal income tax purposes, are also generally disregarded as separate entities for federal income tax purposes, including for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests. Disregarded subsidiaries, along with any partnerships in which we hold an equity interest, are sometimes referred to herein as pass-through subsidiaries.
In the event that a disregarded subsidiary of ours ceases to be wholly ownedfor example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or another disregarded subsidiary of oursthe subsidiarys separate existence would no longer be disregarded for federal income tax purposes. Instead, the subsidiary would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership or a taxable corporation. Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the various asset and gross income requirements applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the securities of another corporation. See Asset Tests and Income Tests.
Taxable REIT Subsidiaries. In the future we may jointly elect with any of our subsidiary corporations, whether or not wholly owned, to treat such subsidiary corporations as taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs. A REIT is permitted to own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. A domestic TRS is a fully taxable corporation that may earn income that would not be qualifying income if earned directly by the parent REIT. The subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. A corporation with respect to which a TRS directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the stock will automatically be treated as a TRS. We generally may not own more than 10% of the securities of a taxable corporation, as measured by voting power or value, unless we and such corporation elect to treat such corporation as a TRS. Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REITs assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs.
The separate existence of a TRS or other taxable corporation is not ignored for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, a TRS or other taxable corporation generally would be subject to corporate income tax on its earnings, which may reduce the cash flow that we and our subsidiaries generate in the aggregate, and may reduce our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.
98
We are not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or other taxable subsidiary corporation or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by a taxable subsidiary to us is an asset in our hands, and we treat the distributions paid to us from such taxable subsidiary, if any, as income. This treatment can affect our income and asset test calculations, as described below. Because we do not include the assets and income of TRSs or other taxable subsidiary corporations in determining our compliance with the REIT requirements, we may use such entities to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude us from doing directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. For example, we may use TRSs or other taxable subsidiary corporations to conduct activities that give rise to certain categories of income such as management fees or activities that would be treated in our hands as prohibited transactions.
Certain restrictions imposed on TRSs are intended to ensure that such entities will be subject to appropriate levels of United States federal income taxation. For example, if amounts are paid to a REIT or deducted by a TRS due to transactions between the REIT and a TRS that exceed the amount that would be paid to or deducted by a party in an arms-length transaction, the REIT generally will be subject to an excise tax equal to 100% of such excess. Note that the 100% tax will also apply to redetermined services income, i.e. non-arms-length income of a REITs TRS attributable to services provided to, or on behalf of, the REIT (other than services provided to REIT tenants, which are potentially taxed as redetermined rents). We intend to scrutinize all of our transactions with any of our subsidiaries that are treated as a TRS in an effort to ensure that we do not become subject to this excise tax; however, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in avoiding this excise tax.
Income Tests
In order to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy two gross income requirements on an annual basis.
| First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in prohibited transactions, generally must be derived from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property or on interest in real property, including interest income derived from mortgage loans secured by real property, rents from real property, distributions received from other REITs and gains from the sale of real estate assets (other than a non-qualified publicly offered REIT debt instrument), as well as specified income from temporary investments. |
| Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging transactions, must be derived from some combination of such income from investments in real property (i.e., income that qualifies under the 75% income test described above), as well as other distributions, interest, and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property. |
Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% income test (as described above) to the extent that the obligation upon which such interest is paid is secured by a mortgage on real property. If we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and personal property, and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date that we acquired or originated the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned between the real property and the personal property, and our income from the arrangement will qualify for purposes of the 75% income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property. However, for purposes of the 75% income test, if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, such personal property is treated as real property. Even if a loan is not secured by real property, or is undersecured, the income that it generates may nonetheless qualify for purposes of the 95% income test.
To the extent that we derive income from the rental of real property (discussed below) where all or a portion of the amount of rental income payable is contingent, such income generally will qualify for purposes of the gross income tests only if it is based upon the gross receipts or sales and not on the net income or profits of the lessee. This limitation does not apply, however, where the lessee leases substantially all of its interest in the property to tenants or subtenants to the extent that the rental income derived by the lessee would qualify as rents from real property had we earned the income directly.
99
We and our subsidiaries may invest in mezzanine loans, which are loans secured by equity interests in an entity that directly or indirectly owns real property, rather than by a direct mortgage of the real property. The Internal Revenue Service has issued Revenue Procedure 2003-65, which provides a safe harbor applicable to mezzanine loans. Under the Revenue Procedure, if a mezzanine loan meets each of the requirements contained in the Revenue Procedure, (1) the mezzanine loan will be treated by the Internal Revenue Service as a real estate asset for purposes of the asset tests described below and (2) interest derived from the mezzanine loan will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% income test. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. We intend to structure any investments in mezzanine loans in a manner that generally complies with the various requirements applicable to our qualification as a REIT. However, the extent that any of our mezzanine loans do not meet all of the requirements for reliance on the safe harbor set forth in the Revenue Procedure, there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will not challenge the tax treatment of these loans.
Rents received by us will qualify as rents from real property in satisfying the gross income requirements described above only if several conditions are met.
| If rent is partly attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property, the portion of the rent that is attributable to the personal property will not qualify as rents from real property unless it constitutes 15% or less of the total rent received under the lease. |
| The amount of rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. Amounts received as rent, however, generally will not be excluded from rents from real property solely by reason of being based on fixed percentages of gross receipts or sales. |
| We generally must not operate or manage the property or furnish or render services to the tenants of such property, other than through an independent contractor from which we derive no revenue. We are permitted, however, to perform services that are usually or customarily rendered in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and which are not otherwise considered rendered to the occupant of the property. In addition, we may directly or indirectly provide non-customary services to tenants of our properties without disqualifying all of the rent from the property if the payments for such services do not exceed 1% of the total gross income from the properties. For purposes of this test, we are deemed to have received income from such non-customary services in an amount at least 150% of the direct cost of providing the services. Moreover, we are generally permitted to provide services to tenants or others through a TRS without disqualifying the rental income received from tenants for purposes of the income tests. |
| We must not directly or constructively hold a 10% or greater interest, as measured by vote or value, in the lessees equity. |
We may directly or indirectly receive distributions from TRSs or other corporations that are not REITs or qualified REIT subsidiaries. These distributions generally are treated as dividend income to the extent of the earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions will generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any distributions that we receive from a REIT, however, will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 95% and 75% income tests.
We may receive various fees in connection with our operations relating to the origination or purchase of whole loans secured by first mortgages and other loans secured by real property. The fees will generally be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests if they are received in consideration for entering into an agreement to make a loan secured by real property and the fees are not determined by income and profits. Other fees generally are not qualifying income for purposes of either gross income test and will not be favorably counted for purposes of either gross income test. Any fees earned by any TRS will not be included for purposes of the gross income tests. We and our subsidiaries may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate agreements or similar financial instruments. Except to the extent provided by Treasury Regulations, any income from a hedging transaction we entered into (1) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate, inflation and/or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be
100
incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, which is clearly identified as specified in Treasury Regulations before the closing of the day on which it was acquired, originated or entered into, including gain from the sale or disposition of such a transaction, (2) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% income tests, and (3) to manage risk with respect to the extinguishment of certain indebtedness or the disposition of certain property relating to prior hedging transactions described in (1) or (2) above, each of which is clearly identified as such before the closing of the day on which it was acquired, originated or entered to, will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests.
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may still qualify as a REIT for such year if we are entitled to relief under applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These relief provisions will be generally available if (1) our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and (2) following our identification of the failure to meet the 75% or 95% gross income test for any taxable year, we file a schedule with the Internal Revenue Service setting forth each item of our gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income test for such taxable year in accordance with Treasury Regulations yet to be issued. It is not possible to state whether we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances, we will not qualify as a REIT. As discussed above under Taxation of REITs in General, even where these relief provisions apply, the Internal Revenue Code imposes a tax based upon the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test.
Asset Tests
At the close of each calendar quarter, we must also satisfy five tests relating to the nature of our assets.
| First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of real estate assets, cash, cash items, United States government securities and, under some circumstances, stock or debt instruments purchased with new capital. For this purpose, real estate assets include interests in real property, such as land, buildings, leasehold interests in real property, stock of other corporations that qualify as REITs and some kinds of mortgage-backed securities and mortgage loans. To the extent that rent attributable to personal property is treated as rents from real property under the Internal Revenue Code, such personal property will be treated as a real estate asset for purposes of the 75% asset test. Further, a debt obligation secured by a mortgage on both real and personal property will be treated as a real estate asset for purposes of the 75% asset test, if the fair market value of the personal property does not exceed 15% of the fair market value of all property securing the debt. Assets that do not qualify for purposes of the 75% test are subject to the additional asset tests described below. |
| Second, no more than 25% of our total assets may be represented by securities other than those in the 75% asset class; provided that not more than 25% of the value of our assets may consist of debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs. |
| Third, of the investments included in the 25% asset class, the value of any one issuers securities that we own may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets. Additionally, we may not own more than 10% of any one issuers outstanding securities, as measured by either voting power or value. The 5% and 10% asset tests do not apply to securities of TRSs and qualified REIT subsidiaries and the 10% asset test does not apply to straight debt having specified characteristics and to certain other securities described below. Solely for purposes of the 10% asset test, the determination of our interest in the assets of a partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest will be based on our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership or limited liability company, excluding for this purpose certain securities described in the Internal Revenue Code. |
| Fourth, the aggregate value of all securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries that we hold may not exceed 20% of the value of our total assets. |
| Fifth, not more than 25% of the value of a REITs assets may consist of nonqualified publicly offered REIT debt instruments. |
101
Notwithstanding the general rule, as noted above, that for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests we are treated as owning our proportionate share of the underlying assets of a subsidiary partnership, if we hold indebtedness issued by a partnership, the indebtedness will be subject to, and may cause a violation of, the asset tests unless the indebtedness is a qualifying mortgage asset or other conditions are met. Similarly, although stock of another REIT is a qualifying asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests, any non-mortgage debt that is issued by another REIT may not so qualify (such debt, however, will not be treated as securities for purposes of the 10% asset test, as explained below).
Certain relief provisions are available to REITs to satisfy the asset requirements or to maintain REIT qualification notwithstanding certain violations of the asset and other requirements. One such provision allows a REIT which fails one or more of the asset requirements to nevertheless maintain its REIT qualification if (1) the REIT provides the Internal Revenue Service with a description of each asset causing the failure; (2) the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect; (3) the REIT pays a tax equal to the greater of (a) $50,000 per failure and (b) the product of the net income generated by the assets that caused the failure multiplied by the highest applicable corporate tax rate (currently 21%); and (4) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or otherwise satisfies the relevant asset tests within that time frame.
In the case of de minimis violations of the 10% and 5% asset tests, a REIT may maintain its qualification despite a violation of such requirements if (1) the value of the assets causing the violation does not exceed the lesser of 1% of the REITs total assets and $10,000,000, and (2) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or the relevant tests are otherwise satisfied within that time frame.
Certain securities will not cause a violation of the 10% asset test described above. Such securities include instruments that constitute straight debt, which includes, among other things, securities having certain contingency features. A security does not qualify as straight debt where a REIT (or a controlled TRS of the REIT) owns other securities of the same issuer which do not qualify as straight debt, unless the value of those other securities constitute, in the aggregate, 1% or less of the total value of that issuers outstanding securities. In addition to straight debt, the Internal Revenue Code provides that certain other securities will not violate the 10% asset test. Such securities include (1) any loan made to an individual or an estate; (2) certain rental agreements pursuant to which one or more payments are to be made in subsequent years (other than agreements between a REIT and certain persons related to the REIT under attribution rules); (3) any obligation to pay rents from real property; (4) securities issued by governmental entities that are not dependent in whole or in part on the profits of (or payments made by) a non-governmental entity; (5) any security (including debt securities) issued by another REIT; and (6) any debt instrument issued by a partnership if the partnerships income is of a nature that it would satisfy the 75% gross income test described above under Income Tests. In applying the 10% asset test, a debt security issued by a partnership is not taken into account to the extent, if any, of the REITs proportionate interest in the equity and certain debt securities issued by that partnership.
Independent appraisals may not be obtained to support our conclusions as to the value of our total assets or the value of any particular security or securities. Moreover, values of some assets may not be susceptible to a precise determination, and values are subject to change in the future. Furthermore, the proper classification of an instrument as debt or equity for federal income tax purposes may be uncertain in some circumstances, which could affect the application of the REIT asset requirements. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will not contend that our interests in our subsidiaries or in the securities of other issuers will not cause a violation of the REIT asset tests.
If we should fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, such a failure would not cause us to lose our REIT qualification if we (1) satisfied the asset tests at the close of the preceding calendar quarter and (2) the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset requirements was not wholly or partly caused by an acquisition of non-qualifying assets, but instead arose from changes in the market value of our assets. If the condition described in (2) were not satisfied, we still could avoid disqualification by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which it arose or by making use of relief provisions described below.
102
Annual Distribution Requirements
In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required to make distributions, other than capital gain distributions, to our shareholders in an amount at least equal to:
(a) | the sum of |
(1) | 90% of our REIT taxable income, computed without regard to our net capital gains and the dividends-paid deduction, and |
(2) | 90% of our net income, if any, (after tax) from foreclosure property (as described below), minus |
(b) | the sum of certain specified items of non-cash income. |
We generally must make these distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if declared before we timely file our tax return for the year and if paid with or before the first regular distribution payment after such declaration. In order for dividends to be counted for this purpose for a REIT that is not publicly offered, and to provide a tax deduction for such REIT, the dividends must not be preferential dividends. A dividend is not a preferential dividend if the dividend is (1) pro rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class and (2) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in our organizational documents. These preferential dividend rules do not apply to a publicly offered REIT. We believe that we will be a publicly offered REIT.
To the extent that we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our REIT taxable income, as adjusted, we will be subject to tax at ordinary corporate tax rates on the retained portion. We may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, we could elect for our shareholders to include their proportionate shares of such undistributed long-term capital gains in income, and to receive a corresponding credit for their share of the tax that we paid. Our shareholders would then increase their adjusted basis of their stock by the difference between (a) the amounts of capital gain distributions that we designated and that they include in their taxable income minus (b) the tax that we paid on their behalf with respect to that income.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements, noting that net operating loss carryovers can only offset at most 80% of taxable income (but such losses can be carried forward indefinitely). Such losses, however, will generally not affect the character, in the hands of our shareholders, of any distributions that are actually made as ordinary dividends or capital gains. See Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsTaxation of ShareholdersTaxation of Taxable Domestic ShareholdersDistributions.
If we should fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year; (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year; and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (x) the amounts actually distributed plus (y) the amounts of income we retained and on which we have paid corporate income tax.
We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year by paying deficiency dividends to shareholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for distributions paid for the earlier year. In this case, we may be able to avoid losing REIT qualification or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. We will be required to pay interest and a penalty based on the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.
103
Failure to Qualify
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification other than the gross income or asset tests, we could avoid disqualification if our failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect and we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. Relief provisions are available for failures of the gross income tests and asset tests, as described above in Income Tests and Asset Tests.
If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the relief provisions described above do not apply, we would be subject to tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We cannot deduct distributions to shareholders in any year in which we are not a REIT, nor would we be required to make distributions in such a year. In this situation, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, distributions to domestic shareholders that are individuals, trusts and estates will generally be taxable at capital gains rates. In addition, subject to the limitations of the Internal Revenue Code, corporate distributees may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Unless we are entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we would also be disqualified from re-electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we lost qualification. It is not possible to state whether, in all circumstances, we would be entitled to this statutory relief.
Prohibited Transactions
Net income that we derive from a prohibited transaction is subject to a 100% tax. The term prohibited transaction generally includes a sale or other disposition of property (other than foreclosure property, as discussed below) that is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. We intend to conduct our operations so that no asset that we own (or are treated as owning) will be treated as, or as having been, held for sale to customers, and that a sale of any such asset will not be treated as having been in the ordinary course of our business. Whether property is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business depends on the particular facts and circumstances. No assurance can be given that any property that we sell will not be treated as property held for sale to customers, or that we can comply with certain safe-harbor provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that would prevent such treatment. The 100% tax does not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will potentially be subject to tax in the hands of the corporation at regular corporate rates, nor does the 100% tax apply to sales that qualify for a safe harbor as described in Section 857(b)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Foreclosure Property
Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property (1) that we acquire as the result of having bid on the property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after a default (or upon imminent default) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by us and secured by the property; (2) for which we acquired the related loan or lease at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated; and (3) with respect to which we made a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. We generally will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate (currently 21%) on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that would otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise constitute inventory or dealer property. To the extent that we receive any income from foreclosure property that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test, we intend to make an election to treat the related property as foreclosure property.
Taxation of Taxable Domestic Shareholders
Distributions. So long as we qualify as a REIT, the distributions that we make to our taxable domestic shareholders out of current or accumulated earnings and profits that we do not designate as capital gain distributions will generally be taken into account by shareholders as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. With limited exceptions, our distributions are not eligible for taxation at the
104
preferential income tax rates (i.e., the 20% maximum federal rate) for qualified distributions received by domestic shareholders that are individuals, trusts and estates from taxable C corporations, provided individuals may be able to deduct 20% of income received as ordinary REIT dividends, thus reducing the maximum effective federal income tax rate on such dividend. Such shareholders, however, are taxed at the preferential rates on distributions designated by and received from REITs to the extent that the distributions are attributable to:
| income retained by the REIT in the prior taxable year on which the REIT was subject to corporate level income tax (less the amount of tax); |
| distributions received by the REIT from TRSs or other taxable C corporations; or |
| income in the prior taxable year from the sales of built-in gain property acquired by the REIT from C corporations in carryover basis transactions (less the amount of corporate tax on such income). |
Distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends will generally be taxed to our shareholders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that such distributions do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the shareholder that receives such distribution has held its stock. We may elect to retain and pay taxes on some or all of our net long-term capital gains, in which case provisions of the Internal Revenue Code will treat our shareholders as having received, solely for tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains, and the shareholders will receive a corresponding credit for taxes that we paid on such undistributed capital gains. See Federal Income Tax Considerations Annual Distribution Requirements. Corporate shareholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain distributions as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at maximum federal rates of 20% in the case of shareholders that are individuals, trusts and estates, and 21% in the case of shareholders that are corporations. Capital gains dividends attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than 12 months are subject to a 25% U.S. federal income tax rate for taxable domestic shareholders who are individuals, trusts or estates, to the extent of certain previously claimed depreciation deductions.
For purposes of determining the portion of distributions on separate classes of securities that will be treated as dividends for United States federal income tax purposes, current and accumulated earnings and profits will be allocated to distributions resulting from priority rights of preferred stock before being allocated to other distributions.
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will generally represent a return of capital and will not be taxable to a shareholder to the extent that the amount of such distributions do not exceed the adjusted basis of the shareholders shares in respect of which the distributions were made. Rather, the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of the shareholders shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted basis of a shareholders shares, the shareholder generally must include such distributions in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less. In addition, any distributions that we declare in October, November or December of any year and that is payable to a shareholder of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the shareholder on December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the distribution before the end of January of the following calendar year.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See Federal Income Tax Considerations Annual Distribution Requirements. Such losses, however, are not passed through to shareholders and do not offset income of shareholders from other sources, nor would such losses affect the character of any distributions that we make, which are generally subject to tax in the hands of shareholders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.
Dispositions of Our Stock. In general, a taxable domestic shareholder who is not a dealer in securities must treat any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of our stock as long-term capital gain or loss if the taxable domestic shareholder has held our stock for more than one year. Otherwise, the taxable domestic shareholder must treat any such gain or loss as short-term capital gain or loss. However, a taxable domestic shareholder must treat any loss upon a sale or exchange of our stock held by such shareholder for six months or less as a long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain dividends and any other actual or deemed distributions from us that such shareholder treats as long-term capital gain. All or a portion of any loss that a taxable domestic shareholder realizes upon a taxable disposition of our stock may be disallowed if the United States shareholder repurchases our stock within 30 days before or after the disposition.
105
Capital Gains and Losses. The tax rate differential between capital gain and ordinary income for non-corporate taxpayers may be significant. A taxpayer generally must hold a capital asset for more than one year for gain or loss derived from its sale or exchange to be treated as long-term capital gain or loss. The highest marginal individual income tax rate is currently 37%. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains applicable to non-corporate taxpayers is 20% for sales and exchanges of capital assets held for more than one year. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain from the sale or exchange of section 1250 property, or depreciable real property, is 25% to the extent that such gain, known as unrecaptured section 1250 gains, would have been treated as ordinary income on depreciation recapture if the property were section 1245 property. With respect to the distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends and any retained capital gain that we are deemed to distribute, we generally may designate whether such a distribution is taxable to our non-corporate shareholders as long term capital gains or unrecaptured section 1250 gains. The Internal Revenue Service has the authority to prescribe, but has not yet prescribed, regulations that would apply a capital gain tax rate of 25% (which is generally higher than the long-term capital gain tax rates for non-corporate taxpayers) to a portion of capital gain realized by a non-corporate shareholder on the sale of REIT stock that would correspond to the REITs unrecaptured Section 1250 gain. In addition, the characterization of income as capital gain or ordinary income may affect the deductibility of capital losses. A non-corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses not offset by capital gains against its ordinary income only up to a maximum annual amount of $3,000. A non-corporate taxpayer may carry forward unused capital losses indefinitely. A corporate taxpayer must pay tax on its net capital gain at ordinary corporate rates (currently up to 21%). A corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses only to the extent of capital gains, with unused losses being carried back three years and forward five years.
If a taxable domestic shareholder recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our stock in an amount that exceeds a prescribed threshold, it is possible that the provisions of certain Treasury Regulations involving reportable transactions could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss generating transactions to the Internal Revenue Service. While these regulations are directed towards tax shelters, they were written quite broadly, and apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. Significant penalties apply for failure to comply with these requirements. You should consult your tax advisors concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our stock, or transactions that might be undertaken directly or indirectly by us. Moreover, you should be aware that we and other participants in transactions involving us might be subject to disclosure or other requirements pursuant to these regulations.
Passive Activity Losses and Investment Interest Limitations. Distributions that we make and gain arising from the sale or exchange by a domestic shareholder of our stock will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, shareholders will not be able to apply any passive losses against income or gain relating to our stock. To the extent that distributions we make do not constitute a return of capital, they will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation.
Medicare Tax. A United States person that is an individual is subject to a 3.8% tax on the lesser of (i) the United States persons net investment income for the relevant taxable year and (ii) the excess of the United States persons modified gross income for the taxable year over a certain threshold (which currently is between $125,000 and $250,000, depending on the individuals circumstances). Estates and trusts that do not fall into a special class of trusts that is exempt from such tax are subject to the same 3.8% tax on the lesser of their undistributed net investment income and the excess of their adjusted gross income over a certain threshold. Net investment income generally includes dividends on our stock and gain from the sale of our stock. The temporary 20% deduction with respect to ordinary REIT dividends received by non-corporate taxpayers is likely not allowed as a deduction allocable to such dividends for purposes of determining the amount of net investment income subject to 3.8% Medicare tax, which is imposed under Chapter 2A of the Internal Revenue Code. If you are a U.S. person that is an individual, estate or trust, you are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the applicability of this tax to your income and gains in respect of your investment in our stock.
106
Taxation of Foreign Shareholders
The following is a summary of certain United States federal income and estate tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our stock applicable to non-United States holders. A non-United States holder is any person other than:
| a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| a corporation (or entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States, or of any state thereof, or the District of Columbia; |
| an estate, the income of which is includable in gross income for United States federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or |
| a trust if a United States court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more United States fiduciaries have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust. |
If a partnership, including for this purpose any entity that is treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes, holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. An investor that is a partnership and the partners in such partnership should consult their tax advisors about the United States federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock.
The following discussion is based on current law, and is for general information only. It addresses only selected, and not all, aspects of United States federal income and estate taxation. In addition, certain qualified shareholders and qualified foreign pension plans may be subject to certain statutory exemptions as discussed herein. Such shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the availability of such exemptions.
Ordinary Dividends. The portion of distributions received by non-United States holders (1) that is payable out of our earnings and profits; (2) which is not attributable to our capital gains; and (3) which is not effectively connected with a United States trade or business of the non-United States holder, will be subject to United States withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by treaty. As required by Internal Revenue Service guidance, we intend to notify our shareholders if a portion of a distribution paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
In general, non-United States holders will not be considered to be engaged in a United States trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our stock. In cases where the dividend income from a non-United States holders investment in our stock is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-United States holders conduct of a United States trade or business, the non-United States holder generally will be subject to United States federal income tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as domestic shareholders are taxed with respect to such distributions. Such income must generally be reported on a United States income tax return filed by or on behalf of the non-United States holder. The income may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the case of a non-United States holder that is a corporation.
Non-Dividend Distributions. Unless our stock constitutes a USRPI, distributions that we make that are not out of our earnings and profits will generally not be subject to United States income tax. If we cannot determine at the time a distribution is made whether or not the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to ordinary dividends. The non-United States holder may seek a refund from the Internal Revenue Service of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. If our stock constitutes a USRPI, as described below, distributions that we make in excess of the sum of (a) the shareholders proportionate share of our earnings and profits, plus (b) the shareholders basis in its stock, will be taxed under FIRPTA at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a domestic shareholder of the same type (e.g., an individual or a corporation, as the case may be), and the collection of the tax will be enforced by a refundable withholding at a rate of 15% of the amount by which the distribution exceeds the shareholders share of our earnings and profits.
107
Capital Gain Distributions. Under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, or FIRPTA (unless an exemption applies), a distribution that we make to a non-United States holder, to the extent attributable to gains from dispositions of United States Real Property Interests, or USRPIs, that we held directly or through pass-through subsidiaries, or USRPI capital gains, will, except as described below, be considered effectively connected with a United States trade or business of the non-United States holder and will be subject to United States income tax at the rates applicable to United States individuals or corporations, without regard to whether we designate the distribution as a capital gain distribution. See above under Taxation of Foreign ShareholdersOrdinary Dividends, for a discussion of the consequences of income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. In addition, we will be required to withhold tax equal to 21% of the amount of distributions to the extent the distributions constitute USRPI capital gains. Distributions subject to FIRPTA may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a non-United States holder that is a corporation. A distribution is not a USRPI capital gain if we held an interest in the underlying asset solely as a creditor. Capital gain distributions received by a non-United States holder that are attributable to dispositions of our assets other than USRPIs are not subject to United States federal income or withholding tax, unless (1) the gain is effectively connected with the non-United States holders United States trade or business, in which case the non-United States holder would be subject to the same treatment as United States holders with respect to such gain or (2) the non- United States holder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a tax home in the United States, in which case the non-United States holder will incur a 30% tax on his or her capital gains.
A capital gain distribution that would otherwise have been treated as a USRPI capital gain will not be so treated or be subject to FIRPTA, and generally will not be treated as income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business, and instead will be treated in the same manner as an ordinary dividend (see Taxation of Foreign ShareholdersOrdinary Dividends), if (1) the capital gain distribution is received with respect to a class of stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States and (2) the recipient non-United States holder does not own more than 10% of that class of stock at any time during the year ending on the date on which the capital gain distribution is received. At the time you purchase shares in this offering, our shares will not be publicly traded and we can give you no assurance that our shares will ever be publicly traded on an established securities market. Therefore, these rules will not apply to our capital gain distributions.
Qualified Shareholders. Subject to the exception discussed below, any distribution to a qualified shareholder who holds stock of a REIT directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to United States tax as income effectively connected with a United States trade or business and thus will not be subject to special withholding rules under FIRPTA. While a qualified shareholder will not be subject to FIRPTA withholding on REIT distributions, certain investors of a qualified shareholder (i.e., non- United States persons who hold interests in the qualified shareholder (other than interests solely as a creditor), and hold more than 10% of the stock of the REIT in which the qualified shareholder holds stock (whether or not by reason of the investors ownership in the qualified shareholder) may be subject to FIRPTA withholding.
A qualified shareholder is a foreign person that (i) either is eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty which includes an exchange of information program and whose principal class of interests is listed and regularly traded on one or more recognized stock exchanges (as defined in such comprehensive income tax treaty), or is a foreign partnership that is created or organized under foreign law as a limited partnership in a jurisdiction that has an agreement for the exchange of information with respect to taxes with the United States and has a class of limited partnership units representing greater than 50% of the value of all the partnership units that is regularly traded on the NYSE or NASDAQ markets, (ii) is a qualified collective investment vehicle (defined below), and (iii) maintains records on the identity of each person who, at any time during the foreign persons taxable year, is the direct owner of 5% or more of the class of interests or units (as applicable) described in (i), above.
A qualified collective investment vehicle is a foreign person that (i) would be eligible for a reduced rate of withholding with respect to ordinary dividends under the comprehensive income tax treaty described above, even if such entity holds more than 10% of the stock of such REIT, (ii) is publicly traded (as defined in Section 7704(b) of
108
the Internal Revenue Code, is treated as a partnership under the Internal Revenue Code, is a withholding foreign partnership for purposes of United States withholding taxes, and would be treated as a United States real property holding company if it were a domestic corporation, or (iii) is designated as such by the Secretary of the Treasury and is either (a) fiscally transparent within the meaning of Section 894 of the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) required to include dividends in its gross income, but is entitled to a deduction for distributions to its investors.
Qualified Foreign Pension Funds. Any distribution to a qualified foreign pension fund or an entity all of the interests of which are held by a qualified foreign pension fund who holds REIT stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will generally not be subject to United States tax as income effectively connected with a United States trade or business and thus will not be subject to the withholding rules under FIRPTA.
A qualified foreign pension fund is any trust, corporation, or other organization or arrangement (i) which is created or organized under the law of a country other than the United States, (ii) which is established to provide retirement or pension benefits to participants or beneficiaries that are current or former employees (or persons designated by such employees) of one or more employers in consideration for services rendered, (iii) which does not have a single participant or beneficiary with a right to more than 5% of its assets or income, (iv) which is subject to government regulation and provides annual information reporting about its beneficiaries to the relevant tax authorities in the country in which it is established or operates and (v) with respect to which, under the laws of the country in which it is established or operates, (A) contributions to such organization or arrangement that would otherwise be subject to tax under such laws are deductible or excluded from the gross income of such entity or taxed at a reduced rate, or (B) taxation of any investment income of such organization or arrangement is deferred or such income is taxed at a reduced rate.
Dispositions of Our Stock. Unless our stock constitutes a USRPI, our distributions that are not distributions out of our earnings and profits will generally not be subject to United States income tax. If it cannot be determined at the time at which a distribution is made whether the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to distributions. However, the non-United States holder may seek a refund from the Internal Revenue Service of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. If our stock constitutes a USRPI, as described above, our dividends in excess of the sum of our earnings and profits plus the shareholders basis in shares of our common stock will be taxed FIRPTA at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a domestic shareholder of the same type (e.g., an individual or a corporation, as the case may be), and the collection of the tax will be enforced by a refundable withholding at a rate of 15% of the amount by which the distribution exceeds the shareholders share of our earnings and profits.
Non-United States holders could incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to gain realized upon a disposition of our shares if we are a United States real property holding corporation during a specified testing period. If at least 50% of a REITs assets are USRPIs during the testing period, then the REIT will be a United States real property holding corporation (and our stock will constitute a USRPI absent an exemption). We believe that we are, and will continue to be, a United States real property holding corporation based on our investment strategy. However, even if we are a United States real property holding corporation, a non-United States shareholder generally would not incur tax under FIRPTA on gain from the sale of our common stock if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity. However, even if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity, upon disposition of our stock, a non-United States shareholder may be treated as having gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI if the non-United States holder (i) disposes of our common stock within a 30-day period preceding the ex-dividend date of a distribution, any portion of which distribution would, but for the disposition, have been treated as gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI and (ii) acquires, or enters into a contract or option to acquire, other shares of our common stock within 30 days after such ex-dividend date.
A domestically controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT in which, at all times during a specified testing period, less than 50% in value of its shares are held directly or indirectly by non-United States shareholders. We cannot assure you that this test will be met.
If the applicable class of our stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, an additional exception to the tax under FIRPTA will be available with respect to such stock, even if we do not qualify as a domestically controlled qualified investment entity at the time the non-United States shareholder sells such stock.
109
Under that exception, the gain from such a sale by such a non-United States shareholder will not be subject to tax under FIRPTA if (1) the applicable class of our stock is treated as being regularly traded under applicable Treasury Regulations on an established securities market and (2) the non-United States shareholder owned, actually or constructively, 10% or less of that class of stock at all times during a specified testing period. We believe that our common stock to be issued in this offering will not be regularly traded on an established securities market.
A sale of our common stock by a qualified shareholder or a qualified foreign pension fund that holds such stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation under FIRPTA. While a qualified shareholder will not be subject to FIRPTA withholding upon sale of our shares, certain investors of a qualified shareholder (i.e., non-United States persons who hold interests in the qualified shareholder (other than interests solely as a creditor), and hold, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of our stock (whether or not by reason of the investors ownership in the qualified shareholder)) may be subject to FIRPTA withholding.
If the gain on the sale of shares of our common stock were taxed under FIRPTA, a non-United States shareholder would be taxed on that gain in the same manner as United States shareholders, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals. If we are not a domestically controlled qualified investment entity at the time our common stock is sold and the non-United States shareholder does not qualify for the exemptions described in the preceding paragraph, under FIRPTA the purchaser of shares of common stock also may be required to withhold 15% of the purchase price and remit this amount to the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of the selling non-United States shareholder.
Gain from the sale of our stock that would not otherwise be subject to FIRPTA will nonetheless be taxable in the United States to a non-United States holder in two cases: (i) if the non-United States holders investment in our stock is effectively connected with a United States trade or business conducted by such non-United States holder, the non-United States holder will be subject to the same treatment as a United States shareholder with respect to such gain, or (ii) if the non-United States holder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are satisfied, the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individuals capital gain.
Estate Tax. If our stock is owned or treated as owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident (as specially defined for United States federal estate tax purposes) of the United States at the time of such individuals death, the stock will be includable in the individuals gross estate for United States federal estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise, and may therefore be subject to United States federal estate tax.
FATCA Withholding on Certain Foreign Accounts and Entities. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on certain types of payments (including dividends on our stock) made to foreign financial institutions and certain other non-United States entities unless (i) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting obligations or (ii) the foreign non-financial entity either certifies it does not have any substantial United States owners or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner. If the payee is a foreign financial institution that is not subject to special treatment under certain intergovernmental agreements, it must enter into an agreement with the United States Treasury requiring, among other things, that it undertakes to identify accounts held by certain United States persons or United States-owned foreign entities, annually report certain information about such accounts and withhold 30% on payments to account holders whose actions prevent them from complying with these reporting and other requirements. Investors in jurisdictions that have entered into intergovernmental agreements may, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, be required to report such information to their home jurisdictions. While FATCA also technically imposes a 30% withholding tax on gross proceeds from the sale of our stock commencing on January 1, 2019, the Treasury Department released proposed Treasury Regulations which, if finalized in their present form, would eliminate the FATCA withholding on payments of such gross proceeds. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding this legislation.
110
Taxation of Tax-Exempt Shareholders
Tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from federal income taxation. However, they may be subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income, or UBTI. While some investments in real estate may generate UBTI, the Internal Revenue Service has ruled that dividend distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt entity do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, and provided that (1) a tax-exempt shareholder has not held our stock as debt financed property within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code (i.e., where the acquisition or holding of the property is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt shareholder) and (2) our stock is not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business, distributions that we make and income from the sale of our stock generally should not give rise to UBTI to a tax-exempt shareholder.
To the extent, however, that we are (or a part of us, or a disregarded subsidiary of ours is) deemed to be a TMP, or if we hold residual interests in a REMIC, a portion of the distributions paid to a tax-exempt shareholder that is allocable to excess inclusion income may be treated as UBTI. We anticipate that our investments may generate excess inclusion income. As required by Internal Revenue Service guidance, we intend to notify our shareholders if a portion of a distribution paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
Tax-exempt shareholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts and qualified group legal services plans exempt from federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9), (c)(17), and (c)(20) of the Internal Revenue Code are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally require such shareholders to characterize distributions that we make as UBTI.
In certain circumstances, a pension trust that owns more than 10% of our stock could be required to treat a percentage of its distributions as UBTI, if we are a pension-held REIT. We will not be a pension-held REIT unless either (1) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock or (2) a group of pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our stock, collectively owns more than 50% of our stock. Certain restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock should generally prevent a tax-exempt entity from owning more than 10% of the value of our stock and should generally prevent us from becoming a pension-held REIT.
Tax-exempt shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax consequences of owning our stock.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
We will report to our domestic shareholders and the Internal Revenue Service the amount of dividends paid during each calendar year and the amount of any tax withheld. Under the backup withholding rules, a domestic shareholder may be subject to backup withholding with respect to dividends paid unless the holder is a corporation or comes within other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact or provides a taxpayer identification number or social security number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. A domestic shareholder that does not provide his or her correct taxpayer identification number or social security number may also be subject to penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of a capital gain distribution to any domestic shareholder who fails to certify its non-foreign status.
We must report annually to the Internal Revenue Service and to each non-United States shareholder the amount of dividends paid to such holder and the tax withheld with respect to such dividends, regardless of whether withholding was required. Copies of the information returns reporting such dividends and withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-United States shareholder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty. A non-United States shareholder may be subject to backup withholding unless applicable certification requirements are met.
111
Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock within the United States is subject to both backup withholding and information reporting unless the beneficial owner certifies under penalties of perjury that it is a non-United States shareholder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the beneficial owner is a United States person) or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock conducted through certain United States related financial intermediaries is subject to information reporting (but not backup withholding) unless the financial intermediary has documentary evidence in its records that the beneficial owner is a non-United States shareholder and specified conditions are met or an exemption is otherwise established. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against such holders United States federal income tax liability provided the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service.
Legislative or Other Actions Affecting REITs
The rules dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Treasury Department. Changes to the federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could adversely affect an investment in our stock.
State, Local and Foreign Taxes
We and our subsidiaries and shareholders may be subject to state, local, or foreign taxation in various jurisdictions including those in which we or they transact business, own property or reside. We may own real property assets located in numerous jurisdictions, and may be required to file tax returns in some or all of those jurisdictions. Our state, local, or foreign tax treatment and that of our shareholders may not conform to the federal income tax treatment discussed above. We may own foreign real estate assets and pay foreign property taxes, and dispositions of foreign property or operations involving, or investments in, foreign real estate assets may give rise to foreign income or other tax liability in amounts that could be substantial. Any foreign taxes that we incur do not pass through to shareholders as a credit against their United States federal income tax liability. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the application and effect of state, local, and foreign income and other tax laws on an investment in our stock.
112
The following is a summary of some considerations associated with an investment in our shares by a qualified employee pension benefit plan or an individual retirement account (IRA). This summary is based on provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code, each as amended through the date of this prospectus, and the relevant regulations, opinions and other authority issued by the Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service. We cannot assure you that there will not be adverse tax or labor decisions or legislative, regulatory or administrative changes that would significantly modify the statements expressed herein. Any such changes may apply to transactions entered into prior to the date of their enactment.
Each fiduciary of an employee pension benefit plan subject to ERISA (such as a profit sharing, Section 401(k) or pension plan) or any other retirement plan or account subject to Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code, such as an IRA, seeking to invest plan assets in our shares must, taking into account the facts and circumstances of each such plan or IRA (Benefit Plan), consider, among other matters:
| whether the investment is consistent with the applicable provisions of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code; |
| whether, under the facts and circumstances pertaining to the Benefit Plan in question, the fiduciarys responsibility to the plan has been satisfied; |
| whether the investment will produce an unacceptable amount of UBTI to the Benefit Plan (see Federal Income Tax Considerations Taxation of Shareholders Taxation of Tax-Exempt Shareholders); and |
| the need to value the assets of the Benefit Plan annually. |
Under ERISA, a plan fiduciarys responsibilities include the following duties:
| to act solely in the interest of plan participants and beneficiaries and for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to them, as well as defraying reasonable expenses of plan administration; |
| to invest plan assets prudently; |
| to diversify the investments of the plan, unless it is clearly prudent not to do so; |
| to ensure sufficient liquidity for the plan; |
| to ensure that plan investments are made in accordance with plan documents; and |
| to consider whether an investment would constitute or give rise to a prohibited transaction under ERISA or the Internal Revenue Code. |
ERISA also requires that, with certain exceptions, the assets of an employee benefit plan are held in trust and that the trustee, or a duly authorized named fiduciary or investment manager, have exclusive authority and discretion to manage and control the assets of the plan.
Generally, both ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code prohibit Benefit Plans from engaging in certain transactions involving plan assets with specified parties, such as sales or exchanges or leasing of property, loans or other extensions of credit, furnishing goods or services, or transfers to, or use of, plan assets. The specified parties are referred to as parties-in-interest under ERISA and as disqualified persons under the Internal Revenue Code. These definitions generally include both parties owning threshold percentage interests in an investment entity and persons providing services to the Benefit Plan, as well as employer sponsors of the Benefit Plan, fiduciaries and other individuals or entities affiliated with the foregoing. For this purpose, a person generally is a fiduciary with respect to a Benefit Plan if, among other things, the person has discretionary authority or control with respect to plan assets or provides investment advice for a fee with respect to plan assets. Under Department of Labor regulations, a person will be deemed to be providing investment advice if that person renders advice as to the advisability of
113
investing in our shares, and that person regularly provides investment advice to the Benefit Plan pursuant to a mutual agreement or understanding that such advice will serve as the primary basis for investment decisions, and that the advice will be individualized for the Benefit Plan based on its particular needs. Thus, if we are deemed to hold plan assets, our management could be characterized as fiduciaries with respect to such assets, and each would be deemed to be a party-in-interest under ERISA and a disqualified person under the Internal Revenue Code with respect to investing Benefit Plans. Whether or not we are deemed to hold plan assets, if we or our affiliates are affiliated with a Benefit Plan Investor, we might be a disqualified person or party-in-interest with respect to such Benefit Plan Investor, resulting in a prohibited transaction merely upon investment by such Benefit Plan in our shares.
If a prohibited transaction were to occur, the Internal Revenue Code imposes an excise tax equal to 15% of the amount involved and authorizes the Internal Revenue Service to impose an additional 100% excise tax if the prohibited transaction is not corrected in a timely manner. These taxes would be imposed on any disqualified person who participates in the prohibited transaction. In addition, our board of directors, and possibly other fiduciaries of Benefit Plan shareholders subject to ERISA who permitted the prohibited transaction to occur or who otherwise breached their fiduciary responsibilities (or a non-fiduciary participating in a prohibited transaction), could be required to restore to the Benefit Plan any profits they realized as a result of the transaction or breach and make good to the Benefit Plan any losses incurred by the Benefit Plan as a result of the transaction or breach. With respect to an IRA that invests in our shares, the occurrence of a prohibited transaction involving the individual who established the IRA, or his or her beneficiary, would cause the IRA to lose its tax-exempt status under Section 408(e)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.
In order to determine whether an investment in our shares by a Benefit Plan creates or gives rise to the potential for either prohibited transactions or a commingling of assets as referred to above, a fiduciary must consider whether an investment in our shares will cause our assets to be treated as assets of the investing Benefit Plan. Neither ERISA nor the Internal Revenue Code defines the term plan assets; however, regulations promulgated by the Department of Labor provide guidelines as to whether, and under what circumstances, the underlying assets of an entity will be deemed to constitute assets of a Benefit Plan when the plan invests in that entity (Plan Assets Regulation). Under the Plan Assets Regulation, the assets of an entity in which a Benefit Plan makes an equity investment will generally be deemed to be assets of the Benefit Plan, unless one of the exceptions to this general rule applies.
In the event that our underlying assets were treated as the assets of investing Benefit Plans, our management would be treated as fiduciaries with respect to each Benefit Plan shareholder and an investment in our shares might constitute an ineffective delegation of fiduciary responsibility to our advisor, and expose the fiduciary of the Benefit Plan to co-fiduciary liability under ERISA for any breach by our advisor of the fiduciary duties mandated under ERISA. Further, if our assets are deemed to be plan assets, an investment by an IRA in our shares might be deemed to result in an impermissible commingling of IRA assets with other property.
If our advisor or its affiliates were treated as fiduciaries with respect to Benefit Plan shareholders, the prohibited transaction restrictions of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code would apply to any transaction involving our assets. These restrictions could, for example, require that we avoid transactions with persons that are affiliated with or related to us or our affiliates or require that we restructure our activities in order to obtain an administrative exemption from the prohibited transaction restrictions. Alternatively, we might have to provide Benefit Plan shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us or we might dissolve.
The Plan Assets Regulation provides that the underlying assets of an entity such as a REIT will be treated as assets of a Benefit Plan investing therein unless the entity satisfies one of the exceptions to the general rule. We believe that we will satisfy one or more of the exceptions described below.
114
Exception for Publicly-Offered Securities. If a Benefit Plan acquires publicly-offered securities, the assets of the issuer of the securities will not be deemed to be plan assets under the Plan Assets Regulation. A publicly-offered security must be:
| either (i) part of a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act, or (ii) sold as part of a public offering registered under the Securities Act, and be part of a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act within a specified time period; |
| part of a class of securities that is owned by 100 or more persons who are independent of the issuer and one another; and |
| freely transferable. |
Our shares are being sold as part of an offering of securities to the public pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and are part of a class that will be registered under the Exchange Act within the specified period. In addition, we have in excess of 100 independent shareholders of our common stock.
Whether a security is freely transferable depends upon the particular facts and circumstances. The Plan Assets Regulation provides several examples of restrictions on transferability that, absent unusual circumstances, will not prevent the rights of ownership in question from being considered freely transferable if the minimum investment is $10,000 or less. Where the minimum investment in a public offering of securities is $10,000 or less, the presence of the following restrictions on transfer will not ordinarily affect a determination that such securities are freely transferable:
| any restriction on, or prohibition against, any transfer or assignment that would either result in a termination or reclassification of the entity for federal or state tax purposes or that would violate any state or federal statute, regulation, court order, judicial decree or rule of law; |
| any requirement that not less than a minimum number of shares or units of such security be transferred or assigned by any investor, provided that such requirement does not prevent transfer of all of the then remaining shares or units held by an investor; |
| any prohibition against transfer or assignment of such security or rights in respect thereof to an ineligible or unsuitable investor; and |
| any requirement that reasonable transfer or administrative fees be paid in connection with a transfer or assignment. |
We have been structured with the intent to satisfy the freely transferable requirement set forth in the Plan Assets Regulation with respect to our shares, although there is no assurance that our shares will meet such requirement. Our shares are subject to certain restrictions on transfer intended to ensure that we continue to qualify for federal income tax treatment as a REIT and to comply with state securities laws and regulations with respect to investor suitability. The minimum investment in our shares is less than $10,000; thus, these restrictions should not cause the shares to be deemed not freely transferable.
Our common stock is held by 100 or more independent shareholders, and assuming that no other facts and circumstances other than those referred to in the preceding paragraphs exist that restrict transferability of shares of our common stock and the offering takes place as described in this prospectus, shares of our common stock should constitute publicly-offered securities and, accordingly, we believe that our underlying assets should not be considered plan assets under the Plan Assets Regulation.
Exception for Insignificant Participation by Benefit Plan Investors. The Plan Assets Regulation provides that the assets of an entity will not be deemed to be the assets of a Benefit Plan if equity participation in the entity by Benefit Plan investors is not significant. The Plan Assets Regulation provides that equity participation in an entity by Benefit Plan investors is significant if at any time 25% or more of the value of any class of equity interest is held by Benefit Plan investors. The term Benefit Plan investors is defined for this purpose under ERISA Section 3(42) and the Plan Assets Regulation and includes any employee benefit plan subject to Part 4 of ERISA, any plan subject Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code, and any entity whose underlying assets include plan assets by reason of a plans investment in such entity. In calculating the value of a class of equity interests, the value of any equity interests held by us or any of our affiliates must be excluded. It is not clear whether we will qualify for this exception.
115
Exception for Operating Companies. The Plan Assets Regulation provides an exception with respect to securities issued by an operating company, which includes a real estate operating company or a venture capital operating company. Generally, we will be deemed to be a real estate operating company if during the relevant valuation periods at least 50% of our assets are invested in real estate that is managed or developed and with respect to which we have the right to substantially participate directly in management or development activities. To constitute a venture capital operating company, 50% or more of our assets must be invested in venture capital investments during the relevant valuation periods. A venture capital investment is an investment in an operating company, including a real estate operating company, as to which the investing entity has or obtains direct management rights. If an entity satisfies this 50% assets requirement on the date it first makes a long-term investment (the initial valuation date), it will be considered a real estate operating company or a venture capital operating company, as the case may be, for the entire period beginning on the initial valuation date and ending on the last day of the first annual valuation period, provided that it actually exercises its management rights during such entire period. An annual valuation period is a pre-established annual period of not more than 90 days, and the first annual valuation period must begin no later than the anniversary of the initial valuation date. For subsequent periods, the entity must satisfy the 50% of assets test at some time during each annual valuation period and must exercise its management rights during the following 12 months. We believe that we will qualify for the real estate operating company exception; however, we have not obtained an opinion of counsel regarding such qualification.
Regardless of whether the shares qualify for an exception under the Plan Assets Regulation, a prohibited transaction could occur if we, any selected broker-dealer or any affiliates is a fiduciary (within the meaning of Section 3(21) of ERISA) with respect to any Benefit Plan purchasing our shares. Accordingly, unless an administrative or statutory exemption applies, shares should not be purchased by a Benefit Plan with respect to which any of the above persons is a fiduciary. A person is a fiduciary with respect to a Benefit Plan under Section 3(21) of ERISA if, among other things, the person has discretionary authority or control with respect to the Benefit Plan or plan assets or provides investment advice for a fee with respect to plan assets.
A fiduciary of an employee benefit plan subject to ERISA is required to determine annually the fair market value of each asset of the plan as of the end of the plans fiscal year and to file a report reflecting that value with the Department of Labor. When the fair market value of any particular asset is not available, the fiduciary is required to make a good faith determination of that assets fair market value, assuming an orderly liquidation at the time the determination is made. In addition, a trustee or custodian of an IRA must provide an IRA participant with a statement of the value of the IRA each year. Failure to satisfy these requirements may result in penalties, damages or other sanctions.
Unless and until our shares are listed on a national securities exchange, we do not expect that a public market for our shares will develop. To date, neither the Internal Revenue Service nor the Department of Labor has promulgated regulations specifying how a plan fiduciary should determine the fair market value of shares when the fair market value of such shares is not determined in the marketplace.
To assist broker-dealers who participate in this offering, we expect to provide an estimated value for our shares annually. Initially we will report the net investment amount of our shares, which will be based on the amount available for investment/net investment amount percentage shown in our estimated use of proceeds table. No later than May 17, 2021, we will provide an NAV per share. This value will be based on valuations of our assets and liabilities performed at least annually, by, or with the material assistance or confirmation of, a third-party valuation expert or service . Once we announce an NAV per share, we generally expect to update the NAV per share annually.
116
We can make no assurances that such estimated value will satisfy the applicable annual valuation requirements under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. The Department of Labor or the Internal Revenue Service may determine that a plan fiduciary or an IRA custodian is required to take further steps to determine the value of our common shares. In the absence of an appropriate determination of value, a plan fiduciary or an IRA custodian may be subject to damages, penalties or other sanctions.
The foregoing requirements of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code are complex and subject to change. Plan fiduciaries and the beneficial owners of IRAs are urged to consult with their own advisors regarding an investment in our shares.
117
The following is a summary of the description of our capital stock. Copies of our charter and bylaws are filed as exhibits to this registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. See Where You Can Find More Information.
Our charter authorizes us to issue: (i) 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share and (ii) 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of August 5, 2019, we had approximately 5,800,000 shares of our common stock outstanding and no shares of preferred stock outstanding. In addition, our board of directors may amend our charter to increase or decrease the amount of our authorized shares. Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we expect to file our Articles Supplementary to designate 500,000,000 shares of common stock as Class A and Class T common stock.
Unless otherwise specified, the description of our common stock refers to both our Class A and Class T shares of common stock. The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a shareholder vote, including the election of directors. Our charter does not provide for cumulative voting in the election of our directors. Therefore, the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock can elect our entire board of directors. Unless applicable law requires otherwise, and except as our charter may provide with respect to any series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future, the holders of our common stock will possess exclusive voting power.
Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive such distributions as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors out of legally available funds, subject to any preferential rights of any preferred stock that we issue in the future. In any liquidation, each outstanding share of common stock entitles its holder to share (based on the percentage of shares held) in the assets that remain after we pay our liabilities and any preferential distributions owed to preferred shareholders. Holders of shares of our common stock will not have preemptive rights, which means that you will not have an automatic option to purchase any new shares that we issue, nor will holders of our shares of common stock have any preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund, redemption or appraisal rights. Our common stock will be non-assessable by us upon our receipt of the consideration for which our board of directors authorized its issuance.
Our board of directors has authorized the issuance of shares of our common stock without certificates. We will not issue shares in certificated form. Information regarding restrictions on the transferability of our shares that, under Maryland law, would otherwise have been required to appear on our share certificates will instead be furnished to shareholders upon request and without charge.
We maintain a stock ledger that contains the name and address of each shareholder and the number of shares that the shareholder holds. With respect to uncertificated stock, we will continue to treat the shareholder registered on our stock ledger as the owner of the shares until the new owner delivers a properly executed form to us, which form we will provide to any registered holder upon request.
With respect to each authorized and declared distribution, each outstanding share of common stock shall be entitled to receive the same amount.
Class A Shares
Our advisor pays the dealer manager selling commissions of up to 6% of the gross primary offering proceeds from the sale of our Class A common stock, all of which may be reallowed to participating broker-dealers. In addition, our advisor also pays the dealer manager a dealer manager fee up to 3% of the gross primary offering proceeds as compensation for acting as the dealer manager and for expenses incurred in connection with marketing our shares and wholesaler compensation. No upfront or deferred selling commissions or dealer manager fees are paid for Class A shares sold under our distribution reinvestment plan.
118
Class T Shares
Our advisor pays the dealer manager selling commissions of up to 3% of the gross primary offering proceeds from the sale of our Class T common stock, all of which may be reallowed to participating broker-dealers. In addition, our advisor also pays the dealer manager a dealer manager fee up to 3% of the gross primary offering proceeds from the sale of our Class T common stock as compensation for acting as the dealer manager and for expenses incurred in connection with marketing our shares and wholesaler compensation. No upfront or deferred selling commissions or dealer manager fees are paid for Class T shares sold under our distribution reinvestment plan.
Subject to FINRA limitations on underwriting compensation and certain other limitations described below, we will pay the dealer manager a deferred selling commission with respect to our outstanding Class T shares sold in the primary offering equal to 1.0% per annum of the purchase price of the Class T share for three years from the date on which such share is issued.
The deferred selling commission will accrue daily based on the number of Class T shares outstanding on each day that were sold in the primary offering within the previous three years of such date and be paid monthly in arrears. The dealer manager will reallow all of the deferred selling commissions to participating broker-dealers and servicing broker-dealers as described below. Class T shares purchased pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan or received as a stock dividend are not subject to a deferred selling commission. Because our advisor has agreed to pay the deferred selling commissions and other underwriting compensation on our behalf without reimbursement by us, the deferred selling commission will have no impact on us or on holders of our Class T shares.
We will cease paying the deferred selling commissions with respect to individual Class T shares when they are no longer outstanding, including as a result of conversion to Class A shares and redemption or repurchase. Each Class T share held in a shareholders account shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a Class A share, on the earliest to occur of the following: (i) a listing of the Class A shares on a national securities exchange; (ii) a merger or consolidation of our company with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets; and (iii) the last calendar day of the month in which we and our dealer manager, in conjunction with our transfer agent, determine that the deferred selling commission paid with respect to the Class T shares held by such shareholder within such account equals or exceeds three percent of the aggregate gross purchase price of the Class T shares held by such shareholder within such account and purchased in a primary offering. In addition, after termination of a primary offering registered under the Securities Act, we will cease paying the deferred selling commission with respect to each Class T share sold in that primary offering, on the date when we, with the assistance of our dealer manager, determine that all underwriting compensation paid or incurred with respect to the primary offering covered by that registration statement from all sources, determined pursuant to the rules and guidance of FINRA, would be in excess of 10% of the aggregate purchase price of all shares sold for our account through that primary offering. Further, each Class T share sold in that primary offering, each Class T share sold under a distribution reinvestment plan pursuant to the same registration statement that was used for that primary offering, and each Class T share received as a stock dividend with respect to such shares sold in such primary offering or distribution reinvestment plan shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a class A share at the last calendar day of the month in which such determination is made. We cannot predict if or when certain of the foregoing events will occur. If we redeem a portion, but not all of the Class T shares held in a shareholders account, the underwriting compensation limit and amount of underwriting compensation previously paid will be prorated between the Class T shares that were redeemed and those Class T shares that were retained in the account. Likewise, if a portion of the Class T shares in a shareholders account is sold or otherwise transferred in a secondary transaction, the total underwriting compensation limit and amount of underwriting compensation previously paid will be prorated between the Class T shares that were transferred and the Class T shares that were retained in the account.
With respect to the conversion of Class T shares into Class A shares, each Class T share will convert without any action on the part of the holder thereof into a number of Class A shares equal to such Class T share multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the most recent NAV per Class T share and the denominator of which is the most recent NAV per Class A share. Shareholders will receive notice that their Class T shares have been converted into Class A shares in accordance with industry practice at that time, which we expect to be either a transaction confirmation from the transfer agent, notification from the transfer agent or notification through the next account statement following the conversion. We currently expect that the conversion of each Class T share will be on a one-for-on basis, as we expect the NAV per share of each Class A share and Class T share will be the same as there are currently no class-specific expenses associated with the different share classes.
119
Our charter authorizes our board of directors to designate and issue one or more classes or series of preferred stock without approval of our common shareholders. Our board of directors may determine the relative rights, preferences and privileges of each class or series of preferred stock so issued, which may be more beneficial than the rights, preferences, and privileges attributable to our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control. Our board of directors has no present plans to issue preferred stock but may do so at any time in the future without shareholder approval.
Meetings and Special Voting Requirements
An annual meeting of our shareholders will be held each year, at least 30 days after delivery of our annual report. Special meetings of shareholders may be called only upon the request of a majority of our directors, a majority of our independent directors, our chief executive officer, our president or upon the written request of shareholders holding at least 10% of the shares entitled to be cast on any issue proposed to be considered at the special meeting. Upon receipt of a written request of common shareholders holding at least 10% of the shares entitled to be cast stating the purpose of the special meeting, our secretary will provide all of our shareholders written notice of the meeting and the purpose of such meeting. The meeting must be held not less than 15 days or more than 60 days after the distribution of the notice of the meeting. The presence in person or by proxy of shareholders entitled to cast 50% of all the votes entitled to be cast at any shareholder meeting constitutes a quorum. Unless otherwise provided by the Maryland General Corporation Law or our charter, the affirmative vote of a majority of all votes cast is necessary to take shareholder action. With respect to the election of directors, each candidate nominated for election to the board of directors must receive a majority of the votes present, in person or by proxy, in order to be elected. Therefore, if a nominee receives fewer for votes than withhold votes in an election, then the nominee will not be elected.
Our charter provides that the concurrence of the board is not required in order for the common shareholders to amend the charter, dissolve the corporation or remove directors. However, we have been advised that Section 2-604 and Section 3-403 of the Maryland General Corporation Law do require board approval in order to amend our charter or dissolve, respectively. Without the approval of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote on the matter, the board of directors may not:
| amend the charter to adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of the common shareholders; |
| amend charter provisions relating to director qualifications, fiduciary duties, liability and indemnification, conflicts of interest, investment policies or investment restrictions; |
| cause our liquidation or dissolution after our initial investment in property; |
| sell all or substantially all of our assets other than in the ordinary course of business; or |
| cause our merger or reorganization. |
The term of our advisory agreement with our advisor will end after one year but may be renewed for an unlimited number of successive one-year periods upon the mutual consent of our advisor and us. Our conflicts committee will review our advisory agreement with our advisor annually. While the shareholders do not have the ability to vote to replace our advisor or to select a new advisor, shareholders do have the ability, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on such matter, to remove a director from our board.
120
Advance Notice for Shareholder Nominations for Directors and Proposals of New Business
Our bylaws provide that with respect to an annual meeting of shareholders, nominations of individuals for election to the board of directors and the proposal of business to be considered by shareholders may be made only:
| pursuant to our notice of the meeting; |
| by the board of directors; or |
| by a shareholder who gives notice of the nomination or proposal not less than 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the mailing of the notice for the preceding years annual shareholders meeting. |
Our bylaws contain a similar notice requirement in connection with nominations for directors at a special meeting of shareholders called for the purpose of electing one or more directors. Failure to comply with the notice provisions will make shareholders unable to nominate directors or propose new business. The purpose of requiring shareholders to give us advance notice of nominations and other business is to afford our board of directors a meaningful opportunity to consider the qualifications of the proposed nominees and the advisability of any other proposed business and, to the extent deemed necessary or desirable by our board of directors, to inform shareholders and make recommendations about such qualifications or business, as well as to provide a more orderly procedure for conducting meetings of shareholders.
Inspection of Books and Records
Under Maryland law, a shareholder is entitled to inspect and copy (at all reasonable times) the following corporate documents: bylaws, minutes of the proceedings of shareholders, annual statements of affairs, voting trust agreements and stock records for certain specified periods. In addition, within seven days after a request for such documents is presented to an officer or our resident agent, we will have the requested documents available on file at our principal office. As a part of our books and records, we will maintain at our principal office an alphabetical list of the names of our common shareholders, along with their addresses and telephone numbers and the number of shares held by each of them. We will update this shareholder list at least quarterly. Except as noted below, the list will be available for inspection at our principal office by a common shareholder or his or her designated agent upon request of the shareholder and we will mail this list to any common shareholder within 10 days of receipt of his or her request. We may impose a reasonable charge for expenses incurred in reproducing such list. Shareholders, however, may not sell or use this list for a commercial purpose other than in the interest of the applicant as a shareholder relative to the affairs of our company. The purposes for which shareholders may request this list include matters relating to their voting rights. Each common shareholder who receives a copy of the shareholder list will keep such list confidential and share such list only with its employees, representatives or agents who agree in writing to maintain the confidentiality of the shareholder list.
If our advisor or our board of directors neglects or refuses to exhibit, produce or mail a copy of the shareholder list as requested, our advisor or board, as the case may be, will be liable to the common shareholder requesting the list for the costs, including attorneys fees, incurred by that shareholder for compelling the production of the shareholder list and any actual damages suffered by any common shareholder for the neglect or refusal to produce the list. It will be a defense that the actual purpose and reason for the requests for inspection or for a copy of the shareholder list is not for a proper purpose but is instead for the purpose of securing such list of shareholders or other information for the purpose of selling such list or copies thereof, or of using the same for a commercial purpose other than in the interest of the applicant as a shareholder relative to the affairs of our company. We may require that the shareholder requesting the shareholder list represent that the request is not for a commercial purpose unrelated to the shareholders interest in our company. The remedies provided by our charter to shareholders requesting copies of the shareholder list are in addition to, and do not in any way limit, other remedies available to shareholders under federal law, or the law of any state. As the operations of our operating partnership will be conducted by us, an inspection of the books and records would include an inspection of the books and records of our operating partnership.
Restriction on Ownership of Shares
Ownership Limit
To maintain our REIT qualification, not more than 50% in value of our outstanding shares may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (including certain entities treated as individuals under the Internal Revenue Code) during the last half of each taxable year. In addition, at least 100 persons who are independent of us and each other must beneficially own our outstanding shares for at least 335 days per 12-month taxable year or
121
during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Each of the requirements specified in the two preceding sentences will not apply to any period prior to the second year for which we elect to be taxable as a REIT. We may prohibit certain acquisitions and transfers of shares so as to ensure our continued qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. However, we cannot assure you that this prohibition will be effective.
To help ensure that we meet these tests, our charter prohibits any person or group of persons from acquiring, directly or indirectly, beneficial ownership of more than 9.8% of our aggregate outstanding shares unless exempted by our board of directors. Our board of directors may waive this ownership limit with respect to a particular person if the board of directors receives evidence that ownership in excess of the limit will not jeopardize our REIT status. For purposes of this provision, we treat corporations, partnerships and other entities as single persons.
Any attempted transfer of our shares that, if effective, would result in a violation of our ownership limit or would result in our shares being owned by fewer than 100 persons will be null and void and will cause the number of shares causing the violation to be automatically transferred to a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable beneficiaries. The prohibited transferee will not acquire any rights in the shares. The automatic transfer will be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the attempted transfer. We will designate a trustee of the trust that will not be affiliated with us or the prohibited transferee. We will also name one or more charitable organizations as a beneficiary of the share trust.
Shares held in trust will remain issued and outstanding shares and will be entitled to the same rights and privileges as all other shares of the same class or series. The prohibited transferee will not benefit economically from any of the shares held in trust, will not have any rights to dividends or distributions, and will not have the right to vote or any other rights attributable to the shares held in the trust. The trustee will receive all dividends and distributions on the shares held in trust and will hold such dividends or distributions in trust for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. The trustee may vote any shares held in trust.
Within 20 days of receiving notice from us that any of our shares have been transferred to the trust for the charitable beneficiary, the trustee will sell those shares to a person designated by the trustee whose ownership of the shares will not violate the above restrictions. Upon the sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the prohibited transferee and to the charitable beneficiary as follows. The prohibited transferee will receive the lesser of (i) the price paid by the prohibited transferee for the shares or, if the prohibited transferee did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust (e.g., a gift, devise or other similar transaction), the market price (as defined in our charter) of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust and (ii) the price received by the trustee from the sale or other disposition of the shares. Any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the prohibited transferee will be paid immediately to the charitable beneficiary. If, prior to our discovery that shares have been transferred to the trust, the shares are sold by the prohibited transferee, then (i) the shares will be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and (ii) to the extent that the prohibited transferee received an amount for the shares that exceeds the amount he was entitled to receive, the excess will be paid to the trustee upon demand.
In addition, shares held in the trust for the charitable beneficiary will be deemed to have been offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the trust (or, in the case of a devise or gift, the market price at the time of the devise or gift) and (ii) the market price on the date we, or our designee, accept the offer. We will have the right to accept the offer until the trustee has sold the shares. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the prohibited transferee.
Any person who acquires or attempts to acquire shares in violation of the foregoing restrictions or who would have owned the shares that were transferred to any such trust must give us immediate written notice of such event, and any person who proposes or attempts to acquire or receive shares in violation of the foregoing restrictions must give us at least 15 days written notice prior to such transaction. In both cases, such persons will provide to us such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of such transfer on our status as a REIT.
122
The foregoing restrictions will continue to apply until our board of directors determines it is no longer in our best interest to continue to qualify as a REIT. The ownership limit does not apply to any underwriter in an offering of our shares or to a person or persons exempted from the ownership limit by our board of directors based upon appropriate assurances that our qualification as a REIT would not be jeopardized.
Within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, every owner of 5% or more of our outstanding capital stock will be asked to deliver to us a statement setting forth the number of shares owned directly or indirectly by such person and a description of how such person holds the shares. Each such owner will also provide us with such additional information as we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of his or her beneficial ownership on our status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with our ownership limit.
These restrictions could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or change in control of us that might involve a premium price for our shares of common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our shareholders.
Suitability Standards and Minimum Purchase Requirements
State securities laws and our charter require that purchasers of our common stock meet standards regarding (i) net worth or income and (ii) minimum purchase amounts. These standards are described above at Suitability Standards immediately following the cover page of this prospectus and Plan of DistributionMinimum Purchase Requirements. All subsequent sales must comply with applicable state and federal securities laws.
We expect to pay distributions on a monthly basis. As further described below, during the early stages of our operations, it is likely that we will use sources of funds which may constitute a return of capital to fund distributions. Through March 31, 2019, we have paid distributions with offering proceeds. In the discretion of our board of directors, these distributions may be authorized and declared based on daily record dates or a single record date as of the end of the month. The rate will be determined by the board of directors based on our financial condition and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. The board of directors has not pre-established a percentage range of return for distributions to shareholders. We have not established a minimum distribution level, and our charter does not require that we make distributions to our shareholders.
Generally, our policy is to make distributions from cash flow from operations. However, we expect to have little, if any, cash flow from operations available for distribution until we make substantial investments. During our offering stage, when we may raise capital in this offering more quickly than we acquire income-producing assets, and for some period after our offering stage, we may not be able to make distributions solely from our cash flow from operations. Further, because we may receive income from interest or rents at various times during our fiscal year and because we may need cash flow from operations during a particular period to fund capital expenditures and other expenses, we expect that at least during the early stages of our development and from time to time during our operational stage, we will declare distributions in anticipation of cash flow that we expect to receive during a later period and we will pay these distributions in advance of our actual receipt of these funds. In addition, to the extent our investments are in development or redevelopment projects or in properties that have significant capital requirements, our ability to make distributions may be negatively impacted, especially during our early periods of operation. In these instances, we expect to look to third party borrowings to fund our distributions. We may also fund such distributions from the sale of assets or from the maturity, payoff or settlement of debt investments. Such distributions will likely exceed our earnings or cash flow from operations for the corresponding period. Our charter permits us to make distributions from any source, including offering proceeds or borrowings (which may constitute a return of capital), and our charter does not limit the amount of funds we may use from any source to pay such distributions. If we make distributions from sources other than our cash flow from operations, we will have less funds available for investment in properties and other assets.
To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must make aggregate annual distributions to our shareholders of at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which is computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction or net capital gain and which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP). If we meet the REIT qualification requirements, we generally will not be subject to federal income tax on the income that we distribute to our shareholders each year. See Federal Income Tax Considerations Annual Distribution Requirements. Our board of directors may authorize distributions in excess of those required for us to maintain REIT status depending on our financial condition and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant.
123
Distributions that you receive will be taxed as ordinary income to the extent they are from current or accumulated earnings and profits. To the extent any portion of your distribution is not from current or accumulated earnings and profits, it will not be subject to tax immediately; it will be considered a return of capital for tax purposes and will reduce the tax basis of your investment (and potentially result in taxable gain upon your sale of the stock). Distributions that constitute a return of capital, in effect, defer a portion of your tax until your investment is sold or we are liquidated, at which time you will be taxed at capital gains rates. However, because each investors tax considerations are different, we suggest that you consult with your tax advisor.
Our charter provides that any tender offer made by a shareholder, including any mini-tender offer, must comply with certain notice and disclosure requirements. These procedural requirements with respect to tender offers apply to any widespread solicitation for shares of our stock at firm prices for a limited time period.
In order for one of our shareholders to conduct a tender offer to another shareholder, our charter requires that the shareholder comply with Regulation 14D of the Exchange Act, and provide us with notice of such tender offer at least ten business days before initiating the tender offer. Pursuant to our charter, Regulation 14D would require any shareholder initiating a tender offer to provide:
| specific disclosure to shareholders focusing on the terms of the offer and information about the bidder; |
| the ability to allow shareholders to withdraw tendered shares while the offer remains open; |
| the right to have tendered shares accepted on a pro rata basis throughout the term of the offer if the offer is for less than all of our shares; and |
| that all shareholders of the subject class of shares be treated equally. |
In addition to the foregoing, there are certain ramifications to shareholders should they attempt to conduct a noncompliant tender offer. If any shareholder initiates a tender offer without complying with the provisions set forth above, all tendering shareholders will have the opportunity to rescind the tender of their shares to the non-complying offeror within 30 days of our provision of a position statement on such non-compliant tender offer to shareholder. The noncomplying shareholder shall also be responsible for all of our expenses in connection with that shareholders noncompliance.
Under the Maryland General Corporation Law, business combinations between a Maryland corporation and an interested shareholder or the interested shareholders affiliate are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. For this purpose, the term business combination includes mergers, consolidations, share exchanges, asset transfers, and issuances or reclassifications of equity securities. An interested shareholder is defined for this purpose as: (i) any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporations shares or (ii) an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting shares of the corporation. A person is not an interested shareholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which he otherwise would have become an interested shareholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board of directors.
After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the corporation and an interested shareholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least: (i) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding voting shares of the corporation and (ii) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting shares of the corporation other than shares held by the interested shareholder or its affiliate with whom the business combination is to be effected, or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder.
124
These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporations common shareholders receive a minimum price, as defined under the Maryland General Corporation Law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested shareholder for its shares.
None of these provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law will apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by the board of directors of the corporation prior to the time that the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. We have opted out of these provisions by resolution of our board of directors. However, our board of directors may, by resolution, opt in to the business combination statute in the future.
The Maryland General Corporation Law provides that control shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares owned by the acquirer, an officer of the corporation, or an employee of the corporation who is also a director of the corporation are excluded from the vote on whether to accord voting rights to the control shares. Control shares are voting shares that, if aggregated with all other shares owned by the acquirer or with respect to which the acquirer has the right to vote or to direct the voting of, other than solely by virtue of revocable proxy, would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power:
| one-tenth or more but less than one-third; |
| one-third or more but less than a majority; or |
| a majority or more of all voting power. |
Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained shareholder approval. Except as otherwise specified in the statute, a control share acquisition means the acquisition of control shares.
Once a person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition has undertaken to pay expenses and has satisfied other required conditions, the person may compel the board of directors to call a special meeting of shareholders to be held within 50 days of the demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any shareholders meeting.
If voting rights are not approved for the control shares at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement for the control shares as required by the statute, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares for their fair value, except for control shares for which voting rights have previously been approved. Fair value is to be determined for this purpose without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, and is to be determined as of the date of the last control share acquisition or of any meeting of shareholders at which the voting rights for control shares are considered and not approved.
If voting rights for control shares are approved at a shareholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other shareholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of these appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid in the control share acquisition. Some of the limitations and restrictions otherwise applicable to the exercise of dissenters rights do not apply in the context of a control share acquisition.
The control share acquisition statute does not apply to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.
125
Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of our stock. There can be no assurance that this provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future.
Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the Maryland General Corporation Law permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act, and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the charter or bylaws, to any or all of five provisions:
| a classified board, |
| a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a director, |
| a requirement that the number of directors be fixed only by vote of the directors, |
| a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred, and |
| a majority requirement for the calling of a special meeting of shareholders. |
Although our board has no current intention to opt in to any of the above provisions permitted under Maryland law, our charter does not prohibit our board from doing so. Becoming governed by any of these provisions could discourage an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our securities. Note that through provisions in our charter and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we already vest in our board of directors the exclusive power to fix the number of directors. Our bylaws may be amended by our shareholders or the board of directors.
Distribution Reinvestment Plan
We have adopted a distribution reinvestment plan pursuant to which you may elect to have your dividends and other distributions reinvested in additional shares of common stock. Purchases pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan will be in the same class of shares as the shares for which such shareholders received the distributions that are being reinvested. The following discussion summarizes the principal terms of this plan. Appendix B to this prospectus contains the full text of our distribution reinvestment plan as is currently in effect.
Eligibility
All of our common shareholders are eligible to participate in our distribution reinvestment plan; however, we may elect to deny your participation in the distribution reinvestment plan if you reside in a jurisdiction or foreign country where, in our judgment, the burden or expense of compliance with applicable securities laws makes your participation impracticable or inadvisable.
At any time prior to the listing of our shares on a national stock exchange, you must cease participation in our distribution reinvestment plan if you no longer meet the net income and net worth standards set forth in our charter or the then-current prospectus. Participants must agree to notify us promptly when they no longer meet these standards. See the Suitability Standards section of this prospectus (immediately following the cover page) and the form of subscription agreement attached hereto as Appendix A.
Election to Participate
You may elect to participate in the distribution reinvestment plan by completing the subscription agreement or other approved enrollment form available from the dealer manager or a soliciting dealer. Your participation in the distribution reinvestment plan will begin with the next distribution made after receipt of your enrollment form. You can choose to have all of your distributions reinvested through the distribution reinvestment plan. You may change your election at any time by completing a new enrollment form or other form provided for that purpose.
126
Stock Purchases
Shares will be purchased under the distribution reinvestment plan on the distribution payment dates and will be in the same class of shares as the shares for which such shareholder received the distributions that are being reinvested. The purchase of fractional shares is a permissible and likely result of the reinvestment of distributions under the distribution reinvestment plan.
The purchase prices for both classes of shares purchased under the distribution reinvestment plan is $10.00 per share. Once we establish an NAV per share, shares issued pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan will be priced at the NAV per share. We expect to establish an NAV per share no later than May 17, 2021.
Account Statements
You or your designee will receive a confirmation of your purchases under the distribution reinvestment plan no less than quarterly. Your confirmation will disclose the following information:
| each distribution reinvested for your account during the period; |
| the date of the reinvestment; |
| the number and price of the shares purchased by you; and |
| the total number of shares in your account. |
In addition, within 90 days after the end of each calendar year, we will provide you with an individualized report on your investment, including the purchase dates, purchase price, number of shares owned and the amount of distributions made in the prior year. We will also provide to all participants in the plan, without charge, all supplements to and updated versions of this prospectus, as required under applicable securities laws.
With respect to material changes, we may provide notice by including such information (a) in a Current Report on Form 8-K or in our annual or quarterly reports filed with the SEC and (b) in a separate mailing to the participants. With respect to immaterial changes, we may provide notice by including such information (a) in a Current Report on Form 8-K or in our annual or quarterly reports filed with the SEC, (b) in a separate mailing to the participants, or (c) on our web site.
Fees and Commissions and Use of Proceeds
No upfront or deferred selling commissions or dealer manager fees are payable on shares sold under the distribution reinvestment plan. We use the proceeds from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, the following:
| the repurchase of shares under our share repurchase program; |
| capital expenditures related to our investments in multifamily apartment communities and multifamily real estate-related assets; |
| reserves required by any financings of our investments; |
| acquisition of assets; and |
| the repayment of debt. |
We cannot predict with any certainty how much, if any, distribution reinvestment plan proceeds will be available for specific purposes.
Voting
You may vote all shares, including fractional shares that you acquire through the distribution reinvestment plan.
127
Tax Consequences of Participation
If you elect to participate in the distribution reinvestment plan and are subject to federal income taxation, you will incur a tax liability for distributions allocated to you even though you have elected not to receive the distributions in cash but rather to have the distributions withheld and reinvested pursuant to the distribution reinvestment plan. Specifically, you will be treated as if you have received the distribution from us in cash and then applied such distribution to the purchase of additional shares. In addition, to the extent you purchase shares through our distribution reinvestment plan at a discount to their fair market value, you will be treated for tax purposes as receiving an additional distribution equal to the amount of the discount.
You will be taxed on the amount of such distribution as a dividend to the extent such distribution is from current or accumulated earnings and profits, unless we have designated all or a portion of the distribution as a capital gain distribution. See Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsTaxation of Shareholders. We will withhold 24% of the amount of dividends or distributions paid if you fail to furnish a valid taxpayer identification number, fail to properly report interest or distributions or fail to certify that you are not subject to withholding.
Termination of Participation
Once enrolled, you may continue to purchase shares under our distribution reinvestment plan until we have sold all of the shares registered in this offering, have terminated this offering or have terminated the distribution reinvestment plan. You may terminate your participation in the distribution reinvestment plan at any time by providing us with written notice. For your termination to be effective for a particular distribution, we must have received your notice of termination at least 10 business days prior to the last day of the fiscal period to which the distribution relates. If you participate in our share repurchase program, you will not be terminated from participating in the distribution reinvestment plan unless you indicate your desire to terminate your participation on your share repurchase form. Any transfer of your shares will effect a termination of the participation of those shares in the distribution reinvestment plan. We will terminate your participation in the distribution reinvestment plan to the extent that a reinvestment of your distributions would cause you to violate the ownership limit contained in our charter, unless you have obtained an exemption from the ownership limit from our board of directors.
Amendment or Termination of Plan
We may amend or terminate the distribution reinvestment plan for any reason at any time upon 10 days written notice to the participants, except we may not amend the distribution reinvestment plan to remove the right of a shareholder to terminate participation in the plan. With respect to material changes, we may provide notice by including such information (a) in a Current Report on Form 8-K or in our annual or quarterly reports filed with the SEC and (b) in a separate mailing to the participants. With respect to immaterial changes, we may provide notice by including such information (a) in a Current Report on Form 8-K or in our annual or quarterly reports filed with the SEC, (b) in a separate mailing to the participants, or (c) on our web site.
Our board of directors has adopted a share repurchase program that may enable you to sell your shares of common stock to us in limited circumstances. Subject to the limitations discussed below and in further detail in our share repurchase program document, repurchases will be made in the discretion of our board of directors. The terms on which we repurchase shares differs between repurchases upon the death or complete disability (as defined in the share repurchase program) of the shareholder (collectively referred to as Exceptional Repurchases) and all other repurchases (referred to as Ordinary Repurchases).
Eligible Shareholders
Our share repurchase program is intended to provide limited interim liquidity for our shareholders until a secondary market develops for our shares of common stock, at which time the program will terminate. No such market presently exists, and we cannot assure you that any market for your shares will ever develop. Our share repurchase program is generally available only for shareholders who have held their shares for at least one year and who acquired their shares directly from us or received their shares (directly or indirectly) through one or more
128
non-cash transactions. In other words, once our shares are transferred for value by a shareholder, the transferee and all subsequent holders of the shares are not eligible to participate in our share repurchase program. These limits may prevent us from accommodating all repurchase requests made in any year.
There is no one-year holding requirement with respect to Exceptional Redemptions. In addition, our board of directors reserves the right, in its sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, to waive the one-year holding requirement in the event of other exigent circumstances such as bankruptcy or a mandatory distribution requirement under a shareholders IRA.
Redemption Prices
In the case of Ordinary Repurchases, upon the request of a shareholder, repurchases will be made in the discretion of our board of directors and at the following repurchase prices:
1. Beginning on the first anniversary of the acquisition date and prior to the third anniversary of the acquisition date, the purchase price for the repurchased shares will be equal to 85% of the estimated value per share;
2. Beginning on the third anniversary of the acquisition date and prior to the fifth anniversary of the acquisition date, the purchase price for the repurchased shares will be equal to 90% of the estimated value per share; and
3. Beginning on the fifth anniversary of the acquisition date and every year thereafter, the purchase price for the repurchased shares will be equal to 95% of the estimated value per share.
In the case of Exceptional Redemptions, upon the request of a shareholder or his or her estate, heir or beneficiary, repurchases will be made in the discretion of our board of directors and at the following repurchase prices:
1. Until the second anniversary of the acquisition date, the purchase price for the repurchased Shares will be equal to 95% of the estimated value per share; and
2. Following the second anniversary of the acquisition date, the purchase price for the repurchased Shares will be equal to the estimated value per share.
For the purposes of our share repurchase program, the estimated value per share will initially be equal to the purchase price per share at which the original purchaser of the shares bought its shares from us, and the purchase price per share will be adjusted to reflect any stock dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations or any similar transaction with respect to the shares outstanding. We plan to establish an estimated NAV per share of our common stock based on valuations of our assets and liabilities no later than May 17, 2021, and annually thereafter. Upon our establishment of an estimated NAV per share, the estimated NAV per share will be the estimated value per share pursuant to our share repurchase program. For more details on how our board of directors will determine the NAV, see Risk Factors Risks Related to This Offering and Our Corporate Structure.
For purposes of determining the time period a redeeming shareholder has held each share, the time period begins as of the acquisition date; provided, that the shares purchased by the redeeming shareholder pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan will be deemed to have been acquired on the same date as the initial share to which the distribution reinvestment plan shares relate.
Limitations on Redemptions
There are several limitations on our ability to repurchase shares under our share repurchase program:
| Unless the shares are being repurchased in connection with an Exceptional Redemption, we generally may not repurchase shares unless the shareholder has held the shares for at least one year. |
129
| During any calendar year, we may repurchase no more than 5% of the weighted-average number of shares of our common stock outstanding during the prior calendar year (the 5% Limit). |
| During any calendar year, we may redeem only the number of shares that we could purchase with the amount of net proceeds from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan during the prior calendar year (the DRP Limit). Notwithstanding anything contained in this paragraph to the contrary, we may increase or decrease the funding available for the redemption of shares pursuant to our share repurchase program upon 15 days notice to our shareholders. We may provide notice by including such information (i) in a Current Report on Form 8-K or in its annual or quarterly reports, all publicly filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, (ii) in a separate mailing to shareholders, or (iii) during this offering, in a prospectus supplement. |
| We have no obligation to repurchase shares if the repurchase would violate the restrictions on distributions under Maryland law, which prohibits distributions that would cause a corporation to fail to meet statutory tests of solvency. |
Special Provisions for Exceptional Repurchases
Repurchase upon complete disability will only be available to shareholders who become completely disabled after the purchase of their shares. If the shares are purchased by joint owners, the repurchase upon complete disability or death will be available when either joint owner first becomes completely disabled or dies.
Our board of directors, in its sole discretion, will determine in good faith whether a shareholder becomes completely disabled based on the definition of disabled under the federal Social Security Act. The federal Social Security Act generally defines disabled or disability as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment(s) that either (i) can be expected to result in death or (ii) has lasted or that we can expect to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. Our board of directors may rely on a determination made by the Social Security Administrations office in the shareholders state in making its determination that the shareholders medical condition is considered a disability under the Social Security Act.
General Terms for Repurchase
Unless otherwise approved by our board of directors in its sole discretion, we will repurchase shares on the last business day of each quarter; provided, however we will not repurchase shares on the same day we make a dividend payment. Qualifying shareholders who desire to redeem their shares would have to give written notice to us by completing a repurchase request form and returning it to us at Cottonwood Communities, Inc., c/o DST Systems, Inc. We or our transfer agent must receive your written request for repurchase at least five business days before the repurchase date in order for us to repurchase your shares on the repurchase date.
If we could not repurchase all shares presented for repurchase in any quarter in which we are repurchasing shares, then we will repurchase all shares on a pro rata basis during the relevant quarter. If we did not completely satisfy a shareholders repurchase request on a repurchase date because we or our transfer agent did not receive the request in time or because of the restrictions on the number of shares we could repurchase under the program, we would treat the unsatisfied portion of the repurchase request as a request for repurchase at the next repurchase date funds are available for repurchase unless the shareholder withdrew his or her request before the next date for repurchases. Any shareholder could withdraw a repurchase request upon written notice to us if such notice were received by us at least five business days before the date for repurchases.
In general, and unless otherwise approved by our board of directors in its sole discretion, a shareholder may present to us fewer than all of the shares then owned for repurchase, except that the minimum number of shares that must be presented for repurchase must be at least 25% of the shareholders shares. If, however, an Exceptional Repurchase is being requested, or a repurchase is requested by a shareholder due to other exigent circumstances, such as bankruptcy or a mandatory distribution requirement under such shareholders IRA, a minimum of 10% of the shareholders shares may be presented for repurchase; provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by our board of directors in its sole discretion, any future repurchase request by such shareholder must relate to at least 25% of the shareholders remaining shares.
130
In the event a shareholder will own fewer than 100 shares as a result of a repurchase request, we will redeem all of the shares held by such shareholder in order to avoid having shareholders holding fewer than 100 shares. Such repurchases will count against the 5% Limit but will not count against the DRP Limit.
Neither any member of our board of directors, nor our advisor or sponsor, nor any of their affiliates will receive any fee on our repurchase of shares pursuant to our share repurchase program.
Termination, Suspension or Amendment of our Share Repurchase Program
Our board of directors may amend, suspend or terminate our share repurchase program for any reason upon 15 days notice to our shareholders. We may provide notice by including such information (i) in a Current Report on Form 8-K or in our annual or quarterly reports, all publicly filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, (ii) in a separate mailing to shareholders, or (iii) during this offering, in a prospectus supplement.
If we suspend our share repurchase program (in whole or in part), except as otherwise provided by our board of directors, until the suspension is lifted, we will not accept any requests for the repurchase of shares to which such suspension applies in subsequent periods and any such requests and all pending requests that are subject to the suspension will not be honored or retained, but will be returned to the requesting shareholder and must be resubmitted when the program is resumed.
Liability
Neither we nor our board of directors will have any liability to any shareholder for any damages resulting from or related to the shareholders presentment of the shareholders shares. Further, shareholders will have complete responsibility for payment of all taxes, assessments and other applicable obligations and third party costs resulting from or relating to our repurchase of shares.
Restrictions on Roll-Up Transactions
A Roll-up Transaction is a transaction involving the acquisition, merger, conversion or consolidation, directly or indirectly, of us and the issuance of securities of an entity that is created or would survive after the successful completion of a Roll-up Transaction, which we refer to as a Roll-up Entity. This term does not include:
| a transaction involving our securities that have been for at least 12 months listed on a national securities exchange; or |
| a transaction involving only our conversion into a trust or association if, as a consequence of the transaction, there will be no significant adverse change in the voting rights of our common shareholders, the term of our existence, the compensation to our advisor or our investment objectives. |
In connection with any proposed Roll-up Transaction, an appraisal of all our assets will be obtained from a competent independent expert. Our assets will be appraised on a consistent basis, and the appraisal will be based on an evaluation of all relevant information and will indicate the value of our assets as of a date immediately preceding the announcement of the proposed Roll-up Transaction. If the appraisal will be included in a prospectus used to offer the securities of a Roll-Up Entity, the appraisal will be filed with the SEC and, if applicable, the states in which registration of such securities is sought, as an exhibit to the registration statement for the offering. The appraisal will assume an orderly liquidation of assets over a 12-month period. The terms of the engagement of the independent expert will clearly state that the engagement is for our benefit and the benefit of our shareholders. A summary of the appraisal, indicating all material assumptions underlying the appraisal, will be included in a report to our shareholders in connection with any proposed Roll-up Transaction.
In connection with a proposed Roll-up Transaction, the person sponsoring the Roll-up Transaction must offer to our common shareholders who vote no on the proposal the choice of:
(1) | accepting the securities of the Roll-up Entity offered in the proposed Roll-up Transaction; or |
131
(2) | one of the following: |
(A) | remaining as common shareholders of us and preserving their interests in us on the same terms and conditions as existed previously; or |
(B) | receiving cash in an amount equal to the shareholders pro rata share of the appraised value of our net assets. |
We are prohibited from participating in any proposed Roll-up Transaction:
| that would result in our common shareholders having democracy rights in a Roll-up Entity that are less than those provided in our charter and bylaws with respect to the election and removal of directors and the other voting rights of our common shareholders, annual and special meetings of common shareholders, the amendment of our charter and our dissolution; |
| that includes provisions that would operate to materially impede or frustrate the accumulation of shares by any purchaser of the securities of the Roll-up Entity, except to the minimum extent necessary to preserve the tax status of the Roll-up Entity, or that would limit the ability of an investor to exercise the voting rights of its securities of the Roll-up Entity on the basis of the number of shares of common stock that such investor has held in us; |
| in which investors rights of access to the records of the Roll-up Entity would be less than those provided in our charter and described in the section of this prospectus entitled Description of SharesInspection of Books and Records; or |
| in which any of the costs of the Roll-up Transaction would be borne by us if the Roll-up Transaction would not be approved by our common shareholders. |
We have engaged a third party to serve as the registrar and transfer agent for our common stock. The name and address of our transfer agent is as follows:
DST Systems, Inc.
1055 Broadway, 7th Floor
Kansas City, Missouri 64105
Attn: Group Vice President-Full Service
Fax: (816) 435-3455
To ensure that any account changes or updates are made promptly and accurately, all changes and updates should be directed to the transfer agent, including any change to a shareholders address, ownership type, or distribution mailing address, as well as shareholder repurchase requests under our share repurchase program.
132
THE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
Cottonwood Communities O.P., LP which we refer to as the operating partnership, is a recently formed Delaware limited partnership. We expect to own substantially all of our assets and conduct our operations through the operating partnership. We are the sole general partner of our operating partnership. As the general partner, we have the exclusive power to manage and conduct the business of the operating partnership. Currently, the sole limited partner of the operating partnership is Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cottonwood Residential O.P. Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC has assigned its right in the promotional interest in our partnership to Cottonwood Advisors Promote, LLC.
As we accept subscriptions for shares in this offering, we transfer all of the proceeds of the offering to our operating partnership as a capital contribution in exchange for units of general partnership interest. Because we are the only general partner in the operating partnership, we do not have multiple classes of operating partnership interests that correspond to our classes of common stock. However, in the future we may issue new classes of operating partnership interests with unique terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption.
As a result of this structure, we are considered an UPREIT, or an umbrella partnership real estate investment trust. For purposes of satisfying the asset and income tests for qualification as a REIT, the REITs proportionate share of the assets and income of the operating partnership will be deemed to be assets and income of the REIT.
If we ever decide to acquire properties in exchange for units of limited partnership interest in the operating partnership, we expect to amend the partnership agreement of our operating partnership to allow for such contributions.
We have contributed $200,000 to the partnership in exchange for our general partner interest. Cottonwood Communities Investor, LLC, is not required to make a capital contribution in exchange for its limited partnership interest. We plan to contribute the proceeds of this offering to the operating partnership as an additional capital contribution. If we offer preferred shares in the future, the operating partnership will also issue preferred general partnership interests. In addition, if we accept contributions of property in our operating partnership, our percentage ownership interest in the operating partnership will be adjusted to reflect the relative ownership percentages of the property contributors and us. If the operating partnership would require additional funds at any time in excess of capital contributions made by us or from borrowings, we could borrow funds from a financial institution or other lender and lend such funds to the operating partnership on the same terms and conditions as are applicable to our borrowing of such funds.
The partnership agreement of our operating partnership will provide that, so long as we remain qualified as a REIT, the operating partnership will be operated in a manner that will enable us to satisfy the requirements for being classified as a REIT for tax purposes.
Distributions and Allocations of Profits and Losses
Cash from Operations (which includes cash from capital transactions) from our operating partnership is distributed as follows:
(1) First, 100% to the general partner (us) until our shareholders have received distributions in an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (i) a 6% cumulative, non-compounded, annual return on their invested capital and (ii) a return of their invested capital; and
133
(2) Thereafter, 85% to the general partner (us) and 15% to Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC.
Notwithstanding the above, upon the sale or exchange of the last property or liquidation of the operating partnership, Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC will contribute prior income tax related distributions it has received from the operating partnership to the extent that the tax distributions cause Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC to receive distributions that exceed the amount that would have been distributed to Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC if Cottonwood Communities Advisors Promote, LLC did not receive such distributions.
The operating partnership will make allocations of income and loss so that the allocations are made in a similar manner to the distributions. Losses will not be passed through to our shareholders.
Rights, Obligations and Powers of the General Partner
Under the partnership agreement of our operating partnership, the general partner has all power and authority as a general partner is able to have under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, as amended. We are the sole general partner of our operating partnership. As the sole general partner, we have complete and exclusive discretion to manage and control the operating partnerships business and to make all decisions affecting its assets.
We expect that the operating partnership would continue to pay all of the administrative and operating costs and expenses it incurs in acquiring or originating and operating and managing our investments. Other than the organizational and offering expenses paid by CC Advisors III, LLC, we expect the operating partnership would also pay all of our administrative costs and expenses and such expenses would be treated as expenses of the operating partnership. Such expenses would include:
| all expenses relating to our continuity of existence; |
| all expenses associated with the preparation and filing of our periodic reports under federal, state, or local laws or regulations; and |
| all of our other operating or administrative costs incurred in the ordinary course of business. |
Other than the organizational and offering expenses paid by CC Advisors III, LLC, the only costs and expenses we could incur that the operating partnership would not reimburse would be costs and expenses relating to assets we may own outside of the operating partnership. We would pay the expenses relating to such assets directly.
We generally would not be able to withdraw as the general partner of our Operating Partnership or transfer our general partnership interest in our operating partnership (unless we transferred our interest to a wholly owned subsidiary).
Amendment of Limited Partnership Agreement
The partnership agreement of our operating partnership may be amended with our consent as general partner. It is anticipated that the partnership agreement of our operating partnership will be amended and restated if additional limited partners are admitted.
134
In addition to this prospectus, we may utilize additional sales materials in connection with the offering of the shares, although only when accompanied by or preceded by the delivery of this prospectus. The supplemental sales material will not contain all of the information material to an investment decision and should only be reviewed after reading this prospectus. These supplemental sales materials may include:
| investor sales promotion brochures; |
| cover letters transmitting the prospectus; |
| brochures containing a summary description of the offering; |
| fact sheets describing the general nature of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. and our investment objectives; |
| asset flyers describing our recent acquisitions; |
| broker updates; |
| online investor presentations; |
| web site material; |
| electronic media presentations; and |
| client seminars and seminar advertisements and invitations. |
All of the foregoing material will be prepared by us, our dealer manager, or their affiliates with the exception of the third-party article reprints. In certain jurisdictions, some or all of such sales material may not be available. In addition, the sales material may contain certain quotes from various publications without obtaining the consent of the author or the publication for use of the quoted material in the sales material.
We are offering shares only by means of this prospectus. Although the information contained in our supplemental sales materials will not conflict with any of the information contained in this prospectus, the supplemental materials do not purport to be complete and should not be considered a part of or as incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the offering statement of which this prospectus is a part.
The validity of the shares of our common stock being offered hereby has been passed upon for us by DLA Piper LLP (US), Raleigh, North Carolina. DLA Piper LLP (US) has also reviewed the statements relating to certain federal income tax matters that are likely to be material to United States holders of our common stock under the caption Federal Income Tax Considerations and has opined upon our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on Form S-11 with the SEC with respect to the shares of our common stock to be issued in this offering. This prospectus is a part of that registration statement and, as permitted by SEC rules, does not include all of the information you can find in the registration statement or the exhibits to the registration statement. For additional information relating to us, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or document are necessarily summaries of such contract or document and in each instance, if we have filed the contract or document as an exhibit to the registration statement, we refer you to the copy of the contract or document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement.
We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. We intend to furnish our shareholders with annual reports containing consolidated financial statements certified by an independent public accounting firm. The registration statement is, and any of these future filings with the SEC will be available to the public over the Internet at the SECs web site at http://www.sec.gov. You may read and copy any filed document at the SECs public reference room in Washington, D.C. at 100 F. Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. Please call the SEC at (800) SEC-0330 for further information about the public reference room.
135
APPENDIX A | FORM OF SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT | A-1 | ||||
APPENDIX B | AMENDED AND RESTATED DISTRIBUTION REINVESTMENT PLAN | B-1 | ||||
APPENDIX C | PRIOR PERFORMANCE TABLES | C-1 |
FORM OF SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC. SUBSCRIPTION DOCUMENTS C OMMUNITIES
A-1
Cottonwood Communities, Inc. SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT & INVESTOR INSTRUCTIONS If you need assistance in completing this Subscription Agreement or have questions on trades in process, please call 844.422.2584. Send Subscriptions and Checks made payable to Cottonwood Communities, Inc to: Send Funds by Wire to: DST Systems, Inc. Account Name: Cottonwood Communities, Inc. Attn: Cottonwood Communities, Inc. UMB Bank, N.A. 430 W. 7th Street 1010 Grand Blvd., 4th Floor, Suite # 219065 Kansas City, MO 64106 Kansas City, MO 64105 ABA #: 101000695 Phone: 844.422.2584 DDA #: 98-7229-2529 Fax: 855.338.1452 FCC: Investor Name * Cash, cashiers checks/official bank checks, temporary checks, foreign checks, money orders, third party checks, or travelers checks are not accepted. 1. INVESTMENT INFORMATION State of Sale: Amount of Subscription: $ Shares are being purchased through a Registered Investment Advisor or fee-based account. Investment Type: Initial Investment (Minimum Subscription: $5,000) Additional Investment (No Minimum Subscription Amount) 2. INVESTMENT TYPE (check one box) Non-Qualified Individual Partnership(2) Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship C Corporation(2) Tenants in Common S Corporation(2) Trust(1) Limited Liability Company(2) Community Property Other: Uniform Gift to Minors Act: State of Uniform Transfer to Minors Act: State of Qualified Traditional (Individual) IRA(3) Pension or Profit Sharing Plan(1) Simple IRA(3) KEOGH Plan(1) SEP IRA(3) Other: ROTH IRA(3) Beneficial as Beneficiary for: (1) Please attach a trustee certification or pages of the trust/plan document which lists (3) Please submit this Subscription Agreement to Custodian of record prior to the names of the trust/plan and trustees authorized to sign on behalf of the trust/plan. submitting to DST Systems. (2) Please attach evidence of authority to sign on behalf of the entity. C OMMUNITIES 1 of 5
A-2
Cottonwood Communities, Inc. Subscription Agreement & Investor Instructions Custodian Information (to be completed by Custodian) Name of Custodian: Street Address: City, State, Zip: Phone No.: Custodian Tax ID No.: Custodian Account No.: 3. INVESTOR INFORMATION Section A: For Individuals, Community Property, Joint Tenants, Tenants in Common, & IRA accounts Name(s): Mailing Address: City/State/Zip: E-mail Address (Required): Phone: Home: ( ) Mobile: ( ) Social Security or Federal Tax ID Number (TIN): Date of Birth: Joint Owner Social Security Number or TIN: Joint Owner Date of Birth: Section B: For Trust, Partnership, LLC, and Corporation accounts Name of Trust or Entity: TIN of Trust or Entity: Date of Formation: Name of Trustee(s) or Authorized Person(s): Social Security Number(s) or TIN: Date(s) of Birth: Mailing Address: E-mail Address: Phone: Home: ( ) Mobile: ( ) Please provide a copy of your Trust, entity or Plan documents with this subscription. Please check one of the following options for delivery of investor information: By checking this box, Cottonwood Communities, Inc. (the Company) will send certain investor communications to you in electronic form to the e-mail address provided in this Section 3. Investor communications that may be delivered electronically include account statements, tax forms, annual reports, proxy statements and other communications. By electing electronic delivery, you: (i) agree that you have the appropriate hardware and software to receive e-mail notifications and view PDF documents; (ii) understand that you may incur certain costs associated with downloading and printing investor documents; and (iii) understand that electronic delivery also involves risks related to system or network outages that could impair your timely receipt of or access to your documents. The Company may choose to send one or more items to you in paper form despite your consent to electronic delivery. You may also request a paper copy of any particular investor document. Your consent will be effective until you revoke it in writing to the Company. By checking this box, the Company will send all investor communications to you in paper form. 4. DISTRIBUTIONS (indicate to whom distributions should be sent) By executing this Subscription Agreement, you hereby authorize the Company or its agent (DST Systems) to initiate entries into the account listed below or to send funds directly to the financial institution/individual(s) listed below. This authorization will remain in effect until you notify the Company or DST Systems in writing to cancel it with time to aford a reasonable opportunity to act on it. This authorization relates solely to this investment. Please select one of the options below: I choose to have my I choose to have checks I choose to have checks I choose to participate distributions to be sent to the person(s) or sent to the individual(s) in the Distribution directly deposited into financial institution listed listed in Section 3. Reinvestment Plan, my bank account. [Attach below. [Distributions for as described in the voided check and complete custodial accounts will be sent prospectus. information below] to Custodian of record] Bank, Brokerage Firm or Person: Mailing Address: Account Type: Account Number: ABA Routing Number: 2 of 5
A-3
Cottonwood Communities, Inc. Subscription Agreement & Investor Instructions 5. INVESTOR SUITABILITY REQUIREMENTS Please carefully read and separately initial each of the representations below for items 1-5. Except in the case of fiduciary accounts, you may not grant any person a power of attorney to make such representations on your behalf. As used below, net worth should be calculated exclusive of home, home furnishings and personal automobile, and unless otherwise indicated below, liquid net worth is defined as that portion of net worth that consists of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities. References to accredited investor below mean an accredited investor as defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. If you elect to participate in the Distribution Reinvestment Plan, the Company requests that if at any time you fail to meet the minimum income or net worth standards established for the Company as set forth in the prospectus or listed in this Section 5, you will promptly notify the Company in writing of that fact. Only sign items 6-18 if applicable. In order to induce the Company to accept this subscription, I hereby represent and warrant to you as follows: JOINT JOINT OWNER OWNER 1. I have received the final prospectus for the Company. initials initials 2. I have (i) a minimum net worth of at least $250,000 or (ii) a minimum net worth of at least $70,000 and initials initials a minimum annual gross income of at least $70,000, and, if applicable, I meet the higher net worth and gross income requirements imposed by my state of primary residence as set forth in the final prospectus under Suitability Standards. 3. I acknowledge that there is no public market for the shares and, thus, my investment in shares is not liquid. initials initials 4. I am purchasing the shares for my own account. initials initials 5. I acknowledge that I will not be admitted as a stockholder until my investment has been accepted. initials initials 6. If I am an Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, or Oregon investor, my investment in the Company and its affiliates initials initials does not exceed 10% of my liquid net worth. 7. If I am an Idaho investor, I have either (a) a liquid net worth of at least $300,000 or (b) gross annual income initials initials of at least $85,000 and a liquid net worth of at least $85,000. In addition, my investment in the Company does not exceed 10% of my liquid net worth. 8. If I am a Kansas investor, I acknowledge that it is recommended by the Kansas Securities Commissioner that initials initials Kansas investors do not invest, in the aggregate, more than 10% of their liquid net worth in the Company and other non-traded real estate investment trusts. 9. If I am a Maine investor, I acknowledge that it is recommended by the Maine Oï¬ce of Securities initials initials that investors not invest, in the aggregate, more than 10% of their liquid net worth in the Company and similar direct participation investments. 10. If I am a Massachusetts investor, my investment in the Company and other illiquid direct participation initials initials programs does not exceed 10% of my liquid net worth. 11. If I am a Nebraska investor, my investment in the Company and the securities of other non-publicly traded initials initials REITs is equal to no more than 10% of my net worth. A Nebraska investor who is an accredited investor is not subject to the foregoing limitations. 12. If I am a New Jersey investor, I have either (i) a minimum liquid net worth of at least $100,000 and a initials initials minimum annual gross income of not less than $85,000, or (ii) a minimum liquid net worth of at least $350,000. In addition, I have not invested more than 10% of my liquid net worth in the Company, its affiliates, and non-publicly traded direct investment programs (including REITs, business development companies, oil and gas programs, equipment leasing programs and commodity pools, but excluding unregistered, federally and state exempt private erings). 13. If I am a New Mexico investor, my investment in the Company, its affiliates and other non-traded initials initials real estate investment trusts does not exceed 10% of my liquid net worth. 14. If I am a California, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, or Tennessee investor, I have a net worth of at least 10 initials initials times my investment in the Company. 15. If I am an Ohio investor, my investment in the Company, its affiliates and other non-traded real estate initials initials investment trusts does not exceed 10% of my liquid net worth (that portion of net worth (total assets exclusive of primary residence, home furnishings, and automobiles, minus total liabilities) comprised of cash, cash equivalents, and readily marketable securities). 16. If I am a Vermont investor, my investment in the Company does not exceed 10% of my liquid net worth. initials initials For these purposes, liquid net worth is defined as an investors total assets (not including home, home furnishings, or automobiles) minus total liabilities. A Vermont investor who is an accredited investor is not subject to the foregoing limitations. 17. If I am an Iowa investor, I have either (i) an annual gross income of at least $100,000 and a net worth initials initials of at least $100,000, or (ii) a net worth of at least $350,000. In addition, I have not invested more than 10% of my net worth in the Company and in the securities of other non-publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs). An Iowa investor who is an accredited investor is not subject to the foregoing concentration limit. initials initials 18. If I am a Puerto Rico investor, I have not invested more than 10% of my liquid net worth (that portion of net worth (total assets exclusive of primary residence, home furnishings, and automobiles minus total liabilities) consisting of cash, cash equivalents, and readily marketable securities) in the Company, its affiliates, and other non-traded REITs. 3 of 5
A-4
Cottonwood Communities, Inc. Subscription Agreement & Investor Instructions 6. INVESTOR SIGNATURES THE UNDERSIGNED INVESTOR HEREBY CERTIFIES THAT ALL OF THE INFORMATION AND REPRESENTATIONS SET FORTH HEREIN ARE TRUE AND CORRECT IN ALL RESPECTS. THE UNDERSIGNED INVESTOR HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO THIS SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE PERSON(S) OR ENTITY REGISTERED IN SECTION 3 ABOVE. TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION/SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER CONFIRMATION (required): Under penalties of perjury, I certify that: (1) the number shown in Section 3 above is my correct TIN (or I am waiting for a number to be issued to me); (2) I am not subject to backup withholding because (a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that I am subject to backup withholding as a result of failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding; (3) I am a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person (defined in the Form W-9 instructions). (Certification instructions: You must cross out item (2) above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because you have failed to report all interest and dividends on your tax return.) I hereby agree to notify the Company within thirty (30) days of the date I become a foreign person. I understand that this certification may be disclosed to the IRS and the state taxing authority and that any false statement made herein could be punished by fine, imprisonment or both. The IRS does not require your consent to any provision of this document other than the certificates required to avoid backup withholding. Any investor that is not a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person (defined in the Form W-9 instructions) must provide the applicable completed Form W-8. Executed this day of , . SIGNATURE (INVESTOR OR AUTHORIZED SIGNATORY) JOINT OWNER SIGNATURE (INVESTOR OR AUTHORIZED SIGNATORY) Printed Name Printed Name Title (if applicable) Title (if applicable) * CUSTODIAL APPROVAL: By executing this Subscription Agreement, Custodian certifies to the Company that the shares purchased pursuant to this Subscription Agreement are held for the benefit of the investor named in Section 3 of this Subscription Agreement (the Beneficial Owner); Custodian agrees to notify the Company promptly, but in any event within 30 days, of any changes in the name of the Beneficial Owner or the number of shares held by Custodian for the benefit of the Beneficial Owner; Custodian confirms that the Company is entitled to rely on these representations for the purposes of determining the shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at each annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Company until delivery by Custodian to the Company of a written statement revoking such representations (provided, however, that any such revocation delivered after the record date or the closing of the stock transfer books of the Company in respect of any annual or special meeting of the shareholders, but on or prior to the date of such annual or special meeting of shareholders, shall not be ective until after the holding of such annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Company), then each Beneficial Owner (and not Custodian) will be deemed the holder of record for the shares of common stock entitled to notice of or to vote at each annual or special meeting of shareholders. SIGNATURE (CUSTODIANS AUTHORIZED SIGNATORY) Printed Name COMMUNITIES 4 of 5
A-5
Cottonwood Communities, Inc. Subscription Agreement & Investor Instructions 7. BROKER-DEALER OR REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISORREPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES The investors registered representative (Registered Representative) of a participating broker-dealer (Broker-Dealer) or an authorized representative of the investors Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), as applicable, must sign below to complete the order. The Registered Representative hereby warrants that he or she and the Broker-Dealer are duly licensed and may lawfully sell shares of common stock in the state designated as the investors legal residence. The RIA represents that it is either registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or exempt from registration. The Broker-Dealer or RIA, as applicable, agrees to maintain records of the information used to determine that an investment in shares of common stock of the Company is suitable and appropriate for the investor for a period of six years. The undersigned confirms by his or her signature that the Broker-Dealer or RIA, as applicable, (i) has reasonable grounds to believe that the information and representations concerning the investor identified herein are true, correct and complete in all respects; (ii) has discussed such investors prospective purchase of shares with such investor; (iii) has advised such investor of all pertinent facts with regard to the liquidity and marketability of the shares and other fundamental risks related to the investment in the shares; (iv) has delivered the final prospectus to such investor; (v) has reasonable grounds to believe that the investor is purchasing these shares for his or her own account; and (vi) has reasonable grounds to believe that the purchase of shares is a suitable investment for such investor, that such investor meets the suitability standards applicable to such investor as set forth in the final prospectus, as supplemented from time to time, and that such investor is in a financial position to enable such investor to realize the benefits of such an investment and to suffer any loss that may occur with respect thereto. I understand this Subscription Agreement is for Cottonwood Communities, Inc. All sales of shares of common stock must be made through a Broker-Dealer. If a RIA has introduced a sale, the sale must be conducted through (i) the RIA in its capacity as a Registered Representative, if applicable; (ii) a Registered Representative of a Broker-Dealer that is affiliated with the RIA, if applicable; or (iii) if neither (i) or (ii) is applicable, an unaffiliated Broker-Dealer. FOR SALES THROUGH AN RIA OR FEE-BASED ACCOUNT (please check one of the following as applicable): You are a RIA that has introduced a sale and are affiliated with a Broker-Dealer. You are a RIA that has introduced a sale and are not affiliated with a Broker-Dealer. Broker-Dealer Firm Name (if applicable): CRD No.: Broker-Dealer Address: City: State: Zip Code: Business Phone: ( ) Operations E-mail Address: Fax No.: ( ) Registered Representative Name: Rep. No.: (Please Print) Or RIA Name: RIA No.: (Please Print) Registered Representatives or RIAs Branch Address: City: State: Zip Code: Branch Phone Number: ( ) Rep/RIA E-mail Address: SIGNATURE OF REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVE OR REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR Date BROKER-DEALER PRINCIPAL APPROVAL SIGNATURE (if required) Date C OMMUNITIES 5 of 5
A-6
COMMUNITIES If you need assistance completing the subscription documents, please call: 844.422.2584 www.cottonwoodcommunities.com 6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500 Salt Lake City, UT 84121 Phone 855.816.9112 | Fax 801.278.0756 Securities Offored Through Orchard Securities, LLC Member FINRA/SiPC CC-1006-D 5/19
A-7
AMENDED AND RESTATED DISTRIBUTION REINVESTMENT PLAN
Cottonwood Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the Company), has adopted this Amended and Restated Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the DRP), the terms and conditions of which are set forth below. Capitalized terms shall have the same meaning as set forth in the Companys charter, as amended and supplemented, unless otherwise defined herein.
1. Amount of Shares Issuable. Up to an aggregate of $75,000,000 in shares in any combination of Class A and Class T Common Stock (the Shares) is authorized for issuance under the DRP.
2. Participants. Participants are holders of the Companys shares of any class of Common Stock who elect to participate in the DRP regardless of the offering in which such Participant acquired their shares.
3. Distribution Reinvestment. Exclusive of distributions that the Companys board of directors designates as ineligible for reinvestment through this DRP, the Company will apply that portion (as designated by a Participant) of the distributions (Distributions) declared and paid in respect of a Participants shares of any class of Common Stock to the purchase of additional Shares for such Participant. Purchases will be in the same class of Shares as the shares for which such Participant received the distributions that are being reinvested. Selling commissions, dealer manager fees and deferred selling commissions will not be paid on the Shares purchased in the DRP.
4. Procedures for Participation. Qualifying shareholders may elect to become Participants or to increase participation in the DRP by completing and executing the Subscription Agreement, an enrollment form or any other Company-approved authorization form as may be available from the Company, the dealer manager or soliciting dealers. Participation in the DRP will begin with the next Distribution payable after receipt of a Participants subscription agreement, enrollment form or other Company-approved authorization form.
5. Purchase of Shares. Shares will be purchased on the date that the Company makes a Distribution. Distributions will be paid upon the terms as authorized and declared by the Companys board of directors. Until the Company establishes an estimated net asset value (NAV) per share of Common Stock, Participants will acquire the Shares at a price of $10.00 per share. Upon the Companys announcement in a public filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the Company has established an estimated NAV per share of Common Stock, Participants will acquire Common Stock at a price equal to the estimated NAV per share of Common Stock. The Company expects to establish an estimated NAV per share of Common Stock no later than May 17, 2021. Participants in the DRP may purchase fractional shares so that 100% of the Distributions will be used to acquire shares. However, a Participant will not be able to acquire shares under the DRP to the extent such purchase would cause it to exceed limits set forth in the Companys charter, as amended.
6. Taxation of Distributions. The reinvestment of Distributions in the DRP does not relieve Participants of any taxes that may be payable as a result of those Distributions and their reinvestment pursuant to the terms of this DRP.
7. Share Certificates. The Shares issuable under the DRP shall be uncertificated until the board of directors determines otherwise.
8. Voting of DRP Shares. In connection with any matter requiring the vote of the Companys shareholders, each Participant will be entitled to vote all Shares, including fractional Shares, acquired by the Participant through the DRP.
9. Reports. Within 90 days after the end of the calendar year, the Company shall provide each Participant with (i) an individualized report on the Participants investment, including the purchase date(s), purchase price and number of shares owned, as well as the amount of Distributions received during the prior year; and (ii) all material information regarding the DRP and the effect of reinvesting distributions, including the tax consequences thereof. The Company shall provide such information reasonably requested by the dealer manager or a soliciting dealer, in order for the dealer manager or soliciting dealer to meet its obligations to deliver written notification to Participants of the information required by Rule 10b-10(b) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
B-1
10. Termination by Participant. A Participant may terminate participation in the DRP at any time by delivering to the Company a written notice. To be effective for any Distribution, such notice must be received by the Company at least ten business days prior to the last day of the month to which the Distribution relates. Any transfer of shares by a Participant will terminate participation in the DRP with respect to the transferred shares. Upon termination of DRP participation, Distributions will be distributed to the shareholder in cash.
11. Amendment or Termination of DRP by the Company. The Company may amend or terminate the DRP for any reason upon ten days written notice to the Participants, except the Company may not amend the DRP to remove the right of a Participant to terminate participation in the DRP. With respect to material changes, the Company may provide notice by including such information (a) in a Current Report on Form 8-K or in its annual or quarterly reports filed with the SEC, and (b) in a separate mailing to the Participants. With respect to immaterial changes, the Company may provide notice by including such information (a) in a Current Report on Form 8-K or in its annual or quarterly reports filed with the SEC, (b) in a separate mailing to the Participants, or (c) on the Companys web site.
12. Liability of the Company. The Company shall not be liable for any act done in good faith, or for any good faith omission to act.
13. Governing Law. The DRP shall be governed by the laws of the State of Maryland.
B-2
PRIOR PERFORMANCE TABLES
The following prior performance tables provide information relating to the real estate investment programs sponsored by Cottonwood Residential II, Inc., Cottonwood Residential, Inc., Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and their affiliates, collectively referred to herein as the prior real estate programs. These programs were not prior programs of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. Prior to the commencement of its plan to liquidate and restructure its subsidiaries that was completed in September 2018, Cottonwood Residential, Inc. was a real estate investment trust that, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, and in particular, through Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP, its operating partnership, provided real estate investment and management services and acted as the initial sponsor of this offering. In September 2018, Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. was admitted as an additional general partner of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP along with Cottonwood Residential, Inc., as a nominal general partner, and directs the investment activities of Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP going forward. We consider Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. to be our current sponsor. As the leadership of Cottonwood Residential, Inc. remains intact at Cottonwood Residential II, Inc. we have continued to provide information regarding real estate investment programs sponsored by Cottonwood Residential, Inc. Cottonwood Capital Property Management II, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of Cottonwood Capital Management, Inc., and Cottonwood Residential, Inc., sponsored Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. and Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. which are real estate investment trusts that have investment objectives similar to us. The other prior programs consisted of tenant in common offerings which had investment objectives that targeted investors who were completing tax deferred exchanges under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and entities that were formed to accept the contribution of tenant in common interests in property in exchange for interests in such entity. Thus, while these prior programs acquired multifamily real estate, the investment objectives of such prior programs were not similar to those of Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
This information should be read together with the summary of information included in the Prior Performance Summary section of this prospectus.
INVESTORS SHOULD NOT CONSTRUE INCLUSION OF THE FOLLOWING TABLES AS IMPLYING, IN ANY MANNER, THAT WE WILL HAVE RESULTS COMPARABLE TO THOSE REFLECTED IN SUCH TABLES. DISTRIBUTABLE CASH FLOW, FEDERAL INCOME TAX DEDUCTIONS OR OTHER FACTORS COULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT. INVESTORS SHOULD NOTE THAT, BY ACQUIRING OUR SHARES, THEY WILL NOT BE ACQUIRING ANY INTEREST IN ANY PRIOR PROGRAM.
Description of the Tables
All information contained in the Tables in this Appendix C is as of December 31, 2018. The following tables are included herein:
Table I Experience in Raising and Investing Funds
Table III Annual Operating Results of Prior Real Estate Programs
Table IV Operating Results of Prior Real Estate Programs Which Have Completed Operations
Table III includes information regarding the last five prior programs offered by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and its affiliates. Table IV includes information regarding the last five completed prior programs offered by Cottonwood Residential O.P., LP and its affiliates.
We have not included in this Appendix C Table II (Compensation to Sponsor) or Table V (Sale or Disposition of Properties by Prior Real Estate Programs) because the information contained in these tables is not applicable to the prior programs.
C-1
TABLE I
EXPERIENCE IN RAISING AND INVESTING FUNDS
(UNAUDITED)
Table I sets forth the experience in raising and investing funds of prior real estate programs whose offerings closed during the three years ending December 31, 2018. All figures are as of December 31, 2018.
Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I, Inc. | ||||
Dollar amount offered |
$ | 50,000,000 | ||
Dollar amount raised |
$ | 50,000,000 | ||
Length of Offering |
9 months | |||
Months to invest 90% of amount available for investment |
<1 month | |||
Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II, Inc. | ||||
Dollar amount offered |
$ | 50,000,000 | ||
Dollar amount raised |
$ | 50,000,000 | ||
Length of Offering |
13 months | |||
Months to invest 90% of amount available for investment |
18 months |
C-2
TABLE III
ANNUAL OPERATING RESULTS OF PRIOR PROGRAMS
(UNAUDITED)
Table III sets forth the annual operating results of prior real estate programs during the five years ending December 31, 2018. All figures are as of December 31, 2018 (amounts in dollars and thousands). All of the offerings for the prior real estate programs described in this Table III have closed.
Cottonwood Multifamily REIT I |
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Summary Balance Sheet Data at December 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets (before depreciation) |
| 10 | 51,921 | 50,833 | 47,831 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets (after depreciation) |
| 10 | 48,784 | 43,134 | 36,796 | |||||||||||||||
Liabilities |
| | (24,444 | ) | (2,162 | ) | (421 | ) | ||||||||||||
Summary Income Statement Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Gross revenues |
| | 4,344 | 10,778 | 11,405 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
| | (1,859 | ) | (4,737 | ) | (4,695 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating income |
| | 2,485 | 6,041 | 6,710 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
| | (2,106 | ) | (2,995 | ) | (3,132 | ) | ||||||||||||
Non-operating, including depreciation and amortization |
| | (3,584 | ) | (5,871 | ) | (5,239 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss |
| | (3,205 | ) | (2,825 | ) | (1,661 | ) | ||||||||||||
Summary Cash Flows Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash provided by (used in) operating activities |
| | | 1,243 | (86 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Cash (used in) provided by investing activities |
| | (48,199 | ) | | 3,747 | ||||||||||||||
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities |
| 10 | 50,570 | (3,333 | ) | (2,990 | ) | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash |
| | 2,371 | (2,090 | ) | 671 | ||||||||||||||
Amount and Source of Distributions |
||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions from operations |
| | 259 | 2,714 | 2,875 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from financing |
| | | | 3,747 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from sales |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from offering proceeds |
| | | | |
(1) | Operating results and cash flow data include Cottonwood Multifamily REIT Is share of property activity based on its ownership interests in real estate joint ventures. |
C-3
TABLE III
ANNUAL OPERATING RESULTS OF PRIOR PROGRAMS
(UNAUDITED)
Table III sets forth the annual operating results of prior real estate programs during the five years ending December 31, 2018. All figures are as of December 31, 2018 (amounts in dollars and thousands). All of the offerings for the prior real estate programs described in this Table III have closed.
Cottonwood Multifamily REIT II |
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Summary Balance Sheet Data at December 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets (before depreciation) |
| | 10 | 16,166 | 47,977 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets (after depreciation) |
| | 10 | 16,166 | 46,480 | |||||||||||||||
Liabilities |
| | | (73 | ) | (233 | ) | |||||||||||||
Summary Income Statement Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Gross revenues |
| | | | 1,830 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
| | | | (761 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating income |
| | | | 1,069 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
| | | | (471 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Non-operating, including depreciation and amortization |
| | | (11 | ) | (1,653 | ) | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss |
| | | (11 | ) | (1,055 | ) | |||||||||||||
Summary Cash Flows Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash used in operating activities |
| | | (2 | ) | (725 | ) | |||||||||||||
Cash used in investing activities |
| | | | (19,365 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Cash provided by financing activities |
| | 10 | 15,888 | 32,067 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net increase in cash |
| | 10 | 15,886 | 11,977 | |||||||||||||||
Amount and Source of Distributions |
||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions from operations |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from financing |
| | | 69 | 1,907 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from sales |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from offering proceeds |
| | | | |
(1) | Operating results and cash flow data include Cottonwood Multifamily REIT IIs share of property activity based on its ownership interests in real estate joint ventures. |
C-4
TABLE III
ANNUAL OPERATING RESULTS OF PRIOR PROGRAMS
(UNAUDITED)
Table III sets forth the annual operating results of prior real estate programs during the five years ending December 31, 2018. All figures are as of December 31, 2018 (amounts in dollars and thousands). All of the offerings for the prior real estate programs described in this Table III have closed.
Toscana at Valley Ridge |
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Summary Balance Sheet Data at December 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets (before depreciation) |
| 31,114 | 31,631 | 31,418 | 31,362 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets (after depreciation) |
| 30,636 | 30,059 | 28,723 | 27,521 | |||||||||||||||
Liabilities |
| (19,911 | ) | (19,929 | ) | (19,828 | ) | (19,617 | ) | |||||||||||
Summary Income Statement Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Gross revenues |
| 1,250 | 3,079 | 3,432 | 3,546 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
| (630 | ) | (1,384 | ) | (1,436 | ) | (1,522 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating income |
| 620 | 1,695 | 1,996 | 2,024 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
| (358 | ) | (834 | ) | (831 | ) | (851 | ) | |||||||||||
Non-operating, including depreciation and amortization |
| (1,284 | ) | (1,224 | ) | (1,117 | ) | (1,144 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net loss |
| (1,021 | ) | (363 | ) | 48 | 29 | |||||||||||||
Summary Cash Flows Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash used in operating activities |
| 690 | 1,805 | 1,196 | 1,205 | |||||||||||||||
Cash (used in) provided by investing activities |
| (13 | ) | (634 | ) | 601 | (320 | ) | ||||||||||||
Cash used in financing activities |
| (43 | ) | | (102 | ) | | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net increase in cash |
| 635 | 1,171 | 1,695 | 885 | |||||||||||||||
Amount and Source of Distributions |
||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions from operations |
| | 200 | 1,252 | 1,013 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from financing |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from sales |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from offering proceeds |
| | | | |
(1) | Operating results and cash flow data represent 100% of the property results from Cottonwood Residential O.P., LPs initial acquisition date forward. |
C-5
TABLE III
ANNUAL OPERATING RESULTS OF PRIOR PROGRAMS
(UNAUDITED)
Table III sets forth the annual operating results of prior real estate programs during the five years ending December 31, 2018. All figures are as of December 31, 2018 (amounts in dollars and thousands). All of the offerings for the prior real estate programs described in this Table III have closed.
Scott Mountain |
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Summary Balance Sheet Data at December 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets (before depreciation) |
25,363 | 40,239 | 40,275 | 41,093 | 41,395 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets (after depreciation) |
21,884 | 39,403 | 37,947 | 37,163 | 35,827 | |||||||||||||||
Liabilities |
(15,640 | ) | (23,837 | ) | (23,877 | ) | (34,606 | ) | (34,593 | ) | ||||||||||
Summary Income Statement Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Gross revenues |
3,144 | 3,567 | 3,965 | 4,451 | 4,576 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
(1,433 | ) | (1,427 | ) | (1,441 | ) | (1,504 | ) | (1,547 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating income |
1,711 | 2,140 | 2,525 | 2,947 | 3,029 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(791 | ) | (834 | ) | (869 | ) | (1,149 | ) | (1,507 | ) | ||||||||||
Non-operating, including depreciation and amortization |
(850 | ) | (2,474 | ) | (1,478 | ) | (1,569 | ) | (1,586 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
70 | (1,168 | ) | 177 | 229 | (64 | ) | |||||||||||||
Summary Cash Flows Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash provided by operating activities |
865 | 1,564 | 1,664 | 1,798 | 1,644 | |||||||||||||||
Cash used in investing activities |
(354 | ) | (393 | ) | (1,103 | ) | (540 | ) | (186 | ) | ||||||||||
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities |
(260 | ) | 7,364 | | 10,400 | | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net increase in cash |
250 | 8,535 | 561 | 11,658 | 1,458 | |||||||||||||||
Amount and Source of Distributions |
||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions from operations |
125 | 49 | 880 | 1,218 | 1,260 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from financing |
| 6,643 | 721 | 10,400 | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from sales |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from offering proceeds |
| | | | |
(1) | Operating results and cash flow data represent 100% of the property results from Cottonwood Residential O.P., LPs initial acquisition date forward. |
C-6
TABLE III
ANNUAL OPERATING RESULTS OF PRIOR PROGRAMS
(UNAUDITED)
Table III sets forth the annual operating results of prior real estate programs during the five years ending December 31, 2018. All figures are as of December 31, 2018 (amounts in dollars and thousands). All of the offerings for the prior real estate programs described in this Table III have closed.
Courtney Oaks |
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Summary Balance Sheet Data at December 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets (before depreciation) |
1,125 | 38,157 | 38,658 | 47,270 | 49,566 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets (after depreciation) |
N/A | 37,432 | 36,569 | 43,718 | 43,718 | |||||||||||||||
Liabilities |
(238 | ) | (24,527 | ) | (24,597 | ) | (24,346 | ) | (39,386 | ) | ||||||||||
Summary Income Statement Data |
||||||||||||||||||||
Gross revenues |
567 | 3,451 | 3,718 | 3,992 | 4,977 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
(205 | ) | (1,325 | ) | (1,326 | ) | (1,447 | ) | (1,796 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating income |
362 | 2,126 | 2,392 | 2,545 | 3,181 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(138 | ) | (538 | ) | (1,042 | ) | (1,039 | ) | (1,282 | ) | ||||||||||
Non-operating, including depreciation and amortization |
(353 | ) | (2,812 | ) | (1,394 | ) | (1,498 | ) | (1,906 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
(129 | ) | (1,224 | ) | (44 | ) | 8 | (7 | ) | |||||||||||
Summary Cash Flows Data |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash provided by operating activities |
418 | 1,604 | 1,382 | 1,507 | 1,924 | |||||||||||||||
Cash used in investing activities |
(88 | ) | (408 | ) | (362 | ) | (609 | ) | (219 | ) | ||||||||||
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities |
(57 | ) | 7,391 | | | | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash |
272 | 8,587 | 1,021 | 898 | 1,705 | |||||||||||||||
Amount and Source of Distributions |
||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions from operations |
| 226 | 339 | 883 | 1,118 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from financing |
| 7,391 | 532 | | 14,496 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from sales |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from offering proceeds |
| | | | |
C-7
TABLE III
ANNUAL OPERATING RESULTS OF PRIOR PROGRAMS
(UNAUDITED)
Table III sets forth the annual operating results of prior real estate programs during the five years ending December 31, 2018. All figures are as of December 31, 2018 (amounts in dollars and thousands). All of the offerings for the prior real estate programs described in this Table III have closed.
Summer Park |
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Summary Balance Sheet Data at December 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets (before depreciation) |
40,592 | 41,683 | 41,240 | 41,958 | 51,242 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets (after depreciation) |
40,226 | 40,322 | 38,828 | 38,438 | 50,794 | |||||||||||||||
Liabilities |
(21,274 | ) | (22,965 | ) | (23,029 | ) | (23,068 | ) | (36,345 | ) | ||||||||||
Summary Income Statement Data |
||||||||||||||||||||
Gross revenues |
1,505 | 4,313 | 4,599 | 5,123 | 1,503 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
(586 | ) | (1,677 | ) | (1,825 | ) | (2,065 | ) | (562 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating income |
919 | 2,636 | 2,774 | 3,057 | 941 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(403 | ) | (1,091 | ) | (858 | ) | (858 | ) | (465 | ) | ||||||||||
Non-operating, including depreciation and amortization |
(438 | ) | (1,641 | ) | (1,108 | ) | (1,171 | ) | (1,355 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
78 | (97 | ) | 808 | 1,028 | (879 | ) | |||||||||||||
Summary Cash Flows Data |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash provided by operating activities |
418 | 1,565 | 1,977 | 2,051 | 2,129 | |||||||||||||||
Cash used in investing activities |
(135 | ) | (193 | ) | (805 | ) | (288 | ) | (199 | ) | ||||||||||
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities |
(164 | ) | 1,726 | | | | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net increase in cash |
119 | 3,098 | 1,173 | 1,763 | 1,930 | |||||||||||||||
Amount and Source of Distributions |
||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions from operations |
403 | 588 | 1,258 | 1,449 | 2,234 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from financing |
| 1,384 | 342 | | 12,361 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from sales |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from offering proceeds |
| | | | |
C-8
TABLE III
ANNUAL OPERATING RESULTS OF PRIOR PROGRAMS
(UNAUDITED)
Table III sets forth the annual operating results of prior real estate programs during the five years ending December 31, 2018. All figures are as of December 31, 2018 (amounts in dollars and thousands). All of the offerings for the prior real estate programs described in this Table III have closed.
Cottonwood Bayview |
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Summary Balance Sheet Data at December 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets (before depreciation) |
| | 78,286 | 76,841 | 77,492 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets (after depreciation) |
| | 78,183 | 74,221 | 72,338 | |||||||||||||||
Liabilities |
| | (50,043 | ) | (50,369 | ) | (50,292 | ) | ||||||||||||
Summary Income Statement Data (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Gross revenues |
| | 179 | 3,362 | 7,009 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
| | (48 | ) | (1,450 | ) | (3,049 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating income |
| | 131 | 1,912 | 3,960 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
| | (55 | ) | (963 | ) | (1,942 | ) | ||||||||||||
Non-operating, including depreciation and amortization |
| | (679 | ) | (3,124 | ) | (2,539 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
| | (603 | ) | (2,175 | ) | (521 | ) | ||||||||||||
Summary Cash Flows Data |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash provided by operating activities |
| | | 1,105 | 2,062 | |||||||||||||||
Cash used in investing activities |
| | | (239 | ) | (155 | ) | |||||||||||||
Cash provided by financing activities |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net increase in cash |
| | | 1,105 | 1,907 | |||||||||||||||
Amount and Source of Distributions |
||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions from operations |
| | | 1,563 | 1,285 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from financing |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from sales |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||
Distributions from offering proceeds |
| | | | |
(1) | Operating results and cash flow data represent 100% of the property results from Cottonwood Residential O.P., LPs initial acquisition date forward. |
C-9
TABLE IV
OPERATING RESULTS OF COMPLETED PRIOR PROGRAMS
(UNAUDITED)
Table IV presents information regarding the operating results of the last five prior real estate programs that have completed operations (no longer hold properties) during the five years ended December 31, 2018. All amounts presented are as of December 31, 2018.
Arbors at Fairview |
Midtown Crossing |
Oak Ridge | Regatta | Waterford Creek |
||||||||||||||||
Aggregate Dollar Amount Raised |
$ | 6,800,960 | $ | 6,435,000 | $ | 8,500,000 | $ | 13,375,000 | $ | 4,932,430 | ||||||||||
Duration of Program (Months) |
22 | 58 | 121 | 118 | 78 | |||||||||||||||
Date of Program Closing |
9/28/2018 | 9/28/2018 | 3/29/2018 | 1/2/2018 | 9/28/2018 | |||||||||||||||
Total Compensation Paid to Sponsor (1) |
$ | 888,306 | $ | 780,458 | $ | 2,699,777 | $ | 2,444,655 | $ | 968,416 | ||||||||||
Median Leverage |
67 | % | 47 | % | 80 | % | 76 | % | 78 | % | ||||||||||
Annualized Return on Investment(2) |
51.7 | % | 23.6 | % | 9.6 | % | 9.0 | % | 32.7 | % | ||||||||||
Start Date |
11/15/2016 | 11/11/2013 | 2/28/2008 | 2/11/2008 | 3/23/2012 | |||||||||||||||
End Date |
9/28/2018 | 9/28/2018 | 3/29/2018 | 1/2/2018 | 9/28/2018 | |||||||||||||||
Median Month |
Oct-17 | Apr-16 | Mar-13 | Jan-13 | Jun-15 |
(1 | Includes acquisition fees, property and asset management fees, disposition fees, financing fees, and other ancillary services. A portion of these fees are used to reimburse costs incurred by the Sponsor. |
(2) | Annualized return on investment is the internal rate of return over the program period using the respective cash flows from invested capital, distributions received, and proceeds from sale. |
C-10
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC.
SUPPLEMENT NO. 1 DATED AUGUST , 2019
TO THE PROSPECTUS DATED AUGUST , 2019
This document supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the prospectus of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. dated August , 2019. As used herein, the terms we, our and us refer to Cottonwood Communities, Inc. and, as required by context, Cottonwood Communities O.P., LP, which we refer to as our Operating Partnership, and to their subsidiaries. Capitalized terms used in this supplement have the same meanings as set forth in the prospectus. The purpose of this supplement is to disclose:
| the status of the offering; |
| information regarding our real estate investments; |
| information regarding our outstanding debt obligations; |
| information regarding distributions; |
| compensation to our advisor and its affiliates; |
| information regarding our share repurchase program; |
| experts information; and |
| information incorporated by reference. |
Status of the Offering
We commenced this offering of $750.0 million of shares of common stock on August 13, 2018. As of August 5, 2019, we had sold approximately 5,800,000 shares of common stock in our public offering for aggregate gross offering proceeds of approximately $58,000,000. Included in these amounts were 12,258 shares of common stock sold pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan for aggregate gross offering proceeds of $122,583. Accordingly, as of August 5, 2018, there was approximately $692,000,000 of shares available for sale in this offering.
Real Estate Investments
Cottonwood West Palm
On May 30, 2019, we, through our operating partnership, completed the acquisition of a multifamily community located in West Palm Beach, Florida (Cottonwood West Palm) from an unaffiliated third party.
Cottonwood West Palm is a 245-unit multifamily community that was completed in 2018. The average occupancy rate of Cottonwood West Palm for 2018, calculated using financial information provided by the seller and primarily including the propertys lease-up period, was 73.8%. As of closing, Cottonwood West Palm was 84.1% occupied. The property is located five miles west of Palm Beach International Airport and is comprised of a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units with an average size of 1,122 square feet and total rentable square feet of 274,889. Property amenities include gated access, a heated resort-style pool with cabanas, fitness center, 5,500-square-foot clubroom, business center and dog park.
The average effective monthly rental rate per unit, calculated as the monthly contractual base rental income, net of free rent, divided by the average units leased, calculated using financial information provided by the seller, for 2018, the first year in which construction was completed, was $1,577.
The contract purchase price for Cottonwood West Palm was approximately $67.0 million, excluding closing costs. We funded the purchase price with proceeds from this offering and proceeds from a credit facility discussed below. We believe that Cottonwood West Palm is suitable for its intended purpose and adequately insured; we do not intend to make any renovations in the near term at the property.
S-1
Dolce B Note
On July 31, 2019, we, through our operating partnership, invested in a B note secured by a deed of trust on a development project for an amount of up to $10 million (which commitment could rise to $10.5 million in certain circumstances) (the Dolce B Note). The borrower under the Dolce B Note is Dolce Twin Creeks Phase 2, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, an unaffiliated third party. The borrower intends to use the proceeds from the Dolce B Note, additional financing in the amount of $45.5 million (the Dolce A Note) and $17.9 million in common equity for the development of Dolce Twin Creeks, Phase II, a proposed 366-unit multifamily project and approximately 15,000 square feet of medical office space on a 10.89 acre site located in Allen, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas (the Project). We funded the Dolce B Note with proceeds from this offering.
The Dolce B Note bears interest at a rate of 9.50% plus 1-month LIBOR and is expected to be drawn upon in stages as needed throughout the construction of the Project. The loan includes a 1-month LIBOR floor equal to 2.50%, resulting in an interest rate floor equal to 12.00% for the Dolce B Note. The maturity date of the Dolce B Note is December 31, 2021 with two six-month extension options. Prior to maturity, the borrower under the Dolce B Note is required to make monthly interest only payments with principal due at maturity. Prepayment of the Dolce B Note is permitted in whole but not in part subject to certain prepayment fees. The borrower may obtain a release of the parcel that will contain the medical office space for a minimum release price of $3,960,000 (82.5% of the as-stabilized appraised value of that parcel), which would be applied pro rata, without prepayment fees, to repayment of the A Note and the B Note.
The Dolce A Note has the same maturity date as the Dolce B Note. We entered into a co-lender agreement with the holder of the Dolce A Note that outlines the rights and remedies of the parties with respect to the notes. The holder of the Dolce A Note has certain administrative and decision-making rights, as the master servicer of the loan, subject to our consent for certain major decisions related to the loan. In addition, under the co-lender agreement, in the event the mortgage loan becomes non-performing and provided the Dolce B Note position retains a predetermined value in the mortgage loan we will have control over the remedies relating to the enforcement of the mortgage loan subject to certain consent rights of the other note holders.
The Project is sponsored by Sovereign Properties, an experienced developer of multifamily properties. An affiliate of Sovereign Properties completed and stabilized the adjacent 374-unit Dolce Twin Creeks Phase I project. Early construction has commenced on the Project and completion is anticipated in January 2021.
Outstanding Debt Obligations
On May 30, 2019, in conjunction with the acquisition of Cottonwood West Palm, we, through a wholly owned subsidiary of our operating partnership, entered into a Master Credit Facility Agreement with an unaffiliated lender, under the Fannie Mae credit facility program (the Facility). Pursuant to the terms of the Facility, we obtained an advance secured against Cottonwood West Palm in the amount of $35,995,000. The advance carries an interest-only term of 10 years and bears a fixed interest rate of 3.93%. We have the right to prepay all or a portion of the Facility at any time subject to certain fees and conditions contained in the loan documents.
We may finance other future acquisitions through the Facility. The aggregate loan-to-value ratio for all advances made with respect to the Facility cannot exceed 65% at the time any advance is made. There is no limit on the amount that we can borrow under the Facility so long as we maintain the loan-to-value ratio and other requirements set forth in the Facility loan documents. Each advance will be cross-collateralized with the other advances. The Facility permits us to sell the multifamily apartment communities that are secured by the Facility individually provided that certain debt coverage ratios and other requirements are met.
Distributions
We did not pay any distributions during the year ended December 31, 2018. Distributions declared, distributions paid and cash flow used in operating activities were as follows for the first quarter of 2019.
S-2
Distributions Paid(3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Period |
Cash Distributions Declared (1) |
Cash Distribution Declared Per Share (1)(2) |
Cash | Reinvested (DRP) |
Total | Cash Used In Operating Activities |
||||||||||||||||||
First Quarter 2019 |
$ | 117,486 | 0.06216279 | $ | 40,024 | $ | 18,021 | $ | 58,045 | $ | 19,449 |
(1) | Distributions for the periods from January 1, 2019 through February 28, 2019 and March 19, 2019 through March 31, 2019 were based on daily record dates and were calculated at a rate of $0.00136986 per share per day. A daily distribution in the amount of $0.02465753 per share was declared for stockholders of record as of March 18, 2019. |
(2) | Assumes share was issued and outstanding each day during the period presented. |
(3) | Distributions are paid on a monthly basis and include distributions declared for record dates from December 18, 2018. In general, distributions for all record dates of a given month are paid on or about the fifth business day of the following month. |
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, we paid aggregate distributions of $58,045, including $40,024 distributions paid in cash and $18,021 of distributions reinvested through our distribution reinvestment plan. Our cumulative net loss as of the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $331,720. We funded our total distributions paid, which includes net cash distributions and distributions reinvested by stockholders, with proceeds from this offering. To the extent that we pay distributions from sources other than our cash flow from operating activities, we will have less funds available for the acquisition of real estate investments, the overall return to our stockholders may be reduced and subsequent investors will experience dilution. In addition, to the extent distributions exceed cash flow from operating activities, a stockholders basis in our stock will be reduced and, to the extent distributions exceed a stockholders basis, the stockholder may recognize capital gain.
On April 8, 2019 we paid distributions of $59,441 which related to distributions in the amount of $0.02465753 per share to stockholders of record as of March 18, 2019 and distributions in the amount of $0.00136986 per share per day for daily record dates for the period from March 19, 2019 through March 31, 2019. On May 7, 2019, we paid distributions of $112,275, which related to distributions for daily record dates for each day in the period from April 1, 2019 through April 30, 2019. On June 7, 2019 we paid distributions of $169,460, which related to distributions for daily record dates for each day in the period from May 1, 2019 through May 31, 2019. On July 9, we paid distributions of $196,160, which related to distributions for daily record dates for each day in the period from June 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019. Distributions for these periods were calculated based on stockholders of record each day during these periods at a rate of $0.00136986 per share per day.
On May 13, 2019, our board of directors declared cash distributions on the outstanding shares of our common stock based on daily record dates for the period from July 1, 2019 through July 31, 2019, which we expect to pay in August 2019; and the period from August 1, 2019 through August 31, 2019, which we expect to pay in September 2019. Investors may choose to receive cash distributions or purchase additional shares through our distribution reinvestment plan. Distributions for these periods will be calculated based on stockholders of record each day during these periods at a rate of $0.00136986 per share per day.
S-3
Compensation to our Advisor and its Affiliates
As of December 31, 2018, there were no fees earned by or expenses reimbursable to our advisor and its affiliates. There were approximately $128,000 in reimbursable expenses due to an affiliate of the advisor related to audit, legal and other general and administrative costs.
As of March 31, 2019, we incurred asset management fees of $19,783, all of which were payable to our advisor as of March 31, 2019. In addition, there were approximately $125,000 in reimbursable expenses due to an affiliate of the advisor related to audit, legal and other general and administrative costs.
Share Repurchase Program
During the year ended December 31, 2018 and the three months ended March 31, 2019, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock as no shares were submitted for redemption. In addition, during any calendar year, we may redeem only the number of shares that we could purchase with the amount of net proceeds from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan during the prior calendar year. As of December 31, 2018, there are no proceeds from our distribution reinvestment plan available for eligible redemptions for the 2019 calendar year.
Experts
The consolidated financial statements of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2018, have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The statement of revenues and certain operating expenses of Cottonwood West Palm for the year ended December 31, 2018, has been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement from Cottonwood Communities, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K/A as filed with the SEC on August 1, 2019 in reliance upon the report of WSRP, LLC, independent auditor, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference
We have elected to incorporate by reference certain information into this prospectus. By incorporating by reference, we are disclosing important information to you by referring you to documents we have filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, except for information incorporated by reference that is superseded by information contained in this prospectus. You can access documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus at our website at http://www.cottonwoodcommunities.com. There is additional information about us and our advisor and its affiliates at the website, but unless specifically incorporated by reference herein as described in the paragraphs below, the contents of that site are not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this prospectus.
The following document filed with the SEC are incorporated by reference in this prospectus (Commission File No. 333-215272), except for any document or portion thereof deemed to be furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules:
| Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the SEC on March 29, 2019. |
S-4
| Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on May 15, 2019. |
| Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 4, 2019. |
| Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on August 1, 2019. |
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon request, a copy of any or all of the information that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus. To receive a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits, unless they are specifically incorporated by reference in those documents, call or write us at:
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
Telephone: (801) 278-0700
The information relating to us contained in this prospectus does not purport to be comprehensive and should be read together with the information contained in the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
S-5
PART II. INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 31. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses payable by the advisor of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. (the Company) on behalf of the Company in connection with the distribution of the securities being registered other than selling commissions and the dealer manager fee. All amounts are estimated except the SEC registration fee and the FINRA filing fee.
Item |
Amount | |||
SEC registration fee |
89,075 | |||
FINRA filing fee |
113,000 | |||
Legal fees and expenses |
2,000,000 | |||
Blue sky fees and expenses |
225,000 | |||
Accounting fees and expenses |
550,000 | |||
Sales and advertising expenses |
638,000 | |||
Issuer costs regarding bona fide training and education meetings and retail seminars |
1,950,000 | |||
Printing |
250,000 | |||
Postage and delivery of materials |
150,000 | |||
Transfer agent and escrow fees |
264,000 | |||
Due diligence expenses |
456,500 | |||
Other expenses related to registration and offering of the securities |
814,425 | |||
|
|
|||
Total |
7,500,000 |
Item 32. Sales to Special Parties
None.
Item 33. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
In connection with its organization, on December 2, 2016, the Company issued 20,000 shares of its common stock to the Advisor at a purchase price of $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $200,000. The Company issued these shares of common stock in a private transaction exempt from the registration requirements pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act).
Item 34. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Subject to the significant conditions set forth below, the Company has included in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the Company and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action.
Subject to the significant conditions set forth below, the charter also provides that the Company shall indemnify a director, officer or the Advisor or any of its affiliates against any and all losses or liabilities reasonably incurred by them (other than when sued by or in right of the Company) in connection with or by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted to be performed on behalf of the Company in such capacity.
Under the Companys charter, the Company shall not indemnify a director, the Advisor or any of the Advisors affiliates (each an Indemnitee) for any liability or loss suffered by an Indemnitee, nor shall it exculpate an Indemnitee, unless all of the following conditions are met: (i) an Indemnitee has determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct that caused the loss or liability was in the best interests of the Company; (ii) the Indemnitee was acting on behalf of or performing services for the Company; (iii) such liability or loss was not the result of (A) negligence or misconduct by the Indemnitee, excluding an independent director, or (B) gross negligence or willful misconduct by an independent director; and (iv) such indemnification or agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of the Companys net assets and not from its stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Indemnitee shall not be indemnified by the Company for any losses, liability or expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation of federal or state securities laws by such party unless one or more of the following conditions are met: (i) there has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged securities law violations as to the particular Indemnitee; (ii) such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction as to the particular Indemnitee; and (iii) a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against a particular Indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the settlement and the related costs should be made, and the court considering the request for indemnification
has been advised of the position of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and of the published position of any state securities regulatory authority in which securities of the Company were offered or sold as to indemnification for violations of securities laws.
The charter provides that the advancement of Company funds to an Indemnitee for legal expenses and other costs incurred as a result of any legal action for which indemnification is being sought is permissible only if (in addition to the procedures required by Maryland law) all of the following conditions are satisfied: (i) the legal action relates to acts or omissions with respect to the performance of duties or services on behalf of the Company; (ii) the legal action is initiated by a third party who is not a common stockholder or the legal action is initiated by a common stockholder acting in his or her capacity as such and a court of competent jurisdiction specifically approves such advancement; and (iii) the Indemnitee undertakes to repay the advanced funds to the Company, together with the applicable legal rate of interest thereon, if the Indemnitee is found not to be entitled to indemnification.
It is the position of the SEC that indemnification of directors and officers for liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and is unenforceable pursuant to Section 14 of the Securities Act.
The Company will also purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of all of its directors and executive officers against liability asserted against or incurred by them in their official capacities with the Company, whether or not the Company is required or has the power to indemnify them against the same liability.
Item 35. Treatment of Proceeds from Stock Being Registered
Not applicable.
Item 36. Financial Statements and Exhibits
(a) Financial Statements. The following financial statements are filed as part of this registration statement:
| The consolidated financial statements of the Company and the notes thereto as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018 (included in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the SEC on March 29, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference); |
| The consolidated financial statements of the Company and the notes thereto as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2019 (included in the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on May 15, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference); |
| The financial statements of Cottonwood West Palm and the related pro forma financial statements of the Company (included in the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on August 1, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference); and |
| Prior performance tables (unaudited) as of the year ended December 31, 2018 (included in Supplement No. 1). |
(b) Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed as part of this registration statement:
* | Exhibits filed herein. |
Item 37. Undertakings
(a) The Company undertakes to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement; notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the Calculation of Registration Fee table in the effective registration statement; and (iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement.
(b) The Company undertakes (i) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof, (ii) to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(c) The Company undertakes that, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
(d) For the purpose of determining liability of the Company under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the Company undertakes that in a primary offering of securities pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the Company will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: (i) any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the Company relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424, (ii) any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the Company or used or referred to by the Company, (iii) the portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the Company or its securities provided by or on behalf of the Company, and (iv) any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the Company to the purchaser.
(e) The Company undertakes to send to each stockholder, at least on an annual basis, a detailed statement of any transaction with the Advisor or its affiliates, and of fees, commissions, compensation and other benefits paid or accrued to the Advisor or its affiliates for the fiscal year completed, showing the amount paid or accrued to each recipient and the services performed.
(f) The Company undertakes to file a sticker supplement pursuant to Rule 424(c) under the Securities Act during the distribution period describing each significant property not identified in the prospectus at such time as there arises a reasonable probability that such property will be acquired and to consolidate all such stickers into a post-effective amendment filed at least once every three months with the information contained in such amendment provided simultaneously to the existing stockholders. Each sticker supplement will disclose all compensation and fees received by the Advisor and its affiliates in connection with any such acquisition. The post-effective amendment shall include or incorporate by reference audited financial statements meeting the requirements of Rule 3-14 of Regulation S-X that have been filed or should have been filed on Form 8-K for all significant properties acquired during the distribution period.
(g) The Company undertakes to file, after the distribution period, a current report on Form 8-K containing the financial statements and any additional information required by Rule 3-14 of Regulation S-X, for each significant property acquired and to provide the information contained in such report to the stockholders at least once each quarter after the distribution period of the offering has ended.
(h) The Company undertakes to provide to the stockholders the financial statements required by Form 10-K for the first full fiscal year of operations.
(i) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(j) The Company undertakes to provide to the dealer manager at the closings specified in the dealer manager agreement the following: (i) if the securities are certificated, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as
required by the dealer manager to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser or (ii) if the securities are not certificated, a written statement of the information required on certificates that is required to be delivered to stockholders to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-11 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Salt Lake City, State of Utah, on the 6th day of August, 2019.
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC. |
/s/ Adam Larson |
Adam Larson, Chief Financial Officer |
(Principal Financial Officer) |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
Name |
Date | |
* |
August 6, 2019 | |
Enzio Cassinis, Chief Executive Officer and President | ||
(Principal Executive Officer) | ||
/s/ Adam Larson |
August 6, 2019 | |
Adam Larson, Chief Financial Officer | ||
(Principal Financial Officer) | ||
* |
August 6, 2019 | |
Susan Hallenberg, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer | ||
(Principal Accounting Officer) | ||
* |
August 6, 2019 | |
Daniel Shaeffer, Chairman of the Board and Director | ||
* |
August 6, 2019 | |
Chad Christensen, Director | ||
* |
August 6, 2019 | |
R. Brent Hardy, Independent Director | ||
* |
August 6, 2019 | |
Gentry Jensen, Independent Director | ||
* |
August 6, 2019 | |
John Lunt, Independent Director |
*By: | /s/ Adam Larson | |
Adam Larson, Chief Financial Officer |
Exhibit 1.3
FORM OF AMENDED AND RESTATED DEALER MANAGER AGREEMENT
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC.
6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
August [ ], 2019
Orchard Securities, LLC
401 South 850 East, Suite C1
Lehi, Utah 84043
Re: | Dealer Manager Agreement |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This Amended and Restated Dealer Manager Agreement (this Agreement) amends, restates and replaces in full, effective as of the date hereof, that certain Dealer Manager Agreement dated August 13, 2018 between Cottonwood Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the Company), Cottonwood Communities Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (Cottonwood Management) and Orchard Securities, LLC (the Dealer Manager), as amended by the First Amendment to Dealer Manager Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2019 (as amended, the Original Dealer Manager Agreement), and as the rights, obligations and interests of Cottonwood Management in the Original Dealer Manager Agreement have been assigned to CC Advisors III, LLC (the Advisor), pursuant to that certain Assignment of Advisory Services Contracts, effective as of March 1, 2019. This Agreement confirms and comprises the agreement among the Company, the Advisor and the Dealer Manager regarding the offering and sale to the public (the Offering) by the Company of up to $750,000,000 in Class A shares and Class T shares of common stock of the Company (the Shares), pursuant to a primary offering (the Primary Offering) and the Companys distribution reinvestment plan (the DRP). For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall modify or terminate any obligations or duties of the parties to the Original Dealer Manager Agreement contained in the Original Dealer Manager Agreement with respect to the performance of such agreement through the date hereof, which obligations shall remain in full force and effect pursuant to the terms of the Original Dealer Manager Agreement.
1. Appointment of the Dealer Manager.
1.1 On the basis of the representations, warranties and covenants herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Dealer Manager is hereby appointed and agrees to sell the Shares in the Offering on an best-efforts basis during the Offering Period (as defined in Section 1.2 below). The Dealer Manager is authorized to enlist other members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) acceptable to the Company (the Selling Group Members) to sell the Shares.
1.2 It is understood that no sale of the Shares shall be regarded as effective unless and until accepted by the Company. The Company reserves the right in its sole discretion to accept or reject any subscription for the Shares in whole or in part. Subscriptions will be submitted by Dealer Manager and each Selling Group Member to the Company on a subscription agreement in the form filed as an appendix to the Prospectus (Subscription Agreement). The Company shall have a period of 30 days after receipt of the Subscription Agreement to accept or reject the Subscription Agreement. Any proposed subscription for the Shares not accepted within such 30 day period shall be deemed rejected.
The Offering Period shall mean that period during which Shares may be offered for sale, commencing on the Effective Date of the Registration Statement (defined in Section 2.2 below) (but in no event prior to the Effective Date of the Registration Statement), during which period offers and sales of the Shares shall occur continuously in the jurisdictions in which the Shares are registered or qualified or exempt from registration (as confirmed in writing by the Company to the Dealer Manager) unless and until the Offering is terminated, provided that the Dealer Manager and the Selling Group Members will suspend or terminate offering Shares upon request of the Company at any time and will resume offering Shares upon subsequent request of the Company. The Offering Period shall in all events terminate upon the sale of all of the Shares. Upon termination of the Offering Period, the Dealer Managers agency and this Agreement shall terminate without obligation on the part of the Dealer Manager or the Company except as set forth in this Agreement.
1.3 Subject to the performance by the Company of all the obligations to be performed hereunder, and to the completeness and accuracy of all the representations and warranties contained herein, the Dealer Manager hereby accepts such agency and agrees on the terms and conditions herein set forth to use its best efforts during the Offering Period to find subscribers that meet the financial qualification and suitability standards set forth in the Prospectus as amended and supplemented (the Subscribers) for the Shares.
1.4 The Shares will be offered at the prices set forth in the Prospectus. The Advisor will pay all amounts due to the Dealer Manager pursuant to Section 7 of this Agreement and will be obligated to pay all organization and offering expenses of the Company in connection with the Offering.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Dealer Manager that:
2.1 The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Maryland, has all requisite power and authority to enter into this Agreement and has all requisite power and authority to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus.
2.2 The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) a registration statement (Registration No. 333-215272) that has become effective for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder. Copies of such registration statement as initially filed and each amendment thereto have been or will be delivered to the Dealer Manager. The registration statement and the prospectus contained therein, as finally amended at the effective date of the registration statement (the Effective Date), are respectively hereinafter referred to as the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except that if the Company files a prospectus or prospectus supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, or if the Company files a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, the term Prospectus includes the prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) or the prospectus included in such post-effective amendment. The term Preliminary Prospectus as used herein shall mean a preliminary prospectus related to the Shares as contemplated by Rule 430 or Rule 430A of the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated under the Securities Act included at any time as part of the registration statement. If one or more additional registration statements are filed by the Company and become effective with respect to shares of the Companys common stock to be sold pursuant to the DRP, the terms Registration Statement and Prospectus shall refer, with respect to such DRP shares, to each such registration statement and prospectus contained therein from and after the date of effectiveness of each such registration statement, as each such registration statement and prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
2
2.3 No defaults exist in the due performance or observance of any material obligation, term, covenant or condition of any agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound.
2.4 On the Effective Date, the Registration Statement did not or will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. On the date of the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, as applicable, the Prospectus did not or will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Companys representations in this Section 2.4 will not extend to such statements contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, that are primarily within the knowledge of the Dealer Manager or any of the Selling Group Members and are based upon information furnished by the Dealer Manager in writing to the Company specifically for inclusion therein.
2.5 No consent, approval, authorization or other order of any governmental authority is required in connection with the execution or delivery by the Company of this Agreement or the issuance and sale by the Company of the Shares, except such as may be required under the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, FINRA or applicable state securities laws.
2.6 At the time of the issuance of the Shares, the Shares will have been duly authorized and, when issued and sold as contemplated by the Prospectus and the Companys charter, as amended and supplemented, and upon payment therefor as provided in the Prospectus and this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and will conform to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.
2.7 The Company intends to apply the net proceeds from the Offering received by it in the manner set forth in the Prospectus.
The representations and warranties made in this Section 2 are and shall be continuing representations and warranties throughout the term of the Offering. In the event that any of these representations or warranties become untrue, the Company will immediately notify the Dealer Manager in writing of the fact which makes the representation or warranty untrue.
3. Covenants of the Company. The Company agrees that:
3.1 The Company will deliver to the Dealer Manager such numbers of copies of the Registration Statement and Prospectus, with all amendments, supplements and exhibits thereto, as the Dealer Manager may reasonably request for the purposes contemplated by federal and applicable state securities laws. The Company also will deliver to the Dealer Manager such number of copies of any printed sales literature or other materials authorized by the Company to be used in the Offering (Authorized Sales Materials) as the Dealer Manager may reasonably request in connection with the Offering.
3.2 Subject to the Dealer Managers actions and the actions of others in connection with the Offering, the Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder, and by all applicable state securities laws and regulations of those states in which an exemption has been obtained or qualification of the Shares has been effected, including timely filing a Prospectus with such state securities regulators when required, to
3
permit the continuance of offers and sales of the Shares, in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and in the Prospectus, and will amend or supplement the Prospectus (including filing such amendment or supplement with the SEC) in order to make the Prospectus comply with the requirements of federal and applicable state securities laws and regulations.
3.3 If at any time when a Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus would include an untrue statement of a material fact or, in view of the circumstances under which it was made, omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, the Company will notify the Dealer Manager thereof (unless the information shall have been received from the Dealer Manager), effect the preparation of an amended or supplemented Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission, and deliver to the Dealer Manager as many copies of such amended or supplemented Prospectus as the Dealer Manager may reasonably request.
3.4 Upon request, the Company will furnish to the Dealer Manager a copy of such papers filed by the Company in connection with any SEC qualification and/or state law blue sky filing.
3.5 The Company will: (i) file every amendment and supplement to the Registration Statement that may be required by the SEC and (ii) if at any time the SEC shall issue any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, it will promptly notify the Dealer Manager.
3.6 The Company will disclose a per share estimated value of the Shares and related information in accordance with the applicable requirements of FINRA Rule 2310(b)(5). The Company will provide a copy of the forgoing information to the Dealer Manager simultaneously with the distribution of such information to the Shareholders.
4. Duties and Obligations of the Dealer Manager.
4.1 The Dealer Manager will serve in a best-efforts capacity in the offering, sale and distribution of the Shares. The Dealer Manager may offer the Shares as an agent, but all sales shall be made by the Company, acting through the Dealer Manager as an agent, and not by the Dealer Manager as a principal. The Dealer Manager shall have no authority to appoint any person or other entity as an agent or sub-agent of the Dealer Manager or the Company, except to appoint Selling Group Members acceptable to the Company in its sole discretion. It is acknowledged that the Company may enter into selling agreements with non-commissioned registered investment advisors and, to the extent reasonably practicable, the Dealer Manager shall assist the Company and the registered investment advisors in completing any sales through the registered investment advisor.
4.2 The Dealer Manager shall not execute any transaction in which a Subscriber invests in the Shares in a discretionary account without prior written approval of the transaction by the Subscriber.
4.3 The Dealer Manager will comply in all respects with the subscription procedures and plan of distribution set forth in the Prospectus.
4.4 The Dealer Manager shall complete all steps necessary to permit the Dealer Manager to perform its obligations under this Agreement pursuant to exemptions available under applicable federal law and applicable state laws. The Dealer Manager shall conduct all of its solicitation and sales efforts in conformity with applicable federal and state securities laws.
4
4.5 The Dealer Manager will immediately bring to the attention of the Company any circumstance or fact which causes the Dealer Manager to believe the Registration Statement, or any other Authorized Sales Materials distributed pursuant to the Offering, or any information supplied by prospective Subscribers in their subscription materials, may be inaccurate or misleading.
4.6 The Dealer Manager will terminate the Offering upon request of the Company at any time.
4.7 The Dealer Manager shall enter into a Soliciting Dealer Agreement substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A with each Selling Group Member, and shall not materially modify, amend or supplement the terms of the Soliciting Dealer Agreement without the prior written consent of the Company.
4.8 The Dealer Manager is required to provide, or require the Selling Group Member to provide, each prospective Investor with a copy of the final Prospectus and any exhibits and appendices thereto.
4.9 The Dealer Manager shall submit to FINRA (no later than one business day after filing with or submitting to the SEC or any state securities commission or other regulatory authority) a copy of the documents to be filed pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(b)(5) and the information specified in FINRA Rule 5110(b)(6); provided, however, any documents that are filed with the SEC through the SECs EDGAR System that are referenced in FINRAs electronic filing system shall be treated as filed with FINRA, and provided, further, that the Company will provide a copy of any such documents to you in advance of its public distribution. No sales of Shares shall commence unless such documents and information have been filed with and reviewed by FINRA and FINRA has provided an opinion that it has no objections to the proposed underwriting and other terms and arrangements.
5. Representations and Warranties of the Dealer Manager. The Dealer Manager represents and warrants to the Company that:
5.1 The Dealer Manager is a duly organized Utah limited liability company.
5.2 This Agreement, when executed by the Dealer Manager, will have been duly authorized and will be a valid and binding agreement of the Dealer Manager, enforceable in accordance with its terms.
5.3 The consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and those contemplated by the Prospectus will not result in a breach or violation of any order, rule or regulation directed to the Dealer Manager by any court or any federal or state regulatory body or administrative agency having jurisdiction over the Dealer Manager or its affiliates.
5.4 The Dealer Manager is, and during the term of this Agreement will be, duly registered as a broker-dealer pursuant to the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), a member in good standing of FINRA, and a broker or dealer duly registered as such in any state where offers are made by the Dealer Manager. The Dealer Manager will comply with all applicable laws, regulations and requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, applicable state law and FINRA. The Dealer Manager and its employees and representatives involved in this Offering have all required licenses, registrations and permits.
5
5.5 The Dealer Manager has reasonable grounds to believe, based on information made available to it by the Company, that all material facts are adequately and accurately disclosed in the Prospectus and provide an adequate basis for evaluating an investment in the Shares.
5.6 This Agreement, or any supplement or amendment hereto, may be filed by the Company with the SEC, and may be filed with, and may be subject to the approval of, any applicable federal and applicable state securities regulatory agencies, if required.
5.7 No agreement will be made by the Dealer Manager with any person permitting the resale, repurchase or distribution of the Shares purchased by such person.
5.8 The Dealer Managers acceptance of this Agreement constitutes a representation to the Company that the Dealer Manager has established and implemented anti-money-laundering compliance programs, in accordance with FINRA Rule 3310 and Section 352 of the Money Laundering Abatement Act and Section 326 of the Patriot Act of 2001, which are reasonably expected to detect and cause reporting of suspicious transactions in connection with the sale of the Shares.
5.9 In the event the Dealer Manager becomes a Selling Group Member, the Dealer Manager shall comply with all requirements of the Selling Group Members as set forth in the Soliciting Dealer Agreement.
5.10 The Dealer Manager represents and warrants to the Company and each person that signs the Registration Statement that all information furnished or to be furnished to the Company by the Dealer Manager in writing expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, does not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
The representations and warranties made in this Section 5 are and shall be continuing representations and warranties throughout the term of the Offering. In the event that any of these representations or warranties become untrue, the Dealer Manager will immediately notify the Company in writing of the fact which makes the representation or warranty untrue.
6. Covenants of the Dealer Manager.
6.1 In connection with the Dealer Managers participation in the offer and sale of Shares (including, without limitation, any resales and transfers of Shares), the Dealer Manager will comply, and in its agreements with Selling Group Members will require that the Selling Group Members comply, with all requirements and obligations imposed upon any of them by (a) the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated under both such acts, including the obligation to deliver a copy of the Prospectus as amended or supplemented; (b) all applicable state securities laws and regulations as from time to time in effect; (c) the applicable rules of FINRA, including, but not in any way limited to, FINRA Rule 2121, FINRA Rule 2310 and FINRA Rule 5141; (d) all applicable rules and regulations relating to the suitability of the investors, including, without limitation, the provisions of Articles III.C and III.E of the Statement of Policy regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. (NASAA Guidelines); (e) any other state and federal laws and regulations applicable to the Offering, the sale of Shares or the activities of the Dealer Manager pursuant to this Agreement; and (f) this Agreement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented.
6.2 The Dealer Manager will not offer the Shares, and in its agreements with Selling Group Members will require that the Selling Group Members not offer Shares, in any jurisdiction unless
6
and until (a) the Dealer Manager has been advised by the Company in writing that the Shares are either registered in accordance with, or exempt from, the securities laws of such jurisdiction and (b) the Dealer Manager and any Selling Group Member offering Shares in such jurisdiction have all required licenses and registrations to offer Shares in that jurisdiction.
6.3 The Dealer Manager will make, and in its agreements with Selling Group Members will require that Selling Group Members make, no representations concerning the Offering except as set forth in the Prospectus as amended and supplemented and in the Authorized Sales Materials.
6.4 The Dealer Manager will offer Shares, and in its agreements with Selling Group Members will require that the Selling Group Members offer Shares, only to persons who meet the financial qualification and suitability standards set forth in the Prospectus as amended and supplemented or in any suitability letter or memorandum sent to the Dealer Manager by the Company. The Dealer Manager shall maintain, or in its agreements with Selling Group Members shall require the Selling Group Members to maintain, for at least six years following the termination of the Offering, a record of the information obtained to determine that an investor meets the financial qualification and suitability standards imposed on the offer and sale of the Shares (both at the time of the initial subscription and at the time of any additional subscriptions, including initial enrollments and increased participations in the DRP).
6.5 Except for Authorized Sales Materials, the Company has not authorized the use of any supplemental literature or sales material in connection with the Offering and the Dealer Manager agrees not to use any such material that has not been authorized by the Company. The Dealer Manager further agrees (a) not to deliver any Authorized Sales Materials to any person unless it is accompanied or preceded by the Prospectus as amended and supplemented, (b) not to show or give to any investor or prospective investor or reproduce any material or writing that is supplied to it by the Company and marked broker-dealer use only or otherwise bearing a legend denoting that it is not to be used in connection with the sale of Shares to members of the public and (c) not to show or give to any investor or prospective investor in a particular jurisdiction any material or writing that is supplied to it by the Company if such material bears a legend denoting that it is not to be used in connection with the sale of Shares to members of the public in such jurisdiction.
6.6 The Dealer Manager will provide the Company with such information relating to the offer and sale of the Shares by it as the Company may from time to time reasonably request or as may be requested to enable the Company to prepare such reports of sale as may be required to be filed under applicable federal or state securities laws.
6.7 The Dealer Manager shall file all Authorized Sales Materials with FINRA, and shall provide written notice of (i) any comments on such Authorized Sales Materials provided by FINRA, and (ii) confirmation that FINRA has no objection to such Authorized Sales Materials.
6.8 The Dealer Manager will permit a Selling Group Members to participate in the Offering only if such Selling Group Members is a member of FINRA.
7. Compensation. Subject to the limitations in this section, Section 9 and as provided in the Plan of Distribution section of the Prospectus, as compensation for services rendered by the Dealer Manager under this Agreement, the Dealer Manager will be entitled to receive from the Advisor, as appropriate:
7.1 A selling commission up to 6.0% of the purchase price of the Class A shares sold by the Dealer Manager in the Primary Offering (Class A Primary Sales), and up to 3.0% of the purchase
7
price of the Class T shares sold by the Dealer Manager in the Primary Offering (the Class T Primary Sales and, together with the Class A Primary Sales, the Primary Sales), which it will re-allow to the Selling Group Members; provided, however, that this amount will be reduced to the extent a lower commission rate is negotiated with a Selling Group Member and the commission rate will be the lower agreed upon rate.
7.2 A dealer manager fee in an amount up to 3.0% of the purchase price of the Primary Sales; provided, however, that this fee will be reduced to the extent a lower dealer manager fee is negotiated with a Selling Group Member, and, to the extent that other fees and expenses paid out of the dealer manager fee, as discussed below, are reduced from the maximum contemplated below, the dealer manager fee will be reduced to reflect the lower agreed upon amounts. From such dealer manager fee, the Dealer Manager will pay a wholesaler fee in an amount up to 1.35% of the purchase price of the Primary Sales, all of which will be re-allowed to certain wholesalers, some of which are internal to the Company and its affiliates. Further, from such dealer manager fee, the Dealer Manager will reallow 1.0% of the purchase price of the Primary Sales to the Selling Group Members as a non-accountable marketing and due diligence allowance (Marketing Allowance). Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent a Soliciting Dealer Agreement provides for a higher Marketing Allowance, such higher Marketing Allowance will be reallowed by the Dealer Manager to such Selling Group Member; provided, however, that the Marketing Allowance provided in any Selling Group Members Soliciting Dealer Agreement shall not exceed 1.25% of the purchase price of the Primary Sales by such Selling Group Member. Further notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Primary Sale is made by a registered investment advisor that is unaffiliated with a Selling Group Member, then no Marketing Allowance will be reallowed to any Selling Group Member and, in lieu of such Marketing Allowance, the Dealer Manager shall reallow 0.50% of the purchase price of such Primary Sales to certain wholesalers as directed by the Company, some of which are internal to the Company and its affiliates.
7.3 A deferred selling commission with respect to Class T Primary Sales (the Deferred Selling Commission) equal to 1.0% per annum of the purchase price of the Class T Primary Sales for three years from the date on which such Class T share is issued. The Deferred Selling Commission will accrue daily based on the number of outstanding Class T Primary Sales on each day that were sold within the previous three years. The Advisor will pay the Deferred Selling Commission to the Dealer Manager monthly in arrears. The Dealer Manager will reallow all of the Deferred Selling Commission to any Dealers who sold the Class T shares giving rise to a portion of such Deferred Selling Commission to the extent the Soliciting Dealer Agreement with such Dealer provides for such a reallowance; provided, however, that upon the date when the Dealer Manager is notified that the Dealer who sold the Class T shares giving rise to a portion of the Deferred Selling Commission is no longer the broker-dealer of record with respect to such Class T shares, then such Dealers entitlement to the portion of the Deferred Selling Commission related to such Class T shares shall cease, and beginning on such date, such portion of the Deferred Selling Commission may be reallowed by the Dealer Manager to the then-current broker-dealer of record of the Class T shares, if any such broker-dealer of record has been designated (the Servicing Dealer) to the extent such Servicing Dealer has entered into a Soliciting Dealer Agreement or similar agreement with the Dealer Manager (Servicing Agreement) and such Soliciting Dealer Agreement or Servicing Agreement with the Servicing Dealer provides for such reallowance. The Dealer Manager may also reallow some or all of the Deferred Selling Commission to other broker-dealers who provide services with respect to the Shares who shall be considered additional Servicing Dealers pursuant to a Servicing Agreement with the Dealer Manager to the extent such Servicing Agreement provides for such reallowance, all in accordance with the terms of such Servicing Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Dealer Manager will rebate the Deferred Selling Commission with respect to sales of Class T shares to the Advisor to the extent a Dealer or Servicing Dealer is not eligible to receive such Deferred Selling Commission.
7.4 The Dealer Manager will cease receiving the Deferred Selling Commission with respect to individual Class T shares when they are no longer outstanding, including as a result of conversion to Class A shares and redemption and repurchase. Each Class T share held within a stockholders account shall
8
automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a number of Class A shares at the conversion rate set forth in the Prospectus on the earliest of (a) a listing of the Class A shares on a national securities exchange, (b) the merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Companys assets and (c) the last calendar day of the month in which the Company and the Dealer Manager, in conjunction with the Companys transfer agent, determines that the total Deferred Selling Commissions paid with respect to the Class T shares held by such stockholder within such account equals or exceeds three percent of the aggregate purchase price of Class T shares held by such stockholder within such account and purchased in the primary offering (i.e., excluding Class T shares sold pursuant to the Companys distribution reinvestment plan). In addition, after termination of the primary portion of the Offering, the Advisor will cease paying the Deferred Selling Commissions with respect to each Class T share sold in the primary portion of that Offering, on the date when, the Company, with the assistance of the Dealer Manager, determines that all underwriting compensation paid or incurred in connection with such Offering from all sources, determined pursuant to the rules and guidance of FINRA, would be in excess of 10% of the aggregate purchase price of all Primary Shares sold for the Companys account in such Offering. Further, each such Class T share will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a Class A share at the last calendar day of the month in which such determination is made.
7.5 The terms of any reallowance of selling commissions, dealer manager fees and the Deferred Selling Commission shall be set forth in the Soliciting Dealer Agreement or Servicing Agreement entered into with the Dealers or Servicing Dealers, as applicable.
7.6 The Dealer Manager may also sell the Shares as a Selling Group Member, thereby becoming entitled to selling commissions.
No selling commissions, dealer manager fees or Deferred Selling Commissions shall be payable on Shares sold pursuant to the DRP. No Deferred Selling Commissions shall be payable on Class A shares.
Notwithstanding the above, if a sale of Class A shares has been made by a registered investment advisor, the Dealer Manager will only be entitled to receive the dealer manager fee set forth in Section 7.2 and shall not be entitled to receive the selling commissions described in Section 7.1 or 7.6, except as otherwise provided in the Plan of Distribution section of the Prospectus.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in no event shall total aggregate underwriting compensation payable to the Dealer Manager and any Selling Group Members participating in the Offering, including but not limited to selling commissions, dealer manager fees and Deferred Selling Commissions, exceed ten percent (10.0%) of the gross proceeds raised from the sale of Shares in the Primary Offering in the aggregate.
The Dealer Manager acknowledges that the Company shall have no obligation, liability or responsibility whatsoever to pay any selling commissions, dealer manager fees, Deferred Selling Commissions, wholesaler fees, allowances, payments or amounts whatsoever in connection with the sale of Shares, either to the Dealer Manager or to the Selling Group Members. The Dealer Manager shall not bring any action, suit or other proceeding against the Company or any of its assets with respect to any such amounts in connection with the sale of Shares, including without limitation, any proceedings claiming nonpayment of such amounts by the Advisor. Further, the Advisor will not be liable or responsible to any Selling Group Member for direct payment of commissions, dealer manager fees, Deferred Selling Commissions, wholesaler fees, allowances or other payments to such Selling Group Member; it is the sole and exclusive responsibility of the Dealer Manager for payment of such amounts to Selling Group Members.
9
In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 7, the Company reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to refuse to accept any or all Subscription Agreements tendered by the Dealer Manager and/or to terminate the Offering of the Shares at any time.
8. Offering. The Offering of the Shares shall be at the offering price and upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus (including any amendments or supplements thereto) and the exhibits and appendices thereto.
9. Conditions to Payment of Commissions, Allowances and Expense Reimbursements; Timing of Payment.
9.1 No selling commissions, dealer manager fees, Deferred Selling Commissions, wholesaler fees, allowances or expense reimbursements or other compensation will be payable with respect to any Subscription Agreements that are rejected by the Company, or if the Company terminates the Offering for any reason whatsoever. No selling commissions, dealer manager fees, Deferred Selling Commissions, wholesaler fees, allowances, expense reimbursements or other compensation will be payable to the Dealer Manager with respect to any sale of the Shares by the Dealer Manager unless and until such time as the Company has received the total proceeds of any such sale and the Company has accepted the Subscription Agreement of such subscriber.
9.2 Except as provided in Section 17, all other expenses incurred by the Dealer Manager in the performance of the Dealer Managers obligations hereunder, including, but not limited to, expenses related to the Offering of the Shares and any attorneys fees, shall be at the Dealer Managers sole cost and expense, and the foregoing shall apply notwithstanding the fact that the Offering is not consummated for any reason.
9.3 Upon the satisfaction of the conditions to payment described in Section 9.1 above, the Advisor will pay the applicable selling commissions and dealer manager fees weekly with respect to the sale of Shares by the Dealer Manager which closed during the immediately preceding week. Dealer Manager shall provide prompt written notice to the Company of any lower selling commissions and dealer manager fees negotiated as described in Sections 7.1 and 7.2 herein, and Dealer Manager agrees to promptly return to the Advisor any selling commissions and dealer manager fees received by the Dealer Manager in excess of any applicable negotiated amounts.
10. Indemnification by the Company.
10.1 To the extent permitted by the Companys charter and the provisions of Article II.G of the NASAA Guidelines, and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth below, the Company, with respect to the Offering, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Dealer Manager and the Selling Group Members and their respective officers, directors and each person, if any, who controls such person within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act (collectively, the DMSG Parties) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever (Loss) arising out of or based upon:
10.1.1 Any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or Prospectus (each as from time to time amended and supplemented), or in any blue sky application or other document executed by the Company and filed in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Shares under or exempt the Offering of the Shares from the registration or qualification requirements of the securities laws thereof (Blue Sky Application) or Authorized Sales Materials, unless any of the DMSG Parties know such statement to be untrue;
10
10.1.2 The omission or alleged omission from the Registration Statement or Prospectus (each as from time to time amended and supplemented), any Blue Sky Application or Authorized Sales Materials of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, unless any of the DMSG Parties know such statement to be untrue;
10.1.3 Any verbal or written representations made in connection with the Offering by the Company in violation of the Securities Act, or any other applicable federal or state securities laws and regulations; or
10.1.4 The breach by the Company of any term, condition, representation, warranty or covenant in this Agreement.
10.2 If any action is brought against any of the DMSG Parties in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, the Dealer Manager or the Selling Group Members, as the case may be, shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the institution of such action, and the Company shall assume the defense of such action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the Company shall not affect the provisions in this Section 10 except to the extent such failure to notify the Company has a material and adverse effect on the defense of such claims. The affected DMSG Parties shall have the right to employ counsel in any such case. The reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the Companys expense and authorized in writing by the Company, provided that the Company will not be obligated to pay for legal fees and expenses for more than one law firm in connection with the defense of similar claims arising out of the same alleged acts or omissions.
10.3 The Company agrees to promptly notify the Dealer Manager of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Company or any of its managers, members, partners, officers or employees in connection with the Offering.
10.4 The indemnity provided to the DMSG Parties pursuant to this Section 10 shall not apply to the extent that any Loss arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of material fact made by the Dealer Manager or Selling Group Member or any agent of the Dealer Manager or Selling Group Member, or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be disclosed by the Dealer Manager or the Selling Group Member or any agent of the Dealer Manager or the Selling Group Member, and, further, shall not apply in any case if it is determined that the Dealer Manager or Selling Group Member was at fault in connection with the Loss.
10.5 The foregoing indemnity provided to the DMSG Parties pursuant to this Section 10 is subject to the further condition that, insofar as it relates to any untrue statement, alleged untrue statement, omission or alleged omission made in the Prospectus (or amendment or supplement thereto) that was eliminated or remedied in any subsequent amendment or supplement thereto, such indemnity agreement shall not inure to the benefit of any DMSG Party from whom the person asserting any Losses purchased the Shares that are the subject thereof, if a copy of the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented was not sent or given to such person at or prior to the time the subscription of such person was accepted by the Company, but only if a copy of the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented had been supplied to the Dealer Manager or the Selling Group Member prior to such acceptance.
11. Indemnification by the Dealer Manager.
11.1 Subject to the conditions set forth below, the Dealer Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Advisor and the Selling Group Members and their respective officers, directors (including any person named in the Registration Statement, with his or her consent, as about to become a director), each other person who has signed the Registration Statement, and
11
each person, if any, who controls the Company, the Advisor or the Selling Group Members (collectively, the CSGM Parties), against any and all Loss arising out of or based upon:
11.1.1 Any verbal or written representations in connection with the Offering made by the Dealer Manager or its representatives in violation of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, or any other applicable federal or state securities laws and regulations;
11.1.2 Any use of sales literature not authorized and approved by the Company, any use of broker-dealer use only materials with members of the public by the Dealer Manager in the offer and sale of Shares, or use of any sales literature in a particular jurisdiction if such material bears a legend denoting that it is not to be used in connection with the sale of Shares to members of the public in such jurisdiction;
11.1.3 The Dealer Managers failure to comply with any of the applicable provisions of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated under both such acts, the applicable requirements and rules of FINRA, or any other applicable federal or state laws, rules or regulations; or
11.1.4 The breach by the Dealer Manager of any term, condition, representation, warranty, or covenant of this Agreement.
11.2 If any action is brought against the CSGM Parties in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, the Company or the Selling Group Members shall promptly notify the Dealer Manager in writing of the institution of such action, and the Dealer Manager shall assume the defense of such action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the Dealer Manager shall not affect the provisions in this Section 11 except to the extent such failure to notify the Dealer Manager has a material and adverse effect on the defense of such claims. The affected CSGM Parties shall have the right to employ counsel in any such case. The reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the Dealer Managers expense and authorized in writing by the Dealer Manager, provided that the Dealer Manager will not be obligated to pay for legal fees and expenses for more than one law firm in connection with the defense of similar claims arising out of the same alleged acts or omissions.
11.3 The Dealer Manager agrees to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Dealer Manager or any of its managers, members, partners, officers or employees in connection with the Offering.
11.4 The indemnity provided to the Company and the Advisor pursuant to this Section 11 shall not apply to the extent that any Loss arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of material fact made by the Company or the Advisor or any agent of the Company (other than the Dealer Manager), or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be disclosed by the Company or the Advisor or any agent of the Company or the Advisor (other than the Dealer Manager).
11.5 The indemnity provided to the Selling Group Member pursuant to this Section 11 shall not apply to the extent that any Loss arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of material fact made by the Selling Group Member or any agent of the Selling Group Member, or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be disclosed by the Selling Group Member or any agent of the Selling Group Member.
12. Indemnification by the Selling Group Member.
12
12.1 Subject to the conditions set forth below, each Selling Group Member agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Advisor and the Dealer Manager and their respective officers, directors (including any person named in the Registration Statement, with his or her consent, as about to become a director), each other person who has signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company, the Advisor or the Dealer Manager (the CMBD Parties), against any and all Loss arising out of or based upon:
12.1.1 Any verbal or written representations in connection with the Offering made by such Selling Group Member, its employees or affiliates in violation of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, or any other applicable federal or state securities laws and regulations;
12.1.2 Any use of sales materials or use of unauthorized verbal representations by such Selling Group Member, its employees or affiliates concerning the Offering in violation of the Soliciting Dealer Agreement or otherwise;
12.1.3 Such Selling Group Members failure to comply with any of the applicable provisions of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated under both such acts, the applicable requirements and rules of FINRA, or any other applicable federal or state laws, rules or regulations;
12.1.4 The breach by such Selling Group Member of any term, condition, representation, warranty, or covenant of the Soliciting Dealer Agreement; or
12.1.5 The failure by any Subscriber of a Share to comply with the Investor suitability requirements set forth in the section captioned Suitability Standards in the Prospectus.
12.2 If any action is brought against the CMBD Parties in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, the Company or the Dealer Manager shall promptly notify the applicable Selling Group Member in writing of the institution of such action, and the Selling Group Member shall assume the defense of such action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the Selling Group Member shall not affect the provisions in this Section 12 except to the extent such failure to notify the Selling Group Member has a material and adverse effect on the defense of such claims. The affected CMBD Parties shall have the right to employ counsel in any such case. The reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at such Selling Group Members expense and authorized in writing by such Selling Group Member, provided that such Selling Group Member will not be obligated to pay for legal fees and expenses for more than one law firm in connection with the defense of similar claims arising out of the same alleged acts or omissions.
12.3 The Selling Group Member agrees to promptly notify the Company and the Dealer Manager of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Selling Group Member or any of the Selling Group Members officers, directors, partners, affiliates or agents in connection with the Offering.
12.4 The indemnity provided to the Dealer Manager pursuant to this Section 12 shall not apply to the extent that any Loss arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of material fact made by the Dealer Manager or any agent of the Dealer Manager, or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be disclosed by the Dealer Manager or any agent of the Dealer Manager.
13
12.5 The indemnity provided to the Company pursuant to this Section 12 shall not apply to the extent that any Loss arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of material fact made by the Company or any agent of the Company (other than the Dealer Manager), or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be disclosed by the Company or any agent of the Company (other than the Dealer Manager).
13. Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided pursuant to Sections 10, 11 and 12 is for any reason held to be unavailable from the Company, the Dealer Manager or the Selling Group Members, as the case may be, the Company, the Dealer Manager and the Selling Group Members shall contribute to the aggregate Loss, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses (including any amount paid in settlement of any action, suit, or proceeding or any claims asserted) in such amounts as a court of competent jurisdiction may determine (or in the case of settlement, in such amounts as may be agreed upon by the parties) in such proportion to reflect the relative fault of the Company, the Dealer Manager and the Selling Group Members and their respective owners, managers, members, trustees, partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys and accountants in connection with the events described in Sections 10, 11 and 12, as the case may be, which resulted in such Loss, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other equitable considerations. The relative fault of the parties shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, the Dealer Manager and the Selling Group Members and their respective owners, managers, members, trustees, partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys and accountants and the parties relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such omission or statement. The parties and any person who controls the Company or the Dealer Manager shall also have rights to contribution under this Section 13.
14. Compliance. All actions, direct or indirect, by the Dealer Manager and its agents, members, employees and affiliates, shall conform to (i) requirements applicable to broker-dealers under federal and applicable state securities laws, rules and regulations, and (ii) applicable requirements and rules of FINRA.
15. Privacy Act. To protect Customer Information (as defined below) and to comply as may be necessary with the requirements of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the relevant state and federal regulations pursuant thereto and state privacy laws, the parties wish to include the confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations set forth herein.
15.1 Customer Information. Customer Information means any information contained on a customers application or other form and all nonpublic personal information about a customer that a party receives from the other party. Customer Information shall include, but not be limited to, name, address, telephone number, social security number, health information and personal financial information (which may include consumer account number).
15.2 Usage and Nondisclosure. The parties understand and acknowledge that they may be financial institutions subject to applicable federal and state customer and consumer privacy laws and regulations, including Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. 6801, et seq.) and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the Privacy Laws), and any Customer Information that one party receives from the other party is received with limitations on its use and disclosure. The parties agree that they are prohibited from using the Customer Information received from the other party other than (i) as required by law, regulation or rule or (ii) to carry out the purposes for which one party discloses Customer Information to the other party pursuant to the Agreement, as permitted under the use in the ordinary course of business exception to the Privacy Laws.
14
15.3 Safeguarding Customer Information. The parties shall establish and maintain safeguards against the unauthorized access, destruction, loss, or alteration of Customer Information in their control which are no less rigorous than those maintained by a party for its own information of a similar nature. In the event of any improper disclosure of any Customer Information, the party responsible for the disclosure will immediately notify the other party.
15.4 Survivability. The provisions of this Section 15 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
16. Survival of Provisions.
16.1 Except as the context otherwise requires, all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements at and through the termination of the Offering, and such representations, warranties and agreements by the Dealer Manager or the Company, including the indemnity agreements contained in Sections 10, 11 and 12 and the contribution agreements contained in Section 13 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by the Dealer Manager, the Company and/or any controlling person, and shall survive the sale of, and payment for, the Shares.
16.2 The respective agreements and obligations of the Company and the Dealer Manager set forth in Sections 6.1, 6.4, 6.6, 6.7, 10 through 13, 16, 17, 18 through 31 of this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of the termination of this Agreement.
17. Costs of Offering. Except for the compensation payable to the Dealer Manager described in Section 7, which are the sole obligations of the Advisor, the Dealer Manager will pay all of its own costs and expenses, including, but not limited to, all expenses necessary for the Dealer Manager to remain in compliance with any applicable federal, state or FINRA laws, rules or regulations in order to participate in the Offering as a broker-dealer, and the fees and costs of the Dealer Managers counsel. The Advisor agrees to pay all other expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including all expenses of the Company incident to filings with federal and state regulatory authorities and to the exemption of the Shares under federal and state securities laws, including fees and disbursements of the Companys counsel, and all costs of reproduction and distribution of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto.
18. Termination.
18.1 Any party to this Agreement shall have the right to terminate this Agreement on 60 days written notice or immediately upon notice to the other party in the event that such other party shall have failed to comply with any material provision hereof. If not sooner terminated, the Dealer Managers agency and this Agreement shall terminate upon termination of the Offering Period without obligation on the part of the Dealer Manager, the Advisor or the Company, except as set forth in this Agreement. Such termination shall not affect the indemnification agreements set forth in Sections 10, 11 and 12 or the contribution agreements set forth in Section 13 or the other sections referenced in Section 16.2 herein. Upon the expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement, the Dealer Manager will use reasonable efforts to cooperate with the Company and any other party that may be necessary to accomplish an orderly transfer and transfer to a successor dealer manager of the operation and management of the services the Dealer Manager is providing to the Company under this Agreement, provided that the Company shall not be in material breach or default of this Agreement. The Dealer Manager will not be entitled to receive any additional payment in connection with the efforts described in the foregoing sentence.
15
18.2 Upon termination of this Agreement, (a) the Company shall pay to the Dealer Manager all accrued amounts payable under Section 7 hereof at such time as such amounts become payable and (b) the Dealer Manager shall promptly deliver to the Company all records and documents in its possession that relate to the Offering and that are not designated as dealer copies.
18.3 The term of this Agreement shall be extended to cover offerings of shares of the Companys common stock pursuant to the DRP which are offered pursuant to one or more additional registration statements (each, a DRP Registration Statement) and prospectus contained therein. Upon the effectiveness of any such DRP Registration Statement, this Agreement shall automatically be deemed to cover the offering of such DRP shares, and the terms Shares, Offering, Registration Statement and Prospectus set forth herein shall be deemed to include the newly registered DRP shares, the DRP Registration Statement and the prospectus contained in the DRP Registration Statement, as applicable, as such DRP Registration Statement and prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
19. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, subject to and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Utah without regard to conflict of law provisions.
20. Dispute Resolution. Any controversy arising out of or related to this Agreement or the breach thereof shall be settled by arbitration in Salt Lake County, Utah, in accordance with the rules of The American Arbitration Association, and judgment entered upon the award rendered may be enforced by appropriate judicial action. The arbitration panel shall consist of one member, which shall be a person agreed to by each party to the dispute within 30 days following notice by one party that he desires that a matter be arbitrated. If the parties are unable within such 30 day period to agree upon an arbitrator, then the panel shall be one arbitrator selected by the Salt Lake County office of The American Arbitration Association, which arbitrator shall be experienced in the area of real estate and limited liability companies and who shall be knowledgeable with respect to the subject matter area of the dispute. The losing party shall bear any fees and expenses of the arbitrator, other tribunal fees and expenses, reasonable attorneys fees of both parties, any costs of producing witnesses and any other reasonable costs or expenses incurred by him or the prevailing party or such costs shall be allocated by the arbitrator. The arbitration panel shall render a decision within 30 days following the close of presentation by the parties of their cases and any rebuttal. The parties shall agree within 30 days following selection of the arbitrator to any prehearing procedures or further procedures necessary for the arbitration to proceed, including interrogatories or other discovery; provided, in any event each party shall be entitled to discovery. Any action not resolved pursuant to the foregoing shall be brought only in a court of competent jurisdiction located in Salt Lake County, Utah.
21. Severability. If any portion of this Agreement shall be held invalid or inoperative, then so far as is reasonable and possible (i) the remainder of this Agreement shall be considered valid and operative and (ii) effect shall be given to the intent manifested by the portion held invalid or inoperative.
22. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in 2 or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and together which shall constitute one and the same instrument.
23. Modification or Amendment. This Agreement may not be modified or amended except by written agreement executed by the parties hereto.
24. Notices. All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and, if sent to the Dealer Manager, shall be mailed or delivered to Orchard Securities, LLC, 401 South 850 East, Suite C1, Lehi, Utah 84043, if sent to the Company shall be mailed or delivered to Cottonwood Communities, Inc., 6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, UT 84121, if sent to the Advisor shall be mailed or delivered to CC Advisors III, LLC, 6340 South 3000 East,
16
Suite 500, Salt Lake City, UT 84121. The notice shall be deemed to be received on the date of its actual receipt by the party entitled thereto.
25. Parties. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of the parties hereto, the persons referred to in Sections 10, 11, 12 and 13, their respective successors, legal representatives, heirs and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under, in respect of, or by virtue of, this Agreement or any provision herein contained.
26. Delay. Neither the failure nor any delay on the part of any party to this Agreement to exercise any right, remedy, power, or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall a waiver of any right, remedy, power, or privilege with respect to any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power, or privilege with respect to any subsequent occurrence.
27. Recovery of Costs. If any legal action or other proceeding is brought for the enforcement of this Agreement, or because of an alleged dispute, breach, default or misrepresentation in connection with any of the provisions of this Agreement, the successful or prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorneys fees and other costs incurred in that action or proceeding (and any additional proceeding for the enforcement of a judgment) in addition to any other relief to which it or they may be entitled.
28. Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire understanding between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior understandings or written or oral agreements between them respecting the subject matter hereof.
29. Confirmation. The Company agrees to confirm all orders for purchase of Shares that are accepted by the Company and provide such confirmation to the Dealer Manager and the Selling Group Members. To the extent practicable and permitted by law, all such confirmations may be provided electronically.
30. Due Diligence. The Company will authorize a collection of information regarding the Offering (the Due Diligence Information), which collection the Company may amend and supplement from time to time, to be delivered by the Dealer Manager to the Selling Group Members (or their agents performing due diligence) in connection with their due diligence review of the Offering. In the event a Selling Group Member (or its agent performing due diligence) requests access to additional information or otherwise wishes to conduct additional due diligence regarding the Offering, the Company and the Dealer Manager will reasonably cooperate with such Selling Group Member to accommodate such request. All Due Diligence Information received by the Dealer Manager and/or the Selling Group Members in connection with their due diligence review of the Offering are confidential and shall be maintained as confidential and not disclosed by the Dealer Manager or the Selling Group Members except to the extent such information is disclosed in the Prospectus.
31. Submission of Orders.
31.1 The Dealer Manager will require in its agreements with each Selling Group Member that each Selling Group Member will instruct those persons who purchase Shares to make their checks payable to the Company. The Dealer Manager and each Selling Group Member will return any check it receives not conforming to the foregoing instructions directly to such subscriber not later than the end of the next business day following its receipt. Checks received by the Dealer Manager or Selling Group Member that conform to the foregoing instructions shall be transmitted for deposit pursuant to one of the following methods:
17
31.2 Where, pursuant to the Selling Group Members internal supervisory procedures, internal supervisory review is conducted at the same location at which subscription documents and checks are received from subscribers, checks will be transmitted by the end of the next business day following receipt by the Selling Group Member for deposit to the Company or its agent.
31.3 Where, pursuant to the Selling Group Members internal supervisory procedures, final internal supervisory review is conducted at a different location, checks will be transmitted by the end of the next business day following receipt by the Selling Group Member to the office of the Selling Group Member conducting such final internal supervisory review (the Final Review Office). The Final Review Office will in turn by the end of the next business day following receipt by the Final Review Office transmit such checks for deposit to the Company or its agent.
31.4 Where the Dealer Manager receives investor proceeds, checks will be transmitted by the end of the next business day following receipt by the Dealer Manager for deposit to the Company or its agent.
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Dealer Manager, the Company and the Advisor, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, and return one of the signed copies of this letter agreement to the Company whereupon this letter agreement shall constitute a binding agreement among us.
Very truly yours, | ||
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC., a Maryland corporation | ||
By: |
AGREED AND ACCEPTED: | ||
ORCHARD SECURITIES, LLC, a Utah limited liability company | ||
By: | ||
Its: |
Commission checks to be sent to: | ||
Name: | Orchard Securities, LLC | |
Address: | 401 South 850 East, Suite C1 Lehi, Utah 84043 |
18
CC ADVISORS III, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company | ||
By: |
19
EXHIBIT A
ORCHARD SECURITIES, LLC
401 SOUTH 850 EAST, SUITE C1
LEHI, UTAH 84043
FORM OF SOLICITING DEALER AGREEMENT
for Shares in
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
, 20
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned, Orchard Securities, LLC, a Utah limited liability company (the Dealer Manager), has entered into an agreement (the Dealer Manager Agreement) with Cottonwood Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the Company) and CC Advisor III, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Advisor) for the sale to the public (the Offering) of up to $750,000,000 in Class A shares and Class T shares of common stock (the Shares) of the Company pursuant to a primary offering (the Primary Offering) and the Companys distribution reinvestment plan (DRP), pursuant to which the Dealer Manager has agreed to use its best efforts to form and manage, as the Dealer Manager, a group of securities dealers (the Selling Group Members) for the purpose of soliciting offers for the purchase of the Shares. The Dealer Manager Agreement is attached as Exhibit A. Terms used but not otherwise defined in this Soliciting Dealer Agreement (this Agreement) have the same meanings as set forth in the Dealer Manager Agreement. The Shares will be offered at the prices and upon the terms set forth in the Prospectus (as amended and supplemented from time to time).
You are invited to become a Selling Group Member and by your confirmation hereof you agree to act in such capacity and to use your best efforts, in accordance with the following terms and conditions, to find qualified investors (the Investors) for the Shares. By your acceptance of this Agreement, you will become one of the Selling Group Members and will be entitled to and subject to the indemnification and contribution provisions contained in the Dealer Manager Agreement, including the provisions of the Dealer Manager Agreement wherein the Selling Group Members severally agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Advisor and the Dealer Manager for certain actions.
1. Selling Group Member Representations, Covenants and Agreements.
1.1 You hereby confirm that you (i) are a member in good standing of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA), (ii) are qualified and duly registered to act as a broker-dealer within all states in which you will sell the Shares, (iii) are a broker-dealer duly registered with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and (iv) will maintain all such registrations and qualifications in good standing for the duration of your involvement in the Offering. You agree to immediately notify the Dealer Manager if you cease to be a member of FINRA in good standing.
1.2 You hereby agree to solicit, as an independent contractor, and not as the Dealer Managers agent, or as an agent of the Company or its affiliates, persons acceptable to the Company to purchase the Shares pursuant to the suitability standards set forth in the Prospectus, the Subscription Agreement in the form filed as an appendix to the Prospectus (the Subscription Agreement), and in accordance with the other terms of the Prospectus, and to diligently make inquiries as required by this
Agreement, the Prospectus or applicable law with respect to prospective Investors in order to ascertain whether a purchase of the Shares is suitable for the Investor. No Subscription Agreement shall be effective unless and until accepted by the Company, it being understood that the Company may accept or reject any Investor in its sole discretion and that the Company may terminate the Offering at any time for any reason.
1.1 You understand that the offering of Shares is made on a best-efforts basis, as described in the Prospectus.
1.2 You agree that before participating in the Offering, you will have reasonable grounds to believe, based on information made available to you by the Dealer Manager and/or the Company through the Prospectus, that all material facts are adequately and accurately disclosed in the Prospectus and provide a basis for evaluating the Company and the Shares.
1.3 You agree not to execute any transaction in which an Investor invests in the Shares in a discretionary account without prior written approval of the transaction by the Investor and the Dealer Manager.
1.4 You agree to comply in all respects with the purchase procedures and plan of distribution set forth in the Prospectus. Further, you agree that although you may receive due diligence regarding the Offering from the Company in electronic form, you will not distribute to any prospective Investor or any other person any such due diligence material.
1.5 All subscriptions solicited by you will be strictly subject to confirmation by the Dealer Manager and acceptance thereof by the Company. Investors shall complete and execute a Subscription Agreement to subscribe for the purchase of Shares. The Company reserves the right in its absolute discretion to reject any such subscription and to accept or reject subscriptions in the order of their receipt by the Company, as appropriate or otherwise. Neither you nor any other person is authorized to, and neither you nor any of your employees, agents or representatives shall give any information or make any representation (written or oral) other than those contained in the Prospectus or in any Authorized Sales Materials furnished by the Dealer Manager or the Company for use in making solicitations in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.
1.6 Upon authorization by the Dealer Manager, you may offer the Shares at the Offering price set forth in the Prospectus, subject to the terms and conditions thereof.
1.7 The Dealer Manager will provide you with such number of copies of the Prospectus as you may reasonably request. You will be solely responsible for correctly placing orders of such materials, and will reimburse the Dealer Manager for any costs incurred in connection with unreasonable or mistaken orders. The Dealer Manager also understands that the Company may provide you with certain Authorized Sales Materials to be used by you in connection with the solicitation of purchases of the Shares. You will deliver a copy of the Prospectus, including any amendments and supplements thereto, as required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated under both such acts. You agree that (a) you will deliver a copy of the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to each Investor to whom an offer is made prior to or simultaneously with the first solicitation of an offer to sell the Shares to an Investor and (b) you will not use any Authorized Sales Materials in connection with the solicitation or purchase of the Shares unless accompanied or preceded by the Prospectus, as then currently in effect, and as it may be amended or supplemented in the future.
1.8 The Dealer Manager shall have full authority to take such action as it may deem advisable with respect to all matters pertaining to the Offering. The Dealer Manager shall be under no
A-2
liability to you except for lack of good faith and for obligations expressly assumed by it in this Agreement. Nothing contained in this Section is intended to operate as, and the provisions of this Section shall not constitute a waiver by you, of compliance with any provision of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other applicable federal law, applicable state law or of the rules and regulations thereunder.
1.9 You agree that you will offer the Shares (both at the time of an initial subscription and at the time of any additional subscription, including enrollments and increased participations in the DRP) only to persons who meet the financial qualifications and suitability standards set forth in the Prospectus as amended or supplemented or in any suitability letter or memorandum sent to you by the Company or the Dealer Manager. Nothing contained in this Section 1.11 shall be construed to relieve you of your suitability obligations under FINRA Rule 2111 or FINRA Rule 2310.
1.10 You will limit the offering of the Shares to persons whom you have reasonable grounds to believe, and in fact believe, meet the financial suitability and other Investor requirements set forth in the Prospectus.
1.11 You will immediately bring to the attention of the Company and the Dealer Manager any circumstance or fact which causes you to believe the Prospectus, or any other Authorized Sales Materials distributed pursuant to the Offering, may be inaccurate or misleading.
1.12 You agree that in recommending to an Investor the purchase or sale of the Shares, you shall have reasonable grounds to believe, on the basis of information obtained from the prospective Investor concerning his or her investment objectives, other investments, financial situation and needs, and any other information known by you, that:
1.12.1 The prospective Investor meets the Investor suitability requirements set forth in the Registration Statement and the acquisition of Shares is otherwise a suitable investment for such Investor as may be required by all applicable laws, rules and regulations;
1.12.2 The prospective Investor is or will be in a financial position appropriate to enable him or her to realize to a significant extent the benefits described in the Registration Statement;
1.12.3 The prospective Investor has a fair market net worth sufficient to sustain the risks inherent in an investment in the Shares, including, but not limited to, the total loss of the investment, lack of liquidity and other risks described in the Registration Statement;
1.12.4 The prospective Investor will be acquiring the Shares for investment and not with a view a toward distribution; and
1.12.5 An investment in the Shares is otherwise suitable for the prospective Investor.
1.13 You agree to keep records in compliance with the requirements imposed by (i) federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder, (ii) the applicable rules of FINRA and (iii) the Statement of Policy regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. (the NASAA Guidelines). You agree to retain in your records and make available to the Dealer Manager and to the Company, for a period of at least 6 years following the termination of the Offering, information establishing that (i) each person who purchases the Shares pursuant to a Subscription Agreement solicited by you is within the permitted class of Investors under the requirements of the jurisdiction in which such Investor is a resident, (ii) each person met the financial qualifications and suitability requirements imposed upon the offer and sale of the Shares (both at
A-3
the time of the initial subscription and at the time of any additional subscriptions, including initial enrollments and increased participations in the DRP) set forth in the Prospectus and the Subscription Agreement and (iii) each person is suitable for such investment and the basis on which such suitability determination was made. You also agree to make your records regarding suitability available to representatives of the SEC and FINRA and applicable state securities administrators upon the Dealer Managers request.
1.14 You agree that before executing a purchase transaction in the Shares, you will inform the prospective Investor and his or her purchaser representative, if any, of all pertinent facts relating to the liquidity and marketability of the Shares, as appropriate, during the term of the investment.
1.15 You hereby undertake and agree to comply with all obligations applicable to you as set forth in FINRA rules, including, but not limited to, any new suitability and filing requirements.
1.16 You will not offer Shares in any jurisdiction unless and until (a) you have been advised in writing by the Company or the Dealer Manager that the Shares are either registered in accordance with, or exempt from, the securities laws of such jurisdiction and (b) you have all required licenses and registrations to offer Shares in that jurisdiction.
1.17 You agree not to rely upon the efforts of the Dealer Manager in (i) performing due diligence related to the Company (including its members, managers, officers, directors, employees, and affiliates), the Shares, or the suitability thereof for any Investors and (ii) determining whether the Company has adequately and accurately disclosed all material facts upon which to provide a basis for evaluating the Company to the extent required by federal law, state law and/or FINRA. You further agree that you are solely responsible for performing adequate due diligence, and you agree to perform adequate due diligence as required by federal law, state law, and/or FINRA.
1.18 You will refrain from making any representations to any prospective Investor other than those contained in the Prospectus, and will not allow any other written materials to be used to describe the potential investment to prospective Investors other than the Prospectus or Authorized Sales Materials prepared by the Company and distributed by the Dealer Manager for use in making solicitations in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.
1.19 You will refrain from distributing any material to prospective Investors that is marked Financial Advisor Use Only or Broker-Dealer Use Only, or any other due diligence material related to the Offering received by you. You agree that you will not show or give to any investor or prospective investor in a particular jurisdiction any material or writing that is supplied to you by the Dealer Manager if such material bears a legend denoting that it is not to be used in connection with the sale of Shares to members of the public in such jurisdiction. You agree that you will not use in connection with the offer or sale of Shares any material or writing that relates to another company supplied to you by the Company or the Dealer Manager bearing a legend that states that such material may not be used in connection with the offer or sale of any securities of the Company.
1.20 You agree to furnish a copy of the Prospectus (as amended and supplemented) required for compliance with the provisions of federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Rule 15c2-8 under Exchange Act. Regardless of the termination of this Agreement, you will deliver a Prospectus (as amended and supplemented) in transactions in the Shares for a period of 90 days from the effective date of the Registration Statement or such other period as may be required by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
1.21 [Intentionally omitted].
A-4
1.22 You will provide the Dealer Manager with such information relating to the offer and sale of the Shares by you as the Dealer Manager may from time to time reasonably request.
The representations and warranties made in this Section 1 are and shall be continuing representations and warranties throughout the term of the Offering. In the event that any of these representations or warranties becomes untrue, the Selling Group Member will immediately notify the Dealer Manager in writing of the fact which makes the representation or warranty untrue.
2. Submission of Orders.
Those persons who purchase Shares will be instructed by the Selling Group Member to make their checks payable to the Company. The Selling Group Member will return any check it receives not conforming to the foregoing instructions directly to such subscriber not later than the end of the next business day following its receipt. Checks received by the Selling Group Member that conform to the foregoing instructions shall be transmitted for deposit pursuant to one of the following methods:
Where, pursuant to the Selling Group Members internal supervisory procedures, internal supervisory review is conducted at the same location at which subscription documents and checks are received from subscribers, checks will be transmitted by the end of the next business day following receipt by the Selling Group Member for deposit to the Company or its agent.
Where, pursuant to the Selling Group Members internal supervisory procedures, final internal supervisory review is conducted at a different location, checks will be transmitted by the end of the next business day following receipt by the Selling Group Member to the office of the Selling Group Member conducting such final internal supervisory review (the Final Review Office). The Final Review Office will in turn by the end of the next business day following receipt by the Final Review Office transmit such checks for deposit to the Company or its agent.
3. Compensation. Subject to certain conditions, and in consideration of your services hereunder, except as otherwise provided in the Plan of Distribution section of the Prospectus (as amended and supplemented), the Dealer Manager will pay you sales commissions, marketing allowances and Deferred Selling Commissions, as applicable, as follows to the extent you are authorized to participate in the distribution of the Class A shares and/or Class T shares, as applicable, as set forth on Schedule 1 hereto:
3.1 You will receive a selling commission up to 6.0% of the purchase price of the Class A Primary Sales by you and up to 3.0% of the purchase price of the Class T Primary Sales by you (the above being referred to as the Commissions).
3.2 You will receive a non-accountable marketing and due diligence allowance of 1% of the purchase price of the Primary Sales by you (the Allowances), which Allowances will be reallowed by the Dealer Manager from the dealer manager fees received by the Dealer Manager on the Primary Sales by you.
3.3 To the extent you have elected to participate in the distribution of Class T shares, you will receive Deferred Selling Commissions as set forth in this Section 3 and Schedule 1 hereto.
3.4 Payment of the Commissions, the Allowances and the Deferred Selling Commissions shall be subject to the following conditions:
(a) No Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions will be payable with respect to any Subscription Agreements that are rejected by the Company or the
A-5
Dealer Manager, or if the Company terminates the Offering for any reason whatsoever. No Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions will be payable to you with respect to any sale of the Shares by you unless and until such time as the Company has received the total proceeds of any such sale and the Company has accepted the Subscription Agreement of such subscriber.
(b) No Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions will be payable to you with respect to any sale of the Primary Shares by you unless and until such time as the Dealer Manager has received the aggregate amount of sales commission, dealer manager fee or Deferred Selling Commission, as applicable, to which it is entitled.
3.5 You will not receive Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions in connection with any Shares sold pursuant to the DRP, and will not receive Deferred Selling Commissions in connection with sales of any Class A shares.
3.6 All other expenses incurred by you in the performance of your obligations hereunder, including, but not limited to, expenses related to the Offering and any attorneys fees, shall be at your sole cost and expense, and the foregoing shall apply notwithstanding the fact that the Offering is not consummated for any reason.
3.7 Once Commissions or Allowances become payable upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 3.4 above, they will be paid weekly with respect to the sale of Shares by the Dealer which closed during the immediately preceding week, after the Dealer Managers receipt of such Commissions or Allowances, as applicable, from the Advisor. Once Deferred Selling Commissions become payable upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 3.4 above and Schedule 1, they will be paid to you within 30 days after receipt by the Dealer Manager from the Advisor. You agree that, in the event any Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions have been paid to the Dealer Manager pursuant to the terms of the Dealer Manager Agreement, you will look solely to the Dealer Manager for payment of any Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions.
3.8 In the event that a purchase is revoked or rescinded, the Selling Group Member will be obligated to promptly return to the Dealer Manager any Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions previously paid to the Selling Group Member in connection with such purchase.
3.9 You agree that your compensation in connection to this Offering will be limited to the provisions of this Section 3 and Schedule 1. Furthermore, you agree not to charge a prospective Investor any fees in connection with this Offering.
3.10 You affirm that the Dealer Managers liability for Commissions, Allowances and Deferred Selling Commissions payable is limited solely to the proceeds of Commissions, Allowances and Deferred Selling Commissions receivable from the Advisor and you hereby waive any and all rights to receive payment of Commissions, Allowances and Deferred Selling Commissions due until such time as the Dealer Manager is in receipt of the Commission, Allowance and Deferred Selling Commission from the Advisor.
3.11 You acknowledge that the Company shall have no obligation, liability or responsibility whatsoever to pay any Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions in connection with the sale of Shares, either directly to you or to the Dealer Manager. You shall not bring any action, suit or other proceeding against the Company or any of its assets with respect to any Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions in connection with the sale of Shares, including without limitation, any proceedings claiming nonpayment of Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions by the Advisor. You further acknowledge that the Advisor is not liable or
A-6
responsible for the direct payment of Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions to you. You acknowledge that, if the Advisor pays Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions to the Dealer Manager, the Advisor is relieved of any obligation for Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions to you. The Advisor may rely on and use the preceding acknowledgment as a defense against any claim by you for Commissions, Allowances or Deferred Selling Commissions that the Advisor pays to Dealer Manager but that Dealer Manager fails to remit to you.
3.12 Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, you will not be entitled to receive any Commissions, Allowances, Deferred Selling Commissions or any other compensation which would cause the total aggregate amount of Commissions, Allowances, Deferred Selling Commissions and other forms of underwriting compensation (as defined in accordance with applicable FINRA rules) received by the Dealer Manager and all Selling Group Members to exceed ten percent (10.0%) of the gross proceeds raised from the sale of Shares in the Primary Offering in the aggregate.
4. Solicitation.
4.1 In connection with your participation in the offer and sale of Shares (including, without limitation all initial and additional subscriptions for Shares and any resales and transfers of Shares), you agree to comply with applicable requirements of (i) the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated under both such acts, (ii) applicable state securities laws and the published rules and regulations thereunder, (iii) the FINRA rules, (iv) all applicable rules and regulations relating to the suitability of investors, including, without limitation, the provisions of Article III.C. and III.E. of the NASAA Guidelines, (v) any other state and federal laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Offering, the sale of Shares or your activities pursuant to this Agreement and (vi) this Agreement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented. In particular, you agree that you will not give any information or make any representations other than those contained in the Prospectus and in any Authorized Sales Materials furnished to you by the Dealer Manager or the Company for use in making solicitations in connection with the offer and sale of Shares. Further, with respect to any use by you of electronic delivery of offering documents or subscription agreements and electronic signatures, you agree to comply with the applicable requirements of the Statement of Policy Regarding Use of Electronic Offering Documents and Electronic Signatures of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. (NASAA), as adopted by the NASAA membership on May 8, 2017, as well as the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act referred to therein, each as may be amended from time to time, and you agree to execute and deliver to the Company the side letter attached as Schedule 2 of this Agreement and abide by the terms thereof.
4.2 You will conduct all solicitation and sales efforts in conformity with the Securities Act, and exemptions available under applicable state law and conduct reasonable investigation to ensure that all prospective Investors are not (i) listed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List maintained by the Office of Foreign Asset Control, Department of the Treasury (OFAC) pursuant to Executive Order No. 133224, 66 Fed. Reg. 49079 (September 25, 2001) and/or on any other list of terrorists or terrorist organizations maintained pursuant to any of the rules and regulations of OFAC or pursuant to any other applicable enabling legislation or other Executive Orders in respect thereof (such lists are collectively referred to as Lists) or (ii) owned or controlled by, nor act for or on behalf of, any person or entity on the Lists.
4.3 You agree to promptly provide to the Dealer Manager copies of any written or otherwise documented complaints from customers received by you relating in any way to the Offering (including, but not limited to, the manner in which the Shares are offered by you).
A-7
5. Offer and Sale Activities. It is understood that under no circumstances will you engage in any activities hereunder in any state other than those for which permission has been granted by the Dealer Manager to you, as evidenced by written acknowledgement by the Dealer Manager that such state has been cleared for offer and sale activity. It is further understood that you shall notify the Company of Subscription Agreements you receive within 2 business days of receipt so that the Company may make any required federal or state law filings.
6. Relationship of Parties. Except as specifically set forth in Schedule 2 hereto, nothing contained herein shall be construed or interpreted to constitute the Selling Group Member as an employee, agent or representative of, or in association with or in partnership with, the Dealer Manager or the Company. The Dealer Manager shall be under no liability to make any payment to you except out of the funds received pursuant to the terms of the Dealer Manager Agreement as hereinabove provided, and the Dealer Manager shall not be under any liability for, or in respect of the value or validity of the Subscription Agreement, the Shares or the performance by anyone of any agreement on its part, or for, or in respect of any matter connected with this Agreement, except for lack of good faith by the Dealer Manager, and for obligations expressly assumed by the Dealer Manager in this Agreement.
7. Indemnification and Contribution. You hereby agree and acknowledge that you shall be entitled to the rights, and be subject to the obligations and liabilities, of the indemnification and contribution provisions contained in the Dealer Manager Agreement, including without limitation, the provisions by which the Selling Group Members shall severally agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the Dealer Manager and their respective owners, managers, members, trustees, partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys and accountants.
8. Privacy Act. To protect Customer Information (as defined below) and to comply as may be necessary with the requirements of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the relevant state and federal regulations pursuant thereto and state privacy laws, the parties wish to include the confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations set forth herein.
8.1 Customer Information. Customer Information means any information contained on a customers application or other form and all nonpublic personal information about a customer that a party receives from the other party. Customer Information shall include, but not be limited to, name, address, telephone number, social security number, health information and personal financial information (which may include consumer account number).
8.2 Usage and Nondisclosure. The parties understand and acknowledge that they may be financial institutions subject to applicable federal and state customer and consumer privacy laws and regulations, including Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. 6801, et seq.) and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the Privacy Laws), and any Customer Information that one party receives from the other party is received with limitations on its use and disclosure. The parties agree that they are prohibited from using the Customer Information received from the other party other than (i) as required by law, regulation or rule, or (ii) to carry out the purposes for which one party discloses Customer Information to the other party pursuant to this Agreement, as permitted under the use in the ordinary course of business exception to the Privacy Laws.
8.3 Safeguarding Customer Information. The parties shall establish and maintain safeguards against the unauthorized access, destruction, loss, or alteration of Customer Information in their control which are no less rigorous than those maintained by a party for its own information of a similar nature. In the event of any improper disclosure of any Customer Information, the party responsible for the disclosure will immediately notify the other party.
A-8
8.4 Survivability. The provisions of Section 7 and this Section 8 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
9. Survival of Provisions. Except as the context otherwise requires, all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement and in the applicable provisions of the Dealer Manager Agreement shall be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements at and through the Offering Period, and such representations, warranties and agreements by the Dealer Manager or the Selling Group Members, including the indemnity agreements contained in Sections 10, 11 and 12 of, and the contribution agreements contained in Section 13 of, the Dealer Manager Agreement, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by the Dealer Manager, the Selling Group Members and/or any controlling person, and shall survive the sale of, and payment for, the Shares and the termination of this Agreement.
10. Termination. The Selling Group Member will suspend or terminate the Offering upon request of the Company or the Dealer Manager at any time and will resume the Offering upon the subsequent request of the Company or the Dealer Manager. This Agreement may be terminated by the Dealer Manager or a Selling Group Member at any time upon 5 days written notice to the other party. If this Agreement is terminated the Selling Group Member is still obligated to fulfill its delivery requirements pursuant to Sections 1.7 and 1.20.
11. Dealer Manager Obligations.
11.1 Notifications. The Dealer Manager shall provide prompt written notice to the Selling Group Members of any material changes to the Registration Statement that in its judgment could materially and adversely affect a Selling Group Member with respect to this Offering.
11.2 Records. The Dealer Manager shall retain in its records and make available to the Selling Group Members, for a period of at least 6 years following the termination of the Offering, any communications and information with respect to a prospective Investor that has otherwise not been provided to a Selling Group Member.
11.3 FINRA Rule 5110. The Dealer Manager has submitted to FINRA (or will submit no later than one business day after filing with or submitting to the SEC or any state securities commission or other regulatory authority) a copy of the documents to be filed pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(b)(5) and the information specified in FINRA Rule 5110(b)(6); provided, however, any documents that are filed with the SEC through the SECs EDGAR System that are referenced in FINRAs electronic filing system shall be treated as filed with FINRA (the FINRA Filing). No sales of Shares shall commence unless such documents and information have been filed with and reviewed by FINRA and FINRA has provided an opinion that it has no objections to the proposed underwriting and other terms and arrangements.
11.4 Confirmation. The Dealer Manager hereby acknowledges that it has assumed the duty to confirm on behalf of the Selling Group Members all orders for purchases of Shares accepted by the Company. Such confirmations will comply with the rules of the SEC and FINRA and will comply with the applicable laws of such other jurisdictions to the extent that the Dealer Manager is advised of such laws in writing by the Selling Group Member.
12. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, subject to and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Utah without regard to conflict of law provisions.
A-9
13. Dispute Resolution. Any controversy arising out of or related to this Agreement or the breach thereof shall be settled by arbitration in Salt Lake County, Utah, in accordance with the rules of The American Arbitration Association, and judgment entered upon the award rendered may be enforced by appropriate judicial action. The arbitration panel shall consist of one member, which shall be a person agreed to by each party to the dispute within 30 days following notice by one party that he desires that a matter be arbitrated. If the parties are unable within such 30 day period to agree upon an arbitrator, then the panel shall be one arbitrator selected by the Salt Lake County office of The American Arbitration Association, which arbitrator shall be experienced in the area of real estate and limited liability companies and who shall be knowledgeable with respect to the subject matter area of the dispute. The losing party shall bear any fees and expenses of the arbitrator, other tribunal fees and expenses, reasonable attorneys fees of both parties, any costs of producing witnesses and any other reasonable costs or expenses incurred by him or the prevailing party or such costs shall be allocated by the arbitrator. The arbitration panel shall render a decision within 30 days following the close of presentation by the parties of their cases and any rebuttal. The parties shall agree within 30 days following selection of the arbitrator to any prehearing procedures or further procedures necessary for the arbitration to proceed, including interrogatories or other discovery; provided, in any event each party shall be entitled to discovery. Any action not resolved pursuant to the foregoing shall be brought only in a court of competent jurisdiction located in Salt Lake County, Utah.
14. Severability. If any portion of this Agreement shall be held invalid or inoperative, then so far as is reasonable and possible (i) the remainder of this Agreement shall be considered valid and operative and (ii) effect shall be given to the intent manifested by the portion held invalid or inoperative.
15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in 2 or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and together which shall constitute one and the same instrument.
16. Modification or Amendment. This Agreement may not be modified or amended except by written agreement executed by the parties hereto.
17. Notices. All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and, (i) if sent to the Dealer Manager, shall be mailed or delivered to Orchard Securities, LLC, 401 South 850 East, Suite C1, Lehi, Utah 84043, (ii) if sent to the Company, shall be mailed or delivered to Cottonwood Communities, Inc., 6340 South 3000 East, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84121, or (iii) if sent to you, shall be mailed or delivered to you at your address set forth below. The notice shall be deemed to be received on the date of its actual receipt by the party entitled thereto.
18. Parties. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of the parties hereto, the persons referred to in Sections 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the Dealer Manager Agreement and in Section 5 of the side letter attached as Schedule 2 to this Agreement, their respective successors, legal representatives, heirs and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under, in respect of, or by virtue of, this Agreement or any provision herein contained.
19. Delay. Neither the failure nor any delay on the part of any party to this Agreement to exercise any right, remedy, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall a waiver of any right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any subsequent occurrence.
20. Recovery of Costs. If any legal action or other proceeding is brought for the enforcement of this Agreement, or because of an alleged dispute, breach, default or misrepresentation in connection with any of the provisions of this Agreement, the successful or prevailing party shall be entitled to recover
A-10
reasonable attorneys fees and other costs incurred in that action or proceeding (and any additional proceeding for the enforcement of a judgment) in addition to any other relief to which it or they may be entitled.
21. Entire Agreement. This Agreement, along with the Schedules attached hereto and the applicable provisions of the Dealer Manager Agreement, constitute the entire understanding between the parties hereto and supersede any prior understandings or written or oral agreements between them respecting the subject matter hereof.
22. Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Programs. Each Selling Group Members acceptance of this Agreement constitutes a representation to the Dealer Manager that the Selling Group Member has established and implemented an anti-money laundering (AML) compliance program (AML Program), in accordance with FINRA Rule 3310 and Section 352 of the Money Laundering Abatement Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, and Section 326 of the Patriot Act of 2001, which are reasonably expected to detect and cause reporting of suspicious transactions in connection with the sale of Shares. In addition, the Selling Group Member represents that it has established and implemented a program (OFAC Program) for compliance with OFAC and will continue to maintain its OFAC Program during the term of this Agreement. Upon request by the Dealer Manager at any time, the Selling Group Member hereby agrees to (i) furnish a copy of its AML Program and OFAC Program to the Dealer Manager for review and (ii) furnish a copy of the findings and any remedial actions taken in connection with the Selling Group Members most recent independent testing of its AML Program and/or its OFAC Program.
The parties acknowledge that for the purposes of the FINRA rules the Investors who purchase Shares through the Selling Group Member are Customers of the Selling Group Member and not the Dealer Manager. Nonetheless, to the extent that the Dealer Manager deems it prudent, the Selling Group Member shall cooperate with the Dealer Managers auditing and monitoring of the Selling Group Members AML Program and its OFAC Program by providing, upon request, information, records, data and exception reports, related to the Companys investors introduced to, and serviced by, the Selling Group Member (the Customers). Such documentation could include, among other things: (i) copies of Selling Group Members AML Program and its OFAC Program; (ii) documents maintained pursuant to the Selling Group Members AML Program and its OFAC Program related to the Customers; (iii) any suspicious activity reports filed related to the Customers; (iv) audits and any exception reports related to the Selling Group Members AML activities; and (v) any other files maintained related to the Customers. In the event that such documents reflect, in the opinion of the Dealer Manager, a potential violation of the Dealer Managers obligations in respect of its AML or OFAC requirements, the Selling Group Member will permit the Dealer Manager to further inspect relevant books and records related to the Customers (with respect to the Offering) and/or the Selling Group Members compliance with AML or OFAC requirements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Selling Group Member shall not be required to provide to the Dealer Manager any documentation that, in the Selling Group Members reasonable judgment, would cause the Selling Group Member to lose the benefit of attorney-client privilege or other privilege which it may be entitled to assert relating to the discoverability of documents in any civil or criminal proceedings. The Selling Group Member hereby represents that it is currently in compliance with all AML rules and all OFAC requirements, specifically including, but not limited to, the Customer Identification Program requirements under Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act. The Selling Group Member hereby agrees, upon request by the Dealer Manager to (i) provide an annual certification to the Dealer Manager that, as of the date of such certification (A) its AML Program and its OFAC Program are consistent with the AML Rules and OFAC requirements, (B) it has continued to implement its AML Program and its OFAC Program and (C) it is currently in compliance with all AML Rules and OFAC requirements, specifically including, but not limited to, the Customer Identification Program requirements under Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act and (ii) perform and carry out, on behalf of both the Dealer
A-11
Manager and the Company, the Customer Identification Program requirements in accordance with Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act and applicable SEC and Treasury Department Rules thereunder.
23. Due Diligence. Pursuant to the Dealer Manager Agreement, the Company will authorize a collection of information regarding the Offering (the Due Diligence Information), which collection the Company may amend and supplement from time to time, to be delivered by the Dealer Manager to the Selling Group Member (or their agents performing due diligence) in connection with its due diligence review of the Offering. In the event the Selling Group Member (or its agent performing due diligence) requests access to additional information or otherwise wishes to conduct additional due diligence regarding the Offering, the Company, the Companys sponsor or the sponsors affiliates and the Dealer Manager will reasonably cooperate with the Selling Group Member to accommodate such request. All Due Diligence Information received by the Selling Group Member in connection with its due diligence review of the Offering is confidential and shall be maintained as confidential and not disclosed by the Selling Group Member, except to the extent such information is disclosed in the Registration Statement.
24. Electronic Delivery of Information; Electronic Processing of Subscriptions. Pursuant to the Dealer Manager Agreement, the Company has agreed to confirm all orders for the purchase of Shares accepted by the Company. In addition, the Company, the Dealer Manager and/or third parties engaged by the Company or the Dealer Manager may, from time to time, provide to the Selling Group Member copies of investor letters, annual reports and other communications provided to the Company investors. The Selling Group Member agrees that, to the extent practicable and permitted by law, all confirmations, statements, communications and other information provided to or from the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Selling Group Member and/or their agents or customers may be provided electronically, as a preference but not as a requirement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Selling Group Member is only authorized to electronically deliver the Prospectus and Authorized Sales Materials if the Selling Group Member has executed and delivered to the Company the side letter attached as Schedule 2 hereto and abides by the terms thereof.
With respect to Shares held through custodial accounts, the Selling Group Member agrees and acknowledges that to the extent practicable and permitted by law, all confirmations, statements, communications and other information provided from the Company, the Dealer Manager and/or their agents to Company investors may be provided solely to the custodian that is the registered owner of the Shares, rather than to the beneficial owners of the Shares. In such case it shall be the responsibility of the custodian to distribute the information to the beneficial owners of Shares.
The Selling Group Member agrees and acknowledges that the Dealer Manager may, as a preference but not as a requirement, use an electronic platform to process subscriptions, including but not limited to the Depository Trust Company (DTC) model. If an electronic platform is used, the Selling Group Member agrees to cooperate with the processing of subscriptions through such an electronic platform if reasonably practical; provided, that the Selling Group Member is only authorized to utilize electronic signatures of subscription agreements if the Selling Group Member has executed and delivered to the Company the side letter attached as Schedule 2 hereto and abides by the terms thereof.
25. Third Party Beneficiaries. The Company and its affiliates, successors and assigns shall be express third party beneficiaries of Section 1 of this Agreement.
26. Successors and Assigns. No party shall assign this Agreement or any right, interest or benefit under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Dealer Manager and Selling Group Member and their respective successors and permitted assigns.
A-12
Please confirm this Agreement to solicit persons to acquire the Shares on the foregoing terms and conditions by signing and returning the form enclosed herewith.
Very truly yours, | ||
ORCHARD SECURITIES, LLC, a | ||
Utah limited liability company | ||
By: | ||
Its: |
A-13
Orchard Securities, LLC
401 South 850 East, Suite C1
Lehi, Utah 84043
Re: | Offering of Shares in Cottonwood Communities, Inc. |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned confirms its agreement to act as a Selling Group Member as referred to in the foregoing Soliciting Dealer Agreement, subject to the terms and conditions of such Agreement. The undersigned confirms that it is a member in good standing of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., and is qualified under federal law and the laws of the states in which sales are to be made by the undersigned to act as a Selling Group Member.
Dated: , 20 |
| |||
(Print Name of Firm) | ||||
By: |
| |||
(Authorized Representative) | ||||
Address: | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
Taxpayer Identification Number: | ||||
Registered as broker-dealer in the following states: |
☐ All States
☐ AL ☐ AK ☐ AZ ☐ AR ☐ CA ☐ CO ☐ CT ☐ DE ☐ DC ☐ FL ☐ GA ☐ HI ☐ ID
☐ IL ☐ IN ☐ IA ☐ KS ☐ KY ☐ LA ☐ ME ☐ MD ☐ MA ☐ MI ☐ MN ☐ MS ☐ MO
☐ MT ☐ NE ☐ NV ☐ NH ☐ NJ ☐ NM ☐ NY ☐ NC ☐ ND ☐ OH ☐ OK ☐ OR ☐ PA
☐ RI ☐ SC ☐ SD ☐ TN ☐ TX ☐ UT ☐ VT ☐ VA ☐ WA ☐ WV ☐ WI ☐ WY ☐ PR
A-14
Schedule 1
To Soliciting Dealer Agreement
Share Class Election
CHECK EACH APPLICABLE BOX BELOW IF THE SELLING GROUP MEMBER ELECTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LISTED SHARE CLASS
☐ Class A Shares ☐ Class T Shares
Terms and Conditions of the Deferred Selling Commissions (Class T shares only).
The payment of the Deferred Selling Commission to Selling Group Member is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Soliciting Dealer Agreement between Dealer Manager and Selling Group Member, this Schedule 1 and the Prospectus as may be amended or supplemented from time to time. If Selling Group Member elects to sell Class T shares, eligibility to receive the Deferred Selling Commission with respect to the Class T shares sold by the Selling Group Member is conditioned upon the Selling Group Member acting as broker-dealer of record with respect to such Shares.
The Selling Group Member hereby represents by its acceptance of each payment of the Deferred Selling Commission that it complies with the above requirement. The Selling Group Member agrees to promptly notify the Dealer Manager if it is no longer the broker-dealer of record with respect to some or all of the Class T shares giving rise to such Deferred Selling Commissions.
Subject to the conditions described herein, the Dealer Manager will reallow to Selling Group Member the Deferred Selling Commission in an amount equal to 1.0% per annum of the purchase price of the Class T Primary Sales sold by Selling Group Member, for three years from the date on which such Class T share is issued. To the extent payable, the Deferred Selling Commission will be payable monthly in arrears as provided in the Prospectus. All determinations regarding the total amount and rate of reallowance of the Deferred Selling Commission, the Selling Group Members compliance with the listed conditions, and/or the portion retained by the Dealer Manager will be made by the Dealer Manager in its sole discretion.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to the terms of the Prospectus, upon the date when the Dealer Manager is notified that the Selling Group Member is no longer the broker-dealer of record with respect to such Class T shares, then Selling Group Members entitlement to the Deferred Selling Commissions related to such Class T shares shall cease, and Selling Group Member shall not receive the Deferred Selling Commission for any portion of the month in which Selling Group Member is not the broker dealer of record on the last day of the month; provided, however, if the change in the broker dealer of record with respect to such Class T shares is made in connection with a change in the registration of record for such Class T shares on the Companys books and records (including, but not limited to, a re-registration due to a sale or a transfer or a change in the form of ownership of the account), then Selling Group Member shall be entitled to a pro rata
A-15
portion of the Deferred Selling Commissions related to such Class T shares for the portion of the month for which Selling Group Member was the broker dealer of record.
Thereafter, such Deferred Selling Commissions may be reallowed to the then-current broker-dealer of record of the Class T shares if any such broker-dealer of record has been designated (the Servicing Dealer), to the extent such Servicing Dealer has entered into a Soliciting Dealer Agreement or similar agreement with the Dealer Manager (Servicing Agreement) and such Soliciting Dealer Agreement or Servicing Agreement with the Servicing Dealer provides for such reallowance. In this regard, all determinations will be made by the Dealer Manager in good faith in its sole discretion. The Selling Group Member is not entitled to any Deferred Selling Commission with respect to Class A shares or any DRP shares. The Dealer Manager may also reallow some or all of the Deferred Selling Commission to other broker-dealers who provide services with respect to the Shares (who shall be considered additional Servicing Dealers) pursuant to a Servicing Agreement with the Dealer Manager to the extent such Servicing Agreement provides for such reallowance and such additional Servicing Dealer is in compliance with the terms of such agreement related to such reallowance, in accordance with the terms of such Servicing Agreement.
The Advisor and the Dealer Manager will cease paying the Deferred Selling Commission with respect to individual Class T shares when they are no longer outstanding, including as a result of conversion to Class A shares and redemption and repurchase. Each Class T share held within a stockholders account shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a number of Class A shares at the conversion rate set forth in the Prospectus on the earliest of (a) a listing of any Class A shares on a national securities exchange, (b) the merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Companys assets and (c) the last calendar day of the month in which the Company and the Dealer Manager, in conjunction with the Companys transfer agent, determines that the total Deferred Selling Commissions paid with respect to the Class T shares held by such stockholder within such account equals or exceeds three percent of the aggregate purchase price of Class T shares held by such stockholder within such account and purchased in the primary offering (i.e., excluding Class T shares purchased through the distribution reinvestment plan). In addition, after termination of the primary portion of an Offering, the Advisor and the Dealer Manager will cease paying the Deferred Selling Commissions with respect to each Class T share sold in the primary portion of that Offering, on the date when, the Company, with the assistance of the Dealer Manager, determine that all underwriting compensation paid or incurred in connection with such Offering from all sources, determined pursuant to the rules and guidance of FINRA, would be in excess of 10% of the aggregate purchase price of all sales of Primary Shares sold for the Companys account in such Offering. Further, each such Class T share will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a Class A share at the last calendar day of the month in which such determination is made.
A-16
Schedule 2
To Soliciting Dealer Agreement
, 2019
[name of soliciting dealer]
[address]
[address]
Re: | Cottonwood Communities, Inc. |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Soliciting Dealer Agreement (the Soliciting Dealer Agreement) as of [insert date] among [name of soliciting dealer] (you) and Orchard Securities, LLC (the Dealer Manager), relating to your participation in the distribution of shares of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. (the Company). All capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings given them in the Soliciting Dealer Agreement.
You have indicated that you may wish to utilize electronic delivery with respect to the delivering of the Prospectus and Authorized Sales Materials and electronic signature with respect to a subscribers execution of a Subscription Agreement. In consideration of the mutual covenants hereinafter contained, the parties agree as follows:
1. You will maintain written policies and procedures covering the delivery of electronic offering documents and the use of electronic signatures.
2. You will comply with all applicable SEC rules and guidelines pertaining to electronic delivery of the Prospectus and Authorized Sales Materials and electronic signature of the Subscription Agreement.
3. You will comply with all of the applicable requirements set forth in the NASAA Statement of Policy Regarding Use of Electronic Offering Documents and Electronic Signatures (the Statement of Policy). You will comply with such requirements in every U.S. jurisdiction irrespective of whether the jurisdiction has adopted the Statement of Policy. You acknowledge that you are acting as an agent of the Company only with respect to the delivery of the Prospectus and Authorized Sales Materials electronically, the administration of the subscription process and the obtainment of electronic signatures and only to the extent your actions are in compliance with the Statement of Policy and the Soliciting Dealer Agreement.
4. You will also comply, as applicable, with the Electronic Signatures in the Global and National Commerce Act and the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act, to the extent applicable, as adopted in each applicable jurisdiction and any other applicable laws.
5. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Advisor and each person who controls any of them within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act (collectively, the Indemnitees), from and against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with
A-17
defending, investigating or settling any such action or claim), as incurred, arising out of any breach of this agreement.
6. This agreement is for the benefit of each of the Indemnitees.
7. In consideration of the foregoing, the Company hereby agrees that it will not reject a subscription on account of an electronic signature if such signature was obtained in the manner set forth herein.
8. This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Utah, without reference to the choice-of-law principles thereof.
9. Whenever possible, each provision of this agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law. If, however, any provision of this agreement is held, under applicable law, to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any respect, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such invalidity, and the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this agreement shall not be affected or impaired in any way.
10. This agreement contains the entire understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter contained herein and supersedes all previous agreements and/or understandings of the parties.
11. Sections 5, 6 and 8 through 11 shall survive termination of this agreement.
12. This agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts and, when a counterpart has been executed by each party, all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
Very truly yours, | ||
[NAME OF SOLICITING DEALER] | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
Accepted as of the date hereof:
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
A-18
EXHIBIT A
DEALER MANAGER AGREEMENT
A-19
Exhibit 3.3
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC.
FORM OF ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT
Cottonwood Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation, having its principal office in Baltimore, Maryland (which is hereinafter called the Company), hereby certifies to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland that:
FIRST: The Articles of Amendment and Restatement of the Company (the Charter) are hereby amended to provide that the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company are renamed as Class A Common Stock.
SECOND: The foregoing amendment only changes the name of the outstanding unclassified Common Stock to the recently designated Class A Common Stock and does not change the rights or preferences of the shares of outstanding Common Stock of the Company.
THIRD: The foregoing amendment to the Charter has been approved by a majority of the entire board of directors and the amendment is limited to a change expressly authorized by Section 2-605 of the Maryland General Corporation Law to be made without action by the stockholders.
FOURTH: The foregoing amendment to the Charter shall become effective upon acceptance for record by the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation.
FIFTH: The undersigned Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company acknowledges these Articles of Amendment to be the corporate act of the Company and, as to all matters or facts required to be verified under oath, the undersigned Chief Executive Officer and President acknowledges that to the best of his knowledge, information and belief, these matters and facts are true in all material respects and that this statement is made under the penalties for perjury.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Cottonwood Communities, Inc. has caused these Articles to be signed in its name and on its behalf by its Chief Executive Officer and President and attested to by its Secretary on this 6th day of August, 2019.
WITNESS: | COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC. | |||||
By: | ||||||
Gregg Christensen, Secretary |
Enzio A. Cassinis, Chief Executive Officer and President | |||||
- 1 -
Exhibit 3.4
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC.
FORM OF ARTICLES SUPPLEMENTARY
Class A Common Stock
Cottonwood Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the Corporation), hereby certifies to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland that:
FIRST: Under a power contained in Section 7.2 of the Articles of Amendment and Restatement of the Corporation (the Charter), the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the Board of Directors), by resolution duly adopted at a meeting duly called and held on August 6, 2019, classified and designated 500,000,000 shares of Common Stock as Class A Common Stock, with the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption as follows, which upon any restatement of the Charter shall be made part of Article VII, with any necessary or appropriate changes to the enumeration of lettering of sections or subsections hereof:
Class A Common Stock
1. Designation and Number. A class of Common Stock, designated Class A Common Stock, is hereby established. The number of authorized shares of Class A Common Stock shall be 500,000,000.
2. Relative Seniority. In respect of rights to receive distributions and to participate in distributions of payments in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, the shares of Class A Common Stock shall rank: (a) on parity with any unclassified shares of Common Stock, the shares of Class T Common Stock (as defined in the Articles Supplementary creating such class of Common Stock), and all other equity securities issued by the Corporation other than those referred to in clause (b); and (b) junior to all equity securities issued by the Corporation which rank senior to the shares of Class A Common Stock.
3. Liquidation Rights.
(a) In this section, the following words have the meanings indicated:
(b) Net Asset Value Per Share of Class A Common Stock means the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Class A Common Stock, as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors, divided by the number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock.
(c) Net Asset Value Per Share of Parity Stock means the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Parity Stock, as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors, divided by the number of outstanding shares of Parity Stock.
(d) Parity Stock means unclassified shares of Common Stock, the shares of Class T Common Stock, and all other equity securities issued by the Corporation other than those ranking senior to the shares of Class A Common Stock.
(e) In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, or any distribution of the assets of the Corporation, the aggregate assets available for distribution to the Common Stockholders shall be determined in accordance with applicable law. The holder of each share of Class A Common Stock shall be entitled to be paid, out of the assets of the Corporation that are legally available for distribution to the Common Stockholders, a liquidation payment equal to the Net Asset Value Per Share of Class A Common Stock; provided, however, that if the available assets of the Corporation are insufficient to pay in full to the holder of each share of Class A Common Stock the Net Asset Value Per Share of Class A Common Stock as well as to pay in full to the holder of each share of Parity Stock the Net Asset Value Per Share of Parity Stock, then the holders of the shares of Class A Common Stock shall be paid a liquidation payment equal to the product of (i) the value of the assets of the Corporation that are legally available for distribution to the holders of shares of Class A Common Stock and Parity Stock and (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Class A Common Stock by the sum of the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to shares of Class A Common Stock and the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Parity Stock, all as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors; and provided further, that if after paying the Net Asset Value Per Share of Class A Common Stock and the Net Asset Value Per Share of Parity Stock, there remain assets available for distribution to such shares, then the holders of such shares shall share such available assets equally on a per share basis.
5. Conversion. The shares of Class A Common Stock are not convertible into or exchangeable for any other property or securities of the Corporation.
6. Suitability. Until the shares of Class A Common Stock are Listed, in order to purchase shares of Class A Common Stock in a Public Offering, the purchaser must represent to the Corporation that the applicable suitability standards set forth in Section 7.9 of the Charter have been satisfied.
SECOND: The shares of Class A Common Stock have been classified and designated by the Board of Directors under the authority contained in the Charter.
THIRD: These Articles Supplementary have been approved by the Board of Directors in the manner and by the vote required by law.
FOURTH: The undersigned Chief Executive Officer and President of the Corporation acknowledges these Articles Supplementary to be the corporate act of the Corporation and, as to all matters or facts required to be verified under oath, the undersigned Chief Executive Officer and President acknowledges that to the best of his knowledge, information and belief, these matters and facts are true in all material respects and that this statement is made under the penalties for perjury.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused these Articles Supplementary to be executed under seal in its name and on its
behalf by its Chief Executive Officer and President and attested to by its Secretary on this 6th day of August, 2019.
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC.
| ||
By: |
Enzio A. Cassinis Chief Executive Officer and President |
[CORPORATE SEAL] |
Attest: |
Gregg Christensen Secretary |
Exhibit 3.5
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC.
FORM OF ARTICLES SUPPLEMENTARY
Class T Common Stock
Cottonwood Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the Corporation), hereby certifies to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland that:
FIRST: Under a power contained in Section 7.2 of the Articles of Amendment and Restatement of the Corporation (the Charter), the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the Board of Directors), by resolution duly adopted at a meeting duly called and held on August 6, 2019, classified and designated 500,000,000 shares of Common Stock as Class T Common Stock, with the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption as follows, which upon any restatement of the Charter shall be made part of Article VII, with any necessary or appropriate changes to the enumeration of lettering of sections or subsections hereof:
Class T Common Stock
1. Designation and Number. A class of Common Stock, designated Class T Common Stock, is hereby established. The number of authorized shares of Class T Common Stock shall be 500,000,000.
2. Relative Seniority. In respect of rights to receive distributions and to participate in distributions of payments in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, the shares of Class T Common Stock shall rank: (a) on parity with any unclassified shares of Common Stock, the shares of Class A Common Stock (as defined in the Articles Supplementary creating such class of Common Stock), and all other equity securities issued by the Corporation other than those referred to in clause (b); and (b) junior to all equity securities issued by the Corporation which rank senior to the shares of Class T Common Stock.
3. Liquidation Rights.
(a) In this section, the following words have the meanings indicated:
(b) Net Asset Value Per Share of Class T Common Stock means the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Class T Common Stock, as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors, divided by the number of outstanding shares of Class T Common Stock.
(c) Net Asset Value Per Share of Parity Stock means the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Parity Stock, as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors, divided by the number of outstanding shares of Parity Stock.
(d) Parity Stock means unclassified shares of Common Stock, the shares of Class A Common Stock, and all other equity securities issued by the Corporation other than those ranking senior to the shares of Class T Common Stock.
(e) In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, or any distribution of the assets of the Corporation, the aggregate assets available for distribution to the Common Stockholders shall be determined in accordance with applicable law. The holder of each share of Class T Common Stock shall be entitled to be paid, out of the assets of the Corporation that are legally available for distribution to the Common Stockholders, a liquidation payment equal to the Net Asset Value Per Share of Class T Common Stock; provided, however, that if the available assets of the Corporation are insufficient to pay in full to the holder of each share of Class T Common Stock the Net Asset Value Per Share of Class T Common Stock as well as to pay in full to the holder of each share of Parity Stock the Net Asset Value Per Share of Parity Stock, then the holders of the shares of Class T Common Stock shall be paid a liquidation payment equal to the product of (i) the value of the assets of the Corporation that are legally available for distribution to the holders of shares of Class T Common Stock and Parity Stock and (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Class T Common Stock by the sum of the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to shares of Class T Common Stock and the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Parity Stock, all as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors; and provided further, that if after paying the Net Asset Value Per Share of Class T Common Stock and the Net Asset Value Per Share of Parity Stock, there remain assets available for distribution to such shares, then the holders of such shares shall share such available assets equally on a per share basis.
5. Conversion of Class T Common Shares.
(a) In this section, the following words have the meanings indicated:
(b) Net Asset Value Per Share of Class A Common Stock means the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Class A Common Stock, as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors, divided by the number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock.
(c) Class T Conversion Rate means the number of Class A Common Shares equal to the product of each Class T Common Share to be converted and a fraction, the numerator of which is the Net Asset Value Per Share of Class T Common Stock and the denominator of which is the Net Asset Value Per Share of Class A Common Stock.
(d) Net Asset Value Per Share of Class T Common Stock means the net asset value of the Corporation allocable to the shares of Class T Common Stock, as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors, divided by the number of outstanding shares of Class T Common Stock.
(e) Dealer Manager means Orchard Securities, LLC, or such other Person selected by the Board to act as the dealer manager for an Offering.
(f) Deferred Selling Commission mean the deferred selling commission on the Class T Common Stock payable to the Dealer Manager as described in the Corporations then most recent Prospectus.
(g) Distribution Reinvestment Plan shall have the meaning as provided in Section 7.10 of the Charter.
(h) Primary Offering means, with respect to an Offering, the primary portion of such Offering, excluding any Distribution Reinvestment Plan portion of such Offering.
(i) Selling Commissions mean any and all up-front fees and commissions payable to underwriters, dealer managers or other broker-dealers in connection with the sale of Shares, including, without limitation, up-front fees or commissions payable to the Dealer Manager. For purposes herein it does not include the Deferred Selling Commission.
(j) Total Corporation-Level Underwriting Compensation means all underwriting compensation paid or incurred with respect to an Offering from all sources, determined pursuant to the rules and guidance of FINRA, including Selling Commissions and the Deferred Selling Commission.
(k) Each Class T Common Share held within a Common Stockholders account shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into Class A Common Shares at the Class T Conversion Rate on the earliest of (i) a Listing of the Class A Common Shares, (ii) a merger or consolidation of the Corporation with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Corporations assets and (iii) the last calendar day of the month in which the Corporation and the Dealer Manager, in conjunction with the Corporations transfer agent, determine that the total Deferred Selling Commissions paid with respect to Class T Common Shares held by such Stockholder within such account equals or exceeds three percent of the aggregate gross purchase price of all Class T Common Shares held by such stockholder within such account and purchased in a Primary Offering. In addition, after termination of a Primary Offering registered under the Securities Act, each Class T Common Share sold in that Primary Offering, each Class T Common Share sold under a Distribution Reinvestment Plan pursuant to the same registration statement that was used for that Primary Offering, and each Class T Common Share received as a stock dividend with respect to such Shares sold in such Primary Offering or Distribution Reinvestment Plan, shall automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into a number of Class A Common Shares at the Class T Conversion Rate, at the last calendar day of the month in which the Corporation, with the assistance of the Dealer Manager, determines that Total Corporation-Level Underwriting Compensation paid with respect to that Offering would be in excess of 10% of the aggregate purchase price of all Shares sold for the account of the Corporation through that Primary Offering.
6. Suitability. Until the shares of Class T Common Stock are Listed, in order to purchase shares of Class T Common Stock in a Public Offering, the purchaser must represent to
the Corporation that the applicable suitability standards set forth in Section 7.9 of the Charter have been satisfied.
SECOND: The shares of Class T Common Stock have been classified and designated by the Board of Directors under the authority contained in the Charter.
THIRD: These Articles Supplementary have been approved by the Board of Directors in the manner and by the vote required by law.
FOURTH: The undersigned Chief Executive Officer and President of the Corporation acknowledges these Articles Supplementary to be the corporate act of the Corporation and, as to all matters or facts required to be verified under oath, the undersigned Chief Executive Officer and President acknowledges that to the best of his knowledge, information and belief, these matters and facts are true in all material respects and that this statement is made under the penalties for perjury.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused these Articles Supplementary to be executed under seal in its name and on its behalf by its Chief Executive Officer and President and attested to by its Secretary on this 6th day of August, 2019.
COTTONWOOD COMMUNITIES, INC. | ||
| ||
By: | Enzio A. Cassinis | |
Chief Executive Officer and President |
[CORPORATE SEAL] | ||
Attest: | ||
| ||
Gregg Christensen | ||
Secretary |
Exhibit 5.1
DLA Piper LLP (US) | ||||
4141 Parklake Avenue, Suite 300 | ||||
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612-2350 | ||||
www.dlapiper.com | ||||
T 919.786.2000 | ||||
F 919.786.2200 |
August 6, 2019
Board of Directors
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
6340 South 3000 East
Suite 500
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
Re: Registration Statement on Form S-11
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We serve as counsel to Cottonwood Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the Company), in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), of the sale and issuance by the Company of up to $750 million of shares (the Shares) of Class A and Class T common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the Company, pursuant to the Registration Statement on Form S-11 (No. 333-215272) (the Registration Statement) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission). This opinion letter is being provided at your request in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement.
In connection with our representation of the Company, and as a basis for the opinions hereinafter set forth, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following documents (collectively, the Documents):
1. The Registration Statement and the related form of prospectus included therein in the form in which it was transmitted to the Commission under the Act;
2. The Companys Articles of Amendment and Restatement, Articles of Amendment and Articles Supplementary (collectively, the Charter), each as filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and as filed or as will be filed by the Company with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the SDAT);
3. The Bylaws of the Company, certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;
4. Resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company relating to the registration, sale and issuance of the Shares (the Resolutions), certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;
5. A certificate of the SDAT as to the good standing of the Company, dated as of a recent date;
August 6, 2019
Board of Directors
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
Page Two
6. A certificate executed by Enzio Cassinis, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company, dated as of the date hereof; and
7. Such other documents and matters as we have deemed necessary or appropriate to express the opinion set forth below, subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein.
In expressing the opinions set forth below, we have assumed the following:
1. Each individual executing any of the Documents, whether on behalf of such individual or another person, is legally competent to do so.
2. Each individual executing any of the Documents on behalf of a party (other than the Company) is duly authorized to do so.
3. Each of the parties (other than the Company) executing any of the Documents has duly and validly executed and delivered each of the Documents to which such party is a signatory, and such partys obligations set forth therein are legal, valid and binding.
4. All Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic. All Documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the original documents. All signatures on all such Documents are genuine. All public records reviewed or relied upon by us or on our behalf are true and complete. All statements and information contained in the Documents are true and complete. There has been no oral or written modification or amendment to the Documents, or waiver of any provision of the Documents, by action or omission of the parties or otherwise.
5. The final versions of all Documents reviewed by us in draft form will conform to such drafts in all respects material to the opinions expressed herein.
6. None of the Shares will be issued or transferred in violation of Section 7.9 or Article VIII of the Charter or any other restriction or limitation on transfer and ownership of shares of stock of the Company contained in the Charter.
7. Upon the issuance of any Shares, the total number of Shares issued and outstanding will not exceed the total number of Shares that the Company is then authorized to issue under the Charter.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein, it is our opinion that:
1. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Maryland and is in good standing with the SDAT.
2. The Shares have been duly authorized and, upon issuance and delivery of the Shares in the manner contemplated by the Resolutions, the Charter and the Registration
August 6, 2019
Board of Directors
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
Page Three
Statement against payment of the consideration set forth therein, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
The foregoing opinions are limited to the substantive laws of the State of Maryland and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any other law. We express no opinion as to compliance with the securities (or blue sky) laws of the State of Maryland. The opinions expressed herein are subject to the effect of judicial decisions that may permit the introduction of parol evidence to modify the terms or the interpretation of agreements.
We assume no obligation to supplement this opinion letter if any applicable law changes after the date hereof or if we become aware of any fact that might change the opinions expressed herein after the date hereof.
This opinion letter is being furnished to you for submission to the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of the name of our firm therein under the heading Legal Matters. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Act.
Very truly yours, |
/s/ DLA PIPER LLP (US) |
Exhibit 8.1
|
DLA Piper LLP (US) 444 West Lake Street, Suite 900 Chicago, Illinois 60606-0089 T 312.368.4000 F 312.236.7516 W www.dlapiper.com |
August 6, 2019
Board of Directors
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
6340 South 3000 East
Suite 500
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
Re: | Tax Opinion for Real Estate Investment Trust Status and Registration Statement on Form S-11 (SEC File No. 333-215272) |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Cottonwood Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the Company), in connection with the filing of the above-referenced Registration Statement (the Registration Statement) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to the proposed offering of up to $750 million of shares of Class A and Class T common stock, $0.01 par value per share. This opinion letter is furnished at the request of the Company so that the Registration Statement may fulfill the requirements of Item 601(b)(8) of Regulation S-K, 17 C.F.R. ss. 229.601(b)(8).
In connection with rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined originals (or copies identified to our satisfaction as true copies of the originals) of the following documents (collectively, the Reviewed Documents):
(1) | the Registration Statement; |
(2) | the Companys Articles of Amendment and Restatement, Articles of Amendment, and Articles Supplementary (collectively, the Charter) each as filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and as filed or as will be filed by the Company with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement; |
(3) | the Companys Bylaws, as filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the Bylaws); |
(4) | the Agreement of Limited Partnership of Cottonwood Communities O.P., L.P. (the Operating Partnership), as amended by the First Amendment to the Limited Partnership Agreement; and |
(5) | such other documents as may have been presented to us by the Company from time to time. |
In addition, we have relied upon the factual representations contained in the Companys certificate, dated as of the date hereof, executed by a duly appointed officer of the Company, setting forth certain representations relating to the organization and present and proposed operation of the Company, the Operating Partnership, and their respective subsidiaries.
For purposes of our opinions, we have not made an independent investigation of the facts set forth in the Reviewed Documents. We consequently have assumed that the information presented in such documents or otherwise furnished to us accurately and completely describes all material facts relevant to our opinions. In particular, we note that the Company may engage in transactions in connection with which we have not provided legal advice, and have not reviewed, and of which we may be unaware. No facts have come to our attention, however, that would cause us to question the accuracy and completeness of such facts or documents in a material way. Any representation or statement in any document upon which we rely that is made to the best of our knowledge or otherwise similarly qualified is assumed to be correct. Any alteration of such facts may adversely affect our opinions.
In our review, we have assumed, with your consent, that all of the representations and statements of a factual nature set forth in the Reviewed Documents are true and correct, and all of the obligations imposed by any such documents on the parties thereto have been and will be performed or satisfied in accordance with their terms. We have also, with respect to documents we did not prepare ourselves (or did not supervise the execution of), assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the proper execution of all documents, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to originals of documents submitted to us as copies, and the authenticity of the originals from which any copies were made.
The opinions set forth in this letter are based on relevant provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code),1 the regulations promulgated thereunder by the United States Department of the Treasury (Regulations) (including proposed and temporary Regulations), and interpretations of the foregoing as expressed in court decisions, the legislative history, and existing administrative rulings and practices of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (including its practices and policies in issuing private letter rulings, which are not binding on the IRS except with respect to a taxpayer that receives such a ruling), all as of the date hereof.
In rendering these opinions, we have assumed that the transactions contemplated by the Reviewed Documents will be consummated in accordance with the terms and provisions of such documents, and that such documents accurately reflect the material facts of such transactions. In addition, the opinions are based on the assumption that the Company, the Operating Partnership and their respective subsidiaries (if any) will each be operated in the manner described in the Charter, the Bylaws, the Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Operating Partnership, and the other organizational documents of each such entity and their subsidiaries, as the case may be, and all terms and provisions of such agreements and documents will be complied with by all parties thereto.
1 | Section references herein refer to sections of the Code unless otherwise noted. |
2
It should be noted that statutes, Regulations, judicial decisions, and administrative interpretations are subject to change at any time and, in some circumstances, with retroactive effect. A material change that is made after the date hereof in any of the foregoing bases for our opinions could affect our conclusions. Furthermore, if the facts vary from those relied upon (including any representations, warranties, covenants or assumptions upon which we have relied are inaccurate, incomplete, breached or ineffective), our opinions contained herein could be inapplicable.
The Companys qualification and taxation as a real estate investment trust under Sections 856 through 860 (a REIT) will depend upon the ability of the Company to meet on a prior and an ongoing basis (through actual quarterly and annual operating results, distribution levels, diversity of stock ownership and otherwise) the various qualification tests imposed under the Code, the results of which will not be reviewed by the undersigned, and upon the Company utilizing any and all appropriate savings provisions (including the provisions of Sections 856(c)(6), 856(c)(7), and 856(g) and the provision included in Section 856(c)(4) (flush language) allowing for the disposal of assets within 30 days after the close of a calendar quarter, and all available deficiency dividend procedures) available to the Company under the Code to correct violations of specified REIT qualification requirements of Sections 856 and 857. Our opinions set forth below do not foreclose the possibility that the Company may have to utilize one or more of these savings provisions, which could require the Company to pay an excise or penalty tax (which could be significant in amount) in order to maintain its REIT qualification for a taxable year. We have not undertaken to review the Companys compliance with these requirements on a continuing basis. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of the Companys operations, the sources of its income, the nature of its assets, the level of its distributions to stockholders and the diversity of its stock ownership for any given taxable year will satisfy the requirements under the Code for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
1. | the Companys organization and current and proposed method of operation will enable it to be taxed as a REIT pursuant to Sections 856 through 860, commencing with its taxable year ending December 31, 2019, and |
2. | the discussion in the Registration Statement, under the heading Federal Income Tax Considerations, to the extent that it constitutes matters of federal income tax law or legal conclusions relating thereto, is correct and complete in all material respects. |
The foregoing opinions are limited to the matters specifically discussed herein, which are the only matters to which you have requested our opinions. Other than as expressly stated above, we express no opinion on any issue relating to the Company or the Operating Partnership, or to any investment therein.
For a discussion relating the law to the facts and the legal analysis underlying the opinions set forth in this letter, we incorporate by reference the discussions of federal income tax issues, which we assisted in preparing, in the discussion in the Registration Statement under the heading Federal Income Tax Considerations. We assume no obligation to advise you of any changes in
3
the foregoing subsequent to the date of this opinion letter, and we are not undertaking to update the opinion letter from time to time. You should be aware that an opinion of counsel represents only counsels best legal judgment, and has no binding effect or official status of any kind, and that no assurance can be given that contrary positions may not be taken by the IRS or that a court considering the issues would not hold otherwise.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), pursuant to Item 601(b)(8) of Regulation S-K, 17 C.F.R ss. 229.601(b)(8), and to the references to DLA Piper LLP (US) contained in the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are included in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.
Very truly yours, |
/s/ DLA Piper LLP (US) |
4
Exhibit 21.1
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.
Subsidiaries
Cottonwood Communities O.P., LP
Cottonwood Communities TRS, LLC
CC Dolce Twin Creeks Lender, LLC
CC West Palm, LLC
CC West Palm Holding, LLC
Exhibit 23.3
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors
Cottonwood Communities, Inc.:
We consent to the incorporation by reference in supplement No. 1 dated August 6, 2019 to the prospectus dated August 6, 2019 related to registration statement (No. 333-215272) on Form S-11 of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. of our report dated March 29, 2019, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2018, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), incorporated by reference therein and to the reference to our firm under the heading Experts in the prospectus.
/s/ KPMG LLP |
Denver, Colorado |
August 6, 2019 |
Exhibit 23.4
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement of Cottonwood Communities, Inc. on Form S-11 (File No. 333-215272) of our report dated August 1, 2019, with respect to the historical summary of statements of revenues and certain expenses of Cottonwood West Palm for the year ended December 31, 2018 included in the Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on August 1, 2019, and to the reference to our firm under the heading Experts in the prospectus.
/s/ WSRP, LLC
Salt Lake City, Utah
August 6, 2019
0@> I>
MW_U0^S]C[.@^@ !QX #P#AQ_5T&)\O8(PKGZLN:;G#$6,LP51X@NW 3VG[KH] EFO'8<0#CP >%D#B <=!9=]S-L>RE7PJF0<\[=
MK97?7B GPB)/-=#%J$W59ME9*W)E!M:FZI7D+/QK=VW,!N*;A AP[2%X!?"6
MZW:H@4"EW,8 X'$QP$^9\=&,H/'U9N8;)Q./'PCH.SYV>U;^ @(" AX=!]33*D
M0J9>PI0X!V '^X'9H.1B@XOI]L(F-F'
M>WJ$*UE8MJNU!GM^HTP8;*_B L\;CPRT(C),C7J2I?\ UV@V(L=L>- 3>, L
M HZ#>&'P+M[F(J.E/F]8JC!D&+5X:-EL449I*QQW*":YF$DU)$+D;OV9C]VL
M0ISE*H40 P@'$0J7S<]O?X",-?%A2/8/0:1[^\0[
U;^
2/Z6_F\-F/T<,4>]?0/)']+?S>
M&S'Z.&*/>OH'DC^EOYO#9C]'#%'O7T#R1_2W\WALQ^CABCWKZ!Y(_I;^;PV8
M_1PQ1[U] \D?TM_-X;,?HX8H]Z^@>2/Z6_F\-F/T<,4>]?06=D3I-=,!AC^]
M/F?3WV;-G;.G6=TU[3IT1K:+8)M_A2W#.U$4F#8B0$9[6,H-B?M94>[X%4DB\ X>'0;\E;MRE*0
MJ")2D (4J1 *0"^ "@!>!0#AV<-!S.8"!Q$#FXCP "@8QA'AQ[ >/@#01I
M[A^K5LPV_P!]7PJVM]OW"[CTC%1+MIVH46P;A,V(.#B)2I6"NT%!_#T0"GX<
MZEBD(E,@& QC 7B(!@1/=/UDL[JHGP)TYL,;7JJ]X@SN._/<>1Y< ;',84WS
MK"&VZ&NTA&J D)1\6=V%)4!X@;@("&@J+?;3UL;TH9U?>IUMIPJFMS&-!;>=
MB;*W(M>(E$J"%BSEER>>+\G 0[TS(@F\/=AX #V!L ZD*H=Z\ZWFX8'1Q,94
M(S:+LM8QX"(CP!LS=8ODUT" 7T#+J#Q]'T-!U&V/=5: *=:G]:>S32Y!%1!E
MEO8GMFM#%8W*/[2[7I!L;O2H"8?"D)#@ >'TPIYF/7OQ$@==.>Z;>\Z):G*)
MHY]$9QVBY$D6Y2G$Q6\K'OLVT!%V<0 .*C=%/CP[ #B(!TEZNT[@M
C,3MAG!E%8Y%9@D2:
MBB6AVP9N4^[%.-[I$Q3BBDH0,>63:?LOM3J4D97/#KN^9H%5D-UV_
MTSZ:KE7HDO++N;-;("+O<]M1S/#0-*B8?+.1J?2[9)PD7&2LANUC96![CO'MP
$[W2[F]N&U?IVFW+QNUR;Q=7;SD>1W98NPH@ZGRS,HG'QE'G#)5BW9[::)692Q2V9<6Q]:K,;:7
M+TT=;(9\9DTH+#QZSM4(J+76=]_ QQ0.HW33$Y4N4P )1 =!7G>YK L>+E&2
MS%BV.>L92#A'[!]?*\V>LIBRH/G5?B'#55X1PG*S+>+=&;-Q+WJ@M5R@',BH
M!0SN4P[/ !$./:'$/ .@^Z"(BB_7H;D_[,;:I_27W,Z#NV._60=:3^._9M
M_0EQ=H)<= T&G6;MV88=SCC7!Y:-&SDKD^BVN\P$U,Y0IE :._:;<\>4R4J,
M.RM!DG5@NC]WDR.6CF3<>#M,JQ>=,Q X8XN.?M@M\N+6PVS(>-9"WT&,LK=
M&?>.;-#/HN 8,IFTV.+E)=FTC4)&I&1I$B[58O5'$