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Management agreement, fees and transactions with related party
9 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2020
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Management agreement, fees and transactions with related party

Note 8 – Management agreement, fees and transactions with related party:

Hekemian & Co., Inc. (“Hekemian”) currently manages all the properties owned by FREIT and its affiliates, except for the office building at The Rotunda located in Baltimore, Maryland, which is managed by an independent third party management company. The management agreement between FREIT and Hekemian dated as of November 1, 2001 (“Management Agreement”) expires on October 31, 2021, and is automatically renewed for successive periods of two years unless either party gives not less than six (6) months prior notice of non-renewal.

On January 14, 2020, in connection with entering into the Purchase and Sale Agreement, FREIT and Hekemian entered into a First Amendment to Management Agreement (the “First Amendment”), which amends the Management Agreement. The First Amendment would become effective if, and only if, the Plan of Liquidation became effective. Since the Plan of Liquidation will not become effective due to the termination of the Purchase and Sale Agreement, the First Amendment will not become effective. (See Notes 6 and 7 to FREIT’s condensed consolidated financial statements for further details)


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The Management Agreement requires the payment of management fees equal to 4% to 5% of rents collected. Management fees, charged to operations, were approximately $1,682,000 and $1,898,000 for the nine months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $484,000 and $643,000 for the three months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. In addition, the management agreement provides for the payment to Hekemian of leasing commissions, as well as the reimbursement of operating expenses incurred on behalf of FREIT. Such commissions and reimbursements amounted to approximately $835,000 and $447,000 for the nine months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $131,000 and $136,000 for the three months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. FREIT also uses the resources of the Hekemian insurance department to secure various insurance coverages for its properties and subsidiaries. Hekemian is paid a commission for these services. Such commissions were charged to operations and amounted to approximately $152,000 and $129,000 for the nine months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $96,000 and $80,000 for the three months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

From time to time, FREIT engages Hekemian to provide additional services, such as consulting services related to development, property sales and financing activities of FREIT. Separate fee arrangements may be negotiated between Hekemian and FREIT with respect to such additional services. There were no such fees incurred for the nine and three months ended July 31, 2020. Such fees incurred for the nine and three months ended July 31, 2019 were approximately $131,250 and $0, respectively. Fees incurred during Fiscal 2019 related to commissions to Hekemian for the sale of the Patchogue property.

Robert S. Hekemian, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, President and a Trustee of the Trust, is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Hekemian. David B. Hekemian, a Trustee of the Trust, is the Principal/Broker – Salesperson and Director of Commercial Brokerage of Hekemian. Robert S. Hekemian, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, served as a consultant to the Trust and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Hekemian prior to his death in December 2019. Allan Tubin, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Trust, is the Chief Financial Officer of Hekemian.

Trustee fee expense (including interest) incurred by FREIT for the nine months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019 was approximately $21,000 and $164,000, respectively, for Robert S. Hekemian, $322,000 and $286,000, respectively, for Robert S. Hekemian, Jr., $20,000 and $14,000, respectively, for Allan Tubin and $40,000 and $41,000, respectively, for David Hekemian. Trustee fee expense (including interest) incurred by FREIT for the three months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019 was approximately $0 and $51,000, respectively, for Robert S. Hekemian, $86,000 and $93,000, respectively, for Robert S. Hekemian, Jr., $5,000 and $8,000, respectively, for Allan Tubin and $9,000 and $14,000, respectively, for David Hekemian (See Note 14 to FREIT’s condensed consolidated financial statements).

Effective upon the late Robert S. Hekemian’s retirement as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and as a Trustee on April 5, 2018, FREIT entered into a Consulting Agreement with Mr. Hekemian, pursuant to which Mr. Hekemian provided consulting services to the Trust through December 2019. The Consulting Agreement obliged Mr. Hekemian to provide advice and consultation with respect to matters pertaining to the Trust and its subsidiaries, affiliates, assets and business, for no fewer than 30 hours per month during the term of the agreement. FREIT paid Mr. Hekemian a consulting fee of $5,000 per month during the term of the Consulting Agreement, which was payable in the form of Shares on a quarterly basis (i.e. in quarterly installments of $15,000). The number of Shares to be issued for each quarterly installment of the consulting fee was determined by dividing the dollar amount of the consulting fee by the closing price of one Share on the OTC Pink Open Market as of the close of trading on the last trading day of the calendar quarter with respect to which such consulting fee was payable. For the nine months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019, consulting fee expense for Robert S. Hekemian was approximately $8,000 and $45,000, respectively. For the three months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019, consulting fee expense for Robert S. Hekemian was approximately $0 and $15,000, respectively.

The equity owners of Rotunda 100, LLC, which owns a 40% minority equity interest in Grande Rotunda, LLC, are principally employees of Hekemian. To incentivize the employees of Hekemian, FREIT advanced, only to employees of Hekemian, up to 50% of the amount of the equity contributions that the Hekemian employees were required to invest in Rotunda 100, LLC. These advances were in the form of secured loans that bear interest at rates that float at 225 basis points over the ninety (90) day LIBOR, as adjusted each November 1, February 1, May 1 and August 1. These loans are secured by the Hekemian employees’ interests in Rotunda 100 and are full recourse loans. The notes originally had maturity dates at the earlier of (a) ten (10) years after issue (Grande Rotunda, LLC – 6/19/2015), or, (b) at the election of FREIT, ninety (90) days after the borrower terminates employment with Hekemian, at which time all outstanding unpaid principal and interest is due. On June 4, 2015, the Board approved an extension of the maturity date of the secured loans to occur the earlier of (a) June 19, 2018 or (b) five days after the closing of a permanent mortgage loan secured by the Rotunda property. On December 7, 2017, the Board approved a further extension of the maturity dates of these loans to the date or dates upon which distributions of cash are made by Grande Rotunda, LLC to its members as a result of a refinancing or sale of Grande Rotunda, LLC or the Rotunda property.

The aggregate outstanding principal balance of the Rotunda 100 notes was $4,000,000 at both July 31, 2020, and October 31, 2019. The accrued but unpaid interest related to these notes as of July 31, 2020 and October 31, 2019 amounted to approximately $1,169,000 and $1,053,000, respectively, and is included in secured loans receivable on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

In Fiscal 2017, Grande Rotunda, LLC incurred substantial expenditures at the Rotunda property related to retail tenant improvements, leasing costs and operating expenditures which, in the aggregate, exceeded revenues as the property was still in the rent up phase and the construction loan held with Wells Fargo at that time was at its maximum level, with no additional funding available to draw. Accordingly, during Fiscal 2017 the equity owners in Grande Rotunda, LLC (FREIT with a 60% ownership and Rotunda 100 with a 40% ownership) contributed their respective pro-rata share of any cash needs through loans to Grande Rotunda, LLC. As of July 31, 2020 and October 31, 2019, Rotunda 100 has funded Grande Rotunda, LLC with approximately $5.9 million and $5.7 million (including interest), respectively, which is included in due to affiliate on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.