
14.	Distribution Reinvestment Plan

On November 18, 2011, the Company filed with the SEC a Form S-3 Registration Statement to register 4,850,000 Common Shares pursuant to a Distribution Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan (the "2011 DRIP"), which included the remaining shares available for issuance under a 2008 registration, which terminated as of such date. The registration statement was automatically declared effective the same day and was to expire at the earlier of the date on which all 4,850,000 shares had been issued or November 18, 2014. On September 30, 2014, the Company filed with the SEC a Form S-3 Registration Statement to register 4,790,000 Common Shares under an amended Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the "2014 DRIP"), which included the remaining shares available for issuance under the 2011 DRIP, which terminated as of such date. The registration was automatically declared effective the same day and will expire when all 4,790,000 shares have been issued. The Company has 4,775,789 Common Shares available for issuance under the 2014 DRIP at December 31, 2015.

The 2014 DRIP provides holders of record and beneficial owners of Common Shares and Preferred Shares with a simple and convenient method of reinvesting cash dividends/distributions in additional Common Shares. Common Shares purchased under the 2014 DRIP may, at the option of EQR, be directly issued by EQR or purchased by EQR's transfer agent in the open market using participants' funds. The net proceeds from any Common Share issuances are contributed to ERPOP in exchange for OP Units.